Heading to the Ruins

After exiting the Virtual Universe, Chen Yuan took a shower to wash away the black grime expelled during his body's transformation. Once dressed, he shouldered his backpack and dialed Jiang Fang's number.

"What? You're asking for leave again!" Jiang Fang's surprised voice came from the other end. "What are you doing this time?"

"Teacher Jiang, my strength has already reached the Intermediate War God level. I will soon be able to break through to the Planetary level by consuming a Wood Bud Crystal," Chen Yuan said over the phone. "I want to visit Ancient Civilization Ruin No. 9 before I make that breakthrough."

That was correct. After some investigation, Chen Yuan had learned that Ancient Civilization Ruin No. 9 was still open and continued to produce the "Black God Set."

"What? Ancient Civilization Ruin No. 9?!" Jiang Fang's tone turned noticeably grave. "Why would you think of going there? You should know that ruin is not one hundred percent safe. Even for War God level martial artists, there is at least a thirty percent mortality rate."

"I know the risks, Teacher Jiang, but I have a reason I must go," Chen Yuan said firmly. "Besides, my Gale Sword Art has reached the Perfect Level. You should know what that implies."

"Gale Sword Art at the Perfect Level..." Jiang Fang repeated in a low voice. As Chen Yuan's instructor, she knew exactly what kind of strength that implied.

With a five-fold force amplification and movement speed comparable to a Planetary level expert, Chen Yuan had reached the limit in every aspect for an Apprentice level martial artist. Such a configuration was rare to see, even on Earth today.

Based on Jiang Fang's assessment, even if Luo Hai were to unleash his full strength, he might no longer be a match for Chen Yuan.

Therefore, the purpose of Chen Yuan telling her this was precisely to demonstrate that his strength was already sufficient to face the dangers within the ruin.

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Fang agreed to the leave.

"Then could you please do me one more favor? Help me book the entry qualification for Ruin No. 9 through the Dojo. I would like to depart as soon as possible," Chen Yuan requested.

Although, in theory, any War God level martial artist was eligible to enter the ruins, times had changed. As the only ruin on Earth that produced the Black God Set, it remained a magnet for many War God martial artists, despite the thirty percent mortality rate.

After all, while the Black God Set could now be purchased from the universe, one had to realize that even in the universe, many Planetary level martial artists could not afford Force Battle Suits, let alone Apprentices, who could save their entire lives and still not have enough to buy one.

Therefore, even though the Black God Set meant little to Earthlings above the Planetary level, it remained an extremely precious treasure for War God level martial artists. Especially after Luo Feng gifted the Purple Light Dew to Earth, the number of War God level martial artists had surged dozens of times, forcing the Dojo to strictly control entry qualifications for Ruin No. 9.

Although Chen Yuan, as a student of the Elite Training Camp, would certainly be approved upon application, it would still take time to process the paperwork. With the help of a training camp instructor, he could skip many tedious steps and greatly increase efficiency.

"You brat... fine, wait for my news." Upon hearing this request, Jiang Fang laughed and scolded him before hanging up.

Chen Yuan waited patiently. About an hour later, Jiang Fang called back: "Your entry qualification for the ruin has been approved. It just so happens that a batch of martial artists is entering tomorrow."

"Tomorrow morning, go directly to the Limit Dojo Global Headquarters in Hongning Base City to assemble. A smart fighter jet will take your group to Ruin No. 9."

"Understood, thank you, Teacher Jiang," Chen Yuan thanked her politely.

With the qualification in hand, Chen Yuan did not feel overly excited; he had already finished packing.

Since the use of the Black God Set was prohibited inside Ruin No. 9, Chen Yuan left his set in the basement of his villa before leaving the training camp and heading to the main urban area of Hongning Base City.

In the evening, Chen Yuan checked into a hotel near the Limit Dojo headquarters and entered the Virtual Space Trial Tower via his auxiliary optical brain.

That was right—he entered via his auxiliary optical brain, not the consciousness induction helmet.

