After dealing with Fury, Rowan settled down to wait for Loki's arrival.
Two days passed quickly.
On this particular morning, Rowan rose early and made his way into the Swallowed Star world.
It was the last day of September. Starting tomorrow, he would officially enter the Elite Training Camp, where his ranking would be determined by points.
At present, his ranking stood at 183. Since it was an odd number, that meant for the first twenty-eight days of October, every odd-numbered day he would be required to join the other trainees in venturing into the wilderness to hunt beasts. In other words, tomorrow his field training would begin.
Before that, however, he needed to visit his assigned instructor.
"My teacher is Jiang Fang?"
Looking at the details in his email, Rowan's expression grew amused.
He hadn't expected that his instructor would be the same as Luo Feng's in the original story Jiang Fang.
Following the address provided in the email, Rowan soon arrived at a refined modern villa.
The surroundings were clean and tidy, every detail carefully arranged. It was clear that Jiang Fang valued quality of life.
Ding-ding-ding.
Rowan pressed the doorbell outside the villa's courtyard.
Before long, a tall, short-haired woman in a purple training outfit, earrings dangling from her ears, stepped out from within.
"You're Rowan?"
Her eyes lit up when she saw him. As she opened the gate, she asked the question with a hint of delight.
"Yes, Instructor Jiang Fang," Rowan replied with a respectful nod.
"Come in."
She smiled warmly, gesturing for him to enter.
Rowan followed her into the villa. In the living room, he took a seat while Jiang Fang poured him a glass of water.
"Rowan, I thought you would have come to find me sooner. Who would have guessed you'd wait until the very last day? If you hadn't shown up today, I was about to come drag you out of Jiangnan Pavilion myself."
She gave him a playful scolding, her eyes narrowing slightly as she smiled.
Rowan gave an awkward laugh.
The truth was, he had received the Elite Training Camp email five days earlier.
It had clearly stated that Jiang Fang would be his assigned instructor, and he was required to meet her before October 1st.
But he had been busy immersing himself in intense training, determined to refine his strength further, and so he had delayed until now.
"Instructor Jiang Fang, to be honest, my swordsmanship was embarrassingly rough before. I was afraid you might laugh at me, so I stayed at Jiangnan Pavilion to polish it up for a while." Rowan admitted openly.
"You're a spiritual force user. It's perfectly normal for your swordsmanship to be less refined compared to those who specialize in martial combat. Why would I laugh at you for that?"
Jiang Fang shook her head lightly.
In truth, when she learned Rowan would be her student, she had been quite pleased.
After all, spiritual force users were exceedingly rare, and their future status was bound to be high. Having such a student under her tutelage was unquestionably advantageous.
"Still, Rowan, you'd better be prepared. Counting you, I only have three students under me. That means I've got plenty of time and I intend to be strict."
Her tone shifted, becoming more serious.
"I understand. I'll give it my all," Rowan answered firmly.
"Good. Now, follow me to the training room. I want to see where your swordsmanship stands."
Jiang Fang's nature was straightforward, and she wasted no time before moving directly into instructor mode.
Rowan trailed behind her into the training room.
"Pick whichever sword feels right for you, then come at me."
She drew a blade from the rack with practiced ease and took her place in the center of the room, gesturing for him to attack.
Rowan nodded and drew a dragon-etched saber from the rack, fastening it at his waist.
"A saber, hmm?"
Jiang Fang's eyes flicked over the weapon and she nodded slightly.
Rowan stepped about five meters away, meeting her gaze.
Her skin was pale, her figure tall and striking, her bearing elegant. The files had said she was just over thirty, but she looked barely past her twenties.
To reach the level of Warlord by her early thirties was no small feat.
One could say Jiang Fang stood among the very finest of women in humanity at this stage of history.
"Instructor Jiang, I'm about to strike."
"Come," she answered casually, holding her blade angled toward the ground, as though at ease.
Rowan inclined his head, then placed his right hand firmly on the hilt.
Shhhng!
His body lunged forward in an instant, a gleam of steel cutting through the air with sharp ferocity.
"A Draw Slash? Not bad at all!"
Jiang Fang's eyes lit up in surprise.
She had assumed Rowan's swordsmanship was as rough as he had claimed but clearly, he'd only been modest.
That swift, incisive strike spoke of a solid foundation.
Clang!
But Jiang Fang didn't even flinch. At the very moment Rowan's blade would have connected, her body slid away with an almost inhuman grace.
