The system approval process would take time. The first battle between Han Jue and William was scheduled for noon the following day.
Han Jue spent the remaining time in the gravity chamber, which proved tremendously beneficial for strengthening his body.
The dinner proceeded as planned that evening.
All attendees were Chinese students, including Chu Qiang, who ranked third in the entire training camp.
After less than six months at the elite camp, the overall rankings hadn't changed significantly.
Han Jue made no attempt to hide his true strength, which reassured the other Chinese students considerably. Chu Qiang was particularly excited, seeing those foreign students sweating with anxiety would be a rare pleasure!
Noon the next day arrived.
A large crowd gathered outside the challenge room doors, watching intently as Han Jue and William entered together.
"Thank you for the money," William said with a confident smile.
"Thank you as well," Han Jue replied, his smile even brighter.
William paused, momentarily taken aback, then shook his head and donned the virtual reality helmet.
"Please select your weapons and combat uniforms," a mechanical voice echoed across the virtual arena.
Although Han Jue had tested his Combat Power amplitude at the Thunder Dojo, the systems weren't interconnected. As a result, the amplitude displayed on the stone pillar showed only the basic level, which gave William considerable confidence.
"You choose the battle venue," William said magnanimously, his smile widening.
Han Jue selected a location at random, and William's expression showed mild surprise at the choice.
"Battle commences!" The electronic voice announced as their surroundings materialized into reality.
They stood on a rocky island surrounded by turbulent ocean. Waves crashed against the shore with explosive force, sending spray high into the air. Wind howled across the exposed terrain, creating a cacophony of natural sounds that would challenge any warrior's concentration.
William took the initiative and attacked Han Jue immediately!
Both warriors wielded swords, but William believed Han Jue's force amplification was significantly lower than his own. In William's eyes, this was just a newcomer who didn't deserve serious consideration.
Han Jue's face remained carefully neutral. Facing William's aggressive offensive, he could only defend intermittently, which further fueled William's arrogance and confidence.
"I say, you should just admit defeat!" William laughed with unbridled contempt.
"Really?" Han Jue's expression remained unchanged.
Facing William's continuous assault, Han Jue deliberately displayed the skill level of an ordinary rookie. He came dangerously close to defeat several times, recovering only through what appeared to be desperate luck.
Taking advantage of William's momentary distraction as he taunted, Han Jue identified a critical opening in his opponent's guard. Without warning, he exploded into motion and thrust forward with devastating precision!
"Challenge complete. Han Jue wins!" The electronic voice echoed across the island before the virtual environment dissolved around them.
"What?" William stood frozen in shock, unable to comprehend his sudden defeat. He'd never imagined losing to Han Jue was even possible.
Han Jue exhaled slowly with relief.
Holding back without being detected had proven more challenging than expected.
If he'd eliminated William instantly at the beginning, the other students would likely refuse to continue challenging him, and that would defeat the entire purpose of this exercise.
"Next!" Han Jue announced with a satisfied smile.
In the subsequent challenges, Han Jue consistently displayed a level where matches appeared evenly balanced, or where he seemed slightly suppressed by his opponents.
Most of the losers attributed their defeats to carelessness, believing they'd been caught by Han Jue's opportunistic counterattacks. Only a handful of perceptive observers recognized something was fundamentally wrong with that assessment.
"He just defeated the warrior ranked seventy-first," observed a tall, lean man from the European Union faction. He stood just slightly shorter than Han Jue, with sharp features that gave him a distinctly vampiric appearance.
"His strength is definitely not ordinary, at minimum, he belongs in the top fifty! No wonder those Chinese students didn't try to stop him from accepting all these challenges."
"Candice, do you want to test him yourself?" a brown-haired girl asked with obvious curiosity.
"No." Candice's expression turned somewhat embarrassed. "I'm afraid I'm no match for him currently. However..."
"Renates is very interested in him," Candice said, his smile taking on a predatory edge.
"I heard Han Jue somehow received ninety hours of gravity chamber time. Why should a newcomer get the same treatment as our number one ranked student? Just wait, Renates will challenge him in a few days!"
