Blademaster

In a spacious and bright house.

Zhou Zhe gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, slowly drawing the long blade from its sheath, his eyes fixed on the target ahead—a silicone dummy clad in chainmail.

"Sigmaian physical fitness is far superior to that of Earthlings, especially your opponent this time, the Horned Demon."

"Their status on Sigma Star is equivalent to the status of humans on Earth."

"The bodies of Horned Demons are typically covered by high-intensity special scales."

Lin Ye, standing nearby, said calmly, "Even a close-range shot from a small-caliber handgun cannot penetrate their defenses."

"The innate talents of Horned Demons make them the favored children of the Cosmic Arena!"

"If you can't even break through this set of cast iron chainmail, then you have no chance of harming your opponent at all!"

"Time remaining: one day."

Lin Ye patted the iron armor on the silicone dummy, his tone grave. "Come on! Cut through it!"

"If you can't do it, then you don't need to train anymore."

"Eat something delicious, drink something good, spend a wonderful last day with your girlfriend, and just wait for death."

Lin Ye's words were blunt, but they hid a deep concern.

He had gambled half a Wind Element Heart on Zhou Zhe. If Zhou Zhe's progress wasn't as he had anticipated, then his last hope would also be dashed.

"Is this a provocation?"

Zhou Zhe's lips curved slightly, a confident smile appearing on his face. "There's no need."

The chemical effect generated by the superposition of talent and effort is something no one can ignore!

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

In fact, Lin Ye's words had actually helped Zhou Zhe relax quite a bit.

Humanity's greatest fear is "the unknown" itself.

The more information Zhou Zhe knew about the enemy, the more peaceful his state of mind became.

That Sigmaian who called himself "Roxstar"—the scales on his body were only equivalent to the level of cast iron!

Cast iron, with a carbon content between 2.5% and 4%, was far less strong than steel, let alone some high-tech hardened alloy. It was impossible for it to make Lin Ye despair!

"Then, let's begin!"

Lin Ye said, stepping back several paces, his gaze fixed intently on Zhou Zhe.

"No problem."

Zhou Zhe slowly closed his eyes.

Instantly, a gentle breeze flowed around him!

Extraordinary power surged through his body in the blink of an eye!

The long sword in his hand seemed to come alive in that instant!

In a flash of lightning, Zhou Zhe moved!

His body left an afterimage in the air.

With a "clang," sparks flew!

The dummy and its iron armor were, at some unknown point, completely severed by the single strike, split in two!

The broken edge emitted a faint smell of scorching.

Zhou Zhe took a deep breath and brought the long sword before his eyes.

There was no nick on it; instead, it gleamed with a faint, cold light.

"What a good sword!"

Zhou Zhe sheathed the Tang Dao, a look of excitement on his face.

Practical combat is paramount!

This was an absolutely excellent sword!

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

In ancient times, it would have been a priceless treasure!

Zhou Zhe also had some research and understanding of cold weapons.

He knew that the so-called famous swords of ancient times actually lacked sufficient strength and flexibility.

Far from being able to cut through armor, they could chip even when striking human bones! During combat, one had to avoid hitting bones as much as possible.

But the sword Lin Ye had given him, after cutting through the armor, still shone like new, seemingly without any wear. It was definitely not an ordinary item!

"Wind Riding Blade Technique, Level 2, and not just barely entering Level 2!"

Lin Ye's eyes flickered, the corners of his lips curving up in a smile of relief. "Your talent is even more formidable than I anticipated! The Wind Element Body Tempering Technique, you must have cultivated it to the perfect stage, right?"

Zhou Zhe nodded slightly upon hearing this, making no attempt to hide his true progress.

"Such enviable talent..."

"Good thing I didn't listen to those guys and insisted on taking you in."

Lin Ye's tone was somewhat complex.

Those guys?

Zhou Zhe immediately realized that Lin Ye was referring to the "friends" who had been compared to him in terms of talent earlier.

Lin Ye seemed to have no intention of explaining, merely shaking his head and saying, "Your current stats are very impressive. The Wind Element Body Tempering Technique has already reached the perfect completion of the fourth layer. Both your stamina and agility far exceed the normal human limit."

"But that's not enough!"

