Killing Ground

"Beibei, open the hatch. I'm going out to practice my blade techniques. Take the ship out. Don't let me accidentally bury you," Zhou Yuan said to Beibei in his mind.

His strength was no longer what it had once been. With his Universe Level realm, thirtyfold genetic level, and the threshold he had just grasped for the Earth Origin Law, his overall combat power was already comparable to that of an ordinary Domain Lord level expert.

A casual slash from him contained terrifying power, enough to split mountains and cleave peaks. If he practiced his blade techniques inside the meteorite, he might accidentally collapse the cracks. Then the spaceship really could be buried inside the meteorite.

"Alright, Master!" Beibei immediately replied.

As the hatch slowly opened, a frigid cosmic wind rushed toward him. Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, flashed forward, and shot out of the hatch toward the meteorite's surface.

Beibei controlled the Goshawk, slowly flying out from the crack and into space a hundred thousand kilometers from the meteorite's surface, following Zhou Yuan from afar.

Zhou Yuan stood on the meteorite's surface, gazing at the boundless starry sky before him and sensing the fluctuations of the Laws throughout heaven and earth. The genetic energy within him began to surge slowly. He took a deep breath and made a grasping motion with his right hand. A long blade condensed from genetic energy appeared in his hand.

"Ha!" Zhou Yuan shouted lowly. His body moved like a ghost, and the long blade in his hand traced profound trajectories as it slashed toward the meteorite's surface.

Every strike landed with a dull boom, carving deep blade marks into the meteorite's surface as shattered stones scattered everywhere.

"No, that's not right. The Earth Origin Law excels at defense and strength, while the Fire Law specializes in explosive bursts. My previous blade techniques were entirely based on fire genetic energy, focused on instant bursts and extreme speed. Now that I've switched to the Earth Origin Law, I should modify the blade techniques to better suit my current strength," Zhou Yuan thought as he practiced.

He began trying to integrate the Earth Origin Law into his blade techniques, adding a measure of heaviness and stability to what had once been sharp and domineering strikes. Every slash no longer pursued only speed and power, but carried the heaviness and solidity of the earth, making it difficult to withstand.

Again and again, Zhou Yuan immersed himself in modifying and practicing his blade techniques. His figure flickered continuously across the meteorite's surface, blade light streaking through the sky like meteors. The sounds of collisions with the meteorite rose and fell, echoing through the silent universe.

After practicing for an unknown amount of time, Zhou Yuan emerged from his training state.

Standing on the meteorite's surface, Zhou Yuan felt the surging genetic energy within him and his deeper understanding of the Earth Origin Law. A satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

After this period of practice, he had preliminarily integrated the Earth Origin Law into his blade techniques, significantly increasing his combat power.

"It's about time I tried the Killing Ground. It'll be a good chance to test the results of my cultivation during this period," Zhou Yuan murmured.

"Beibei, bring the spaceship over," Zhou Yuan said to Beibei in his mind.

"Alright, Master." Immediately afterward, the spaceship parked in the distance flew over.

The spaceship hatch opened, and Zhou Yuan headed straight for the core chamber. After entering it, his consciousness sank into his mind and connected to the Virtual Universe.

The Virtual Universe was a supernetwork created by the Human Race, covering nearly the entire universe. Cultivation, study, trade, and battle could all be carried out within the Virtual Universe.

As a transmigrator, Zhou Yuan also knew that the Virtual Universe had been used by the Original Ancestor to seize the Primal Universe, and was controlled by a Machine Race Universe Master enslaved by the Original Ancestor.

Zhou Yuan casually found a teleportation array in the Virtual Universe and entered the coordinates for the Purple Chen Universe Nation's Killing Ground.

The Purple Chen Universe Nation was one of the Human Race's 1,008 high-level universe nations. It possessed formidable strength and deep foundations, and the Killing Ground within its territory was also one of the most famous in the universe, drawing countless experts from every starfield to train there.

As a faint sensation of dizziness came over him, Zhou Yuan's consciousness was transported into the lobby of the Purple Chen Universe Nation's Killing Ground.

Before him was a backdrop resembling a vast sea of blood, with a single "blood drop" standing out most prominently. The entire lobby was enveloped by this backdrop. The hall was so vast that its end could not be seen at a glance. The people within were scattered sparsely, but since the lobby was comparable in size to a giant city, there were likely close to a hundred million people.

At the end of the lobby were corridors, each one leading to a Killing Space.

Zhou Yuan swept his gaze over them and headed toward one of the corridors.

As he walked, Zhou Yuan suddenly felt the surrounding space shift. When he came back to his senses, he was already standing in a vast starry sky. Beneath his feet was a huge meteorite, while a Killing Ground user manual had appeared in his hand.

"Beibei, submit an application. Set the opponent to Universe Level 2, Earth Domain Level 9, at the threshold of the Earth Origin Law, wielding an Earth-Splitting Blade." Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Yuan swiftly instructed his intelligent assistant, Beibei, to request an opponent.

He was already thoroughly familiar with the Killing Ground's rules and knew how to achieve the best training effect by setting an opponent.

