Duel Space

"Alright, kid Lu, let's call it a day for your Planetary Level training for now!"

Inside the Killing Field, Lord Shen patted Lu Yan'an on the shoulder, speaking with a look of satisfaction.

It could not be more satisfied with Lu Yan'an's current achievements! The speed at which he grasped the laws was something only a tiny fraction of geniuses, even at the Star Level or Universe Level, could manage. In a sense, Lu Yan'an's talent was so high that it could be considered the ceiling for all Planetary Level practitioners! It even refreshed the perspective of Lord Shen, an Immortal powerhouse, on the upper limits of Planetary Level talent!

"In terms of laws, you have basically reached the limit of the Planetary Level. What you lack now is the accumulation of source energy and practical combat experience. Tsk tsk, once you fill in these two gaps, your training as a martial artist will be flawless!" To have such a picky Lord Shen offer such praise—one can imagine just how satisfied it was!

"Once you break through to the Star Level and undergo specialized training as an Illusionist, you will be able to perfectly embark on the great path of an Illusion Martial Artist!"

One must realize that even with talent as terrifying as Lu Yan'an's, he had not yet truly stepped through the gates of an Illusion Martial Artist. One can only imagine what a difficult and magnificent path of power this is!

"I can rely on time to slowly accumulate source energy, but isn't my practical combat experience quite rich? After all, I've been fighting in the Killing Space for a whole year!" Lu Yan'an recalled the grueling life he had led over the past year, feeling rather puzzled by the remark.

"Bah, what kind of foolish talk is that?" Lord Shen rolled its eyes adorably, looking at him with a speechless expression.

"You call your combat experience in the Killing Space 'practical combat experience'?"

"Battles in the Virtual Universe, especially the custom combat modes in the Killing Space, while beneficial to a martial artist's training, are essentially just a relatively high-end game if you look at it objectively!"

"Can you really expect to gain practical combat experience from playing a game?" Lord Shen pointed out Lu Yan'an's misunderstanding of the Killing Space without mercy.

Hearing Lord Shen's answer, Lu Yan'an had a sudden realization. That was true; after all, the battles in the Virtual Universe were fake. No matter how realistically the system simulated them, it could never truly provide the stimulation of life-and-death stakes!

"Then does that mean I can only go on cosmic adventures?"

Cosmic adventure is a rugged path filled with blood and fire, but for Lu Yan'an, who had just entered the universe, it was essentially a dead end! With his current Planetary Level cultivation, he could only act as an "adventurer" and couldn't even become a "Universe Apprentice Mercenary." The title of "Universe Apprentice Mercenary" could only be earned by passing an assessment, for which one had to reach the Star Level first!

And those "adventurers" in cosmic exploration were basically cannon fodder on the road to adventure! As everyone knows, cannon fodder has no human rights! Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Lu Yan'an didn't actually want to take this path—the cost-effectiveness was simply too low, and the risks were far too high!

"What are you thinking about?" Lord Shen immediately barked to stop Lu Yan'an's absurd idea of going on a cosmic adventure.

"As someone at the very bottom of the universe at the Planetary Level, don't waste your life thinking about such stupid things!" Lord Shen was uncharacteristically angry!

"Going on a cosmic adventure to become cannon fodder, only to die on the spot within two days because of the shockwaves from a battle between two Universe Level 'powerhouses'? What on earth are you thinking?" Perhaps because it was too angry, Lord Shen fired off a series of rhetorical questions.

"This...", Lu Yan'an was suddenly left speechless.

"But what should I do then?" Unable to think of a better solution, Lu Yan'an could only pin his hopes on Lord Shen, wishing for it to provide some valuable, constructive advice.

"I can provide you with all the resources you need until you reach the ninth rank of the Star Level; you aren't lacking in resources right now! And the practical combat experience you lack can also be solved through the Virtual Universe," Lord Shen said bluntly, perhaps to prevent Lu Yan'an from coming up with any more messy ideas.

"But isn't there no way for the Killing Field to provide the stimulation of life and death?"

"I said before that playing the custom mode in the Killing Space wouldn't provide practical combat experience, not that the Killing Field couldn't. You need to understand the difference." Lord Shen looked at the bewildered Lu Yan'an and explained with a sense of helplessness.

"The Killing Space from before is a good place for training; it helps users master secret techniques, weapons, and so on. There is also a small portion of people who can make major breakthroughs in this single-player mode!" As it spoke, it looked at Lu Yan'an, the implication clear.

Then, it continued: "Generally, if you want to improve your practical combat experience, the place you should go is not the Killing Space, but the Duel Space!"

