Ai Chen

After Luo Zhiyuan finished speaking, a shimmering ripple of light appeared less than a hundred meters away, and a figure slowly emerged.

Luo Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow. This was...

Bulieni suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? The Law of Light and the Law of Time! This is a secret technique that combines two laws."

"Luo, this little fellow is only at the ninth level of Star Level. Her law comprehension may not be as advanced as yours, but her talent isn't far behind."

Luo Zhiyuan nodded, looking somewhat curious.

"How did you know I was here?"

Before the figure had fully come into view, a clear, melodious voice tinged with puzzlement rang out.

Then Luo Zhiyuan finally got a good look at the speaker.

She was a tall young woman wearing a white, feathered battle dress. In her hand, she held an ornate silver-gray longsword. Not only did gentle white flames dance along the blade, but it also constantly released powerful waves of the Law of Light, as if those gentle flames could suddenly erupt into a blazing inferno.

Bulieni told Luo Zhiyuan that it was a Tier 5 Force Weapon, the sort of weapon usually wielded only by those at World Lord Level. It seemed her background was no ordinary one.

A pair of white wings folded behind the young woman. Her short hair was neat and practical, and her small nose was delicately shaped. Her handsome little face bore a pair of large eyes, while a transparent crystal set between her brows gave off an alluring, faint glow. Her entire bearing was crisp and spirited.

In Luo Zhiyuan's eyes, her race had a look that fit Earthling standards of beauty. The wings behind her and the crystal between her brows added a touch of holiness and mystery, making her seem almost untouchable.

However, he didn't know what race she belonged to. There were simply too many human races in the universe.

"Take a guess. If you get it wrong, I'll tell you."

It wasn't every day Luo Zhiyuan met a beautiful woman who suited his taste. On impulse, he decided to tease this beauty from another race.

The young woman lifted her chin slightly, her face thoughtful, revealing a stretch of snowy-white neck. A moment later, she said with certainty, "You have a short-range Detector, don't you? It can detect my energy fluctuations?"

Snap!

Luo Zhiyuan snapped his fingers and said in surprise, "Hey, you got half of it right!"

"I do have a short-range Detector. I detected you as soon as you came over."

"But there's another reason, too. Want to take another guess?"

"No need. That's the reason." The young woman kept a straight face, sounding quite sure of herself.

She shook her head, looking a little regretful. "I didn't expect to run into someone here with a short-range Detector. Otherwise, I would've activated my Detector's signal-blocking function, and you wouldn't have found me."

"I'll remember that. I won't make the same mistake again."

Luo Zhiyuan raised a hand and wagged his index finger, putting on a serious expression. "Not quite. There's another very important reason. Even without a short-range Detector, I could still have found you."

The young woman stared at Luo Zhiyuan and insisted, "You couldn't. My Light Imperial Technique has already reached the entry level. Without a Detector, there's no way you could have found me."

Heh, so that secret technique was called Light Imperial Technique?

Luo Zhiyuan grinned, flashing his white teeth, and said confidently, "If you don't believe me, we can test it. Turn on your Detector's signal-blocking mode, and I'll still find you."

"Without using a Detector to detect you!"

"Fine."

As soon as she finished speaking, the young woman vanished from sight in front of Luo Zhiyuan once more.

A moment later, Luo Zhiyuan chuckled softly and said, "You're pretty confident. You only took one step back. Aren't you worried I guessed your position just by luck?"

The young woman appeared again where she had vanished.

This time, a clear look of surprise crossed her face. Even the crystal between her brows flashed brightly.

She sheathed the longsword at her waist, then walked toward him one step at a time, stopping fifty meters away.

The young woman frowned and tilted her head to the left. "My Detector didn't pick up any scanning waves just now. That means you really didn't use it."

"But how did you know where I was? My Light Imperial Technique has never failed against anyone at my level, let alone a Spirit Reader like you, who's only at the eighth level of Star Level."

Luo Zhiyuan spoke with the indulgent air of an elder praising a junior. "That's because you haven't met anyone stronger."

"The Light Imperial Technique you mentioned should be a Combat Secret Technique that combines the Law of Light and the Law of Time. The fact that you can use it means you're very talented. You're a genius."

"Generally speaking, hardly anyone at the ninth level of Star Level has law comprehension as advanced as yours. That's why they can't detect you."

Watching the young woman tilt her head and listen, Luo Zhiyuan gave a mischievous smile.

"By sheer coincidence, I've comprehended the same laws as you—the Law of Light and the Law of Time. But unlike you, I'm a greater genius, with more advanced law comprehension!"

"So I can clearly sense the distortions in the Law of Light and the Law of Time where you're hiding. That's the other reason I was able to find you."

The young woman pursed her lips, looking doubtful.

How could she just happen to meet someone who had comprehended the same laws as her—and had even comprehended them more deeply?

Her ancestor had said that among the Star Level cultivators in the Xuanyi Universe Kingdom, she was probably the most talented and had the highest level of cultivation. Even the core disciples the ruler had trained in the Xuanyi Secret Realm were inferior to her.

