Upon hearing the regulations of the stone gate, Ye Chen fell silent for a moment, then stepped toward the virtual helmet, resembling a solitary traveler approaching the end of his life's journey.
He reached out, taking hold of the virtual helmet without a flicker of hesitation, decisively placing it over his head. Immediately, a faint electrical current surged through him, connecting his consciousness and drawing him into another world.
Whoosh~
Before he could even open his eyes, the clamor of this new world jolted him awake. Ye Chen slowly opened his lids, and a wash of vibrant colors and bizarre shapes flooded his vision.
It was a vast, soaring martial stage, encircled by countless tiers of shadowy figures. Roars, shouts, and all manner of heart-pounding noise saturated the space.
The sky above was a clear, deep azure, much like the dome of a colossal stadium. The collective cheers of the crowd soared upward, disturbed only by a few drifting white clouds that remained serenely aloof.
A voice suddenly materialized in Ye Chen’s mind: “Please select your assessment mode.”
“The second!” Ye Chen responded almost without thinking.
The first assessment mode required completion of one million battles. Even if he finished one battle every hour, it would take him a century to complete it!
The deep electronic voice resonated, “Ultimate Challenge Mode. Rules: You have three chances to challenge. Failure in three consecutive attempts results in elimination. In the combat rest area, there are the Trial Zone and the Cosmos Zone!” “The Trial Zone allows entry into various hazardous maps for combat, honing your fighting skills, but it cannot enhance true strength; it only improves willpower and technique.” “The Cosmos Zone permits observation of profound mysteries, allowing enhancement of one’s secret techniques through comprehension, leading to significant increases in combat power, but it offers no physical improvement!” Ye Chen nodded slightly and declared without hesitation, “Begin the challenge!”
“Confirm?”
“Confirm!”
“You are about to enter the first challenge match. Your opponent will be randomly assigned: a Demi-God Initial-tier expert from the Orc Civilization!” “Countdown commencing…”
The electronic voice sounded in Ye Chen’s mind, and the scene before him abruptly shifted. He materialized on a massive martial platform, surrounded by tumultuous cheers like crashing waves, igniting his blood and stirring his heart.
Ye Chen glanced around, realizing he had moved from the spectator area to the stage itself. He didn't linger on his surroundings; everything he saw here was virtual—only he was real. Thus, he focused his gaze on the figure not far ahead.
A blinding light shimmered there, and a figure coalesced from thin air. It seemed woven from countless streams of data—a burly man with bronze skin, a face carved like a blade, thick eyebrows, and piercing, viridian eyes that glowed with a faint, eerie light, instilling a sense of dread.
The massive man clenched his fist, retrieving a broad, heavy battle-blade from behind his back. His gaze, cold and merciless, locked onto Ye Chen. As the gong signaling the start of the battle tolled, he charged forward abruptly.
“Brute Force Enhancement, engage!”
The burly man roared, his bones cracking like popping beans. His skin appeared to harden into metal, and his muscles swelled like coiled dragons, radiating a savage aura.
“An Orc from the Orc Civilization,” Ye Chen narrowed his eyes. He realized that in this combat simulation, he could not activate Superman Mode; perhaps the virtual system had no record of the Lightning Superman Mode or the Ant Superman Mode, hence the inability to deploy them.
However, the unique characteristics of numerous ancient civilizations were recorded and could be activated as racial talents.
For instance, the Mayan Civilization’s Sixth Sense Prophecy Art. The Angelic Civilization’s Angel Mode. The Bruu Civilization’s Self-Healing Rebound…
The burly man before him was displaying the Orc Civilization’s racial talent, activating it without impediment.
Ye Chen’s expression turned cold and ruthless. He raised a hand and pointed, coalescing a rich, divine light that shot out like an aurora, piercing the burly man in an instant.
Thud!
The Orc’s body halted abruptly. Disbelief contorted his features before his eyes dimmed, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Wow~~
The entire arena erupted in an uproar, filled with cheers and ecstatic noise.
Ye Chen remained impassive as the electronic voice sounded in his ear, “Congratulations, you have passed the first challenge match. Proceed to the second?”
“Yes!”
“Confirm?”
“…Confirm!”
As he spoke, a flash of light appeared before Ye Chen, materializing into a figure clad in a black robe, wielding a scepter, and hidden beneath a dark, wide-brimmed hat. However, the slender outline of the body revealed her to be female.
“The Ancient Babylonian Civilization!” Ye Chen frowned slightly.
Ancient Babylon was a civilization from recent Earth history, recorded in the files of the Academy of Sciences as exceptionally mysterious, akin to the legendary Atlantis, which vanished beneath the Atlantic, and the Ancient Egyptian Civilization, which departed Earth for space after constructing the pyramids.
The Ancient Babylonians excelled in magic and inscription, capable of etching magical runes onto ordinary artifacts to imbue them with miraculous power.
For instance, the broomstick rumored in Western lore was said to be a flying vessel of the Ancient Babylonians.
