Chapter Forty-Four: The Ninefold Tower

Luo Feng came from an ordinary family, much like most households without a warrior. His father worked in domestic services, making a living through hard labor, helping others move houses to support the family. Yet, from such humble origins, emerged the extraordinary Luo Feng. Even his younger brother, Luo Hua, possessed an uncommon intellect.

Just yesterday, while Luo Feng was undergoing the Warrior Candidate Assessment, his father was bullied and beaten half to death. Luo Feng, returning home, witnessed the aftermath—how could he not be enraged? He nearly killed someone in his fury! The perpetrators had some influence, and as a result, Luo Feng was arrested, prompting Wei Wen to seek help.

Qin Ming knew that it was precisely because of this incident that Luo Feng awakened his psychic powers and ascended to meteoric heights. In just a few short years, he became the world’s strongest man.

“Uncle Yang, this is a small matter. There’s no need to trouble you,” Qin Ming replied with a smile and a shake of his head. He was well aware of boundaries. The other man was a War God—would he really pilot a fighter jet to rescue a candidate warrior? What a joke!

“I’ll make a call to arrange things,” Qin Ming said after a moment’s thought, dialing Wang Lang to explain the situation. The other party agreed without hesitation and promised to head there immediately.

The two of them jumped down, the fighter jet tracing an arc through the sky before vanishing from sight.

Qin Ming already knew that the jet wasn’t Yang Hui’s; it had merely been lent to him due to the urgency of the situation, making travel convenient.

The Global Headquarters of the Extreme Martial Arts School was located in Hongning Base City, situated in western Asia, close to Europe. During the Great Nirvana, Hong, accompanied by a group of followers, had established a survival base here. Thanks to his immense strength, the base grew larger and safer with each passing year.

Most residents here were warriors. Were it not for strict population controls, the numbers would have exploded; even so, there were eighty million people.

“There are only five major powers in the world, with a total of twenty-three base cities. Huaxia has only six, but Hong controls one himself. That’s the influence of the world’s greatest—unmatched power and authority,” Yang Hui explained, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Even Qin Ming, who already knew this, was shaken.

There were only twenty-three base cities in the world, and Hong alone controlled one. The world’s strongest, with unrivaled power.

“A true man should aspire to this!” Qin Ming declared resolutely.

“Hahaha! A fine man should indeed have such ambition!”

Soon, they arrived at the entrance to the training camp and walked straight in. There were no soldiers guarding the gate, but no one dared cause trouble here. Upon entering, they were greeted by the sight of a massive dragon sculpture, towering over fifty meters tall—a black dragon, in particular, its eyes. The moment Qin Ming met its gaze, he felt his body tremble.

“Why does it feel alive?” Qin Ming asked in astonishment.

“Are you alright?” Yang Hui exclaimed in surprise.

“I felt a powerful pressure, as if I couldn’t breathe,” Qin Ming answered honestly.

Yang Hui’s mouth twitched; his estimation of Qin Ming rose even higher. He explained, “This statue is already exceedingly rare, but its eyes are even more extraordinary. They belonged to a black dragon, a king-level beast born from a volcano, stronger than any War God. Hong used its eyes for the statue, which is why it exudes such terrifying might. Every new trainee who sees those eyes is overwhelmed, unable to break free. But you, Qin Ming, are the first—and only—one to feel almost nothing.”

His heart was complicated. Even now, staring at it himself, he would be affected. But this youngster kept looking, seemingly unmoved.

“His future…” Yang Hui dared not even imagine. “He may well reach the rank of Councilor!”

Qin Ming laughed awkwardly. “Maybe I’m just thick-skinned.”

Thick-skinned? Yang Hui was speechless.

“Uncle Yang, what about those screens and the names on the statue?” Qin Ming asked, pointing at the black dragon.

Each scale on the black dragon was a display screen, arranged from top to bottom in order.

“No.1: Reinathe & Bridge (530321)”
“No.2: Chu Qiang (540601)”
…
“No.167: Vostios (570319)”

There were a total of one hundred and sixty-seven rankings.

“At present, there are one hundred and sixty-seven trainees in the Elite Training Camp; you’ll be the one hundred and sixty-eighth. Every year, thirty or forty graduate or leave. Two-thirds are recruited from the headquarters’ Basic Training Camp, the remaining third from around the world. Only about a dozen come from the global pool, which shows how fierce the competition is!” Yang Hui explained. “This year’s recruits haven’t all arrived yet, or the number would reach one hundred and eighty. Since this is a training camp, naturally there’s competition—the higher your ranking, the more resources you get, and vice versa. The bottom three, if they remain there for three rounds in a row, are eliminated and sent to the Basic Training Camp. Competition breeds pressure, and pressure brings rapid growth.”

As he spoke, they continued deeper inside. The place bustled with young people, all vigorous and imposing.

“Uncle Yang, where are we going?” Qin Ming asked.

“The Ninefold Tower!”

“Ninefold Tower?”

“It’s the core of the training camp—the place for learning and training, with specialized rooms like the Gravity Chamber and Virtual Space!” Yang Hui pointed ahead. “That’s where the trainees go—the nine-story tower!”

Though it was only nine stories, it rivaled a building over twenty stories tall.

Many elite trainees were heading that way.

“Virtual Space?”

“You’ll see soon enough. It’s quite something!”

“Uncle Yang, shouldn’t I sign a contract first?” Qin Ming asked.

“Your case is special,” Yang Hui replied, pausing. “Just follow me.”

They took the elevator straight to the ninth floor.

Inside was a hall with mats spread across the floor. Boys and girls of all skin colors chatted idly, but as soon as Qin Ming entered, their eyes turned to him.

“A Huaxia boy? Is he the special recruit?”

“So young!”

“He doesn’t look like much, does he?”

The voices of discussion were open and unreserved.

Qin Ming didn’t mind. These people were destined to be mere passersby in his life—at most, he’d pay them a fleeting glance.

Yang Hui merely nodded slightly and continued down a corridor, flanked by special training rooms. At the very end, he opened a door and switched on the lights in the dim room.

The furnishings were simple—two sofas, each with a helmet resting on it.

“Earth holds many secrets and ancient ruins. Once, a mysterious machine was unearthed. When connected, it led to a virtual space. Countless scientists exhausted themselves trying to replicate it and finally managed to create two helmets that connect to the virtual space, allowing one’s consciousness to transfer over one hundred percent,” Yang Hui explained, pointing at the helmets. “These are the consciousness sensors.”

“Unfortunately, the main server for the Virtual Space couldn’t be replicated, or else it could be used everywhere. As it is, there’s only this one,” Yang Hui lamented.

“Incredible!” Qin Ming exclaimed in amazement.

“I felt the same when I first learned about it,” Yang Hui replied, handing over a tablet displaying trainee instructions. “Read this carefully; it’ll help you quickly understand the camp.”

“Uncle Yang, am I to be given a special assessment?” Qin Ming asked as he took the tablet.

“Most likely,” Yang Hui hesitated, “But remember this: the better you perform, the greater the rewards you’ll receive.”

“Thank you, Uncle Yang!” Qin Ming already had a rough idea in his heart.