Offering a Secret Manual

"Me? Pretty good? What did Hong mean?" Guan Ning was completely bewildered. He had no idea why he'd caught Hong's attention.

Still, he wasn't afraid. Going by the original story's description of Hong, along with the information he'd gathered, he knew Hong was a broad-minded man. Otherwise, he never would have surpassed the sages of China and reached the third level of the mind. Guan Ning had no reason to worry that Hong would harm him.

Instead, he felt a surge of excitement. If anyone on Earth had the most resources, it was Hong!

Especially the Ancient Civilization Gravity Room. Guan Ning had been coveting it for a long time.

The black-haired man, Hong, swept his gaze over the other trainees and spoke in a cold voice. "You are the most elite young talents in the world. Your goal isn't to become War Gods, but to become beings who surpass War Gods! I hope that someone among you will reach that level!" The General Hall Master's words seemed to possess an inexhaustible magic, seeping straight into everyone's hearts.

Under this invisible influence, all the trainees were fired up.

Then the black-haired man, Hong, turned and left.

Only after Hong disappeared from sight did the trainees erupt. Even the War God instructors were worked up.

"General Hall Master Hong is too strong."

"He's like a god. I felt like the General Hall Master was the ruler of heaven and earth."

"Yeah, yeah."

The trainees excitedly chatted with their countrymen in their respective languages.

"Luo Feng, Guan Ning, I can't believe the hall master praised you!"

"Guan Ning, come on, tell us your secret. What made the hall master say you were 'pretty good'?"

"Luo Feng, I can't imagine how strong your Spiritual Force is, for the hall master to praise you like that!"

Many of the Chinese trainees exclaimed in amazement at Luo Feng and Guan Ning. The Elite Training Camp was already full of the world's greatest talents, including plenty of Psychic Masters, but Luo Feng was the only Psychic Master Hong had praised.

As for Guan Ning, they didn't know what to say. He'd caused quite a stir ever since entering the Training Camp, and he was only eighteen years old. They could understand why he'd earned the General Hall Master's praise.

Next, Inspector Wang came over and called Luo Feng away. Seeing this, Guan Ning had a sudden thought.

After Candice heard Hong praise Luo Feng, his expression shifted. He stepped aside and began calling his aunt, Venina.

Guan Ning noticed. When Luo Feng returned, he told him about it. After hearing the news, Luo Feng gestured for Guan Ning not to worry. He wasn't afraid of Vulture and Poison Scorpion anymore.

Inspector Wang saw the two of them exchange glances but said nothing. He was about to leave; he had things to take care of.

Seeing this, Guan Ning hurried forward and said, "Inspector, I'd like to pay a visit to the hall master. Could you ask him for me?"

Inspector Wang thought it over. "I can ask him, but whether he agrees to see you is up to him."

"Thank you, Inspector." Guan Ning thanked him and watched Inspector Wang enter the building where the hall master was resting.

A short while later, Inspector Wang returned and said, "Come with me. The hall master agreed to see you."

Guan Ning followed Inspector Wang to a pavilion. As soon as he stepped into the main hall, he saw a man standing by the living room window with his back to Ye Yun. The man was about 1.9 meters tall, dressed in black from head to toe, with neat, close-cropped hair. Noticing Guan Ning's arrival, the man in black slowly turned around.

"Greetings, Hall Master!"

If the Hong who had stepped off the plane had been a sharp spear radiating an overwhelming aura, now he seemed like an ordinary man. Only his eyes remained deep and bright.

Hong smiled. His tone was easygoing, and his voice was low and powerful. "There's no need to be so formal. Sit down."

Guan Ning nodded, then sat on the sofa with Hong and Inspector Wang.

"Tell me, what did you need to see me about?"

Guan Ning glanced awkwardly at Inspector Wang beside him.

Inspector Wang and Hong had been through countless things together and immediately understood what he meant. Although Inspector Wang felt somewhat displeased, the hall master was right there. He stood up and said, "Hall Master, there are still a few matters at the Training Camp that need my attention, so I'll take my leave."

Hong nodded without saying anything.

Seeing Inspector Wang's sour expression, Guan Ning knew he'd offended him. He was just about to explain, but Inspector Wang left without acknowledging him. Guan Ning couldn't help smiling bitterly. "Looks like I've offended someone. And an inspector, no less."

But he wasn't worried. He already planned to graduate after returning from Australia. Even if Inspector Wang resented him by then, he'd have no grounds to make trouble for him.

Once the hall was empty except for the two of them, Guan Ning set down his backpack and took out a book. It was the Dugu Sword Art left behind by Guan Ning's parents.

In truth, Guan Ning had no other choice. He'd managed to master the first two levels thanks to his father's annotations, but the rest of the book contained nothing but illustrations of sword moves.

