10 Times the Speed of Sound

Luo Family, Virtual Training Room

For the past two and a half months, this place had become his only "habitat." Aside from the mandatory logout every seven days to replenish physiological sleep, he had practically nailed himself into this virtual space. All his focus was poured into the progress of the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon, to the point where his fingertips were still stained with the lingering glow of the secret technique.

"Cultivation really does push the upper limit of one's 'grind'." Tang Ping would occasionally shake his wrists during the intervals of controlling his swords, feeling the Spiritual Telekinesis surging within his body.

In the past, pulling consecutive all-nighters for projects would leave him dizzy and muddled. Now, even after working non-stop for dozens of days, his consciousness remained clear enough to capture the trajectory of every wisp of Origin Force. This leap in endurance and intensity made him sigh with emotion in his heart.

But all the investment would not be in vain. When he focused his mind to look inward, the progress bar for the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon immediately appeared in his mind: (60/10,000,000).

Behind the numbers, his control over the Tier 3 Telekinetic Weapon, the Sky-Splitting Sword, had improved by leaps and bounds. Twelve small swords shimmering with silver light were currently suspended around him, circling and weaving as if they had lives of their own.

With just a single thought, the swarm of swords could instantly form a killing formation. The direction the sword tips pointed could even tear through the air, leaving behind faint, piercing whistles.

Among them, what satisfied him most was the first stage of the Planetary Rank offensive chapter, "Gale Thrust."

At this moment, he raised his hand in a hollow grip, and the twelve small swords suddenly merged into one, transforming into a translucent longsword. The blade was entwined with pale cyan wind patterns and purple lightning arcs.

As his wrist flicked, the longsword pierced toward the distant test target with a shrill screech. There was no earth-shattering boom, only the faint cracks where the target's center was instantly pierced, and the attack data that popped up on the system panel: "Planetary Rank Level 3, 36x attack amplification, force approximately 36 million jin."

"This force is truly frightening." Tang Ping retracted the longsword, the residual warmth of the sword wind still lingering on his fingertips. Of course, compared to attack power, he cared more about another surprise: the progress in his flight techniques.

The Wind-Thunder Wings behind his back slowly unfolded. The blue-purple wing membranes were covered in dense energy patterns, fluttering gently like butterfly wings.

At first, he thought it was just the compatibility between the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon and the Wind-Thunder Wings, but later he realized that perhaps it was his deep-seated obsession with "speed" at play, which had completely ignited his talent for evasion techniques.

At this moment, he focused his mind and began to test three flight states:

The first state: relying solely on Spiritual Telekinesis, without the aid of magnetic fields or the Sky-Escaping Shuttle.

His figure flickered, and he had already transformed into an afterimage streaking across the training room. The system timer showed his speed locked at 1,200 meters per second, which was already the limit for an ordinary Planetary Rank Level 3 Spirit Reader.

The second state: superimposing the magnetic field and Spiritual Telekinesis, which was the standard operation for most Planetary Rank powerhouses.

The Wind-Thunder Wings gave a light flap, and Tang Ping's figure instantly blurred. Nothing remained in his ears but the whistling of the air being torn apart, and his speed soared directly to 1,800 meters per second.

The third state: full-power burst.

The Wind-Thunder Wings suddenly went taut, the patterns on the wing membranes lit up with a blinding light, and both the magnetic field and Spiritual Telekinesis were pushed to their limits!

Tang Ping's figure almost turned into a stream of light, and the trajectory of his movement through the training room left behind pale purple exhaust trails. In the end, the number that popped up on the system panel made even him freeze: "5,400 meters per second."

"The faster the speed, the more 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 meters per second to 5,400 meters per second was by no means a simple addition of numbers. It was a limit-breaking leap that had pierced through layers of resistance; perhaps even many peak Planetary Rank powerhouses might not possess such terrifying speed.

What was even more rare was the agility.

He attempted to change direction abruptly while at a speed of 5,400 meters per second. The Wind-Thunder Wings adjusted their angle instantly like nimble rudders, and his figure carved a sharp arc in the air, causing even the energy light film of the virtual space to ripple.

However, the moment he changed direction, the blood in his body surged, and his muscles felt a faint soreness—a signal that his physical fitness could not keep up with his speed.

"Looks like I need to save up some resources and raise my physical strength as well." He rubbed his shoulders, a plan already forming in his mind.

If his physical fitness could keep up, he was confident that within the realm of the Planetary Rank, as long as he was given enough space to maneuver, no one could truly lock onto his figure thanks to his high-speed, disordered, multi-angle changes.

