"Are you all right?"
Su Hao looked at the几只 spirits.
They also looked like they had just woken up.
Die Xiaodie waved her hand, fluttered her wings, and immediately pounced on him.
"Gu nuo~ Gu nuo nuo!"
She called out, then demurely flew to the top of his head and lay down.
When the dull-headed crow woke up, flames burst from its body, but it quickly dispersed them after realizing.
It also let out a "caw" to indicate it was fine.
"Xi lu~"
The Water Scale Beast raised its hoof and glanced back at the scales on its body.
Mm, it's fine xi lu~!
"Good, everyone's fine."
The Electric Light Bear was stunned. "Ying ying ying?"
It pointed at itself.
Something's wrong, something's wrong ying~!
Su Hao: "Don't you think so; I don't see anything wrong with you."
This bear was clearly full of energy but loved to whine excessively.
How could it ever hold up the shield's banner?
The Electric Light Bear froze.
It started rolling on the floor.
I'm such a pitiful bear ao~!
Su Hao: "..."
Die Xiaodie: "..."
Dull-headed Crow: "..."
Husky Lin: "..."
A pair of eyes stared, and the rolling Electric Light Bear stiffened.
It lifted its head and weakly asked, "Ying?"
...
From entering the room to exiting the illusion, it only took eleven minutes.
Too fast.
He had opened a half-hour illusion and used less than half of it!
"Luckily, the net admin here... ahem, the staff said unused time won't be counted."
But Su Hao wasn't sure.
Whether the duration referred to time in the illusion or in the crystal room.
He didn't plan to stay long and was about to push the door open.
Just then...
From the corner of his eye, Su Hao noticed text appearing on the wall.
[Challenge Assessment: 10 points.]
Su Hao: "..."
If he remembered correctly, successfully clearing the first level earned at least 100 points.
That is, 10 points for defeating one spirit, with extra points for shorter clear times.
"10 points means the Fire God Crow took down one sheep at the end.
"But this score..."
His wristband suddenly vibrated.
He looked—oh, the training camp ranking had updated; it seemed he triggered the update mechanism.
He dropped from 97th place straight to 100th.
[-100-Su Hao]: 10 points [-99-Zhou Wenming]: 50 points [-98-Qi Lin]: 66 points ... [-3-Qin Ya] [-2-Jiang Xiuqi] [-1-Wang Qi]
Su Hao: "..."
To be fair, his actual score was definitely more than 10 points.
"Before the challenge, each spirit had already expended a lot.
"The illusion spirits weren't as dull as they seemed; their coordination was very skilled... That vine cage tactic felt like something Senior Wu designed.
"More importantly, I was stupid and got wiped out in one go."
Lin Paopao's advantage never had a chance to shine.
If it weren't for her... ahem, if Su Hao hadn't charged in himself, he could have led the Earthshaking Wolf in circles.
Combined with Die Xiaodie and the Fire God Crow, he could have taken down one or two when the opportunity arose.
What about the Electric Light Bear?
It had nothing to do with it.
"In the end, I was too reckless.
"As soon as I entered the illusion, I let myself go. No, that won't do.
"I need to make survival the core strategic point and thoroughly implement two tactics: the Fire God Crow's ambush and Die Xiaodie's interference."
...
Winter break had arrived.
But it had nothing to do with Su Hao.
He was busy shuttling between the training camp, dormitory, and library.
Extremely busy.
It wasn't just him; even ordinary students at Whale Island University rarely went home.
Even if some went back for a visit, they didn't stay long.
Only at school could they enjoy the benefits and resources here.
On Whale Island, anyone who stagnated would be left behind by others!
Library, fourth floor.
"Slashing essence, slashing... got it!"
Su Hao found several essences related to slashing, chopping, and cutting, communicated with the Fire God Crow, and finally chose a "dual-wielding" essence.
"The Fire God Crow has an assassin-type combat style. Besides the dual-wielding essence, I also need to start with slashing techniques."
Slashing was a universal technique.
A very basic move, similar to charging.
