Patrol Envoy

The most troublesome was still the C stage. I hadn't gotten through it on the ninth, or during the thirty minutes I had on the evening of the eighteenth. It wasn't until the twenty-seventh that I finally made it through.

Countless Elementary Beast General Level Iron-Armored Scorpions attacked in formation under the command of ten Intermediate Beast General Level Silver-Armored Scorpions. They worked together seamlessly, wave after wave. Even an Advanced Warlord could easily fall, let alone a Beginner Warlord!

Under such immense pressure, Guan Ning pushed himself to his limits again and again, and finally entered the Third Realm. His swordsmanship and footwork both underwent a qualitative transformation, and he passed the test. But he was covered in injuries; if his defense hadn't doubled, he might not have made it through.

On the third floor, facing a swarm of Golden Vultures, Guan Ning had no chance to fight back. The main problem was that his force exertion level was too low. He lacked both strength and speed, so his final Trial Tower level was fixed at 3.0.

His force exertion level was still 2.0. At this, Guan Ning couldn't help grumbling to himself.

The Dugu Sword Art was great, but unless his mastery advanced, his force exertion level wouldn't change. What a load of crap!

With a Combat Power Amplitude of 6.0, he had no problem breaking into the top hundred. But Guan Ning's physical fitness and force exertion level were low, and the highest-ranked monsters he'd hunted were only Intermediate Beast General Level. Clearly, that wasn't enough to get him into the top hundred.

So, when hunting monsters, he used the Coiling Dragon Sword. Although it was only a Level 6 weapon, it was made of special material, and was both stealthy and sharp. No Advanced Beast General Level monster could withstand its surprise attack. Even a Lord-Level Monster with average defenses could be killed if it let its guard down.

When hunting monsters, Guan Ning disguised his strength with the Qingming Sword. The Advanced Beast General Level monsters saw no threat in him and naturally let down their guard. Taking advantage of that, he drew the Coiling Dragon Sword. The monsters were either beheaded or disemboweled in a single strike. It was practically unstoppable, and that was how he made it to eighty-sixth place.

In the process, he also realized he'd gained a new understanding of the Hidden Edge Sword Technique. He'd forgotten that a sword was a weapon of slaughter, and only through killing could it grow quickly. If he kept hiding his true ability as he had before, who knew how long it would take him to master the Hidden Edge Sword?

Once he understood, Guan Ning cursed himself for being stupid. Fortunately, it wasn't too late to realize it now. Ever since he'd started using the Coiling Dragon Sword in actual combat, his Hidden Edge Sword Technique had improved by leaps and bounds.

On the twelfth, Guan Ning compressed the thirty-six moves of the Hidden Edge Sword Technique into eighteen. Those eighteen moves could be transformed back into thirty-six at any time.

On the eighteenth, the eighteen moves became twelve.

On the twenty-seventh—that is, yesterday—the Hidden Edge Sword Technique evolved from twelve moves into six. It was precisely because of his swordsmanship's progress that he lasted longer in the second-floor C stage, allowing both his swordsmanship and footwork to enter the Third Realm and pass the test. It was a change that affected everything.

Guan Ning had a feeling that once he condensed the thirty-six moves into one, his Basic Sword Technique would reach perfection in the second layer. Not only would his swordsmanship and footwork advance greatly, but his force exertion level would also undergo a qualitative transformation.

This was completely different from the first layer. When he trained in the Swift Sword, he mastered the Swift Sword first, then incorporated it into his sword moves.

Now, things were different. He was condensing his sword moves step by step, so once he condensed them into a single move, he would naturally reach perfection in the second layer.

The first approach went from the bottom up. As long as he practiced step by step, perfecting his swordsmanship was only a matter of time. The second went from the top down and required astonishing comprehension. Neither was superior; it all depended on the individual.

"Xiao Ning, come out and welcome your returning heroes! We're back!"

Zhao Ruo's boisterous voice rang out.

Guan Ning went to the living room. Luo Feng, Shi Jiang, and Zhao Ruo were already sitting on the sofa.

"Senior Brother Luo Feng, congratulations! You ranked sixty-eighth. I bet you'll break into the top fifty next month."

Guan Ning congratulated him, speaking with exaggerated enthusiasm.

"Junior Brother Guan Ning, you're joking. I'm not confident about that. You're the one who might make it, since everyone's seen how much you've improved."

Luo Feng modestly returned the compliment.

"Tsk, you two are something else. One compliment after another. Aren't you embarrassed? Senior Brother Shi Jiang, don't you think so?"

Zhao Ruo couldn't stand watching the two men beside her exchange compliments.

"It's fine. I think it's all right." Shi Jiang didn't look too happy.

"Senior Brother Shi Jiang, what's wrong?" The three of them noticed something was off, and Zhao Ruo, who knew him best, asked.

"It's just seeing Chu Qiang take first place. It doesn't sit right with me."

Shi Jiang forced an awkward smile.

Guan Ning and the others exchanged glances. They hadn't expected that to be the reason.

Because of Shi Jiang's mood, the four of them parted on less-than-friendly terms.

Guan Ning took a shower, then lay down and fell asleep. It was his reward to himself; the right way was to balance exertion with rest.

After Luo Feng went back, he naturally spent the evening chatting on the phone with his little girlfriend.

Candice also received a call from his aunt, Venina Polenas, asking him to find out whether Luo Feng was a Psychic Master.