Tang Ping hovered in the center of the training room, looking down at the shining Wind-Thunder Wings behind him. The light from the wing membranes reflected in his eyes, bringing a sense of unprecedented peace of mind.

He could even imagine the future scenario: once his cultivation of the Sky-Splitting Sword reached the second level and condensed into sword wings to merge with the Wind-Thunder Wings, his speed would be able to reach yet another level.

"When it comes to running away, I really can be considered a professional. I wonder if I'll end up with the title of Tang Run-Run in the future." He couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips.

As for why he didn't prioritize raising his cultivation realm, Tang Ping knew better than anyone that the Origin Force concentration in the residential area was too low—so low that even sitting in meditation felt like "squeezing toothpaste."

He had roughly estimated that if he relied solely on meditation to absorb Origin Force, it would take at least several decades to break through from Planetary Rank Level 3 to the peak of Level 9.

Several decades? Too much of a waste!

Instead of wasting time on his realm, it was better to max out his secret technique combat power first. Perhaps he could even comprehend a domain and achieve invincibility at the Planetary Rank. By then, he could take the Luo Family's rewards to buy resources and charge straight to the peak of the Planetary Rank in one go.

That kind of cost-effectiveness was the highest!

Thinking of this, he clenched his fists again. The twelve small swords around him lit up with light once more, and in the pale blue training room, the faint sound of secret techniques in operation echoed again.

Plan successful.

After grinding for another hour, Tang Ping didn't feel tired at all; on the contrary, the more he practiced, the more energetic he became.

Watching the progress bar of the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon in his mind jump slowly but steadily, and thinking of the future scene where he would hold a star system territory and crush his peers in combat power, the smile on his lips never faded.

This kind of visible progress was even more addictive than pulling all-nighters to get bonuses on projects in the past, and even his movements controlling the Sky-Splitting Sword with his fingertips became a bit more lighthearted.

In his spare time, he couldn't help but let his mind wander: once he had enough strength in the future, should he go visit the territories of various races? If he married a hundred exotic beauties as companions, would he be cursed as an "interstellar stud"?

But then he touched his chin again; if he really married that many, wouldn't he have to soak in supplements every day? He had heard from his lecherous friend Liu Hui that some exotic races were known as "juicers," and ordinary human men simply couldn't handle it.

Just as he was lost in wild thoughts, a crisp notification sound suddenly rang out in the virtual space.

"Beep~ Your 'Special Concern' has sent a call request."

Tang Ping's mouth instantly curved into a crafty arc. In his special concern list, there was only one name from beginning to end: Luo Xiaoyu. Calculating the time, it was likely that there was a result regarding his application for the star system territory.

The moment he thought about being able to control a territory comparable to the Solar System, spanning one light-year, his heart burned with heat: under that starry sky, he would be the absolute master, doing whatever he wanted.

The sea is wide for fish to leap, the sky is high for birds to fly!

He tapped his fingertip, and the moment he connected the call, a virtual image floated in the center of the training room.

Luo Xiaoyu stood there, her moon-white training suit accentuating her slender yet well-proportioned frame, the fabric clinging to her shoulders to outline smooth, understated muscle definition; it was clear she had just finished training, as a faint, lingering halo of Origin Force still clung to her collar.

She wore no accessories, her ink-black hair tied back with a simple ribbon, with a few stray strands falling against her cheeks without ever diminishing her cold, detached aura.

"Tang Ping, our application for the territory has been approved." Her voice was as clear as spring water striking stone, devoid of any unnecessary emotional fluctuation.

"The family wants us to set off in seven days. Meet me at the Luo Family territory hall at two this afternoon; Old Ancestor Luo Ping wants to speak with those of us serving the family."

Tang Ping immediately set aside his playful mood, mimicking the tone he used to use when receiving orders from superiors back at the company, and replied solemnly: "Understood!"

"Mm."

With that single-syllable response, Luo Xiaoyu's holographic projection vanished into thin air without a moment's hesitation, the call ending with a sharp, crisp tone.

Tang Ping stared at the empty air and chuckled: "Still such a hurried temper; is saying one extra word really that much of a waste?"

However, compared to those affected and pretentious women, this straightforward and decisive personality was actually more to his liking.

He raised his hand to recall the twelve Sky-Splitting Swords, and with a flick of his mind, he exited the virtual world.

It was the perfect time to see what kind of empty promises that old ancestor intended to feed these "Newly Promoted Lords" this time.