Trial

Under Su Xuan’er’s guidance, the energy particles surged into Su Xuan’s body like a tidal wave, accompanied by a significant amount of soul essence.

Su Xuan was well aware of the effects soul essence would have on his body—and the consequences of those changes.

But now wasn’t the time for hesitation. Hesitation before a decision showed prudence, but wavering after a decision was simply foolish. That wasn’t who Su Xuan was.

His cells were like nestlings crying out for food, and the soul essence was the most delicious offering. They absorbed it rapidly and completely.

Meanwhile, the energy particles relentlessly pushed the cells to grow stronger. Aging cells were swiftly replaced by newly formed ones, and Su Xuan’s entire body was operating with an unusually vigorous vitality.

He could clearly feel his body growing stronger. With each training session, the progress was tangible. This visible growth gave him immense confidence and motivation to keep training.

Yet the barrier remained unbroken.

Perhaps it had to do with his lack of a solid foundation. After all, the past three years had essentially been wasted. Now, he still had a lot of room to grow and accumulate power.

But a true warrior wasn’t forged by training alone.

Even though there were no evil forces or wars in the city, and trial grounds were few and far between, that didn’t mean there were none at all.

Jun Cheng Training Grounds—a place run by retired soldiers who had once fought on the front lines of the Chaos Zone. Most of them had stepped down due to physical limitations and couldn’t return to the battlefield.

While no longer capable of fighting evil forces, they were more than qualified to train city kids who had never seen real combat.

Unlike educators, these veterans weren’t gentle with their methods. Injuries among trainees were common, though never severe.

To aspiring young warriors, Jun Cheng was a place both feared and loved.

The fees were low. Veterans already received substantial government stipends, so they weren’t there for the money. More than anything, they wanted to give back to society—to burn themselves bright so others might shine.

If they encountered a young person with both talent and the right mindset, some even paid out of pocket to help them grow.

Strict but deeply responsible, the instructors would sometimes share emotional stories from the Chaos Zone—stories that left lasting impressions.

The training was intense. Many vowed never to return after their first day, yet still showed up on the second.

Su Xuan had trained at Jun Cheng once before. Back then, he hadn’t used his phantom soul and seemed painfully average. As a result, he wasn’t a regular. Still, his training membership remained valid.

Now, he planned to return.

The next morning, Su Xuan didn’t go running in the hills like he usually did. Instead, he strapped the Forged Iron Blade to his back and headed toward Jun Cheng Training Grounds.

If he still had the mind to go running after everything that had happened, it’d be a little suspicious.

The place was bustling with people—men and women coming and going. There were group classes and also one-on-one elite sessions.

Su Xuan’s membership card still had four one-on-one sessions left. He’d only used one in the past, and it hadn’t gone well—his talent had seemed too mediocre. The remaining sessions remained untouched.

In one-on-ones, students could ask instructors specific questions about training or combat. If a coach saw potential in someone, they might even give out a private number—allowing that student to train with them in the future without using up their sessions.

What Su Xuan needed most now was a method to break through into the Initial Form quickly.

Under normal training conditions, it would take him around two more months.

And to be fair, two months to go from an ordinary senior high schooler to Initial Form was already remarkably fast. Among all high school students in White City, only a dozen or so had reached that level.

But the National Aptitude Evaluation was in less than a month.

If he could break through by then, he’d have a shot at entering the Military Summer Camp, giving him nearly six months’ head start entering the Chaos Zone compared to regular recruits.

To Su Xuan, six months was enough to change everything.

He urgently needed to find more Black Energy Stones to nourish the Scarlet Flame Blade. As his strength visibly increased, his mind was also changing rapidly.

This was a gamble—staking his dignity as a man. He had to secure the Black Energy Stones before completely transforming into a woman—a last-ditch reversal.

Reaching the Initial Form in time for the national test was the key to winning that gamble.

Walking into the training grounds, he felt the vastness of the place. High ceilings, countless rooms, and the faint screams of students being trained filled the air.

A shiver ran down Su Xuan’s spine. He approached the front desk.

“Hello, how can I help you today?”

A warm, pleasant voice greeted him. The receptionist smiled at him.

“Uh, I’d like to know… are there any Level-One rooms available right now?”

Level-One rooms were for one-on-one sessions.

“Let me check… hmm… yes, there are three rooms available. Two red, one blue. Which would you prefer?”

Red meant combat-focused training—mostly martial arts and techniques. Most of the screams came from those rooms.

Blue focused on theory, especially energy cultivation. Still, physical sparring wasn’t off the table.

Obviously, blue suited his current needs better.

“Blue, please.”

“Great. Please present your membership card or a valid code.”

“Here.”

Su Xuan handed over his card.

“One moment.”

She scanned it. His profile popped up on the screen. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the gender field, then glanced back at Su Xuan with a hint of disbelief.

“Here you go—your room card. Please take care not to lose it.”

“Thanks.”

Su Xuan took the two cards, thanked her, and walked away.

As expected, the moment he left, the receptionist couldn’t hold back her curiosity.

“Xiao Lan, did you see that? That guy was a boy!”

“No way! The one just now? That’s cheating—he’s prettier than most girls!”

“I’m telling you, totally real…”

The two of them whispered and giggled, grinning conspiratorially.

Meanwhile, Su Xuan was studying the key card in his hand and checking the map.

“Room 1324… Zone 1, third floor, Room 24.”

Left turn, right turn, navigating the hallways—he finally found Room 1324, tucked away at the end of a corridor.

He stared at the closed door, took a deep breath, and held the room card up to the scanner.

Beep!

A chime broke the silence. The door slowly opened.