Light Splitting Stab

Early the next morning, at Yu Duan's palace.

A dazzling Silver Pupil hovered in midair, its powerful Source Law fluctuations enveloping the entire palace.

Inside the palace were two figures. One of them was Yu Duan, practicing the first level of the Light and Time Sword Technique.

"Your Highness, the key to the Light Splitting Stab lies in the 'tachyonic state' changes of the Law of Light..."

A World Master whose brow had been acknowledged by the Law of Light moved to Yu Duan's side and explained the key points of the first level of the Light and Time Sword Technique in detail.

This World Master was named Ku Mixiu. He was a genius who specialized in the Light and Time Sword Art and could wield the eighth level of the Light and Time Sword.

Naturally, Ku Mixiu had a trustworthy background to be allowed into Yu Duan's palace as an instructor.

He wasn't a staff member or student of the Beiming Sacred Land. Rather, he was the Soul Slave of a Soul Slave of a Soul Slave under King Qinghuan.

The reason there were so many layers of Soul Slaves was mainly that King Qinghuan had only fourteen Soul Slaves under him. All of them were powerful Alien Race experts enslaved on the Outer Battlefield, and every one was at Peak King Level or even the King Level limit.

Illusion masters were practically invincible among those of the same level for two reasons. On the one hand, soul illusion attacks were too strange and hard to guard against; on the other, they had armies of Soul Slaves under their command.

There was a limit to the number of Soul Slaves one could have. It wasn't simply a matter of enslaving as many as one wished.

So King Qinghuan didn't have many King Level Soul Slaves, but every one of them was powerful.

Having such a powerful expert teach Yu Duan would be a waste of talent, so they went through several layers and chose a World Master to instruct him.

Ku Mixiu had originally been a World Master Level member of the Core Layer of the Universe Mercenary Alliance, specializing in the Light and Time Sword.

Later, while Ku Mixiu was training on the Outer Battlefield, he was enslaved by an Alien Race expert. His master was then enslaved by King Qinghuan. In a way, he was fortunate amid his misfortune: after all the twists and turns, he had returned to human territory and was able to see his family again.

It was just a shame about such a talented World Master. He had once even hoped to reach Marquis Level, but after being subjected to Soul Enslavement, that was basically out of reach. He had lost all kinds of benefits and resources, and his potential had also been affected.

"So that's how it is. My understanding was off..."

Yu Duan seemed to grasp something, then explained what had been puzzling him.

Just then, the Optical Computer wristband on his right hand lit up, and Tianran's figure appeared.

"Master, the ranking battle is about to start. Do you want to be late and forfeit?" Tianran planted her hands on her hips and glared angrily at Yu Duan, deeply displeased with his complete lack of punctuality.

"All right, all right. I'm logging into the Virtual Universe right now."

Inside the examination hall of the Virtual Universe.

An Immortal God with a single horn on his head looked toward Yu Duan and the more than three hundred other young figures. A vigorous fluctuation of the Wood Origin Law rippled outward.

"You are the cream of the crop among the Sacred Land's elites—geniuses who have grasped a Source Law while still at Star Level. Next, you'll compete to determine which of you is the greatest genius."

"Now, let the competition begin!"

As soon as the Immortal God announced the start, Yu Duan's surroundings changed in an instant.

The examination hall transformed into a vast, desolate expanse of ground resembling a stony wasteland.

Of course, another person appeared on that wasteland alongside Yu Duan: a man less than a meter tall, covered in pale golden scales.

"So it's Junior Brother Yu Duan. You'd better be careful," the golden-scaled man said with a smile.

Yu Duan recognized him, and smiled wryly. "So it's Senior Brother Teng De. Looks like I'm out of luck."

Teng De had placed third in the previous Star Level student ranking battle. His strength far surpassed Yu Duan's.

"The battle begins!"

A cold electronic voice rang out. In the next instant, spinning blades shot out from the God-Splitting Weapon on Teng De's back.

The God-Splitting Weapon was a divine weapon corresponding to the two laws of Wind and Space.

In the next moment, several blades melted together. Threads of blue light intertwined and formed a flying wheel with the sheen of emerald jade.

Vmm!

The spinning wheel let out an exceptionally piercing shriek. In an instant, a formless, razor-sharp blade of energy swept in every direction.

"The first level of the God-Splitting Weapon. Looks like An Yao isn't the only one who's improved over the years."

Yu Duan's figure instantly blurred into layers of hazy afterimages, spreading like a storm of light.

It would have been foolish to meet the first level of the God-Splitting Weapon head-on. He could only look for an opening.

Whoosh!

