"A blade technique that treated leather armor like paper..."
"At this level, it would have been fairly decent during the Eastern Zhou period—unstoppable on the battlefield—but in the present day, it was completely inadequate."
"Many extraterrestrial gladiators, even without armor, had skin or scales as durable as chainmail."
Zhou Zhe fell into thought and murmured to himself, "The Wind Riding Blade Technique is many times harder to cultivate than the Wind Element Body Tempering Technique, but no matter what, I have to raise it to Level 2 before entering the arena!"
Thanks to Lin Ye's gift, not only had he learned the killing move known as the Wind Riding Blade Technique, but his Wind Element Body Tempering Technique had also reached the third layer, only one step away from perfection!
His chances of surviving the Cosmic Arena Combat a few days later had increased considerably.
Even so, Zhou Zhe did not slack off in the slightest and continued cultivating diligently.
His life was his own, and he only had one. Once it was gone, he would have nothing left.
Money, wealth, power, fame...
All of it existed only because life did.
He had to take responsibility for his own life.
The nearly omnipotent god seemed to understand that joy shared was joy doubled. Every Cosmic Arena Combat was broadcast live across the globe—perhaps even throughout the entire universe.
Thanks to those broadcasts, Zhou Zhe had observed many extraterrestrial gladiators.
Judging from the words and actions of some of them, it seemed...
The overwhelming majority of aliens knew a great deal about Cosmic Arena Combat!
This Cosmic Arena Combat had definitely not just appeared. It had existed for countless eons... a game of the gods!
Many extraterrestrial races were born with extraordinary abilities, including but not limited to breathing fire, transforming into ice, and firing dark crimson high-energy laser beams from their eyes...
Some even possessed bodies of steel and bones of iron from birth, naturally impervious to blades and spears. Even when firearms were permitted in the arena, small-caliber guns might not be able to break through their defenses.
Cultivate!
He had to make full use of every second and cultivate like mad if he wanted to survive in the Cosmic Arena!
But...
Zhou Zhe was, after all, just an ordinary person.
Aside from being somewhat more handsome than average, he was mediocre in every other regard—including perseverance.
The perseverance of an ordinary person meant swearing to the heavens one moment that they would persist and work hard no matter what, only to give up shamefacedly a few hours later and waste their days on entertainment.
The slightly better ones could only hold on for a few extra days after reading some inspirational chicken-soup article.
Zhou Zhe had to admit it—diligence and hard work were talents too!
And most people in the world lacked those talents!
Including himself!
The chaotic thoughts and growing irritation made it impossible for Zhou Zhe to continue cultivating.
"Ah..."
Zhou Zhe sighed, slowly opened his eyes, and looked helplessly at the clock on the wall.
How long had it been?
Not even five hours, right?
"Is that all?"
Zhou Zhe clenched his fists, filled with unwillingness. "Zhou Zhe, is this all you can do? Even with the strongest comprehension talent, this is the extent of your ability?"
But thinking about it, that made sense...
If he had been the hardworking type of genius, even with ordinary talent and intelligence, he would have changed his fate long ago.
But he was not!
Reason told Zhou Zhe that he should be diligently cultivating the Wind Element Body Tempering Technique and the Wind Riding Blade Technique, but emotion controlled his body.
"I want to work hard, but my brain won't allow it..."
The next instant, Zhou Zhe's eyes lit up!
"Come out!"
With a turn of his thoughts, the mysterious notebook suddenly appeared before him.
Ink-blue lines intertwined across the pages, forming a block of text—
Name: Zhou Zhe Talent: Absolute Comprehension; Self-Configuration. Skills: Wind Element Body Tempering Technique (Level 4/4); Wind Riding Blade Technique (Level 1)
Looking at Self-Configuration in the talent column, Zhou Zhe felt his heartbeat suddenly accelerate, his breathing becoming slightly heavier.
"The Self-Configuration talent."
"Going by its literal meaning, it should let me configure my own attributes?"
Zhou Zhe blinked. "If I configure myself as an omniscient and omnipotent god... then..."
Ideals were full and plump, but reality was bony and harsh.
The next instant, a line of explanatory text appeared in the notebook—The Self-Configuration talent cannot directly affect matter or energy and can only be applied to oneself.
So that was it...
Zhou Zhe was somewhat dejected, but he quickly rallied.
If he could directly configure himself into an all-powerful god, how would that be any different from an invincible cheat?
It did not matter!
