Clearing the Third Level

Gulanxiu naturally never imagined that his attempt to break through this level would be watched by several King-level experts!

At this moment, he had just selected his opponent on the third floor, and unsurprisingly, he chose the warrior path once again.

As always, striking first was key, and Gulanxiu raised his giant axe to chop at the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper, unwilling to be outdone, swung his axe back in a counterstrike.

With a thunderous "Boom!" both were sent flying backward from the shock, their first exchange ending in a deadlock.

Midair, Gulanxiu twisted his body, barely steadying himself before charging at the gatekeeper once more.

The gatekeeper retaliated with equal ferocity, swinging back! "Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!" The air roared with relentless clashes!

After a moment, they separated again, panting heavily while standing dozens of meters apart.

The gatekeeper spoke in a low, hoarse voice: "I admit your strength is decent, managing to tie with me. But that's still not enough. Go back and train for a few more years before trying this level again!"

Gulanxiu shook his head and said, "I still have one more strike for you to judge! If you can withstand this blow, I'll turn and leave without another word!"

The gatekeeper nodded and replied, "Use whatever trump card you have! I hope you can pass this level!"

Gulanxiu nodded, gripped his giant axe horizontally, and spun his entire body as he swung toward the gatekeeper.

As he spun, the space around his axe blade twisted ever so slightly.

Seeing this move, the gatekeeper's expression shifted. He moved swiftly, leaving dozens of afterimages in his wake, realizing he couldn't block Gulanxiu's strike head-on. Instead, he aimed to win with speed, killing Gulanxiu before Gulanxiu could kill him.

But at that moment, Gulanxiu twisted his wrist, and with a sharp "Clang!" he miraculously parried the gatekeeper's rapid assault.

The terrifying axe blade, carrying a spatial cut, instantly severed the gatekeeper's weapon and spread up his arm, shredding him into a pulp in an instant.

Gulanxiu gasped for air and muttered to himself, "What a tough opponent! Luckily, his speed was within my limits, so I got through the third level without a hitch! Now let's see how strong the fourth level is!"

With that, he left the third floor and headed to the fourth. Moments later, the gatekeeper of the fourth level appeared before Gulanxiu.

This time, Gulanxiu wasn't so fortunate. Facing nearly a hundred gatekeeper phantoms, he could barely defend himself. After enduring just three attacks, he was killed and ejected from the Virtual Universe.

Back on the Giant Axe Sky Bridge, seeing that Gulanxiu had finished his challenge, the several King-level experts bid farewell to Barbarian Hammer King.

Light Sword King said to Barbarian Hammer King, "Barbarian Hammer! We'll take our leave now! If you hold a banquet later, don't forget to notify us!"

Barbarian Hammer King replied with a smile, "Don't worry! I'll make sure to drink a few extra cups with you, Light Sword!"

The other two King-level experts nodded at Barbarian Hammer King and vanished from the Sky Bridge.

Barbarian Hammer King said to Bafen, "Bafen! Give me my disciple's Virtual Universe ID! I need to send him an email!"

Bafen nodded and said, "Don't worry! I've already sent it to you!"

Barbarian Hammer King nodded and said, "Good! Then I'll take my leave!" With that, he too disappeared.

Now, only the guardian Bafen remained on the vast Sky Bridge plane. He muttered to himself, "Passing the third level of the Sky Bridge in ten years in Chaos City—this kid is indeed impressive! Twenty years ago, only ten of those little ones from the Virtual Universe Company's Strongman Battle had cleared the third level. Let me send a message to those kids and see if it can motivate them!"

With that, he broadcast the news of Gulanxiu's third-level clearance to the over nine hundred Cosmic-level cultivators from before.

Yes, after twenty years of hard training in Chaos City, ten of the Cosmic-level geniuses from this Virtual Universe Company's Strongman Battle had already cleared the third level of the Sky Bridge.

That might seem decent—after all, only seven from Luo Feng's Genius Battle generation had cleared the third level when they left Chaos City. In this Strongman Battle, ten had done it in just twenty years.

But don't forget the difference in base cultivation between the Genius Battle and the Strongman Battle. Though neither group had undergone systematic training, the Genius Battle members were all Star Level, and even after breaking through to Cosmic Level, they lacked sufficient accumulation.

In contrast, some Strongman Battle members had lingered at Cosmic Level for tens of thousands of years. Even without systematic training, their foundational accumulation far surpassed that of the Genius Battle members.

For instance, among the thousand Strongman Battle members entering Chaos City, over three hundred had already cleared the first level of the Sky Bridge, and seven had cleared the second. With such a foundation, their training progress naturally outpaced that of the Genius Battle members.

In an elegant room, a woman as ethereal as a celestial being suddenly opened her eyes and said, "An email from Lord Bafen?"

"Gulanxiu, a Cosmic-level member of the Axe Fighting Arena's Fourth Secret Realm, cleared the third level of the Giant Axe Sky Bridge in ten years in Chaos City!"

After a brief glance, a flicker of surprise crossed the woman's eyes. She spoke in a melodious voice, "Gulanxiu? Only ten years to clear the third level, and he's just in the Fourth Secret Realm of the Axe Fighting Arena? If he had joined the Cosmic Peak Strongman Battle, he might have made it into the Primordial Secret Realm!"

You see, due to her presence, this Virtual Universe Company's Peak Strongman Battle had an extra slot for the Primordial Secret Realm. Another genius who entered the Primordial Secret Realm alongside her had only cleared the third level of the Sky Bridge in his ninth year in Chaos City, a performance comparable to Gulanxiu's.

But the woman was only momentarily surprised before dismissing it. Partly because she was naturally indifferent and rarely swayed by external matters, and partly because, while Gulanxiu's performance was decent, it still fell far short of hers!

After all, her emergence had drawn the attention of the Human Race's upper echelons. Though her cultivation speed was slower than those once-in-a-million-epoch geniuses, her talent for cultivating both time and space, along with a will far surpassing her peers, made her even more valuable in their eyes.

And she lived up to expectations. Upon entering Chaos City, she had already cleared the fifth level of the Cosmic Sky Bridge and was taken as a disciple by a super-existence of the Virtual Universe Company. By her fifteenth year in Chaos City, she had cleared the seventh level, with hopes of clearing the eighth before leaving.

It could be said that all contemporary Human Race geniuses paled in comparison to her. Her only rivals were the legendary prodigies of Human history.

In a courtyard not far from Gulanxiu's, a human with two antennae on his head suddenly exclaimed in shock, "What? Clearing the third level in ten years? That's about the same as me! Good thing he didn't join this Strongman Battle, or I might not have secured second place!"

This man was Xiusite, the second-place finisher of this Strongman Battle. Because this battle had produced a peerless genius, the Virtual Universe Company had opened an extra slot for the Primordial Secret Realm, allowing Xiusite to enter.

Nine years after entering the Initial Universe, Xiusite had successfully cleared the third level of the Sky Bridge and become a disciple of a master. He had always considered himself the second-best genius of this generation, but now Gulanxiu had appeared. Though Gulanxiu wasn't a member of the Virtual Universe Company, his entry into Chaos City was nearly simultaneous, sparking a sense of rivalry in Xiusite.

Xiusite muttered to himself, "Surpassing Yunmiao? I won't even think about that. But Gulanxiu, I will never let you surpass me!!!"