Chapter 603

The Shanhe Wang began to explain:

"Although the Void-Traversing Realm can fly, they cannot stay in the universe for long periods."

"Only Universe Second Realm martial artists can resist the various harsh environments in the universe, travel for long periods, and even cultivate on planets with thousands of times the gravity."

"In the universe, they already possess the ability to protect themselves, and in many civilizations, they can own several life planets of their own!"

"And Universe Third Realm martial artists are even more powerful; in many primary civilizations, they are absolute powerhouses."

"Managing hundreds of life planets is more than enough; in any civilization in the universe, they are not weaklings and can live very comfortably."

"Nowadays, 10,000 Deep Space Coins for one class is already considered very cheap."

"In Lanxing, if someone offered 10 million Xia Guo coins to listen to a lesson from the Red Emperor, do you think it's possible?"

Lin Qi shook his head and replied: "Impossible!"

"The Mansion Master doesn't care for these 10 million Xia Guo coins, and besides, he has no time at all."

The Shanhe Wang nodded: "The same logic applies to Universe Third Realm martial artists!"

"We are able to receive guidance because we should be grateful for the platform that is the Lieyang Dao Academy."

"Otherwise, wanting to come into contact with Universe Third Realm powerhouses would be almost impossible."

Lin Qi nodded; the 20,000 Deep Space Coins he currently had could only pay for 20 classes from Universe Second Realm powerhouses.

If someone provided guidance, his martial arts skills could also progress faster.

This money was worth spending.

But what about later? Without Deep Space Coins, it was likely he wouldn't be able to take classes.

The Shanhe Wang looked at the deep-in-thought Lin Qi and smiled:

"Are you thinking about how to earn Deep Space Coins?"

Lin Qi nodded and said: "At the Lieyang Dao Academy, it feels like everything requires money."

"I still have to find a way to earn money!"

The Shanhe Wang nodded and said: "Naturally, you need to earn money!"

"Currently, the Liuren civilization's team has not yet arrived at Lanxing, so the number of Deep Space Coins is too low!"

"Once they arrive, we can conduct transactions; hunting disaster beasts and selling their corpses to them will allow us to start earning Deep Space Coins!"

"However, for now, we have another channel."

"Follow me!"

Lin Qi curiously followed the Shanhe Wang, walking toward the west. After a moment, he saw mountain-like buildings connected together, nine in total!

Several large screens were suspended above them, and at the same time, many people with powerful auras were gathered around.

The air was filled with noisy sounds.

"These nine gates of Lieyang Mountain are too hard to break through; the Zerg warriors inside are numerous and strong, and I was devoured in an instant."

"And that Mother Emperor actually knows how to unleash mental shocks; once you are hit and lose focus, what awaits you is being slaughtered by other Zerg warriors."

"What kind of terrifying existences are those who can enter the Lieyang Ranking?"

Lin Qi listened to the surrounding discussions and looked at the ranking list projected on the large screen, lost in thought.

"Master, what is this place?"

The Shanhe Wang looked around at the people and said:

"This is Lieyang Mountain; it is a place for martial artists to hone their skills."

"Lieyang Mountain is also called the Nine Gates of Lieyang. The opponents inside are Zerg Mother Emperors; Zerg Mother Emperors can hatch Zerg warriors, and they themselves can also unleash mental-type attacks."

"Once surrounded, it is almost a certain death outcome; you can only rely on each person's strength to see who can persist longer."

"And the strength of the Zerg Mother Emperor in each gate will be enhanced."

The Shanhe Wang said this and sighed again:

"I have to say, our Lanxing civilization is indeed lucky!"

"The Zerg Mother Emperor we encountered was severely wounded; otherwise, if she had attacked at her peak, our human race could not have survived."

"Moreover, it was fortunate that the Red Emperor attacked; others would have been in danger of death if they faced the Mother Emperor."

Lin Qi nodded; after entering the universe, he had also learned a lot of information.

Among the ten thousand races of the universe, the human race is one of the peak races, and the Zerg race is the same.

And they are in a hostile relationship with the human race, having erupted into countless racial wars, with deep blood feuds, fighting until the end.

And the number of Zerg is not less than that of humans, and every Mother Emperor comes with her own army; they are Universe Second Realm adults, which ordinary humans cannot compare to at all.

And their Lanxing civilization is currently facing the threat of a Zerg Mother Emperor.

Their Lanxing civilization happens to use Lieyang Mountain to engage with the Zerg Mother Emperor and continuously accumulate experience.

