Feng Mu

"Sister Ruo, I didn't expect you to eat so much. My poor wallet!" Guan Ning said, feigning a pained expression.

"Give me a break. You think I don't know you've made a fortune lately? My mom told me all about it," Zhao Ruo said with a grin.

"Aunt Qian really shouldn't have..." Guan Ning grumbled.

"Xiao Ning, is it true what my mom said? You've reached the second realm in both movement technique and swordsmanship?"

Zhao Ruo thought of what her mother had told her about Guan Ning and still found it hard to believe. She had been in the Elite Training Camp for two years, with a War God Level teacher and help from precious Ancient Civilization Ruins, yet she had only reached about the same level. She couldn't figure out how Guan Ning had managed it.

"Of course. I'm a genius!" Guan Ning said proudly.

"You little brat, calling yourself a genius..." What Zhao Ruo couldn't stand was Guan Ning acting so much older than his years. It was incredibly annoying.

"How about a spar?" Zhao Ruo asked eagerly, wanting to see for herself.

"Sure." Guan Ning nodded. "But you'll have to hold back."

Zhao Ruo nodded.

They headed back together, planning to spar in the basement of Zhao Ruo's pavilion. The Challenge Room in the Nine-Story Tower was packed, after all, and Luo Feng and William had to wait until tomorrow for their matches.

Guan Ning suddenly thought of Zhong Xuan and asked, "Sister Ruo, Brother Xuan has a girlfriend. Did you know?"

"Of course. Everyone in the residential area is talking about it. How could I not know?" Zhao Ruo replied.

"You and Brother Xuan practically grew up together. You're childhood sweethearts in every sense of the word. Have you ever thought about—" Guan Ning raised his eyebrows.

"Are you asking for a beating?" Zhao Ruo said disdainfully. "Forget it. How could I like a weakling like him?"

That was true!

Zhong Xuan was still a high-level trainee at the martial arts school. At best, he might become a fighter one day. Zhao Ruo was different. As a trainee at the Elite Training Camp, she had to meet the minimum requirement of War God Level. They were already on completely different levels.

As they spoke, the two had already returned to Jiangnan Pavilion.

Once they were ready, they began sparring.

"Bang!"

After a dozen or so moves, Guan Ning knocked the blade from Zhao Ruo's hand.

Zhao Ruo stared at her empty hands, unable to accept it.

"Sister Ruo, I..." Guan Ning hadn't expected to be this strong now. Seeing Zhao Ruo fall silent, he hurried to speak.

"Again!"

At Guan Ning's words, Zhao Ruo snapped out of it. She picked up her War Blade and shouted sharply.

"Whoosh!"

This time Guan Ning deliberately held back, but in fewer than a hundred moves, the Qingming Sword was at Zhao Ruo's throat.

"Again!"

Zhao Ruo raised her strength to the intermediate War General Level and lasted more than a hundred moves.

"Again!"

This time Zhao Ruo fought with all her strength, but she only lasted two hundred moves.

"Clang!"

Zhao Ruo tossed her War Blade onto the ground and looked at Guan Ning, murmuring, "Two years of hard training, and this is all I have to show for it?"

Seeing Zhao Ruo so dejected broke Guan Ning's heart. He rested a hand on her shoulder and gently comforted her. "Sister Ruo, you're not weak. It's just that my situation is a little unusual."

When Zhao Ruo still looked lost, Guan Ning shouted, "Zhao Ruo, did you set out on the path of a fighter just to compete with others?"

"Think of the pioneers who carved out a safe haven for humanity in the darkness during the Great Nirvana!"

"Think of the fighters who battled monsters in the wilderness to protect humanity!"

"Think of the heroes who died in the Beast Tide!"

"Look at yourself now. Are you worthy of them? Of the parents who hoped their daughter would achieve greatness? Of yourself?"

Guan Ning's words struck Zhao Ruo like a thunderclap, and she finally recovered from the blow.

"You're right. If you stay true to your original purpose, you'll see things through to the end. Xiao Ning, thank you."

Guan Ning's words had not only brought Zhao Ruo back to her senses; they had also stirred something within him.

The excitement and unease he had felt when he first encountered information about the world;

the despair when he learned his parents were dead;

the bold words he had spoken when he emerged from the darkness;

the future threat of annihilation posed by the Golden Horned Beast;

the terror the Nolanshan Family would bring to Earth's humans;

Apprentice, Planetary, Stellar, Universe, Domain Lord, World Lord, Immortal...

The Yinlan Empire, the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, Ganwu Universe Country, the Virtual Universe Company...

Humanity, the Demon Race, the Machine Race, the Ancestral God Religion, the Star Alliance...

The Primal Universe, the Universe Sea, Hunyuan Continent...

Everything, whether it had happened or not, flashed through Guan Ning's mind one by one.

Guan Ning's gaze gradually grew unfocused. Amid the dazzling, perilous universe, he lost his way. He couldn't find the way back, the destination, or even the starting point.

He didn't know where he had come from or where he was going.

"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao... The highest good is like water; it benefits all things and does not contend..."

