Swallowing the Stars: The Rise of Emperor Wei

"Now that we have obtained the first item, let's go to Wind and Thunder Canyon."

Gao Sheng looked at the screen on his arm protector. "From here to Fenglei Canyon, the straight-line distance is over 27 kilometers."

"You all take a look, which road should we take?"

With the gravity of this Thunder World, a ninth-level Star Realm cultivator can only fly a few hundred meters per second, and it would take six or seven days to fly at full speed. However, of course, they cannot fly at full speed. They came here to train, and the terrain of this Thunder World is undulating. If they fly high, they can be seen from hundreds of kilometers away, which is exactly what attracts ferocious beasts.

"Is this assessment really that easy?" Luo Feng asked, puzzled.

"Is it easy? The first type of quest item is indeed easy, but the second one is not so easy," Gao Sheng said.

"Moreover, while the intention behind this assessment is good, it changes over time. The difficulty of the assessment... Originally, only high-level Hengxing cultivators had a chance of passing, but now, elites trained by major powers are rushing in at only Hengxing first and second level, because they can form teams with bodyguards!" Gao Sheng laughed. "As a result, it's become a competition of wealth and power. Aren't we like that now? Without them, would the four of us small fry dare to face this group of Unicorn Iron Rhinoceroses?"

Luo Feng and the other two frowned secretly.

"Of course, even if you have no money or power, as long as you have the strength, you can still pass the test if you come in alone when you reach the seventh or eighth level of the Eternal Star. That was the original intention behind setting up this test," Gao Sheng said with a smile.

"Master, this way there are more ferocious beasts, but the environment is the least dangerous," Meng A said, pointing to the map.

"Hmm. Smart," Gao Sheng praised.

"Thank you, Master," Meng A quickly replied.

There are many ferocious beasts, so there is a limit to the threat, and there are also detectors to keep watch. On the contrary, the environment of this Thunder World has some threats that even a cosmic level expert cannot survive.

Several hours later, the nine-person team had traveled about three thousand kilometers and was still within the mountain range.

More than ten kilometers ahead, ten people and Gao Sheng's team were rapidly approaching.

"This group of ten spotted us from a high vantage point a long time ago. We turned to avoid them, but they turned back and insisted on ramming us. Did they intend to ambush and kill us?" Luo Feng asked curiously.

"According to the introduction I read before, the greatest danger of this trainee mercenary assessment comes from the other examinees," Hong said.

"We have nine people too, are they really that confident?" Thor said.

The high-altitude sensor detects the results.

Two low-level Eternal Stars, one male and one female, and eight ninth-level Eternal Star bodyguards—not Brolin.

Even if Brolin comes, Gao Sheng is not afraid. Brolin is not a murderer and would not be interested in the meager earnings of these examinees. At most, he will ask if they have a unicorn. Gao Sheng will definitely remind Luo Feng and the others to give it to him.

Before long, the two teams were less than 800 meters apart.

"stop!"

Gao Sheng and the other nine people remained on the ground.

The opposing team also stopped.

Eight bodyguards stood on both sides, and in the middle was a stunningly beautiful girl with long blue-gold hair. She looked very young, with two shallow dimples on her fair face. She had a charming face and beautiful features, and was a second-level star-rank.

There was also a tall, white-haired young man at the third level of the Eternal Star Realm, with dark skin and cold eyes, scanning the rising ranks.

"Are you going to the River Source Swamp? In that direction?" Gao Sheng asked with a smile.

"Let's go!" the white-haired youth said, leading the group towards the swamp.

The blue-haired girl turned back and smiled, her voice soft and sweet: "Thanks."

"Goodbye!" Gao Sheng replied.

The Gaosheng Squadron continued flying in the air.

Hong said, "I think if we had fewer bodyguards, that team would have been quite rough with us."

"That's right. They must have seen that we also had five ninth-level Hengxing cultivators, and felt they weren't confident enough, which is why they were willing to retreat."

And so, Gao Shengluofeng's team either walked or flew low, encountering many other teams of examiners along the way. Some teams avoided them from a distance, while others did not, and none of them came up to attack.

"Fifty-five kilometers to the left front, there's a pack of 22 Iron Wolf Beasts." Gao Sheng looked at the image reflected in his mind. "We can handle them."

"Let's go this way."

In this way, they dealt with the ferocious beasts they could handle and avoided large groups of them. The Gaosheng team made their way towards the Wind and Thunder Canyon without encountering any major dangers.

Sometimes, when they crossed plains and valleys, the ferocious beasts could see them from hundreds of kilometers away, and they were chased and forced to flee in a sorry state.

