Victory

After finishing his morning lessons and taking a shower, Guan Ning went to his study, turned on his computer, and found a file in his inbox.

"A challenge letter?"

This challenge letter was only sent after the training camp's computer system received John's challenge application and approved it.

"Confirm acceptance!" Guan Ning replied.

"Beep!"

An email arrived.

Guan Ning clicked it open.

"So efficient, the time is already set? April 3rd at 9:00 PM?"

In another building.

Several young white men and women were gathered together.

"John, did he accept?" a white woman with blue eyes asked.

"He accepted," the blonde youth John said with pleasant surprise. "Tonight at 9:00 PM."

"Don't worry, John, that Guan Ning is definitely no match for you."

A tall white youth beside them encouraged him.

After dealing with the email, Guan Ning put the matter out of his mind; regardless of whether he won or lost this challenge, he had nothing to lose.

However, he was still quite confident, as Zhao Ruo and Shi Jiang had given him a detailed introduction to John McLean last night.

John McLean had perfect footwork, specialized in spear techniques, a force exertion level of 2.5, and a Trial Tower level of 2.4.

Although Guan Ning's force exertion level was only 2.0 due to his cultivation manual, according to Feng Mu, his current footwork and sword techniques were more than enough to clear the second floor, and while the third floor was uncertain, his Trial Tower level would be at least 3.0, putting him on par with John.

But the most important point was that Guan Ning's defense was higher than John's, and with a higher margin for error, his chances of winning were naturally greater.

There was another email from Feng Mu, containing only one sentence: "Don't forget today's training."

Seeing this, Guan Ning didn't know what to say; his teacher certainly had confidence in him.

After handling these miscellaneous matters, Guan Ning began to execute the training plan Feng Mu had arranged for him.

During this process, Guan Ning discovered that the time he could persist in the simulated gravity room had nearly doubled, and his gains had risen accordingly.

Guan Ning understood that this was because his body was storing vast amounts of nutrients, all thanks to the Tuoshan Deer cub.

April 3rd, 8:50 PM.

Nine-Story Tower, ninth floor.

The area in front of the Challenge Room was already crowded with training camp students, and even many War God-level teachers had arrived.

There was no helping it; the commotion Guan Ning caused yesterday had even alarmed the War God-level teachers. Furthermore, students returning from City 1001 had brought news that two lord-level Tuoshan Deer had led thousands of others to attack camp members in the city today. It was fortunate that the Tuoshan Deer herd could only operate in a specific area, otherwise, the students who went out hunting today would have suffered.

This was naturally because all three of their children had died, and even their bodies had vanished, so the Tuoshan Deer naturally wanted to take revenge and vent their anger.

Upon hearing this news, Guan Ning felt a lingering fear; he hadn't expected there to be two lord-level Tuoshan Deer. If they hadn't been away, then...

"I must learn from this lesson and be even more cautious in everything I do from now on!"

Guan Ning warned himself inwardly.

"That's Guan Ning? What a lucky kid."

"I wonder if John will win, or if he will?"

"Don't worry, John is ranked 75th, and his combat power amplification is 'medium'; he definitely won't lose."

Two big-nosed white youths were whispering over there; judging by their language and appearance, they were from the Soviet Union.

"William McLean, Guan Ning, enter the Challenge Room!"

An electronic voice echoed through the ninth-floor hall.

Guan Ning and John exchanged a glance and walked toward the Challenge Room.

"John, defeat that kid!" the tall, blue-eyed white girl shouted.

"Xiao Ning, you must win!" Zhao Ruo also shouted from there. Many students were cheering; this battle was not only a fight between a veteran and a newcomer but also a clash between the American faction and the Huaxia Nation faction.

Last time, Luo Feng had dealt them a heavy blow, and this time they were eager to see John give Guan Ning a harsh lesson, fueled by no small amount of jealousy toward him.

The two entered the virtual challenge space. Guan Ning chose a wilderness environment; such terrain offered little room for evasion and was a pure test of raw strength.

John looked at the scene and immediately understood Guan Ning's intentions.

"Arrogant! Even if we use the same physical fitness in the Challenge Room, my force exertion and combat techniques far exceed yours. You actually want to challenge me head-on? Die!"

John chose a Dragon Spear as his weapon. As soon as the battle began, he quickly entered a state of high alert. Although his personality was somewhat irritable, he was extremely focused when it came to combat; otherwise, he would never have made it into the top 100 in the genius-filled Elite Training Camp.

Guan Ning chose only a Qingming Sword; he did not intend to reveal his trump cards in an insignificant challenge.

Seeing that Guan Ning had no intention of striking first, John moved. Exploding with full power, his speed was a fraction faster than Guan Ning's, and the distance between the two closed to just over a meter in an instant.

The Dragon Spear thrust out, its cold-glinting tip flashing like lightning, piercing straight toward Guan Ning's throat.

