Luo Feng felt a surge of gratitude when he learned that Wei Wen had secured a secret cultivation method and a consciousness-sensing helmet for him.
However, had he known that Wei Wen's primary motivation was to make him a more efficient subordinate, one could only wonder what he would have thought.
Nevertheless, Wei Wen's actions ultimately benefited Luo Feng, making this a mutually advantageous situation.
"The main reason I wanted to see you today is to send you to the training camp," Hong said with a serious expression. "Train hard there. I hope you will mature quickly and become new pillars for humanity."
"Understood!" Wei Wen and Luo Feng nodded in unison before leaving the reception room.
After they departed, Hong gently shook his head.
Truth be told, after witnessing Wei Wen and Luo Feng's astonishing comprehension, Hong had considered taking them on as his direct disciples.
It must be noted that to even qualify to apply for such a position, one must rank first in points within the elite training camp for at least nine consecutive months.
And even meeting that requirement was no guarantee of success.
However, he sensed that while Wei Wen and Luo Feng held respect for him, they harbored no desire to become his disciples, so he dismissed the idea.
"I can feel the arrogance buried deep in their bones. They are not the type to easily bow to others," Hong mused inwardly, shaking his head again.
"Especially Wei Wen. He is undoubtedly a proud and ambitious young man. His calm eyes seem to see even further than my own."
"His comprehension and talent far surpass what mine were at his age. I fear it won't be long before he exceeds me."
"It all depends on how far you can go. I look forward to the day you stand before me as equals, as soon as possible."
"Sigh. Even knowing just a fraction of the universe's secrets has shown me its endless cruelty."
A trace of profound worry flickered in Hong's eyes as if he had recalled something troubling.
…
After leaving the Extreme Martial Hall Headquarters, the trio soon arrived at the elite training camp and stepped through its spacious entrance.
Just inside the gate, Wei Wen and Luo Feng were greeted by a massive black dragon sculpture nearly fifty meters tall.
The colossal dragon's eyes faced the entrance, impossible to miss for anyone entering. Wei Wen knew these were the actual eyes of a King-level monster, still radiating the intimidating pressure and invisible aura unique to such a powerful beast.
An ordinary person would feel an immense, unseen impact from a single glance.
But Wei Wen's mental power was already formidably strong; he remained completely unaffected.
Small display screens were embedded near the sculpture. Wei Wen began examining the rankings listed on them.
"No.1 Chu Qiang"
"No.2 Renates & Bridge"
"No.3 Eben & Pas"
…
"No.180..."
Judging by the student number at the bottom, Wei Wen deduced the last person on the list must have enrolled in March of that year.
It seemed that in the past few months, the only new arrivals were himself and Luo Feng.
"Geniuses compete amongst themselves here, with rankings updated every month," Yang Hui explained succinctly. "Competition creates pressure, and pressure fuels rapid growth!"
"The ranking rules are based on hunting monster intensity, power level, and Trial Tower performance. You'll learn the specific calculation coefficients after you pass the initial assessment."
As they walked through the elite training camp, Wei Wen noticed it was devoid of students. It appeared this month's life-and-death experience had not yet concluded.
"The core of the entire elite training camp is the Nine-Story Tower," Yang Hui said, pointing towards a massive, pagoda-like building at the camp's center. "It houses almost all the equipment left behind by ancient civilizations!"
"It contains study and training areas, as well as specialized rooms like gravity chambers and virtual space rooms!"
Though called a nine-story building, it was as tall as a skyscraper with over twenty floors. Inside, maintenance staff were busy with their work.
"Virtual space?" Wei Wen's eyes suddenly sparkled with interest.
"You'll find out soon enough; it's a marvelous place!" Yang Hui replied with a mysterious smile.
"Even though you have consciousness sensors, I'll take you to the Trial Tower first. You must at least pass the test to become official students."
Yang Hui led Wei Wen and Luo Feng into an elevator, taking them directly to the ninth floor of the Nine-Story Tower.