But...
"I remember there's a mentor at school who merged the slashing technique with some essence to create the secret technique, Draw Slash.
"That secret technique is perfect for the Fire God Crow."
Su Hao found the mentor named Wu Yongfeng.
When he arrived, Mentor Wu was leading several of his students in practicing sword swings.
"When swinging the sword, you must unite spirit, energy, and mind, and have an unstoppable momentum!"
Mentor Wu held the sword with both hands, barefoot, legs slightly apart, like an ancient swordsman.
With a swing, the blade cut through the air, producing a whooshing sound.
After a few swings, he noticed Su Hao standing at the door.
"Mentor Wu..." Su Hao called out.
Mentor Wu sheathed the sharp longsword and walked over. "You're Su Hao, who made an appointment yesterday to learn Draw Slash, right?"
"I am."
"Which spirit do you want to learn it?"
"It's this one."
At Su Hao's signal, the Fire God Crow used Steel Wing and Wing Attack, its wings becoming sharp, and slashed down fiercely.
Whoosh!
Mentor Wu nodded slightly. "The basics are decent."
He then asked, "I see you only booked five days. Learning Draw Slash requires a calm mind and countless swings. Five days won't be enough; it'll take at least a month or two to get a preliminary grasp.
"If you're short on credits, I can defer the payment."
Su Hao declined.
He said he was just collecting various techniques for reference and integration.
...
Behind the training ground.
Large boulders stood tall.
Many bore mottled sword marks.
Mentor Wu led Su Hao and two of his students there.
"To learn Draw Slash, first, you must fully master the execution and application of the slashing technique.
"For example..."
Mentor Wu picked up a stone from the ground and placed it on a wooden table.
He drew his sword, eyes fixed on the stone, his aura suddenly shifting.
Abruptly,
Whoosh!
A flash of silver light vanished in an instant, and the sword was quickly sheathed.
Su Hao saw the stone on the table split in half with a "crack," while the wooden table remained perfectly intact.
This Mentor Wu before him was likely a Butian King-level powerhouse!
His individual combat ability was impressive!
Su Hao watched intently, not daring to look away.
After all, unlocking the panel's solution depended on himself.
If he relied on the dull-headed crow to learn on its own, it would take a month or two to barely grasp it, and three to five months to see results...
That was too slow.
He, Su Hao, was someone who valued time!
Mentor Wu continued, "After fully mastering the slashing technique, the second step is to integrate it with the essence.
"The essence is the sublimation of skill and a core philosophy...
"My philosophy is: one slash, and blood must be drawn.
"When executing Draw Slash, you need a calm mind, the ability to perceive all changes around you, and complete control over body and mind. If a human learns it, they must achieve unity of person and blade, always carrying a sword. Comparatively, spirits find it easier to learn."
Overall, Draw Slash wasn't an exceptionally difficult secret technique.
But...
To master Draw Slash to a profound level required considerable time.
It needed heartfelt perception.
Mentor Wu even lent Su Hao a sword, having him practice swings alongside them.
"Now, I'll have my spirit demonstrate what true Draw Slash is."
He whistled.
A Blade Leaf Warrior darted out from the nearby forest and appeared before them in a flash.
'It's an elite-level Blade Leaf Warrior.'
Su Hao thought to himself.
The Blade Leaf Warrior was only a first-stage evolution, with limited potential and difficulty breaking through.
But he didn't underestimate it.
In his eyes, the Blade Leaf Warrior moved steadily, walking straight to a boulder over two meters tall.
Then,
The man-high Blade Leaf Warrior raised its arm, the blade-like leaves on it straightening, glowing with emerald light.
Whoosh!
A flash of emerald blade shadow.
Then silence.
The Blade Leaf Warrior seemed to have stood still all along.
But a thin line appeared on the boulder, accompanied by cracking sounds.
Seconds later, the boulder split in two and collapsed with a roar.
The cut surface was smooth and even!
The Fire God Crow saw this and flapped its wings excitedly.
Coach, I want to learn this caw~!