"So fast!" Guan Ning felt a jolt, his figure retreating violently while he held the Qingming Sword vertically before him.

Clang!

The tip of the spear struck the thick spine of the Qingming Sword, emitting a crisp sound of clashing metal.

"Bang!"

Guan Ning felt a massive force surge through him, pinning the Qingming Sword against his combat suit with a dull thud. After the dampening effects of the sword and the suit, the force that reached his body was no longer enough to cause him any further harm.

"What immense power! Those who can enter the top hundred are truly not to be underestimated." Guan Ning had not expected such a plain, straightforward thrust to carry such tremendous strength.

"Such quick reactions!"

Having failed to land a hit, John did not let up. The Dragon Spear in his hand traced a strange arc; the shaft itself seemed to bend under the trajectory, a testament to the lethality of the strike.

Facing this fierce attack, Guan Ning had no intention of meeting it head-on. He lunged forward; the Dragon Spear was a long weapon, while the Qingming Sword was a short one. Guan Ning had to close the distance to unleash his full potential, and once he did, John would be in for a difficult time.

John was well aware of this. Faced with Guan Ning's decisiveness, he was forced to abandon his offensive and shift his stance.

Although John's explosive power was greater, the difference was not nearly as pronounced when it came to speed.

While his power reached 2.5 times the norm, air resistance increased with speed, meaning the 2.5x speed boost did not translate as effectively as the power boost did.

However, John's footwork had reached the Perfect Level, making him far more agile; Guan Ning simply could not get a hold of him.

John could not spare a hand to swing his long spear for an attack either. Although Guan Ning's footwork had not yet broken through to the Perfection Level, it was already at the peak of the Micro Level, and he had even touched the threshold of the Perfect Level. To prevent Guan Ning from closing in, John had to dodge with all his might, knowing that a moment of carelessness could lead to him being caught.

The two chased and fled, locked in a stalemate for a minute or two.

As Guan Ning struggled to find a way to break the deadlock, a flash of inspiration struck him. He sneered, "John, as a student in the top hundred of the Black Dragon Ranking, is running all you can do?"

John was already furious, and Guan Ning's mockery only added fuel to the fire. However, he hadn't reached the top hundred by being hot-headed; he would not be goaded into acting rashly by mere taunts.

He wanted nothing more than to have a proper, satisfying fight with Guan Ning, but based on their brief exchange, he had already judged that while Guan Ning's power level was inferior to his own, it was certainly not by much.

That alone was bad enough, but Guan Ning's footwork was also formidable. Under normal circumstances, he would have engaged him in battle long ago.

However, the stakes of this challenge were unlike any other. On one side was a film that concerned his future, and on the other was precious usage time in the ancient civilization Gravity Room. He could not afford to lose either, which was why he had been forced to act so cautiously.

Seeing that John remained unmoved, Guan Ning sighed and stopped in his tracks, saying straightforwardly, "John, this isn't working. Let's have a proper fight!"

John saw that Guan Ning didn't seem to be lying, and he was tired of this game of cat and mouse. "As you wish," he replied sharply.

Clang, clang, clang...

Clash, clash, clash...

The two engaged in a fierce melee, sword light and spear shadows ravaging the wasteland in a display of evenly matched strength.

Is this Perfection Level swordplay? No, that's not right. Still, it's getting there...

John grew more alarmed the longer they fought. He had already held Guan Ning in high regard, but he realized he had still underestimated him. If nothing else, Guan Ning's swordplay was at least a level above his own. His own spear technique could barely be considered at the peak of the Mastery Level, yet it felt incredibly fragile before the Qingming Sword. Had it not been for his slight advantage in footwork, he would have been defeated long ago.

Guan Ning was also having a miserable time. John not only possessed greater strength but was also more agile. Every time the Qingming Sword touched the Dragon Spear, its trajectory would deflect. Although he could regain control of his sword in the blink of an eye, John would use that opportunity to shift his position. Guan Ning felt the frustration of having "strength with nowhere to apply it."

After hundreds of exchanges, Guan Ning's expression grew increasingly grim, while John became more and more excited. Through the constant combat, his spear technique was becoming increasingly refined. The Dragon Spear felt alive in his hands, incredibly flexible. If he had been able to block seventy percent of Guan Ning's attacks before, he could now block eighty percent, and the number was still rising. How could he not be excited?

Guan Ning naturally noticed this situation. He never expected to become a whetstone for someone else, and his mood soured accordingly.

"I can't let this continue. I must end this quickly." Just as Guan Ning made up his mind, he spotted an opening. "A perfect chance!"

John executed the same plain, straightforward thrust, aiming for Guan Ning's chest. In the past, whenever Guan Ning encountered this move, he would either block it with his Qingming Sword or dodge to the side. Regardless of what Guan Ning chose, John always had a counter-measure ready.