"This Han Jue is deliberately hiding his strength and clearly has ulterior motives!" Candice muttered with obvious disdain.
September 21st arrived.
For the past several weeks, Han Jue had divided his time between intensive training in the gravity chamber and accepting challenges from students in the challenge room. In that short period, he'd accumulated hundreds of billions of Yuan!
While this money held relatively little practical value to Han Jue personally, it meant he no longer needed to rely on his uncle's generosity and could purchase himself a complete set of SS-level equipment whenever he chose.
That same day, Han Jue followed Luo Feng into the designated hunting area for the first time.
"Luo Feng, are there any lord-level monsters in City 1001?" Han Jue asked with barely contained eagerness.
"Yes, there are," Luo Feng replied, though hesitation colored his voice. "But after killing two lord-level monsters and being officially recognized as a War God, you'll be required to leave the training camp. Didn't you just arrive?"
After eliminating two junior lord-level monsters, a warrior would be acknowledged as a junior War God. Luo Feng worried that Han Jue might graduate from the training camp almost immediately after joining.
As for whether Han Jue possessed the capability to actually kill lord-level monsters, Luo Feng harbored no doubts whatsoever.
"It's fine," Han Jue said with a dismissive smile. "The only resource here that still benefits me is the gravity chamber anyway."
He felt he stood only one crucial step away from comprehending Artistic Conception.
If battling lord-level monsters in this controlled environment could facilitate that breakthrough, it would be ideal.
Even if he failed to achieve enlightenment here, after leaving the training camp, he would venture into genuine wilderness areas to seek out even more formidable opponents and fight them until he found his opportunity for breakthrough.
Compared to the facilities available in the training camp, Han Jue was far more curious about the ancient civilization ruins in Antarctica that Thunder God had promised him as part of his contract.
"Alright then." Luo Feng nodded, and without further hesitation, he shared the locations of several lord-level monsters he'd learned about during his time here.
There were two primary lords and one creature that appeared to be a high-level lord based on the reports.
In the training camp, almost no one was foolish enough to actively hunt lord-level monsters.
Furthermore, these lord-level creatures typically wouldn't attack trainees unprovoked. After evolving to such heights, they'd developed at least rudimentary intelligence and survival instincts.
Han Jue studied the map carefully, memorizing the monster locations. Then, gripping the Everlasting Sword firmly, he leaped from the rooftops of the city's towering buildings, his figure disappearing from Luo Feng's sight within seconds.
"Perfect-level agility... I can achieve that too!"
Luo Feng watched Han Jue's retreating form, secretly clenching his fists with renewed determination before returning to his own monster hunting.
The gap between them wouldn't remain so vast forever.
Han Jue's first target occupied a shopping mall in the city center.
A Blood-Scaled War Bull, massive as a small mountain, had claimed the area as its territory. Numerous Beast Soldier and Beast General-level cattle surrounded it, forming a natural defensive perimeter.
Standing before the mall entrance, Han Jue made a decision that would seem reckless to any observer.
He drew his longsword and charged directly at the herd at breathtaking speed!
Swish!
The blade pierced through skull after skull with surgical precision, severing horns and ending lives with each economical strike.
His SS-level equipment had been designed to withstand attacks from King-level monsters.
Using it against these ordinary Beast General-level creatures was absolute overkill, they couldn't even scratch the surface of his combat uniform.
"Moo~~~"
The cattle fled in blind panic, the scene descending into chaos. The commotion quickly alerted the lord-level Blood-Scaled War Bull resting in its innermost den.
When the massive creature finally emerged and surveyed the carnage, it saw that its offspring had been almost completely slaughtered by a single human warrior. Whatever restraint or caution it normally exercised toward humanity evaporated instantly.
"MOO!!"
The Blood-Scaled War Bull roared, its eyes blazing crimson with primal rage. Lowering its enormous horns, it charged at Han Jue with devastating momentum!
"Come on!" Han Jue's eyes gleamed with anticipation as he raised the Everlasting Sword, ready to meet the lord-level monster head-on.
This was exactly the kind of life-or-death battle he needed.