Blademaster

Inside the spacious, brightly lit room.

Zhou Zhe gripped the hilt with both hands and slowly drew the long blade, staring unblinkingly at the target before him—a silicone dummy clad in chainmail.

"Sigmians possess physical qualities far beyond those of Earthlings, especially your opponent this time, the Horned Demon."

"On Sigma Star, their status is equivalent to humanity's status on Earth."

"The bodies of Horned Demons are usually covered in high-strength special scales."

Lin Ye said calmly from the side, "Even bullets from a small-caliber pistol fired at close range cannot penetrate their defenses."

"The Horned Demons' innate gifts make them heaven's favored children in the Cosmic Arena!"

"If you can't even cut through this cast-iron chainmail, then you have absolutely no chance of hurting your opponent!"

"There is only one day left."

Lin Ye patted the iron armor on the silicone dummy and said gravely, "Come! Cut it apart!"

"If you can't do it, then there's no need for you to keep training."

"Eat something good, drink something good, spend one last wonderful day with your little girlfriend, and just wait to die."

Lin Ye's words were far from polite, yet an unshakable worry lay hidden within them.

He had wagered half a Wind Element Heart on Zhou Zhe. If Zhou Zhe's progress fell short of what he had expected—

Then his final hope would be shattered as well.

"A provocation?"

The corners of Zhou Zhe's lips rose slightly, and a confident smile appeared on his face. "There's no need."

When talent and effort were stacked together, the chemical reaction they created was something no one could ignore!

Absolute talent combined with absolute diligence gave Zhou Zhe a rare and precious confidence!

In truth, Lin Ye's words had instead put Zhou Zhe more at ease.

What humans feared most was the "unknown" itself.

The more he knew about his enemy, the calmer Zhou Zhe became.

That Sigmaian who called himself "Roxstar" only had scales on his body with defenses comparable to cast iron!

Cast iron, with a carbon content between 2.5 and 4 percent, was far weaker than steel and certainly not some high-tech hardened alloy. It was impossible for it to drive Lin Ye to despair!

"Then, let's begin!"

As Lin Ye spoke, he retreated several steps and fixed his blazing gaze on Zhou Zhe.

"No problem."

Zhou Zhe slowly closed his eyes.

In an instant, a breeze flowed around him!

Extraordinary power blessed his body in the blink of an eye!

The long blade in his hand also seemed to be granted life in that very instant!

In the flash of lightning and spark of flint, Zhou Zhe moved!

His body left an afterimage in the air.

With a clang, sparks flew everywhere!

At some unknown moment, the dummy and the iron armor on it had been completely severed in a single strike!

A faint scorched smell wafted from the cut.

Zhou Zhe took a deep breath and raised the long blade before his eyes.

There was not a single chip on it. Instead, it glimmered with a cold, ghostly light.

"Good blade!"

Zhou Zhe sheathed the Tang saber, excitement appearing on his face.

Actual combat trumped everything!

This was an absolutely excellent blade!

It was a miraculous creation infused with who knew how many technological elements!

If it were placed in ancient times, it would have been a priceless treasure!

Zhou Zhe had also studied and understood cold weapons.

He knew that those so-called famous blades of ancient times were actually not sufficiently strong or flexible.

Forget cutting through iron armor—even striking a person's bones could chip them! During battle, one had to avoid hitting bones whenever possible.

Yet the blade Lin Ye had given him remained bright as new after cutting through iron armor, seemingly without any wear at all. It was undoubtedly no ordinary weapon!

"The second level of the Wind Riding Blade Technique, and not merely the level of someone who had just entered the second level!"

Lin Ye's eyes flickered. The corners of his lips lifted slightly into a gratified smile. "Your talent is even more formidable than I expected. You've already cultivated the Wind Element Body Tempering Technique to the Perfection Realm, haven't you?"

Hearing this, Zhou Zhe nodded slightly, with no intention of concealing his true progress.

"What enviable talent..."

"Fortunately, I didn't listen to those people and insisted on taking you in."

Lin Ye's tone was somewhat complicated.

Those people?

Zhou Zhe immediately realized that Lin Ye was likely referring to those "friends" who had previously been used to compare talents with him.

Lin Ye did not seem inclined to explain. He merely shook his head and said, "Your current stats are very impressive. The Wind Element Body Tempering Technique has already reached the fourth level of the Perfection Realm. Whether in endurance or agility, you far surpass the limits of ordinary humans."

"But that still isn't enough!"

"Reality is not a game. Good-looking stats do not necessarily mean strong combat ability."

