Star Ranking

As soon as Lin Zhen entered the Ancient God City, Little Warm rushed over to him.

I haven't seen Little Warm for a few days. The little guy has obviously grown up. He's about the same size as the wolfhounds from the park back then, but he looks much better than those dogs.

Its mane looked like a large burning flame, its body was shimmering with golden light, its muscles were smooth, and its long tail swung back and forth whenever it saw Lin Zhen, kicking up dust.

Lin Zhen ruffled Little Warm's hair. "Little Warm, you've grown quite a bit! Have you been eating anyone these days?"

Little Warm shook her big head to indicate no, and rubbed her mane against Lin Zhen's face.

"Okay, let's go now and I'll take you out for a nice meal."

After saying that, Lin Zhen spread his Lightning Wings, flapped them once, and headed straight for the Second Layer.

Little Warm still followed Lin Zhen around, running in circles faster than he could use his Lightning Wings.

Lin Zhen ignored the pet, whose running speed was unknown, to avoid being too discouraged.

Although he wasn't as fast as Little Warm, Lin Zhen still amazed those at the God of War Level and Quasi-Star Realm level when they saw him after he rushed through the first level of the Ancient God City.

Lin Zhen was already very famous in the Ancient God City, becoming an object of admiration for these War God and even Quasi-Star Realm experts.

A Pterosaur flew by, its mouth wide open, trying to devour Lin Zhen. Lin Zhen Teleport teleported above it, and with a lightning-fast thrust of his spear, he ripped open the pterosaur's brain and extracted the crystal.

Little Warm, meanwhile, had her huge mouth biting the Pterosaur's carcass from behind, carrying the enormous creature as she flew, devouring it completely in less than a minute, leaving not a single Bone behind.

Without having to walk on the ground, Lin Zhen quickly arrived at the entrance to the Second Layer.

"Phew! We're finally getting in. Let's see what the Second Layer is like!"

Lin Zhen also had a clear plan for the Ancient God City. His purpose in coming here was to go to the third level and obtain a high-level Mutated Beast's earth Element Crystal.

Although he already possessed the core of an Earth Element Star Core, this core was quite different from the previous two. At its deepest point, there was a very strong Black Hole aura, and Lin Zhen was hesitant to try absorbing it rashly.

So after some consideration, he decided to get the earth Element Crystal first and then study the Star Core more carefully.

Arriving at the hatch on the second floor, Lin Zhen pushed it open a crack.

With a little more effort, there was enough room for one person to pass through. Lin Zhen slipped inside, and Little Warm followed.

Standing on the ground of the Second Layer, Lin Zhen stared blankly at his surroundings.

Lin Zhen had assumed the entrance to the Second Layer would be in a corner, but the sight around him astonished him.

The Second Layer was actually a void, and beneath his feet was a planet!

The planet doesn't seem very big; you can see the arc of the distant horizon within sight.

The place where he was was surrounded by blooming flowers and lush greenery, with fresh air, like a paradise on earth.

Looking to the left, he could even see the distant, silvery-white snow-capped mountains, which marked the icy region and the South Pole pole of the planet.

Looking to the right, he could also see an erupting volcano, a Blazing Fire area, in the direction of the planet's Arctic.

Overall, the planet is divided into three parts, with the middle part resembling the equatorial region, where the climate is favorable and suitable for habitation.

The North and South Poles represent two extremes; to reach the third level, one must traverse both poles.

The surrounding void was like the night sky, with no end in sight.

Lin Zhen first tried to take off, but after flying less than thirty meters, immense pressure from above made it extremely difficult for him to fly, so he had to land.

"The legend is indeed true. The Second Layer is a no-fly zone, especially in the directions of the North and South Poles. Taking off there is suicide. The only way to reach the third level is to proceed step by step steadily."

Lin Zhen, wielding Star Artifact with ice attributes, planned to head towards the Arctic and enter the third level from the Arctic Pole.

However, he did not rush to venture to the South Pole Arctic immediately. Instead, he traveled along the central region, wanting to learn about this unknown world first.

After walking for a while, he saw people.

Twenty meters ahead, a man sat on a large rock, with food and wine laid out in front of him, drinking.

Lin Zhen's eyes lit up when she saw this person.

"The Hall Master Dongfang!"

"Lin Zhen!"

Lin Zhen ran over happily. The person was none other than Dongfang Jun, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.

Dongfang Jun was overjoyed to see Lin Zhen, patting Lin Zhen on the shoulder. "Hey kid, how long has it been since we last met?"

"It's been several years. I haven't seen the gym leader since I went to the God General Training Camp."

"Indeed, time really flies. But you don't need to call me Master anymore, I'm no longer the Master of Raging Wind."

"The owner was fired by Yue Zhenhua because of me." Lin Zhen felt apologetic, feeling sorry for Dongfang Jun.

Dongfang Jun laughed and said, "Don't overthink it. I never wanted to continue being the owner of the Ice City Museum. I was on the verge of a breakthrough and wanted to quit, but then Yue Zhenhua gave me that order, which suited my wishes perfectly."

