Turbulence

Under the cover of night, on the dragon scales of the nearly twenty-story-tall Black Dragon sculpture, names shone with striking clarity. Yet, at this moment, the nearly hundred students and several War God instructors gathered beneath the colossal Black Dragon sculpture stared in shock at a particular name—'NO.68 Luo Feng (570403)'. Everyone knew it was already 11:20 PM, perilously close to the final midnight deadline. Students who had gone hunting were long since back, making any further changes to the rankings highly improbable. Which meant—Luo Feng's ranking for April was definitively 68th. 'This is huge!' 'Where did this freak Luo Feng even come from?' 'My God!' Even the calmest individuals were shaken by this ranking. While 68th place alone might not seem extraordinary, 'a student who just joined the training camp achieving 68th place in their first month' was an entirely different matter. Its significance far surpassed that of a veteran student, who had been there for four or five years, claiming first place! 'How is that possible? 68th?' Candace's deep-set eyes were filled with utter disbelief. He refused to believe it! 'Candace,' William whispered from beside him. 'Bullshit!' Candace muttered, 'From today onwards, don't provoke Luo Feng.' 'Understood,' William nodded. 'What a stroke of luck,' Candace cursed. He was utterly displeased that the Huaxia kid he disliked could achieve 68th place in his first month. But despite his displeasure... reason told Candace that his past conflicts with Luo Feng were mere spats, not matters of life and death. He'd swallow his pride, treat Luo Feng as if he didn't exist, and simply stop fighting him! 'Luo Feng is about to hit it big.' 'He definitely is,' a slightly plump, yellow-skinned young man exclaimed. 'Our training camp has only ever had five people break into the top 100 in their first month, and the most recent was eight years ago. Luo Feng didn't just break into the top 100; he hit 68th!' While both 98th and 68th are in the top 100, their implications are vastly different. 68th place signifies a significantly greater power level than 98th! Everyone knew... All the powerful nations and organizations on Earth valued talent. It would be strange *not* to value a talent like Luo Feng! His 68th place carried more weight than even this month's first-place finisher. As for the treatment he'd receive next, did it even need to be said? ... In a residential building three kilometers away. 'Damn it!' The burly man with dyed yellow short hair stared wide-eyed at the rankings on the screen mounted on the wall. His gaze was fixed on 'Luo Feng' at 68th place, his eyes bulging. As the leader of the intelligence squad stationed there, he knew the students' profiles inside and out. He understood perfectly... ...what Luo Feng's name appearing at 68th place truly meant. 'Quick, connect to the boss!' the burly man snarled, his face contorted. 'Captain, it's not even midnight yet,' a woman in somewhat revealing attire chuckled. 'Damn it, hurry up and connect to the boss! Now!!!' The burly man's eyes flashed with ferocity. Only then did the previously jovial woman realize the gravity of the situation, immediately moving to connect with their superior. ... 'Shit!' 'This genius is from Huaxia Nation! Connect me to the General; I need to speak with him immediately!' ... '68th?' 'He's only 19 years old, and his family was ordinary; he never received any special martial arts training as a child.' 'This Luo Feng is truly a monster! Quick, connect to the Chief!' a Huaxia middle-aged man commanded. ... At this very moment, in Hongning Base City, intelligence personnel from various powerful nations' military organizations, special administrative bodies, family syndicates, and even mercenary groups, upon discovering the newly updated rankings on the Elite Training Camp's Black Dragon Leaderboard, immediately reported to their respective headquarters as qualified intelligence agents! Breaking into the top 100 upon arrival was already the mark of an unparalleled genius. To rank as high as 68th was even more extraordinary. Especially considering he was only 19 years old! ... It's important to understand that for super-powerful organizations like the Five Great Nations and the Two Great Martial Arts Halls, a warrior's rapid physical improvement, while surprising, wasn't enough to make them desperately try to recruit them. After all, physical attributes could be enhanced through publicly known methods like Dragon Blood, and other undisclosed special items... ...all capable of strengthening the body! In short, physical prowess could be significantly boosted with immense wealth! However, mastery of footwork, punching power, and blade techniques couldn't be forced. These required countless battles, endless training, and relied on 'experience' and 'comprehension' to improve! In the Elite Training Camp's terms... this was 'combat power amplification'! The ability to unleash ten, or even a hundred, times the combat power from a single unit of strength. That was true skill! Luo Feng, clearly, possessed high combat power amplification! ... Jiangnan Base City, main urban area. In the Jiangnan University's female dormitory building, Room 602 was Xu Xin's dorm. This dorm featured a communal living room and four smaller private rooms, with each girl occupying one. Such accommodations were considered high-end within the Jiangnan University dormitories, requiring extremely high annual fees. 'Third Sister, I actually think Young Master Wang is quite good; he's absolutely devoted to you,' a captivating mixed-race girl with flowing long hair, dressed in pajamas, said with a smile as she lay on the sofa, holding a steaming cup of coffee. 'Second Sister, Sister Xu Xin likes Luo Feng, so don't bother lobbying for Young Master Wang anymore.' At this moment, the four girls, including Xu Xin, were discussing rather gossipy topics. 