Chapter 323: Trial
The Halo of Dusk Stallion was a huge secret of the training camp. Not even the other instructors were aware of it, needless to say, the recruits. Of the entire training camp, there were only three people who knew of its existence.
In the first place, the topic regarding the war halo was a taboo in itself. While the superiors had pa.s.sed the technique down to the training camp, they were still hesitating whether to pa.s.s it down or not.
Understanding this, Zhao Qianqiu never raised this matter before anyone as well.
So, where in the world did w.a.n.g Chong learn of the existence of that technique?
In response to Zhao Qianqiu"s astonishment, w.a.n.g Chong simply smiled. He knew that the technique was a secret as well, or else it wouldn"t have remained uninherited in his previous life.
Naturally, w.a.n.g Chong couldn"t possibly say that he had learned of it from the future.
"Instructor Zhao, am I mistaken? Does such a technique not exist in the training camp?"
w.a.n.g Chong replied with a question.
Zhao Qianqiu frowned. He a.s.sessed w.a.n.g Chong with a grim expression for a moment before asking, "w.a.n.g Chong, do you understand what the halo represents?"
"Of course I do."
w.a.n.g Chong replied with a smile.
The Halo of Dusk Stallion was the strongest war halo in the world, crafted for the sake of battle.
What was unique about this secret art was that it required a war steed to bring out the might of the technique, and more importantly, it could be further evolved!
"Wait a moment!"
Throwing these words behind, Zhao Qianqiu marched out of the room. Walking past several corridors, he soon arrived at the hall which stood at the very core of this Kunwu Training Camp.
The atmosphere within this hall was authoritative and austere.
There was only a single person who was qualified to sit at the top of this hall, and of the hundreds of instructors across the training camp, only a few of the higher rank instructors were qualified to enter this room.
Without any hesitation, Zhao Qianqiu revealed the content of the conversation he had with w.a.n.g Chong.
"Halo of Dusk Stallion?"
The towering figure hidden amidst the darkness straightened his posture slightly after hearing those words. Stroking his lower jaw with his hands, he frowned.
"The Halo of Dusk Stallion is a manual His Majesty has entrusted us with. Other than you, me, and His Majesty, there shouldn"t be anyone else who knows of this matter. Besides, the training camp hasn"t started for too long, so how did w.a.n.g Chong... Or could it be the old duke of the w.a.n.g Clan who informed him of this matter?"
"That was what I was thinking as well."
Zhao Qianqiu quickly replied.
"If it"s the old duke of the w.a.n.g Clan who told him of the matter, then everything makes sense. The old duke never does anything pointless, and considering his close ties with His Majesty, there"s a possibility that this entire matter might be His Majesty"s intention as well."
If w.a.n.g Chong was here, he would surely be dumbstruck. This was because the duo was going too far with their imagination.
They actually thought that this was the intention of w.a.n.g Chong"s grandfather, Duke Jiu!
"Since this is the intention of old duke, he should also know that the reason why His Majesty has sternly instructed us to find a suitable successor to the technique isn"t due to the strength of the secret art but the implications tied in with it. In face of those problems, even His Majesty would have to tread carefully.
"But if the old duke is aware of the matter, why would he still instruct his grandson to learn this secret art?"
The towering figure at the top of the hall frowned as if he had stumbled upon an enigma.
"I don"t know the reason behind it either, perhaps His Majesty and the old duke have some thought in mind. Furthermore, I have asked w.a.n.g Chong about it, and he said that he understood the meaning behind the matter."
Zhao Qianqiu revealed the details of his talk with w.a.n.g Chong.
Those words had a decisive effect on the towering figure at the top of the hall. Probably even w.a.n.g Chong couldn"t imagine that his words would actually be misconstrued to something entirely different,
"Since the old duke doesn"t mind either, let"s follow by his intention then. Zhao Qianqiu, we shall go by the rules."
The towering figure instructed.
"Yes, my lord. I understand what I must do."
Zhao Qianqiu nodded before retreating from the hall respectfully.
...
w.a.n.g Chong waited patiently in the room, wondering what Zhao Qianqiu was doing having disappeared for such a long period of time. Finally, his patience paid off, and he saw Zhao Qianqiu stepping across the doorsill.
"w.a.n.g Chong, I can pa.s.s down the Halo of Dusk Stallion to you. However, you should think the matter through first. The Halo of Dusk Stallion is unlike ordinary martial halo. First, it has to be complemented with a war steed—this shouldn"t be any problem to you. Second, the cultivation of this secret art is far more difficult than any other martial arts. It requires a colossal amount of Origin Energy to cultivate, and this could result in an extreme slowdown in your cultivation rate. To put it in other words, while your fellow peers might have already reached Profound Martial realm, due to the effects of the Halo of Dusk Stallion, you might still be stuck at True Martial realm 2-dan. Even if such is the case, are you still willing to go on with it?"
Zhao Qianqiu asked sternly.
It was not without reason that the Halo of Dusk Stallion wasn"t pa.s.sed on. Cultivating this secret art in itself was a huge burden that very few could bear.