Ye Chen watched the woman before him with indifference. Regardless of the civilization, everything was futile against absolute power. The people of the Hua Civilization, due to their peculiar physical structure, could freely absorb positive cosmic energy and command wondrous magic.
The physical structure of every civilization exhibited subtle variations.
For example, the Mental Civilization, where emotions could influence physical changes. The Orc Civilization possessed innate, powerful physiques, enabling transformations like Berserk Charge and Orc Enhancement.
Dong… A starting gong sounded.
The girl in the black robe slowly raised her head. Beneath the dark hat, a delicate, snow-white face was revealed, skin as fine as exquisite porcelain, possessing a beauty that stunned the senses. Yet, to Ye Chen, she was no different from a piece of wood; having witnessed Bai Yijun’s unparalleled beauty, all other women paled in comparison in his eyes.
“Gravity Spell!” “Explosion Flame!”
“Delay Aura!” With a wave of her hand, the crimson gem atop her scepter emitted an eerie glow. A mysterious force enveloped Ye Chen’s entire body, and driven by potent Demi-God power, the space around him seemed to contract violently. The ground felt as if invisible small hands were tugging and anchoring them in place.
Simultaneously, a fiery red hexagram materialized above his head, spinning as tendrils of lightning danced around it, brewing terrifying power within.
At the same time, the spatial constraint around Ye Chen intensified, making every movement feel like it was being pulled by countless ropes, slowed to a near-motionless state.
Ye Chen’s expression remained cold. In his previous life, he had indeed fought against practitioners of the Ancient Babylonian Civilization. The most deceptive aspect of this civilization was how difficult it was to detect their attacks, necessitating constant vigilance.
Feeling the oppressive force of tens of millions of kilograms weighing him down, along with the spatial bondage, Ye Chen did not struggle violently. These two slow-down spells were enough to restrain the movements of many Mid-tier Demi-God Realm experts. As for Initial-tier Demi-God experts, they would likely be instantly annihilated upon facing such a barrage.
Ye Chen remained motionless, fixing his gaze on the black-robed girl. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and exhaled a brilliant golden light that shot out like an arrow, its momentum unstoppable, expanding in the girl’s narrowing eyes until it pierced through her hat, leaving a small, crimson dot on her brow.
Fallen!
As the black-robed girl collapsed, the magic restraining Ye Chen’s body slowly dissipated, and the brewing hexagram above his head faded away.
The area surrounding the stage erupted in a chaotic roar of cheers.
“Congratulations on passing the second assessment. Proceed to the third?” the electronic voice sounded in Ye Chen’s mind.
“Yes!”
“Confirm?”
“Confirm.”
As the words fell, light flashed before Ye Chen, and the ground trembled slightly. A towering figure, approximately six meters tall, stood before him. Its entire body shone with brilliant silver light, possessing a metallic luster, and its eyes were twin gems of crystal clarity.
It was a Robot!
This automaton bore a resemblance to Ye Chen’s Silver Mechanical Warriors from the past, though its size was much smaller, its metallic sheen purer, and a faint protective shield covered its surface.
“Mechanical Civilization?” Ye Chen’s brow furrowed slightly. In the Ancient World, the technological might of the Mechanical Civilization ranked among the elite. Its citizens were forged constructs, governed by highly intelligent chips, devoid of emotion or sentiment; even their thoughts were scripted in fabrication plants.
Within this civilization, truly autonomous consciousness was found only in extremely powerful God-level automatons or the Father Gods.
Dong~~~
The starting gong sounded.
“Target acquired, lock initiated, 360-degree sweep…” The robot looked down at Ye Chen. Its sapphire-like eyes emitted streaks of scanned data—combat power, evasion indices, fatal weaknesses—all fed directly into its combat system.
“Micro-Nuke!” The robot abruptly raised its palm; its fingertips split open, revealing dark muzzles from which a torrent of projectiles erupted toward Ye Chen.
Every bullet here was compressed from special metal, possessing immense destructive power. Even Initial-tier Demi-God experts in Ghost Mode would struggle to evade them, as the magnetic field within the projectiles would attract them before detonation.
Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, stepping forward. A protective divine flame manifested on his Divine Flame Armor, forming a golden shield. Facing the relentless storm of attacks, he stood utterly firm.
“Break!” Ye Chen pointed a finger, and a thread of golden light shot out.
The robot’s body trembled slightly. Its detection system registered a powerful incoming attack in a danger zone but lacked the time to evade. The golden light pierced through its brain casing, causing its entire body to explode.
Boom! A ferocious shockwave surged toward Ye Chen, but against the Divine Flame Armor, 99.9% of its power was nullified; only a trace of residual energy penetrated his body before being completely annihilated.
“High-tier Demi-God from the Mechanical Civilization,” Ye Chen let out a soft breath, his eyes narrowing. If this robot had been at the peak of the Demi-God realm, the force of that final self-detonation might have inflicted minor injuries upon him.
As the combat concluded, a wave of tumultuous cheers rose from the spectators below.