Before the bet could even be finalized, the slap to his face had already arrived. Sword Skill Genius was now only thankful he hadn’t announced his wager loudly.
“That bet just now doesn’t count. Now, I bet it’ll take her more than ten minutes to clear the second level. If I lose, I’ll give you the High-Grade Energy Battery I got earlier. If you lose, you have to post on the Sword Skill Public Screen saying you’re not as good as me!”
Underneath the mask, Ru Xu Feng Yue narrowed her eyes. “Fine, I’ll take that bet.”
As soon as the wager was set, Sword Skill Genius impatiently opened the live stream for “Trash Picking Emperor 097.” The moment the screen cut to the second-level perspective, it transitioned again. Large characters flashed across the screen:
[About to enter the third level.]
Ru Xu Feng Yue smiled faintly. “Thanks. I’ll send you the delivery address for the battery later.”
Before “I Am The Sword Dao Genius” could even mourn his lost High-Grade Energy Battery, his jaw dropped at the time displayed on the rankings. He pointed at the numbers, frantically shaking Ru Xu Feng Yue’s arm.
“Look! Look! This ‘Trash Picking’ person broke both our records!”
Hearing this, Ru Xu Feng Yue looked at the shortest clear-time rankings. For both the second and third levels, the name “Trash Picking Emperor 097” had indeed replaced hers and Sword Skill Genius’s.
By this time, Yan Changfeng had already reached the fourth level.
Every level of the Sword Skill Tower tested more than just swordsmanship; it also tested the strength of one’s Mental Power and Physique. No matter how powerful her sword skills were, being held back by her current physical and mental stats meant she couldn’t keep going forever.
Yan Changfeng estimated that she would be completely exhausted by the time she reached the twentieth level or so.
She gripped the Laser Sword, her movements growing even faster as she squeezed out the last of her strength. After about half a star hour, she reached the twentieth level, averaging less than two minutes per floor.
On the time rankings for the first twenty levels—where the average clear time was usually over three minutes—the results for “Trash Picking Emperor 097” stood at the very top. This feat immediately caused the Sword Skill Public Screen to explode.
[Holy crap! This isn’t a newbie; this is a hidden boss! Trash Picking, you’re officially the person I admire most!]
[To the person above, why are you still calling them Trash Picking? Call them the Emperor!]
[The Emperor is badass! We humble ones offer our respect!]
Yan Changfeng had no idea what kind of shockwave she had sent through the sword skill community. She was currently utterly spent. The moment she logged out of the Star Net Space, she collapsed onto her bed. Although her physical body hadn’t moved, the Star Net Space was linked to her Mental Power.
The sensations of mental exhaustion and muscle soreness were all fed back to her body.
Yan Changfeng lay on the bed for a while. Only after regaining a bit of strength did she get up to take a shower. The facilities on this starship were incomparable to what she had seen on the Trash Star. The bathroom no longer smelled of damp rot; instead, it carried a fresh floral scent. She couldn’t help but marvel at how good it felt to have money.
By the time she finished her shower, it was nearly 11 PM. While day and night varied across the different planets in the interstellar era, everyone used a standardized twenty-four star hour clock. Even though the region the starship was currently traversing was still in daylight, Yan Changfeng was exhausted.
She set an alarm on her Optical Computer and drifted off to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Yan Changfeng was suddenly jolted awake by a vibration. She checked the time: 4:03 AM. She had slept for five star hours, nearly half a star hour before her alarm was set to go off.
The vibration hadn’t just woken her. Footsteps soon echoed in the hallway outside, accompanied by the dissatisfied complaints of passengers and the constant apologies of the flight attendants. Yan Changfeng rubbed her temples and walked to the window.
Looking out, it seemed the starship had just completed a warp jump. Outside was pitch black, as if they were in the night zone of a particular star domain.
Yan Changfeng yawned, her gaze drifting toward the occasional flickering points of light in the dark universe. It was said that such wonders of twinkling stars were common during interstellar travel.
Gradually, those points of light grew larger and denser…
Yan Changfeng felt that something was wrong.
Before she could see exactly what it was, the alarm in her room suddenly blared. An ear-piercing siren also rang out in the hallway, and a massive red light bled through the door. The entire starship shuddered violently again.
[The starship is under attack by unidentified biological entities. All passengers, please proceed to Area A immediately!]
[All passengers, please proceed to Area A immediately!]
The broadcast overhead repeated incessantly. Panic and terror filled the ship. Footsteps thundered in the corridor as everyone scrambled for their lives. Yan Changfeng threw on an overcoat and followed the crowd.
The starship’s vibrations grew more intense. Yan Changfeng could faintly smell the scent of acrid smoke. Carried through the ventilation ducts, the smell seemed to have traveled from a great distance to reach her nose.
Area A was located on the lowest level of the starship, divided into the Cargo Area and the Entertainment Area. All passengers were being gathered in the Entertainment Area.
By the time Yan Changfeng arrived, the lighting system seemed to have been damaged. The lights in the entire Entertainment Area were out. The overhead broadcast was intermittent, with only a few words audible.
*Attack… out of control… seeking reinforcements… waiting…*
Someone cried out in terror, “It must be a terrorist attack! We were only half a star hour from our destination! How can I be this unlucky!”
“Everyone, don’t panic! Someone will come to save us!”
“Look! What is that?!”
At those words, all the passengers turned toward the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of the Entertainment Area.
In the pitch-black universe, a massive black warship, almost blending into the void, was anchored not far from the starship. Countless points of light flashed on the giant ship, and from those lights, innumerable silver and white creatures flew out.
They were shaped like wriggling worms, but with dense, small steel wings on their backs. Their bodies were covered in massive, hard shells, with sharp appendages and claws that looked as if they were embedded directly into the armor.
