Planet-Destroying Combat Power

Once his excitement had passed, Tang Ping scoured his contacts, but couldn't find anyone else to brag to.

Luo Xiaoyu was in seclusion and wouldn't answer him, while Liu Hui could only call him a "beast." In the end, he had to suppress his excitement and head straight to the Luo Family Ancestral Hall to certify his strength.

In two and a half years, he had gone from Apprentice Rank all the way to Star Rank. That pace made him a once-in-a-generation genius even by the Luo Family's standards.

And on top of that, he had advanced his Wind-Thunder Domain to the second level. Babata, who was in charge of certifying his strength, stared at him in astonishment and handed out a reward on the spot.

"Not bad. You haven't disgraced Falling Ink Star. Here's thirty million Black Dragon Coins. Use it to improve your strength."

Tang Ping looked at the huge new sum in his account and felt great.

Counting his remaining funds and stocks, the combined investment assets he and Luo Xiaoyu held as a married couple had soared to 562 million Black Dragon Coins. Their annual stock dividends alone came to 56.2 million—enough for the two of them to "spend their way" through the Star Rank without worrying about resources.

He happily ran the numbers in his head. At this rate, the two of them would reach the peak of Star Rank in less than ten years.

With strength like that, they could join any major power in the universe and land a position as a guard captain, drawing a steady salary each year and occasionally accompanying their employer on an interstellar cargo run.

The routes used by those major powers had been tested for thousands, even tens of thousands of years. As long as they weren't catastrophically unlucky, nothing would go wrong. It was a very secure way to live.

As for joining the Universe Mercenary Alliance to explore secret realms like other Star Rank adventurers? Tang Ping shook his head without even considering it.

Secret realms were full of dangers, and entire teams could be wiped out in the blink of an eye. Even if someone like Luo Feng had made an Undying's fortune by exploring them, Tang Ping didn't want to take that risk.

His ultimate dream was to live comfortably in the Luo Family until he reached Undying.

For now, though, he had just broken through to Star Rank. The most important thing was to get a feel for his strength so he wouldn't panic if he ever found himself in a real fight.

Tang Ping immediately set off for Planet Three in the Black Dragon Mountain X4396 star system.

It was one of the planets in the system with the fewest gales and thunderstorms. Even so, ordinary Planet Rank warriors couldn't withstand the harsh environment. Only those at Star Rank could barely hold out.

Of course, those lofty Star Rank experts wouldn't come here to do low-level work like mining unless they were digging for a top-tier resource like Universe Crystals.

He chose an empty wasteland in a remote part of the planet. Black light flashed around him as he changed into the Tier 3 Force Battle Suit Babata had given him. He had just finished binding himself to it. It could withstand ninety percent of an Universe Level expert's attack power and change its shape at will.

Tang Ping had specially set it to resemble the "Dark Patience" outfit from the game. The black clothing covered him from head to toe, hiding even his appearance and aura. It was perfect for testing his techniques out in the wilderness.

"That should do it. Let's begin."

With a thought, dozens of colorless long swords appeared out of thin air and hovered around him. He took a deep breath, and the Wind-Thunder Wings suddenly unfurled behind him. Pale green wind patterns and purple lightning intertwined, carrying him into the sky in an instant.

"Whoosh!"

A streak of indistinct lightning flashed across the sky, and Tang Ping vanished from where he stood.

He circulated the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon, his black-clad figure darting across the vast sky above the planet. At times he nimbly dodged through the gales; at others he plunged into thunderclouds to absorb their lightning. He moved so quickly that only a blur remained.

Now and then, miners below glanced up and thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. They rubbed their eyes and muttered, "Was that a black lightning bolt just now?"

After some time, Tang Ping steadied himself and landed on a massive boulder. He was breathing slightly hard, but excitement gleamed in his eyes. "That speed is incredible!"

He immediately summoned the artificial intelligence, Xiao Ai. "Calculate my top speed just now."

[Beep, analysis complete. Top speed: 28 kilometers per second.]