Brilliant streaks of light filled the sky above the wasteland. It seemed as if a thousand Yu Duans had appeared in every direction, attacking Teng De from different angles.

Though these phantoms seemed entirely real, they were still only illusions. They lacked the actual offensive power of a Spatial Phantom.

Yu Duan's real body was hidden among them, searching for a chance to counterattack.

"Junior Brother Yu Duan, you're underestimating the speed of the God-Splitting Weapon."

A smile appeared on Teng De's face. In that instant, the emerald wind wheel circling him accelerated by an incalculable amount, becoming a streak of blue light that pierced heaven and earth. It killed a third of the phantoms almost instantly.

Clang!

Suddenly, a clear sword cry rang out behind Teng De. A dazzling beam of sword light immediately crossed several thousand meters.

But as the sword light flared, the God-Splitting Weapon on Teng De's back blazed. A second emerald wind wheel formed in an instant and flew toward Yu Duan's sword light, tearing through everything within dozens of kilometers.

Yu Duan lost his first ranking battle with almost no ability to fight back.

In the blink of an eye, the first day of the second stage of the ranking battle was over.

Inside the majestic palace, Yu Duan was reviewing the ten battles he had fought that day.

"Your Highness, there's no need to be discouraged. You're simply too young. With your talent, you'll surely astonish everyone at the ranking battle ten years from now."

Seeing Yu Duan sitting in silence, Ku Mixiu assumed he had been shaken by his record of two wins and eight losses that day.

Yu Duan was jolted from his thoughts. His consciousness returned from the Virtual Universe, and he looked at Ku Mixiu in surprise. "I only crossed the threshold of the laws a month ago. Winning two matches is already pretty good. Why would I be discouraged?"

"By the way, I just watched my battles today. I still have a lot of problems. Please give me some pointers, Mr. Ku Mixiu."

Yu Duan went straight back into his obsessive training mode, pulling Ku Mixiu over to practice swordsmanship, movement techniques, and more.

Inside the palace, the silver divine eye silently released a powerful Source Law aura. Its gentle silver-white light rippled like water, brushing over Yu Duan as he practiced his swordsmanship.

The next day, the ten matches of the ranking battle began as scheduled.

Yu Duan was in luck that day. He didn't run into any of the top ten experts, and his results improved, with four wins and six losses.

After the matches, Yu Duan continued reviewing his mistakes. With guidance from Ku Mixiu, who specialized in the Light and Time Sword, he made progress every day.

Yu Duan didn't think the improvements were all that noticeable, but according to Ku Mixiu, his rate of progress was astonishing.

More than half a month passed in a flash.

From the tenth day of the ranking battle onward, Yu Duan's record remained fairly steady at five wins or more. His points kept climbing as well.

His progress was visible to the naked eye. In just ten days, his grasp of the laws had advanced beyond the bare threshold he had only just crossed. His swordsmanship and movement techniques had also improved greatly.

The second stage of the ranking battle, day eighteen.

A beam of sword light blazed above the crimson desert, like dawn splitting the night. It pierced through the back of a red-haired woman with a voluptuous figure.

"That's nine consecutive wins today. I hope my tenth match will..."

Yu Duan looked forward to his next opponent. As long as he didn't run into one of the top few, he had a good chance of winning.

But before he could finish speaking, a familiar figure appeared. His bronze skin and gleaming bald head stood out at once.

"An Yao... I didn't expect it to be you."

Yu Duan tightened his grip on the long, crystal-clear Light and Time Sword in his right hand. His eyes filled with fighting spirit.

An Yao wore the same fighting spirit. Laughing, he said, "I heard you knocked that bastard ranked forty-third out of the running. Nice! I couldn't stand the guy."

After they exchanged a few words, the cold electronic voice rang out again.

"The battle begins!"

Whoosh!

Brilliant golden-white light flashed from the divine swords in their hands.

Silver and white secret runes intertwined along the blades, and a fierce surge of law energy gathered at their tips.

Yu Duan and An Yao said nothing, but with equal understanding, they chose to abandon all defense and evasion, baring their edges against their dear friend!

Clang!

As the swords rang out, two dazzling beams of light, each dozens of kilometers long, shot straight forth. Like two white trails burned into the canvas of the sky, they split the boundless expanse into three.

Boom!

In an instant, Yu Duan and An Yao were both utterly shredded by the power contained in the other's strike, their figures exploding apart.

This was the true first level of the Light and Time Sword: the Light Splitting Stab!

It was all about speed. The Light Splitting Stab gathered at an inconceivable pace.

Within its range, Star Level fighters could hardly react in time. It was so fast that even tracking the sword light with their eyes was difficult.

"Battle over. According to the judgment, the result is a draw!"