While Su You was immersed in the virtual space, talking with You Meng, the Demon Blade Legion and the Wang Family of Kyoto also learned what had happened in the Sahara Desert.
Abe Qinghai was clearly in a foul mood. Beiyuan Gang wasn't merely a War God in the Demon Blade Legion; he was also Japan's third-ranked fighter.
But as the leader of a mercenary group, Abe Qinghai remained levelheaded. He had no intention of seeking revenge for Beiyuan Gang's death.
Meanwhile, the Wang Family of Kyoto was in considerable turmoil after hearing the news.
In a spacious hall, a bald old man sat at the head of the room, his face dark with anger. Wang Wenyou and Wang Wenyun stood to one side, both looking troubled.
The bald old man said in a low voice, "That little girl should be back at the Elite Training Camp by now, shouldn't she?"
Wang Wenyou hurriedly replied, "Yes, she should be back already. Dad, this time..."
The bald old man waved a hand. "No need to explain. I already know what happened."
Wang Wenyun spoke up as well. "Dad, you can't blame Big Brother this time. If that little bastard called Su You hadn't interfered, we would've succeeded."
"Hmph, you've got some nerve speaking up." The bald old man glared at Wang Wenyun. "If it weren't for the stupid thing you did, our family might have had another War God in a few years!"
"I'm a little bastard? Then what does that make you?"
Wang Wenyun muttered under his breath. Seeing that his father looked displeased, he hurriedly changed the subject. "Dad, that bastard Su You dared to interfere in our family's affairs. We should at least teach him a lesson, right?"
The bald old man looked at Wang Wenyun, his face livid, as if he couldn't believe how hopeless his son was.
"He's eighteen and killed Beiyuan Gang, a Mid-level War God. He'll definitely become one of the core leaders of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall someday. He might even become an Inspector. Do you think our Wang Family hasn't made enough enemies already?"
Wang Wenyun gave an awkward smile. Wang Wenyou cut in from the side. "Dad, then what about this matter..."
The bald old man took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "They're already back at the Elite Training Camp. What can we do now? You wouldn't dare attack them there, would you? Let it rest for now. We'll wait for another opportunity!"
After returning to the Training Camp, Su You showered and then went to Zhang Yue's loft. You Meng, meanwhile, was using Su You's Communication Watch to collect novels, comics, movies, and other things from Earth's information network.
After being alone for more than eight hundred thousand eras and unable to connect to the Virtual Universe, this was all she could do to pass the time for now.
When Su You entered the living room, he saw Zhang Yue. She had evidently just showered too. She sat on the sofa, her shoulder-length hair loose, her delicate cheeks dewy and faintly flushed.
Su You walked over and sat right beside her. Zhang Yue was just about to scoot left when Su You's left arm came around behind her and settled on her shoulder.
Zhang Yue shuddered, her body tensing instantly as her breathing grew a little quick.
"What are you nervous about? Didn't I hold you in the desert?"
Zhang Yue rolled her eyes. Back in the desert, he had held her while they were fleeing the ant swarm, and they had both been wearing thick combat suits. Now, though, she was wearing only a thin T-shirt.
With a smile in his eyes, Su You pulled Zhang Yue into his arms without much effort. His left hand caressed her shoulder and slowly slid down.
"Didn't you say you had something to tell me on the way back? Why aren't you saying anything now?"
His hot breath brushed against her ear. Zhang Yue's face flushed red, and she felt numb all over. Fighting the strange sensations, she replied, "N-no, I didn't have anything to say!"
Su You's left hand moved back up and wrapped around Zhang Yue. He cupped her face with his right hand and looked into her eyes, asking gently, "Really?"
Zhang Yue's cheeks were scarlet. She didn't dare meet Su You's gaze and simply closed her eyes.
Su You's eyes lit up. He lowered his head and kissed her, his right hand sliding down from her face.
The next afternoon, Su You and Zhang Yue went to the Extreme Building in Hongning Base City and sold the monster materials they had collected that month.
Five Elementary Lord-level monsters and a large amount of mid- and high-level Beast General materials brought them a total of 9 billion Huaxia Currency. The Extreme Martial Arts Hall's purchase prices were relatively low; if they had sold to the HR Alliance, they could have gotten more than 13 billion.