Even if it was merely a short-term adjustment to his personality, it was already heaven-defying!
Zhou Zhe narrowed his eyes slightly, divine light flashing within them...
The Self-Configuration talent activated!
Personal configuration modified—an insanely diligent, ultimate hard-working fanatical cultivator!
Time limit—until Cosmic Arena Combat began.
In an instant, Zhou Zhe felt as if something had changed within him.
If there had been a mirror, he would have immediately noticed that his gaze had become much sharper.
But there was no need for that.
Right now, Zhou Zhe's mind contained only cultivation!
He immediately closed his eyes, free of distractions, and immersed himself wholeheartedly in cultivating the Wind Element Body Tempering Technique and the Wind Riding Blade Technique!
At this moment, not a single stray thought remained in his mind!
Cultivate! Cultivate! Cultivate!
Exhaustion?
Sleepiness?
Irritation?
Chaotic thoughts?
Sorry, none of that existed at all!
Diligent and hardworking people could simply do whatever they wanted!
Zhou Zhe, who was crazily in love with cultivation, could completely ignore these negative emotions and physical feedback!
Cultivation made Zhou Zhe happy!
Over the following period, aside from eating, drinking, relieving himself, and sleeping, Zhou Zhe devoted nearly all his time to cultivation!
Time passed in a flash. No one knew how long had gone by.
Zhou Zhe's demonic, obsessive cultivation was interrupted by a visitor.
To Zhou Zhe in his diligent mode, time was life—the most precious thing he possessed right now!
If it had been anyone else, Zhou Zhe absolutely would not have wasted time meeting them. But this visitor was different.
Zhang Miaoran, the girl who had given Zhou Zhe a Swift Wind Pavilion membership card.
The person who had given him hope of surviving!
As the ancients said—repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring.
Though Zhou Zhe said nothing, he remembered Zhang Miaoran's kindness deeply and would never forget even the slightest bit of it!
Zhou Zhe could barely save himself now and could not repay her with a gushing spring, but when Assistant Zhuang told him that Zhang Miaoran had come to visit, he immediately stopped cultivating, rushed out of the Swift Wind Pavilion, and arrived at the entrance.
The girl in a gray dress stood graceful and slender, the dark strands by her temples swaying in the wind and carrying a faint fragrance.
When Zhang Miaoran saw Zhou Zhe appear, her eyes brightened. "Zhou Zhe, you seem to have changed a lot."
Hearing that, Zhou Zhe gave himself a brief once-over.
He shook his head with a wry smile. "I've become a lot messier, haven't I?"
He had not noticed while immersed in cultivation, but now that he came back to himself, he immediately realized how much time had passed.
More than thirty full hours had passed since he began cultivating!
During that time, aside from the necessary eating, drinking, and bodily functions, he had not even washed up. He was filthy and carried a faint strange odor.
Zhou Zhe felt a little embarrassed, but then he realized—the mysterious notebook had given him a powerful sixth sense, allowing him to clearly sense others' goodwill, malice, and...
Love.
The emotion coming from Zhang Miaoran was a blazing love that Zhou Zhe could not ignore!
So this was what it felt like to be loved?
Zhou Zhe felt like a person walking through ice and snow, while Zhang Miaoran had provided him with a small house where he could enter and warm himself beside a burning fireplace.
Warm and comfortable.
It was the first time in his life that Zhou Zhe had experienced such a feeling, and for a moment, he did not know what to say.
Zhang Miaoran keenly noticed Zhou Zhe's discomfort. To avoid awkwardness, she hurriedly said, "Have you come into contact with extraordinary abilities lately?"
Originally, she had wanted to ask whether Zhou Zhe was confident he could survive Cosmic Arena Combat, but when the words reached her lips, she chewed them up and swallowed them back down.
Some questions were better left unasked.
Zhou Zhe answered solemnly, "Not to brag, but my talent is quite good!"
"Although I still can't casually slash out eighty-meter Sword Qi like in movies or anime, or ride the wind through empty space and fly in the sky, compared to before... I'm already much stronger."
Hearing this, Zhang Miaoran felt a small surge of joy.
She asked softly, "How strong?"
Hidden within that question was another—could he survive?
Zhou Zhe concentrated slightly, and the mysterious notebook appeared before him.
Skills: Wind Element Body Tempering Technique, max level (4/4)—greatly increased physique, greatly increased agility. Wind Riding Blade Technique, Level 2—while wielding a blade, lethality slightly increased. Even an ordinary blade can cut through iron like mud! This skill's maximum level is Level 3.
