Encounter

The authentic Hidden Edge Sword Technique of the Coiling Dragon Sword is unconventional, focusing solely on offense without defense. In contrast, the Hidden Edge Sword Technique performed with the Qingming Sword, while eerie and unpredictable, is balanced for both offense and defense.

Although the two sword styles follow different paths, their core philosophy remains the "deceptive" nature of the Hidden Edge Sword Technique. By studying the technique through the Qingming Sword, Guan Ning gained new insights, though these were not yet enough to support a breakthrough.

Therefore, with a clear direction in mind, Guan Ning focused on studying the Qingming Sword version of the Hidden Edge Sword Technique.

On July 3rd, Guan Ning refined the thirty-six forms of the sword technique down to twelve.

On July 5th, the twelve forms became nine.

On July 10th, the nine forms became six.

On July 17th, the six forms became three.

At this point, Guan Ning felt his comprehension of the Hidden Edge Sword Technique was sufficient, so he turned back to re-study the original version.

After more than ten days of research, today, July 29th, he finally practiced the Hidden Edge Sword Technique to the Realm of Perfection. Not only did he consolidate his recently broken-through Perfect-level movement technique and Perfection-level sword technique, but his physical force output also reached four times his base, meaning his combat power amplitude had reached 13.2, exceeding the requirement of 12 set for before August 1st.

This meant he would soon be able to obtain a portion of Dragon Blood, an SS-Grade Combat Suit, a full set of weapons, and any three complete secret manuals.

He could do without the manuals, but the Dragon Blood, combat suit, and weapons were things he desperately needed.

Although the effect of a second dose of Dragon Blood is not as potent as the first, it would at least increase his strength by several thousand kilograms. Before heading to Australia, every bit of extra strength was an extra layer of insurance!

As for the SS-Grade Combat Suit and weapons, they were crucial. Without them, Guan Ning wouldn't dare set his sights on Mist Island, as it was infested with countless Lord-Level Monsters. Without the protection of an SS-Grade Combat Suit, Guan Ning couldn't even reach the place, and without an SS-Grade weapon, his current physical fitness wouldn't be enough to cut through the branches of the willow trees on the island. Thus, these two items were indispensable.

Speaking of physical fitness, after consuming the Dragon Blood and Jade Marrow, his physical strength had surged to over 65,000 kilograms, though this had also exhausted his body's reserves.

The remaining Tuoshan Deer cub, due to its small size and long-term loss of nutrients, lasted less than a month before Guan Ning consumed it entirely. Afterward, he tried meat from Beast General Level monsters, but the nutritional content was too sparse for him. As for Lord-Level Monsters, he had once cut off a piece to try; while it contained more nutrients than the Beast General Level, it still didn't meet his requirements. Furthermore, Lord-Level monster meat wasn't something he could get whenever he wanted, so he had to give up on it.

In desperation, he boiled the bones of the Tuoshan Deer into a broth, and it must be said, the nutrition was even richer than the meat of a Lord-Level Monster.

After persisting for another ten days or so, the bones of both Tuoshan Deer were also exhausted.

Now, all that remained was the deer blood wine brewed from the deer blood. While the wine was good and plentiful, the side effects were quite obvious.

At this moment, Guan Ning felt as if he were burning; the lingering effects of the deer blood wine churned in his chest. He paced through the dense forest behind the mountain like a trapped beast.

The night breeze blew gently, bringing a hint of coolness, but it could not calm the heat wave within him. The leaves rustled as if whispering some secret, while his heartbeat grew increasingly intense in the stillness.

Suddenly, a low sob broke the silence of the night. Guan Ning followed the sound and saw Jiang Fang sitting before a tombstone. Her figure appeared exceptionally poignant under the moonlight; she held a bouquet of wildflowers, her eyes filled with tears as she whispered her grief for her late husband.

Guan Ning could tell that Teacher Jiang Fang had been drinking; a faint flush graced her cheeks, like a blooming plum blossom, carrying a touch of moving beauty amidst the desolation.

Guan Ning walked toward Jiang Fang involuntarily, his footsteps sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet night. Jiang Fang looked up, and their gazes collided in the air. For an instant, it was as if an electric current passed through their hearts. In Jiang Fang's eyes, Guan Ning saw an indescribable emotion—one he was intimately familiar with—and his heart seemed to hear a call that transcended words and reason.

"Teacher Jiang..."

"Don't speak..."

The two were drawn to each other as if by an invisible red thread, approaching in silence. Guan Ning felt Jiang Fang's body trembling slightly; her sorrow was like an invisible force that gripped his heart tightly. Jiang Fang's hand lifted gently to touch Guan Ning's cheek—what a tender touch it was. Guan Ning closed his eyes, feeling that warmth, as if he could temporarily forget the fire burning within him.

The next moment, they embraced each other almost instinctively; that body heat, that heartbeat, all became so real. In this lonely place behind the mountain, two solitary souls found a sliver of solace under the influence of alcohol. Their breaths intertwined, and though the night breeze continued to blow, it seemed to carry a hint of lingering affection.