'Enough,' Xu Xin frowned slightly. Xu Xin was clearly displeased. The other three women simply smiled and said no more. All the girls living in this dorm came from extraordinary family backgrounds, but comparatively, Xu Xin's family was by far the most prominent. 'Hmm!' Xu Xin held an economics textbook, idly flipping through its pages, but her attention wasn't on the book. Xu Xin was annoyed! Very annoyed, because she was nearing marriageable age, and in this era, many girls married during their university years. Moreover, as the eldest daughter of the Xu family, Xu Xin held a rather high status, which led to many suitors. A good number of them had intricate connections to the Xu family. Although Xu Xin maintained a firm stance, the troubles were numerous, especially with her family's consistently ambiguous attitude. 'Hmm?' Her phone rang. 'Brother's call?' Xu Xin wondered, taking her phone into her room and closing the door before answering. Xu Gang's face appeared on the phone screen. 'Brother, what's up?' Xu Xin asked, puzzled. 'Good news, great news!' Xu Gang's face on the phone screen was beaming. 'Hey, little sister, your taste isn't just good, it's extraordinary... This Luo Feng, he's done something truly earth-shattering this time.' Xu Xin was puzzled: 'What big deal? Oh, are you talking about him entering the Elite Training Camp's top 100?' 'It's not just a simple top 100; it's 68th!' Xu Gang exclaimed, utterly astonished. 'This news is spreading like a whirlwind! Which family in the HR Alliance doesn't know about it now? I bet the Five Great Nations and Base Cities are all perfectly clear on it too. At this very moment, most organizations worldwide are discussing Luo Feng!' Xu Xin didn't quite catch her brother's subsequent words. She only knew one thing—Luo Feng ranked 68th. Xu Xin wasn't a simple girl; she knew a great deal, and thus, she understood perfectly what this ranking implied! 'Little sister, the family is now fully in favor of you and Luo Feng! Not just Mom and Dad, but even Grandpa and his generation completely approve of you two!' Xu Gang said, chuckling. The true decision-makers of the Xu family were, naturally, the elders of Xu Xin's grandfather's generation. Hearing this, Xu Xin didn't know whether to curse or laugh—such was family! 'Oh, I see,' Xu Xin nodded. 'Damn, not even a little excited?' Xu Gang laughed. 'Hehe,' Xu Xin deliberately forced a smile. 'Satisfied now, Brother?' The call ended quickly. A smile spread across Xu Xin's face: 'Now there won't be any more trouble!' Since her family fully supported and approved of her relationship with Luo Feng, Xu Xin no longer cared about the persistent suitors. Without the family's influence, Xu Xin wouldn't have paid those people any mind anyway. 'The storm has passed!' 'Mhm.' Xu Xin immediately sat down at her laptop and connected with Luo Feng. ... Hongning Base City, Elite Training Camp. Luo Feng, like a dog with its tail between its legs, rushed into his pavilion immediately after speaking with his senior sister Zhao Ruo and senior brother Shi Jiang. 'Good heavens, I reached 68th place, and it caused such a massive stir?' Luo Feng thought, recalling how, from the moment he stepped out of the trial room, especially after leaving the Ninefold Tower... he was practically 'besieged' by a large group from the training camp. More accurately, they came one by one to congratulate him. Many students also extended invitations on behalf of various factions. Invitation after invitation... The benefits offered were enough to make one's heart tremble! Almost every offer included annual operational funds in the tens of billions! This was an astronomical sum typically reserved for 'High-tier War Gods,' yet Luo Feng was even more sought after than them now! 'That trial tower, too! Exactly one hour, and then it kicked me out of the virtual space,' Luo Feng lamented slightly. 'If only I could have stayed in there a bit longer, oh, the possibilities...' In truth, Luo Feng's gains from this session in the virtual trial tower were immense. The second level of the trial tower was incredibly difficult! Originally, Luo Feng had no hope of clearing Stage B of the second level; he was killed three times in quick succession within just three minutes! However, on his fourth attempt, Luo Feng unexpectedly entered the 'perfect level footwork' state of mind once more. In that state, Luo Feng's footwork, combined with his explosive speed and attack power... ...unconsciously, he managed to clear Stage B! At this moment, Luo Feng's ranking surged from 98th to 82nd! A jump of 16 places. However, then came Stage C! With only thirty seconds remaining before the one-hour limit, an electronic voice actually reminded Luo Feng that there were 30 seconds left! That single reminder caused Luo Feng to momentarily lose focus... *Pfft!* Death! But the virtual space's reminder couldn't be entirely blamed; Stage C was simply too difficult. Even a slight distraction led to failure and death! Nevertheless, Luo Feng still achieved a trial tower level of 2.9. Clearly, he had completed most of Stage C, coming very close to success. At this moment—Luo Feng's ranking leaped from 82nd to 68th. 'Maintaining the perfect level footwork state for over forty minutes across Stages B and C combined. I should consider myself to have truly entered this 'perfect level' realm,' Luo Feng thought, delighted. Elevating his footwork mastery by a level undoubtedly multiplied his true combat power several times over. Otherwise, how could he have so easily cleared Stage B and nearly succeeded in Stage C? 'Beep beep!' His laptop chimed, signaling a video chat request. 'Hmm?' Luo Feng walked over, sat down, and couldn't help but smile. 'Xu Xin's?' He immediately clicked 'Accept'. A video quickly appeared on the computer screen, showing Xu Xin.