Among the world's five great nations, all kinds of forces were stirring around the Elite Training Camp, both openly and behind the scenes. The ones who had set everything in motion were Guan Ning and Luo Feng.

On April 29, the Training Camp students were much more relaxed than they had been during the first twenty-eight days. Guan Ning, however, didn't let up. Today, besides eight hours of training in the imitation Gravity Room, he also had Feng Mu's instruction.

"This time, the teacher's sure to be astonished."

Guan Ning planned to use the Coiling Dragon Sword when sparring with Feng Mu. That would certainly help him improve more, and Feng Mu was something of a loner in the Training Camp, so there was no need to worry about any leaks.

While Guan Ning was training in the imitation Gravity Room,

and while Luo Feng was seeking Jiang Fang's advice,

their files had already been placed on the desks of the Limit Martial Hall's senior executives.

Guan Ning and Luo Feng had caused such a stir that the Limit Martial Hall's senior executives had taken notice. Two newcomers had entered the top hundred in their very first month. It was no exaggeration to say this had never happened before, and it had immediately drawn their attention.

Aside from the master, Hong, who was still in seclusion and hadn't received the news, all five of the Limit Martial Hall's Patrol Envoys, stationed around the globe, were present. They had gathered in a mysterious virtual meeting room for a conference.

The Patrol Envoys were the highest-ranking figures in the Limit Martial Hall after its master, Hong. Every one of them was Beyond War God!

Hong, the master, rarely handled the Limit Martial Hall's affairs personally. Usually, the five Patrol Envoys stationed around the world managed them together.

Five white-robed figures: three Chinese, one white, and one Black.

"Gentlemen, these are the files on Luo Feng and Guan Ning."

"Luo Feng: Trial Tower level 2.9, punching force exertion level 2.8. That gives him a Combat Power Amplitude of 8.12, which qualifies as 'excellent.'" A Chinese white-robed man spoke. "Guan Ning: Trial Tower level 3.0, force exertion level 2.0, Combat Power Amplitude 6.0, which qualifies as 'high.'"

A white-robed Black man nodded. "Their monster-hunting points are on par with those of third-year students at the Training Camp. Guan Ning's Combat Power Amplitude is high, and he ranks eighty-sixth. Luo Feng's is excellent, and he ranks sixty-eighth."

"Inspector Wang, I agree that we should recruit them both, but the benefits you're offering..."

"Vladimir, I don't think the benefits I've offered are excessive."

Just as the five fell into an argument, an electronic voice rang out. "Five Patrol Envoys!"

The five Patrol Envoys looked up. In the starry sky above the meeting room, ten files drifted down and landed in front of them. The electronic voice continued, "This is the master's decision regarding Luo Feng and Guan Ning. If you have any objections, you may report them to the master. If not, carry out this decision."

"Any objections?" the electronic voice asked.

"None." "None." "None." "None." "None."

The five Patrol Envoys quickly skimmed the files and responded in turn.

"Then, Inspector Wang, carry it out immediately!" the electronic voice said.

At nine that evening, in a Training Room on the third floor of the Nine-Story Tower, Feng Mu looked at the Coiling Dragon Sword in Guan Ning's hand. It was thin as a cicada's wing. Frowning, he asked, "Isn't the manual you're training in the Mist Sword?"

"No." Guan Ning shook his head. Feng Mu's brows furrowed even more. This was a tricky situation. Practicing a martial arts manual without authorization could have serious consequences if he were discovered.

Seeing Feng Mu's expression, Guan Ning knew he'd misunderstood and quickly explained, "Teacher, the manual I'm practicing came from my parents. You can't find it in the Warrior Mall."

"I see." Feng Mu nodded, though it was hard to tell whether he believed him.

"In that case, let's begin."

The moment Feng Mu and Guan Ning crossed swords, he noticed the difference. The Coiling Dragon Sword's moves were not only strange but also incredibly swift.

Clang!

The Coiling Dragon Sword swept in from the side. Feng Mu blocked it with the long sword in his hand. Before the two swords collided, Guan Ning adjusted the angle. Although the long sword blocked the Coiling Dragon Sword, the latter bent strangely, curving around to stab at Feng Mu's neck. Feng Mu had no choice but to dodge.

That wasn't all. When Feng Mu's sword came at him, Guan Ning sometimes blocked it with the Coiling Dragon Sword. The blade bent, then instantly sprang back into its original shape, and Guan Ning used that rebound to gain a sudden burst of speed.

At other times, he neither dodged nor blocked. The Coiling Dragon Sword coiled around Feng Mu's blade like a spirit snake, winding its way toward his wrist. Feng Mu had to stop attacking and swing his sword in every direction to break the offensive.

"So this is your real strength? You're a little tricky to deal with, but it's still not enough."

Feeling the pressure increase severalfold, Feng Mu became more alert and focused completely on sparring with Guan Ning.

In the end, Guan Ning still lost to a serious Feng Mu. But the fight lasted nearly twice as long as before. Guan Ning was satisfied with the result; he hadn't expected to defeat Feng Mu at his current level.

The next morning, April 30, Guan Ning was training in the imitation Gravity Room when his phone rang. He answered, and Feng Mu's weathered face appeared on the screen. Here it comes!

"Teacher, what is it?" Guan Ning asked, pretending not to know.