Chapter 373: Online Mode

"Master, all equipment is in position."

The treant reported, its emerald leaves looking slightly weary from long hours of work:

"The magic circuits of the adaptive alchemy table have been connected to the laboratory's main system, and the mental power amplifier has also completed its independent shielding."

Luo En nodded with satisfaction, looking around the brand-new laboratory.

These high-end devices, brought back from the Central Lands, had elevated the entire work environment by more than just a level.

"Thank you for your hard work." He gently stroked Ailan's branches, feeling the warmth radiating from within:

"You should rest first; I'm going to test the latest improvements to the mobile simulation device."

………………

The simulation training area of the Abyss Observatory was exceptionally quiet at this moment.

Luo En stood alone in front of the mobile simulation device, which had undergone multiple modifications, its silver metal surface reflecting the cold light of the room.

As his consciousness connected, the familiar starry world unfolded before his eyes once again.

But this time, something was different—the phantom of Aksa appeared faster than usual, and his expression seemed quite complex.

The tiger-man weapon master stared silently at Luo En, his amber eyes filled with inquiry.

"Human, I need to ask you some questions."

Aksa got straight to the point, his voice carrying undisguised confusion:

"In this period, the number of times you've come to me for training can be counted on one hand. Logically, martial arts require constant, uninterrupted practice to maintain and improve."

He paced slowly in the arena, his massive figure casting a swaying shadow:

"But strangely, I can clearly feel that your basic skills are steadily improving."

Aksa stopped and looked Luo En straight in the eyes:

"This situation completely violates my understanding of martial arts cultivation. Either you have some special training method, or..."

He didn't finish, but the implication was clear.

Luo En chuckled inwardly, knowing full well the reason for this anomaly.

The substitute puppet had never stopped its physical training beside Nari.

The two-way connection allowed the main body to synchronize these cultivation results.

But such a secret obviously could not be explained to Aksa.

"Your observation is very keen, Master Aksa." Luo En admitted frankly, but provided a vague explanation:

"Indeed, I possess a certain... special talent for physical cultivation. Even without direct training, I can maintain and improve my skill level through special means."

Aksa frowned. While this explanation was peculiar, it was not entirely impossible in this extraordinary world filled with miracles.

"Special talent..." He repeated the term, the confusion in his eyes easing slightly:

"In other words, your body is capable of some degree of 'self-training'?"

"You could understand it that way." Luo En nodded in confirmation:

"However, this talent has its limitations. Basic skills can improve steadily, but to break through to a higher level, I still need your professional guidance."

Hearing this answer, Aksa's expression relaxed significantly.

As a veteran weapon master, what he feared most was a student slacking off and ultimately wasting their talent.

"Since that is the case, let us conduct some higher-intensity training today."

Aksa resumed his combat stance:

"Judging from your current skill level, you should be able to attempt some advanced techniques."

For the next two hours, Aksa began to impart more profound martial arts theories.

From "Breath Locking" to "Weakness Perception," from "Combo Rhythm" to "Fatal Strike."

Each technique required the perfect combination of physical fitness and mental willpower.

"The realm of a weapon master is not just the proficiency of technique, but a sublimation of one's state."

Aksa explained while demonstrating complex attack combinations:

"When you truly understand the 'soul' of a weapon, you can make cold metal an extension of your body, or even a manifestation of your will."

Luo En learned these precious insights with full concentration, while calculating his progress in his heart.

According to the current rate of improvement, after completing the bloodline breakthrough in the Flowing Sand Land next month.

The requirements for the Weapon Master class change should be fully met.

【Cold Weapon Combat (Proficient) Experience +1】

【Intuitive Reflex (Entry) Experience +1】

The prompts from the class panel confirmed his judgment; all skills were steadily moving toward higher levels.

………………

After the training ended, Luo En returned to his independent laboratory.

It was late at night, and the low, squirming sounds emitted by the biological pipeline systems inside the observatory were exceptionally clear in the silence.

He took several important documents from his storage bag and began preparing for an important test tomorrow.

"Preliminary verification of the online function..." Luo En stroked the technical proposal in his hand, his eyes full of anticipation.

This was a technical direction he had conceived while writing his thesis.

But at the time, out of caution, he had only briefly mentioned the possibility.

Now, back at the observatory in a relatively safe environment, he could finally conduct limited online attempts.

To some extent, this technology was a preliminary exploration of the "consciousness sharing" theories in Lance's notes.

But he had packaged it as a practical function for "collaborative training," avoiding sensitive content that might touch upon taboos.

The next morning, the preparations before the experiment were exceptionally tedious.

Luo En specifically invited Wei En, three assistant researchers, and two Silver Ring explorers to participate in this test.

"Everyone, today's experiment has a certain pioneering significance."

He stood in the center of the simulation training area, facing the six volunteers:

"We will attempt to run multiple simulation devices simultaneously to create a shared virtual environment."

Wei En pushed up his glasses, his eyes showing clear interest:

"Similar to the concept of team combat? This indeed has practical value.

The current single-player training mode really cannot well simulate the complexity of team collaborative exploration."

"Exactly." Luo En nodded in confirmation:

"Abyss exploration is often a team action, and simple individual skill training has obvious limitations.

If we can conduct team collaborative training in a virtual environment..."

He didn't finish, but everyone present could understand the value of this technology.

The three assistant researchers showed moderate excitement, but also had the caution peculiar to researchers.

The two Silver Ring explorers were more direct; they cared about whether this training could truly improve their survival chances in the Abyss.

"Regarding safety measures, we have perfect safeguards." Luo En continued to explain:

"Each participant has an independent interrupt mechanism. Once an abnormality occurs, they can immediately exit the virtual environment. And the entire process is conducted under my monitoring."

After the equipment was debugged, several improved simulation devices started simultaneously.

When the participants' consciousnesses were connected to the system, they found themselves in a virtual Abyss environment they had never seen before.

This was an area on the third layer of the Abyss, where the black desert stretched to the horizon under a blood-red sky.

The distant lighting celestial bodies emitted a sickly fluorescence, and the air was filled with the scent of death and despair.

But unlike single-player simulation, each participant could clearly see the figures of other teammates.

"My god... this sense of realism..."

One of the assistant researchers looked at their own hands in shock and doubt, then turned to the companion beside them:

"I can feel your presence, and can even hear your heartbeat..."

Wei En was more focused on the technical details:

"The precision of mental power synchronization is extremely high, the latency is almost zero. This level of consciousness introduction technology..."

He looked at Luo En, his eyes full of admiration:

"Researcher Ralph, you have indeed reached the cutting edge of research in this area."

The subsequent test process proved the immense value of this technology.

The squad encountered a siege by a group of sand worms in the virtual environment.

This experience of collaborative combat was something traditional single-player training could never provide.