At the crucial moment, the few wisps of pale blue mist in his sea of consciousness flickered faintly. One passage after another from the Dao Scripture flowed through his heart, and light gradually returned to Guan Ning's eyes. At last, his gaze shone with piercing clarity, and he burst into laughter. "I understand now! Today, I've finally had my realization."

"Why are you yelling? You're giving me a headache." Zhao Ruo had been worried about Guan Ning at first, but once she saw the light return to his eyes, she relaxed. Who would've thought he'd come to and start laughing like an idiot? Concerned, Zhao Ruo asked, "What do you understand? What did you realize?"

"Nothing." Guan Ning wasn't sure how to explain. Saying he had seen his true nature didn't quite fit. He could only say that he had understood himself, learned why he cultivated, and found his original purpose.

On March 31, Luo Feng defeated William and won the five-billion wager. He also got into a conflict with Candice.

That evening, the breeze swept through the courtyard at Jiangnan Pavilion, taking away the faint warmth of early summer and dispelling the restlessness in everyone's hearts.

"Luo Feng, this is Teacher Jiang. For the next five years at the Training Camp, you'll study under her," Shi Jiang introduced. "Guan Ning, this is Teacher Feng. You'll study under him from now on."

Luo Feng's teacher was still Jiang Fang. She wore a purple training outfit, and her tall figure gave her a wild air despite her maturity. Her phoenix eyes held an unmistakable authority.

Beside her stood Teacher Feng, whose expression was melancholy. He looked to be only in his thirties, but the weathered look in his eyes made it clear he was far older than he seemed.

Teacher Feng?

Seriously? Were all those who practiced swordsmanship taken by people surnamed Feng?

"My name is Feng Mu." Dressed in a blue training robe, Feng Mu's entire aura changed. A moment ago, he had seemed like a melancholy young man. As soon as he spoke, he was like a drawn sword, sharp and imposing.

"For the next five years, I'll be your assigned teacher," Feng Mu continued. "I currently have three trainees. You'll be the fourth."

"Teacher Feng." Guan Ning stood straight and nodded in greeting.

From the aura he had just displayed, it was clear Feng Mu had more than enough skill to teach at the Elite Training Camp.

"Teacher Jiang, I'll be going now. Guan Ning, take your sword and come with me." Feng Mu greeted Jiang Fang, then walked away without acknowledging Guan Ning's polite greeting.

Ordinary rules of etiquette weren't suitable for these geniuses.

Guan Ning said nothing. He took his Qingming Sword and followed Feng Mu out.

On the way, Feng Mu smiled and asked, "You've reached the second realm in both movement technique and swordsmanship?"

"Yes." Guan Ning nodded.

"Not bad!"

Feng Mu nodded, then fell silent and walked on without another word.

Guan Ning was completely confused by Feng Mu's behavior and didn't know whether he should speak, but he continued following close behind.

Before long, they reached one of the training rooms in the Nine-Story Tower. Feng Mu drew a long sword from his waist. "Come on, Guan Ning. Show me your swordsmanship and attack me! I'll keep my strength and speed no higher than yours. Let's see what you can do."

At that, Guan Ning perked up. Teacher Feng was sure to be shocked.

"Teacher Feng, please go easy on me!" As Guan Ning spoke, Feng Mu had already launched his attack.

Feng Mu brought his sword down at Guan Ning in one clean, decisive stroke. Guan Ning dodged, but Feng Mu flicked his wrist and followed with a slanting slash at an awkward angle.

Using that brief opening, Guan Ning drew his Qingming Sword. With a clang, he blocked Feng Mu's blade.

His first attack had failed. Feng Mu tapped the ground with his feet, his figure flickering as his sword became impossible to predict.

Clearly, the teacher in front of him had started taking the fight seriously.

Guan Ning smiled faintly. His figure grew just as elusive, and the Qingming Sword became a streak of flowing light.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The two figures chased each other around the cramped training room. One moment the blue figure pursued the white; the next, the white pursued the blue. The clash of their weapons rang out without pause.

The longer they fought, the more exhilarated Guan Ning became. Aside from the time Yang Hui had tested him as an envoy, he had never gone all out—and even then, they had only exchanged a few moves. It could hardly be called a spar.

This time was different. Feng Mu had suppressed his strength and was sparring with Guan Ning on equal footing. They had already exchanged more than a hundred moves, and Guan Ning felt better with every one. The Qingming Sword grew more nimble, as though it had become one with him, an extension of his arm—fluid and effortless.

"Not bad! You've already reached the peak of the second realm."

At first, Feng Mu had quietly nodded in approval at Guan Ning's movement technique and swordsmanship. But as time went on, the pressure he felt grew heavier, and he had to focus. Though he was still holding back, he no longer had the attention to comment.

Feng Mu was surprised by Guan Ning's solid foundations, but he didn't show much on his face. In the Training Camp, what kind of genius hadn't he seen? Reaching the second realm in movement technique and swordsmanship was nothing special.

But when Guan Ning entered his current state, Feng Mu looked as if he'd seen a ghost. He couldn't believe Guan Ning was already touching the threshold of perfect swordsmanship.

When swordsmanship flowed smoothly and continuously in battle, it could be called mastery—the second realm of swordsmanship.

As for perfection, the third realm, it meant the sword and body becoming one: "man and sword as one."