The Shanhe Wang pointed to the projected large screen and said:

"This is the Lieyang Ranking; only the top 1,000 in the same realm can make the list."

"And the only benefit of making the list is being able to receive Deep Space Coin rewards."

"The higher the ranking, the more rewards!"

Lin Qi's eyes lit up; he had found another way to earn money.

His gaze locked onto one of the ranking lists.

【Lieyang Ranking (Aperture-Refining Realm)】

【First Place: Fuleize (Lei Yao Civilization), Gate Number: 4】

【Second Place: Younida (Triangulum Civilization), Gate Number: 4】

【Third Place: Huobosi (Taita Civilization), Gate Number: 4】

Lin Qi took a look; he had never heard of the names of the civilizations at the top of the ranking, only the Triangulum galaxy was somewhat familiar.

The Shanhe Wang explained after seeing this:

"Civilizations like Lei Yao, Triangulum, and Taita are all top-tier civilizations in a galaxy, much stronger than the likes of the Liuren civilization."

"They are even the controllers of a galaxy and have already reached the strength of a mid-tier civilization."

"However, no matter how strong a civilization is, what is strong is only the top-tier power within the civilization."

"There are also some geniuses who come from ordinary backgrounds and cannot get good training, so they can only come to the Lieyang Dao Academy."

Lin Qi nodded; although the names of the civilizations sounded quite impressive, if they really had backgrounds, they wouldn't come to the Lieyang Dao Academy.

He was already thinking about how to charge to the first-place position.

The Shanhe Wang continued:

"The Lieyang Ranking is settled once every three months, according to our Lanxing civilization's time!"

"Two months have already passed since the last settlement."

"There is one more month until it is settled again; Lin Qi, you need to hurry."

Lin Qi nodded after hearing this and said:

"I'll go in and try it first!"

【Yes/No to enter Lieyang Mountain?】

Lin Qi clicked confirm.

【Please pay 100 Deep Space Coins!】

Lin Qi was stunned after seeing this; did he have to pay money to enter Lieyang Mountain?

He turned his head to look at the Shanhe Wang, and the other party also began to explain:

"Naturally, you need to pay money to enter Lieyang Mountain; after all, this is a place where you can hone your martial arts skills."

"And the rewards on the Lieyang Ranking are derived from the Deep Space Coins consumed by others."

Lin Qi was suddenly enlightened after hearing this; this rule was indeed powerful.

Letting other geniuses pay to go in and hone themselves, and then giving a portion of that money as rewards to the geniuses at the top of the ranking.

Everyone gains something; it is simply a win-win situation.

It's just not very friendly to poor people.

【Beep!】

【Payment successful!】

Looking at the pop-up message, the next second, Lin Qi's figure entered Lieyang Mountain.

The Shanhe Wang saw this and also chose to enter.

"I also have to work hard; I still have to earn more Deep Space Coins to purchase top-tier secret techniques."

He looked at the leaderboard; on the Lieyang Ranking for the Void-Traversing Realm, he hadn't even entered the top 500.

This is the gap in heritage; if he had top-tier secret techniques, perhaps he could enter the top 300, or even higher.

Lieyang Mountain First Gate

This was in a dense, deep mountain forest.

"Whoosh whoosh!!"

The ground was rugged and uneven, trees were lush, and the air was filled with freshness.

A figure appeared out of thin air and landed in the dense green jungle.

The person who arrived was Lin Qi, wearing black-gold battle armor and wielding a great spear.

He chose the battle armor and weapon provided by the system, with a sharpness equivalent to an ordinary version of a Ninth Realm weapon and armor.

Before his eyes, a huge shadow enveloped him.

Looking up, it was a huge black-red sphere with a diameter of over a thousand meters, emitting a scorching aura, with a honeycomb-like pit structure.

"Boom!!"

Countless scale-like structures opened, and countless powerful figures rushed out instantly.

They had human body contours, their whole bodies wrapped in hard shells, their arms sharp like blades, emitting a cold, chilling light.

This was the Zerg nest!

Terrifying pressure surged in continuously!

【Lieyang Mountain First Gate: You will face an encirclement of 101 Zerg warriors, including Mantis warriors, Beetle warriors, and Hercules Beetle warriors, as well as the Mother Emperor!】

【Please kill 100 Eighth-Level Zerg warriors within one hour!】

Lin Qi looked at the universal language of the universe that popped up, which he automatically translated into Xia Guo language.

And three hours—the standard time for every star region in the universe is different, and finally, the Deep Space Academy unified the time standard.

The time above, converted into Lanxing time, was one hour.

And the target was 100 Zerg warriors, not counting the Mother Emperor.

