Chapter 70: Chopping Down the Tree!
From the end of June onward, Luo Feng had barely had a moment to catch his breath.
To earn the rewards laid out in the two cultivation plans, he had to push himself even harder—he had to become stronger!
The Virtual World's Martial Hall was filled with fascinating facilities. Among them was a combat simulation chamber, capable of replicating the fighting prowess of many of Earth's strongest warriors at various stages, allowing users to spar against these projections.
Luo Feng particularly enjoyed this feature.
True, the Elite Training Camp also offered something similar in its virtual space, but due to computational limitations, the Trial Tower there could only simulate hordes of monsters.
If you wanted to duel a human opponent, it required gambling matches, with another student to cooperate.
What surprised Luo Feng was that the person rated highest in combat strength by the simulation chamber wasn't Hong or Thor—but instead, an unknown, strikingly handsome young man.
Curious, Luo Feng selected him as an opponent—and promptly lost.
The duel lasted only a few seconds, yet it left Luo Feng stunned for quite some time.
—The opponent simply thrust out his spear. With a single subtle shake, the spear tip knocked Luo Feng's blade aside, completely exposing his defenses. Then, with another swift thrust, the spear pierced his head.
The entire process was unbelievably fast.
Luo Feng couldn't comprehend it at all.
Unconvinced, he tried again.
But no matter how many times he restarted, at equal strength levels, he was completely overwhelmed by the spear-wielding youth.
Finally, Luo Feng had to admit his own weakness.
He logged out.
Then he went looking for seasoned members of the Elite Training Camp to engage in life-or-death duels.
After winning three consecutive matches, Luo Feng regained some confidence.
He started to suspect that mysterious youth was just a clever creation of the Martial Hall's AI.
—Like how every comm watch came with a few default apps, that spear-wielding youth was probably a fabricated character in the combat simulator, with all his stats cranked up unnaturally high. Such a person couldn't possibly exist in reality.
"How could anyone at the War General level possess such terrifying explosive power?"
"And that spear thrust of his—way too fast. I couldn't even begin to react!"
"If someone like that truly existed, so young yet so strong, there's no way I wouldn't have heard of him in the Elite Training Camp."
Meanwhile, Oriana maintained vigilance while helping her master nurture the next heir to the Yunmo Star legacy.
Jiang Zhe ignored all outside matters, riding a giant whale southwest toward land, eventually arriving on Yingzhou Island.
This place had suffered the worst onslaughts from sea monsters. Its nation had been destroyed thirty or forty years ago.
Now, only a remnant government survived in exile, clinging on in various Western base cities—a pitiful, displaced regime.
So when Jiang Zhe set foot on this purified land, his spirits lifted. He deliberately restrained his aura to avoid frightening the island's deceptively gentle-looking monsters.
He crossed Yingzhou Island diagonally, then continued south on his whale, making a second landing on Australia.
By now it was August, the annual period for the Extreme Martial Hall's life-and-death trials.
Groups of young warriors, each comparable in strength to War Gods, roamed this continent. Some, upon encountering the odd figure of Jiang Zhe, grew curious and tried to approach.
But Oriana always drove them off ahead of time.
Gradually, word spread among the trainees. They learned that these were two beings beyond War God level, and no one dared come close to risk disaster.
Of course, Jiang Zhe didn't forget to revisit Mist Island.
Unfortunately, he was too late.
He missed the most dramatic treasure struggle, arriving only to see the entire island trembling like a leaf in the wind, countless black-purple vines thrashing about.
But they were soon subdued by a man clad in black, standing straight and tall like a spear.
Following the resonance of energy, Hong detected the strange figure watching from afar.
Even though Jiang Zhe was disheveled and dressed in rags, that ethereal aura gave him away instantly. Hong recognized him at once.
"He's actually here?"
Hong was startled and made as if to fly over for a chat.
But when Jiang Zhe merely waved him off and turned to leave, Hong halted in midair.
"Who was that?"
"Some wild savage?"
"How dare he ignore the First Speaker like that?"
Nearby council members didn't recognize Jiang Zhe and muttered complaints.
Only one War God present, who was also a spiritual force user, shook his head. "Ten years ago, he slaughtered council members like stray dogs. You really expect him to come pay respects to you? Do you think his flying knives have dulled?"
Katlan's harsh words struck them like lightning. They suddenly remembered that ruthless youth who, as just an apprentice, had slain planetary-level powerhouses.
Hong paid them no mind. He gazed at Jiang Zhe's retreating figure, his face solemn.
At last, he sighed, looking melancholy.
"The gap just keeps growing…"
With Hong's exceptional mental cultivation, he could easily see that Jiang Zhe was undergoing a profound spiritual transformation—a realm he himself could only long for.