"Duel Space?" Lu Yan'an had some impression of this name. In the original story, the trio from Earth seemed to have climbed the rankings in the Duel Space, eventually catching the eye of the Immortal powerhouse Man Luo, which led them to join the external branch of the Virtual Universe Company in the Black Dragon Mountain region.

"Yes, the Duel Space." Lord Shen nodded solemnly and began to introduce it to Lu Yan'an.

"The Killing Space from before is designed to serve one person. You can set up all kinds of opponents inside, making it the best place for training. The Duel Space is different; it is a place where martial artists duel each other! Here, you can encounter all kinds of opponents, which can greatly enrich your practical combat experience."

As they spoke, Lord Shen led Lu Yan'an to a counter in the Killing Hall. A screen appeared on the counter, displaying the strength profiles of a large number of opponents. To fight, he had to send a request, and the other party had to accept.

"The naming mechanism in this Duel Space is just too ridiculous now. This guy calls himself 'Invincible', yet he only has single-digit wins and thousands of losses! Just this? Just this? Are you kidding me? You really can just pick any name, huh." Lord Shen began its grumbling, rant-like commentary. Upon hearing Lord Shen's complaints, Lu Yan'an couldn't help but look at the screen in front of it, though the information on the screen almost made him laugh out loud as well.

"So, you have to choose your name carefully. One slip-up and you'll be socially dead across the entire universe. Look at this little guy; he's probably regretting it to death right now." Lord Shen warned.

"Yes, yes...", Lu Yan'an hummed along to appease Lord Shen while slowly typing the two characters "Wushuang" onto the screen in front of him.

"According to the rules of the Duel Space, I can currently only challenge opponents of the same rank!" Lu Yan'an's gaze skipped over the "None" to "Five-Star" ratings and went straight to opponents rated "Six-Star", "Seven-Star", and so on. The entire rating system capped at nine stars, which definitely represented an absolute super-powerhouse among those of the same rank.

"Let's pick a Six-Star opponent first to test the waters?" Lu Yan'an formally submitted a challenge request; this was his first time inviting an opponent of the same level and rank to a fight.

One second, one minute. Soon, ten minutes passed, and there was absolutely no movement from the other side.

"What's the situation?" Lord Shen asked, watching Lu Yan'an standing foolishly in front of the screen.

"I challenged a Planetary Level ninth-rank 'Six-Star' opponent, but he completely ignored me. The system just prompted me to re-select an opponent of the same tier." Lu Yan'an was left speechless and replied helplessly.

"It's not surprising; who told you to be a newcomer with a rating of 'None'?" Lord Shen comforted him. "Think about it, if you were a powerhouse, you would definitely check the challenger's rating too, so you wouldn't waste your time. Better to start from the beginning; that's more reliable!"

"Then let's start!" Lu Yan'an didn't dwell on it; they would face each other sooner or later anyway, so it didn't matter.

He lowered his head and operated the screen for a moment, and the duel invitation was sent out quickly. This time, the feedback came back almost immediately.

"Your challenge has been accepted. Now teleporting to the Duel Space!" The Virtual Universe system's notification appeared on the screen, and in the next instant, Lu Yan'an was teleported to the Duel Space.

In the vast desert, there was a black-gold arena about ten kilometers long and wide.

A massive, bald, blue-skinned man stood on the arena with a long spear on his back, laughing wildly: "Wushuang? A mere newcomer dares to take such a name? Tsk tsk, looks like life has been too good for you, and you want to come here to experience the disparity of the universe! I love 'military training' for newcomers who don't know the immensity of heaven and earth, hahaha!"

Nickname "Spear Demon", 20 wins, 1 loss.

On the arena, a young man wearing a plain combat suit and holding no weapon appeared out of thin air.

"Spear Demon? You are my first opponent in the Duel Space. I am grateful that you accepted my challenge request. But I don't like your name!" Lu Yan'an paused. "However, to express my gratitude, I will make sure you die without pain!"

"Yo ho, quite arrogant, aren't you!" Spear Demon sneered and took the spear from his back. With a light tap of his toes, he charged toward his opponent. The spear thrust out like a dragon, bringing a wave of wind pressure as it pierced toward Lu Yan'an. At this moment, Lu Yan'an's body suddenly shone brightly, and his domain of light had quietly unfolded, completely obscuring Spear Demon's vision.

"A domain?!" Spear Demon discovered that the light around his opponent was blocking his sight, and at the same time, he felt a power of the domain suddenly diffuse between heaven and earth.

The next moment, he lost consciousness...

"Wushuang's" first battle, victory!