The Battle Space

After he had mastered the Lightning Shuttle's second combat form, a day had passed. Luo Zhiyuan left the virtual space and had the Universe First Bank deliver some food. As a Planetary Level Nine Spirit Reader, he could easily go without eating for a while—but he wasn't even three years old yet. He was still growing, for crying out loud!

The Universe First Bank had sent him all sorts of exquisite, energy-rich dishes. Luo Zhiyuan had stuffed himself with Biyan Planet's local cuisine, then sighed regretfully and said to Bulieni, "Bulieni, although I can't tell you where I'm from, you should know that my hometown is known as the Great Foodie Empire.

"Heh-heh, the food back home might not have much energy or any miraculous effects, but our excellent chefs know how to prepare it, and the taste is absolutely top-notch! The food they sent here is rich in energy, but it tastes pretty average."

"Who cares how it tastes? It meets your body's growth needs and helps you cultivate. That's already pretty good," Bulieni replied indifferently.

Luo Zhiyuan sprawled across the sofa in a famous pose. "Sigh. As an intelligent life, you don't understand, Bulieni. Babata is better than you in this respect. At least he likes eating apples."

"You mean that little brat? Don't compare me to him. You're insulting my dignity."

Luo Zhiyuan grinned and didn't bother with such a trivial matter as age. He continued, "Come to think of it, Chenxi really and I do have a lot in common. He loved delicious food, and so do I. It's a shame we never got the chance to trade culinary experiences.

"I wonder how those energy fruits he liked tasted. I gave the only one I had to my dad, so I never even found out.

"To be honest, I'm starting to regret giving it to him. He definitely won't pay attention to the taste of that Purple Star Fruit. What a waste."

Bulieni raised his voice slightly. "You've got a screw loose. Back then, the Old Mystic made plenty of enemies over that hobby of his. But he was powerful enough that most people didn't dare show him any disrespect. As for you, Luo, don't let this little obsession cost you more than it's worth."

"I know, I know. I can't afford that right now. I'm just lamenting." Luo Zhiyuan promptly changed the subject. "Oh, right, Bulieni, my account's been upgraded to five-star status. I'm sure I can access plenty of information now.

"Could you check whether there are any auctions coming up? I'd like to join in, broaden my horizons, and maybe buy a spaceship for you to pilot. That way, you'd have a body to control in the real world. What do you think?"

"Oh? That makes sense! How come I never thought of that? Give me a moment—I'll take a look," Bulieni exclaimed excitedly.

A short while later, Bulieni told him that the Ganwu Universe Kingdom had no upcoming auctions. However, as a five-star customer, he had many privileges, such as being able to attend auctions in other Universe Countries. Several countries were holding low- or medium-level auctions soon, though none had a high-level auction scheduled.

Eager to experience one, Luo Zhiyuan had Bulieni pick the soonest auction and note down the time so he could remind him to attend.

After resting, Luo Zhiyuan logged into the Virtual Universe and returned to the Killing Field. An idea struck him, and he said to Bulieni, who was sitting on his shoulder, "Bulieni, I've never had a real fight with anyone at my level. How about we go to the Battle Space and fight a few matches? I want to see where I stand among ordinary humans."

Bulieni curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Where you stand? Any Planetary Level fighter with a domain is basically invincible among Planetary Levels. You've already reached the Fourth-Level Domain. Why bother mixing with ordinary people?

"Still, a few fights could be worth trying. They'd at least give you some experience fighting opponents. But we'll need to set some rules and restrictions."

Luo Zhiyuan asked, puzzled, "What rules and restrictions?"

Bulieni gave him a sidelong glance. "You can't use your domain during the fights. You have to rely on your own combat talent and Combat Secret Techniques. And you can't use the Soul Fusion Technique. We don't know what might happen if you use it here, so it's best to be cautious."

Luo Zhiyuan agreed and headed for the Killing Field's main hall. In the Battle Space, fighters could choose any name they wanted to hide their identities, then issue a challenge. A match would only take place if the opponent accepted. He chose the name "Guang" in memory of the Light Beast God.

He stood by the counter in the Killing Field's main hall and read through the introduction, then sat down to start looking for opponents.

After looking over the match records of Planetary Level Nine fighters with seven, eight, or even nine stars, Luo Zhiyuan decided not to challenge any of them. He knew they'd never agree to fight a complete newcomer who had yet to have a single match. So he casually picked a one-star opponent and sent a challenge.

His challenge wasn't rejected; it was accepted right away. At the Virtual Universe System's prompt, Luo Zhiyuan was transported to an immense grassland. A black metal arena, about ten kilometers long and wide, stood in the middle of it. While Luo Zhiyuan was selecting his weapons and equipment, his opponent appeared at one end of the arena: a Planetary Level Nine Spirit Reader.

Luo Zhiyuan picked the Lightning Shuttle. He could only choose battle armor of his own level, so he selected a white First-Order Force Battle Suit.

The Spirit Reader on the arena patiently waited without urging him. Only after Luo Zhiyuan had suited up and stepped onto the other side of the arena did the man say arrogantly, "Your first time in the Battle Space? What bad luck, running into me. This is my third match, too. Once I beat you, I'll be promoted to two stars. I hope you have better luck next time."