He'd practiced them, but could never figure them out. Guan Ning had a feeling that if he kept blindly practicing like this, he'd be courting death without even knowing how it happened. Perhaps a prodigy could learn just from the sword moves, but Guan Ning didn't think he was one of them.

That left him with no choice but to turn to Hong. Hong had mastered a domain at the Planetary Level through his own efforts; his comprehension went without saying. Guan Ning also believed that Hong wouldn't kill him and take the manual. The original story had made that abundantly clear. And so, here they were.

Guan Ning had planned to visit Hong after returning from Australia, but he'd just had a new idea. If it worked, the trip to Mist Island would be much easier.

Guan Ning held the black book out to Hong with both hands. "This is a secret manual my parents left behind. It has four levels."

Thinking of his late parents, Guan Ning's voice took on a note of sorrow. "As far as I can tell, if you master this sword art, not only can your Body Amplitude reach sixteen times, but it's also a manual that leads directly to the domain."

"What did you say?"

Hong's unshakable composure wavered. He hadn't thought much of it at first. During the Great Nirvana Period, Earth had been full of ancient ruins, so it wouldn't have been anything special if Guan Ning's parents had come across some legacy.

But when he heard that the Body Amplitude could reach sixteen times and that the manual led directly to a domain, he couldn't help being shocked.

"Are you sure? Do you know what a domain is?" Hong stared at Guan Ning, uncertain.

"I don't, but I've heard a little about it." Guan Ning shook his head. Though he knew what it was, he couldn't let that show.

Hong said nothing more. He took the black book and became completely absorbed in it. The hall fell silent, broken only by the rustle of turning pages.

Hong read very quickly, skimming through the early sections. Guan Ning wasn't surprised. The man before him was a genius who had comprehended a domain at the Planetary Level without any guidance. His talent for comprehension was beyond question. Probably only the fourth level would slow him down at all.

After all, in the universe, not even every Universe Level fighter had a domain. Normally, a galaxy produced only one Universe Level fighter. In other words, a galaxy might not even produce a single person who comprehended a domain, let alone someone who did so at the Planetary Level. Such people were the very definition of genius.

Hong flipped through the first several dozen pages quickly, but slowed down as he reached the later sections. Guan Ning made a guess: it was the third level, the Mountain Crushing sword art.

"The third level shouldn't be that difficult for Hong, right? He's already comprehended a domain!"

At first, Hong didn't understand it. But as he brought his middle and index fingers together like a sword and traced out each move, even the light around them began to warp, as if forming a giant sword that reached the heavens. Each movement was broad and powerful, cleaving mountains apart with nothing able to stop it. At last, the movements condensed into a single Mountain Crushing sword technique, filled with an unstoppable, forward-driving force.

"Flip, flip, flip..."

Guan Ning was utterly mesmerized. He didn't even hear the pages turning.

Then the light around Hong's sword fingers blurred, taking the form of one sword move after another. They were sometimes fast, sometimes slow, now vanishing without a trace, now leaving layers of sword shadows behind. Every kind of sword technique unfolded in his hands.

Suddenly, Hong's brow furrowed, as if he'd encountered some difficulty. His movements paused for a moment, and Guan Ning snapped out of his fascination, excitement written all over his face.

"I can't believe it. I actually had a flicker of insight into the Mountain Crushing sword art. As expected of Hong. And thanks to him, too. This was worth it."

Just as Guan Ning was secretly congratulating himself, Hong's brow relaxed, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

At the same time, the light around Hong twisted until not a glimmer remained, leaving only darkness. In that dark world, the brightest point was the black-haired man!

The darkness grew deeper, while the light around Hong shone brighter and brighter. With a thunderous bang, Hong exploded like a star, and boundless light illuminated the entire dark world until it was a vast expanse of white. Guan Ning had no choice but to close his eyes.

The instant he did, both the dark world and the dazzling light vanished completely. When he opened his eyes, he was back in the familiar hall. Everything was unchanged, as if it had all been an illusion.

But when he saw the figure in the distance, he knew it hadn't been. If Hong had once been the only light in a dark world, now he was the entire world. Darkness and light alike were part of him.

"What just happened? Did he reach the second level of the domain?"

Guan Ning knew that domains had nine levels. Hong had been stuck at the first for more than a decade. After what had just happened, he couldn't help wondering.

Seeing Guan Ning staring blankly, Hong smiled faintly and made a call.

"Brother Hong, what did you need me for? Shouldn't you be at the Elite Training Camp right now?"

Once the call connected, a large monk dressed in white appeared on the screen.

"Get over here. I've got something good. You'll regret it if you don't come!"

Hong smiled at the bald man on the screen, then hung up.