Universe Trainee Mercenary

The B6 Transport Ship was pretty fast, but it would still take over half a month to reach Qiu Long Star. Chen Qing shut himself away in his cabin.

Over the past few years, he had finished cultivating the second and third levels of Creation. His Gene Multiplier had already reached the required level, and with the help of the Origin Core, cultivation had been fairly simple.

For the fourth level, he would have to grasp the essence of the Ten Great Laws. Success meant a thousandfold Gene Multiplier.

For the fifth level, he would have to earn the recognition of all the laws. Then, he could reach the perfect level of the Primal Universe!

The sixth level required comprehending the Eight Lower Laws, and the seventh required comprehending space and time. Those could wait until he became a World Lord.

His strength was now around eighty times normal, which was more than enough until he became a World Lord. All that remained was to find resources.

The hardest part now was earning his first pot of gold. He would have to explore Qiu Long Star thoroughly when he arrived, and tutoring might be a good place to start.

After planning his path, Chen Qing sat cross-legged and began cultivating. But aboard the transport ship, he didn't dare let himself fully immerse in his perceptions—not even in the laws. He simply focused quietly on the primal fluctuations.

At the headquarters of the Limit Dojo in Hongning City, the passing warriors took care to tread lightly. They respectfully eyed the beautiful woman standing at the entrance, with a hint of curiosity.

As Hong's former personal guard, Yao Rao had watched over his legacy ever since he left. It was rare for her to see her in person here.

"Who's coming? Who's made her wait here?"

"Who knows!"

Ignoring the chatter around her, Yao Rao thought about how, after all these years, she could count on one hand the people she could talk to. It was rare for her good friend to visit today.

Before long, she saw a graceful figure walk in from outside. Yao Rao stood up with a smile and embraced the woman.

"Well, you've filled out a bit. Looks like things are going well with your little sweetheart. But what made you come out today?"

As soon as they entered the lounge, Yao Rao couldn't resist teasing her. Her best friend had always been rather reckless.

Still, she was happy for her. At least if she ever got tired of cultivating, she'd have someone to think about.

"I brought you something. From now on, you'd better train hard!"

"Did something happen to you?" Yao Rao's eyes widened.

"Are you sure you've got the right person? Where's Chen Qing? Wait, did Chen Qing do something to you?"

"Just look at it first." Ignoring Yao Rao's stunned expression, Jiang Fang set down the hard drive, then sat on the sofa.

Yao Rao's gaze shifted between Jiang Fang's face and the hard drive. "Fine, I'll look! What could you two possibly do to scare me?"

In a hotel on Qiu Long Star, Chen Qing sat alone at the desk.

After registering his identity and Virtual Universe account, Di Fan had left, but he'd given Chen Qing one hundred thousand Black Dragon Coins.

Looks like Sister Fang had quite a bit of pull. Chen Qing tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. Now that he had some starting capital, he'd have to revise his plans.

Recalling what he knew from the original story, Chen Qing focused on the Apprentice Mercenary Assessment. As far as he remembered, cheating was forbidden, but killing wasn't!

He wasn't worried about his own strength; he could easily dominate the assessment. But he'd have to watch out for high-tech weapons and possible retaliation. Better safe than sorry—and he could use the opportunity to get some combat practice.

Besides, everyone who entered would have at least second-tier equipment. He could use the world inside the Origin Core as storage space.

He should be able to make at least tens of billions of Black Dragon Coins in one run. If he remembered right, even a decent piece of second-tier equipment could cost tens of billions.

At the thought, Chen Qing excitedly put on his helmet. What was the point of planning when the Virtual Universe was right there?

Connecting to the Virtual Universe...

A vast voice rang out in his mind. Chen Qing's consciousness appeared on a street. Ignoring the curious glances around him, he found a quiet spot and sat down.

He quickly directed the dazed gray-clothed elf on his right shoulder, occasionally operating the screen in front of him himself. At last, he got things straight.