They entered a large martial arts hall lined with numerous training mats. Yang Hui guided them towards a small room in the corner.
Upon reaching the room, Yang Hui swiped a card to open the door.
The trio entered the slightly dark room, and Yang Hui promptly turned on the lights.
The interior was sparsely furnished, containing only a few sofas and two helmets—the very consciousness sensors Wei Wen and Luo Feng had just received.
"Our Earth holds many secrets. The most mysterious among them is the virtual space," Yang Hui explained, pointing to the helmets. "Countless scientists have exhausted their efforts to finally replicate a helmet that can connect to it."
"However, the virtual space only allows consciousness to enter. These two helmets are essentially the network cables."
"You are about to enter the virtual space for your assessment. Remember one thing: the better your performance, the greater the benefits you'll receive!"
"I know the B-grade assessment probably isn't your limit. Anyway, you have the helmets now and can attempt it anytime."
"Go on, put on your helmets and follow me into the virtual space."
Following Yang Hui's instructions, the two donned their helmets. After booting up, their consciousnesses entered the virtual space.
On a vast expanse of silvery land, three figures materialized.
Wei Wen and Luo Feng looked around, discovering a boundless starry sky above, dotted with brilliantly shining stars, creating a dreamlike scene.
Curious, Wei Wen and Luo Feng touched the ground, scraped at the gravel and air, finding everything felt completely real, with no sense of falsehood.
'The virtual space is truly magical,' Wei Wen thought to himself. 'I wonder how much more profound a truly advanced Virtual Universe would be!'
"The universe is vast and mysterious. The more we learn of it, the smaller we feel," Yang Hui sighed, noticing the awe on Wei Wen's face.
"Also, do you notice any difference in your strength?"
Luo Feng was silent for a moment, then shook his head slightly. His strength felt similar to his real-world capability, simulated here as a 1-kilogram boxing force.
"My physical body feels considerably weaker," Wei Wen noted.
"Because only your consciousness enters, your virtual body is matched to a standard template, identical for everyone—even the Hall Master is no exception!" Yang Hui explained.
"Since everyone is on equal footing physically, the Trial Tower level truly reflects one's combat prowess at the same level. It's a place to showcase your potential."
"Follow me…" Yang Hui led Wei Wen and Luo Feng towards the only structure in this virtual space.
"This is the Trial Tower. It has seven floors in total, with three levels each. Even the Dojo Master hasn't reached the top; he only reached the sixth floor!"
"And even though it's only the sixth floor, many students in the elite training camp are still struggling on the first level. Those who surpass the God of War level typically only reach the fourth level!"
"It's that difficult?" Luo Feng was astonished.
Wei Wen and Luo Feng arrived at the Trial Tower entrance, where their personal information was displayed.
Name: Wei Wen
Gender: Male
Status: Elite Training Camp Preparatory Student
Trial Tower Level: 1
Name: Luo Feng
Gender: Male
Status: Elite Training Camp Preparatory Student
Trial Tower Level: 1
Yang Hui's Trial Tower level was 3.2, indicating he was on the third floor.
The Trial Tower level represented one's achievement in clearing the tower. For example, each floor had three difficulty assessments: A, B, and C.
Passing the A-level assessment on the first floor resulted in a level of 1.3. Passing the B-level assessment resulted in level 1.6.
After passing all tests on the first floor, the Trial Tower level became 2.0, and so on...
Thus, Yang Hui's level of 3.2 meant he had passed the second floor's C-level assessment but failed the A-level assessment on the third floor.
"Preparatory students Wei Wen and Luo Feng, please select your combat uniforms and weapons. After selection, enter the Trial Tower to begin the test!" A sudden electronic voice sounded.
Immediately, styles of combat uniforms and weapons appeared before their eyes. They quickly selected suitable equipment and put it on without much fuss.
The trial for Wei Wen and Luo Feng had begun
…
"The B-level assessment requires you to kill 100 junior Beast General-level Wild Bulls besieging you within 30 minutes!"
"If you die during the process, it is a failure. If the number of bulls killed after 30 minutes does not reach 100, it is also a failure!"