"Reality isn't a game. Just because your stats look good doesn't mean your combat ability is necessarily strong."

"Some people have 100 combat power, but in actual combat, they can only utilize a tenth of it."

"Others only have 10 combat power, yet in actual combat, they can unleash 120% of their strength."

"That's why, in the Cosmic Arena, you often see the weak defeating the strong."

Lin Ye paused for a moment before continuing, "The strength that is truly mastered and can be unleashed is the only real and unadulterated strength!"

"Originally, with your talent and disposition, coupled with that admirable effort you put in, I wouldn't have had to worry about your combat mentality."

"But..."

"The time the Deities have given us is too little, far too little!"

"Now, we can only resort to desperate measures."

Desperate measures?

Zhou Zhe felt a bit confused.

There was still one day left until his own Cosmic Arena match.

In this one day, even if he cultivated with all his might, he might not be able to advance the Wind Riding Blade Technique to the third level.

As if sensing Zhou Zhe's doubts, Lin Ye chuckled, "Cutting through practice dummies and cutting through living beings feel completely different."

"A moment's distraction can determine life or death."

"Before participating in the Cosmic Arena, I'll let you get a taste of blood."

"Of course, everything will be done according to procedure; it's completely legal."

With that, Lin Ye waved Zhou Zhe over. "Follow me. I've already prepared something for you."

Zhou Zhe quickly followed, a warmth spreading through his heart.

It's a good thing there are still good people in this world!

As for people like Zhou Yulin, whom Zhou Zhe had already decided to sever all father-son ties with…

With China's 1.4 billion population, if there weren't a few scumbags and degenerates, what kind of paradise would it be?

Forty-five minutes later, in the eastern suburbs.

In front of an unknown slaughterhouse, a Bugatti Veyron was parked.

After the car stopped, Lin Ye and Zhou Zhe got out.

"What a strong smell..."

Zhou Zhe frowned.

The smell of blood, animal feces, and some strange grassy scent mingled together, making it quite unaccustomed.

Lin Ye, who had been observing Zhou Zhe, immediately said, "The smell here isn't exactly pleasant."

"But in the Cosmic Arena, you might encounter even more extreme environments."

"Endurance and adaptability are essential qualities. Even if you don't possess them now, you must acquire them as quickly as possible."

Zhou Zhe nodded, saying nothing more, simply following Lin Ye quietly.

Good medicine tastes bitter but cures illness; honest advice is unpleasant to hear but benefits one's actions.

Lin Ye was indeed looking out for him; he was a competent mentor!

Before long, the two arrived at a temporary warehouse.

This warehouse seemed to be pieced together from multiple shipping containers, with each container holding various animals.

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

These animals were all wearing what appeared to be custom-made special armor, which looked light and thin, as if it weighed next to nothing.

According to Lin Ye's explanation, the defensive capabilities of this specially made armor were astonishingly high, no less than that of iron armor.

Zhou Zhe even saw crocodiles and giant pythons clad in armor within the containers!

He had no idea how Lin Ye managed to obtain them.

"Stop looking and 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 are more surprises waiting for you."

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

"The armor on these animals is slightly stronger than wrought iron armor. While it hasn't reached the level of steel plates, it's not something that can be easily broken."

More surprises in the second half?

Zhou Zhe nodded slightly, picked up his long saber, and entered a shipping container.

Drawing blood was essential. How could someone who had never even killed a fish expect to perform at their full potential in the Cosmic Arena?

While the [Self-Configuration] talent was excellent, allowing him to set himself as an emotionless, cold killing machine for a period, mental training in his normal state was also a must!

Zhou Zhe was confident in himself, but not arrogant.

He chose to start with the weaker animals and kill them one by one, gradually working his way up.

To be honest, the process wasn't simple or easy.

Physical exertion was only one aspect; the high level of mental tension consumed even more of Zhou Zhe's mental energy.

Slash!

Slash!

Slash!

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

The rusty, bloody scent filled his nostrils, lingering endlessly, as if it could never dissipate…

After an unknown amount of time, all the animals in the containers had been eliminated!

A string of pale blue fluorescent text suddenly appeared before Zhou Zhe's eyes.

[You have obtained the title: Blademaster!]

The app exploded and ate my chapter comments again! My source of happiness is gone, I'm angry!