novelsite Chapter 64: The Agreement
Chapter 64: The Agreement
The faculty and staff villa area was brightly lit.
Yang Hui sat on the sofa in the living room, holding a cup of tea, his gaze fixed on Ning Yan across from him. The two were old friends of many years, brothers who had fought their way up from the Great Nirvana era, and they often got together to drink tea and chat when they had free time.
"Old Ning, how's Lin Yun? Is he confident he can improve his ranking this month?" Yang Hui put down his teacup and asked casually. He had been paying close attention to this young man he had personally recruited from the Jiangnan base city. Fifteen years old, a high-level warrior (on the surface), the third level of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade, and a microscopic movement technique—such talent was top-tier even in the entire training camp.
Ning Yan picked up the teacup, took a slow sip, and smiled slightly.
"Move up a few places? Haha, you'll see in a while."
Yang Hui raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean by that? Are you keeping me in suspense?"
"I'm not keeping you in suspense." Ning Yan put down his teacup, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes. "My disciple isn't as simple as you think. Just wait and see, you'll be surprised when the rankings come out in July."
Seeing his old friend's smug expression, Yang Hui grew even more curious. Ning Yan was a hot-tempered man with high standards, so for him to say something like "greatly surprised" meant that Lin Yun's progress far exceeded expectations.
"Okay, I'll wait and see." Yang Hui smiled and didn't ask any more questions.
Lin Yun dragged his tired body into the courtyard of Jiangnan Pavilion. It was already past nine o'clock in the evening.
He spent the whole day hunting in the wilderness, killing more than twenty beast general-level monsters, and his battle points increased significantly. But his body was also exhausted, especially his legs, which were so sore from walking through the city ruins all day that he could barely lift them.
He was preparing to return to his pavilion to rest when he saw a person sitting by the stone table in the courtyard.
He Lingruo.
She was dressed in a white casual outfit, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. In front of her sat a pot of tea and two cups. Moonlight bathed her, casting a silvery glow upon her.
"Senior Sister?" Lin Yun was somewhat surprised. "What brings you here to drink tea today? Aren't you usually cultivating in the gravity chamber at this time?"
He Lingruo was the top performer last month, so she has a full ninety hours of gravity chamber usage time this month. She spends fifteen days a month hunting, and on average, she can use it for six hours a day for the remaining fifteen days—an outrageously luxurious privilege.
"I'm getting a little tired from training, so I need to relax a bit." He Lingruo picked up the teapot, poured herself a cup of tea, and then looked at Lin Yun. "And you? I've noticed you've been practicing your swordsmanship every day lately. How's your progress?"
Lin Yun had spent half a month with He Lingruo and already knew her personality. This seemingly gentle and quiet woman was more resilient than anyone else at heart. He dared to make a few jokes, but he would never be presumptuous in front of her.
"Don't worry, Senior Sister, I will definitely not disgrace our Jiangnan Pavilion!" Lin Yun said confidently.
"Oh? So confident, you're sure you can make it into the top 100?" He Lingruo looked at Lin Yun, who had a confident expression, and smiled slightly.
"It's just the top 100, right?" Lin Yun sat down at the stone table, grinning mischievously. "If I do that, what reward will Senior Sister offer?"
"Ha, who's bragging here?"
A voice came from the courtyard gate. Shi Jiang strode in, carrying a bag of fruit in his hand, a mischievous smile on his face.
"Top 100? I've been here for almost a year and I'm only now consistently in the top 100." Shi Jiang put the fruit on the stone table and plopped down next to Lin Yun. "Besides, do you know what it means to break into the top 100 in the first month? In the entire history of the training camp, you can count the number of people who have achieved this on one hand."
"That's because you're too incompetent, senior brother," Lin Yun retorted. "Why do you think I can't do it?"
Shi Jiang was speechless for a moment, staring at Lin Yun with wide eyes, unable to utter a word for a long time.
"If you can do it, I'll follow you from now on!" Shi Jiang said, going all out.
Lin Yun didn't answer, but secretly chuckled to himself: You've got a good plan. If I break into the top 100 in the first month, my future will be limitless. You won't lose out by following me!