"One hundred Wild Bulls?" Wei Wen smiled faintly.
Such a test was unimaginable for ordinary warriors. After all, within the virtual space, one's physique was roughly equivalent to that of a bull.
But facing 100 Wild Bulls, combined with the time limit for hunting them, it was no wonder many trainees failed to pass even the first level of the Elite Training Camp.
For Wei Wen, however, the B-level assessment wasn't difficult.
His power level was 4.9 times the standard, placing his strength far above that of the Wild Bulls.
Perhaps just a minute or two would be enough to pass the assessment!
"The assessment begins!"
An electronic voice sounded, and a herd of bulls instantly materialized a hundred meters in front of Wei Wen.
The bulls immediately charged towards him, covering the distance in about a second.
Each Wild Bull was massive, roughly three to four meters tall, like a small tank!
Due to their size, only a limited number could attack Wei Wen simultaneously.
"Let's begin!" Wei Wen's eyes narrowed as he swung his blade in a sweeping arc at the surrounding bulls.
Swish…!
The Blood Shadow Saber, carrying 4.9 times the force, erupted with power comparable to a high-level Warrior (or Beast General). It sliced through the junior Beast General bulls in front, cleanly cutting through several of them.
The Trial Tower primarily tested combat skills, including power level, movement techniques, practical combat experience, and on-the-spot performance.
Performance across the tower's levels varied due to these combined factors.
While hunting the bulls, Wei Wen demonstrated his Perfect-level Movement Technique to its fullest, effortlessly weaving through the charging bulls while relentlessly harvesting them.
He moved with ease through the herd, cutting down one low-level Beast General after another.
Amid a rain of blood, Wei Wen effortlessly killed 100 bulls and passed the B-level assessment without a single injury.
"Time taken: 1 minute and 56 seconds to kill 100 junior Beast General-level Wild Bulls. You have passed the first level, B-level trial. Congratulations, Wei Wen, on becoming an official student."
"Do you wish to continue the Trial Tower level challenge?"
"Yes!" Wei Wen responded without hesitation.
"The next assessment is the C-level trial. The objective is to kill 200 bulls within 30 minutes."
"Among the 200 bull monsters, 190 are junior Beast General-level Wild Bulls, and 10 are intermediate Beast General-level Wild Bulls."
…
In Yang Hui's view, while the B-level assessment wasn't easy, it should be manageable for a genius like Wei Wen, who had comprehended the second level of the Nine-Stage Thunder Blade in just ten days.
So, when Wei Wen passed the B-level assessment, the relevant information on the black stone pillar changed accordingly.
Name: Wei Wen
Sex: Male
Identity: Elite Training Camp Student
Trial Tower Level: 1.6
Seeing that Wei Wen had passed the B-level assessment and his Trial Tower level had reached 1.6, Yang Hui wasn't particularly surprised.
However, judging by Wei Wen's clearance speed, he deduced that Wei Wen's power level was definitely not inferior to his own.
"My own power isn't bad either; my limit speed is almost the same. I wonder just how far Wei Wen will ultimately reach," Yang Hui couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.
…
In the C-level stage, the herd of Wild Bulls was commanded by intermediate Beast Generals, giving the battle a semblance of structure.
Facing bulls capable of charging at speeds over 100 meters per second, to kill several simultaneously in the blink of an eye required a high degree of control over both blade technique and strength.
Unlike during the B-level assessment, where Wei Wen had repeatedly sought the strongest explosive power with each strike, he could no longer afford to be so reckless.
The greater the power behind a strike, the larger the follow-through swing, which was detrimental in group combat.
Even if Wei Wen only unleashed the third stage of the Nine-Stage Thunder Blade—a 2.8x amplification, resulting in a strike force of 28,000 kg—it was more than enough to defeat an average Beast General-level Wild Bull.
By not always opting for maximum explosion, Wei Wen could execute more strikes within a given timeframe.
