Jiangnan Pavilion

"We passed."

Yang Hui smiled. "I'll take them to complete the paperwork. It's almost one o'clock, so you can begin the trial this afternoon."

More than a dozen people filled the spacious hall. Some chatted with one another, while others gathered to discuss things. The place was lively.

When they came out of the Nine-Story Tower, the sky, which had been thick with clouds, had begun pouring rain. Guan Ning and the other two stepped outside with their umbrellas.

"Although there are only a little over 180 students here, behind the scenes they're connected to the world's five great powers, the various families in the HR Alliance, and so on. There's a lot more going on here than meets the eye..." Yang Hui said in a low voice.

Seeing that both of them had passed the test, Yang Hui kept reminding Guan Ning and Luo Feng on the way not to let their guard down. The government, special organizations, and other forces all valued one thing above all else: strength.

"Don't pay too much attention to those temptations. Right now, you have just one goal—"

"To climb higher in the Training Camp rankings!"

"There are 184 students in total, including you two, and every one of them is an exceptional talent. Your job is to put everyone else beneath your feet and climb higher than them!" Yang Hui instructed them solemnly.

The two nodded.

"What codenames have you chosen?" Yang Hui asked. "Today is March 29. You'll officially join the Training Camp on April 1, 2057... So the first four digits of your codenames have to be '5704.' As for the last two, since you're the only two joining in April, you can pick any two digits you like."

Luo Feng chose "03."

"Good. Luo Feng, your student code will be 570403." Yang Hui nodded, then turned to Guan Ning and asked, "What about you, Guan Ning?"

"17."

Guan Ning thought it over. Apart from the anniversaries of his parents' deaths, he couldn't think of any dates with particular meaning, and those obviously weren't suitable for a codename. In the end, he decided to use his age.

"17?" Yang Hui glanced at Guan Ning, apparently understanding why he'd chosen it. "Then your student code will be 570417. The rest of the paperwork will be done shortly."

That very day, two new names appeared on the Black Dragon Sculpture rankings of the world's number one Training Camp—

NO.183 Luo Feng (570403)

NO.184 Guan Ning (570417)

The changes to the Black Dragon Ranking spread almost instantly to the world's five great powers and all the Base Cities. Government and military special departments, the HR Alliance's nine core families, and dozens of other influential families quickly received the news. That same day, each institution and organization was sent a detailed profile of Guan Ning and Luo Feng!

Everything about them, from their births to their elementary, middle, and high school years...

Their relatives, friends, and every other detail appeared before the eyes of prominent figures and the leaders of powerful forces.

Guan Ning and Luo Feng, now the focus of attention for all the major forces, walked with their umbrellas beside Yang Hui. After crossing a wooden arch bridge, they reached a cluster of buildings. Yang Hui pointed to a spot in the distance. "Luo Feng, Guan Ning, that compound over there is Jiangnan Pavilion. There are already two students living there."

As Yang Hui explained the strength of the students in Jiangnan Pavilion, Luo Feng looked incredulous when he heard about Shi Jiang, who ranked in the top five.

Seeing Luo Feng's astonished expression, Guan Ning found it amusing. He secretly took several photos with his Communication Watch, imagining how the future Galaxy Overlord would react if he saw them... The thought was almost too funny to imagine.

"Jiangnan Pavilion?" Guan Ning seemed to realize something, then muttered belatedly, "Does that mean she's there too? Just my luck!"

Yang Hui seemed to hear what Guan Ning was thinking. Smiling, he said, "Guan Ning, Zhao Ruo from Jiangnan Pavilion is from Suzhou City. Do you know her?"

"I do," Guan Ning replied listlessly.

"Know" hardly covered it. They were about as close as two people could be.

Zhao Ruo was the daughter of Qian Yun, the Chief Instructor at the Limit Dojo in Suzhou City. The two had grown up together and could be called childhood friends—though in this case, that meant she was like an older sister to him.

She was the same age as Zhong Xuan, Uncle Zhong's son. At eighteen, she had been admitted to Jiangnan First Military Academy. Thanks to her outstanding talent as a fighter, she had obtained a place in the elite Training Camp through the Military two years ago. She was now living in Jiangnan Pavilion.

Normally, meeting someone familiar in an unfamiliar place should have brought tears of joy. But to Guan Ning, Zhao Ruo was the very definition of a nightmare.

Zhao Ruo was boisterous and impulsive, while Guan Ning, having lived two lives, was steady and resolute. Whenever they met, Zhao Ruo would do everything she could to tease him. Seeing him lose his composure made her very happy. If her efforts didn't work, she would keep at it until he finally cracked.

Just thinking about the days ahead gave Guan Ning a headache.

Yang Hui could tell from Guan Ning's tone that there was a story behind it. Seeing his expression, he didn't disturb him and continued explaining things to Luo Feng.

Luo Feng had also noticed that something was off with Guan Ning. But since the two of them weren't very familiar yet, he didn't interrupt him either.

Lost in his memories, Guan Ning had reached Jiangnan Pavilion with the others.

The compound's courtyard spanned dozens of meters, enclosed by white walls and topped with black tiles. Even the wall had carvings of dragons.

When the three entered the courtyard, the buildings were quiet. Yang Hui called out, "Shi Jiang! Zhao Ruo!"