“It’s… it’s the Insectoids!”
The Insectoid Race—a name that struck terror into every race in the interstellar union. They possessed extreme destructive power, ate almost anything, and would even devour their own kind.
In an instant, wails of despair filled the room. Almost no one believed the starship could survive an encounter with the Insectoids.
The signal jamming brought by the Insectoids caused everyone’s Optical Computers to malfunction. Every distress message was stuck on the sending screen, the loading icons spinning endlessly.
This situation—knowing death was coming but being powerless to do anything except wait—was even more terrifying than an instantaneous death.
Yan Changfeng stood quietly before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the deep universe. That sense of powerlessness she had felt when facing the World-Destroying Heavenly Thunder crept over her again. The only difference was that last time, she could still raise her sword to fight with her life; now, she didn’t even have a weapon.
“097?”
Yan Changfeng tried calling the system, but received no response.
She was unwilling to die like this.
Her Spiritual Eyes’ passive skill activated. A faint golden light shimmered beneath her black pupils. The universe suddenly flashed with brilliant colors in her eyes. The movements of the Insectoids, which were as fast as small starships, slowed down. Every flap of their wings looked like slow motion to her.
She felt as if she could hear the metallic clashing of those steel wings and sense the emotions transmitted through every antenna of the Insectoids.
There was excitement, anger, joy, and fear…
For a moment, Yan Changfeng felt herself merging into the entire swarm, feeling their mix of sorrow and joy, and the fear emanating from the giant warship.
In the next second, fluid began to leak from Yan Changfeng’s eyes, ears, and nose. She didn’t have the luxury to care whether her body could handle it; just now, she truly had linked into the Insectoids’ massive Mental Network for a split second.
Within the entire Insectoid Race, only the High-level Insectoids could think independently, and even their thoughts weren’t as complex as humans’. If she could be influenced by the Insectoids’ emotions, then conversely, could the Insectoids be influenced by her thoughts?
If so, could she delay the time it took for the Insectoids to reach the starship?
Yan Changfeng wiped the blood from her face with her sleeve and slowly crouched down against the wall, trying to control her Mental Power to reach out and find that sensation again.
The pain in her head grew sharper. Piercing sounds echoed in her ears. Yan Changfeng could no longer hear anything around her. She could only feel blood seeping through her skin, and a stinging pain like needles pricking her entire body.
That magnificent Mental Network, vast as a sea of stars, was not far from her. As long as she worked a little harder, she could touch it.
Soon, someone noticed Yan Changfeng in the corner.
A person backed away in horror. “What’s wrong with her?”
By now, Yan Changfeng was covered in large patches of blood. Fresh blood continued to pour from her nose and mouth, making her look as if she had just been fished out of a pool of blood.
“Those are symptoms of a Mental Power collapse! Is there a pharmacist or a doctor here? Does anyone have a healing potion on them? Someone is going to die!”
Five or six people gathered around, but they only formed a circle. No one dared to step forward to check on her.
Someone who had already resigned themselves to fate scoffed, “What’s the point of saving her now? Aren’t we all going to die anyway?”
“But… but…”
No one could argue with him. At this distance, the Insectoids would be within attack range in ten minutes at most. In ten minutes, everyone here would be dead.
…
Yan Changfeng felt as if her consciousness were floating in the air, drifting uncontrollably through the star sea after losing its gravity. The only thing she could perceive was the terrifyingly vast Mental Power before her.
Her thoughts were a chaotic mess. It felt as if a crowd of people had gathered nearby, chirping in her ear with words she couldn’t understand.
After what felt like a long time, Yan Changfeng’s mind finally cleared. She stared at the materialized Insectoid Mental Network before her, pushing her Mental Power closer and closer. Finally, just before losing consciousness, she successfully linked with it.
The moment she entered the Insectoid Mental Network, the discomfort in her Mental Power vanished. It was like a fledgling bird returning to its mother’s embrace; her Mental Power reached a state of unprecedented peace and joy.
Countless points of light representing Mental Power floated within the massive network. In an instant, she perceived tens of thousands of emotions.
Yan Changfeng gritted her teeth. She now understood why the Insectoids were so mindless. If a mind with too many thoughts suddenly linked into such a massive Mental Network and received this much information, it would be a miracle if they didn’t go insane!
She concentrated her Mental Power to resist being assimilated by these emotions. At the same time, she used all her strength to transmit a single feeling into the vast Mental Network.
“Stop!”
The fluctuation of her Mental Power spread as if transmitted through a giant megaphone, instantly expanding across the entire Mental Network. The light points representing the Insectoids’ Mental Power, which had been vibrating frantically, suddenly came to a halt.
In that instant, the world went silent.
Yan Changfeng clearly felt her perceptions gradually leaving her. She was being rejected by the entire Mental Network. She pushed against that force, silently counting.
“1, 2, 3… 29, 30.”
She had successfully delayed the Insectoids’ movements for half a minute.
Before being kicked out of the Mental Network, Yan Changfeng caught a glimpse of something. Within the network, a ball of light, more brilliant and massive than any other, seemed to have noticed her existence.
Then, under Yan Changfeng’s gaze, it slowly opened a single golden vertical eye.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
The moment her Mental Power was withdrawn from the Insectoid Mental Network, Yan Changfeng spat out a large mouthful of blood. The veins on her forehead bulged, and her body convulsed involuntarily from the intense pain. Her vision went black for a moment before light slowly returned.
She looked around. A group of people was staring at her in terror. When they caught her gaze, several of them looked away guiltily.
A hint of confusion flashed in Yan Changfeng’s eyes, but when she saw the state of her own body, that confusion vanished.
She was covered from head to toe in a layer of blood, and her face was an even more gruesome sight.