In the blink of an eye she was behind him. A single loose strand of his hair drifted down from his forehead, landing softly on the training room floor.
Rowan stared at the hair swaying to the ground, a jolt of awe running through him.
He hadn't expected Jiang Fang's strength to be this overwhelming.
If this had been a real battle, he would have been dead in one exchange.
So this is a Warlord-level fighter? Truly terrifying.
Rowan's nature was cautious by default.
Since arriving in the Swallowed Star world, he had reached the level of War General, yet in truth, the only actual sparring he'd done had been a few matches with Luo Feng back in the training halls.
Beyond that, he'd never faced a real opponent or a monster in live combat here.
So while his numbers looked strong on paper, his battle experience was sorely lacking.
Jiang Fang's effortless strike showed him the vast gulf between himself and a true Warlord.
"Rowan, your Draw Slash has some real bite to it," she praised with a nod.
"Bite? I couldn't even touch your shadow," Rowan said wryly.
Jiang Fang chuckled softly.
Her intent had been to overwhelm him with that first move, to give him a taste of what higher-level swordsmanship truly was.
"Again," she said simply.
This time, she didn't end every exchange in an instant, instead granting Rowan the chance to engage in proper back-and-forth.
As their bout went on, Jiang Fang grew increasingly surprised.
Not only was Rowan's Draw Slash solid, but his regular strikes had clear structure. His transitions between offense and defense were disciplined, his stances never collapsing only the smoothness of execution was a little lacking.
If he polished that flow, his swordsmanship could reach the level of specialization.
In fact, he was already ahead of one of her other students someone who had been training under her guidance for three full months.
"Enough for today," Jiang Fang called at last, two hours later.
Rowan wiped the sweat from his brow and sheathed his saber, reluctant but satisfied.
His face lit with excitement.
He hadn't expected sparring with Jiang Fang to be so fruitful.
For one, she fed him openings based on his current level. With her guiding his moves, he could unleash his techniques without fear for his safety, daring to try variations freely.
No matter what unexpected strike he attempted, she could parry it with ease.
It was like having endless opportunities to make mistakes, without consequences.
Naturally, his real combat experience soared.
And on top of that, every time she defeated him, Jiang Fang followed with precise, targeted feedback.
Her swordsmanship was at least at the Realm of Intent her insight was razor-sharp. Every correction she offered cut straight to the heart of his flaws.
Compared to fumbling toward enlightenment on his own, this was ten times faster if not more.
With both advantages combined, his progress skyrocketed.
Rowan reckoned that two or three more days of this, and his swordsmanship would definitely break through to the specialization level.
"Rowan, go take a shower," Jiang Fang said with a smile, noting his sweat-soaked appearance.
Though they had sparred for two hours, she herself hadn't broken a sweat. Not even her breathing had shifted.
Rowan couldn't help but marvel at the sheer physical resilience of a Warlord.
After showering, he came back downstairs.
"Instructor Jiang, I'll head back now," he said politely.
She was seated cross-legged on a yoga mat, meditating, her graceful form displayed with ease. Opening her eyes, she stopped him.
"Wait, Rowan. I have something to ask you."
"What is it?"
"I just reviewed your file again. It says your fighter rank is Mid-level Warrior, and your spiritual force is at Primary War General. But during our spar, I clearly felt your physical strength was already at War General level. How do you explain that?"
Her brows arched with curiosity. Training Camp files weren't supposed to have errors like that.
Rowan smiled faintly.
"I used Celestial Jade Marrow before. It gave me a big boost in physical attributes."
"Ah, Jade Marrow? That explains it," Jiang Fang nodded.
So he wasn't just talented he had resources as well.
"All right, no problem then. Go on. I'll be looking forward to your performance in the first month's rankings."
She gave him a small, approving smile.
Rowan nodded and left the villa, returning to Jiangnan Pavilion.
Back at his quarters, he immediately practiced again, consolidating the insights from today's spar.
Afterward he drilled footwork and the Guiding Technique until mid-afternoon, when he finally ended his day's training.
"My punching force is now at 9,648 kg. After nearly a month, I've fully absorbed the Jade Marrow's power and mastered the strength it gave me…"
Sitting cross-legged on the alloy floor, Rowan muttered to himself.
He could feel it clearly: with his spiritual force fully honed and the Jade Marrow's medicinal effects exhausted, his physical progress was slowing again.
"Tomorrow I head into the wilderness for beast hunts… Perfect time to use the Dragon's Blood today."
After some thought, he decided.
He had built a solid foundation over the past month. He no longer feared the instability of sudden strength.
