Shatter the Illusion, Gain the Inheritance!

The final trial!

Gu Ce was now certain that this place was meant for some faction to select disciples, and he had happened to been chosen. If he successfully passed this trial, he could become the inheritor of some faction, just like Luo Feng.

He just did not know what level of strength this place's original owner had possessed.

Still, no matter how weak they had been, they should have been capable of sending him into the universe, right?

Compared to the vast and boundless universe, Earth did not even count as a small puddle. It would only hinder Gu Ce's growth.

The Final Inheritance Trial has begun. This is a test of will. Should the trial-taker become lost within it, they will never be able to leave this place.

"Hm?"

The moment those words appeared, Gu Ce felt a wave of dizziness wash over his mind.

This was...

An illusion?

No matter how hard Gu Ce struggled to stay awake, his eyelids still drooped shut.

"Gu Ce!"

A piece of chalk struck Gu Ce squarely on the head, waking him from his dream.

Gu Ce opened his eyes and stood up blankly from the back row of the classroom. He saw a wrinkled woman in her forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses, glaring at him with fury written across her face!

"You dare sleep during my class? Come on, solve the problem on the blackboard! If you can't, I'll call your parents and have them take you home!" the woman snapped. Gu Ce remembered now—she was his math teacher.

The surrounding students were holding back their laughter, but they did not dare make a sound under the old witch's authority. They could only lower their heads and stare at their desks.

What a desk this was!

Gu Ce walked dazedly to the blackboard. Looking at the problem written there, his mind went blank.

He remembered.

This was Jiangnan No. 1 High School. He was in the second semester of his first year, and the final exams were only a few days away.

"What are you still standing there for?"

The old witch sneered from behind him.

"If you don't want to listen, get out! I'll have your homeroom teacher call your parents and take you home to sleep. Don't disturb the other students!" the old witch continued, only to see Gu Ce suddenly turn around. At six feet three, he stared down at her with indifferent eyes, making her freeze.

"What are you trying to do? You want to hit me? Go ahead, then!" Though the old witch was somewhat frightened and took a small step back, her words showed no mercy.

Gu Ce ignored her. Instead, he turned back around, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

At the fastest speed possible, he finished the problem on the blackboard and tossed away the chalk.

Gu Ce turned around and, before the entire class, kicked the old witch flying!

"Gu Ce, are you insane?! You dared lay hands on a teacher!" A male student near the podium helped the old witch up, while someone else ran straight out of the classroom, causing a commotion.

Not an illusion?

No, it was an illusion!

Looking at the security team that had appeared outside the classroom door in barely ten seconds, Gu Ce suddenly understood.

The assessment had probably begun much earlier!

Hold fast to oneself!

Gu Ce closed his eyes, allowing the guards to approach him.

The next moment, the illusion shattered!

"Gu Ce?"

Gu Ce opened his eyes. Before him stood a sweet-looking young girl, extending a fair, delicate hand toward him.

Cherry blossom petals drifted down from overhead, creating a special atmosphere. The two of them seemed somewhat intimate, and the girl's cheeks were faintly flushed as she did not quite dare meet Gu Ce's eyes.

"You are... Chen Xiaxuan?" Gu Ce was stunned.

What a distant memory.

Gu Ce had now remembered everything, yet he still seemed to be inside an illusion.

This was... something he had experienced before transmigrating into the world of Swallowed Star!

That year, he had only been sixteen.

"What a pity," Gu Ce said regretfully.

"What?" Chen Xiaxuan asked, puzzled.

"Nothing." Gu Ce smiled calmly and stood up.

One punch—shatter it!

How could a mere illusion obstruct my path to becoming stronger?

Fake was fake, in the end.

"Gu Ce!"

"Gu Ce?"

"Gu Ce..."

A blue, jelly-like Slime stared at Gu Ce in the room in astonishment.

"Such unwavering willpower? Holding to his true heart, absolute self... Even Master couldn't do this, could he?!"

"I've struck gold, struck gold! To find such a genius on this planet—give him a little training, and he might even be able to compete in the next Virtual Universe Company Genius Battle! I just wonder what his talent for laws is like."