Being surrounded by 100 Aperture-Refining Realm martial artists—under the same realm, the strength of Zerg warriors is more powerful than disaster beasts!

It was equivalent to being surrounded by 100 disaster beasts.

And the Zerg Mother Emperor was not just a decoration.

【Countdown:... 3, 2, 1】

【Lieyang Mountain First Gate test officially begins!】

A clear, intelligent female voice rang in Lin Qi's ears.

"Boom!!"

The moment the test began, a terrifying pressure, like surging river water, swept over, covering every corner of his body.

101 pairs of eyes landed on him.

Especially one pair of eyes that made one unable to help but meet their gaze.

The owner of the gaze was a beautiful woman with exquisite features, red skin, a curvaceous figure, perfect body proportions, and a seductive aura emanating from her whole body.

Except for the wings on her back, she was almost exactly the same as a human.

She had a pair of red pupils; the moment they met, Lin Qi was attracted.

It was as if he had left the virtual world and arrived in a luxurious bedroom, and he was surrounded by dozens of naked beauties.

Looking closer, they were all familiar faces.

Jiang Miaoyin, Zhou Xiyin, Ruan Qian, Ruan Yu, Pei Yiqing, Xu Qin, Su Xi...

All of them were female genius martial artists he had met in reality.

"Brother Lin Qi, I like you!"

Jiang Miaoyin pounced on him.

Lin Qi felt the soft touch, his whole body shook, his Qi and blood surged, his body went numb, and his heart beat wildly.

"Wrong!"

The next instant, a cool feeling surged into his heart, and everything before his eyes shattered instantly.

Everything around him changed again.

"Whoosh!"

Intense danger surged into Lin Qi's heart; a cold light flashed before his eyes, and killing intent emerged.

"Boom!"

In an instant, golden light erupted from Lin Qi's body, and three layers of golden patterns emerged.

The black-gold great spear in his hand was raised, and the golden liquid-like spear energy condensed and completed.

"Bang!"

The Zerg warrior, with a green shell and a face like a mantis, wielding sickles, tore through the air like a gale, and with lightning speed, slashed out its sickles.

The sickle and the great spear collided; the air exploded, kicking up a wild wind, forming a deep pit on the ground and splashing up dust.

The surrounding trees were snapped at the waist and fell with a crash.

"Crack!"

The Mantis warrior's body was instantly blasted away, and cracks appeared on the battle armor on its chest.

"Whoosh whoosh!!"

At the same time, other Mantis warriors also rushed up; their physical fitness was amazing, and their speed was the fastest. In an instant, they had already charged in front of him.

Lin Qi frowned, wielded the black-gold great spear, performed the "World-Extinguishing Spear Canon," and released a golden shield, blocking all the attacks of the Mantis warriors.

His gaze was fixed on the exquisite-faced Zerg Mother Emperor.

"That was an illusion just now!"

"If we had broken free a moment later, I might have died!"

Lin Qi was shocked; it was his first time facing an illusion, and he had fallen for it instantly.

However, his mental power was close to the Ninth Realm, and his iron-like will allowed him to break free instantly.

Otherwise, without releasing his abilities, his physical defense would likely not have been able to withstand the attacks of the Mantis warriors.

Once, at the Black Dragon Base, during a super-large disaster beast tide, he had faced an assassination by the Zerg.

At that time, the opponent was also an Eighth-Level Zerg warrior, and he had used 【Second Layer · Golden Gangjin Transformation】.

He had only killed four; now, facing 100 Zerg warriors, he didn't feel too much pressure.

The only trouble was the Zerg Mother Emperor!

In an instant, Lin Qi controlled his mental power to weave into a large net, and looking at the Zerg Mother Emperor's eyes again, he was no longer affected at all.

The opponent's illusion no longer worked.

The mental power secret technique "Divine Thought Thousand Threads" records that mental masters have another branch; besides controlling weapons, there is also releasing illusions and mental attacks to confuse opponents.

And the stronger the mental power or will, the stronger the resistance to illusions.

"Boom!"

A terrifying shockwave was released from the golden shield, and a golden shockwave poured out; the dozens of Zerg warriors attacking around him were all blasted away.

The Dragonfly warriors with weak defenses had their internal organs and shells shattered instantly, turning into nothingness and dissipating.

The recoil force of this move killed 10 Zerg warriors.

Now only 90 Zerg warriors remained.

"Kill!"

The Zerg warriors spoke, using the Zerg language, and killing intent surged.