He was seen sometimes using the first or second stage of the Nine-Stage Thunder Blade to swiftly kill junior Beast General bulls, and other times using the third stage to instantly eliminate intermediate Beast General bulls.
This controlled use of power made Wei Wen more efficient in dealing with the monsters, and soon, Wild Bull corpses littered the ground around him.
Shortly after, Wei Wen passed the C-level assessment, and the electronic prompt sounded again.
"Time taken: 3 minutes and 10 seconds to kill 190 junior Beast General-level Wild Bulls and 10 intermediate Beast General-level Wild Bulls. You have passed all assessments on the first level."
"The next assessment is the A-level trial on the second level. Your goal is to kill 100 junior Beast General-level Iron Armored Scorpions within 10 minutes."
"Do you wish to continue the assessment?"
"Yes!"
Yang Hui was shocked to see that Wei Wen had cleared this stage even more efficiently.
Wei Wen's clearance time had now surpassed Yang Hui's own limit.
This indirectly proved that Wei Wen's strength and combat experience were already superior to Yang Hui's.
"Although I feel a bit embarrassed, I know better than to compete with a monster like Wei Wen," Yang Hui shook his head slightly.
"If his power is higher than the third stage of the Nine-Stage Thunder Blade, but not as high as the fourth stage... doesn't that mean Wei Wen has at least reached the fourth stage?"
"It takes at least two months to cultivate the fourth stage of the Nine-Stage Thunder Blade. What kind of monster is he?"
"With Wei Wen here, the Elite Training Camp is about to get more interesting. Let's see what happens next." Yang Hui's expression turned expectant.
…
The Iron Armored Scorpions in the second-level A-level assessment were relatively small, allowing more than ten, or even twenty, to attack Wei Wen simultaneously!
Furthermore, the time limit was significantly reduced, greatly increasing the difficulty. The second-level A-level assessment was several times harder than the first-level C-level assessment.
Without Perfect-level Movement Technique, success at this stage would be impossible.
Wei Wen, possessing both Perfect-level Movement Technique and strong defensive skills, confidently charged into the swarm of Iron Armored Scorpions, saber in hand.
Whenever he got close, the scorpions' sharp tails would strike at him like lightning.
Over ten scorpion tails stabbed towards Wei Wen from all directions—their angles tricky, their speed extreme.
Yet, Wei Wen perfectly dodged the attacks from the surrounding scorpions while simultaneously launching his own assaults against them.
Swish!
A series of blade lights flashed, weaving a crimson waterfall among the scorpions.
The sharp blade, empowered by thunderous force, sliced through the Iron Armored Scorpions' shells, easily breaching their defenses and piercing deep into their bodies for instant kills.
The second-level A-level assessment failed to stump Wei Wen.
Subsequently, through the B-level and C-level assessments on the second level, despite the increasing numbers and strength of the Iron Armored Scorpions, none could prevent Wei Wen from passing the second level entirely.
…
Yang Hui, waiting at the main entrance of the towering Trial Tower, watched helplessly as the Trial Tower level on the black stele representing Wei Wen changed to 3.3.
"Although I had some expectations, I never imagined Wei Wen would pass the third-level A-level assessment so quickly and easily surpass my own Trial Tower level," Yang Hui felt a profound shock.
The Trial Tower tested a warrior's all-around abilities, as every challenger possessed the exact same physical attributes within it.
The higher the level reached, the more it proved one's combat effectiveness.
As a God of War-level warrior and a teacher at the Elite Training Camp, Yang Hui was far from an ordinary God of War.
Yet, he had only reached the beginning of the third level, not even fully clearing its first stage, leaving his Trial Tower level at 3.2!
The Elite Training Camp recruited top talents from across the globe, yet dozens of students were still struggling on the first floor of the Trial Tower, highlighting its extreme difficulty.
But Wei Wen, a newcomer who had only been a warrior for two months, was on the verge of surpassing him, a God of War, in his very first test.
Wei Wen's talent was the greatest Yang Hui had witnessed in many years. He was now eagerly anticipating just how many levels Wei Wen could ultimately conquer.
…
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