The Luo Family, Virtual Training Room
For the past two and a half months, this had become his only "home." Except for the mandatory logoff every seven days to get some real sleep, he had practically glued himself to this virtual space, devoting all his attention to mastering the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon. Even his fingertips still glimmered with traces of its fading arcane light.
"Cultivation really does raise the upper limit of how much you can grind." Tang Ping occasionally rolled his wrist between sword flights, feeling the Spiritual Telekinesis surging through him.
In the past, staying up late to work on a project would leave him groggy and drained. Now, even after working nonstop for dozens of days, his mind remained sharp enough to track every strand of Origin Force as it flowed. The leap in his stamina and strength left him marveling to himself.
But none of that effort had gone to waste. When he focused inward, the progress bar for the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon immediately appeared in his mind: (60/10000000).
Behind those numbers was his rapidly improving mastery of the Tier 3 Telekinetic Weapon, the Sky-Splitting Sword. Twelve little swords gleaming with silver light hovered around him, circling as if they were alive.
At a thought, the swords could instantly form a deadly array. Even the air in the direction of their tips seemed to split, leaving behind faint whistling sounds.
He was most pleased with the first level of the Planetary Rank offensive technique, "Gale Thrust."
He raised a hand and grasped at empty air. The twelve little swords abruptly merged into one translucent longsword, its blade wrapped in pale green wind patterns and purple arcs of lightning.
With a slight flick of his wrist, the sword shot toward a distant test target with a piercing shriek. There was no earth-shaking boom, only a tiny crack where the target had been pierced clean through—and attack data that appeared on the system panel: "Planetary Rank Level 3, 36x attack amplification, force approximately 36 million jin."
"That's some pretty terrifying force." Tang Ping recalled the sword, the breeze from its flight still lingering on his fingertips. But more than its attack power, he cared about another surprise: his progress with flight and evasion techniques.
The Wind-Thunder Wings slowly unfurled behind him. Fine energy patterns covered their blue-and-purple membranes, which trembled gently like a butterfly's wings.
At first, he'd assumed it was simply a matter of the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon's affinity with the Wind-Thunder Wings. Later, he realized that his talent for evasion techniques might have been fully awakened by his deep-seated obsession with speed.
Now, he focused his mind and began testing three different flight modes:
First, he relied solely on Spiritual Telekinesis, without using a magnetic field or the Sky-Escaping Shuttle.
His figure blurred, and he swept across the Cultivation Room as a streak of shadow. The system timer showed his speed had reached 1,200 meters per second—the limit for an ordinary Planetary Rank Level 3 Spirit Reader.
Second, he combined a magnetic field with Spiritual Telekinesis, the standard approach for most Planetary Rank powerhouses.
The Wind-Thunder Wings beat softly, and Tang Ping's figure instantly blurred. All he could hear was the air tearing past him as his speed surged to 1,800 meters per second.
Third, he went all out.
The Wind-Thunder Wings snapped taut. The patterns on their membranes blazed with dazzling light as he drove both the magnetic field and his Spiritual Telekinesis to their limits!
Tang Ping's figure became almost a streak of Flowing Light, his path through the Cultivation Room trailing a faint purple flame. At last, the number that appeared on the system panel made even him stare: "5,400 meters per second."
"The faster you go, the more the air resistance feels like an invisible wall." Tang Ping slowed to a stop, his chest rising and falling slightly.
He knew better than anyone that going from 1,200 to 5,400 meters per second wasn't a simple matter of adding numbers. It was a huge leap that broke through layer upon layer of resistance. Even many Planetary Level Peak powerhouses might not be capable of such terrifying speed.
His agility was even more impressive.
He tried changing direction abruptly at 5,400 meters per second. The Wind-Thunder Wings adjusted like nimble rudders, and his figure carved a sharp arc through the air. Even the energy membrane around the virtual space rippled.
But the instant he changed direction, his blood and qi churned and his muscles began to ache faintly. It was a sign that his physical body couldn't keep up with his speed.
"Looks like I'll have to save up some resources and toughen up my body, too." He rubbed his shoulder, already making plans.
If his body could keep up, he was confident that, within the Planetary Rank, as long as he had room to maneuver, almost no one would be able to lock onto him when he used his ultrafast, erratic changes of direction.