Among them, the Hercules Beetle warrior, wrapped in gold armor, stabbed its arms like sharp knives fiercely at Lin Qi, and golden patterns emerged.

The sharpness was revealed!

Seeing this, Lin Qi released a terrifying golden domain, which was 20 meters in range.

All Zerg warriors within the domain were suppressed, and their speed became 0.5 times its original speed out of thin air.

The next instant, Lin Qi shot out like golden lightning.

The great spear in his hand tore through the air like a golden thread, piercing through the air.

"Puff puff~~"

In one second, 10 Zerg warriors were consecutively pierced through the neck and died.

And this was just the beginning; he turned into 8 afterimages, causing the Zerg warriors' attacks to miss.

"Too slow, too slow!"

Lin Qi performed his spear technique, unfolding a crazy slaughter; he and the surrounding Zerg warriors seemed to be in two different layers.

The speed was not at the same level at all.

90 Zerg warriors had already been surrounded by him; in one second, several Zerg warriors died.

Even the rugged ground did not affect his flexibility.

"Whoosh whoosh!!"

At the same time, countless spear energies condensed, like ten thousand arrows fired at once, shooting toward the Zerg Mother Emperor.

Although the rules didn't say he had to kill her, her illusion still had an effect on Lin Qi.

"Bang bang!"

The Zerg Mother Emperor wielded a weapon like a battle sword in her hand, shattering the golden spear energy.

However, she herself was also blasted back by the energy storm.

"Kill!"

Two more Zerg warriors came to kill; they had black skin and heavy battle armor, with brown stones attached to the surface of their bodies.

Finally, they condensed a huge stone arm like a small mountain and smashed it down at Lin Qi.

"Boom!!"

The ground shook, a deep pit appeared in the earth, thick smoke splashed up, the earth cracked like an earthquake, and a large number of trees were impacted and snapped.

The power of this strike was very strong.

Lin Qi silently compared it in his heart and found that the Zerg warriors were already equivalent to a 3-star combat power in the Universe Martial Arena evaluation system!

They were already stronger than many ordinary Aperture-Refining Realm martial artists.

But for him, they were still too weak.

His speed was still like lightning, and his top-tier mental power made the Mother Emperor's illusion completely lose its effect.

5 minutes later.

"Puff~"

The last Beetle warrior, with its heavy armor, was pierced through the chest by the sharp golden long spear, and its huge body, reaching three meters, dissipated into the air with a crash.

Finally, only the Zerg Mother Emperor remained.

However, the test had already ended.

【Student Lin Qi, congratulations on passing the second layer test.】

【You have entered the Lieyang Ranking (Aperture-Refining Realm) at 88,888th place!】

【Yes/No to enter Lieyang Mountain Second Gate?】

Lin Qi looked at the pop-up message and nodded secretly.

These past two days, the trillions of rankings in the Triangulum galaxy and Lieyang star region had given him a headache.

Now, looking at his ranking of over 80,000, he felt the ranking was quite high.

Lieyang Mountain First Gate, facing the Zerg Mother Emperor's illusion attack and 100 Zerg warriors with 3-star combat power.

The difficulty was extremely high; without 7-star combat power, it was impossible to pass.

【Yes!】

Lin Qi clicked confirm, and the next instant, his surroundings changed.

The surrounding environment all returned to its original state.

"Whoosh whoosh!!"

In the sky, from the thousand-meter black-red sphere, a large number of Zerg warriors began to rush out.

Lin Qi could clearly feel that the number was increasing significantly.

【Lieyang Mountain Second Gate: You will face an encirclement by the Zerg Mother Emperor and Zerg warriors; please kill 300 Eighth-Level Zerg warriors within one hour!】

After Lin Qi finished reading the introduction to the second gate, he couldn't help but shake his head; the number had tripled, but the difficulty had increased by more than 10 times.

Sometimes quantity can also form a qualitative change; ants biting an elephant to death also happens often.

Moreover, Zerg warriors are not ants; they are already equivalent to hunting dogs.

【Countdown:... 3, 2, 1】

【Lieyang Mountain Second Gate test officially begins!】

The intelligent female voice rang in his ears again.

The moment the test began, a terrifying sense of oppression surged again.

Lin Qi mobilized his mental power to weave into a large net at the first opportunity, putting himself in a defensive posture.

His gaze met the Zerg Mother Emperor's again.

"Boom!"

In an instant, his expression changed drastically; he only felt his brain dizzy, like a giant hammer hitting his brain, accompanied by intense pain.

It was as if it had brought him back to the years of cultivation in the Spirit-Refining Tower.

"This is a mental shock?!"

(End of chapter)