"Mastering Conception at the Apprentice Level was rare even in the universe, but in the Genius Battle, it would be somewhat insufficient."

"From the way he deciphered that movement technique, his talent for space should be quite good. But to enter the Virtual Universe Company's core, he must at least cross the threshold of the Origin Laws of Space. Hmm... With proper training later, there should be hope."

At this moment, Gu Ce was still confronting the Robot in the room.

From the very beginning, he had already fallen into an illusion!

Layers upon layers of illusions intertwined with one another.

Should he become lost within them, he would never awaken again.

The next instant, Gu Ce opened his eyes and instantly swung the Frost Sword in his hand.

One strike—beheading!

The Robot's head flew into the air and fell to the ground, but its body continued attacking.

However, Gu Ce was no longer comparable to who he had been moments ago.

Wave Sword Technique!

Once he unleashed the sword technique, facing Gu Ce felt like facing the sea itself, with the Water Artistic Conception contained within it.

The waves surged forth!

Boom!

The First Sword beheaded the Robot.

The Second Sword split the Robot vertically into two halves!

Congratulations to the trial-taker for passing the final assessment.

"Not bad. You are qualified to become Master's inheritor!"

A blue Slime phantom appeared out of thin air, bouncing in front of Gu Ce as it spoke seriously.

"I know you have many questions, but don't rush. Listen to me first."

"In the universe, there are many different civilizations and lifeforms. The warriors and War Gods you speak of on Earth are merely at the Apprentice Level. That includes you now—you are equivalent to Apprentice Level Nine. Above the Apprentice Level, there is also..."

The blue Slime went on and on, explaining much common knowledge about the universe. It seemed excited, perhaps because it had not spoken with anyone in a long time.

(￣▽￣)

Gu Ce did not interrupt it and simply listened quietly.

"In the universe, there are six peak races, and our Human Race is one of them. The Human Race has five great factions. My master was a core member of the strongest among them, the Virtual Universe Company—a World Lord genius of the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm!" the blue Slime declared proudly.

"Then how is he now?" Gu Ce asked.

"Master has already fallen. He was too arrogant... I'll tell you about that later. Confidence is a good thing, but confidence beyond your capabilities is not. You must be more careful in the future as well." The blue Slime sounded somewhat sorrowful as it glanced at Gu Ce.

"I gained intelligence around forty years ago, evolving from an ordinary intelligence into Intelligent Life. Before meeting you, I planned to leave this planet and enter the universe to find an inheritor for Master. But after meeting you, I decided to give Master's inheritance to you."

"Mm, you do not need to take Master as your teacher. This was what he instructed before his death. He only hoped that you could inherit his secret techniques and such... You may call him the Ice Desolation World Lord."

"Next, I will acknowledge you as my master. Put on this Intelligent Optical Computer."

A wristband-shaped optical computer appeared before Gu Ce.

Gu Ce put it on and asked, "Do you have a name?"

The Slime froze. "No."

"Then how about Rimuru?" Gu Ce suggested.

This appearance was simply too similar to a certain blue Slime. Even its voice sounded alike.

"Alright! I have a name too!"

Rimuru seemed rather excited. Its phantom bounced around on the floor, and the way it looked at Gu Ce changed somewhat.

(☆▽☆)

"Master, this spaceship was forged from F9 Grade Cold Jade Silver Mother. There was still plenty of energy left back then, enough for us to travel into the universe!" Rimuru suggested.

"Just call me Gu Ce. As for heading into the universe, there's no rush for that yet," Gu Ce said.

According to his plans, he needed to at least break through to the Planetary Level and master a domain before heading into the universe, so he would have some means of self-preservation at the Planetary Level.

According to the original plan, that would take about a year.

By then, Luo Feng would at least reach the level of an Invincible War God. Gu Ce would then take him to find Babata, use Babata's side to enter the universe, grow stronger there, and then return to deal with the Golden Horn Beast.

Of course, now that he had Rimuru, there was no need to consider Babata's side.

The plan had changed!

"Did your former master leave behind any inheritance?" Gu Ce asked curiously.

The contract has been sent!