Three Years of Hellish Training

“Tell me, why did you suddenly decide to become my disciple before the deadline I gave you?” Time Realm Lord ‘Luo’ looked at the Earth youth before him with interest. “Is it related to the arena battle your third brother just finished?”

“Yes!”

Hong nodded and sighed softly, “Yes, that battle was a wake-up call for me… I didn’t realize the gap between my third brother and me had grown so wide in the blink of an eye.”

He knew Luo Feng was strong, but he hadn’t expected him to be this strong.

“If I continue to be complacent and without a teacher’s guidance, I think… the gap between my third brother and me will only widen, and he’ll leave me even further behind.” Hong shook his head and smiled faintly. “Actually, it’s not just my third brother; I also feel the pressure from my second brother. Ever since he received his inheritance, his strength has improved noticeably faster.”

“Indeed.”

Time Realm Lord ‘Luo’ smiled and nodded. “It’s good that you feel the pressure! How about this, prepare yourself, then take a cosmic spaceship to meet me. I’ll give you one day to gather with your family and say your goodbyes.”

“Understood.” Hong nodded.

…

Not long after Time Realm Lord Luo departed, Luo Feng and Lei Shen arrived.

“You’re here, have a seat.” Hong gestured to the two chairs nearby.

“Big Brother, what’s going on?” Lei Shen stared at Hong. “Why did Time Realm Lord, the founder of the Three Axe Mountain organization, suddenly show up? Didn’t he give you ten days to consider? You still had two or three days left.”

Luo Feng also looked at Hong, a sense of tension rising in his heart.

“I’m looking for a teacher,” Hong said.

“A teacher?” Luo Feng and Lei Shen’s expressions both changed.

“Are you really going with Time Realm Lord?” Lei Shen urgently asked. “That’s over twenty thousand years! What does twenty thousand years even mean? Our Huaxia culture’s recorded history is only five thousand years long. To leave Earth and us for over twenty thousand years… this… this is simply…”

“Can’t we still meet in the Virtual Universe?” Hong smiled faintly.

“It’s not the same,” Lei Shen shook his head repeatedly.

Seeing Hong’s expression, Luo Feng couldn’t help but ask softly, “Big Brother, is your decision final?”

Hong looked over and nodded slightly, “Yes!”

“If you go, you won’t see Earth, won’t see home, won’t breathe the air of your homeland for over twenty thousand years,” Luo Feng said, looking at him.

“Since I’m embarking on this path to pursue the peak, what is there that I cannot abandon?” Hong shook his head. “My children have long since started their own families; I have no lingering attachments! I can still see my children regularly in the Virtual Universe… As for my homeland, the place that gave birth to me and raised me, let it remain in my memories! There are gains and losses in everything!”

“After my wife passed away and my children started their own families, the most important thing in my life became martial arts!”

“Wandering the cosmos, witnessing its myriad wonders, and pursuing the peak of life—that’s the life I desire.” Hong’s eyes gleamed with a strange light. “In the vast universe, powerhouses are as numerous as clouds. My goal is to establish myself among the ranks of cosmic powerhouses, and not just that, but to be the most outstanding and strongest among them!”

Luo Feng and Lei Shen exchanged glances, sensing their Big Brother’s absolute confidence and yearning.

To truly achieve greatness in martial arts, one must first possess such absolute yearning; only then can one spontaneously strive for it!

“Second Brother, Third Brother!” Hong turned to look at them, a smile breaking out. “You two should be happy for me. What, you both have inheritances, and you’re just going to watch Big Brother seclude himself and bury his head in cultivation?”

“Uh…” Lei Shen was startled, then burst into laughter. “Big Brother, well said! My third brother and I each have our inheritances, and you’re following Time Realm Lord. Let’s have a competition then… to see which of us three brothers will be stronger in the future!”

“A competition it is!” Hong also laughed.

“Big Brother, Second Brother, I’m currently in the lead, you know,” Luo Feng chuckled.

