Gu Ce, in Danger!

"What's going on?" Gu Ce asked curiously.

"Now that it's come to this, I suppose it's time to tell you." Seeing that there was no threat nearby and that the ruins' gate would not open anytime soon, Thor sat down on the ground and began chatting with Gu Ce.

"In truth, there are no Ancient Civilization Ruins at all. Or rather, these so-called ancient civilizations are all extraterrestrial civilizations," Thor said.

"What Earth calls Warrior Level, General Level, and War God Level are collectively known in the universe as Apprentice Level. Above Apprentice Level, there are Planetary Level, Stellar Level, and even Universe Level. The so-called existences beyond War God are Planetary Level."

"So don't get complacent. Even I, out in the universe, am..."

"What are you doing!"

Thor was startled. In just a moment of carelessness, Gu Ce had run right up to the White Jade Gate, and Thor hurriedly dragged him back.

"I can't even touch it?" Gu Ce clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

"Don't mess around! I haven't even figured out the situation here yet. If you trigger some mechanism, we're finished!"

Thor tried to scare Gu Ce, hoping he would back off.

However, seeing Gu Ce's eyes and his utterly unconcerned expression, Thor sighed again.

"This should be a Trial Ground left behind by some extraterrestrial civilization. It mainly targets Apprentice Level and Planetary Level. Apprentice Level entrants won't be in mortal danger, but Planetary Level entrants face a nine-in-ten chance of death," Thor said with a solemn expression. "That Frost in your hand, as well as the Thousand Year Ice Marrow Crystal, were both brought out from this ruin."

"Then Inspector Jiang..." Gu Ce could not help but speak.

"Mm. He had never entered this ruin before. This time, he only stumbled in by accident while avoiding a siege by King-level Monsters," Thor said in a deep voice. "Even I only escaped this ruin last time after surviving by the skin of my teeth."

"Has Hall Master Hong been here?" Gu Ce asked curiously.

"Brother Hong? He hasn't." Thor shook his head. "He has to hold down the Limitless Martial Arts School and can't take risks. There are still two Monster Emperors in the sea. If Brother Hong were gone, they might launch a full assault on humanity."

"Hall Master, you can't beat the Monster Emperors?" Gu Ce said casually.

"What kind of talk is that!" Thor glared. "Didn't you hear me say there are two Monster Emperors? Of course I can't fight two at once. Brother Hong can't either! The two of us have to work together to deal with them."

For the time being, Gu Ce treated Thor's words as true.

"Then what's it like inside this ruin?"

"Apprentice Level has three stages, while Planetary Level has to face six stages," Thor replied.

"The Apprentice Level stages basically make you learn certain things. Depending on the person who enters, the manuals that appear are different too. If you learn it, you pass. If you can't, you wait until the time is up and it sends you out. That time is about three hundred and sixty days, close to a year."

"The first three Planetary Level stages are the same as Apprentice Level, but the last three are full of danger. All kinds of Robots will fight you, and you have to defeat them or hold out until the end before you can come out. Back then, I was stuck at the fifth stage and had to forcefully drag things out until the time ended before I was freed."

"Frost was the reward for the fourth stage."

"Oh." Gu Ce nodded, indicating that he understood.

This ruin did not seem too dangerous. Gu Ce was very interested in those manuals.

He wondered if there were any defense amplification manuals?

There probably were not, or the people who entered could not learn them.

Gu Ce had tried many times but had been unable to create one from scratch without any reference.

"Actually, I wanted you to go in after reaching Planetary Level," Thor said. "Only then can you maximize the benefits. The rewards for clearing at Apprentice Level aren't many. The best one is only the Thousand Year Ice Marrow Crystal."

"Rumble~"

Hm?

Thor's expression changed. He suddenly turned his head and looked toward the White Jade Gate.

The White Jade Gate slowly opened, plowing a deep groove into the ground, and a figure tumbled out from inside the gate onto the snow outside.

Gu Ce looked into the gate but could only see a hazy white light. He could not make out anything at all.

"Jiang Hao!" Thor rushed to the figure's side in one stride.

His face heavy, he reached out to check. Jiang Hao, lying on the ground, already had no breath left. Wounds covered his body. The Black God Set automatically reverted to bracelet form and was taken by Thor.

"Damn it!" Thor cursed angrily and was just about to say something when he turned his head, only to discover that Gu Ce's figure had vanished.

The White Jade Gate closed again. No matter how Thor attacked, he could not leave even a mark.

"No, what did you go in for!" Thor panicked.

He had lost Gu Ce. How was he supposed to explain this to Gu Hechang?

Fortunately, Gu Ce was still Apprentice Level and would not be in mortal danger.

At the latest, he would come out from inside in a year.

After thinking about it, Thor still did not tell Gu Hechang about this matter.

If Gu Ce could have heard Thor's last sentence, he would have felt very innocent.

It was clearly this gate that sucked me in on its own. It's not like I wanted to go in myself!

After hearing what Thor had said earlier, Gu Ce had also planned to wait until he reached Planetary Level before entering this ruin.

By then, perhaps he could even comprehend a domain first before coming in. In any case, it would not take too long.

Forget it. Since I'm already in, I'll see what's here.

As Gu Ce comforted himself, he swept his gaze over the surrounding environment.

This was a pure white room. There was nothing inside, empty and boundless, a vast expanse of white that seemed to have no edges.

Gu Ce tried walking outward, but before he had gone far, he was stopped by an invisible barrier.

Trial taker, please do not move at will

A line of text appeared before Gu Ce, in both Chinese and English.

Gu Ce was not too surprised. With the technological level of civilizations in the universe, plus the Earthlings who had entered this place before, there was no problem deducing Earth's writing.

Master this sword technique within one month, and you may be rated as an Inheritance Disciple

Master this sword technique within three months, and you may be rated as an elite disciple

Master this sword technique within one year, and it will be deemed that you have passed this stage. Failure will result in forced departure from the inheritance site

As these three sentences appeared, Gu Ce saw a long stretch of text and some images appear on the other side of the barrier.

Mm, very considerate.

This sword technique had no name. Perhaps he would only learn it after mastering it.

"One month? A little too long." Gu Ce chuckled softly.

"I never thought I'd run into a genius like this in such a backwater place. He's probably only a little weaker than Master back then, and I just happened to meet him right before I left!"

In the depths of the ruin, a blue phantom, shaped like an adorable Slime, was staring excitedly at Gu Ce inside the pure white room.

Tens of millions of years ago, its master had brought it to this planet. Its master was a World Lord Level genius from the Virtual Universe Company's Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. Because he was too confident, he had tried to fuse the Origin Laws of Water and Space while at World Lord Level, but in the end, he had been unable to break through to Immortal and had died of old age with lingering regret.

After tens of millions of years, it had also evolved from ordinary intelligence into an Intelligent Life.

According to its master's instructions back then, after gaining self-awareness, it had planned to control the spaceship and leave this place, heading into the universe to find a suitable inheritor for its master!

But unexpectedly, just as it was about to leave, it encountered a promising seedling.

And one who was highly compatible with the inheritance its master had left behind!