Luo Feng felt a deep sense of gratitude when he learned that Wei Wen had managed to secure both a secret technique and a consciousness-linking helmet for him.
What he didn't realize was that Wei Wen had done it so Luo Feng would push himself harder. If Luo Feng had known, he might've had mixed feelings.
Still, intentions aside, the outcome was beneficial for Luo Feng. Everyone gained something from it.
Hong looked at the two young men standing before him. His voice was calm but firm.
"Today, I just wanted to see you both. Train hard at the Elite Training Camp. I expect you to grow quickly—humanity needs new pillars."
"Yes, sir," both Wei Wen and Luo Feng replied in unison, then turned and walked out of the reception room.
Once they were gone, Hong exhaled quietly and shook his head.
Truthfully, after seeing the two of them and witnessing how freakishly talented they were, Hong had been tempted—just for a moment—to consider making them his personal disciples.
That was no small thought. To even qualify for that position, one had to rank first in the camp's point rankings for nine months straight. And even then, that was just the minimum requirement to apply. It didn't guarantee acceptance.
But Hong could see clearly—neither Luo Feng nor Wei Wen had any such intention. They respected him, sure. But they didn't want to follow him.
And that was enough for Hong to abandon the idea.
"They both have pride etched into their bones. They're not the type to bend the knee easily," Hong thought to himself, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Especially Wei Wen. That calm stare of his... it seemed to see further than even Hong's did.
His talent and comprehension were already leagues beyond most people's—including Hong's. In all likelihood, he'd surpass Hong in the near future.
"Let's see just how far you two can go," he murmured. "I'm truly looking forward to the day one of you stands before me as an equal."
But then his eyes darkened.
Even the shallowest glimpse into the nature of the wider universe had revealed endless cruelty. And what he had seen—just the surface—already weighed heavily on him.
After leaving the Dojo of Limits headquarters, the group soon arrived at the entrance of the Elite Training Camp. Walking past the massive main gate, the first thing Luo Feng and Wei Wen noticed was a towering black dragon statue nearly fifty meters tall.
Its eyes stared directly forward, perfectly aligned with the gate—impossible to ignore.
Wei Wen knew what it was: the preserved head of a King-tier beast—a Planetary-level monster. Even though it was long dead, it still radiated a powerful, suppressive aura. Just making eye contact with it could unsettle an ordinary person.
But Wei Wen's spiritual power was already far stronger than most. The aura washed over him like wind over stone.
Screens were embedded in the statue's base, displaying live rankings.
#1: Chu Qiang#2: Renato & Bridge#3: Eben & Pass...#180: ...
Wei Wen quickly figured out that the lowest-ranked students were probably the ones who had joined in March. It looked like he and Luo Feng were the only new recruits since then.
"There's competition among the gifted here," Yang Hui said. "Rankings update every month."
"Competition creates pressure. Pressure leads to growth."
"The system is based on several factors—your monster kill count, your performance under physical strain, and how far you progress in the Trial Tower. You'll understand more once you pass your assessment."
As they walked deeper into the camp, it became clear that no other students were around—this month's life-and-death field training hadn't ended yet.
"The core of the entire camp is this," Yang Hui said, pointing to the massive tower in the center of the facility. "The Nine-Story Building. It houses nearly all relic tech from ancient civilizations."
"There's everything you need—training halls, study rooms, gravity chambers, Virtual Space rooms... the works."
The tower loomed like a skyscraper, easily the height of a 20-story building. Inside, a few staff members moved about.
"Virtual Space?" Wei Wen's eyes lit up.
"You'll see for yourself soon," Yang Hui said with a cryptic smile.
"Even though you've both got consciousness helmets now, we're heading straight to the Trial Tower first. You need to complete your initial assessment and officially become students."
They rode an elevator straight to the tower's top floor—the ninth.
There, in a quiet corner of a spacious training hall, Yang Hui swiped his ID to open a small room.
Inside was a simple setup: a couple of sofas and two sleek helmets—the same kind of mind-link devices they had just been given.
"There are countless mysteries on Earth," Yang Hui began, pointing to the helmets. "But one of the biggest is the Virtual Space. After generations of effort, our scientists reverse-engineered a way to connect to it through these helmets."
"Only your consciousness enters. These helmets act like the network cable."
"You're about to take your first test. Remember this: the better you do, the more resources and opportunities you'll get."
"I know a B-level trial probably won't push either of you to your limit. But hey—you've got the helmets now. You can train anytime."
"Alright. Put them on. Let's begin."
As the helmets activated, the three of them appeared within the Virtual Space.
They stood on a silvery-white expanse of land surrounded by the star-filled void of space. The scene looked unreal—like a painting made of light—but every grain of sand, every breath of air, felt perfectly real.
Wei Wen and Luo Feng knelt down, feeling the ground with curiosity. It was solid. Tangible. Real.
"This place is incredible," Wei Wen thought. "And the Virtual Universe… that must be even more terrifying."
"The deeper you go into the universe, the more you realize how small we are," Yang Hui said quietly, reading their awe.
"Also—have you noticed your physical strength?"
Luo Feng shook his head. In the simulation, his strength felt exactly like what his real body could deliver.
Wei Wen frowned. "Feels like I'm a bit weaker here."
"That's because this space only brings your consciousness in," Yang Hui explained. "Everyone, no matter how strong they are in reality—even the Head Instructor himself—gets assigned a standardized body in here."
"Which means the Trial Tower is the fairest place to test true combat skill and potential."
He gestured to the only structure in sight.
"This is the Trial Tower. Seven floors total. Each one has three difficulty stages."
"Even the Head Instructor only made it to the sixth floor. Most students struggle on the first."
"Even warriors stronger than the God of War level typically stop at the fourth."
"That hard?" Luo Feng blinked in surprise.
They reached the tower's front steps. A translucent screen appeared before them.
Name: Wei Wen (Luo Feng)Gender: MaleStatus: Elite Training Camp – Reserve StudentTrial Tower Rank: 1.0
Meanwhile, Yang Hui's ranking appeared as 3.2.
In simple terms, each floor has an A, B, and C difficulty tier. Clearing A-tier on the first floor gets you a 1.3. B-tier is 1.6, and so on.
Fully clearing all tiers on a floor bumps you to the next.
So Yang Hui's 3.2 meant he was stuck on the third floor but had cleared its easier stages.
Just then, an electronic voice spoke.
"Reserve students Wei Wen, Luo Feng. Please choose your combat suits and weapons. Once equipped, step into the Trial Tower to begin your assessment."
Holograms of gear appeared in front of them. Without hesitation, they both picked their preferred weapons and combat suits.
The real trial was about to begin.