The first day was over. Hen Ren had fought more than a dozen opponents with nine stars and dozens with seven or eight stars, and her rank had jumped straight to three stars.
The reason was the system's anti-boosting mechanism. In any case, Hen Ren was using an anonymous account with no real-name verification. Who could tell how strong the account's actual owner was?
Man Luo didn't come looking for her. After all, he was an Immortal. Hen Ren was a genius, but all she had shown so far was that she had reached the threshold of the Law of Water Origin. She was still far from being someone he needed to personally visit and recruit.
Besides, her identity hadn't been confirmed yet. They would probably send someone to invite her in a few days.
Hen Ren logged out of the Virtual Universe, then continued working on her [Devouring Heaven Demon Art] in the Trial Space.
Meanwhile, Xu Ai and Xu Xin had also received the anonymous accounts and Smart Optical Computers Luo Feng had given them. They were now eating the local specialties at a restaurant in the Virtual Universe.
"Here, Xiao Ai."
Xu Xin scooped up a slimy morsel from an octopus's head and fed it to Xu Ai.
Xu Ai was a little reluctant, but then she thought that this was the Human Race, so the food probably wouldn't taste too strange. Besides, her older sister was feeding it to her, so she still opened her mouth and ate it in one bite.
Wasn't it lucky that they were all human? The food looked a little strange, but everyone's tastes were pretty similar. It didn't have any weird flavors.
Xu Ai breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Xin sat beside her, while Luo Feng sat across from them.
Another date ruined by a third wheel...
Luo Feng stared at Xu Ai with a blank expression.
This wasn't the first or second time a third wheel had interrupted a date. At first, Luo Feng could still smile and say it was fine. But after it happened so many times, he had taken to staring at Xu Ai with that expression whenever Xu Xin wasn't looking.
Sometimes Xu Ai would even give him a challenging look. It nearly drove him crazy!
This sister-in-law of his—whoever wanted her could have her!
Wait... Xu Xin didn't seem to have any other sisters. Never mind, she could stay his sister-in-law...
Luo Feng was heartbroken!
What else could he do? He couldn't exactly tell Xu Ai to leave in front of Xu Xin. Even if Xu Ai refused to go, Xu Xin might think he didn't welcome her family, and his standing with her would definitely plummet!
In fact, Xu Xin wasn't oblivious to what was going on...
She glanced at Luo Feng. Seeing his blank expression turn into a beaming smile again, Xu Xin couldn't help laughing. Then she leaned close to Xu Ai's ear and whispered a few words.
"Xiao Ai, why don't you go for a walk?"
My little cabbage wants to go and root for a pig!!!
Xu Ai nearly lost her temper, but when she saw the pleading look in Xu Xin's eyes, she managed to hold it in.
She glared fiercely at Luo Feng, then got up and left.
Ahhh! Was that third wheel finally leaving!?
"Luo Feng, give Xiao Ai some money. I'll have her go shopping."
"Mm-hmm!"
That was a perfectly reasonable request! After all, Xu Xin and Xu Ai didn't have any money in the Virtual Universe.
How was Xu Ai supposed to go shopping without money? She'd definitely come running back to be a third wheel again!
Luo Feng nodded repeatedly. As soon as he saw Xu Ai leave the restaurant, he excitedly asked Babata to transfer her some money, hoping she'd shop for a while.
Although Xu Ai had received Luo Feng's transfer, she was still furious. That was the little cabbage she'd raised for so many years!
"My little cabbage chose a pig instead of me..."
Xu Ai, looking gray and lifeless, trudged along the street...
Her dejection lasted about an hour. Xu Ai and Xu Xin had agreed to meet again in an hour! Once the time was up, Xu Ai was no longer gray and lifeless. She stormed back to the restaurant!
But how could Xu Xin and Luo Feng still be there after an hour?
"Wait, don't tell me..."
Xu Ai checked her friends list. Xu Xin and Luo Feng's avatars were gray—they had actually logged off!!!
Good heavens! Xu Ai had been clever all her life, yet she'd been tricked by her own little cabbage!
Damn pig!!! Damn Luo Feng!!!
Far away, in HF Base City, Hen Ren paused for a moment, then continued cultivating.
Xu Ai was a sister-con, but Hen Ren wasn't. Although they were both controlled by the same will, Xu Ai's obsession with her older sister hadn't been replicated in Hen Ren.
Unless Xu Ai took direct control, Hen Ren wouldn't feel the slightest emotional reaction to anything involving Xu Xin.
"Devouring Heaven Demon Art..."
In the Trial Space, a black hole appeared between Hen Ren's brows and swallowed the metal in front of her.
After the metal was broken down, Hen Ren absorbed its primordial cosmic energy. The amount was far greater—and the process much faster—than simply absorbing cosmic energy.
"Everything in the Primal Universe comes from the Primal Universe, forged from its energy. I don't need to convert the matter I absorb into World Energy. After all, World Energy requires an Internal World, and I'm still nowhere near capable of creating one."
Hen Ren had already tried an "external magic organ"—in other words, an external Small World. Using a very rare material called a World Stone, she'd had one made on Cai Yi's side. Its conversion effect was excellent, and it boosted World Energy quite well.
But that was all...
Cai Yi didn't need energy, after all. The Zerg provided it for free! It made no difference whether she had the [Devouring Heaven Demon Art] or not.
But that wouldn't work for Hen Ren. Earth's available resources weren't enough for her to create her own external world!
So she had to try another approach. After spending some time on it, she came up with the [Devouring Heaven Demon Art] she had now!
Instead of converting matter into World Energy, it returned matter to its origin and turned it into the purest cosmic energy!
The cosmic energy was generated directly inside Hen Ren's body, so she didn't need to absorb it. And with the transformation ability modified by the [Devouring Heaven Demon Art], it didn't take long for all of it to become her own energy!
But for now, it only worked on metals. It couldn't convert other substances yet, so she needed to keep researching!
"My innate talent leans more toward the Law of Water Origin, while my main body's talent leans more toward the Law of Fire Origin. I should start by researching the conversion of water- and fire-based substances..."
The oceans could supply water, and the sun could supply fire. The two of them could quickly reach the ninth rank of Star Level!
Once Hen Ren reached the ninth rank of Star Level, she could focus on researching the Hen Ren Technique!
If matter could be converted, could other things be converted too?
Hen Ren suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with a new idea.
Of course, it had something to do with the Devouring Heaven Demon Art, but it also involved another Hen Ren technique!
"Maybe I was wrong from the start. The Myriad Transformation Sacred Art isn't about neutralizing attacks, but absorbing them?"
If she used the [Devouring Heaven Demon Art] to absorb the divine power the opponent released and turn it into her own energy, wouldn't that neutralize the opponent's secret technique?
That was another promising idea!
A black hole—she needed to study black holes to the bitter end!
The essence of the [Devouring Heaven Demon Art] was the black hole. In the past, Hen Ren hadn't had the resources to do much. She could only observe cosmic black holes with the naked eye through an astronomical telescope. But things were different now!
The Zerg's treasury of knowledge was open to her. As the highest-priority individual, Cai Yi could read most of the Zerg's manuals directly. Only a few particularly valuable ones required her to pay a price.
Cai Yi was definitely the best candidate for Xu Ai's second clone!
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