This Killer Isn't Afraid of the Cold

"Are you okay?" For the first time, concern showed in Sea Emperor's voice.

"I'm fine. Did I pass out just now, or fall asleep?" Gu Ding's expression was somewhat grim.

"Neither. You entered a strange state just now, and your absorption rate increased by more than tenfold. You completely absorbed the effects of that bottle of medicine. Your Cell Comprehensive Index rose directly to 18 points, one point more than the usual 17 from complete absorption."

"Oh." Gu Ding's reaction was flat.

It was Sea Emperor's first time encountering such a situation, and for a moment, he did not know what to say. "An 18-point Cell Comprehensive Index is already enough to cultivate the complete version of Limitless Body Technique."

"Mm." Gu Ding's response remained simple as he began reviewing the Limitless Body Technique in his mind.

The complete Limitless Body Technique had twelve levels in total and was mainly divided into three sections: attack, defense, and movement. Its offensive moves included Steel Fist, Ghost Foot, Thunder Elbow, and Flame Knee. The defensive move was called Gale Body, while its movement technique was called Shadow Step.

Among the offensive moves of this body technique, each level had six forms, each one more difficult than the last. Shadow Step also had six steps per level, with every six steps forming a small cycle. Gale Body had the fewest forms, with only one.

Gu Ding committed all the moves to memory, then began practicing them. He quickly finished practicing the First Level. His exceptional martial comprehension allowed him to become fully familiar with every move after only two or three attempts. After practicing the Limitless Body Technique several times over the course of an afternoon, Gu Ding's muscles began to feel sore.

"These moves put too much strain on the body. The moment you feel any discomfort, you must stop immediately. Otherwise, your cells may suffer damage that will be difficult to repair." Sea Emperor reminded him from the side. "That's enough for today. Tomorrow, you can refine some cell vitality repair agents. You can only take one dose of that medicine per week, or there will be side effects."

"Is there any way to practice the techniques without putting too much strain on my body?" Gu Ding suddenly asked. Clearly, he had no intention of resting so early.

"Isn't that what the Virtual Arena is for? Haven't you been there before?" Sea Emperor asked in return.

"No. Registering an account costs 1,000 Star Coins. I never had that kind of spare money before." Gu Ding shook his head with a bitter smile. "I'd always heard about the Virtual Arena and watched recordings of its matches, but I'd never gone in myself."

"Register one. I looked into it, and it's a good choice for honing combat skills. It just consumes some mental energy." Sea Emperor urged him from the side.

"Fine." Gu Ding nodded. He was not short on money anymore.

Sea Emperor quickly logged into the arena interface. After Gu Ding transferred the money, he soon received an invitation code in his mailbox. Only after entering the code did he reach the character creation page. Calling it character creation was a bit of a stretch—it was really just choosing a name to use in the arena. The generated character's appearance was identical to the user's real appearance, though it could be fine-tuned within a certain percentage range. Gu Ding made no adjustments. As for his registered name, he entered "This Killer Isn't Afraid of the Cold."

Create character "This Killer Isn't Afraid of the Cold." Confirm?

"Confirm!"

Character creation complete. Enter the arena?

"Yes!" Gu Ding grumbled inwardly. If I'm not going in, then what did I spend those 1,000 Star Coins for?

Detecting mental strength. Mental connection established. Beginning transfer.

Gu Ding's vision went black. When he came back to his senses, he was already outside a bustling arena. Listening to the fervent cheers coming from inside, Gu Ding headed toward the reception desk.

"Hello, sir. Would you like to watch a match, participate in a competition, or join a wager?" The young female attendant behind the desk smiled sweetly.

"I'll watch a match first." Gu Ding hesitated briefly, then decided to first gauge the competitors' standards.

"Certainly, please wait a moment." The attendant quickly handed Gu Ding a card. "Observation Hall No. 1324 still has vacant seats. The two people in the ring are 'Please Call Me Your Majesty' and 'Look, a Plane.'"

Looks like my name was fairly low-key after all... Gu Ding thought to himself.

"Please swipe your card at Gate No. 13, and you'll be transferred directly inside. After entering the venue, if you need anything, you can tap one of the three services on the touchscreen card."

Gu Ding walked toward Gate No. 13, swiped his card, and was transferred into an observation hall. In the ring, the two fighters were locked in battle.

That "Please Call Me Your Majesty" really was a woman. She wore a tight black leather outfit that showed off her hot figure, and she held a black whip in her hand, lashing it continuously at her opponent.

"Look, a Plane" was a young man, and he looked extremely bedraggled at the moment.

"They can even use weapons?" Gu Ding's interest was slightly piqued. The woman on the stage wielded her whip like a tidal wave; she had clearly reached a certain level of skill. The young man had never gotten a chance to close in and attack, so Gu Ding could not judge his true ability. Although he looked miserable, he had not been struck by a single whip from beginning to end, and his footwork was quite exquisite as well.

"Who do you think will win?" Sea Emperor suddenly asked.

"This woman is going to lose. She's been attacking fiercely the whole time, and she'll soon run out of strength. As long as her whip slows down or pauses even slightly, that man will close in and attack." The moment Gu Ding finished speaking, the woman's whip attacks slowed. Seizing the chance, the man forced his way through the shadows of the whip, took two hits head-on, and closed in. One punch smashed the woman's head apart. Her body scattered into fragments and vanished.

Below the ring, the woman's figure gradually re-formed. Her face merely looked somewhat dejected, and she did not seem to have suffered any real damage.

"So people can fight however they want in the ring." Gu Ding looked eager to try. He had been worried that his sudden increase in strength might injure others, but it seemed that concern had been unnecessary.

Over the next while, Gu Ding watched twenty matches in a row. The strongest pair had rankings of 1,118,043 and 1,112,117. In his eyes, both of them had plenty of openings. He had watched match recordings before and had estimated that his own strength should rank outside the top one million. However, after cultivating the Limitless Body Technique these past few days, his strength had clearly increased, and his standards had risen as well.

After a match ended, the commentator's voice sounded from all around. "Our ranked 118,043rd contestant, 'Her Mom Doesn't Like Me,' is still standing in the ring. It seems he is preparing to attempt a consecutive challenge. Does any contestant want to come up and give it a try?"

Looking at the bald man on the stage, nearly two and a half meters tall with a long scar across his face, Gu Ding curled his lip. "You look that terrifying. No wonder her mom doesn't like you."

"Are you not going up to try?" Sea Emperor suddenly asked. "I think this opponent is pretty good."

"I was planning to wait until he came down before entering the ring. Since he refuses to come down, I'll take the initiative and challenge him." As Gu Ding spoke, he pressed the challenge button on the touchscreen card.

Gu Ding's figure quickly formed in the ring, and his challenge data was clearly displayed.

Name: This Killer Isn't Afraid of the Cold

Gender: Male

Age: 15

Challenges: 0

Victories: 0

Defeats: 0

Draws: 0

(To be honest, I personally think this cover turned out pretty well, but it doesn't really fit the story's theme. My protagonist is a fifteen-year-old boy who will later become a highly wanted Interstellar Pirate. Yet the cover uses a middle-aged man in military uniform with a face full of stubble. So I made a more fun cover myself, but I never expected it to fail the backend review... Well, after saying all that, I'm really just asking for some comfort. Clicks, recommendations, favorites—no need to hold back~~)

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