"Master, the battle environment has been set to outer space. The opponent is set to Universe Level 2, Earth Domain Level 9, at the threshold of the Earth Origin Law, wielding an Earth-Splitting Blade and wearing third-rank genetic energy battle armor. You will likewise use a third-rank genetic energy weapon, the Earth-Splitting Blade, and third-rank genetic energy battle armor," Beibei said after communicating with the Killing Ground's system.

Zhou Yuan nodded in satisfaction. He wanted to use the Virtual Universe's Killing Ground to create an opponent at the same realm as himself and armed with the same weapon, thereby training his ability to use the newly comprehended Earth Origin Law.

Very soon, the Killing Space began to change. On a meteorite in the distance, an opponent identical to Zhou Yuan appeared. The other party was also wearing third-rank genetic energy battle armor and holding an Earth-Splitting Blade. His cold gaze was fixed on Zhou Yuan, and the aura he emitted was exactly the same as Zhou Yuan's.

"Kill!"

The opponent reacted extremely quickly. With a fierce stomp on the meteorite's surface, he shot toward Zhou Yuan like an arrow released from a bow. The Earth-Splitting Blade in his hand howled through the air as it unleashed a sharp blade aura straight for Zhou Yuan's throat.

Zhou Yuan's gaze sharpened as he instantly felt immense pressure. His opponent's speed and strength far exceeded his expectations. Though they appeared to be at the same realm, the other party's understanding and application of the Earth Origin Law were clearly much deeper than his.

"This is bad!" Zhou Yuan cried inwardly. Not daring to be careless in the slightest, he immediately unleashed his Earth Domain in an attempt to slow his opponent down. At the same time, the Earth-Splitting Blade in his hand also slashed out, trying to meet the attack head-on.

The two attacks collided with an earth-shaking boom. Zhou Yuan felt an enormous force crash into him, sending him staggering backward again and again. His chest ached dully, and he nearly spat out blood. Meanwhile, his opponent remained motionless where he stood, his eyes filled with disdain.

Before Zhou Yuan had any time to recover, the virtual opponent charged at him again like a ghost. The Earth-Splitting Blade in his hand carried even more terrifying power as it slashed toward Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan gritted his teeth, knowing there was a huge gap between himself and his opponent. He forced himself to calm down and carefully observed his opponent's moves, trying to find an opening.

He discovered that every slash his opponent made was incomparably precise, perfectly integrating the power of the Earth Origin Law into it. Especially in the use and transitions of the Law, his opponent had reached a level of flawless mastery.

After more than a dozen exchanges, Zhou Yuan's hands had gone numb from the recoil, and pain showed on his face. Seizing Zhou Yuan's opening, the virtual opponent sent a blade aura containing the Earth Origin Law toward him like lightning. Zhou Yuan's gaze tightened. He knew he could no longer evade this attack.

Pfft!

Zhou Yuan was split in half by the virtual opponent's blade, and his consciousness instantly blurred.

When he opened his eyes again, he had already revived in the distant starry sky. He stood in midair, looking at his opponent in the distance. There was not the slightest discouragement in his eyes; instead, they were filled with fighting spirit.

"Again!" Zhou Yuan shouted as he charged at his opponent.

Not long afterward.

Pfft!

Zhou Yuan died again!

Once!

Twice!

Three times!

By the seventieth attempt, Zhou Yuan had gone from being able to withstand only seventeen moves from the virtual opponent to enduring more than a hundred moves.

This time, Zhou Yuan did not immediately begin another battle. He stood alone in the void, closed his eyes, and reviewed the previous fights.

"So the Earth Origin Law can be used like this. Gather strength with earth, split earth with the blade. I've finally comprehended the secret engravings carried by the Earth-Splitting Blade." Recalling the previous battles, every move of the virtual opponent had concentrated power and tremendous might, carrying the force to split the earth and overturn rivers.

Zhou Yuan had finally comprehended the true use of the Earth-Splitting Blade, and a look of sudden realization appeared on his face.

"Again!"

Zhou Yuan charged at the virtual opponent once more, his eyes full of confidence.

This time, Zhou Yuan had clearly changed. Every slash he delivered carried the heaviness of earth. Each strike was heavier than the last, every blade containing the power of the Earth Origin Law, as if every slash could split the ground apart.

After a thousand moves, Zhou Yuan died beneath the virtual opponent's blade once again, but there was a smile on his face. He knew that he was improving rapidly and that victory over his opponent was drawing closer and closer.

"There's still quite a gap in the transitions. Again!"

Zhou Yuan charged at the virtual opponent once more, without the slightest fatigue or discouragement. Instead, the more he fought, the fiercer he became.

And so, the eightieth attempt!

The hundredth attempt!

The one hundred twentieth attempt!

On the one hundred twenty-eighth attempt, Zhou Yuan finally killed the virtual opponent. At the moment his opponent's body turned into specks of light and dispersed, Zhou Yuan's heart filled with joy and accomplishment.

In this battle, he had experienced one hundred twenty-eight deaths and one hundred twenty-eight revivals. Each time, he comprehended something through death and grew through revival. Though the battle had been arduous, his gains were enormous.

His understanding of how to use the Earth Origin Law had deepened, his use of blade techniques had become more refined, and his combat power had undergone a qualitative leap.

"I've already pushed the Earth-Splitting Blade to its limit, and I don't have any other weapons that suit me. Even this Earth-Splitting Blade was spoils from before. I need to find some resources first."