Bulieni's starting level was too high, and he had no low-level Combat Secret Techniques suitable for Luo Zhiyuan to practice. So Luo could only continue training in the Godly Evasion movement technique Babata had taught him and the Combat Secret Technique for his newly purchased Lightning Shuttle. He told Bulieni about the movement technique, which made use of the Law of Light, and Bulieni agreed that it was well suited to Luo's training.
However, Luo Zhiyuan was currently at the Universe First Bank, where there was no suitable place to train, so he decided to practice in the Virtual Universe. Before entering, he took his last Azure Fruit.
Luo Zhiyuan had now reached Planetary Level Nine as a Spirit Reader. After some adjustment, his Mental Power Amplitude had increased slightly to 32, and his body had reached Planetary Level Six.
Having crossed the threshold of the Origin Law, his Light Domain had quietly advanced to Fourth-Level Domain as his Spiritual Force grew. His comprehension of the Law of Time, however, lagged far behind that of the Law of Light, with almost no progress at all. After all, it was much harder to comprehend.
Bulieni had been browsing all kinds of information in the Virtual Universe. He was catching up on the changes in the universe that he had missed over the years, while also looking for suitable Combat Secret Techniques and a suitable clone for Luo Zhiyuan.
Bulieni was now thoroughly enjoying the Virtual Universe. After all, to him, it was practically a real world. He could have a virtual body there and experience pleasures he couldn't enjoy in reality.
Luo Zhiyuan also told Bulieni about some of the interesting things in the Virtual Universe, such as the many virtual games and the wide variety of delicious foods and fine wines that they could enjoy to their heart's content.
They could also experience the thrill of combat in the Virtual Universe. In the Killing Space of the Killing Field, they could configure different virtual opponents and fight them, targeting specific weaknesses to quickly improve their combat ability. It was an excellent place to train.
There was also the Battle Space in the Killing Field, where real Martial Artists fought one another. They could battle opponents from across the universe in true combat and gain plenty of experience.
Hearing that the Virtual Universe had a place like the Killing Field, Bulieni immediately grew excited and urged Luo Zhiyuan to take him there. But Luo had never been, either, so the two followed the directions and made their way there.
The Killing Field on Heilongshan Island in the Virtual Universe was a hall as large as a city. Once inside, Luo Zhiyuan saw that its backdrop resembled a vast sea of blood, with a single "drop of blood" standing out vividly.
Yet compared with the immense hall, the place seemed rather deserted. Luo Zhiyuan wondered why there were so few people. This was the best place to train in the Virtual Universe, after all.
He recalled the events of the original story and realized that the reason was probably the high cost. Not everyone could afford to come here, since fees were charged by the day.
At the counter, Luo Zhiyuan linked his account and discovered that the fee really was steep.
He was only a Planetary Level Nine Spirit Reader, yet a single day cost 2.5 million Black Dragon Coins or 1,750 Ganwu Coins. Anyone without a decent fortune would hardly dare come here every day. Of course, for Luo Zhiyuan, it was no big deal.
Leaving the counter, he walked to the far end of the hall, where a series of corridors stretched away. At the end of each corridor was a private Killing Space.
As he walked deeper into the corridor, Luo Zhiyuan kept looking around, hoping to encounter powerful Universe Level or even Domain Lord Level warriors. Unfortunately, his luck was poor. He didn't meet a single one—not even Manluo, the Immortal Level powerhouse who, in the original story, spent his time here whenever he had nothing else to do.
When he entered his Killing Space, he found himself in a vast starry sky, standing on an asteroid with a golden book in his hand. It was the user's manual for the Killing Space.
Luo Zhiyuan handed the manual to Bulieni and let him read through it, then waited for him to set up an opponent.
After reading the manual, Bulieni didn't immediately customize an opponent for Luo Zhiyuan. Instead, he said, "Luo, hold off on the fight for now. First, I want to see which Combat Secret Techniques you've mastered and how proficient you are in them. Then I can tailor an opponent to address your weaknesses."
That made sense. Luo Zhiyuan told Bulieni about all the Combat Secret Techniques he had mastered so far, including a close-combat fist technique and Godly Evasion, and demonstrated them all. He also explained his Soul Secret Techniques: Mental Shock, Hypnosis, Charm, and Fear.
After listening to Luo Zhiyuan's explanation, Bulieni thought it over and set up a Planetary Level Nine Martial Artist who had mastered ordinary Combat Secret Techniques. Then he told Luo to begin his first training session.
The battle began on a grassland.
Five kilometers away, a sturdy figure appeared, wearing a blood-red First-Order Force Battle Suit and carrying a First-Order Force War Blade and a shield. Luo Zhiyuan chose his only Telekinetic Weapon, the Lightning Shuttle, and wore his Black God Set, which was on par with a First-Order Force Battle Suit.
