Trial

There were two sofas in the room, each with a dark blue helmet resting on it.

Zhou Hao naturally knew what the helmets were for.

Zhou Ying'er, however, was full of curiosity.

Xia Jing sat on the sofa to the left and gestured for Zhou Hao and Zhou Ying'er to sit on the one to the right. Smiling, he explained, "The Trial Tower exists within an incredibly realistic simulated virtual space. These dark blue helmets are Virtual Helmets that connect to that virtual space. Once you put them on, you can enter the Trial Tower's virtual space. However, only one person can enter the Trial Tower at a time, so competition among Elite Training Camp members is extremely fierce."

"Virtual Helmets?" Zhou Ying'er's clear, watery eyes widened.

"That's right, Virtual Helmets. Don't be too surprised. We humans on Earth still can't invent this kind of advanced technology. What we use is merely Ancient Civilization Technology that has been excavated. Things like the Gravity Room and Challenge Room are actually technologies from Ancient Civilization Relics. Humanity still has a long road ahead of us... I've gone off topic. Which of you two will go first?" Xia Jing looked at Zhou Hao and Zhou Ying'er.

Zhou Hao immediately said, "My sister should go first."

"It makes no difference who goes first or second. Ying'er, put on the helmet first." As he spoke, Xia Jing put on a dark blue helmet.

Zhou Ying'er was a little nervous and hurriedly followed suit, putting on her helmet.

Whoosh.

Her mind swayed dizzily, and then she appeared on a boundless expanse of land. The ground was silver and smooth as a mirror, while the sky was a breathtaking cosmic starfield.

"What an amazing virtual space." Zhou Ying'er could not help but marvel.

Xia Jing laughed heartily. "When I first came in, I was just like you. Ancient Civilization Relics technology is truly incredible, to actually create such a sci-fi space... Do you see that towering structure in the distance? That's the Trial Tower. Later, you'll enter its first floor alone and begin with the lowest A-rank test."

Zhou Ying'er nodded, but she soon gave a soft cry. "Teacher, my strength..."

"The Trial Tower creates mentally simulated characters. Everyone's physical attributes are set at Low-level General level: Punch Power of ten thousand kilograms and a speed of 150 m/s. Everyone who enters, including me and even Master Hong, is the same. That's why the Trial Tower can assess a person's true Combat Power, and Combat Power is also the main indicator that distinguishes geniuses." As he spoke, Xia Jing led Zhou Ying'er to the entrance of the Trial Tower.

At the towering entrance stood two stone pillars, one on each side.

Information about Zhou Ying'er and Xia Jing was displayed on the pillars.

Zhou Ying'er's trial level was naturally 0, while Xia Jing's trial level was 3.4.

Xia Jing did not explain much more to Zhou Ying'er and simply said, "Go in. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"Okay, Teacher." Zhou Ying'er quickly entered the first floor of the Trial Tower.

Xia Jing watched her and gently shook his head. He had read Zhou Ying'er's file. Although her talent was fairly outstanding compared to others her age, she was far too lacking compared to true geniuses. She had only become a High-level Warrior at twenty-one. If not for Zhou Hao's exceptional potential, someone with Zhou Ying'er's strength would never have been able to enter the Elite Training Camp.

Less than five minutes later.

Zhou Ying'er failed and was eliminated from the Trial Tower.

"It's alright. Every new training camp member is like this at first." Seeing Zhou Ying'er's dejected expression, Xia Jing comforted her.

Zhou Ying'er nodded. Although she had been mentally prepared, being eliminated so quickly still left her dispirited.

"Zhou Hao, your turn."

Whoosh.

The two arrived in the Trial Space.

This time, Xia Jing gave a much more detailed explanation. "Zhou Hao, points are extremely important in the training camp. Before coming here, you should have seen the rankings displayed on the dragon scales of that Black Dragon Sculpture. The higher your rank, the more resources you receive. Although Chairperson Isadora values you, you are no different from the other members. Therefore, you must work hard to climb higher!"

