In the urban district of Hongning Base City.
Luo Feng got out of the car and strode through the gates of the Training Camp.
As soon as he entered, his gaze was drawn to a giant sculpture in the square directly ahead.
It was a black dragon sculpture nearly fifty meters tall.
The dragon coiled with its head held high, so lifelike it seemed ready to move.
Every scale seemed to gleam with a cold, hard metallic luster.
Most heart-stopping of all was its pair of enormous dragon eyes.
Carved from some unknown material, they were dark and fathomless.
Like two black holes devouring everything, they stared coldly at everyone who entered the Training Camp!
The instant Luo Feng met the black dragon's gaze.
An intangible aura from the spiritual plane surged at him like a solid tidal wave!
Luo Feng's breath caught, and his heart felt as though an invisible hand had clenched around it.
Just as the oppressive feeling reached its peak.
Lin Mo's cold snort, tinged with disdain, rang out in Luo Feng's sea of consciousness.
At the same time, a thought stirred slightly.
In an instant, it swept the suffocating spiritual pressure completely away.
Clarity returned to Luo Feng's eyes at once, but a thin layer of sweat had broken out on his back.
This sculpture is no ordinary thing. It's much more than a decoration!
Beside him, Yang Hui had been watching Luo Feng's reaction out of the corner of his eye.
He saw that under the black dragon sculpture's spiritual pressure, Luo Feng's expression had only changed slightly at first.
Then he had quickly returned to normal, his gaze clear and resolute.
A trace of surprise and admiration flashed in Yang Hui's eyes.
Many geniuses lost their composure to some degree when they first came here.
Luo Feng was the first to shake off its influence almost instantly.
As expected of the kid headquarters made an exception to recruit directly.
Yang Hui followed Luo Feng's gaze to the black dragon sculpture and introduced it with a smile:
"This is one of the Training Camp's landmarks, the black dragon sculpture. Look at the scales on its body."
Luo Feng looked closely and saw that on the giant black dragon's fifty-meter-long body.
The black dragon scales covering it were not entirely smooth.
Each enormous scale had a small display screen embedded in it!
The screens flickered with a dark blue light, displaying name after name.
From top to bottom, from the dragon's head to its tail, each scale corresponded to a name.
They were densely packed together. Luo Feng counted them roughly, and there were exactly 182!
"This is the Black Dragon Ranking,"
Yang Hui explained.
"At present, there are 182 trainees in the entire Elite Training Camp."
"They come from major Base Cities all over the world and are the very best geniuses, selected through round after round of screening."
"The rankings are updated every month. The higher your points, the higher your rank, and the more resources you can enjoy."
He patted Luo Feng on the shoulder, his tone encouraging, with a hint of warning:
"Luo Feng, you're the first person from Jiangnan Base City to be admitted in six years, and an exception was made to let you in directly."
"From now on, you'll have to work hard here and try to climb as high in the rankings as you can!"
"This concerns not only your own future, but Jiangnan Base City's reputation as well."
Luo Feng murmured in agreement, his gaze sweeping over the dragon scales flashing with unfamiliar names.
With my strength and the saber techniques Teacher taught me, I should be able to break into the upper ranks quickly, right?
The top ten?
Luo Feng weighed it up inwardly.
"The top ten?"
Having learned what Luo Feng was thinking, Lin Mo immediately spoke, his voice full of obvious disdain.
"Luo Feng, are your sights set only on the top ten among a mere hundred or so people? How unambitious!"
Luo Feng's heart tightened. He knew his teacher was about to set the bar high and make strict demands again.
"This month is almost over. At the beginning of next month, the rankings will be updated. My demand of you isn't high."
"You don't need to leave everyone else in the dust, far ahead of second place."
Lin Mo's tone really did sound rather lenient.
Luo Feng had just breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Getting first place will do."
Luo Feng's mouth twitched slightly.
The little bit of confidence that had just risen in his heart was instantly replaced by immense pressure.
He had already suspected his teacher's demands would be high, but to demand outright that he reach the top of the Black Dragon Ranking next month.
Isn't that a little too much pressure?
Among the Training Camp's 182 top geniuses from around the world, quite a few were veteran trainees who had been here for years.
I'm a newcomer, and I'm supposed to reach first place next month?
"What? Not confident?"
"I am. To marry Xu Xin, all of this is worth it."
Thinking of Xu Xin, Luo Feng took a deep breath and turned that pressure into motivation.
Outside, Yang Hui saw Luo Feng staring at the rankings for quite a while.
Thinking he was taking in the competitive atmosphere, he spoke up to remind him.
"Come on. Let's get you checked in and collect your trainee items first."
Hearing this, Luo Feng put his thoughts aside and nodded.
Then he followed Yang Hui toward the administration building on one side of the square.
The formalities went smoothly.
Before long, Luo Feng received his identity card.
At the same time, he confirmed his trainee number.
When he looked at the black dragon sculpture in the square again, he saw that on a scale near the dragon's tail.
A dark blue light had already lit up, clearly displaying the name Luo Feng.
His trainee number and rank followed it.
183rd place, last for the time being.
Because Luo Feng came from Jiangnan Base City.
In keeping with the Training Camp's tradition, he was assigned to live in Jiangnan Pavilion.
It was a Chinese-style courtyard with an elegant, peaceful setting.
Inside were several separate small buildings.
Yang Hui accompanied Luo Feng to the entrance of Jiangnan Pavilion, then took his leave. He had other matters to attend to.
Luo Feng stood in front of Jiangnan Pavilion, looking at the quiet courtyard and the small buildings inside.
He wondered whether he should go and say hello to his future housemates and get to know them now.
"There's no need."
Lin Mo's voice rang out at just the right time.
"They're all just passing through. Your goal isn't to make friends here."
"It's to get the best resources and improve your strength as quickly as possible."
"Next month, once you reach first place on the Black Dragon Ranking and meet your planet's so-called strongest person."
"After you get the resources useful to you at this stage, I think you can graduate."
Luo Feng couldn't help laughing when he heard that.
"Yes, Teacher."
Without further hesitation, Luo Feng headed straight for the small building assigned to him.
What he needed now wasn't socializing, but to familiarize himself with his surroundings as quickly as possible.
To study the trainee handbook and prepare for his climb up the rankings next month.
The study on the second floor was equipped with a specially made laptop.
Luo Feng opened the laptop and went straight into the Training Camp's internal network interface without needing a password.
The interface was simple and efficient in design.
It listed various functional modules.
The real-time points ranking, teaching database, training reservations, forum discussions, and more.
Luo Feng opened the teaching resources database, and a vast number of videos instantly appeared.
They were sorted into extremely detailed categories.
Such as Guidance Techniques, movement techniques, and Force Application Techniques.
As well as instructional videos for almost every mainstream weapon, including sabers, swords, spears, and staffs.
The instructors were all War God Level powerhouses without exception.
He could even occasionally see precious courses credited to councilor-level powerhouses.
Luo Feng's heart stirred.
These were all top-tier inheritances that warriors in the outside world dreamed of obtaining!