From Australia, Jiang Zhe traveled north, pausing briefly on various Southeast Asian islands, then continued into the Himalayas and climbed Earth's highest peak.
There, he carved out a cave at the summit and lay down to sleep.
In his dreams, he returned to his true homeland.
It was an ordinary dream—yet it lasted an extraordinarily long time.
A month, two months, half a year…
Even his second body, traversing the dark universe, was affected. It stopped comprehending laws and fell into a deep sleep, practicing the "Dormant Dragon Technique" unconsciously.
Before long, over a year passed.
By September 2058, thanks to Oriana's guidance, Luo Feng emerged from Ruin No. 9 much faster. His spiritual force cultivation had already broken through to the planetary level.
He'd long since received the Sky Ripper and Arc Blade.
At that point, Oriana no longer involved herself.
The training plan was complete.
The goods were prepared; she'd deliver them to Babata at an appropriate time.
—Wait? It's already making its own moves?
Fine. Let it come collect them itself.
That way, her master's karmic debt to the Yunmo Star line would be partially repaid.
Satisfied, Oriana closed her eyes to resume training, seated at the cave entrance to block the wind and snow, patiently waiting for her master to awaken.
Soon it was the Spring Festival of 2059.
Yet Jiang Zhe showed no signs of waking.
His grandfather came personally to check on him, standing outside the cave, looking at his peacefully sleeping grandson who didn't seem sick at all, and could only sigh helplessly.
In truth, Jiang Zhe's practice of the "Dormant Dragon Technique" had run into trouble.
—What you dwell on by day, you'll dream of by night.
To call it a dream wasn't quite right—it was more like he was trapped there.
Or rather, he simply didn't want to wake up.
Until the start of 2060.
This was a sensitive moment.
Oriana had been keeping a close eye on the Golden-Horned Beast lurking in the Pacific.
Now, it was on the verge of advancing to the star level.
Once this cunning creature broke through—and confirmed that no one on Earth could challenge it—it would reveal its bloodthirsty nature!
January 10.
Oriana sensed the breathing behind her suddenly become erratic. She whipped around.
Two tears slipped from the corners of Jiang Zhe's eyes.
Then he awoke, sat up, and smiled.
It was just a faint smile, but it struck Oriana to her core.
It carried an indescribable perfection—an ease that came from the depths of his soul, a joy so genuine it blossomed into a natural smile.
If the founder of Giant Axe were to peer through time and see this, he would surely be astonished.
Because Jiang Zhe was undergoing a metamorphosis—a spiritual awakening. His will was soaring to a realm far beyond his current stage.
It was an epiphany, the culmination of deep accumulation.
Thanks to all the vivid dreamscapes of the "Dormant Dragon Technique"…
Along with finally resolving the regrets of his past life, seeing the wonders of this parallel Earth, and ultimately reliving his former life in dreams, letting it go completely—then waking to embrace this new life…
All this elevated his soul.
In terms of willpower, though still only at the ninth tier of the star level, he was already on par with top-tier domain lords!
Jiang Zhe gave Oriana a look, signaling her to remain on guard, then entered his world core.
His inner world had already expanded to 90 kilometers across.
At the center stood the ancient tree, now even thicker and more majestic. Its vast canopy still sheltered the clearing below.
"Old Tree, give me whatever this time."
Having already obtained the secret of avatar replication he most desired, Jiang Zhe spoke quite boldly now.
He swung his axe!
Thunk!
Golden light burst forth. The embedded axe blade was ejected, and a golden orb popped out of the wound, rolling to the ground.
His axe grew incredibly heavy and flew back to the stone table.
Jiang Zhe bent down, touched the orb with his fingertip. The golden glow faded, revealing what lay inside.
He peered closer—huh?
Not convinced, he took another look.
Then another…
He scratched his head, a curious itch in his mind. Why did he suddenly feel…so much smarter?
"This seems to be… a beam of light?"
*(Author's note: I always draft a rough version first, then rewrite it line by line. If I don't, I feel anxious. So yes, my efficiency is low—I basically spend the time for two chapters to write one.
Couldn't help it; it's a bit of OCD.
Originally, I didn't have this habit.
When I first started writing, I could do 1,200–1,500 words an hour. But constant criticism shattered my confidence, leading to endless rewrites and slashed productivity.
My previous 3-million-word beast-taming novel with thousands of subscriptions suffered because of too much hate—I was afraid to tell anyone.
Lately, I've been forcing myself to change.
No matter how late it gets, I must post two chapters. If I can't break this bad habit, I'll just keep burning the midnight oil!)*
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