Zhenkong Blade

A strange force spread from his sea of consciousness, instantly coursing through Zhou Yuan's entire body. The force within him and his spiritual power were forcibly mobilized, racing through his body along the paths guided by the secret pattern structure. Zhou Yuan even lost autonomous control over his own body.

A warm sensation rose within him, as though countless invisible hands were gently massaging every inch of his skin, every bone, and every cell, making him feel incomparably comfortable.

The nutrient fluid in the nutrition pod visibly diminished. Vast amounts of life energy and force were rapidly absorbed by Zhou Yuan's body, providing an endless supply of energy for its transformation. Second by second, Zhou Yuan's body began undergoing astonishing changes. His height slowly increased, while his genes were continuously optimized.

When Zhou Yuan's height reached ten times its original size, his entire body was suddenly enveloped in brilliant golden light. The golden radiance seemed almost tangible as it continuously washed over his body, transforming his genetic sequence.

Zhou Yuan could clearly sense his genes changing—from sixtyfold to sixty-onefold, then sixty-twofold. His genetic level continued rising, and each increase made his strength even more formidable.

Who knew how much time passed before the golden light finally faded, revealing Zhou Yuan's powerful body. He had grown to two hundred meters tall, and his genetic level had reached one hundred and twentyfold. Zhou Yuan did not rise immediately, instead quietly feeling out his strengthened body.

"Three hundred years of accumulation were not wasted after all." Zhou Yuan looked at his enormous palm, a faint smile appearing on his face. The second layer of the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique had not only increased his physical strength and force reserves another tenfold, but had also made his spiritual power more condensed. Although he had long known the results of succeeding in this cultivation, Zhou Yuan was still deeply shaken.

"Time to tidy up and prepare to leave." Zhou Yuan used the Myriad Transformations Secret Technique to shrink his body to its normal size, flew out of the nutrition pod, and began inventorying his supplies. The Universe Powerhouse Battle would not begin for several hundred years, so he planned to visit the Yunyan Secret Realm once more.

No sooner said than done. Zhou Yuan's wealth had now soared, so naturally he needed to replace his equipment. He first sold his two spaceships, then bought several new X981-Type D9-Class Spaceships.

Then came his equipment: a fifth-tier Zhenkong Blade and a fifth-tier force battle suit. He also purchased several ready-to-use recovery potions and returned the rented nutrition pod in the process.

Once he was ready, Zhou Yuan piloted his spaceship away from Nanyun Star and headed for the Yunyan Secret Realm. The X981-Type spaceship's dark universe travel speed was five times faster than his previous ship's, so it would take just over three months to reach the Yunyan Secret Realm. That was just enough time to familiarize himself with the newly purchased Zhenkong Blade.

Every weapon possessed its own unique secret patterns, whether it was a force weapon or a telekinetic weapon. Activating the secret patterns within a weapon could amplify one's strength, but weapon activation had requirements. Telekinetic weapons required spiritual power amplitude, as well as the proper method for activating the secret patterns, to achieve the amplification effect.

The same applied to force weapons. Every weapon had its own special activation method, allowing its secret patterns to amplify the user's attacks.

Seated in the spaceship's core cabin, Zhou Yuan placed the Zhenkong Blade before him and continuously sensed it with his spiritual power. His body began changing, gradually taking the shape of the Zhenkong Blade.

This was Zhou Yuan's special method for comprehending the law secret patterns of the Zhenkong Blade. Once he could clearly see the secret pattern structure, and combined that with the method for controlling the secret patterns that came with purchasing the weapon, he could naturally rely on his familiarity with the secret patterns to quickly master the weapon's activation method.

Very soon, Zhou Yuan felt that he had completely mastered the Zhenkong Blade. It was time to test its effects. He decisively logged into the Virtual Universe, entered the Killing Ground, and began battling virtual opponents.

The Killing Ground's lobby in the Virtual Universe was as crowded as ever, with hundreds of millions of cultivators seeking opportunities to improve their strength here.

Zhou Yuan walked straight to the end of the corridor, entered a private battle space, and said to the intelligent assistant, "Beibei, request a universe level nine opponent. Earth Origin Law acknowledged, Space Origin Law threshold, wielding a fifth-tier Zhenkong Blade."

"Understood, Master!" Beibei immediately replied. "Matching an opponent for you... Match successful. The opponent is universe level nine, with Earth Origin Law acknowledged, Space Origin Law threshold, and a fifth-tier Zhenkong Blade. The combat environment is set to a Class C super-large planet."

Soon, the Killing Space began changing, and Zhou Yuan's consciousness appeared on the surface of a desolate planet. Beneath his feet was cracked earth, while endless mountain ranges stretched into the distance. Dark crimson clouds filled the sky, lending the entire world a grim, murderous air.

In the distance, a three-meter-tall virtual opponent stood amid the wilderness. The opponent wore a heavy force battle suit and held a Zhenkong Blade identical to Zhou Yuan's. Steady, powerful Earth Origin Law fluctuations radiated from his body.

The virtual opponent made no unnecessary movements. He stomped violently on the ground and shot toward Zhou Yuan like an arrow leaving the bow. The Zhenkong Blade in his hand howled through the air as it slashed out a blade aura infused with the Earth Origin Law, aimed directly at Zhou Yuan's throat. The strike was incredibly fast, its trajectory precise, perfectly matching the secret pattern characteristics of the Zhenkong Blade.

Zhou Yuan's gaze sharpened as he immediately sensed the gap between himself and his opponent. Although he had mastered the Zhenkong Blade's secret pattern activation method, he was nowhere near as proficient as the virtual opponent in actual combat. He hurriedly raised the Zhenkong Blade to defend while activating its secret patterns with all his strength.

"Bang!" The two blade auras collided with an earthshaking boom, splitting a massive fissure through the ground. Zhou Yuan only felt an immense force travel through the blade, forcing him backward, while the virtual opponent remained rooted in place without moving an inch. Clearly, his strength far surpassed Zhou Yuan's.

The virtual opponent gave Zhou Yuan no chance to catch his breath. With a flash, he appeared before Zhou Yuan again. The Zhenkong Blade slashed at an unbelievable angle, its secret patterns perfectly harmonizing with the Earth Origin Law. Every strike precisely targeted Zhou Yuan's openings.

While defending with all his strength, Zhou Yuan carefully observed the virtual opponent's every movement. He discovered that when the opponent activated the Zhenkong Blade, the rhythm of his force output was completely synchronized with the fluctuation frequency of its secret patterns. Furthermore, his transitions between slashing, blocking, and thrusting were exceptionally smooth, without the slightest waste of strength.

So that was it. Before, I merely activated the secret patterns without perfectly integrating their power with my own techniques. Zhou Yuan began trying to imitate the virtual opponent's movements.

Time quietly passed amid the battle. Zhou Yuan's body was already covered in wounds, yet his eyes grew brighter and brighter. He discovered that every one of the virtual opponent's attacks perfectly combined the activation of the Zhenkong Blade's secret patterns with his own laws and techniques, maximizing the secret patterns' power.

Previously, he had merely activated the secret patterns without adjusting his fighting style according to their characteristics. Not only did that waste force, but his own laws were not integrated with the Zhenkong Blade's secret patterns, preventing him from bringing out the Zhenkong Blade's greatest effect.