The Battle Space

After telling Luo Feng and the others about their plans, they gave Hen Ren their souvenirs: an anonymous Virtual Universe account and a Smart Optical Computer.

Then they left. Luo Feng, especially, had missed his family terribly after being away for so long.

Hen Ren took the Smart Optical Computer into the Gravity Chamber.

An anonymous Virtual Universe account couldn't be bound to a user, so anyone could use it.

But for that very reason, it couldn't be used to participate in talent-selection events like the Genius Tournament.

So if Hen Ren wanted to enter the Genius Tournament, she still had to go to the wider universe in person and bind an account.

For now, though, using the anonymous account to learn about the strength of the universe's geniuses—and attract the attention of some Domain Lords and World Lords—would still benefit her.

"Oh no, I forgot you have to pay to use the Killing Field. What a headache..."

Hen Ren didn't need the Killing Space in the Killing Field; it couldn't compare to her own Trial Space.

The Battle Space was different. There, you fought against other real people.

Some "important figures" watched the matches. If they spotted a genius, they would recruit and invest in them.

Hen Ren had to admit, she really needed good things like Bloodline Evolution Agents!

Bloodline and Life Gene Level were still somewhat different.

Bloodline referred to genetic improvement gained after birth through methods such as cultivation-induced evolution.

This genetic improvement could be passed down, allowing later generations to cultivate faster and break through more easily.

Using a Bloodline Evolution Agent was one way to improve one's genes.

This kind of genetic improvement had nothing to do with Life Gene Level.

Life Gene Level, on the other hand, was usually innate, or could be raised after birth with treasures like Xueluo Crystals. Improvements made after birth couldn't be inherited.

The Human Race had Domain Lord-level bloodlines, and their members could reach the Domain Lord level upon adulthood.

But in reality, their Life Gene Level was still only one times the ordinary level...

Hen Ren already thought her cultivation was too slow. If she could break through to the ninth Star Level soon, she could devote herself wholeheartedly to studying secret techniques.

Sigh, I wish I could join the Virtual Universe Company soon and enjoy their free Nutrient Solution...

Hen Ren had her virtual assistant start up the Optical Computer, and her consciousness entered the Virtual Universe...

Hen Ren suddenly appeared on a city street full of futuristic technology. A little yellow sprite sat on her shoulder—it was her Smart Optical Computer assistant.

"Your name will be Ikaros. As for your appearance, let's give you short pink hair with two long braids, emerald-green eyes, a pair of soft pink wings, and a silver-gray battle suit. Hmm... It'd be best if you were holding a little watermelon, too!"

The little sprite on Hen Ren's shoulder kept changing appearance. Finally, she became Ikaros, the heroine from Heaven's Lost Property!

Seeing the sprite's smiling expression, Hen Ren added a natural airheadedness and a quiet, emotionless personality.

"Perfect!"

Although Ikaros looked human, she wasn't. She was a robot, possibly a biological one.

In any case, by the classifications of the races in Swallowed Star, she was an Automaton!

If Hen Ren ever got the chance, she'd definitely get herself an Automaton. She could use her current Smart Optical Computer as the medium!

"Ikaros, lead the way to the Killing Field!"

Once a Smart Optical Computer logged into the Virtual Universe, it automatically downloaded a map of the current area. With the map, Hen Ren didn't need to worry about getting lost.

You couldn't just enter the Killing Field from anywhere. You had to go to the corresponding location in the Virtual Universe first.

Following Ikaros's directions, Hen Ren found the transmission gate. After paying a small fee, she soon arrived at the Killing Field.

Beside the entrance sat a green-skinned old man in a rocking chair, leisurely rocking back and forth.

He was the person in charge of the Black Dragon Mountain Killing Field, the Immortal God Man Luo?

Going by the original story's description, it should be him.

Of course, Hen Ren didn't pay him much attention. She wasn't yet someone who would catch Man Luo's eye. Once she made a name for herself, he would come to her on his own.