Tang Ping hovered in the middle of the Cultivation Room, looking down at the gleaming Wind-Thunder Wings behind him. Their light reflected in his eyes, filling him with a sense of security he'd never felt before.
He could even picture what lay ahead: once his Sky-Splitting Sword reached the second level and took the form of sword wings that merged with the Wind-Thunder Wings, his speed would climb another notch.
"I really am a professional when it comes to running away. Maybe they'll start calling me Tang Run-Run." He couldn't help grinning.
As for why he wasn't improving his cultivation first, Tang Ping knew the answer better than anyone: the Origin Force in the residential district was too weak. Even sitting in meditation to cultivate felt like squeezing toothpaste from a tube.
He'd once made a rough estimate. If he relied only on absorbing Origin Force while meditating, it would take at least several decades to go from Planetary Rank Level 3 to Level 9 Peak.
Several decades? What a waste!
Rather than spend all that time raising his cultivation, he'd be better off perfecting his secret techniques. Maybe he'd even comprehend a domain and become invincible at the Planetary Rank. Then he could use the Luo Family's reward to buy resources and make a single leap straight to Planetary Level Peak.
Now that was what you called getting the most bang for your buck!
With that thought, he clenched his fist again. The twelve little swords around him lit up, and the faint sounds of his secret technique circulating once more filled the pale blue Cultivation Room.
The plan was working perfectly.
After another half hour of grinding, Tang Ping didn't feel the least bit tired. If anything, he was getting more energized by the minute.
Watching the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon's progress bar inch forward steadily in his mind, and imagining himself one day holding a star-system territory and crushing his peers in battle, he couldn't stop smiling.
This visible progress was even more addictive than staying up late to finish a project for a bonus. Even his fingers moved more lightly as he controlled the Sky-Splitting Sword.
In his spare moments, his mind inevitably wandered. Once he was strong enough, should he travel through the territories of the different races? If he married a hundred beauties from the Alien Races, would people call him an "interstellar stud"?
Then he rubbed his chin, reconsidering. If he really married that many, wouldn't he have to live on supplements? His lewd buddy Liu Hui had told him some Alien Races were known as "juicers," and ordinary human men couldn't handle them.
While he was lost in thought, a clear notification chime suddenly rang through the virtual space.
"Ding~ You've received a call request from a Special Contact."
Tang Ping's lips instantly curled into a sly smile. There was only one name on his Special Contacts list: Luo Xiaoyu. Given the timing, the application for a star-system territory had probably been approved.
The thought of one day controlling a territory comparable in size to the Solar System, spanning a light-year, set his heart ablaze. Beneath that stretch of stars, he'd be the one calling the shots, free to do whatever he wanted.
The sea was vast enough for fish to leap, and the sky high enough for birds to soar!
He tapped the screen. The instant he accepted the call, a virtual image appeared in the center of the Cultivation Room.
Luo Xiaoyu stood there in a pale moon-white training outfit that showed off her well-proportioned figure. The fabric hugged her shoulders, outlining smooth, understated muscle. She had clearly just finished training; faint traces of Origin Force still glimmered on her lapels.
She wore no accessories. Her dark hair was tied back with a plain ribbon, a few loose strands falling beside her cheeks without disturbing her cool air.
"Tang Ping, our territory application has been approved." Her voice was clear and cool, like water striking stone, without a hint of excess emotion.
"The family wants us to set off in seven days. Come with me to the Luo Family's territory hall at two this afternoon. Ancestor Luo Ping wants to speak to those of us who've served the family."
Tang Ping immediately dropped his joking manner and answered solemnly, imitating the way he used to respond to instructions from a manager at work. "Understood!"
"Mm."
After that single syllable, Luo Xiaoyu's virtual image vanished without the slightest delay. Even the call-ending chime sounded unusually crisp.
Tang Ping looked at the empty space and smiled. "Still in such a hurry. Does she think one extra word is a waste of time?"
Still, compared to women who put on airs, her directness was much more to his taste.
He raised a hand and called back the twelve Sky-Splitting Swords. With a thought, he left the virtual world.
Perfect timing. He could see what kind of promises the old ancestor was going to make to these "Newly Promoted Lords."
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