novelsite Chapter 115 Killing Field
Chapter 115 Killing Field
The stench of blood had not yet dissipated over the Pacific Ocean when Lin Yun had already set his sights on his next target.
The destruction of the Noranshan fleet was just the beginning. He knew the Noranshan family would find out sooner or later, and the next opponent would be a cosmic-level powerhouse. He had to become stronger before that happened.
"Virtual universe, killing field," Lin Yun said to Luo Feng. "Starting tomorrow, the four of us will be together."
Luo Feng nodded: "I've spoken with Brother Hong and Thor, and they agree."
The next day, the four of them entered the virtual universe at the same time.
The Killing Arena is a special space in the virtual universe, specifically designed for combat training. Here, there is no cost of death, only endless battles. Countless cosmic geniuses hone their skills and enhance their strength here.
Lin Yun, Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen appeared in an ancient arena. The arena was circular, about a kilometer in diameter, surrounded by towering stone walls, topped with flags. The ground was rough stone slabs, bearing countless marks of sword and axe cuts—the imprints of countless battles.
"Is this the killing field?" Thor looked around, his eyes full of curiosity.
"That's right," Luo Feng said. "Babata said the Killing Arena has two uses. First, you can select a desired opponent to fight, simulating powerful warriors from various races. Second... it's even more perverse."
"What is the second one?" Hong asked.
Luo Feng looked at Lin Yun. Lin Yun continued, "The second method is to create an opponent—whose physical attributes, mental strength, awareness, special moves, and weapons are all exactly the same as yours. The only difference is that the opponent has incredibly rich experience and is extremely skilled in combat."
"Fighting against yourself?" Thor was taken aback.
"Fight yourself," Lin Yun said. "Your opponent is yourself, but a highly experienced and extremely skilled version of yourself. Once you exchange blows, you can easily learn from your opponent's fighting style and techniques. After all, the opponent you've created is the same as you in terms of body, consciousness, and mental power."
Hong's eyes lit up: "That's a good idea."
"Let's begin then," Lin Yun said.
On the first day of the killing field, the four of them entered their respective battle spaces.
Lin Yun stood in a void, surrounded by endless darkness. Before him, a beam of light descended, and a figure slowly emerged from it.
The figure was exactly like him—same height, same face, same black combat uniform, even the same battle knife in his hand. The only difference was his eyes. Those eyes held no emotion, only a cold, machine-like precision.
"Opponent settings complete." A cold, electronic voice announced, "Physical attributes, mental strength, understanding of laws, secret techniques... all synchronized. Combat experience: Simulating a universe-level powerhouse, optimized."
Lin Yun's pupils contracted slightly. The combat experience of a cosmic-level expert? This opponent was even stronger than he had imagined.
"start."
Lin Yun on the other side made a move.
His speed was extremely fast, not from the explosion of genetic energy, but from the application of laws—the fundamental law of wind, Dimensional Slash. A cyan wind blade flew out silently, its trajectory exquisite and its angle tricky, heading straight for Lin Yun's throat.
Lin Yun's pupils constricted sharply. This strike, in terms of timing, angle, and control of power, was a level above his own. The same dimensional slash seemed to come alive in his opponent's hands.
He dodged to the side, simultaneously unleashing a dimensional slash with his right hand. The two wind blades collided in mid-air, emitting a sharp screech, before dissipating at the same time.
But the opponent's second strike had already arrived.
This time, it was lightning—a lightning spear. A purple lightning spear shot from the opponent's hand with incredible speed, leaving a trail of afterimages in the air. Lin Yun had no time to dodge and could only raise his sword to parry. The lightning spear struck the blade, and electricity spread along the blade to his arm, sending a numbing sensation through him.
"So fast." Lin Yun gritted his teeth.
His understanding of lightning-based techniques was also at a beginner level, but his opponent's lightning spear was at least 30% faster. It wasn't that the opponent was stronger, but rather that they had better control of the rhythm—the moment the lightning spear was launched, the opponent anticipated his dodge direction, causing a subtle shift in the spear's trajectory.
This is the combat experience of a cosmic-level powerhouse.
Lin Yun had no time to think; his opponent's third strike was already upon him. This time, it was a light-based attack—Light Refraction. His opponent's body suddenly blurred, and seven or eight afterimages rushed in from different directions, each one appearing as real as if it were real.
Lin Yun closed his eyes and tried to sense things with his mental energy. But as soon as he released his mental energy, he discovered that his opponent was also releasing theirs simultaneously, interfering with his perception. It was impossible to distinguish between truth and falsehood, reality and illusion.
He could only push his defensive magic to its limit. The shields of the six elemental laws lit up simultaneously, forming a six-colored light barrier.
