Swallowed Star: Six Eyes Chapter 8 - Elite Training Camp!
Thunder God took Gu Ce away.
The fighter jet they were aboard flew at incredible speed.
Back at the Gu family manor, Gu Hechang and Gu Hesheng were interrogating Wang Heng.
"Wang Heng, Xiao Ce has told you everything, right?" Gu Hechang asked, reclining on the sofa and gazing at the ceiling.
"Yes," Wang Heng responded seriously.
"I trust you're a smart person. You have a good relationship with Xiao Ce, and Hesheng is essentially your superior. So I won't hide this from you," Gu Hechang continued. "I have a plant spirit I acquired by chance, the Poisonous Blood Mushroom."
"The Poisonous Blood Mushroom is highly toxic, but the energy it contains is enough to help a high-level warrior break through to the God of War stage. If you can withstand the intense pain, you'll undergo a transformation. Your cultivation path will be smoother, and it's not impossible to become a mid-level or even high-level God of War," Gu Hechang explained slowly.
"What if you can't withstand it?" Wang Heng asked.
"If you can't withstand it, you'll die," Gu Hechang replied, looking at Wang Heng as if it were obvious. "Xiao Ce has good enough talent; he doesn't need this. I'm not short on money, and it's useless to me. So, it's your choice."
"I... I'm willing to try!" Wang Heng gritted his teeth.
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After several hours of flying, the fighter jet arrived at the global headquarters of the Thunder and Lightning Martial Arts School, located in Leiwu Base City.
From Thunder God's boasting during the flight, Gu Ce learned that this was the base city Thunder God had built in the past, situated outside of China, in southwest Asia.
"Let's go, kid."
As the jet touched down, Lei Shen called for Gu Ce to follow him. A group of people was already waiting on the ground.
"Master!"
A burly man approached.
"This is Chen Ping, the manager of the training camp, a high-level God of War, and your instructor for the next five years. Of course, you won't be here for more than five years," Lei Shen introduced.
"Okay," Gu Ce replied obediently.
"This is the genius from the Gu family," another blonde female warrior smiled. "It's rare that our Thunder Martial Arts School beats the Extreme Martial Arts School."
"Take him around and show him the lay of the land. I'll leave now," Thunder God said, clearly preferring not to linger.
"Understood, Master!" Chen Ping eagerly took over the responsibility and introduced a few more people to Gu Ce.
"This is Pansy, a God of War. The one with glasses is Carl, also a God of War. They're both teachers here."
Gu Ce nodded slightly and greeted them.
Chen Ping continued, "The training camp takes a break in January and February each year. It usually officially opens on March 1st, similar to the Extreme Martial Arts School. First, I'll show you the ranking board. Then, we'll go to your dorm and other areas."
"No problem," Gu Ce replied.
The ranking list was displayed at the camp's entrance. It resembled the one at the Extreme Martial Arts School, but the key difference was the large silver-scaled giant python sculpture that coiled around the base. Its mouth was open, its tongue flickering, and a heavy, almost tangible pressure radiated from it.
"This is a king-level monster that the owner of this school defeated years ago. He removed its fangs and snake pupils and embedded them into this sculpture, creating this lasting pressure! It's said that this pressure even contains traces of thunder and lightning, making it a great help in practicing the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade," Chen Ping explained proudly.
"As for the names on the scales of the snake, those are the rankings. The top-ranked individual each month receives a reward. Ranking requires an increase in combat power and monster hunting," Chen Ping added. "You can now choose a number between 0 and 99 as your ranking."
Gu Ce looked up and saw 110 names etched into the scales, none of them familiar to him.
That made sense, as the resources at the Thunder Martial Arts Hall were far inferior to those of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. Only Gu Ce had been specifically valued by Thunder God, or else he wouldn't have received such promises regarding resources.
"I choose number 1," Gu Ce said calmly.
"Alright," Chen Ping nodded, not asking any further questions. Immediately, Gu Ce's name and number appeared on one of the snake scales.
"No.111 Gu Ce (560801)"
With his ranking displayed, Chen Ping led Gu Ce to the next destination.
Leiwu Villa.
"Since the owner personally requested it, you'll be staying with our teachers. The villas over there are all unoccupied, so you can pick one. The facilities are fully equipped," Chen Ping explained.
"Yes," Gu Ce nodded, choosing a villa quickly.
"Alright," Chen Ping smiled, causing Gu Ce to feel a slight chill down his spine.
"Next, I'll show you the Trial Tower! This is a piece of technology shared between the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and us. Only here and at the Elite Training Camp of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, as well as the five major powers, have such facilities," Chen Ping said with pride.
After a brief tour, Chen Ping took Gu Ce to a building with a futuristic design.
"This is the Nine-story Tower, named after the one in the Extreme Martial Arts Hall," Chen Ping continued. "Because it's shared with the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, you'll need to queue to use it. But don't worry, the owner has granted you the privilege to skip the queue as much as you like."
"Skipping the queue?" Gu Ce was slightly surprised. That sounded like a good deal.
They reached the ninth floor of the Nine-story Tower. It appeared that the area had been cleared, as there were no students around.
Chen Ping led Gu Ce into a room and showed him how to use the virtual helmet.
The two of them donned the helmets and entered the virtual space together.
Gu Ce was taken aback by the experience. Though he had read about it in novels, actually stepping into the virtual space was quite a surreal feeling. He wondered what the virtual universe was truly like.
"In the virtual space, everyone has the same basic physical abilities. You, as a high-level warrior in reality, might need some time to adapt here and grow stronger," Chen Ping explained. "Do you see that tall tower? That's the Trial Tower."
The Trial Tower loomed into the clouds, enormous and imposing.
Gu Ce and Chen Ping stood at its entrance, looking like ants beneath it.
"Look at the stone pillar," Chen Ping pointed to a black stone pillar on the left side of the tower entrance. Gu Ce saw that the pillar was engraved with details:
Name: Gu Ce
Gender: Male
Identity: Elite Training Camp Student
Trial Tower Level: 1
Next to it, Chen Ping pointed to another pillar:
Name: Chen Ping
Gender: Male
Identity: God of War
Trial Tower Level: 4.2
"The Trial Tower has a total of seven floors. No one has ever reached the seventh floor—not even Hong," Chen Ping explained.
"What about the Pavilion Master?" Gu Ce asked curiously.
"The Pavilion Master's Trial Tower level is slightly lower than Hong's, but it's still on the sixth floor," Chen Ping answered, anticipating the question.
"Go ahead, choose your combat uniform and weapon. Let's see how far you can go," Chen Ping smiled.
Gu Ce nodded, quickly selecting the appropriate combat uniform and weapon before stepping confidently into the Trial Tower.
"I wonder how far the genius the Pavilion Master values can go," Chen Ping mused, curious and filled with anticipation.