Chapter 187: The News of Luo Feng’s Death

Deep within the ruins of an ancient civilization, inside a semi-transparent crystal chamber located in a labyrinth:

“Failure means death?”

“Three years?” Luo Feng’s face turned pale. He couldn’t contact the outside world at all from within this ancient civilization ruin! This special ‘death trial’ had given him a time span of three years, but if he were truly trapped here for a prolonged period, how would the outside human society perceive it?

Most likely, they would assume he was dead!

Then, they would inform his parents, and Xu Xin would find out too.

“What should I do? I’m not dead at all!”

“But if I’m stuck here long-term, I can’t contact the outside at all.” Luo Feng’s heart was filled with anxiety. Thinking of his parents, his younger brother, and Xu Xin believing he was dead, he became even more distressed. “Damn it! I never wanted this trial in the first place. I’d rather not have the treasures for completing it!”

Luo Feng couldn’t imagine what would happen to his family if he were gone for three years!

“Hurry!”

“I must break through this chamber as quickly as possible!” Luo Feng’s eyes locked onto the crystal walls of the chamber. The walls were covered with intricate carvings. Without hesitation, Luo Feng gritted his teeth. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Six razor blades transformed into six streaks of blade light, slamming into a blank circular area on the crystal wall, three centimeters in diameter.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Again and again, Luo Feng poured all his strength into relentless strikes!

“Break already!” Luo Feng shouted in frustration.

“I don’t want to stay here for three years!”

Strike after strike, yet the strange crystal-like material didn’t even crack.

“It’s useless, useless.” Luo Feng helplessly knelt inside the crystal chamber.

His rational mind told him that since the trial had given him a full three years, breaking through this chamber must be extremely difficult. If only he could contact the outside world through his communicator and tell his parents and his girlfriend that he was still alive. That would be better.

But he couldn’t make contact.

If anything happened to his parents, what would all his achievements matter?

“I have no choice but to accept this.”

Luo Feng’s eyes, sharp as blades, swept across the paintings and inscriptions on the crystal walls. “They gave me three years. Then I will break through this chamber in three months.”

“Swish!”

Luo Feng pressed the button on his communicator, taking pictures like a camera, capturing the numerous paintings and writings on the crystal walls. Then, using the ‘translation software,’ he converted them into images and Chinese. Twenty minutes later, a complete set of the Controller’s secret manual, “Basic 312 Forms,” was ready.

…

From this moment on, at 22:56 on September 29, 2057, according to Beijing time.

Luo Feng officially began studying the Controller’s secret manual, “Basic 312 Forms.” A strong desire to return home drove Luo Feng to fully immerse himself in the training. The ancient ruins provided food and water. When thirsty, he drank. When hungry, he ate. Otherwise, he was completely absorbed in this fundamental cultivation!

Once he started training, Luo Feng immediately realized the depth and complexity of the “Basic 312 Forms!”

In terms of intricacy and profundity, it was immeasurably superior to the “Celestial God Diagram.”

The “Celestial God Diagram” was actually a series of very dull illustrations instructing one to continuously simulate the diagrams using flying knives, based on the principle of ‘practice makes perfect’ and ‘repeating a move a thousand times reveals its meaning.’ It was a method of constantly refining one’s ability to control flying knives to the limit, thus improving control. These diagrams were simply ones that Hong had deduced through an intelligent system, each one more difficult than the last.

The “Basic 312 Forms” were different!

This was actually a foundational training method of the ‘Controller’ lineage of the Psychokineticists, from a faction in the universe that had originally built this No. 9 ancient civilization ruin! This foundational manual had, in the distant past, given rise to countless experts many times stronger than Luo Feng!

The “Psychokineticist Basics” Luo Feng had purchased, which Hong had treasured, was a recent human achievement on Earth over the past few decades—a product of human imagination.

But the “Basic 312 Forms” were an ancient secret technique that had withstood the test of countless eons!

Once he started training, Luo Feng immediately sensed the difference!

He had trained hard in the “Celestial God Diagram” for a long time, yet had made minimal progress. But with the “Basic 312 Forms”… his ability to control flying knives rapidly improved, a rate of progress that astonished even Luo Feng.

…

“Boom!”

“It’s still not enough.” Luo Feng, with a beard of stubble, stared at the crystal wall. The wall bore no cracks. Ten flying knives that had struck it returned to the Void Cloud Shuttle, swirling around him. “Ten flying knives in total. Each strike exceeds 500,000 kilograms of impact force, yet it’s still far from enough.”

“Continue!”

Luo Feng once again immersed himself in the “Basic 312 Forms.” From controlling six flying knives to ten, only two months and twenty-one days had passed! Remember, with the “Celestial God Diagram,” Luo Feng had trained for over a month without advancing from six to seven knives. The difference between the two methods was indeed shocking.

…

At the underground base near the entrance of the No. 9 ancient civilization ruins.

“Three months already!”

The old man in red robes sighed, shaking his head. “Three full months, and Luo Feng hasn’t emerged. Inform the Limit Martial Arts Academy.”

“Yes!”

The numerous staff members at the base hurriedly sent out the message.