The next morning, a drop of dew fell on Guan Ning's face, waking him. Guan Ning wiped his face and rolled up, and a note fell from his body. Guan Ning snatched it into his hand and focused his eyes; a line of elegant handwriting came into view: What happened last night was just an accident, forget it!

"Damn it!"

Guan Ning clutched the note, remembering the absurdity of the previous night, and slapped himself hard. Suddenly, his ears twitched as if he had heard something, and he left with a flustered expression.

"Heh..." Not long after Guan Ning left, a graceful figure emerged from the depths of the dense forest. Recalling Guan Ning's earlier actions, she let out a soft, wry laugh, then watched his disappearing back with a sense of loss...

After that incident, Guan Ning strictly disciplined his behavior. Every time he finished drinking the deer blood wine, he would lock himself in the basement to practice his sword frantically, exhausting his excess energy.

The results were remarkable. In just three months, his strength increased from over 65,000 kilograms to nearly 90,000 kilograms. Although this was far from the 128,000 kilograms required for an Intermediate War God, it was still quite impressive.

Even at 90,000 kilograms, with a four-fold force output, he reached 360,000 kilograms, far exceeding the 256,000 kilograms required for a High-Level War God. Plus, he still had a portion of Dragon Blood; all in all, Guan Ning already possessed the strength to step onto Mist Island.

As his physical fitness improved, the speed at which he accumulated combat achievement points by hunting monsters also accelerated. In May, his ranking on the Black Dragon Ranking was 67, mainly because his combat power amplitude was relatively low.

By June, his sword technique and movement technique had both broken through to the third realm, his Trial Tower level became 3.3, and his ranking was 52—just one step away from entering the top fifty. Ultimately, it was still due to his low force output level.

There wasn't much change in July; he barely made it into the top fifty, ranking 47.

Although he had broken through now, it didn't help his ranking for this month at all.

Speaking of this, one must mention Luo Feng. Whether it was because Inspector Wang had given him something good or because of the pressure from Li Yao, Luo Feng had squeezed into the top fifty as early as May. In the original story, he didn't enter the top fifty until June.

One move affects the whole situation. Luo Feng, who was supposed to reach a combat power amplitude of 12 by the end of July, had reached it early in June. He was so fierce that he entered the top twenty in one go.

July was even more terrifying. After using the Dragon Blood, Luo Feng's strength increased greatly, and he entered the top ten, truly shining brilliantly.

Luo Feng's radiance completely overshadowed Guan Ning's progress. Although he had also entered the top fifty, he could only pale in comparison to Luo Feng's top-ten status.

However, no one mocked him for it; after all, reaching the top fifty was a decent achievement. But because of Luo Feng, and Guan Ning's deliberate low profile, his momentum in the training camp was nowhere near Luo Feng's.

Fortunately, after these days of spreading, the story of Luo Feng and Guan Ning teaming up to trap Li Yao had already gone around; otherwise, there would certainly have been some blind fools coming out to mock him.

Unfortunately, the trees want to be still, but the wind will not cease.

As this matter was exposed, Li Yao, Venina, and the others not only wanted to kill Luo Feng, but they didn't want to let Guan Ning and the others off either.

For these past few days, a group led by Candice Polenas had been constantly provoking Guan Ning. They didn't dare to be presumptuous in front of Luo Feng—after all, the current Luo Feng was no longer someone they could deal with—so they set their sights on Guan Ning, the "soft persimmon."

However, because Guan Ning was focused on the breakthrough of the Hidden Edge Sword Technique, he didn't pay them much mind. Not receiving a response from Guan Ning, Candice assumed Guan Ning was afraid of losing to him and thus didn't dare to accept the challenge, so he slandered him everywhere. Guan Ning's reputation in the training camp could be said to be ruined.

This was due in part to the slander from Candice and his group, and in part to some people with ulterior motives; after all, there is no shortage of people with strong jealousy in this world.

Regarding this, Zhao Ruo, Luo Feng, Shi Jiang, and Chu Qiang had all warned Guan Ning, but Guan Ning was too busy to deal with them at the time and could only let them jump around. But things were different now; just wait, he wasn't the type to take a beating without fighting back.

Since today was the 29th, the Trial Tower was free, so Guan Ning hurriedly applied for a time slot and began posting while rushing toward the Nine-Story Tower.

Challenge Post!

Logging into the internal forum of the Elite Training Camp, Guan Ning posted a challenge. The gist was that anyone who disliked him and wanted to teach him a lesson should send a challenge request immediately; he would accept them all, but the wager was 5 billion Huaxia Currency, and registration was limited to two hours, after which he would not accept any more.

After accumulating wealth over this period, Guan Ning's fortune had reached over 16 billion Huaxia Currency. He did not need to purchase secret manuals or equipment, which was the only reason he could save up such a large sum; otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to afford a single SS-Grade Combat Suit.

As soon as the challenge post appeared, the entire training camp exploded, and topics about Guan Ning were everywhere.

"Have you heard? Guan Ning posted a challenge, 5 billion!"

"I wonder how many people will take him up on it; he's truly insane!"

"Nigel, didn't you say just a couple of days ago that you wanted to teach Guan Ning a lesson? Are you interested?"