"If you make it into the top 100, I'll practice swordsmanship with you next month," He Lingruo suddenly said from the side.
"Huh?" Shi Jiang looked at He Lingruo in disbelief when he heard her say that. In the past year, he had never seen his senior sister take the initiative to cultivate with others. He Lingruo had been alone in the training camp for four years and never cultivated with anyone.
Lin Yun was also taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Haha, Senior Sister, it's settled then!"
He Lingruo picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and a faint smile played on her lips.
Moonlight spilled into the courtyard of Jiangnan Pavilion, casting the shadows of three people overlapping on the bluestone slabs.
Time flies, and it's already late July.
With about a week left in July, Lin Yun's ranking on the Black Dragon leaderboard had already reached 122nd, which shocked many people.
It's important to know that Lin Yun is the youngest in the training camp, only fifteen years old. Swordsmanship and movement techniques require time to hone; they can't be mastered quickly just by having talent. Even so, he still managed to reach 122nd place, demonstrating the terrifying nature of his talent.
But Lin Yun himself was somewhat dissatisfied.
His battle points are very high—he hunted hundreds of Beast General-level monsters in the wilderness this month, accumulating over three thousand battle points. Based on battle points alone, he ranks in the top fifty. However, his combat power fluctuation is holding him back.
Combat Power Amplitude = Punch Power Level × Trial Tower Level
His punching power level was 3.5 (fourth level of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade), but his Trial Tower level remained at 1—because he had never taken the test. According to the training camp's rules, new students could choose any day in their first month to take the Trial Tower test, and Lin Yun had been saving this opportunity for the end of the month.
Therefore, his combat power fluctuation is only 3.5, so his ranking naturally cannot go up.
But Lin Yun wasn't worried. He knew that as long as the Trial Tower level increased, his ranking would improve significantly. The question was, how many levels could he achieve in the Trial Tower?
July 29th, two days before the end of July.
Lin Yun didn't practice his sword skills today; instead, he went to the gravity chamber.
The ancient gravity chamber is the most precious facility in the training camp, bar none. It was technologically modified from ancient civilization relics and can simulate a high-gravity environment, reaching up to a thousand times the Earth's gravity. Training in this high-gravity environment places an immense strain on the body, but the effects are also extremely significant.
Lin Yun entered the gravity chamber and closed the door. The room was small, only about twenty square meters, with silver-white alloy walls and a row of indicator lights on the ceiling. He walked to the center of the room and set the gravity multiplier on the control panel.
80 times!
This is the limit he can currently withstand. With the physical attributes of a peak intermediate-level War God, combined with perfect-level movement techniques, he can barely move normally under 80 times gravity.
The indicator light changed from green to yellow, then to red. A heavy pressure descended from the sky, pressing down on him.
Lin Yun's body suddenly sank, his bones cracking slightly. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and then slowly drew his battle sword.
Practicing swordsmanship under 80 times the force of gravity is completely different from usual. Every strike must overcome enormous gravitational resistance, and every bit of strength must be used on the blade, with no room for waste.
Lin Yun began practicing basic sword techniques.
Chop, thrust, flick, sweep, point, pick, strike, intercept, chop, parry, block—these are the twelve basic sword techniques. Each move must be executed with precision and accuracy, without a single superfluous element. Under 80 times the force of gravity, every movement becomes exceptionally difficult. Sweat drips from his forehead, soaking his training clothes, but Lin Yun does not stop.
Practicing swordsmanship under such gravity is several times more effective than in normal conditions. Muscles tear and rebuild repeatedly under high gravity, each cycle improving his physical abilities slightly. More importantly, swordsmanship practice under high gravity refines his power generation techniques—because in a gravity environment, any unnecessary movements are amplified, and any wasted power makes his swordplay sluggish.
After half a month of accumulation, combined with the fragments of laws deduced from the Panlong World, Lin Yun's swordsmanship finally achieved a breakthrough tonight.
He closed his eyes, recalling fragments of the lightning-based laws in the Panlong world—speed, burst, resonance. These insights, like invisible threads, intertwined in his consciousness, forming a complete picture.
Then, he opened his eyes and drew his knife.
"boom!"
