The Summons

It was the last day of April, morning, and a cool spring rain drifted outside. Within a secluded, ancient-style villa in the elite training camp of Hongning Base City, Jiang Fang, clad in white undergarments, sat cross-legged in the Training Hall, performing slow, deep breaths. With each exhalation, her skin glistened with sweat, and her entire body, muscles and skin, flushed a faint red. Suddenly, the melodious sound of a flute rang out, and Jiang Fang opened her eyes. “Who’s calling at this hour?” Jiang Fang wondered, rising to her feet. Barefoot, she walked across the Training Hall towards her phone, which lay in the corner. Seeing the name displayed on the screen, Jiang Fang’s expression changed, and her demeanor immediately became more serious. “Wang Patrol Envoy!” “Jiang Fang, inform your disciple Luo Feng and bring him to me,” a slightly hoarse voice emanated from the phone. “Yes,” Jiang Fang replied promptly. After hanging up, Jiang Fang smiled faintly. “As expected, the higher-ups are looking for Luo Feng. It makes sense; it’s been eight years since a new recruit broke into the top 100 upon arrival, and Luo Feng is ranked 68th.” The summons was well within her expectations. Jiang Fang then dialed Luo Feng’s number. “Beep—beep—beep—” A series of busy tones. “Hmm?” “Why isn’t he answering?” Jiang Fang frowned slightly, then hung up. She changed her clothes and personally headed towards Luo Feng’s residence. ... In the underground secret room of Luo Feng’s building in Jiangnan Pavilion, Luo Feng, barefoot and wearing only long pants, his upper body bare, was drenched in sweat, his hair completely soaked. “Chop!” In the five-meter-long, five-meter-wide underground room, Luo Feng moved his feet, making a lightning-fast advance, his right hand-blade chopping down vertically. “Swoosh!” The air produced a sound like tearing paper, followed by a sharp explosion. Immediately after the downward chop, Luo Feng smoothly retreated and swept his hand-blade upwards! “Sweep!” Luo Feng’s mental force clearly perceived the air current splitting like water around his hand-blade, accompanied by a powerful sonic boom. His hand-blade, like a true weapon, sliced through the air, each strike breaking the sound barrier. Within this alloy secret room, Luo Feng’s figure was sometimes blurred, sometimes solid. Each movement of his feet was terrifyingly fast, and his hand-blade attacked the air as if it were a real weapon, in continuous, repeated strikes, each time unleashing 2.8 times his power. “A thousand punches make a natural stance.” This was something Jiang Fang had said. Jiang Fang once mentioned that whether it was blade techniques, movement techniques, or anything else, only through repeated practice could one improve. If one merely sat and contemplated, no amount of thought would be useful. Want to improve your movement technique? Practice! Want to improve your blade technique? Practice! Want to increase your punching power? Practice! It was this long-term, continuous refinement, combined with critical thinking and insight, that led to progress! ... Clad in a loose, black silk training suit, Jiang Fang held an umbrella and arrived at Jiangnan Pavilion. “Luo Feng!” Jiang Fang called out as soon as she entered the courtyard of Jiangnan Pavilion. From the second floor of another nearby building, a young woman, Zhao Ruo, jumped down, holding an umbrella. Zhao Ruo chuckled, “Teacher Jiang Fang, if you’re looking for Junior Brother Luo Feng, a phone call would suffice. Why come all this way yourself?” Whoosh! From Luo Feng’s building, a figure darted into the first floor, then quickly ascended to the upper floor. “Teacher, I’ll be right down.” Zhao Ruo and Jiang Fang were momentarily stunned. They were both expert Warriors; how could their eyesight be anything but sharp? Of course, they saw that Luo Feng was barefoot and wearing only long pants. “Junior Brother is really diligent, all sweaty,” Zhao Ruo praised. “But he has a good physique too, wouldn’t you agree, Teacher?” “You little rascal,” Jiang Fang said, a wry smile on her face. She had been teased by Zhao Ruo. Zhao Ruo made a face and giggled. “Is Shi Jiang not here?” Jiang Fang asked. “Senior Brother Shi Jiang went to the Ninefold Tower early this morning. He’s different from us; he gets to spend a lot of time in the trial room and the ancient civilization gravity room every month,” Zhao Ruo said, shaking her head with a feigned sigh. “It’s pitiful, I guess in another year or two, Junior Brother Luo Feng will also break into the top ten. Compared to the two of them, I feel so embarrassed!” Jiang Fang smiled. “You, girl, if you want to improve, put more effort into it.” Just then, Luo Feng, dressed in casual clothes and holding an umbrella, rushed downstairs. “Teacher.” “Come with me,” Jiang Fang said. Luo Feng obediently opened his umbrella and followed Jiang Fang, leaving Jiangnan Pavilion together. Walking through the training camp shrouded in misty rain had a unique charm. Jiang Fang glanced at Luo Feng and smiled. “Luo Feng, the Wang Patrol Envoy wants to see you.” “Patrol Envoy?” Luo Feng was startled. A Patrol Envoy was truly one of the top-tier figures in the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo. Legend had it that the true decision-makers of the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo were the Dojo Master and the five Great Patrol Envoys! The Dojo Master’s status was transcendent, being the world’s strongest, so he rarely intervened in most matters; decisions were made by the five Patrol Envoys. “I told you last time, the higher-ups would summon you, didn’t I?” Jiang Fang smiled. “Teacher, what should I pay attention to when meeting