The Black Dragon Mountain Universe Kingdom's Apprentice Mercenary Assessment wasn't being held on Canglan Star. Perhaps the matter of the World within a World hadn't been arranged yet.

The assessment site had been changed to Green Spirit Planet, one of the top-ranked planets in the Black Dragon Mountain Universe Kingdom.

Just registering as an adventurer and signing up cost ten thousand Black Dragon Coins, and travel expenses came to another thirty thousand! The trip would also take two months.

"Damn, I must be the most under-equipped guy out there! If I didn't have a cheat, who'd dare leave without first stripping the Earth's three strongest men bare?"

Chen Qing felt a pang at the expense. If he hadn't had so much to do, he would've wanted to ask Thor to show him around. Maybe he could've scored some second-tier equipment, too.

First-time registration had to be done in person. Chen Qing didn't waste any time. He booked a ticket in the Virtual Universe and headed straight for the Mercenary Alliance branch.

Green Spirit Planet lay deep in Black Dragon Mountain and was famous for its manufacturing. But the assessment was held in the Forest Swamp Realm, where forests and marshes covered most of the land.

The mission, however, was to collect three pairs of Diamond Flag Fish eyes and one pair of fangs from an adult Green Crystal Python.

Both creatures were fast and moved in groups. Even teams often struggled to hunt them.

Chen Qing stood there awkwardly in the queue. He was wearing first-tier armor—the "Black God," made on Earth—and he was alone.

People figured someone like him was probably dangerous, but that didn't stop them from staring. He was a novelty.

"Star Level Nine. Verification passed. Go through that door." After passing verification, Chen Qing braced himself and dashed through the gate amid the Domain Lord guard's laughter.

After a dizzying spin, everything went dark. When things settled, Chen Qing found himself in a forest.

He bounced in place a couple of times to get used to the different gravity, then floated above the treetops.

"Judging by the terrain in the distance, this must be Spirit Rhinoceros Forest. There's a big river to the south, and beyond it is a vast marsh. That's where the targets are."

After surveying the terrain, Chen Qing flew southwest. Clouds were rising in the sky there, and from the looks of it, there was a massive plume of smoke. It was only a few hundred miles away, so he went to take a look.

But the smoke had already risen high, and the ground was deserted. Chen Qing skimmed low over the area. There was nothing but a few corpses and pieces of damaged armor—not a soul in sight.

Seeing nothing useful, he turned and flew south.

Green Python Plains was a vast marsh stretching for thousands of kilometers, famous for its Green Crystal Pythons. To the east and south, it connected to a cluster of lakes teeming with Diamond Flag Fish.

Green Crystal Pythons were nasty creatures. They were poisonous and hid in the marsh, making them hard to spot. He'd heard that quite a few people had been caught and used as bait.

Chen Qing hovered over the marsh, feeling lost. He'd flown a long way and spotted several groups, but every one of them had quietly changed direction.

He'd still been thinking too simply. No one who ventured out here was stupid. Dressed like this, people all assumed he was fishing for prey, and didn't even want to bother him—not even a snack-sized target.

And without a detector, how was he supposed to search such a huge place? Should he really become a bandit? Or jump into the water and look?

This was a marsh, and it already smelled bad enough. If anything, he should try catching fish in a lake.

But Diamond Flag Fish traveled in schools and were pretty fast. The underwater environment was no place to take lightly, either. If a whole bunch of beasts got the better of him, he'd never live it down.

Chen Qing had actually underestimated Creation. He and the Green Lotus shared the same origin, and it was no low-level existence.

Never mind that the Primal Universe Will favored him; instinct wouldn't make these little creatures pick a fight they couldn't win. But those with ideas of their own might still attack.

He drifted around like that for dozens of days. Just as Chen Qing was starting to get bored, his eyes suddenly lit up. Had he just seen a flash of light in the distance?

No, it was a laser! Chen Qing grew excited. They were already fighting—there was no way he'd miss out on a hot meal!