A short-haired young woman in a loose dressing gown appeared on the second-floor balcony of the building to their left. From the building directly ahead, a figure jumped down—a young man carrying an umbrella and wearing a black training suit.

Guan Ning glanced at the familiar figure on the balcony, then quickly looked away. After all, they knew each other very well.

Guan Ning carefully studied the young man in the black training suit.

He was 1.7 meters tall, with a lean frame and calm eyes. Every now and then, a sharp glint flashed in them, sending a chill down Guan Ning's spine.

"As expected of someone in the top five, Shi Jiang!" Guan Ning marveled silently.

"There's just no comparing them!" Then he looked at the figure on the balcony and shook his head helplessly.

"New arrivals?" Zhao Ruo said excitedly. She glanced down and caught Guan Ning's disdainful look. Bristling, she cried, "Ningzi, what's that look for?"

She darted down from the balcony and landed in front of Guan Ning, glaring at him.

"Just my luck."

Caught red-handed, he had no choice but to accept his fate. But as soon as the words left his mouth, Guan Ning's expression changed dramatically. He'd forgotten the person he was talking about was standing right there.

Sure enough, although Guan Ning's voice had been barely audible, Zhao Ruo wasn't an ordinary person and had heard every word. She glared at him, eyes blazing. "What did you say? Leave you alone for three days and you start climbing onto the roof, huh?"

Seeing that Zhao Ruo was about to explode, Guan Ning looked to the others for help. But Shi Jiang and Yang Hui knew her temper and both pretended not to see him. Even Luo Feng sensed something was wrong and turned his gaze toward the distance.

Seeing that, Guan Ning gave an awkward laugh and immediately came up with a plan. "Sister Ruo, I thought I'd see you yesterday. I didn't expect you to show up only now. You really know how to put on airs. Aunt Qian even told me you'd give me a warm welcome. I guess that was just talk. I'll be sure to tell Aunt Qian."

Zhao Ruo had made a name for herself in Ginkgo Residential District, but she was actually quite afraid of Aunt Qian. Guan Ning had never figured out why she was scared of the gentle Aunt Qian.

Still, that didn't stop him from using her to make a bluff!

The moment Guan Ning mentioned her mother, Zhao Ruo's fury vanished as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her.

With no other choice, Zhao Ruo could only stare at Guan Ning.

Guan Ning didn't dare make a move either, afraid of setting off Zhao Ruo's volcano all over again.

Shi Jiang and Yang Hui both knew how hot-tempered Zhao Ruo was. Neither had expected anyone to be able to keep her in check, and they exchanged glances.

As for Luo Feng, he had been staring at Shi Jiang from the start, as though he'd discovered a flower on him.

For a moment, silence fell over the courtyard.

"Ahem." Yang Hui was the one to break the silence. He cleared his throat and smiled. "Luo Feng, Guan Ning, starting today, you'll be living here in Jiangnan Pavilion."

"Shi Jiang, Zhao Ruo, you're their senior fellow students, so make sure you look after them." Yang Hui glanced at Zhao Ruo several times as he spoke.

"Don't worry. Leave it to me." Zhao Ruo thumped her chest. "With me as their senior, they won't be taken advantage of."

"By the way, there's only one vacant building in Jiangnan Pavilion right now. Luo Feng, Guan Ning, you'll have to share it for now. It'll take about two or three days to rebuild another one, and then you can live separately. Is that all right with you?"

"Teacher Yang, there's no need to go to all that trouble. Guan Ning can stay with me. I'll take good care of him."

Before Guan Ning or Luo Feng could say anything, Zhao Ruo spoke up. From the way she was gritting her teeth, anyone could tell what kind of "care" she had in mind.

"Zhao Ruo, don't mess around!" Yang Hui could only smile helplessly at her suggestion.

"Sure."

"No problem."

Guan Ning and Luo Feng looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"All right, I'll be off, then."

Yang Hui smiled and left.

"Luo Feng, sit down. Go on." Zhao Ruo was being very hospitable. At that moment, she, Guan Ning, Luo Feng, and Shi Jiang were all in the living room of Zhao Ruo's quarters.

But Zhao Ruo was focused entirely on welcoming Luo Feng and paid no attention at all to Guan Ning beside her.

Faced with Zhao Ruo's enthusiasm, Luo Feng hadn't quite gotten used to her yet. When she invited him to sit, he glanced at Guan Ning with a questioning look.

Guan Ning knew that Zhao Ruo's anger had been suppressed but hadn't completely faded. He waved a hand to show Luo Feng that he didn't need to worry about him.

"Hmph!"

Zhao Ruo noticed the exchange between Luo Feng and Guan Ning. She gave Guan Ning a snort, then said gently to Luo Feng, "Luo Feng, sit down. Don't mind him. Let him stand for a while. Shi Jiang, what do you think?"

Under Zhao Ruo's threatening gaze, Shi Jiang nodded, then gave Guan Ning a helpless look.

From Zhao Ruo and Shi Jiang's pointers to Luo Feng, Guan Ning also learned a few things about the Training Camp. The place was becoming clearer in his mind.

The building had four floors in all, with three above ground and one below. Luo Feng lived on the second floor, and Guan Ning on the third.

In his quiet, elegant study on the third floor of Jiangnan Pavilion, Guan Ning held a white porcelain cup. Steam curled from it, and the tea's fragrance filled the air. He sipped slowly as he looked at the laptop screen on the desk.