On this "night" in the world of Thunder, the team found a dense forest to set up camp and rest for a while.

"This past month has been incredibly exciting and exhilarating!" Thor exclaimed.

"It feels like we've gone back to the days when we were killing monsters." Hong nodded with a smile.

Gao Sheng led his team to target small groups of monsters, fighting countless battles every day. After the bodyguards killed the powerful beasts, the four of them would take care of the rest.

"But I was chased so badly today," Luo Feng said.

Those giant, golden, eagle-like birds weren't something Gao Sheng actively sought out. There were seven or eight of them, circling in the air. They spotted the group of humans from thousands of kilometers away, moving at incredible speeds, making it impossible for them to escape!

It flew directly above them and swooped down! Its strength was formidable, far surpassing that of a typical ninth-tier human of the Hengxing level! The Gaosheng Squad faced numerous dangers, and in the end, Meng B unleashed his domain to kill one of them before the rest could flee far away.

"We've already faced such perilous situations, so those weaker teams that couldn't keep watch must have been in mortal danger the whole way," Thor couldn't help but say.

After arranging for bodyguards to take turns on guard, the four of them connected to the virtual universe after completing their cultivation of genetic energy.

In Gaosheng's villa in Jiuxingwan Community, as soon as Gaosheng opened the door, a fragrant and soft body pounced on him.

"Young Master!"

It was Ina.

During this time, she spent most of her free time in the virtual universe.

The main reason is that Sasha is already a citizen of the universe and can appear directly in this villa by logging into the virtual universe. However, Ina is still an apprentice and doesn't even have a virtual universe account. She can only log in on the street with an anonymous account and then have her bodyguard bring her here.

Gao Sheng hugged Ina and kissed her, saying tenderly, "I told you not to do this. Focus on your cultivation, and it will be easier to break through to the planetary level sooner, won't it?"

"Um."

Lanluo was also in the killing arena hall.

"Elder Gaosheng, I feel like you're different now," Lanluo said with a smile.

Indeed, this was the first time Gao Sheng had fought in the real world for such a long time, and his entire demeanor had changed, which Lan Luo could see even in the virtual universe.

More than two months later.

"Is this the Wind and Thunder Canyon?"

The group of nine gazed at the mountain range ahead, which appeared to be shrouded in snowflakes, a dark and gloomy scene. To be precise, it wasn't snowflakes, but rather a fierce wind carrying a large number of rocks! At the same time, there were cumulus clouds above the mountain range, with lightning crackling within them, as if lightning could strike at any moment.

In the very center of the mountain range, it was as if a divine sword had cleaved the entire mountain range in two, creating a canyon.

This enormous canyon, which looks as if it were cleaved by a knife, is called "Wind and Thunder Canyon".

"The Wind Corner Stone is located in the middle of the canyon, amidst the raging winds," Gao Sheng said, pointing to the middle of the canyon.

"Many teams of examinees are hiding everywhere on the mountain walls and in the crevices of the rocks on both sides of this canyon," Luo Feng said.

In the past two months, Luo Feng and his two companions have advanced another level. Fighting in reality every day puts immense pressure on their bodies, but with abundant cultivation resources, their evolution efficiency is indeed fast.

My combat comprehension has also improved rapidly.

Gao Sheng's level did not advance because his body was stuck at the threshold of the ninth level of the planetary stage, and major level advancement was the slowest.

"Follow me." Gao Sheng guided the group as they wound their way through the cliffs.

Luo Feng suddenly said, "There's a better spot over there."

The detection footage that Gao Sheng saw confirmed it.

Before long, the team entered a cave. The entrance was small and covered by several huge rocks, making it almost impossible to see.

As you proceed along the winding cave, it soon becomes more spacious, with another opening on one side. Outside, the howling winds of the Wind and Thunder Canyon cause the entire cave to hum faintly.

"To think we could find such a great place!" Thor exclaimed.

"The location is good, but the opening is close to the valley floor, and the wind is stronger the further down the valley, making it difficult to obtain the Wind Corner Stone," Hong said.

Gao Sheng laughed and said, "No rush. The trainee mercenary assessment mission has been open for several years, and we only need twelve coins. We can train here."

"Twelve pieces? Isn't it twenty-seven pieces?" Luo Feng asked in surprise.

"Oh? You all have to pass the test? That's fine too." Gao Sheng smiled. "Luo Feng, look at those bodyguards in those teams. Many of them take this kind of test all the time, and they fail every time."

Both Hong and Thor burst out laughing.

Luo Feng and the others occasionally tried various methods to find ways to obtain the Wind Corner Stone, while Gao Sheng simply sat and focused on cultivation.