After all, as a higher-end piece of virtual equipment than the helmet, the auxiliary optical brain was connected to the entire Virtual Universe network; connecting to the virtual space of a mere Earth regional network was effortless.

Chen Yuan spent the entire night in the Trial Tower. He had already reached the fifth floor and was rapidly clearing stages A and B.

The monsters on the fifth floor of the Trial Tower were called "Silver Moon Dire Wolves," also known as Hunters. They were famous monsters characterized by high attack power and extreme speed. Each one was a natural assassin, ranking among the top in terms of individual strength for solitary monsters.

But to Chen Yuan, they posed no threat. After all, no matter how high a Silver Moon Dire Wolf's attack was, it was useless if it couldn't hit him. And as for speed, could they possibly be faster than him?

So, even when facing the 100 or 200 Silver Moon Dire Wolves in stages A and B, as long as he could penetrate their defenses, Chen Yuan felt no pressure, clearing the stages easily with one sword strike per wolf.

However, starting from the third stage, the opponents became tricky. The main issue was that these monsters no longer charged blindly like those on the previous two floors. The Silver Moon Dire Wolves in stage C coordinated perfectly and had learned guerrilla tactics. They scattered, and whenever Chen Yuan attacked, they would retreat while other monsters flanked him for sneak attacks.

Consequently, Chen Yuan's progress stalled again. By the time the timer ran out, his Trial Tower rating was fixed at 5.7.

The night ended, and Chen Yuan's Trial Tower rating remained unchanged. Seeing that the assembly time was approaching, he had no choice but to leave the virtual space, pack his belongings, and head to the headquarters.

The Limit Dojo Global Headquarters was a magnificent building shaped like an ancient giant spaceship. After Chen Yuan entered and identified himself, he was led by a staff member to a lounge.

Chen Yuan observed his surroundings; there were eight people resting and waiting in the room, including four of Chinese descent, three white people, and one black person.

These individuals were very quiet. It was clear they didn't seem to know each other. They sat in their seats waiting silently, and even when they saw Chen Yuan enter, they only nodded slightly without coming over to strike up a conversation.

Chen Yuan was happy with that. He found a seat and sat down. He hadn't been sitting for long when a handsome young man of about thirty years old walked in, clapped his hands, and said, "Perfect, all nine of you are here. Follow me."

So I was the last one to arrive? Chen Yuan was slightly stunned. He quickly rose from his seat and followed the young man out of the lounge.

On the way, the handsome young man introduced himself—his name was Liu He, a Patrol Envoy of the Limit Dojo and the leader taking them to Ancient Civilization Ruin No. 9 this time.

So he is Liu He? Chen Yuan had encountered another character from the original story. Out of curiosity, he quietly released his power of mind to sense the life force of the group.

Huh, this group is actually all Advanced War Gods, and I'm the only Intermediate War God. Chen Yuan was surprised that his strength was the lowest, but upon reflection, given the fame of Ruin No. 9, there were likely many War Gods applying for qualifications, and the Dojo would naturally select the best of the best.

If Chen Yuan didn't have the status of a training camp student, applying for the qualification probably wouldn't have been so simple.

Chen Yuan quietly sensed Liu He's aura and was secretly shocked: This life force is at least Planetary level stage eight, perhaps even at the peak. Are the Patrol Envoys of the Limit Dojo all this strong?

Previously, when facing Patrol Envoy Wang, Chen Yuan's consciousness strength hadn't been high enough to discern the level of the other's strength. Now he knew: that Patrol Envoy Wang was no less formidable than Liu He; he was likely also a peak Planetary level existence.

Patrol Envoy Liu He remained completely unaware of Chen Yuan's probing with his power of mind. He led the group to the tarmac, where they arrived in front of a deep-red triangular fighter jet. As the cabin door opened, the group filed inside.

Whoosh! The Qiankun-class fighter jet took off and quickly flew toward the direction of Ancient Civilization Ruin No. 9.