The Time Has Come to Enter a New World!

Clang!!

With a crisp impact, the longsword in Fang Zheng's hand spun away and fell to the ground. He himself was knocked backward by the tremendous force, collapsing onto the ground and gasping for breath.

"Get up. Keep going!"

Hearing Stone's command, Fang Zheng hurriedly rolled over and climbed to his feet, then grabbed his longsword. The finely forged steel sword felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds in his hands, but even so, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth and stared at the fully armed Grand Knight before him. After thinking for a moment, he quickly swung his sword toward Stone's right side. But this time, Stone did not even bother to look. With a casual sweep of his hand, Fang Zheng saw the enormous two-handed sword come straight at him without a trace of flourish.

Facing the two-handed greatsword chopping down at him, Fang Zheng clenched his teeth and raised his longsword to meet it.

The two blades crossed. Fang Zheng desperately tightened his grip and tilted the blade, trying to deflect the force of the strike. The steel longsword let out a creaking wail as it twisted sharply to one side. Then came another clang, and the next moment, Fang Zheng's hand could no longer withstand the greatsword's force. His fingers loosened, and the sword flew backward from his grasp once again. Fortunately, Fang Zheng did not fall with it this time.

"That'll do for today."

Stone put away his two-handed greatsword and looked at Fang Zheng with approval.

"I have to say, kid, your body is way too weak... But your perseverance isn't bad. I've seen plenty of idiots who start crying about hardship not long after training begins, acting as if I planned to beat them to death. You're not bad. You haven't complained once so far. You've got potential!"

"Haah... haah... Th-thank you..."

Hearing Stone's praise, Fang Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied between ragged breaths. He felt as if he could barely remain standing. His arms were sore and numb, and he looked utterly exhausted, like someone who had just been dragged out of a pond.

On the second day after becoming Stone's student, Fang Zheng understood what the Old Bishop's sympathetic look had meant. Before dawn had even broken, Stone had dragged him out of bed and started him on laps and sword training. It was completely different from what Fang Zheng had imagined. Stone had not taught him any Knight sword skills at all; instead, he had made him repeatedly practice the most basic sword techniques.

Chopping, slashing, blocking, thrusting, lifting... Fang Zheng followed Stone's orders and practiced these dull fundamentals again and again. According to Stone, the Royal Cross Swordsmanship he used was already extremely powerful. Fang Zheng simply lacked sufficient understanding of the sword, which kept him from fully bringing out the swordsmanship's power.

Fang Zheng deeply agreed with that. At the beginning, when he sparred with Stone, he had barely managed to gain the upper hand and win because Stone was unfamiliar with the swordsmanship. But after that assessment, Fang Zheng had never beaten Stone again. Even when Stone used only ordinary standard-issue weapons against him, Fang Zheng felt completely suppressed.

"You really are a freak, kid."

Stone curled his lip as he looked at the sweat-soaked Fang Zheng.

"Normally, someone with a strong will wouldn't have such a poor body. So why are you so weak? And from what I can see, the level of power you've mastered is already quite respectable. How come you don't know how to cut people once you pick up a sword?"

Hearing Stone's mockery, Fang Zheng helplessly rolled his eyes. He did have a strong will. Could anyone work endless overtime day and night without one? As for this body... Did he think Fang Zheng did not want to be stronger? His original body had at least had a few abdominal muscles. This damned Cultist's body was so weak that Fang Zheng should have been grateful it did not feel completely hollowed out...

Of course, Fang Zheng understood this world's power system very clearly, so he understood why Stone said that. On this continent, people used a type of energy called Star Spirit Energy. But in Fang Zheng's view, this so-called Star Spirit Energy was basically no different from the Internal Force found in Wuxia novels. In fact, their classifications were quite similar as well.

On this continent, Star Spirit Energy was divided into six levels: Entry, Standard, Elite, Grandmaster Level, Legendary, and Transcendent.

Entry-level professionals were a bit like the minor characters in Wuxia novels. They might know a few moves of Shaolin Long Fist or Black Tiger Digs Heart, but that was all. They had mostly just trained their physiques without undergoing any special transformation. Most militia in this world were at this level.

