The reason humans were strong lay in their wisdom.
People could think, learn, progress, and improve.
Alien beasts born powerful, like Blood Scale, relied too heavily on their physical advantages.
Like a tiger, it pounced, clawed, and flung—once its three tricks were spent, all that remained was mindless repetition and cycles.
Because in their living environment, no prey could withstand those "three strokes of the axe."
Blood Scale, called a rare beast, had naturally evolved better than a tiger. The mysterious and powerful EX Gene had granted it extraordinary abilities, yet in essence, it was somewhat similar to a tiger.
Zhou Zhe grew more and more accustomed to Blood Scale's attacks.
His brows lifted slightly as his eyes locked firmly onto Blood Scale.
"Thirteen moves!"
"Back and forth, it's only those thirteen moves!"
"A predator so powerful it is nearly invincible, a creature that has long stood at the top of the food chain—has that weakened your ability to adapt?"
"Every attacking motion, consciously or unconsciously, protects your right ear."
"Do you take me for an idiot, or blind?"
Natural selection favored the fit, and Blood Scale was not a flawless creature either.
The crystallization of power bestowed upon it by the EX Gene lay in its right ear!
Blood Scales that did not know how to protect their weakness had long since been utterly eliminated by nature.
Every Blood Scale that survived to this day possessed the instinct to protect its right ear!
It was precisely this instinct that guided its movements and made it powerful!
And it was precisely because of that instinct that Zhou Zhe found its weakness!
"Pah... die!"
Zhou Zhe gripped his blade in his right hand, twisted his waist and hips, and spun the blade with borrowed momentum. Wind Element power coursed around his body as the Wind Riding Blade Technique erupted at full force!
The sharp blade became a streak of blue-black light, stabbing toward Rare Beast Blood Scale's right ear in an instant.
"So hard!"
Even its vulnerable spot possessed defenses comparable to iron armor. The instant the blade touched Blood Scale's ear, Zhou Zhe's expression changed slightly.
However, the Blademaster title's additional fifty percent lethality played a crucial role at that moment!
With a twist of his arm, the sharp blade trembled faintly and, in the blink of an eye, completely pierced through Blood Scale's right ear!
With a crisp crack, Rare Beast Blood Scale's movements suddenly froze.
The violent heartbeat that had pounded like war drums within the beast abruptly ceased.
Its bloodthirsty eyes remained fixed on Zhou Zhe, but its breath gradually faded away.
Rare Beast Blood Scale...
Was dead!
"Hah..."
Zhou Zhe let out a long breath. "Looks like my judgment was correct."
The blade had only entered five or six centimeters. For a massive Blood Scale, it looked like little more than a toothpick jab, hardly a fatal wound.
Yet the truth proved that Zhou Zhe's combat instincts were not weak.
"Congratulations!"
Lin Ye hurried over from the side, his face brimming with smiles. He seemed even happier than Zhou Zhe himself. "Your battle instincts are truly strong! Your intelligence-gathering ability is excellent too! That final strike was simply breathtaking!"
"Although you haven't reached the Great Perfection stage of the Wind Riding Blade Technique, you found another path, raising its lethality far beyond the realm of the technique's second level!"
Hearing this, Zhou Zhe felt somewhat embarrassed.
The lethality of his blade technique came from the Blademaster title granted by the mysterious notebook, not because he had truly gained new insights or breakthroughs in the Wind Riding Blade Technique.
This was something that could not be taught to others.
Otherwise, Zhou Zhe would have shared his insights with Lin Ye at the very first opportunity.
"To repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring" was one of the spiritual essences of the Huaxia people. Zhou Zhe had not forgotten that Lin Ye was also a Cosmic Gladiator!
To teach him, Lin Ye had even split the Wind Element Heart in two, paying the price of a decline in strength!
Even if Lin Ye did not say it, Zhou Zhe knew the risks he had taken, and silently remembered them in his heart.
