Training Camp

Just as Lu Mingfei was about to step out the door, Bibi Dong's voice suddenly came from behind him, carrying a faint hint of inquiry:

"Lu Mingfei, I heard you're looking for someone. Why?"

Lu Mingfei stopped in his tracks.

He did not turn around. After a few seconds of silence, he said softly but with unusual clarity, "Because she's important to me."

Bibi Dong did not press him further.

Huang Fei led Lu Mingfei out of the quiet room, through the corridor again, and back into the main hall of Spirit Hall.

Lu Mingfei's steps were much lighter than when he had come, yet he felt somewhat weighed down.

Bibi Dong's final question had felt like a needle stabbing into him, making him involuntarily think of Hui Liyi's face.

"Lady Huang Fei." Lu Mingfei suddenly asked, "What kind of person is His Holiness the Pope?"

Huang Fei was silent for a moment before turning her head to look at him. Her gaze was somewhat complicated. "You don't need to know what kind of person she is. You only need to remember one thing...

"Your current identity is that of a Spirit Hall student. Your task is to cultivate, grow stronger, and strive to survive in the junior training camp.

"As for what kind of person His Holiness the Pope is, you can ponder that after you've earned the right to stand before her and look her in the eye."

Lu Mingfei gave an "Mm" and did not ask anything else.

Huang Fei led him through a side door of the main hall and into an isolated area at the rear of the grounds.

The buildings here were much plainer than the main hall in front. Gray bricks and dark tiles formed neat rows of low houses, with several flat open spaces between them.

Various training implements had been placed in the open spaces...

Stone locks, wooden posts, iron rings, and some strange devices Lu Mingfei could not name.

A dozen or so boys and girls around eight or nine years old were scattered across the open spaces, carrying out various forms of training.

Some were lifting stone locks, while others were striking wooden posts.

Some were meditating cross-legged, and the air was filled with the mixed smell of sweat and earth.

This was Spirit Hall's junior training camp.

Huang Fei brought Lu Mingfei to the entrance of a small room and pushed open the door.

There was only a bed, a table, and a wardrobe inside.

Huang Fei tossed him a neatly folded training uniform. "Put this on. Gather at the training grounds at the mao hour tomorrow. Your instructor is Zhou Dashan. He'll tell you what to do then."

Huang Fei turned to leave, but suddenly stopped and tossed out a sentence without looking back.

"Lu Mingfei, Spirit Hall is not short of geniuses. There may not be many people with better talent than you, but there are plenty who work harder than you.

"Don't think Innate Level 20 Soul Power means you can lie back and take it easy. If you don't work hard afterward, you'll still be left behind by others."

With that, she walked away without looking back.

Lu Mingfei stood in the room, staring at the closed wooden door. After a moment of silence, he smiled faintly.

Huang Fei's words sounded like a warning, but he could tell that the woman had meant well.

She was reminding him not to become arrogant and complacent because of his talent.

In this world, talent was merely an admission ticket. The true contest had always been about who could endure more hardship and who was willing to put in more effort.

Lu Mingfei stood in the empty room, holding the training uniform in his hands, and suddenly felt as though none of it were real.

Just a few days ago, he had still been that thin, undersized ordinary child from Holy Soul Village.

But now, he was standing on Spirit Hall's grounds, living in Spirit Hall's barracks, wearing Spirit Hall's uniform, and about to undergo Spirit Hall's training.

He had gone from an ordinary person to a Soul Master candidate.

Lu Mingfei lowered his head and looked at the quiet black dragon tattoo on the back of his right hand.

The little black dragon lay peacefully coiled on his skin, looking exceptionally docile. It was completely different from the terrifying phantom that had blotted out the sky when he awakened—as if they were two different dragons.

"Black Dragon King..." Lu Mingfei murmured at the tattoo. "I never thought I'd awaken the Black Dragon King Martial Soul! What exactly are you?"

The tattoo, of course, did not answer him.

Lu Mingfei sighed, fell onto the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

He thought of Hui Liyi.

Whenever he had free time, that red-haired, red-dressed figure would unconsciously surface in his mind.

He missed her soft voice, the slight curve of her eyes when she smiled, and the timid yet dependent way she had held onto the corner of his clothes.

"Hui Liyi," he silently said in his heart, "wait for me. No matter where you are, no matter how long it takes, I'll find you."

Lu Mingfei sighed, tossed the training uniform onto the bed, sat down beside it, and looked up at the sky outside the window.

The sky had already gone completely dark. Dark Cloud covered the moon, and only a few sparse stars appeared and disappeared between the gaps in the clouds.

"Hui Liyi."

Lu Mingfei looked at the moon and said,

"I'm one step closer to you. Wait for me. I'll be quick.

"Once I obtain my first Soul Ring, once I break through Level 20, once I become strong enough, I'll go find you. No matter where you are, I'll find you."

A gust of night wind swept past the window, making the leaves rustle.

Lu Mingfei rose, closed the window, and shut out the chill.

At the mao hour tomorrow, his new life would begin.

Early the next morning, before dawn had broken, someone yanked Lu Mingfei out of bed.

The person who came was a boy around ten years old. He wore a white training uniform and had delicate features, but his expression was as cold as a robot's.

"Lu Mingfei? Come with me."

His tone held no fluctuation. After speaking, he turned and left, not giving Lu Mingfei any time to react.

Lu Mingfei rubbed his eyes, yawned, put on his shoes, and followed him.

The test took place in an open area on the rear mountain.

By the time Lu Mingfei arrived, more than a dozen people were already standing there. They were boys and girls around eight or nine years old, all dressed in Spirit Hall's standard uniforms, watching him with expressions ranging from curiosity to disdain to indifference.

Lu Mingfei noticed that each of them had a star embroidered near the collar. The numbers varied, from one star to two.

He remembered that the booklet he had read the previous night had mentioned that Spirit Hall's lower-ranking members wore different numbers of star badges according to their Soul Power Levels.

One star represented the Soul Master level, while two represented the Soul Grandmaster level.

In other words, these boys and girls who did not look much older than him were at least official Soul Masters.

A middle-aged man in his forties walked to the center of the clearing. He was burly, with a resolute face and a pair of tiger-like eyes that swept over everyone present before finally landing on Lu Mingfei.

That gaze seemed almost tangible, pressing down on Lu Mingfei's shoulders and making them sink slightly.

The middle-aged man's lips curved upward, revealing a playful smile.

"You're Lu Mingfei?"

His voice was deep and resonant, like a war drum being struck.

"I'm your instructor at the training camp, Zhou Dashan. You can call me Instructor Zhou.