With that in mind, Hen Ren entered the Killing Field.

Luo Feng had given her a decent amount of money, and using the Battle Space cost only a tenth as much as using the Killing Space. Hen Ren could play around for a while without running out.

Hen Ren first rented a day's access and named her ID "Hen Ren." She got lucky and succeeded on her first try.

If someone else had already taken the name Hen Ren, she would have had to consider whether to pick an even more ruthless name...

You could only enter the Battle Space when you were fighting. At all other times, you stayed in the Killing Field's main hall.

Hen Ren appeared in Hall 37. Wearing her Ghost Face Mask, she found an empty seat.

The people here wore all kinds of clothes and had all kinds of appearances, so Hen Ren, with only a mask to set her apart, didn't draw much attention.

She deftly had Ikaros open the list and looked over the rankings.

The Duel Space's star ratings ranged from "none" to "nine stars"!

As a newcomer, Hen Ren naturally had a rating of "none"!

After seeing the foolish mistakes Luo Feng and the others had made in the original story, Hen Ren knew better than to take a detour. She immediately challenged an opponent with a rating of "none."

Seeing Hen Ren's "none" rating, the other person agreed without hesitation, just as expected.

By the way, what was that guy's name?

Hen Ren watched as her opponent charged at her. She unleashed her Nine-Fold Domain and thrust out a sword imbued with the Threshold of the Law of Water. The nameless opponent's match ended right there.

Hen Ren's system profile now had a "Nine-Fold Domain" tag and a "Threshold of Lower Laws" tag.

After that, Hen Ren no longer needed to challenge opponents. They started challenging her instead!

Hen Ren scrolled through the list. It was full of all sorts of opponents, mostly rated "seven stars" or "eight stars," though quite a few had "nine stars."

Of course, there were plenty of low-rated opponents just there to make up the numbers, too...

"An opponent rated 'nine stars,' at the ninth Star Level, with a Nine-Fold Domain. You'll do."

It was perfectly normal for someone not to have crossed the threshold of a law.

After all, those who had crossed the Threshold of Lower Laws were all top geniuses, with a chance of making the top thousand in their regional Genius Tournament.

Those who had crossed the Threshold of Higher Laws had a chance of making the top thousand in the Genius Tournament finals.

In a mere Black Dragon Mountain Star Sector, even producing one or two such geniuses would be remarkable. There was no way one would happen to be in the Duel Space when Hen Ren was there...

Well, Hen Ren was more inclined to believe the Black Dragon Mountain Star Sector had no geniuses who had crossed the Threshold of Lower Laws...

Regardless of whether any such genius challenged Hen Ren, the person in charge of the Black Dragon Mountain Killing Field would definitely notice her!

"So she really has crossed the threshold of the Law of Water!"

Man Luo murmured as he watched the video of Hen Ren defeating her opponent with a single sword strike.

He wasn't questioning the Virtual Universe's ability to assess her. He was simply expressing his surprise.

After all, it was quite unexpected for a genius to appear out of nowhere in his territory.

And Hen Ren was using an anonymous account!

Most people using anonymous accounts were native slave subjects belonging to some Planet Lord. Next came the talented descendants of powerful Alien Race members who had attached themselves to the Human Race. Last were the Soul Slaves of spies!

"How interesting. The last possibility can't be right. No spy could be that stupid. As for the second possibility, Hen Ren looks human, so that seems unlikely too. Does that make the first possibility the most likely?"

Of course, it was also possible that some genius had made a second account to beat up rookies, but that was very unlikely. Geniuses had their pride, after all.

For instance, in the original story, when Luo Feng and the others challenged opponents rated "one star," those people still ignored them, even though they were rated "none"...

So, in Man Luo's view, the first possibility really was the most likely!

He would need to investigate a little more to be sure. As long as she wasn't a spy or from an Alien Race, she would be worth investing in, whether she was a slave or a genius using a second account!