Without hesitation, he retrieved a locked case from storage.
After a fingerprint scan, the case opened with a click.
Inside lay a wooden box containing the Dragon's Blood.
He lifted it out. Golden motes shimmered within the vial as though a fragment of the sun had been captured inside.
"The instructions said it can't be drunk it has to be applied evenly over the body."
Uncorking the glass vial, a strange, pungent scent spread at once, quickly filling the entire training room.
Just from inhaling it, his nostrils burned, his body tingling faintly as though he were already cultivating primal energy.
"So domineering…" Rowan murmured, awed.
He poured some into his palm.
The Dragon's Blood shimmered like liquid mercury, yet pulsed like molten lava.
Wasting no time, Rowan rubbed his hands together and began smearing it across his skin.
Heat flooded him instantly.
Within seconds, the warmth sank beneath his skin, racing like fire through his limbs, chest, back, and head.
He watched the shimmering blood seep visibly into his flesh, the heat growing ever more intense.
"The manual wasn't lying it's agony…"
Rowan clenched his fists, his entire body trembling as though a million ants were gnawing at every nerve. His veins bulged as he fought to endure.
The pain grew sharper.
His muscles spasmed, his heartbeat pounded faster.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Each beat crashed like a war drum in his ears, until darkness.
Unconscious.
Even in his coma, his cells went mad, devouring the alien energy of the Dragon's Blood, transforming.
This genetic metamorphosis far surpassed the changes from cultivating primal energy or from the Jade Marrow.
Bones hardened, membranes and sinews toughened, muscles and organs reforged themselves in waves of rebirth.
Every part of him advanced, nourished by inexhaustible energy. The speed of evolution was thousands tens of thousands of times faster than ordinary training.
Two hours later, Rowan's eyes fluttered open.
"Filthy…"
He looked down to find his entire body coated in a layer of black grime the expelled impurities of his transformation.
"This evolution… stronger than the last two combined!"
He clenched his fist, power surging through him like a living storm.
"Let's see my punching force now."
He didn't even bother washing first. Instead, he strode straight to the strength tester.
BOOM!
His punch detonated like thunder, the training room reverberating with the blast.
The numbers climbed rapidly before locking in place.
42,459 kg.
Rowan sucked in a sharp breath.
A High-level War General's standard was 32,000 kg. A Primary Warlord's benchmark was 64,000 kg.
He had already stepped into High-level War General, and was pressing close to Warlord.
And he still hadn't finished absorbing the Dragon's Blood.
Once he fully refined it, he might brush right up against the Warlord threshold.
"No wonder it's Dragon's Blood… The effect is monstrous."
Rowan's eyes gleamed.
"With this strength, tomorrow's beast hunt will be a breeze."
Against lesser beasts, he had his flying blades. Against stronger foes, his body now had the speed and might to fight directly.
Even if a Lord-level beast appeared, his Vibranium battle suit guaranteed survival.
The City 001 assignment wouldn't be a death trap for him only a perfect training ground.
"With this, I might just storm the first month's rankings."
Chuckling, Rowan finally stepped into the shower, washing the grime away.
Breaking into the top 100 in the very first month was an accomplishment few trainees could claim.
In the original story, even Luo Feng had managed it.
Rowan intended to go even further and maybe give Luo Feng a little jolt in the process.
Rowan controlled his flying blades, slicing the valuable materials off the Hidden-Wing Lizard and stuffing them into his backpack.
He had barely bothered collecting loot from lower-level monsters before it was too much trouble for too little reward.
But this creature was different. The Hidden-Wing Lizard was rare, and its body parts were worth a fortune.
Just the materials from this one kill were equal to everything else he had harvested so far combined.
"Time to head back. This must be the core area of City 001. Next time, I'll head straight here."
Rowan carefully memorized the surroundings.
If a Hidden-Wing Lizard was active here, then there was no doubt this was the heart of City 001's danger zone.
After finishing his harvest, Rowan stepped onto his shield and shot through the air at full speed, retracing his path.
On the way, a few flying monsters tried to ambush him. None of them even got close Rowan cut them down with his blades from afar.
Twenty minutes later, he landed at the rally point. He handed over his heavy backpack of monster materials to the training camp staff for battle point calculation.
The scale was simple:
A junior Beast-General was worth 1 point.
A mid-level Beast-General was worth 10 points.
A high-level Beast-General was worth 100 points.
An entry-level Lord beast was worth 1,000 points.