Standard-level professionals, on the other hand, resembled disciples from major sects. They had already cultivated Internal Force and were far more capable than those who only knew a move or two of street fighting. They could use their power to strengthen their bodies and unleash strength beyond that of ordinary people. Leaping several meters into the air or running one hundred meters in ten point eight seconds was nothing unusual for them. These people had mastered the use of Star Spirit Energy to enhance their physical attributes, and could employ unscientific techniques such as Golden Bell Shield or Cloud Ladder.

Elite-level professionals went a step further. In fact, to determine whether a professional possessed Elite-level strength, one only needed to see whether they could launch attacks with Star Spirit Energy outside their body. Whether they were mages, Knights, assassins, thieves, or anything else, if they could make Star Spirit Energy leave their bodies to attack, then they had surpassed ordinary warriors and become an Elite.

Grandmaster Level experts were even more formidable. Not only did they possess powerful strength, they also created new methods and had skills and combat skills unique to themselves. Great Knight Stone, for example, was a Grandmaster Level expert. Those who reached this level were essentially like the heads of major sects in Wuxia novels. They were not only powerful, but also possessed their own secret techniques.

Legendary was even more terrifying. Grandmaster Level experts could still barely be considered within the realm of Wuxia, but Legendary Level beings had essentially entered the domain of xianxia novels. Their attacks could darken the skies and shake the earth as a matter of course. Even if they could not compare to true gods, they were likely not far off. When they fought, affecting an area hundreds of miles around them was no joke. In this world, true Legendary were practically the strategic nuclear weapons of every nation, and they did not act lightly. It was precisely because of their existence that this continent could remain peaceful.

But if that were all, it clearly would not be enough. Mortals were ultimately impulsive, greedy, and blind beings. Restraining oneself for a moment did not mean one could restrain oneself forever. Perhaps some would seek revenge, while others might fall into darkness and attempt to destroy the world. Yet none of that had happened, because above Legendary stood an incomparably powerful level of existence.

Transcendent.

If Legendary represented the pinnacle of the mundane, then Transcendent beings were, as the name implied, beings who transcended the mundane. The Transcendent were never mortals. Every Transcendent being was an incarnation or messenger of a god or Demon King. They possessed power beyond mortals, and at certain times, they could do whatever they pleased!

It was precisely because of this that the continent could remain calm. Even Legendary Level beings could not stir up much trouble. After all, on this continent, justice and evil were not eternal enemies. In fact, if someone tried to destroy the world, the first thing waiting for them might not be divine punishment, but the poisoned blade behind a Demon King. Do you think it costs nothing for me to develop followers? If you destroy the world, am I supposed to live on the wind?

That was why Stone called Fang Zheng a freak. Fang Zheng's current strength was roughly at the middle tier of Elite level, yet his body was so weak that it seemed as if he had barely exercised at all. To put it another way, it was like Linghu Chong, having lost all his Internal Force, learning the Six Meridians Divine Sword and then firing off pew pew pew nonstop... Was that even possible?

Fang Zheng had also realized his weakness: Sword Skill. The longsword was simply an extremely unfamiliar weapon to him. He had never even touched one in his previous life, and since being reborn into this world, he had handled a sword for less than a month. The system had given him swordsmanship techniques and knowledge, but experience could not be acquired overnight. It was something that truly required time, accumulation, and solid effort.

Fortunately, he was not entirely out of options.

"Alright, that's enough for today. Go back and rest."

Stone was quite satisfied with Fang Zheng. Although he felt that Fang Zheng's grasp of swordsmanship did not quite match his experience, upon further thought, it was not strange. Sword Skill itself required insight and intelligence. As long as one was not an idiot, one could learn at least something by copying others. Besides, Fang Zheng had Holy Spirit Protection. It was perfectly normal for him to possess some unbelievable traits.

As for Fang Zheng's lack of physical strength, Stone did not question it either. One look at Fang Zheng's hands told him that this young man had probably held a sword for less than two months. A noble who had always lived in comfort naturally would not have much physical strength.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Fang Zheng put down his longsword and left the training ground. Along the way, he encountered quite a few Holy Temple Warriors. Seeing Fang Zheng's bedraggled state, many of them laughed good-naturedly.