Dongfang Jun comforted Lin Zhen, then exclaimed in surprise, "You're amazing, kid! You're already a Level Nine God of War? I was keeping an eye on you before I came to the Ancient God City. Your advancement speed must have been like a rocket!"

Lin Zhen looked at Dongfang Jun: "The Master's progress is also very fast, he has already reached the Stellar Realm."

Lin Zhen could see Dongfang Jun's strength: he was in the Star Core Middle Stage and had also reached the Diamond-level of Mental Power, albeit at the early Diamond stage. Although he was not as strong as Lin Zhen, it was still quite remarkable.

Back when Lin Zhen was only at the Silver Stage Mental Power, Dongfang Jun was already at the Dark Gold Late Stage. Now Lin Zhen has reached the Mid-Diamond-level, while Dongfang Jun is only at the Mid-Diamond-level, yet Dongfang Jun is already considered a genius. This comparison shows just how terrifying Lin Zhen's advancement speed is.

Keep in mind that Dongfang Jun is almost fifty years old, while Lin Zhen has just turned twenty-one.

Dongfang Jun also looked Lin Zhen up and down, praising him with a "tsk tsk" sound, "You're amazing, kid. I thought you were a genius back in Raging Wind. 99% gene enhancement, I've never seen anything like it before, but I never expected you to be this genius."

"Haha! Don't make fun of me, Master."

"What are you making fun of? Come on, bro, sit down and let's have a good chat."

Lin Zhen smiled. This was the rule among martial artists: they would become brothers when their strength was roughly equal. If you were not strong enough, even if you lived for ten thousand years, you would still be a junior. Clearly, his strength had been recognized by Dongfang Jun.

The two sat down and chatted for a while. After leaving Raging Wind, Dongfang Jun wandered around the Ancient God Ruins. His life was nothing special. However, Lin Zhen's story shocked Dongfang Jun.

After Lin Zhen finished recounting the conflict with the Church, Dongfang Jun said with a grave expression, "Brother, you may have misunderstood something."

"What's up?"

"Going to the third level will definitely not be easy. Don't be fooled by your current set of cold-attribute Star Artifact; you won't be able to reach the North Pole Point with just that."

"Is that place that hot?" Although Lin Zhen had been reborn, he didn't really know much about the Ancient God City, so he hurriedly asked.

"It's not just hot, it's so hot it could burn you to ashes. Without Ice Heart, it would be impossible to get to the North Pole Point."

"Ice Heart?"

"That's right. Ice Heart, also known as Ice Crystal, is the coldest part hidden deep inside an iceberg. It can only be found in South Pole. So, if you want to pass the North Pole Point, you must first go to South Pole and get three Ice Heart to ensure that you can withstand the flames and pass through smoothly."

"What if I go to the South Pole Point?" Lin Zhen asked.

"Then we must obtain the Flame Heart. It can only be found at the North Pole Point. Only by obtaining three Flame Heart can we withstand the extreme cold of the South Pole Point and proceed to the third level."

Lin Zhen frowned slightly; it seemed that getting to the third level was not an easy task after all.

Dongfang Jun continued, "Having Ice Heart or Flame Heart alone is not enough. There is another necessary condition to enter the third level."

"What are the conditions?"

"Reaching the Star Ranking!"

Lin Zhen was stunned. How come it was a prerequisite to be listed on the Star Ranking?

Dongfang Jun patiently explained, "To climb the Star Ranking, you must first defeat a Star Ranking master. And it can't be an ordinary defeat; you need to make a battle agreement with the opponent. This battle is called Soul Pact. Both parties swear an oath with their souls, and the winner takes all. Only when the battle agreement is established and you defeat your opponent in the battle will the Star Ranking appear in your Mental Sea of Consciousness. At that time, you can see your ranking on the Star Ranking. So you must challenge a Star Ranking master, otherwise the extreme point will have a repulsive force on you, and you cannot pass without climbing the Star Ranking."

"What if the person I find doesn't agree to a duel?" Lin Zhen asked.

"That's simple. Just kill him, and the Star Ranking will appear automatically."

Lin Zhen fell silent for a moment. It seemed that reaching the third level was impossible in a short time.

Dongfang Jun continued, "So you have to hurry. According to what you said, the Church will definitely not let this go. They will definitely send people to hunt you down. I guess you exposed a lot of your trump cards during the battle. If you can't get to the third level, and they block the passage to the first level, then you are very likely to be trapped to death in this Second Layer where you can't fly."

Lin Zhen nodded slightly. Of course he knew the stakes. The people of the Church would never let him go. There would definitely be a pursuit, and they would definitely take corresponding measures against his Mid-Diamond-level Mental Power and the Space Folding Method. It wasn't that he would be absolutely safe just because he escaped into Different Dimension Space.

"I suggest you decide which direction to go immediately, then quickly collect Ice Heart or Flame Heart, find a place to hide, concentrate on your cultivation, and don't let the Church find you. If that doesn't work, I'll take you to the South Pole Point to see Luo Yun. He's Huaxia and also the boss of the South Pole region. With his protection, you should be safer." Dongfang Jun offered Lin Zhen his advice with great concern.

Chapter Two, there will be another update today based on donations.