The blade tore through the air with a dull thud. The four sharp sounds overlapped almost perfectly, making the walls of the gravity chamber vibrate. The fourth level of the Ninefold Thunder Blade was completely stable.
But that's not what Lin Yun noticed. What he noticed was—his knife was no longer just a knife.
The moment he drew his sword, he felt an unprecedented sense of "harmony." The blade seemed to become an extension of his body, no longer requiring conscious control. Power flowed naturally to the tip of the blade, with the angle, speed, and force all perfectly balanced, without a trace of excess.
This is not an improvement in skill level, but a breakthrough in realm level.
Above the "perfect" level is the "artistic conception" level.
Lin Yun sheathed his sword, closed his eyes, and savored the feeling of "harmony." He hadn't yet reached the realm of intent, but he had touched the threshold—half a step into intent.
Just one step away from truly reaching the realm of artistic conception in swordsmanship.
He opened his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Halfway to the realm of artistic conception. Fifteen years old. This achievement is extremely rare, even in the history of the training camp.
July 30th was Lin Yun's last chance to hunt in the wilderness this month.
At six o'clock in the morning, nearly a hundred trainees gathered again in the training camp's square. Instructor Zhao stood on the roof of the vehicle, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
"Today is the last hunt of July. Tomorrow is the end-of-month ranking settlement, so seize this last opportunity."
The armored vehicle drove out of the training camp and sped through the wilderness for two hours before arriving at City 1001.
Lin Yun and Shi Jiang teamed up again. The two traversed the city ruins quickly. Lin Yun's mental power covered an area of one thousand meters in radius, and he knew exactly where the beast general-level monsters were.
"Six hundred meters ahead, in an abandoned shopping mall, there are four Beast General level beasts. Three are beginner level and one is intermediate level," Lin Yun said in a low voice.
"Walk."
The two quickly closed the distance. Lin Yun's swordsmanship had displayed astonishing power in today's battle—a swordsmanship at the half-step Intent Realm, combined with the power of the fourth level of the Ninefold Thunder Blade, each strike was precise, sharp, and uncompromising. A mid-level beast general was killed with a single strike, and even a high-level beast general couldn't withstand more than two strikes.
Shi Jiang followed behind, staring at Lin Yun's back with shock in his eyes.
"Your swordsmanship..." Shi Jiang couldn't help but ask, "has it improved again?"
"Hmm." Lin Yun didn't explain further and continued to lead the way.
Throughout the day, the two hunted down more than forty beast general-level monsters. Lin Yun's battle points increased significantly, and his ranking rose several places again, reaching 115th.
It was already dark when Lin Yun returned to the training camp. After submitting his materials, the staff counted them and entered his battle points into his student file.
「林云，七月三十日，战绩点：初级兽将35只×1=35点，中级兽将8只×10=80点，高级兽将2只×100=200点。总计315点。」
Adding to his previous battle points, Lin Yun's total battle points for July have exceeded 3,500.
Three thousand five hundred points. This number is among the top even for veteran trainees in the training camp.
But Lin Yun knew that rankings weren't solely determined by battle points, but also by battle power amplitude. His Trial Tower level was still 1, and his battle power amplitude was only 3.5. Tomorrow was the last day for the end-of-month ranking settlement, and he needed to challenge the Trial Tower.
December 31st, early morning.
Shi Jiang arrived at Lin Yun's pavilion early in the morning. He had been keeping an eye on the Black Dragon Rankings, and Lin Yun's ranking was still 115, 15 places away from the top 100.
"Hey, today is the last day, and you're only ranked 115th. It'll be hard for you to break into the top 100." Shi Jiang leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, a mischievous smile on his face.
Lin Yun was organizing his equipment when he heard this, so he looked up and glanced at him.
"Haha, just you wait and see!" Lin Yun didn't explain, and walked out laughing.
"Hmph, let's see how you manage to get in." Shi Jiang shook his head as he watched Lin Yun's retreating figure. He didn't believe Lin Yun could break into the top 100 in a single day—rankings aren't determined by words, but by ability.
Lin Yun left Jiangnan Pavilion and did not go to the wilderness area, but instead headed towards the Nine-Story Tower.
His destination was the Tower of Trials.