“You’d better be careful to maintain that advantage, otherwise, your Second Brother and I might catch up in the blink of an eye,” Hong said, looking at Luo Feng. Lei Shen quickly added, “Exactly, Third Brother! Big Brother and I didn’t have good teachers at first, but now that we do, our strength is skyrocketing… and Big Brother’s comprehension is exceptionally high, not to mention mine! So, Third Brother, you really need to watch out!”

“Come and catch me if you can!”

Luo Feng burst into hearty laughter.

The three brothers on Earth laughed heartily, yet unknowingly, their eyes were subtly moist.

…

Milky Way Galaxy, Earth, Asian continent, Hongning Base City.

Huaxia time, July 27th, 2066, a little past five in the evening. The sun had not yet set, and the sky was a fiery red. A dark blue, saucer-shaped cosmic spaceship hovered above Hongning Base City. A large number of high-ranking officials from the Extreme Martial Arts Dojo, along with Hong’s own relatives, had gathered there.

After a reluctant farewell to his family and friends, Hong, the super powerhouse with a special status on Earth, finally flew alone into the cosmic spaceship.

“Farewell!”

“Haha, don’t be like that, everyone. See you in the Virtual Universe!”

With a burst of laughter, Hong flew into the cosmic spaceship.

Boom!

The cosmic spaceship accelerated fiercely, shooting straight into the sky.

“Big Brother, have a safe journey!” Lei Shen stood mid-air, unable to stop himself from shouting.

Luo Feng, also standing mid-air, looked up as the cosmic spaceship departed, murmuring, “Have a safe journey.”

On this day.

July 27th, 2066, Hong, the peerless genius and peak powerhouse of Earth, departed his homeland aboard a cosmic spaceship. This journey would last for a very, very long time…

…

The four rounds of the genius battle’s arena finals concluded on the same day as Luo Feng and Rongjun’s match, selecting a total of 625 victors. As for the other 9,375 participants who were relegated to the defeated group, they would begin high-intensity, high-density elimination rounds after three days of rest.

Each person had to fight 9,374 matches, all just to contend for 275 spots!

…

Earth, Jiangnan Base City, Yangzhou City.

“Big Brother is gone,” Luo Feng said, lying alone on the balcony of his castle, holding a cup of tea. “He’s gone to wander the cosmos, following Time Realm Lord…” Scenes from the past clearly replayed in his mind, and the laughter and vows of the three brothers from yesterday seemed to echo in his ears.

“Thousands of years from now, even tens of thousands of years from now, we three brothers will compete again.”

“Yes, a competition!”

“Let’s compete then, who’s afraid?”

This was their brotherhood vow!

Whether it was Hong, Lei Shen, or Luo Feng, all were walking the path towards the peak of life. And this path was fraught with hardships and dangers; one misstep could lead to their demise!

“Clink!” Luo Feng set down his cup, his eyes gleaming. “Big Brother, you strive, and I won’t slack off either!”

“Babata, enter the Virtual Universe!”

Luo Feng split a wisp of his consciousness to enter the Virtual Universe. In terms of consciousness strength… a Cosmic-level Golden Horned Beast’s consciousness was fully capable of splitting a wisp to enter the Virtual Universe while remaining fully conscious in reality.

…

Virtual Universe, in the Killing Space of the Killing Field.

This was a vast starry sky.

Luo Feng stood amidst the stars.

“Wahahaha…” The demon Babata bounced and exclaimed, “Luo Feng, the arena finals just ended. You have three days to rest, and on the very first day of rest, you come to the Killing Field—how diligent! Tell me, what kind of opponents do you want? I’ll arrange everything for you. Gack gack, I love training you the most!”

“I want a psychic weapon,” Luo Feng said solemnly. “A flying psychic weapon, specifically one adept at dodging and maneuvering within a small area.”

His battle with the savage Rongjun clearly showed him that his own agility was too poor compared to his opponent’s speed.

“Oh?”