Since August had been set aside for life-or-death adventures, September's equipment usage time was assigned according to July's rankings.
Su You had ranked twelfth in July, so in September he had six hours of usage time in both the Trial Room and the Gravity Chamber.
In the early hours of September 1, Su You went straight to the Trial Room and put on the Consciousness Sensor Helmet.
"How is it, You Meng? Can you enter this Trial Tower's virtual space?" Su You communicated with You Meng through his consciousness.
You Meng held a virtual novel and replied smugly, "Of course. It's just an ordinary virtual space. From now on, you can connect whenever you want, even without that helmet."
Su You nodded and continued, "Can you make a copy of the Trial Tower?"
Only one person at a time could enter the Elite Training Camp's Trial Tower. Su You could connect whenever he wanted with You Meng's help, but that would interfere with other people's use, and the Training Camp would definitely notice.
"Of course. I just need to copy its data." You Meng paused for five seconds, then continued, "All right, the Trial Tower is ready. It's beside the castle in the virtual space. You can go there and train anytime."
"Uh, that fast?" Su You exclaimed in surprise.
You Meng lifted her chin slightly. "Hmph. Do you even know who I am?"
Su You shook his head with a smile and took a single step into the Trial Tower before him.
Nearly an hour later, Su You left the Nine-Story Tower with a smile. After breaking through in physical exertion, he had just barely managed to keep up with the Black Armored Ant Queen.
But the interference from the swarms of Black Armored Ants made him die three times. He raised his Trial Tower level to 4.2, but still couldn't kill the Black Armored Ant Queen.
It wasn't until his fourth attempt, after his sword technique broke through to the Artistic Conception Level, that the Black Armored Ants became less of a hindrance. He seized his chance and cleared the fourth floor's A stage.
The B stage that followed was much harder. Su You lasted seven minutes before the endless Black Armored Ants overwhelmed him. His Trial Tower level was ultimately set at 4.4, enough to rival the weaker Planetary-level fighters on Earth.
After returning to the loft, You Meng guided Su You's consciousness into the private virtual space she had created.
Outside the luxurious castle, Su You and You Meng appeared again. You Meng pointed to the right of the castle, and Su You followed her gesture. At a glance, he saw a tower soaring into the clouds.
"That's the Trial Tower I just copied. You can go in and train whenever you want."
Su You nodded, feeling oddly pleased.
"Come on. Come inside with me first."
You Meng waved her hand, and the castle doors slowly opened. Su You followed her inside. Along the way, he saw quite a few stunning virtual beauties from various races, and he couldn't help staring at them.
You Meng shot Su You a look and said disdainfully, "They're just virtual. What's there to look at? Once you become a powerful figure in the universe, you can have as many as you want."
Su You's heart stirred. He looked away and followed You Meng to a huge room in the castle.
"From now on, whenever you enter the virtual space, this will be where you mainly train. Come, sit down first."
They sat cross-legged, one after the other, and You Meng continued:
"Whether you're a Spirit Reader or a martial artist, you must focus on five things: spirit, willpower, Origin Energy, physical exertion, and level of understanding. You can't afford to have any weak links."
"Your Brain Domain Width is pretty good, so your spirit should be fairly strong."
"You can't take your eyes off a beautiful woman. Your willpower is weak, but there's no way to temper it right now. We'll have to wait until you enter the universe."
"As for Origin Energy, you're only Apprentice Level 7. Absorbing cosmic energy on your own is far too inefficient. You'd have to waste most of your time on it. It'd be best to find some treasures that can aid your cultivation."
"Your physical exertion is only 3.6. That's far too weak. From now on, you'll practice the '360 Basic Martial Arts Forms' every day. Before you become a Planetary Level fighter, your physical exertion must reach at least 10."
"As for level of understanding, the universe divides it into foundation, artistic conception, domain, and world—meaning laws. The levels used on Earth—micro-level, mastery, perfection, and consummation—are all just part of the foundational level in the universe. Your movement technique and sword technique have both reached the Artistic Conception Level, which is pretty good."
Before you continue