Night fell, the bright moon hung high in the sky like a massive silver mirror. Swish, swish, swish! In a deserted clearing, Ethan Chen wielded his longsword, striking rapidly. Beads of sweat, the size of soybeans, slid down his cheeks, dripping from his sharp jawline.
Without a dedicated Martial Arts Room, Ethan could only practice outside.
"Congratulations, Host. Flowing Light Sword Technique, First Level, increased from 90% to 91%."
The familiar notification rang in his mind.
"As expected," Ethan murmured softly.
Once a bottleneck was broken, the speed of martial skill advancement would accelerate dramatically. It all boiled down to spending countless hours practicing and accumulating experience. But improving at a rate of 1% per day was nothing short of terrifying! It seemed that the massive battles inside the Crystal Space had truly brought about a qualitative leap from quantitative gains. They had forcibly transformed Ethan — a person of ordinary talent — into a prodigy.
The battles in Crystal Space and virtual battles shared similarities but also had key differences. Both were deathless; however, pain in Crystal Space was 100% real. Ethan experienced at least one death every day. After thousands of deaths, the sensation had become numb—not that the pain was absent, but it no longer affected his actions.
For example, even if his stomach was cut open, it didn't matter. He'd just grab his intestines and continue fighting. Poisoned and unable to breathe? No problem—he'd cut open his belly and let his lungs breathe on their own.
Back home, he took a cold shower.
Checking his bank account, Ethan found it held a hefty two hundred thousand yuan. With four months left until the college entrance exam, that meant he could spend fifty thousand yuan a month. Although he didn't know where his family had gotten the money, since his father had gone to such lengths, he would not disappoint them. Getting into one of the top eight prestigious universities would be the best repayment to his parents.
Ethan planned to buy some high-end Vitality Milk at the pharmacy first thing after class tomorrow.
Lying in bed, he used an online sleep method. One sheep... two sheep... three sheep... he quickly fell asleep.
Opening his eyes, the pale mist enveloping the world and the two-meter-tall blue crystals beside him came into view.
The Crystal Space.
Every time he fell asleep, he arrived here. Since entering Liang City No. 1 High School as a freshman, this had never changed.
Instinctively, Ethan glanced at his virtual panel:
Name: Ethan ChenLife Intensity: Level 5.2Mental Strength: Level 5Fist Power: 1050 jinSpeed: 21 meters/secondMartial Skill: Flowing Light Sword Technique (First Level) 91%Defense Waves: 4/5 (incomplete), 4/10 (incomplete), 4/15 (incomplete), 4/20 (incomplete), 4/25 (incomplete), 4/30 (incomplete), 4/35 (incomplete)
Every 6-level increase in Life Intensity grants an "Evolution." He was only 0.8 levels away from the next evolution.
After perfecting his martial skill to First Level Mastery in the afternoon, his Life Intensity increased by 0.1 at dinner.
Martial skills unlock the body's latent power. The higher the skill, the faster Life Intensity improves. Breakthroughs in skill also accelerate Life Intensity growth.
For an ordinary class student, improving Life Intensity by 0.1 in a month was already impressive. Ethan's Life Intensity was only 5.0 a month ago; now it had reached 5.2. Such rapid growth even surpassed those spendthrift geniuses in the Hongzhi Class!
Crack, crack — the sound of footsteps interrupted Ethan's thoughts.
"They're here!"
No matter which wave you fell in, monsters in the Crystal Space always started from the first wave.
First Wave Monsters: Vexfang Wolves (Level 2), 30 in number.Standing upright like beastly wolves over three meters tall, their backs bore claws reminiscent of Wolverine's. Once they bled, they would go into a frenzy, increasing speed and strength.
Level 2 indicated Life Intensity level 2. Aside from the name and Life Intensity, Ethan had learned the rest through repeated deaths.
Back when he first entered Crystal Space, his Life Intensity was only 2.1 — slightly higher than these wolves. But there were 30 of them, with a berserk skill. After being torn apart dozens of times, he barely managed to kill them all.
Now... Ethan's eyes sharpened. A longsword materialized in his hand as if summoned by thought.
"Die!" Ethan snorted coldly, swinging his sword to cleave one charging Vexfang Wolf in two.
Purple beast blood instantly stained his clothes. The other wolves snarled fiercely, but at Ethan's current mastery of the Flowing Light Four Forms, they were no match.
Thud! Thud! Thud!In 1 minute 12 seconds, all 30 Vexfang Wolves were dead.
Ethan's figure was already a blur of purple—something he had grown accustomed to.
"Next wave arriving in 30 seconds!"
This voice was the only sound in Crystal Space besides his own.
Second Wave Monsters: Hookclaw Bears (Level 2.7), 30 in number..."Next wave arriving in 30 seconds!"Third Wave Monsters: Minotaurs (Level 3.5), 30 in number..."Next wave arriving in 30 seconds!"Fourth Wave Monsters: Greencrest Monkeys (Level 4.6), 30 in number...
After Life Intensity reached 5.2, Ethan's strength and speed had improved slightly. Facing the Greencrest Monkeys was easier than before. After three hours, he finally cut down the last one.
"Next wave arriving in 30 seconds!"
Ethan looked up, his expression grim, staring at the pale mist-shrouded sky dome.
Having been killed multiple times already, he knew the next wave came from above!
"Woo!!"
With a monstrous roar, a black, winged lizard swooped down from behind the fog.
Fifth Wave Monster: Flaxscale Monitor (Level 6.1), one in number, capable of flight and fire-breathing, with a six-meter wingspan.
From the defense wave count and opponent's Life Intensity, this had to be a mini-boss.
"Come on!"
Watching the Flaxscale Monitor dive toward him, Ethan's eyes hardened.
They were 0.9 levels apart — normally, he had no chance.
But monsters here didn't use martial skills; they fought purely on instinct.
That gave Ethan, wielding the Flowing Light Sword Technique, a fighting chance.
Before, when he only mastered the first three forms, the Monitor had repeatedly slaughtered him—stepping on him, burning him with fire, tearing him with claws, and hitting him with its tail.
Now, with improved skill and Life Intensity, things were different.
The Monitor's ruthless black claws descended like nightfall upon Ethan's head, smashing down hard.
Crack! The ground instantly cracked in a web of fractures.
The Monitor smugly withdrew its claws, unaware Ethan was right behind it.
A flicker of surprise flashed in its eyes.
"Looking for me?"
Ethan's cold voice sounded from behind.
At the moment the Monitor turned, a glint of cold steel arrived first, then the sword struck like a dragon.
"Azure Dragon's Sting!"
Ethan thrust his sword forward!