This involved extraordinary power. It was already far beyond what a normal human could achieve through conventional training.
If firearms were forbidden and both sides could only use swords and blades, Zhou Zhe could completely fight one against a hundred—and win!
Of course, that was only using adult men from Earth as the standard.
Extraterrestrial races were not included.
After all, "alien" was, much like "foreigner," a rather broad concept.
What if some aliens could tear crocodiles apart with their bare hands as infants?
With a shift of Zhou Zhe's thoughts, the data panel before his eyes vanished without a trace.
His gaze fell on Zhang Miaoran's pretty little face as he said seriously, "About strong enough that if I punch someone, I'll have to kneel immediately and beg them not to die."
The girl was stunned by those words.
A moment later, Zhang Miaoran broke into a smile, her little face flushing crimson.
She had originally worried about Zhou Zhe's state of mind, but now it seemed she had worried for nothing.
The girl's body fragrance washed over him, and only then did Zhou Zhe suddenly realize that he had unconsciously moved too close to Zhang Miaoran...
Zhang Miaoran seemed to realize it as well.
Their heartbeats both suddenly quickened by several beats, and a subtle, enchanting atmosphere formed between them.
"Zhou Zhe, Zhou Zhe, Zhou Zhe..."
The girl turned into a little stutterer and said haltingly, "Promise me... survive."
Zhou Zhe froze for a moment, then gave a firm reply. "I will! I'll definitely survive! When that time comes, we..."
Suddenly, a warm, magnetic male voice sounded from nearby.
"Little Zhe, the weapon custom-made for you has been forged."
Zhang Miaoran snapped awake as if from a dream, her face burning and her ears red as blood. "Ah, I should go!"
As she spoke, she lowered her little head and ran off in a flash.
When Zhou Zhe turned around, he saw his mentor, Lin Ye.
At this moment, Lin Ye held a long blade in his hand.
The scabbard seemed to be made from animal leather. After special treatment, it had taken on a blue-black hue and shimmered with a faint, eerie glow.
Lin Ye seemed to have recovered very well. The shattering of his Wind Element Heart truly had not affected him much; he was even in the mood to tease Zhou Zhe.
"Girlfriend?"
"..."
Zhou Zhe did not know how to answer, since he and Zhang Miaoran had not yet made their relationship clear.
Lin Ye seemed to see his embarrassment. He no longer dwelled on the matter and went straight to the point. "I collected your physical data earlier and had this Tang blade custom-made based on your height, arm length, muscle-to-bone strength ratio, and force habits."
"Throw away that broken practice blade."
"Catch!"
As he spoke, Lin Ye tossed the long blade toward Zhou Zhe.
Smack!
The instant it landed in his hand, Zhou Zhe knew it was no ordinary item.
The blade was extremely heavy, probably around thirty pounds.
Too heavy—far too heavy!
This long saber weighed nearly ten times as much as a practice blade. An ordinary person simply could not wield it!
However, Zhou Zhe had already cultivated the "Wind Element Body Tempering Technique" to the Perfection Realm. His physical fitness had surpassed human limits and reached a superhuman level. Though not by much, it was enough to meet the standard for using this saber.
A layer of colorless blade-maintenance oil was evenly coated over its edge, and the blade gave off a faint metallic scent.
This saber almost gave Zhou Zhe a feeling of bloodline connection.
It felt natural in his hand!
Far too natural!
A weapon tailored to its owner truly was extraordinary!
It was as if this were not a weapon, but an extension of his arm, a part of his body.
The blade had already been sharpened to a razor edge. His fingers had only lightly approached it when tiny cuts appeared on their pads.
The blade gleamed silver, while the spine was coated in black-blue lacquer. Together with its cloud patterns, it looked exceptionally beautiful.
A great killing weapon!
In the Cosmic Arena, a good weapon could almost decide whether one lived or died.
"A new weapon needs breaking in, and you need to become proficient with it."
As Lin Ye spoke, he turned around. "Besides, it's time to test the results of your training."
"Follow me."
Zhou Zhe took a deep breath, calmed himself, and followed Lin Ye toward the already prepared blade-testing room.
"Don't let me down..."
Watching Zhou Zhe beside him, Lin Ye murmured softly.
Good grief, the setting was finally being revealed...
Today's two chapters came to nearly seven thousand words altogether! Two chapters were better than three! Please vote with recommendation tickets!
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