a Patrol Envoy?” Luo Feng felt a little uneasy. After all, it was a Patrol Envoy! One of the beings standing at the pinnacle of humanity, possessing immense martial power. In the past, Luo Feng had only seen a transcendent War God named Zhu Xi from afar at a memorial service for a War God named Lu Gang. On that occasion, military and political dignitaries, as well as the War Gods, all showed great respect, dutifully going to greet him at the airport. “Don’t worry, you’re not going to beg anyone; rather, our Dojo is summoning you,” Jiang Fang said casually. “So, don’t be constrained. I believe when the Wang Patrol Envoy sees you, even if he doesn’t smile, at least… he won’t put on airs.” “Just be mindful of your attitude, don’t be arrogant, and treat him like a teacher or elder,” Jiang Fang advised. “Oh,” Luo Feng nodded. Following Jiang Fang, they soon found a seemingly ordinary, secluded villa among the cluster of buildings belonging to the War God teachers in the training camp. This villa had an ancient Chinese Tang Dynasty architectural style, and its only special feature compared to the other War God teachers’ villas was its larger footprint. “Teacher Jiang Fang, the Patrol Envoy is waiting inside for you and student Luo Feng,” a butler, an elderly man, said with a smile at the villa’s entrance. Entering the villa’s courtyard, Luo Feng immediately saw three women chatting and laughing in the living room on the first floor. “Ah, it’s little Jiang,” one of the well-preserved women, who had the air of a noblewoman, said with a smile. “Old Wang is in the reception room upstairs. Old Wang just said… that the young man named Luo Feng can go up alone. Little Jiang, come chat with us and maybe play some mahjong later?” “That’s right, little Jiang, don’t always just cultivate,” another woman added. Most of the women in the training camp were family members of the War God teachers. “You go up,” Jiang Fang instructed. “Okay.” Luo Feng walked up the stairs alone. As he reached the second floor, he could already smell the faint, yet comforting aroma of tea. Following the scent, Luo Feng easily arrived at the entrance of the reception room. The door was open. “Come in,” a slightly hoarse voice called out. Luo Feng entered the reception room and immediately saw the only other person there besides himself—a lean man sitting cross-legged, with a handlebar mustache, appearing to be nearly forty years old at first glance. From his features, one could tell he had been quite handsome in his youth. The lean man’s eyes were closed, and he was idly twirling a string of prayer beads. A cup of tea sat on the tea table before him. “Patrol Envoy, sir,” Luo Feng bowed slightly. The lean man slowly opened his eyes. Under his gaze, Luo Feng felt as if he had momentarily detached from the world. The reception room seemed like a separate space, and this lean man was like the ‘deity’ within it. This invisible pressure made Luo Feng hold his breath. “Sit!” The lean man gestured towards the opposite side of the table. There were no chairs in the reception room. How was he supposed to sit? Luo Feng could only imitate the Wang Patrol Envoy, sitting cross-legged on the floor. “Take a close look at this contract in front of you. If there are no issues, sign it,” the Wang Patrol Envoy said indifferently, then closed his eyes again, resuming the twirling of his prayer beads. On the table, there was indeed a contract, three pages in total. Luo Feng picked it up and read it carefully. This was an official recruitment contract from the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo, different from ordinary contracts… For instance, regular Warriors joining the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo received no salary. Like Luo Feng in the past! However, while there was no salary, the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo also had few demands on these ordinary Warriors. But this contract was different! It offered both power and benefits! Yet, it also came with responsibilities! “Annual activity allowance of 5 billion Huaxia coins?” Luo Feng frowned slightly. This amount wasn’t high; in fact, it could be considered quite low. An elementary War God could earn this much in a year. And the current Luo Feng was even more sought after than a high-level War God; other organizations offered no less than 10 billion Huaxia coins as an annual activity allowance. “Huh…” “According to this contract, only a very small number of people in the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo receive a salary? Salary is based on status?” The contract also detailed the allowance amounts for various ranks. Even the highest-ranking ‘Inspector’ among the War Gods only received 10 billion in annual allowance. The Extreme Martial Arts Dojo’s activity allowances were relatively low. However, those who joined the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo usually weren’t in it for the money! “Huh?” As he turned to the third page, Luo Feng’s eyes lit up. “Party B, if combat amplitude reaches 12 before August 1st, 2057, will receive a 9-series combat suit, a full set of weapons, any full set of secret techniques, and one portion of Dragon Blood worth 80 billion.” “Party B, if combat amplitude reaches 12 between August 1st, 2057, and January 1st, 2058, will receive a 9-series combat suit, a full set of weapons, and one drop of Jade Marrow worth 30 billion.” “Party B, if combat amplitude reaches 16 before January 1st, 2060, will receive an SS-grade combat suit, a full set of weapons, one portion of Dragon Blood worth 80 billion, any three full sets of secret techniques, and a set of ‘Black God’ from ancient civilization ruins.” “Party B, if…”