"I am willing."
w.a.n.g Chong replied without any hesitation. He was determined to learn the Halo of Dusk Stallion at all costs.
"Also, I have to emphasize that even if I were to impart the technique to you, there"s no guarantee that you might succeed, and it might not reach your expectations either. Even so, will you still push on?"
Zhao Qianqiu asked once more. The Halo of Dusk Stallion had a high demand on one"s diligence and talent, but those in itself wasn"t sufficient to guarantee one"s success.
The stronger a secret art is, the more difficult it will be to cultivate. This is a common adage spoken by those in the martial arts community.
The Halo of Dusk Stallion wasn"t a secret art which had appeared in recent years. In fact, there were many cultivators who had taken it on in the past, but too few, or perhaps even none, had reached the highest realm of it.
Due to the disproportionate amount of time one had to spend in cultivating in the Halo of Dusk Stallion, it would result in the progress of one"s cultivation lagging behind. As a result, there was a high chance that one"s accomplishment could end up being lower than antic.i.p.ated. Many were there such situations.
As w.a.n.g Chong"s instructor, Zhao Qianqiu felt responsible for his future.
He had to make sure that the other party knew what he was getting into.
"Un."
w.a.n.g Chong nodded once more.
"Very well!"
Zhao Qianqiu nodded.
"As the saying goes, a heritage mustn"t be pa.s.sed on lightly. As the strongest secret art in Kunwu Training Camp, there are some prerequisites you will have to clear to learn the Halo of Dusk Stallion. You should make some preparations. Three days from now, you will be put under a trial, and if you can clear it, I"ll impart the Halo of Dusk Stallion to you."
"Trial?"
w.a.n.g Chong was astonished. He was unaware of this matter.
"Un. Just so to tell you, these are the rules of the training camp, and even I am unable to bend them. If you accept these terms, you will put under the charge of another instructor, so don"t expect any leniency!"
"Also, I know that you have established the Deflecting Blade Manor and recruited quite a few recruits from the training camps. However, this trial is aimed at testing your own strength. Thus, you are not to bring anyone along with you, and that is including the w.a.n.g Clan guards. If you were to be found infringing any rules or cheating, your name will be canceled from the records, and you will be expelled from the training camp."
Zhao Qianqiu instructed grimly.
The flouting of military rules had severe complications, so there was a need to warn w.a.n.g Chong of the matter beforehand. Being expelled was nothing much, but having one"s name erased from the records meant that w.a.n.g Chong would be permanently banned from the military.
Similarly, this stain on his records would prevent him from entering politics as well.
For a scion, that was no different from having one"s life ruined.
"I understand."
w.a.n.g Chong nodded.
Simply said, if he wanted to obtain the Halo of Dusk Stallion, he would have to display strength worthy of it.
"You can leave now."
"Un."
Leaving the main peak, w.a.n.g Chong returned to the Deflecting Blade Manor to make arrangements for his absence before returning to his quarters to prepare for the trial three days from now.
Regarding the trial, w.a.n.g Chong had heard bits of pieces of it.
It seemed like the royal court would a.s.sign some missions to the recruit when their cultivation has reached an acceptable level to test them.
However, the mission would vary from people to people, and more often than not, it would not be under the control of the camp instructors either.
More importantly, all of these missions were regarding real problems identified in the royal court, and they had a degree of difficulty to them. This also meant that the missions carried the risk of death as well.
Nevertheless, the royal court would still try to limit the risk of the missions a.s.signed to the recruits.
"I wonder what kind of mission I will receive."
w.a.n.g Chong thought.
This was the first time w.a.n.g Chong was partic.i.p.ating in such a mission.
...
Time flew by quickly, and three days pa.s.sed in a breeze.
Neighhh!
Amidst the tranquil mountains, the crisp call of a mighty steed suddenly echoed in the surroundings. Suddenly, a black shadow dashed across the woods and flew past the mountain before circling around w.a.n.g Chong excitedly. It rubbed its head against w.a.n.g Chong"s body before licking his hand intimately.
Tickled by its gesture, w.a.n.g Chong burst into laughter.
"Haha, Little Shadow, it has been long since we last met."
Stroking the silky fur of Little Shadow, w.a.n.g Chong took out a fistful of beans and offered it to Little Shadow. Watching as the latter munch on the beans, w.a.n.g Chong couldn"t help but feel a sense of intimacy to it.
The White-hoofed Shadow adored freedom. Such a trait wasn"t apparent back when it was still in the capital, but as soon as it was out in the forests and mountains, it found itself unable to suppress its instinctive nature any longer.
Upon realizing this, w.a.n.g Chong also allowed it to roam freely outside.
Unlike what most would think, not only wouldn"t w.a.n.g Chong"s actions cause a rift between him and the White-hoofed Shadow, it even enhanced the intimacy of the two.
This was because the White-hoofed Shadow was sentient, and it understood that its master was offering it something no one else ever did.
——Freedom!
"Little fellow, let"s go. You"re needed somewhere."
w.a.n.g Chong first installed a saddle on the back of the White-hoofed Shadow before climbing on top of it. His movements were extremely skilled, reminiscent of a veteran cavalry.