"Hey, Fang Zheng, did Lord Stone beat you so badly that you couldn't get up again?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Didn't he get up? He even walked away."

"Hahaha, you really are lucky, kid. Back then, I wanted Lord Stone to become my guide, but sadly, he didn't think much of me. What a pity..."

Seeing this group of gloating people, Fang Zheng helplessly rolled his eyes.

"Since you're so regretful, do you want me to put in a good word for you before Lord Stone?"

"Uh... Let's forget it... Look, I'm already so old. You should respect your elders and care for the young, shouldn't you..."

"Hahaha..."

Seeing the unlucky fellow's bitter smile, the others could not help laughing as well. The previously gloomy atmosphere became much livelier.

Fang Zheng had only stayed in this Holy Temple for a little over ten days, yet he had already built quite good relationships with many people there. On one hand, the blessing of being a Sacred Guardian made these Holy Temple Warriors naturally favor him. On the other hand, Fang Zheng was generous. Whenever he had free time, he would invite them to the tavern for drinks. Generous people were not disliked anywhere, so Fang Zheng's favorability among them had risen rapidly during this period.

But what truly earned Fang Zheng the Holy Temple Warriors' recognition was his diligence and perseverance. Great Knight Stone's training was famously harsh. Many of them had personally seen Acolyte Knights drilled until they were half dead, as if they were being tortured. Most wailed and collapsed to the ground, while the few who endured for several days eventually gave up. Yet this frail young man had gritted his teeth and persisted for more than ten days. That might have been only natural for a warrior, but for a young, physically weak noble, it was enough to inspire respect.

After exchanging a few jokes with the others, Fang Zheng left the Holy Temple. He had rented a small house nearby to live in. With the Star Pattern and the Holy Temple guaranteeing for him, it had not been difficult. Stone had originally hoped Fang Zheng could live in the Holy Temple, but Fang Zheng had refused the invitation. After all, there were some things he was not suited to do inside the Holy Temple.

Such as now.

Returning to his room, Fang Zheng sat in a chair and looked at the Dimensional Codex before him. Outside the window, the sun was about to sink below the horizon, and night was about to fall.

Fang Zheng reached out and gently opened the Codex. As it unfolded, a strange projection emerged from its pages. From its appearance, it seemed to be a projection of Earth, but countless satellites surrounded it. With Earth as their center, they slowly revolved. In Fang Zheng's eyes, words clearly appeared.

Dimensional World Free World

In Fang Zheng's view, Dimensional World was still gray and unavailable, but Free World could be selected. Naturally, Fang Zheng understood all of this very well.

The difference between Free World and Dimensional World was that when Fang Zheng traveled to a Free World, time in the Main World would not pass. In other words, no matter how long he stayed in that world, when he returned, it would still be the moment he had left. In a Free World, Fang Zheng could not only remain indefinitely, but could also choose to leave at any time. Of course, if his life was in danger, he could also choose to forcibly withdraw...

At first glance, Free World seemed far better than Dimensional World. Unfortunately, the system would not leave Fang Zheng such an obvious loophole. Though Free World seemed wonderful, it had its own limitations.

First, in a Free World, Fang Zheng could not obtain Dimension Points, equipment, or skills by completing quests. He could only gain rewards related to attributes there. Second, in a Free World, Fang Zheng could not use any skills or equipment he had obtained, nor could he open or activate Soul Stones. It could be said that Fang Zheng in a Free World was merely an ordinary person, with at most the bonuses from his title and basic attributes.

Moreover, in Fang Zheng's eyes, Free Worlds were divided into three categories: Mind-Skill-Body. He had always hesitated over which world he should visit to improve himself, but after training with Stone for so long, Fang Zheng had completely understood his current shortcomings. Thus, he quickly made his decision.

This one.

Looking at the teleportation icon before him, Fang Zheng took a deep breath and reached out, tapping the Skill category. Soon, dazzling points of light emerged before him once again. They intertwined from end to end, forming a pillar of light that enveloped Fang Zheng.

The time had come to enter a new world!