The authentic Hidden Edge Sword Technique of the Coiling Dragon Sword took an unorthodox approach, focusing solely on offense and not defense. The Hidden Edge Sword Technique performed with the Qingming Sword, on the other hand, was strange and hard to read, but suited both offense and defense.
Although the two sword techniques followed different paths, the core idea behind the Hidden Edge Sword Technique was the word "trickery." Studying the technique with the Qingming Sword had given Guan Ning new insights, but they still weren't enough to support a breakthrough.
So, now that he had a clear direction, Guan Ning devoted himself to studying the Qingming Sword version of the Hidden Edge Sword Technique.
On July 3, Guan Ning refined the thirty-six sword forms into twelve.
On July 5, he reduced the twelve forms to nine.
On July 10, he reduced the nine forms to six.
On July 17, he reduced the six forms to three.
By then, Guan Ning felt he had gained enough insight into the Hidden Edge Sword Technique, so he went back to studying the authentic version.
After more than ten days of study, today—July 29—he finally mastered the Hidden Edge Sword Technique. He not only consolidated his recently achieved Perfect Level movement technique and mastery-level swordsmanship, but also increased his force output to four times his strength. That meant his Combat Power Amplitude had reached 13.2, exceeding the requirement of 12 before August 1.
This meant he would soon be able to claim a bottle of Dragon Blood, an SS-Grade Combat Suit, a full set of weapons, and any three complete sets of manuals.
He could do without the manuals, but he desperately needed the Dragon Blood, combat suit, and weapons.
Although the second dose of Dragon Blood wouldn't be as effective as the first, it could still increase his strength by at least several thousand kilograms. Having that extra strength before going to Australia would give him a greater margin of safety!
As for the SS-Grade Combat Suit and weapons, they were extremely important. Without them, Guan Ning wouldn't dare set his sights on Mist Island. Countless Lord-Level Monsters were entrenched there. Without the protection of an SS-Grade Combat Suit, he couldn't even reach the island, and without SS-grade weapons, his current physical strength wouldn't be enough to chop through the willow branches there. In other words, he absolutely needed both.
Speaking of physical strength, after consuming the Dragon Blood and Jade Marrow, his strength had soared to over 65,000 kilograms. But he had also used up all the reserves in his body.
The remaining Tuoshan Deer fawn was small, and its nutrients had been depleted over time. It lasted less than a month before Guan Ning used it up. He then tried the meat of Beast General Level Monsters, but it contained very little nutrition for him. He had even cut off a piece of a Lord-Level Monster and tried it. Though it was more nutritious than Beast General Level meat, it still wasn't enough for him. Besides, Lord-Level Monster meat wasn't something he could get whenever he wanted, so he had no choice but to give up.
With no other options, he boiled the Tuoshan Deer's bones into bone broth. He had to admit, it was even more nutritious than Lord-Level Monster meat.
He lasted another ten-odd days before he used up the bones of both Tuoshan Deer.
That left only the Deer Blood Wine brewed from their blood. It was good, and there was plenty of it, but its side effects were obvious.
At that moment, Guan Ning was burning with restless desire. The lingering effects of the Deer Blood Wine churned in his chest, and he prowled through the woods on the mountain behind the camp like a caged beast.
A gentle night breeze brought a hint of coolness, but it couldn't quell the heat raging inside him. Leaves rustled, as if whispering some secret, while his heartbeat grew more and more intense in the quiet.
Suddenly, a low sob broke the silence of the night. Guan Ning followed the sound and saw Teacher Jiang Fang sitting before a tombstone. Bathed in moonlight, her figure looked especially forlorn and beautiful. She held a bouquet of wildflowers, tears in her eyes, and softly mourned her late husband.
Guan Ning could tell that Teacher Jiang Fang had been drinking. A faint blush spread across her cheeks like plum blossoms, adding a touch of beauty to her sorrow.
Guan Ning walked toward Jiang Fang without thinking. His footsteps sounded especially clear in the still night. Jiang Fang looked up, and their eyes met. For a moment, it was as if an electric current passed through them. In Jiang Fang's eyes, Guan Ning saw an emotion he couldn't put into words—one he knew all too well. It was as though he heard a call that transcended words and reason.
"Teacher Jiang..."
"Don't speak..."
As if drawn together by an invisible red thread, they silently moved closer. Guan Ning felt Jiang Fang trembling slightly. Her grief was like an unseen force, gripping his heart. Jiang Fang gently raised her hand and stroked his cheek. What a tender touch. Guan Ning closed his eyes and felt its warmth, as if it could briefly make him forget the fire burning inside him.
The next moment, they embraced almost instinctively. Their body heat and heartbeats felt so real. In the solitude of the mountain woods, two lonely souls found a measure of comfort under the influence of alcohol. Their breathing mingled. The night breeze still blew, but now it seemed to carry a hint of tenderness.