"Chairperson Isadora gave you one year, but I'll only give you three months. For ordinary newcomers, their first month's ranking charge is generally enough to reveal their future potential. You're young and haven't cultivated any secret techniques, so I can give you two extra months!"

Zhou Hao nodded casually. "Teacher Xia, I understand. Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

"No." Xia Jing shook his head, but inwardly he sighed. He really was too young. His attitude was secondary; the key was that he had not realized the pressure he was facing.

At that moment.

An electronic voice rang throughout the virtual space. "Zhou Hao, please select your combat uniform and weapon."

Various sets of combat uniforms, shields, and battle sabers immediately appeared before Zhou Hao.

The battle sabers came in three series: Blood Shadow, Red Shadow, and Shadowy Phantom.

There were even more shield series, each representing a different faction.

He casually chose a set.

Xia Jing's voice sounded again. "Zhou Hao, this is the first floor's A-rank test, the lowest level of test. You have yet to train in saber techniques, movement techniques, and the like, so just display your own strength."

"Understood." Zhou Hao stepped into the pitch-black entrance as he spoke.

Whoosh.

The environment abruptly changed.

The silver ground vanished, replaced by a boundless grassland.

The electronic voice soon announced, "A-rank test: kill fifty Low-level General Ferocious Bulls within twenty minutes! If you die during the test, you fail. If you kill fewer than fifty after twenty minutes, you also fail."

"This is your first time entering the Trial Tower. You have five minutes to prepare."

Zhou Hao moved his body a little, his expression extremely relaxed. Although he focused on cultivating his Mental Power, his martial artist strength had not fallen far behind. After all, he had acquired over a hundred manuals just through check-ins, and Earth's top martial artist manuals, such as Nine Heavens Thunder Blade and Annihilation, had long been etched into his mind.

Swish, swish.

With a slight turn of his wrist, his battle saber drew out layers of afterimages, as though lightning flickered through the air.

"I'll use Nine Heavens Thunder Blade... I'll reveal a little of it first. The third level, then!" His eyes flickered. Since he had decided to disguise himself as a genius, he naturally had to show something. Although Nine Heavens Thunder Blade was extremely difficult to learn, quite a few martial artists cultivated this saber technique. There were even many videos online of martial artists using Nine Heavens Thunder Blade to kill monsters.

Of course, actual instructional videos for the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade manual were strictly forbidden from being leaked.

The five minutes of preparation passed in the blink of an eye.

Rumble~

Fifty Ferocious Bulls nearly three meters tall instantly appeared on the grassland. Their pairs of crimson eyes locked onto Zhou Hao in unison before they charged at him together.

The ground trembled.

Moo! Moo!

Low-level General Ferocious Bulls were extremely fast. They covered a hundred meters in only a few seconds, their curved and sharp horns viciously stabbing toward Zhou Hao, who stood motionless in place.

Whoosh.

Just as the horns were about to strike Zhou Hao, his footsteps drifted lightly like a sheet of paper. Then his battle saber slashed out like lightning, leaving a saber mark on the neck of the first Ferocious Bull to attack.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Zhou Hao's figure flickered continuously. Each time, he narrowly brushed past the Ferocious Bulls' horns, as though dancing on the edge of a blade. He darted back and forth through the herd of fifty Ferocious Bulls, and every flicker of his body saw his battle saber precisely slice through a bull's neck, causing one Ferocious Bull after another to collapse.

His movement technique had long reached the perfect level, and he controlled his surroundings with effortless ease. Even using only the third level of the Thunder Blade, he dealt with fifty Low-level General Ferocious Bulls with complete ease.

In just three or four minutes.

The grassland was covered in Ferocious Bull corpses.

"Beep. Time used: 3 minutes 20 seconds. All fifty Ferocious Bulls have been killed. A-rank test passed. Congratulations, trainee Zhou Hao!" The electronic voice rang throughout the virtual space.