"Uh..." Luo Zhiyuan didn't know what to say for a moment. All he could manage was, "All right. Good luck to you, too."

The Spirit Reader across from him waved his hand, controlling a second-order Telekinetic Weapon as it shot toward Luo Zhiyuan. Luo Zhiyuan stepped onto the Lightning Shuttle and instantly surged five kilometers forward and to the left at high speed. At the same time, he unleashed a Mental Shock at his opponent, blending twenty strands of mental force together. He was just about to keep controlling the Lightning Shuttle and press his attack when the Spirit Reader across from him suddenly lost consciousness and vanished from the arena.

What...? After leaving the Battle Space, Luo Zhiyuan still hadn't come around. He had thought that Spirit Reader would put up a fight. The man's speech before the match had even made him cautious, but he hadn't withstood a single Mental Shock.

Bulieni glanced at Luo Zhiyuan and asked calmly, "You won? What kind of opponent was he?"

Luo Zhiyuan came back to himself and said to Bulieni, "Didn't you say that any competent fighter would know some soul-defense techniques? How come the Spirit Reader Controller I fought couldn't even block one of my Mental Shocks?"

"Then he wasn't competent," Bulieni said disdainfully.

"Go on, keep fighting. You got lucky this time."

Luo Zhiyuan checked his match record. It read, "1 win, 0 losses. Planetary Level Nine Spirit Reader, Illusionist, two stars."

It seemed his previous opponent had some unusual qualities. Otherwise, one win wouldn't have promoted Luo Zhiyuan straight to two stars. Well, at least now he had many more opponents to choose from.

After thinking that over with satisfaction, Luo Zhiyuan picked another opponent, this time a two-star Martial Artist at the same level. He didn't even bother to check the man's name. There was no chance they'd meet again, so there was no point wasting brainpower on it.

His challenge was accepted quickly. This time, Luo Zhiyuan appeared directly at one end of the Battle Space arena. The Planetary Level Nine Martial Artist on the other side charged without a word. He didn't charge in a straight line, either. Instead, he zigzagged in a continuous Z-shaped pattern. He seemed to have plenty of combat experience; he was clearly trying to guard against a Spirit Reader's Telekinetic Weapon.

But Luo Zhiyuan used another Mental Shock, still blending twenty strands of mental force together. Using twenty times his Mental Power Amplitude put no strain on him, and he could still use twelve times the amplitude to control the Lightning Shuttle for high-speed flight and evasion. So he'd decided to open with a Mental Shock.

According to Bulieni, anyone who couldn't withstand Luo Zhiyuan's Mental Shock wasn't a competent fighter. There was no point fighting them, since they wouldn't give him any useful combat experience.

As a result, the ferocious Martial Artist charging at him lost consciousness under the attack, just like the previous opponent.

After more than a dozen fights like that, not a single opponent had managed to withstand even one of his Mental Shocks. He won fifteen matches in a row and was promoted to three stars, but Luo Zhiyuan had no desire to continue. None of the fights had felt like real combat; it all seemed like a waste of time. He might as well go back and keep practicing the Lightning Shuttle's Combat Secret Technique. He still hadn't trained its third form.

Luo Zhiyuan left the Killing Field's main hall with Bulieni and headed straight for the Killing Space. Along the way, Bulieni kept asking, "What's wrong, Luo? You're not going to keep fighting?"

As an intelligent life, Bulieni's identity in the Virtual Universe had replaced Luo Zhiyuan's Auxiliary Optical Computer. He knew Luo Zhiyuan had won fifteen matches in a row without losing once, so it wasn't as if a defeat had discouraged him. Why had he suddenly lost interest?

Luo Zhiyuan explained why. Bulieni only asked him one question: "Hmph. What's there to be proud of? Illusionists are difficult to deal with when they lack defensive techniques. For example, you—do you have any way to defend against Soul Secret Techniques?"

That left Luo Zhiyuan stumped. He didn't. The Yunmo Star Lineage's soul-defense secret technique required the user to change the nature of their Spiritual Force before they could cultivate it. He hadn't been cultivating for long enough to complete that transformation, so he didn't have a Soul Defense Secret Technique.

That meant Luo Zhiyuan wasn't a competent fighter either. But soul-defense secret techniques were usually closely guarded secrets of their respective lineages. With his current permissions, he couldn't even buy one in the Virtual Universe. So he couldn't blame the opponents who had failed to withstand his Mental Shock. He couldn't withstand one himself.

Once he understood the situation, Luo Zhiyuan didn't feel like returning to the Battle Space for now. He would keep practicing the Lightning Shuttle and Godly Evasion. They were the two combat methods he could rely on for now, and he still had plenty of room to improve in both. So he planned to reach their highest levels as soon as possible.

Bulieni certainly wouldn't object to Luo Zhiyuan cultivating. He would only remind him at the right time to leave the Virtual Universe and replenish the nutrients his body needed. As for the taste, Luo Zhiyuan's verdict was, "Bland and tasteless, but better than nothing."

So every time he returned to the Virtual Universe, Luo Zhiyuan would fight around ten matches in the Battle Space, taking out his frustration over the lack of good food and clearing his head. After all, every now and then, he could at least exchange a few words with an opponent.