Tang Ping nodded. It was about what he'd estimated. The basic flight speed at Star Rank was 10 kilometers per second. The Wind-Thunder Wings doubled that, and the second-level Fusion Domain added another forty percent, bringing him to that figure.

He did the math in his head: 28 kilometers per second was about eighty-two times the speed of sound on Earth. He could circle the planet in just over twenty minutes.

That was only his standard speed. If he used the Star Rank flight technique from the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon, he could go even faster. He just hadn't had time to practice it yet.

No wonder people called Star Rank "planet-destroying combat power." The speed was absurd. His opponent might see his shadow one moment and get slapped the next, without even a chance to react.

"When my Mental Power Amplitude reaches the second level and I can use the Sword Escape technique from the Wind-Thunder Secret Canon, I can mount the Wind-Thunder Wings on my sword wings. That speed will be even more terrifying." Tang Ping grew more excited the more he thought about it.

After testing his speed, it was time to test his strength.

Tang Ping walked over to the massive boulder where he'd landed and took a deep breath. Energy suddenly erupted around him. Instead of punching it directly, he channeled his Spiritual Telekinesis and controlled the hovering colorless long swords, sending them crashing down onto the boulder!

"Boom!"

With a deafening crash, the boulder, dozens of meters across, was instantly reduced to dust. Sword energy smashed a bottomless pit into the ground, and the surrounding sand was swept up by the shock wave, forming a circular wall of air.

Xiao Ai's voice rang out again:

[Beep, strength test complete. Final force: approximately 6,804,000,000 jin, or 3.4 million metric tons.]

Hearing the figure, Tang Ping himself was stunned. He had known he'd be strong, but he hadn't expected to be this powerful.

Still, it made sense. The basic strength of someone at Star Rank was 90 million jin. That was multiplied by his eighteenfold Mental Power Amplitude, the Tier 3 Telekinetic Weapon's threefold boost, and the second-level Fusion Domain's forty-percent increase,

Yet at that moment, comparisons he'd learned about before involuntarily surfaced in his mind. An average adult could punch with only fifty to a hundred kilograms of force, and even a top boxer's heavy punch was only around two hundred kilograms. 3.4 million metric tons was equivalent to seventeen million top boxers punching at once. The largest industrial crane could lift only 40,000 tons; it would take eighty-five of them working together to match him.

Even the combined force of thirty-four tactical nuclear bombs, each with a yield of 1,000 tons, could only just reach that level. It would be enough to instantly blast out a crater one kilometer wide and a hundred meters deep, flattening every building within ten kilometers.

"This is what planet-destroying combat power really looks like..." Tang Ping gazed at the enormous crater and marveled.

After finishing the strength test, Tang Ping was in such a good mood that he couldn't help whistling all the way home.

3.4 million metric tons of force, a speed of 28 kilometers per second, and 562 million in assets sitting in his account. Life was just wonderful.

As he passed the guard post at Storm Port, the guards had barely begun greeting him with "Greetings, Governor" when Tang Ping waved a hand and used his Personal Terminal to transfer ten thousand Silver Blue Coins to each of them. "I'm in a good mood today, so here's a little bonus for everyone. Buy yourselves some good food and drink!"

The guards froze. Seeing the money that had suddenly appeared in their accounts, they hurriedly thanked him in unison. "Thank you, Governor!"

Even the servant sweeping nearby and the gardener tending the flowers received ten thousand Silver Blue Coins apiece if they greeted him.

For a while, all anyone could hear around Storm Port was, "The Governor is so generous!"

Tang Ping felt even better hearing it.

This was the life of the rich. Simple, yet luxurious.

Still, no matter how good he felt, it seemed like something was missing when he had no one to share it with.

Tang Ping figured he had to let Luo Xiaoyu know about his "glorious achievement," so he took the freshly printed Combat Power Test Report and squatted outside her Cultivation Room.

He stayed there for three days.

At last, she came out, and he got to show off properly. The two of them also sparred.

This time, Luo Xiaoyu, a second-level Star Rank martial artist, was thoroughly defeated and accepted the result wholeheartedly.

The weather's suddenly turned cold, so everyone should take good care of the people they love.