Early the next morning, a dewdrop fell on Guan Ning's face and woke him. He wiped his face and sprang up. A note slipped off him, and he snatched it up. As he looked closer, a line of elegant handwriting came into view: "Last night was an accident. Forget about it!"
"Damn it!"
Guan Ning clenched the note in his hand, remembering the reckless events of the previous night, and slapped himself hard. Suddenly, his ears twitched, as if he'd heard something. He hurried away in a panic.
"Heh..." Not long after Guan Ning left, a graceful figure emerged from deep within the woods. Remembering what he had just done, she chuckled. Then she watched Guan Ning disappear into the distance, feeling a pang of loss...
After that incident, Guan Ning strictly controlled himself. Whenever he drank Deer Blood Wine, he locked himself in the basement and practiced his swordsmanship like a madman to burn off his excess energy.
The results were remarkable. In just three months, his strength rose from over 65,000 kilograms to nearly 90,000. That was still far below the 128,000 kilograms required for Intermediate War God, but it was a very respectable improvement.
Even at 90,000 kilograms, fourfold force output gave him 360,000 kilograms—far exceeding the 256,000 kilograms required for High-Level War God. And he still had another dose of Dragon Blood. All in all, Guan Ning was now strong enough to set foot on Mist Island.
As his physical strength increased, he also got better at hunting monsters and accumulating achievement points. In May, he ranked 67th on the Black Dragon Ranking, mainly because his Combat Power Amplitude was relatively low.
In June, both his swordsmanship and movement technique broke through to the third realm, and his Trial Tower level rose to 3.3. He ranked 52nd, just one step outside the top fifty. In the end, his force output was still too low.
There hadn't been much change in July. He had barely made it into the top fifty, ranking 47th.
Although he had now broken through, it wouldn't help his ranking this month at all.
Speaking of which, it was worth mentioning Luo Feng. Guan Ning didn't know whether Inspector Wang had given him something good or Li Yao's pressure had spurred him on, but Luo Feng had entered the top fifty in May. In the original story, he hadn't made it into the top fifty until June.
One small change had affected everything. Luo Feng, who should have reached a Combat Power Amplitude of 12 at the end of July, had managed to do so a whole month early, in June. He was fierce indeed—and he had also entered the top twenty.
July was even more remarkable. After using Dragon Blood, Luo Feng's strength had increased dramatically, and he had shot straight into the top ten, dazzling everyone.
Luo Feng's brilliance completely overshadowed Guan Ning's progress. Though he had also made it into the top fifty, he paled beside Luo Feng, who was in the top ten.
Still, no one mocked him for it. Making the top fifty was an impressive achievement. But with Luo Feng's success—and because Guan Ning deliberately kept a low profile—his reputation at the Training Camp was nowhere near Luo Feng's.
Fortunately, word had spread over the past few days about Luo Feng and Guan Ning teaming up to get the better of Li Yao. Otherwise, some fool would surely have come out to mock him.
Unfortunately, trouble never came to rest.
Once the matter came to light, Li Yao, Venina, and the others wanted to kill not only Luo Feng but Guan Ning as well.
For days, a group led by Candice Polenas had kept provoking Guan Ning. They didn't dare act up in front of Luo Feng, who was now beyond their reach, so they had focused on Guan Ning, their "soft target."
But Guan Ning had been concentrating on breaking through in the Hidden Edge Sword Technique, and paid them little attention. When he didn't respond, Candice assumed Guan Ning was afraid of losing to him and didn't dare accept a challenge. He went around badmouthing Guan Ning, ruining his reputation at the Training Camp.
Some of it was due to Candice and his cronies, but some also came from people with ulterior motives. After all, the world was full of people consumed by jealousy.
Zhao Ruo, Luo Feng, Shi Jiang, and Chu Qiang had all warned Guan Ning about it, but at the time, he hadn't had the time to deal with them. He could only let them carry on. Now, things were different. Just wait—he wasn't the sort to take a beating without hitting back.
Since today was the 29th, the Trial Tower was available. Guan Ning quickly applied for a time slot, then headed for the Nine-Story Tower as he made a post.
A challenge post!
He logged into the Elite Training Camp's internal forum and posted a challenge. The gist was that anyone who disliked him and wanted to teach him a lesson should hurry up and post a challenge. He would accept them all. The wager was five billion Huaxia Currency, and registration would close in two hours. No exceptions.
After accumulating wealth over this period, Guan Ning now had more than sixteen billion Huaxia Currency. He didn't need to buy manuals or equipment, so he had managed to save that much. Otherwise, he couldn't even afford a single SS-Grade Combat Suit.
The challenge post sent the entire Training Camp into an uproar. Everyone was talking about Guan Ning.
"Have you heard? Guan Ning posted a challenge with a five-billion wager!"
"I wonder how many people will accept. This is insane!"
"Nigel, weren't you just saying the other day that you wanted to teach Guan Ning a lesson? Interested?"
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