“You’ve noticed a weakness?” The demon Babata stroked its chin with a small hand, hovering to one side, looking at Luo Feng. “Luo Feng, do you want to think long-term, or see short-term results?”

“Long-term? Short-term?” Luo Feng frowned slightly.

The little demon nodded repeatedly. “Right, for short-term, it’s about finding ways to maximize your agility. That only takes ten days to half a month! As for long-term… that means starting from the basics, step by step, and also choosing a psychic weapon that will accompany you for a very, very long time.”

“Long-term!” Luo Feng said earnestly. “I am not short on time.”

“Excellent!”

The little demon snapped its fingers and tilted its head slightly. “Your choice is very wise!”

“Then the flying psychic weapon I’ve chosen for you is the fifth-tier psychic weapon most suited for the Gold and Space origin laws—the Dark Cloud Shuttle!” The little demon smiled. “Of course, at first, you probably won’t find it as effective as the Duntiansuo, but don’t worry, I’ll train you well.”

“How long do you estimate it will take for my agility to significantly improve?” Luo Feng asked.

“Depends on your comprehension,”

the little demon said. “If your comprehension is high, you’ll grasp the origin laws quickly. With this series of training, you’ll probably qualify in a year. If your comprehension is poor… and you don’t work hard enough, even a hundred years won’t be enough to qualify.”

“A series of training?” Luo Feng frowned slightly.

“Hehe!” The little demon grinned. “Take your time, we have plenty of it. I’ll make sure to ‘train’ you well.”

…

Starting from July 30th, 2066, the high-intensity elimination rounds began. Though called high-intensity, each day only involved ten battles! At Luo Feng’s speed, he could resolve a battle within a minute, so… the daily elimination rounds might be mentally exhausting for other participants.

But for Luo Feng, it was very easy.

After all, he ranked among the top ten geniuses in the entire Ganwu Universe Nation. As for the defeated group, there were a total of 49 individuals, including him, who had crossed the threshold of laws. Among them, only two could truly compare to Luo Feng.

Therefore…

The elimination rounds were very relaxed, and instead became a place for Luo Feng to experiment with his combat techniques.

…

In the Killing Space.

This was a vast prairie, but at this moment, countless dense blood-birds covered the sky, swarming towards Luo Feng.

“Dodge! Dodge! Dodge! Don’t let them touch you!”

“Damn it, faster, be faster.”

“This test, it’s possible to get a perfect score!”

The little demon roared.

Luo Feng, meanwhile, stood on a peculiar, dark black shuttle-shaped psychic weapon. This ‘Dark Cloud Shuttle’ naturally extended black membranes that directly enveloped Luo Feng’s combat boots. Luo Feng himself had transformed into a hazy phantom, continuously dodging the onslaught of countless blood-birds.

“Puff!” “Puff!” “Puff!” Once hit by one blood-bird, he was hit repeatedly.

After being hit three times.

Boom!

All the blood-birds vanished.

“You failed again!” The little demon, with its pair of red eyes, glared at Luo Feng and roared in anger. “Continue with basic training! I’ve never seen anyone as clumsy as you!” With a wave of its hand… the surrounding prairie instantly disappeared, replaced by a massive mechanical factory filled with complex machinery.

“Begin!”

The little demon roared.

Luo Feng remained calm, as if the little demon Babata’s words had no effect on him whatsoever.

…

Under the ‘hellish training’ devised by the demon Babata, Luo Feng became even more fervent. The little demon’s assessment of him evolved from ‘idiot’ at the beginning, to ‘mediocre, still very weak,’ and later, to ‘barely decent, I suppose.’

Meanwhile, the Golden Horned Beast dedicated all its energy to comprehending "Original Body World," "Absolute Space," and the Gold origin law.

And so…

Time flowed on. The elimination rounds barely consumed any of Luo Feng’s energy; instead, they became a venue for him to test his own strength. Babata’s hellish training, however, drained Luo Feng’s energy almost every day.