When Bulieni announced the start of the battle, the virtual warrior quickly raised his shield to cover his upper body, placing most of himself behind its protection. He charged toward Luo Zhiyuan, an unstoppable momentum rising around him.
Seeing how well the virtual warrior had concealed himself behind the shield, Luo Zhiyuan merely curled his lip. He used the minimum ten strands of Spiritual Force to form a single telekinetic strand. The instant his opponent set off, it shot into the warrior's mind and unleashed a Mental Shock.
He had thought he could shatter the opponent's consciousness outright. Instead, the virtual warrior paused for only a moment before charging on.
A Planetary Level Nine Martial Artist moved incredibly fast, with a maximum flight speed of over ten kilometers per second. The virtual warrior covered the mere five kilometers in the blink of an eye. He rammed his shield toward Luo Zhiyuan's waist, then drew his War Blade and slashed at Luo's neck.
Caught off guard, Luo Zhiyuan watched the virtual warrior close in on him in an instant, and broke out in a cold sweat. Acting on instinct, he used the third level of Godly Evasion. His real body appeared among ten figures scattered around him, the farthest one a kilometer from his original position. At that moment, he was at the location of that farthest figure.
Bulieni shouted from the sidelines, "Idiot! You couldn't be more stupid! If you were going to use Mental Shock, why didn't you combine more strands of Spiritual Force to increase its power? What, did you think this was one of your household guards? That they wouldn't know how to defend their minds? They're all qualified warriors. They can manage at least the most basic mental defense!"
Luo Zhiyuan's mind jolted. That's right. Before the battle, Bulieni had already told me that this virtual warrior had mastered ordinary Combat Secret Techniques. Of course he'd know how to defend his mind. He's not some slave who only knows the most basic ways to attack. I was far too careless. That was inexcusable!
Ignoring Bulieni's scolding, Luo Zhiyuan focused all his attention on the virtual warrior.
Seeing ten figures surrounding him, the virtual warrior couldn't tell which one was real, so he didn't rashly charge at any of them. Instead, he held his shield in front of him and slowly turned, trying to discern which figures were genuine.
But Luo Zhiyuan had already reached Fourth-Level Domain. An ordinary Planetary Level Nine Martial Artist had no chance of telling which of his Godly Evasion figures was real.
The virtual warrior suddenly charged toward the nearest figure and swung his blade.
Taking advantage of the virtual warrior's charge, Luo Zhiyuan used Mental Shock again. This time, however, he combined twenty strands of Spiritual Force into a single telekinetic strand. It hit the virtual warrior so hard that he collapsed unconscious. Luo Zhiyuan then controlled the Lightning Shuttle with his Spiritual Force, sent a blade fragment flying, and killed him outright.
The battle ended. Luo Zhiyuan lowered his head and walked over to Bulieni, waiting sheepishly for a scolding.
Bulieni sat in midair with his arms folded and his legs crossed, mocking Luo Zhiyuan. "Well? Not like fighting your household guards, is it? If you hadn't been able to dodge with your movement technique, you might have been killed in one move."
After shifting his seated position, Bulieni continued, "Let me point out the problems your performance revealed.
"First, you have no experience fighting a truly qualified warrior at your own level. You used only the bare minimum of Spiritual Force for your Mental Shock. What were you saving the rest for, throwing knives?
"Second, you have no Combat Secret Techniques besides your movement technique. Once an opponent gets close, all you can do is dodge. But what if you can't dodge?"
Luo Zhiyuan nodded humbly as he listened. Bulieni continued, "The second problem is easy to solve. You have the Lightning Shuttle's secret technique to practice, so you can gain a ranged attack and do your best to keep enemies from getting close.
"Once an enemy gets within a certain distance, use your movement technique to create some space. Of course, if you train in some close-combat techniques, you won't need to keep pulling away.
"But the first point, Luo, you must always remember this: when fighting an enemy to the death, you must never let your guard down!"
"In the Virtual Universe, you can start over even if you lose. But in the universe, one loss could mean the end. Even if you can create clones, you could still die all the same."
Luo Zhiyuan clenched his fist tightly and said, "Yes. I won't forget what you told me. There's a saying on Earth: even a lion uses all its strength to catch a rabbit. I really was arrogant and careless just now.
"I used to think my Spiritual Force and willpower were so powerful that I couldn't help looking down on my opponents. This lesson has really made an impression on me. I'm no longer a child from Earth—I'm going to become a warrior who grows stronger and stronger in the universe!"
"Good. I'll stay by your side and keep pushing you to grow stronger every day." Bulieni rose to his feet, pointed ahead, and called out, "Now, Luo, I want to see how talented you are at training. Go and master the Lightning Shuttle's Combat Secret Technique!"
Without another word, Luo Zhiyuan opened the manual for the Lightning Shuttle's Combat Secret Technique, which he had bought at the Rare Treasure Shop and never studied, and began reading it carefully.
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