Seeing the obvious disbelief on the young woman's face, Luo Zhiyuan grinned smugly. "Don't believe me? Then take a look at my Combat Secret Technique."

With that, Luo Zhiyuan took a casual step to the side. At the same time, an identical figure abruptly appeared where he had been standing. The two Luo Zhiyuans looked at the young woman and smiled.

Time Flow.

The young woman's already large eyes widened even more, and her little mouth fell slightly open. What kind of secret technique was this?

How could there be two identical figures? From what she could sense, the one that had appeared afterward was clearly no illusion. Both were real people.

Instinctively, she grabbed the hilt of her sword, pulled her right foot back, and tensed her body, ready to strike and see which one was the real Luo Zhiyuan.

Seeing that she was about to attack, Luo Zhiyuan hurriedly said:

"Hey, what are you doing? Are you only trying to take my Radiance Stones now?"

The young woman stopped, pursing her lips again as she replied:

"Who's trying to take your Radiance Stones? I don't want them."

"Hey, what Combat Secret Technique are you using? How did you make two of yourself? I can tell that isn't a Phantom Body created with the Law of Space."

Only after the young woman stopped moving did Luo Zhiyuan continue. "That's the difference between us. This is a Combat Secret Technique that combines the Law of Light and the Law of Time. You can't sense the fluctuations of the laws, which means your law comprehension hasn't reached the required level."

The young woman's eyes lit up when she heard that. She was a natural combat genius and was fascinated by all kinds of Combat Secret Techniques. She had come to the Suonsai Secret Realm specifically to see more of them.

But her talent and level of cultivation were indeed exceptional. She had always used secret techniques to conceal herself as she watched from the sidelines wherever she sensed the fluctuations of a battle.

She had been in the Suonsai Secret Realm for quite some time, but few Combat Secret Techniques had caught her interest.

This was the first time in all that time that anyone had sensed her presence. And now this person was boasting that his talent surpassed hers, while showing her a strange secret technique she had never seen before. She was intensely intrigued.

"Talk is cheap. Fight me using that Combat Secret Technique. Beat me, and then you can say you're stronger than me!"

This time, Luo Zhiyuan pursed his lips and waved as he turned away. "Not interested. I came here to complete my trial mission. I need to find ten Radiance Stones, and fighting you would waste my time. I'm only halfway done."

"Okay, beautiful. Since you're not after my Radiance Stones, I'm leaving. Bye."

Seeing Luo Zhiyuan about to leave, the young woman instantly rushed in front of him and stared into his eyes. "I have Radiance Stones. Fight me ten times, and I'll give them to you."

Luo Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow. "How do you have Radiance Stones? How many?"

"I came here to gain experience and see more kinds of Combat Secret Techniques. After spending enough time here, I naturally found a few Radiance Stones. They looked rather unusual, so I kept them. I have six. That should be enough for you to complete your mission, right?"

Six? Luo Zhiyuan grinned.

"Bulieni, luck's on our side! Look, this is a great opportunity delivered right to us. I can finish your mission in one go, haha!"

Bulieni complained loudly, "Oh, this silly girl! Why is she so eager to hand him a good deal? It makes no sense!"

Luo Zhiyuan reassured Bulieni, "Bulieni, your goal is just to help me gain combat experience, right? You said yourself she's talented and has an unusual background."

"Most adventurers aren't as strong as she is. I should gain even more experience fighting her. That's a good thing."

Grinning from ear to ear, Luo Zhiyuan said to the young woman, "All right, it's a deal! You give me the Radiance Stones, and I'll fight you a few times."

Without hesitation, the young woman promptly took six Radiance Stones out of her storage device and handed them to Luo Zhiyuan.

Luo Zhiyuan happily accepted them. "My name's Zhiyuan, and I'm from the Xuantong Race. This is my Virtual Universe contact number: XXX. Let's arrange a match in the Virtual Universe's Battle Space. What's your name, and what's your contact number?"

The young woman brushed aside a few short strands of hair that had fallen in front of her face. Her voice was clear as she replied, "Ai Chen, Mengluo Wing Race. My contact number is XXX."

Luo Zhiyuan found the name strangely familiar. He paused, tilted his head, and thought hard. Then his eyes suddenly widened. He remembered who she was!

P.S. Brothers, we've earned a third honor! One thousand bookmarks, haha! I'm so happy!

By the way, yesterday's prize quiz is over. You're all amazing—was my hint really that obvious? You guessed it so quickly!

All right, congratulations to the reader "Day Doesn't Understand Night's Black," the first brother to guess correctly. When that major supporting character appears later, I'll make a separate post, and you can put the name you came up with in the comments.

Also, I'm in agony over how late this chapter is. You have no idea—I wrote and rewrote it, editing it more than twenty times in total.

So, in recognition of all that effort, everyone, how about showing some love with bookmarks, recommendation tickets, and tips?