By the end of the day, Rowan had taken down 141 junior Beast-Generals, 48 mid-level Beast-Generals, and 1 high-level Beast-General for a total of 721 points.
Earning 721 points in a single day was already monstrous.
Normally, only the top 30 ranked trainees, giving it their all, could hit those numbers.
Most of the others were martial artists, stuck fighting on the ground. They had to move carefully, always on guard, and rarely stumbled across large clusters of beasts.
And unlike Rowan, they didn't have vibranium battle armor. The thought of running into a Hidden-Wing Lizard, with its deadly ambushes, terrified them.
Only the truly elite dared to rush into the core zone, hunting high-level Beast-Generals to rack up this kind of score.
Around him, other students began returning from the field, lining up to turn in their spoils.
Rowan didn't wait for Jack or Zoe. Everyone hunted at their own pace; there was no need to stick together. Multiple shuttles were on standby to return the students back to the Elite Training Camp anyway.
Rowan boarded one of the buses along with a few others. Soon, he was back at camp.
As he reached the gate, his eyes fell on the ranking board.
No.172 Rowan (551006)
"Ranked 172? Not bad."
He smiled at the climb.
The Black Dragon Ranking was calculated as Battle Points × Power Amplification.
Since Rowan hadn't tested his amplification yet, it was set at 1. Everyone else had multipliers boosting their score. For him to rise 11 ranks on raw points alone was already impressive.
"Once my blade techniques reach the Proficient level, and I master the second stage of the Ninefold Thunder Blade, I'll test my amplification. Within a month, I should…"
He thought about it as he walked toward Grace Jiang's residence.
By then, his ranking might break into the top 100. Maybe even the top 80.
…
"You're killing it, Rowan. Up eleven places in one day you must've cashed in a ton of points!"
Half an hour later, Zoe returned from the wilds. The first thing she did when she saw him was throw him a compliment.
After all, climbing that many spots in a single day was rare.
What she didn't know was that Rowan hadn't even factored in his amplification.
If she realized that he'd risen 11 ranks purely off battle points, she would have been speechless.
"Not bad. Still a lot of work ahead," Rowan answered with a smile.
He couldn't wait to see Zoe's reaction when he broke into the top 100 by the end of the month.
She was only around 150th herself. Not bad, considering she'd only been here six months.
…
The next morning, Rowan went to Grace Jiang's villa for blade training.
Coincidentally, another student was there sparring with her a girl he vaguely remembered sharing the shuttle with the day before.
Grace introduced them: Valentina Quespe.
She was hailed as a once-in-a-decade genius from South America, but after two years in the Elite Training Camp, she was still hovering around rank 100.
Rowan and Valentina quickly worked out a schedule: she would train with Grace in the mornings, leaving the afternoons open for him.
After sparring with both Grace and Valentina all morning, Rowan felt the edge of a breakthrough.
It wasn't just Grace's teaching it was also the bloodbath he'd gone through yesterday in City 001.
When he returned to his dorm, he skipped body techniques and meditation practice, throwing himself fully into blade drills for the entire afternoon.
The following day, he went back into the wild to hunt.
During a duel with a high-level Beast-General, his blade skills finally broke through to the Proficient level.
From then on, Rowan's routine was set.
On odd days, he ventured into City 001 to hunt monsters.
On even days, he studied blade techniques and footwork with Grace.
By October 27, his Black Dragon rank had climbed to 131 overtaking Zoe, who sat at 146.
Zoe didn't take it too hard.
She figured it was natural. Rowan was a psychic warrior; his hunting efficiency was bound to be higher.
Rowan, however, only smiled.
Because his climb was built purely on raw battle points.
If his amplification hit 2, he'd break into the top 100 instantly.
At 3, he'd crack the top 80.
At 4, even the top 60 would be within reach.
In the original records, Luo Feng had stunned the world by reaching rank 68 in his first month thanks to perfect movement techniques and Proficient-level blade skills.
"Tomorrow's the 28th. Time to try the Ancient Gravity Chamber… and maybe the Trial Tower too."
Rowan's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Most students would give anything to train in the Ancient Gravity Chamber, which multiplied progress tenfold.
Rowan didn't care much.
Why? Because he had pills.
What was ten times faster compared to the effects of Jade Marrow, Dragon's Blood, or Spirit Herbs?
To him, the Gravity Chamber was nothing special.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Already hooked? Tell me what reeled you in leave a review, spark the fire with a comment, and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops!
The evolution's just begun. Dive deeper into Unbound Evolution and stay leagues ahead!
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a.