The opponent's blade struck the shield, causing it to vibrate violently but not shatter. The opponent's figure materialized, standing not far away, expressionless, and assumed an attack stance once more.
"Again."
The battle lasted for a full day.
Lin Yun had lost count of how many times he had lost. Each time, his opponent found his weakness and attacked in ways he had never imagined. His Dimensional Slash was countered by his opponent's Dimensional Slash, his Lightning Spear was suppressed by his opponent's Lightning Spear, and his Light Refraction was broken by his opponent's Light Refraction.
The same laws, the same power, the same speed—yet the opponent still wins.
Lin Yun slumped to the ground, panting heavily. He had exhausted most of his mental energy, but more importantly, his confidence had been shaken.
"Why?" he asked himself.
He carefully reviewed each of his opponent's attacks. His opponent's dimensional slash was faster than his—not in speed, but in timing. His opponent always struck at the exact moment his old strength dissipated and new strength hadn't yet arisen, leaving him no time to defend. His opponent's lightning spear was more accurate than his—not in accuracy, but in prediction. His opponent always anticipated his movement, ensuring the lightning spear struck precisely in his path.
"This is combat experience," Lin Yun murmured. "It's not about strength or speed, but about seizing opportunities and anticipating your opponent's moves."
He stood up and gripped his sword tightly again.
"Again."
In the days that followed, Lin Yun spent every day in the killing field.
He no longer sought to defeat his opponents, but instead focused on understanding their fighting style. Every strike, every dodge, every application of the rules—he observed and experienced it all with his heart.
He began to try changing his fighting style. No longer mechanically casting spells, he flexibly adjusted his movements according to his opponent's actions. His Dimensional Slash began to change—sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes curving in the air, sometimes disappearing and reappearing suddenly.
A month later, his fighting style underwent a complete transformation.
His Dimensional Slash is no longer a simple linear attack, but can change its trajectory at will. His Lightning Spear is no longer just a matter of speed suppression, but can change direction the instant it is fired. His Light Refraction is no longer just for dodging, but can simultaneously create an illusion of attack.
But his secret technique was still someone else's secret technique. He just used it more flexibly and skillfully.
"It's still not right." Lin Yun stopped what he was doing and frowned.
He realized a problem—none of the secret techniques he used were truly his own; other people's secret techniques could never unleash their full power. This was because they represented other people's understanding of the laws, not his.
"I need to create my own secret techniques," Lin Yun said to himself.
He closed his eyes and immersed his consciousness in the ocean of the fundamental laws of lightning.
What is the essence of lightning? It is speed, explosiveness, and resonance. The lightning speed, lightning resonance, and lightning explosion that he comprehended in the Panlong World are equally applicable in the Swallowed Star World.
"Start with the lightning element."
Lin Yun raised his right hand, and a purple arc of lightning condensed in his palm. He didn't use the form of a lightning spear, but instead let the arc of lightning leap in his palm, feeling its every tremor.
"Lightning is not just for attacking. It can be a constraint, a defense, or a means of perception."
He stretched the arc of lightning, transforming it into a chain that swirled around him. The lightning chain was no longer merely a weapon of attack, but could entangle, bind, and strangle. He attempted to integrate the lightning chain into his movement techniques, each step accompanied by the swirling of the chain.
The opponent's attack came again. This time, Lin Yun did not retaliate with his lightning spear, but instead swung out a lightning chain, which entangled the opponent's lightning spear. The lightning chain collided with the lightning spear, and electricity crackled, but the lightning chain did not dissipate. Instead, it spread along the lightning spear toward the opponent's arm.
The opponent immediately abandoned the lightning spear and retreated, while a wind blade severed the lightning chain.
"It works." Lin Yun's eyes lit up.
He continued trying. He compressed the lightning chain into a thin, hair-like lightning line. The lightning line was more powerful than the lightning spear, but also more difficult to control. He tried more than a dozen times, each time losing control halfway through and blasting the surrounding space into a scorched wasteland.
But he didn't give up. Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times...
Three months later, his lightning-based secret technique finally took shape.
He named it "Purple Thunder Startles the Gods".
The Purple Thunder God-Shocking Technique is divided into three forms, which he comprehended based on the three profound mysteries of the Thunder Law.
The first move, Thunderous Roar, is derived from the profound principles of lightning explosions. It is a group attack, where each segment of the lightning explosion can be controlled independently, allowing it to attack multiple targets or focus on a single target.
The second technique, Thunder Dragon Strike, is derived from the profound understanding of lightning resonance. It is a domain-type secret technique that spreads the power of lightning to a space of several hundred meters, forming a lightning domain. Within the lightning domain, the enemy's speed is suppressed, their perception is interfered with, while the caster's lightning secret technique is amplified. The core of the lightning domain is Lin Yun's understanding of lightning resonance—lightning resonates in space, turning every inch of space into a node for attack.