If I can survive this Cosmic Arena Combat, I must find a way to repay my mentor!
Zhou Zhe silently swore to himself. After lightly wiping down the long blade in his hand, he sheathed it and pointed at Blood Scale's corpse in the distance. "A body this enormous, yet capable of possessing speed, strength, defense, and endurance at the same time—it simply defies common sense."
"Mentor, it possesses supernatural power, doesn't it?"
"Perhaps we can contact a scientific team, or simply hand over part of its corpse to the country for scientific analysis."
"If we can develop something like a 'gene-enhancement serum,' then when Earthlings are chosen by the gods in the future, their survival rate will rise significantly."
Zhou Zhe rattled off a whole string of words, but Lin Ye merely gave him a strange look.
"The Cosmic Arena has existed for over two months now. After eight full rounds of duels, many people have actually had the same idea as you."
"But... it can't be done."
"Many official gladiators use points to place a lock on their species' supernatural genes. Only with the matching password can their mysteries be deciphered."
"This minimizes the leakage of information about themselves."
"Blood Scale's EX Gene was the key that brought Sigma Star into the Supernatural Era."
"The Sigma Civilization has high-level gladiators."
At this point, Lin Ye shrugged. "That high-level gladiator from the Sigma Civilization is especially stingy. Not only did he use points to encrypt every EX Gene, he also made all EX Gene holders highly toxic. They have no research value, nor any value as food."
"I understand."
Zhou Zhe nodded slightly.
There was no need for further explanation.
His first mortal enemy was Roxstar, the Horned Demon from Sigma Star!
Like Blood Scale, the other party was clearly also a beneficiary of the EX Gene.
"By my calculations, there are about eight hours left."
Lin Ye patted Zhou Zhe on the shoulder and tossed him an electronic key. "Go to the third basement level."
"There's an absolutely quiet rest room there. It will let you settle your mind, recover some stamina, and adjust your emotions."
"This is the final moment. The only one who can help you now is yourself!"
Zhou Zhe took the electronic key and nodded. Carrying the Tang saber in his left hand, he slowly walked toward the first basement level, adjusting his mindset in an absolutely quiet environment.
Calming his heart and settling his thoughts was not easy.
Images continuously surfaced in Zhou Zhe's mind.
Zhang Miaoran's shy smile...
His mentor Lin Ye's earnest gaze...
His friend's heartfelt warnings before vanishing from the face of the earth...
The chuuni eldest brother and amateur-scientist second brother from that online game that had shut down years ago, brothers he had sworn brotherhood with but never met...
After Zhou Zhe left, Lin Ye followed the tunnel back to the surface.
He took a palm-sized silver-white octagonal disc from his clothes and placed it on the ground.
"Myriad Realms Communication Group, connection request."
Whoosh!
More than a dozen human figures abruptly appeared before Lin Ye.
These people included men and women, young and old. Every one of them possessed extraordinary bearing and a powerful presence.
Besides them, there were group members who could not be projected on-site, their places replaced by clusters of white text bubbles.
"Little Yezi, what happened? It feels like you've become so much weaker!"
"Wait... Brother Lin uploaded a video file. I'll watch it at a thousand times speed first."
"Holy crap! Little Yezi actually took on a disciple! And he even gave half of the Wind Element Heart to that disciple!"
"@Lin Ye, you there? Why did you suddenly lose your mind?"
"Do you want to die in the next arena match? The 'god' in your universe is simply... cough, cough, I dare not comment. Pretend I said nothing."
"I watched the video. That disciple of yours named Zhou Zhe may be Earth's 'Child of Destiny.' Emmm, he barely counts as a ninth-sequence Child of Destiny, right?"
A faint smile touched Lin Ye's lips as he said clearly, "What does everyone think of my disciple?"
"Also, if possible..."
"I am willing to pay all my group points and ask the group leader to foretell his future for me."
The groundwork had been laid almost perfectly!
So happy~!
Before you continue