Chapter 16 Apprentice of the Future

　　In the center of the building’s first floor was the main door—the only entrance. Flanking the door were two wooden plaques, on which a couplet was inscribed in gold characters.

　　The first line (upper scroll) read: "No cold dwellings on earth, for spring abides always".

　　The second line (lower scroll) read: "No fragrant neighbors in residence, yet virtue stands not alone".

　　Above the door, a horizontal plaque bore the words: "Elegant Abode".

　　Though Gu Moxun did not understand the couplet’s meaning, the Chinese characters were written in a bold, flowing style—vivid and forceful. Yet, he figured it must be something remarkable....

　　He lingered outside, craning his neck to take in every detail of the ancient-style building, but the elder leading the way had already pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside. The teenager had no choice but to follow...

　　Inside, the first floor’s style was no longer the ancient elegance of the exterior; instead, it was roughly the same as that of a laboratory. The hall was also cluttered with various items—books, blueprints, and more—in short, disorganized, making it hard to find a place to step. In the center, there was a large area of floor paved with high-performance polymer polyester compound. This material had high tensile strength and impact resistance. It could also reduce pressure on joints during movement and minimize sports injuries, making it a top-tier training surface...

　　"Xiao Zhong, tidy up the combat arena!”. the elder said, glancing at the messy first floor.

　　As soon as he finished speaking, several robots rushed out quickly. From their round bodies, they extended five or six mechanical arms each. Following Master Wei’s order, they began clearing the area...

　　While the cleaning was underway, Zheng Feng—summoned by the master—also arrived...

　　Once the robots had cleared away all the clutter, Wei Zhengdao pointed at the confused Zheng Feng and said to Gu Moxun, who was equally bewildered: "Before the trial, let me introduce Zheng Feng first. You must have met him already. Besides being the Chief Captain of the Loong Head Base’s Guards, he’s also my personal bodyguard. He will be your military instructor from now on. He has an outstanding military record, having participated in countless battles, large and small, and has rich combat experience! He’s currently a Level 8 martial artist, on the verge of breaking through to Level 9—teaching you will be more than manageable."

　　Hearing this, Gu Moxun almost choked on his own saliva and let out a startled "Ah".

　　"What’s wrong? You look down on him?" He’s been fighting outside all year round—his combat experience and life experience are probably among the best in the entire Alliance!" the elder frowned and spoke.

　　Finding the elder’ s misunderstanding, Gu Moxun quickly explained, "N-no... I’m just... really surprised. I never thought... a Level 8 martial artist... would teach me one-on-one. Back at the Mars Academy... the top coach there... was only Level 6... and he still taught... a whole class of students..."

　　"Level 8 above martial artists are indeed not common elsewhere, but this is Dragon Head Fort—the gathering place of all the Alliance’s elites!" You need to understand that there’s always someone stronger, and the sky has no limit. As a prospective Guide, you’ll meet even more powerful people in the future. They might become your friends, or they could be your enemies! So right now, you must do everything possible to improve your strength, to face all kinds of situations that will arise in the future. Only then will you have the ability to protect yourself, the people and things important to you, and even protect Earth. Can you get it?"

　　As Wei Zhengdao spoke solemnly, he fixed his gaze on Gu Moxun’s eyes, as if trying to see something through his look.

　　Upon hearing this, Gu Moxun nodded vigorously. He had already felt the shock of absolute strength during the previous armor competition, and his desire to become a strong person grew even stronger.

　　With a firm look in his eyes, he replied, "I will work twice as hard!"

　　Master Wei, who had been watching the teenager’s every move, smiled happily at his resolute answer: "Good! Where there’s a will, there’s a way!" To be honest, I wasn’t satisfied with your performance at the start. When you entered the simulation arena, you charged around recklessly—you only managed to hold your ground thanks to the overwhelming power of the Fifth-Generation Battle Mecha. Plus, it was your first time cooperating with these new recruits, so there was no team synergy at all! Without those factors, winning would’ve been impossible for you.

　　This also shows you had no clear plan or goal in mind. I’ve seen far too many people without goals—they muddle through each day, idle and aimless, not knowing what to do or why to strive. But just now, when you answered, your eyes were firm. You must have figured something out. So, I want to ask you: what kind of person do you want to become in the future?”

　　Putting away his smile, Wei Zhengdao stared intently at Gu Moxun, as if eagerly awaiting the teenager’s answer.

　　Gu Moxun bowed his head and listened to the elder’s words. After pondering for a long time, he lifted his head, met the elder’s gaze with an unusual firmness in his eyes, and said, word by word: “I want to become a strong person—a strong person like you and Chu Mufan!!!”

　　After hearing the teenager’s resolute, forceful reply, Wei Zhengdao tilted his head to look up at the ceiling. Memories of the man who had propped up the entire apocalyptic era gradually surfaced in his mind…

　　He thought of that man’s weathered, slender back…

　　It seemed that once, in his younger days, he had also held such a thought…

　　I even shouted words like that in front of that man once!

　　Back then, he had stroked my young self with his warm, big hands and spoken to me gently about something…

　　The old Wei Zhengdao’s memories of what the man had said and even his appearance had grown blurry. But the warmth of that hand, softly patting the top of my head—that feeling remained vivid in his mind to this day…

　　As he let his thoughts drift…

　　Ripples of memory moistened the elder’s eyes, and a glimmer of tears welled up in his dim, withered gaze...

　　He closed his eyes, propped his walking stick firmly with both hands, and stood up straight. Lowering his head, he slowly turned around and said in a calm tone, “He truly is the dream in everyone’s heart…

　　I’ve always taken him as my goal too, yet I can barely even hold a candle to him…”

　　Well maybe someday you will become a hero like him,” Wei Zhengdao murmured, then suddenly shifted the topic, continuing sharply, “But right now, you’re still far from being like him! Just having this little bit of ambition won’t cut it—there’s still so much you need to learn and understand! Now, the final trial is to test your fighting spirit. A strong person must first possess unyielding fighting spirit!” After speaking, the elder looked up at Zheng Feng, who stood at attention with his hands clasped behind his back, and said, "Zheng Feng! Go and spar with him! This will serve as a test of his fighting spirit." Wei Zhengdao issued the order to the burly man beside him, each word clear and firm.

　　"Huh? I spar with him? How can that be? I’m Level 8, and he’s only Level 1—our internal power is so far apart! What if I accidentally hurt him?" The burly man scratched his head repeatedly, wearing a troubled expression as he spoke to Wei Zhengdao in a deferential tone.

　　"When I told you to spar with him, I didn’t say you had to kill him outright!" Wei Zhengdao glared at the burly man. After that, he turned to Gu Moxun, who stood silently by the side, and went on:

　　"A true master must not only learn to unleash his full potential when competing with fellow experts, but also master the skill of controlling his strength when sparring with juniors. Only when one can command their martial arts and internal power as he wishes is he a truly top-tier master! If he wants to become a super strong warrior like the Chosen One, he must have the resolve for it—and I just want to see how much resolve and fighting spirit he truly has!

　　Everyone dreams of becoming a god-like man, but in the end, how many can actually reach the heights Chu Mufan did? How many can hold tight to their beliefs amid the hardships of the apocalyptic era and lead humanity to forge a future?

　　The sky's the limit!

　　If a Level 8 martial artist makes him back down today, how can he ever achieve the feats of the man that he admired in the days to come!!!"

　　Wei Zhengdao pointed at Gu Moxun with his finger as he spoke solemnly and righteously—words that left Zheng Feng utterly speechless.