The third move, Heavenly Profound Thunder Strike, is the most powerful. It is a profound fusion of the speed and explosiveness of lightning, a powerful single-target attack technique that combines the speed and explosiveness of lightning!
"This secret technique is entirely my own creation." Lin Yun breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face.
Over the next few months, Lin Yun continued to refine this secret technique.
Each secret technique was something Lin Yun painstakingly explored and improved upon through countless battles with the mirror image. There was no guidance, no hints, only constant failures and restarts.
His progress was visible to the naked eye. At first, he couldn't even withstand a single move from his mirror image. Gradually, he could withstand three, five, and ten moves. Later, he could fight his mirror image to a standstill, and although he ultimately lost, the gap between them was narrowing little by little.
"Again."
While Lin Yun was immersed in fighting his own mirror image, Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen were also frantically cultivating in their respective battle spaces.
Luo Feng's opponent is himself—himself, an Earthling clone, a ninth-level Star-rank cultivator, an entry-level cultivator in the Metal Domain, a peak ninth-level Star-rank cultivator in mental power, and skilled in using the Sky-Escape Shuttle.
"You've mastered the basics of the Golden Domain," Babata's voice echoed in Luo Feng's mind. "But your fighting style is too crude. Your psychic power is stronger than your opponent's, but your opponent can unleash greater power with less psychic power."
Luo Feng gritted his teeth and looked at himself across from him.
Luo Feng remained expressionless, the Sky-Piercing Shuttle circling around him like a silver bird. Every attack he made was incredibly precise, and every defense was flawless.
"Why?" Luo Feng asked himself.
He carefully observed each of his opponent's attacks. His opponent's Sky Shuttles didn't attack simultaneously, but rather in sequence: some feinted, some launched the main attack, some defended, and some launched surprise attacks. Each Sky Shuttle performed its designated function, coordinating seamlessly.
"I see." Luo Feng suddenly realized.
He began to mimic his opponent's fighting style and adjust his own attack rhythm. Instead of charging forward in a swarm with the Handle-Escape Shuttle, he divided into three groups—one group to feint an attack, one group to launch the main attack, and one group to defend.
The effect was immediate. His attacks became more flexible and unpredictable.
A month later, his Metal Domain had advanced from beginner to intermediate level. In his hands, his Sky Shuttle was like a well-trained army, each component performing its function and cooperating seamlessly.
"Not bad." Babata rarely praised him, "Your progress is faster than I expected."
"Not enough." Luo Feng shook his head. "My understanding of the laws is still too weak. I've only achieved minor success in the Metal Domain, but I still have a long way to go before reaching the fundamental laws."
"No rush," Babata said. "Your golden-horned behemoth avatar is still devouring metal. Once you break through to the cosmic level, the fundamental laws of metal will naturally follow. Right now, you just need to solidify your foundation."
Luo Feng nodded and continued his cultivation.
Hong and Lei Shen were also training frantically.
Hong's domain had reached the ninth level, just one step away from the fundamental law. His marksmanship became faster and sharper, each shot seemingly carrying a trail of light.
His mirror image was equally formidable, each attack incredibly precise, leaving Hong struggling to keep up. But Hong did not give up; he observed his opponent's marksmanship again and again, imitating and improving upon it time and again.
"The speed of light... the refraction of light..." Hong murmured.
He vaguely sensed that the thin layer of paper separating them was getting thinner and thinner.
Thor's progress was also rapid. His Thunder Domain had advanced from the sixth level to the eighth, not far from the ninth. His blade crackled with lightning, each strike carrying the force of a thunderbolt.
His mirror image was equally skilled in lightning magic, and every attack was faster and more accurate than his own. Thor gritted his teeth, charging forward again and again, only to be repelled time and time again, and then getting back up each time.
"Lightning is not just about power, but also about speed and resonance," Thor murmured to himself.
His lightning domain is approaching its ninth level.
A year later, the four of them came to the end of their training.
Lin Yun's lightning-based secret techniques are basically perfected, with each move incorporating his understanding of the profound mysteries of the laws.
His strength was at least three times greater than a year ago. Although there was still a gap between him and his mirror image, the gap had narrowed to an acceptable range. He believed that it wouldn't be long before he could defeat his more experienced self.
Luo Feng's Golden Domain had reached the ninth level because two months ago, his Golden Horned Beast had finally reached the first tier of the Universe level, and his use of the Sky-Piercing Shuttle was now masterful. Although his Earthling clone had not broken through to the Universe level, his combat skills had improved significantly.
Hong's Domain of Light remained at the ninth level, but he could sense that a breakthrough was not far off. That thin layer of paper could be pierced at any moment.
Thor's Thunder Domain has also reached the ninth level, just like Hong, only one step away from the fundamental law.