"Some people possess 100 points of combat power, yet in actual combat, they can only bring out one-tenth of it."

"Some people only possess 10 points of combat power, yet in actual combat, they can unleash 120 percent of their strength."

"That is why, in Cosmic Arena Combat, you often see the weak defeating the strong."

Lin Ye paused for a moment before continuing, "Only strength truly mastered by oneself, strength that can actually be brought out, is real and genuine strength!"

"Ordinarily, with your talent and ability, along with that admirable degree of hard work, I would not need to worry about your mentality in actual combat."

"But..."

"The gods have left us far too little time, far too little!"

"Now, we can only clasp the Buddha's feet at the last minute."

Clasp the Buddha's feet at the last minute?

Zhou Zhe felt somewhat puzzled.

There was only one day left until his own Cosmic Arena Combat.

Even if he trained with all his strength during that day, he might not be able to raise the Wind Riding Blade Technique to the third level.

As if seeing Zhou Zhe's doubts, Lin Ye smiled. "Cutting a dummy and cutting a flesh-and-blood living creature feel completely different."

"A single moment of distraction may decide life and death."

"Before you enter Cosmic Arena Combat, I'll first let you see some blood."

"Of course, everything has gone through the proper procedures. It is completely legal."

As he spoke, Lin Ye waved to Zhou Zhe. "Come with me. It has long been prepared for you."

Zhou Zhe quickly followed, warmth rising in his heart.

Fortunately, there were still more good people in this world!

As for people like Zhou Yulin, whom Zhou Zhe had already decided to cut off his father-son relationship with...

Among China's 1.4 billion people, if there were not a few scum and villains, how would that be any different from heaven?

Forty-five minutes later, in the eastern outskirts.

A Bugatti Veyron was parked before an unknown slaughterhouse.

After the vehicle came to a stop, Lin Ye and Zhou Zhe got out one after the other.

"What a strong smell..."

Zhou Zhe frowned.

The smell of blood, animal feces, and various strange grasses mixed together, making it truly difficult to get used to.

Lin Ye, who had been secretly observing Zhou Zhe all along, immediately said, "The smell here indeed isn't very pleasant."

"But in Cosmic Arena Combat, you may encounter even more extreme environments."

"Endurance and adaptability are qualities you must possess. Even if you do not possess them now, you must make yourself acquire them as quickly as possible."

Zhou Zhe nodded. He said nothing more and simply followed Lin Ye quietly.

Good medicine tastes bitter but cures illness; honest advice jars the ear but benefits one's conduct.

Lin Ye truly had his best interests at heart. He was a responsible mentor!

Before long, the two arrived at a temporary warehouse.

The warehouse seemed to be pieced together from several shipping containers, each one filled with various animals.

Pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, pythons...

Every one of these animals wore special armor that seemed tailored to fit them. It looked light and thin, as though it weighed nothing.

According to Lin Ye, however, the defensive power of this specially made protective gear was astonishingly high, not the slightest bit inferior to iron armor.

Zhou Zhe even saw armored crocodiles and giant pythons inside the containers!

He had no idea what means Lin Ye had used to obtain them.

"Stop looking. Start killing."

Lin Ye clapped his hands and said, "This is the first half of the emergency special training, also known as the first stage. If you can pass it, there will be a surprise waiting for you."

"A reminder: don't underestimate this trial!"

"The armor on these animals is slightly stronger than cast-iron armor. Though it has not reached the level of steel plates, it still cannot be easily broken through."

A surprise in the second half?

Zhou Zhe nodded slightly and entered a container with the long blade in hand.

Seeing blood was necessary. How could anyone who had never even killed a fish since childhood be expected to unleash all his strength in the Cosmic Arena?

The Self-Configuration talent was indeed excellent. For a certain period of time, it could configure him into a cold, emotionless killing machine, but training his mindset in his normal state was also essential!

Zhou Zhe had great confidence in himself, but he was not arrogant.

He chose to proceed from weak to strong, killing the animals one by one.

To be honest, this process was neither simple nor easy.

The drain on his stamina was only one aspect. The intense strain on his mind consumed even more of his energy.

Slash!

Slash!

Slash!

From initial nervousness to later numbness, Zhou Zhe quickly adapted to the process of killing.

A rusty, bloodlike stench filled his mouth and nose, lingering without end, as though it could never dissipate...

After an unknown amount of time, every animal in all the containers had been cleared out!

A string of pale-blue fluorescent words abruptly appeared before Zhou Zhe's eyes.

You have obtained the title—Blademaster!

The APP crashed again and swallowed my chapter comment! The source of my happiness is gone! I'm furious!