"Clang!"
As the streak of blue blade light slammed into the spatial membrane, a sound like metal striking metal rang out, echoing through the entire space.
The immense power contained in the blade light seemed highly corrosive. For an instant, the membrane, normally transparent and colorless, appeared to dim. It was like ink dripping into a bowl of clear water, tinting it black.
Luo Zhe, who had unleashed the strike, remained frozen in his swinging stance, unable to straighten up for a long while. The moment the blade fell, an overwhelming sense of weakness flooded his mind. For an instant, he even felt as if he were suffocating. He couldn't hold on for long before losing consciousness and collapsing limply to the ground.
But perhaps it was only his imagination. At the instant the blade light struck the membrane, Luo Zhe vaguely sensed that the density of cosmic energy in this space had increased dramatically, and that there were more of the multicolored filaments as well.
But for now, none of that had anything to do with him.
As Luo Zhe lost consciousness and fell, the blade light gradually ran out of strength. It never managed to break through the membrane and eventually dissipated in the air. With no other force acting on it, the spatial membrane returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened.
Only Luo Zhe, lying on the ground, and the Blood Shadow Battle Blade in his hand, now reduced to nothing but a hilt, bore witness to what had happened.
Luo Zhe remained unconscious in the Dimensional Space for three whole days before he finally came to.
Staring at the familiar gray-white surroundings, Luo Zhe lay motionless on the ground. His whole body hurt terribly, especially his right hand, which had held the blade. He couldn't feel it at all. If not for the corner of his eye catching sight of it, he would have wondered if his right hand was gone.
As for the Blood Shadow Battle Blade hilt in his right hand, Luo Zhe had noticed it the moment he woke up, but he wasn't in the mood to mourn its loss just then.
He just wanted to know how much longer he'd have to lie on the ground.
Everywhere hurt. Even the slightest movement made him ache. He had no strength at all, and lying on the ground made it easy to catch a chill...
He closed his eyes and tried to cultivate Genetic Origin Energy, hoping to speed up his recovery.
The moment Luo Zhe's mind formed the thought, "Absorb cosmic energy," the invisible, colorless cosmic energy filling the space surged toward him. Like little bees catching the scent of flowers, it eagerly rushed forward.
From above the Dimensional Space, the oncoming cosmic energy would have looked like a rising tidal wave. The terrifying buildup even warped the space above it.
There was far more cosmic energy than before!
At the same time, the long-absent, barely visible special substance, flecked with golden light, appeared once more. It followed the surging cosmic energy into Luo Zhe's body, promoting the evolution of his genes.
Every cell in his body greedily devoured the incoming cosmic energy, accepting every last bit. As the mitochondria in his cells absorbed the cosmic energy, they released Genetic Origin Energy. The dry, depleted cells throughout his body quickly soaked it up, like dry sponges absorbing water, until not a drop remained.
As his depleted cells absorbed more and more Genetic Origin Energy, they gradually grew plump and vigorous, and the pain throughout Luo Zhe's body began to fade.
About five hours later, when his cells could no longer absorb even a trace more Genetic Origin Energy, Luo Zhe let out a heavy breath, opened his eyes, and slowly pushed himself upright.
He moved his limbs and felt the abundant strength in his body. "Genetic Origin Energy really is amazing. It can not only improve physical fitness, but also help the body recover. If it weren't for the limited capacity of our cells, and we could just keep cultivating like this, surely everyone could become an incredibly powerful warrior."
Luo Zhe shook his head and couldn't help laughing at himself. That was simply impossible.
Leaving aside whether there was enough cosmic energy for everyone to absorb indefinitely, physical talent alone ruled out cultivation for most people. After all, one could only begin to sense cosmic energy after reaching the physical fitness of a Quasi-Martial Artist.
At that moment, Luo Zhe's gaze fell on the hilt of the Blood Shadow Battle Blade in his hand. The blade had been with him for less than a month. Before it could accompany him to make a name for himself and reign supreme in the Wilderness Zone, it had already met its end, leaving behind nothing but the hilt. Its sharpened blade was nowhere to be found.
It was enough to make anyone who heard the tale weep.
Still...
Luo Zhe unconsciously gripped the hilt. As usual, he stepped forward, and a burst of force erupted from his core—the waist and hips. The moment his muscles transferred that force into his arm, another wave of strength naturally surged from his waist and hips, like a rising tide. The two successive bursts of force flowed into his arm.
"Whoosh!"
The Blood Shadow Battle Blade hilt became a blur as it cut through the air and slammed into the spatial membrane ten meters away.
Clang!
Luo Zhe: "..."
The Blood Shadow Battle Blade hilt, lying on the ground: "..."
Luo Zhe swore he had only unconsciously made the motion of swinging the blade in the First Form of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade. He just hadn't held on tightly enough, and the hilt had flown out of his hand...
Although the Blood Shadow Battle Blade had met its end before it could accomplish anything, Luo Zhe was still overjoyed. The bottleneck that had held him back for so long in the First Form of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade had finally been broken. He could now combine two layers of hidden force into one strike, unleashing fourteen times his strength with a single swing.
Based on the 9,000 kg of punch strength he'd recorded a week earlier, combining the two layers of hidden force meant his strikes now carried a force of 12,600 kg. He was already close to the 16,000 kg threshold for reaching the intermediate War General Level.
Luo Zhe never would have imagined that three months earlier, he had only just passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment with a punch strength of a mere 900 kg. Now, three months later, his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching the level of a seasoned Junior War General. And he had the Dimensional Space as a trump card, too.
If you'd asked him back then, he wouldn't even have dared to dream of it!
In high spirits, Luo Zhe took up a stance and began practicing a set of Military Fist moves barehanded. Every punch incorporated the special force-generating method of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade.
After finishing the set, Luo Zhe felt invigorated and indescribably refreshed. Even the pain of having to buy another War Blade soon faded considerably.
Luckily, he hadn't decided yet whether to buy a Punch Strength Tester and a Speed Tester to take home, so he'd put it off for the time being, planning to buy all three pieces of testing equipment later, once he had more money.
Now he could use the money he'd saved to buy a new War Blade!
After resting for a while, Luo Zhe picked up the lonely hilt lying on the ground and left the Dimensional Space.
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