Swallowing the Stars: Only in my later years did I come to the life-spending panel.

One month later, in the Black Dragon Mountain Starfield, on Canglan Star.

As a renowned planet within the territory of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, Canglan Star is home to a large number of cosmic mercenaries year-round. This is because it is home to a very famous world-master realm—the Thunder World—which also serves as the venue for trainee mercenary assessments.

Inside a luxurious castle on the planet Canglan.

A burly giant, over five meters tall, dressed in black battle armor and with his entire body in a bluish-black hue, sat upright on a large sofa, his brows furrowed tightly into a deep frown.

This person is none other than Ming Yu, an external steward of the Black Dragon Mountain branch of the Virtual Universe Company and a domain lord-level powerhouse!

Before him, a very short battle video was playing repeatedly on the floating light screen: a white-haired warrior holding a thunder spear faced a bald young man at the ninth level of the Eternal Star Realm who had crossed the threshold of the Wind Origin Law. With just an ordinary thrust, he shattered the young man's head.

"It's been a month...a whole month!"

Ming Yu stared intently at Zhou Mu on the screen, his massive hand rubbing irritably against the armor on his thigh. "Ever since this guy made a brief appearance in the Killing Space, achieving an incredible record of a thousand wins and even utterly crushing that branch genius who had comprehended the Law of Wind three times, he's completely vanished! Now, not only me, but many truly important figures above, and even high-ranking officials from the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, have taken notice of this monster!"

Ming Yu's breathing became heavier. If he could introduce this peerless genius, who was suspected of having an extremely high understanding of the laws, into the core layer of the Virtual Universe Company, the reward he would receive would be extremely generous, and it might even help him break through his current cultivation bottleneck.

"Since he logged in through the killing space on Black Dragon Mountain Island, his real-world coordinates must be in the Black Dragon Mountain star system!"

A shrewd and confident glint flashed in Ming Yu's eyes. "A genius of this caliber is currently only at the third level of the Hengxing realm. Simply shutting himself away won't allow him to transform his understanding of the laws into real combat power. Since he craves killing, there's a very high probability that he'll participate in the Cosmic Apprentice Mercenary Assessment and join the Cosmic Mercenary Corps to hone his skills."

"And the Thunder World on Canglan Star is the only assessment location in the Black Dragon Mountain Starfield recently. I'll be keeping a close watch here! As soon as he takes the assessment at the mercenary base on Canglan Star, I'll be able to find him immediately!"

......

Thunder World.

Zhou Mu walked across the boundless black desert, his metal suit still covered in dust. Recalling the sky-covering "death dust storm" he had encountered three days ago, even he felt a chill.

In that unique catastrophe of death in the Thunder World, the raging winds carried sand grains containing the primordial energy of the universe, like countless high-speed rotating meat grinders. He witnessed a huge star-level giant lizard beast being caught up and swept into the dust storm due to insufficient speed. In just a few breaths, it was shredded into a bloody mess by the endless sand!

Even Zhou Mu, in his current state, cannot withstand the power of heaven and earth. Although his understanding of the laws far surpasses that of a domain lord or even some world lords, his body is only at the Hengxing level. If he were caught in the death dust storm, he would suffer the same fate as that ferocious beast.

"boom!!!"

A dazzling purple lightning bolt flashed across the wilderness, followed by a mournful scream, and a one-horned iron rhinoceros the size of a small mountain collapsed to the ground.

[Slay a seventh-tier, eternal-star Iron Rhinoceros with a single horn, and plunder its remaining 8400 years of lifespan]

[Current lifespan stolen: 643400 years]

Zhou Mu's figure gradually solidified beside the corpse of the Iron Rhinoceros. In his hand, he held the purplish-gold [Purple Lightning Dragon Spear]. The spearhead wasn't even stained with a single drop of blood; only pure lightning crackled around it.

"The horn of the Iron Rhinoceros is finally in my hands."

Zhou Mu swung the tip of his spear, knocking off the hard, black horn from the giant beast's forehead and storing it in his spatial ring.

He had been in this Thunder World for three days, but had never seen a herd of Iron Rhinoceroses. These ferocious beasts seemed to be avoiding him, and it took him a long time to finally spot this one.

As for the other item required for the quest, the "Windstone," it can only be found in the true core area of ​​Thunderworld.

The trainee mercenary assessment mission was as easy as taking candy from a baby for him.

"Beep beep beep!"

Just as Zhou Mu was preparing to head to the core area, Babata No. 7's voice suddenly sounded in his mind: "Master, three hundred kilometers to your left front, seven Hengxing-level ninth-tier martial artists are rapidly approaching, forming an encirclement formation. Their target is you!"

"Oh? Another prey has come knocking on our door?"

Zhou Mu's lips curled into a cold, sharp smile.

In the world of Thunder, the most dangerous thing is often not natural disasters or monsters, but your own kind!

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

In just a few breaths, seven figures exuding a fierce aura rushed out from the surroundings and surrounded Zhou Mu.

In just a few breaths, seven figures exuding a fierce aura rushed out from the surroundings and surrounded Zhou Mu.

"Boy, hand over your Iron Rhinoceros Horn and your spatial ring! We might spare your life!" The leader, a one-eyed werewolf, licked his lips, his eyes filled with greedy glints.

Zhou Mu stood quietly in place, too lazy to even utter a word, and beckoned to the robbers opposite him.

"court death!"

"Do it! Kill him!"

Seven level-nine martial artists of the Hengxing realm simultaneously unleashed their primal force, their blades flashing and swords flashing, instantly sealing off all of Zhou Mu's escape routes.

However, just as their attack was about to reach Zhou Mu...

Rumble!!

Centered on Zhou Mu, the sky and earth within a radius of several thousand meters instantly changed color!

Countless deep purple bolts of lightning appeared out of thin air, intertwining to form a suffocating hell of thunder!

Lightning Realm, Ninth Perfection!

The seven bandits stared in utter horror, feeling as if their bodies were sinking into a quagmire, with violent lightning power seeping into their bodies through their pores and frantically destroying their life force.

Zhou Mu didn't even glance at them, casually thrusting his purple-gold spear forward.

puff!

A bolt of lightning containing the power of the fundamental laws of lightning burst forth from the body, piercing through the heads of the seven people as easily as a knife cutting through tofu.

[Slay a ninth-tier martial artist of the Eternal Star level and plunder 8600 years of their remaining lifespan] *6

[Slay a ninth-tier martial artist of the Eternal Star level and plunder 9800 years of their remaining lifespan]

[Current lifespan stolen: 723400 years]

"Too weak."

Zhou Mu skillfully used his mental power to collect the spoils from them. Over the past few days, he had killed no fewer than ten groups that tried to rob him.

In this assessment world, being alone and only at the second level of the Constant Star level makes one an absolute pushover, making every team with ill intentions want to take advantage of them.

"Go get the Windstone, then go back to the location where it appeared in the original story's Middle World. If you don't find anything, turn in the quest and leave..."

Zhou Mu raised his head and looked towards the deepest part of the Thunder World, the core area that is shrouded in endless gales and thunderstorms all year round—the Wind and Thunder Canyon.