…

Unaware of the immense shockwaves his disappearance had caused in the outside world, Luo Feng continued his arduous training deep within the ancient ruins. This time, the Limit Martial Arts Academy had sent eight Warlords into the No. 9 ancient civilization ruins. Five of them returned. Among them, two succeeded, three were crippled. Three others never came out!

Generally, those who failed to exit the ruins alive were presumed dead!

However, among the three who didn’t return, was the renowned ‘Invincible Warlord’ Luo Feng! No one could imagine that Luo Feng would fail! Even if he did fail, at least he should have escaped, albeit crippled. But Luo Feng and the other two Warlords had gone completely silent.

…

Inside the colossal spaceship-shaped headquarters of the Limit Martial Arts Academy.

The black-robed man ‘Hong’ stood silently, gazing out the window.

“Master.” The seductive woman respectfully addressed him.

“I didn’t expect it. I never thought…” Hong sighed deeply.

Eight entered, five returned. The fastest came out in just three days! The last to return did so on the fifteenth day! The remaining three never emerged… including Luo Feng. Normally, by convention, if someone hadn’t emerged within three months, they were declared dead!

Before translation software existed, Warlords entering the No. 9 ancient civilization ruins, unable to understand or read, were trapped for as long as seven months.

But since the advent of translation software, efficiency had greatly increased. The longest anyone had been trapped was just over a month and a half!

The academy doubled the time, setting the death declaration at ‘three months.’

If someone couldn’t exit the No. 9 ancient civilization ruins within three months, they were declared dead!

“There were three who didn’t come out this time.” The black-robed man, Hong, said gravely. “Inform their families of their deaths! Except for Luo Feng… inform his family that Luo Feng may be dead, but it’s not confirmed yet.”

“Yes.” The woman bowed.

“But Master, it’s already been three months?” The woman couldn’t help but ask.

Hong sighed deeply. “I still can’t believe Luo Feng fell in the No. 9 ancient civilization ruins. Go!”

“Yes.” The woman withdrew.

Hong silently gazed out the window. The first time he met Luo Feng was at the Elite Training Camp. Back then, Hong had already been astonished by Luo Feng’s talent! Step by step, he had come to value Luo Feng more and more. Even entrusting Luo Feng with the Void Cloud Shuttle, he had believed Luo Feng would one day become his right-hand man.

Never did he expect…

That he would fall in the relatively low-risk No. 9 ancient civilization ruins.

…

Early morning, Mingyue Community, Yangzhou City.

“Hongguo, what’s going on?” In the kitchen, Gong Xinlan called out. “I haven’t heard from Xiaofeng in three months. I’ve been really anxious.”

“Don’t worry.”

In the living room, Luo Hongguo chuckled as he read the newspaper. “Our son is an extraordinary expert! He kills monsters like chopping melons and vegetables. Last time, the commander of the Southeast Military Region even came to our house to thank him.”

Suddenly—

The doorbell rang.

“Maybe Xiaofeng is back.” Luo Hongguo immediately stood up, but Gong Xinlan in the kitchen ran faster, rushing to the door.

“Who are you?”

Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan looked at the two people at the door in confusion. Standing outside was a very beautiful woman, followed by a young girl. Additionally, four more people were ascending the steps outside the door—President Zhou and three managers from the Jiangnan Base City branch of the Limit Martial Arts Academy.

The six of them all wore solemn expressions.

“Hongguo, something’s not right. I feel uneasy.” Gong Xinlan whispered.

“President Zhou? Please come in.” Luo Hongguo smiled.

The six entered.

The leading woman bowed. “Mr. Luo, Mrs. Gong, I am Luo Feng’s mentor, Jiang Fang.”

“Oh, Teacher Jiang Fang. I’ve heard of you.” Gong Xinlan smiled.

“I’m here today to inform you of some news.” Jiang Fang’s eyes held a trace of sorrow. She never imagined that the young man, so gifted and diligent, would…

Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan exchanged glances.

“Your son, Luo Feng, is suspected dead by our academy, so we are informing you both.” Jiang Fang said softly.

“Heavens!”

Gong Xinlan’s eyes widened in shock, and she fainted, collapsing.

Luo Hongguo’s body trembled, but he quickly supported his wife, tears streaming down his face.

Jiang Fang also rushed to support Gong Xinlan. Gong Xinlan’s limp body slightly trembled as she opened her eyes, staring at Jiang Fang, her voice quivering: “Teacher Jiang, no, no, it’s impossible. My Xiaofeng can’t be in trouble. Impossible, impossible…” Gong Xinlan’s face was terrifyingly pale.

“Please understand, it’s only a suspicion, not confirmed yet.” Jiang Fang quickly said.

“Yes, only a suspicion.” Luo Hongguo supported Gong Xinlan. “It’s okay. Xiaofeng will come back.”

But Gong Xinlan silently wept.

A suspicion?

What kind of power was the Limit Martial Arts Academy? The strongest force on Earth! If they had dispatched several Warlords to inform them, wouldn’t there be some basis for it? Luo Hongguo, the father, clearly knew… his son Luo Feng probably had a nine-out-of-ten chance of being dead.

“President Zhou, hello.”

Luo Hua, with a smiling face, walked through the door. But upon seeing the state of his father and mother, he was startled and rushed over. “Dad, Mom, what’s wrong with you?”