Rapid Progress

In the days that followed, Luo Feng's life became highly structured and fulfilling.

During the day, he followed Qin Yuan's instructions, hunting monsters in the Wilderness Zone and honing his practical combat skills. With the aid of Spiritual Force, his combat strength rose by more than one level. An Advanced Beast General that would previously have taken him ten minutes of drawn-out fighting could now be dealt with in a few punches and kicks, aided by interference from his Spiritual Force.

At night, he returned home and cultivated the Fallen Star Technique in his room, absorbing cosmic energy to temper his body and soul. The energy crystals Qin Yuan had given him provided ample cultivation resources, and his progress was astonishingly fast.

Three days later, Luo Feng returned to the warehouse.

Qin Yuan sized him up and nodded slightly. "Not bad. You've already touched the threshold of Planetary Level."

Luo Feng was startled. He did indeed feel that he was close to a breakthrough, but he hadn't told anyone yet. Had his teacher seen it at a glance?

"No need to be surprised," Qin Yuan said. "Once you reach my level, seeing through an Apprentice Level's cultivation is a basic skill. I called you here today to give you a few things."

With a turn of his palm, he took three kinds of items from the system space.

The first was a fist-sized, milky-white crystal that gave off a warm glow. It was an energy crystal, a universal currency and cultivation resource in the universe.

The second was three thumb-sized, pale-blue Soul Crystals, purer than the one Luo Feng had used before.

The third was a palm-sized, dark-gold token engraved with intricate law patterns.

"This token is the key to the Combat Simulation Space." Qin Yuan handed the token to Luo Feng. "Inject your Spiritual Force into it, and you can enter a completely realistic virtual space. There, you can fight all kinds of enemies and hone your practical combat abilities."

Luo Feng took the token, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Give it a try," Qin Yuan said with a smile.

Luo Feng injected his Spiritual Force into the token. The next second, his vision blurred, and he found himself on a desolate stretch of the Gobi Desert.

The sky was dark red, the yellow earth underfoot was cracked, and a faint smell of blood hung in the air. Several dozen meters away stood a massive monster-a Black-Scaled Wolf, just like the one he had hunted in the wilderness before.

No, this Black-Scaled Wolf was even larger than the one he had killed, and its aura was fiercer and more savage. If the one he had killed before was an Advanced Beast General, then the one before him was definitely a Beast King-level creature!

"Roar!"

The Black-Scaled Wolf let out a deafening roar of fury and lunged at him like a bolt of black lightning.

Luo Feng dodged instinctively, but his speed was clearly no match for the Beast King-level Black-Scaled Wolf. A wolf claw slammed into his shoulder, sending him flying.

Agonizing pain shot through his shoulder, utterly real! Luo Feng felt that his left shoulder blade might have shattered.

But he had no time to dwell on it. The Black-Scaled Wolf's second attack was already upon him. Its bloody maw opened, its sharp fangs lunging straight for his throat.

Luo Feng desperately twisted aside while gathering all his Spiritual Force into an invisible hammer and smashing it into the Black-Scaled Wolf's head.

Bang!

The hammer of Spiritual Force knocked the Black-Scaled Wolf's head sideways, sending its attack off course. Luo Feng seized the chance to roll out of the way, then forced himself to his feet despite the agonizing pain.

Over the next few minutes, Luo Feng fought a desperate battle to the death with the Beast King-level Black-Scaled Wolf. His left arm was almost useless, leaving him to fight with his right hand and Spiritual Force. Wounds multiplied across his body, and blood stained large patches of the ground red.

At last, after paying a heavy price, Luo Feng seized an opening. He condensed all his Spiritual Force into a fine needle and drove it through the Black-Scaled Wolf's eye socket, destroying its brain outright.

The Black-Scaled Wolf's massive body crashed to the ground.

The next second, Luo Feng's vision blurred, and he found himself back in the warehouse. Every wound on his body had vanished, as though everything that had just happened had been a dream.

But the fear of standing on the knife-edge between life and death, and the sense of accomplishment after killing a powerful enemy, remained vividly real in his heart.

"How was it?" Qin Yuan asked.

Luo Feng took a deep breath, his eyes shining with excitement. "Incredible! This simulation space... it's practically a divine artifact born for combat!"

"Exactly." Qin Yuan nodded. "In the virtual space, you can challenge all kinds of opponents stronger than yourself and experience a genuine life-and-death struggle without worrying about actually dying. No amount of theoretical knowledge can replace that kind of experience."

He paused, then continued, "This token has two uses. You used it once today, so there's one use left. I suggest waiting until you break through to Planetary Level before using it a second time, to challenge a stronger opponent."

"Yes, teacher!" Luo Feng carefully put the token away, as though he had received a Supreme Treasure.

"Also, these energy crystals and Soul Crystals are resources for your cultivation from now on." Qin Yuan handed him the crystals as well. "The energy crystals can help you temper your body faster, and the Soul Crystals can strengthen your Spiritual Force. Your cultivation is already progressing quickly, and with these resources, it will be even faster."

Luo Feng took the crystals, a warm current welling up in his heart.

All his life, aside from his parents and younger brother, no one had ever treated him so well. This mysterious teacher not only taught him how to grow stronger, but also gave him so many precious cultivation resources...

"Teacher, these... are too precious." Luo Feng's voice choked a little.

"Precious?" Qin Yuan laughed. "Once you become powerful, you'll understand that these things are nothing in the universe. What's truly precious is your potential and your future. Cultivate diligently, and don't let me down."

"I will not fail to meet your expectations, teacher!" Luo Feng dropped to one knee and bowed solemnly.

Qin Yuan helped him up. "Rise. Remember, the path of cultivation is long and perilous, but as long as you never give up, one day you will stand at the pinnacle of the universe."

"Yes!"

Time flew, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Over that month, Luo Feng's progress was astonishingly fast.

With ample energy crystals and Soul Crystals to support him, his physical abilities and the strength of his Spiritual Force improved rapidly every day. On top of that, the life-and-death trials in the Combat Simulation Space had brought his practical combat experience to an utterly terrifying level.

Finally, one night a month later, while Luo Feng was cultivating the Fallen Star Technique in his room, he felt the Genetic Origin Energy inside him suddenly surge violently, as though something were about to burst free of its cocoon.

He knew this was a sign that he was about to break through to Planetary Level!

Luo Feng immediately focused his mind and circulated the Fallen Star Technique with all his might, guiding the surging energy through his body. At that moment, his Spiritual Force also began to grow wildly, resonating with his Genetic Origin Energy to form a perfect cycle.

Boom!

It was as though something had exploded in his mind.