Chapter 9

"Are you okay?" The tone of the Sea Emperor revealed concern for the first time.

"I'm fine. Was I unconscious or did I fall asleep just now?" Gu Ding's expression was somewhat gloomy.

"Neither. You entered a wondrous state where the absorption rate of the potion increased by more than ten times. The effects of that bottle of potion have been completely absorbed by you. Your cell composite index has directly increased to 18 points, one point higher than the 17 points for complete absorption."

"Oh." Gu Ding's reaction was very calm.

The Sea Emperor had never encountered such a situation before and didn't know what to say for a moment. "A cell composite index of 18 points is enough to practice the complete version of the 'Ultimate Martial Arts.'"

"Hmm," Gu Ding's reaction was still very simple. He directly began to review the 'Ultimate Martial Arts' in his mind.

The complete version of the 'Ultimate Martial Arts' has a total of twelve levels, mainly divided into three sections: attack, defense, and movement. The attack techniques mainly include Hard Fist, Ghost Foot, Lightning Elbow, and Flame Knee. The defense technique is called Rigid Body, and there is a movement technique called Dark Step.

In this martial arts set, each level of the attack techniques has six moves, each more difficult than the last. The movement technique Dark Step also has six steps per level, with a small cycle every six steps. The least is the defense technique Rigid Body, which has only one move.

Gu Ding memorized all the techniques and began to practice them. He quickly finished the first level, and his excellent martial arts comprehension allowed him to become familiar with each move after practicing it two or three times. After practicing the 'Ultimate Martial Arts' several times in the afternoon, Gu Ding's muscles began to feel sore.

"These techniques put a high load on the body. Once you feel uncomfortable, you must stop immediately, or it will cause irreparable damage to your cells," the Sea Emperor reminded him. "Let's call it a day today. Tomorrow, you can go and refine some cell repair agents. You can only take one per week, or there will be side effects."

"Is there any way to practice the techniques without putting too much strain on the body?" Gu Ding suddenly asked, clearly not planning to rest so soon.

"Isn't the virtual arena the answer? Haven't you been there?" the Sea Emperor countered.

"No, it costs 1000 star coins to register an account, and I didn't have that much spare money before," Gu Ding shook his head with a bitter smile. "I've always heard about the virtual arena and seen match recordings, but I've never been there."

"Register one. I looked it up, and it's a good place to hone your combat skills. It just requires some mental energy," the Sea Emperor urged.

"Alright," Gu Ding nodded. He wasn't short of money now.

The Sea Emperor quickly logged into the arena interface. After Gu Ding transferred the money, he soon received an invitation code in his email. Entering the invitation code, he was directed to the character creation page. The so-called character creation was just about choosing a name to use in the arena. The actual character's appearance was the same as the user's, with a 20% adjustment range. Gu Ding didn't make any adjustments, and for the registration name, he entered "This Killer Isn't Afraid of the Cold."

[Create character "This Killer Isn't Afraid of the Cold." Confirm?]

"Confirm!"

[Character creation complete. Enter the arena?]

"Yes!" Gu Ding thought to himself, "If I don't go in, what's the point of spending 1000 star coins?"

[Detecting mental energy intensity, completing mental connection, starting transmission.]

Gu Ding's vision went dark, and when he came to, he found himself in the bustling outer area of the arena. Listening to the enthusiastic shouts from inside, Gu Ding walked toward the reception desk.

"Sir, would you like to watch a match, participate in the arena, or join a betting session?" The young female attendant at the reception desk smiled sweetly.

"Let me watch a match first," Gu Ding hesitated, deciding to check the level of the participants first.

"Sure, please wait a moment." The attendant quickly handed Gu Ding a card. "Observation Hall No. 1324 still has seats available. The two on the stage are 'Call Me Queen' and 'Look, Plane.'"

"Seems my name is still pretty low-key..." Gu Ding thought to himself.

"Please swipe the card at Door No. 13, and you will be directly teleported inside. Once in the hall, if you need anything, you can directly click on the three services on the touch screen card."

Gu Ding walked to Door No. 13, swiped the card, and was teleported into an observation hall. On the stage, the two were already engaged in battle.

The one called "Call Me Queen" was indeed a woman, wearing a tight black leather outfit that showed off her fiery figure. She held a black leather whip and continuously lashed at her opponent.

"Look, Plane" was a young man who looked quite disheveled at the moment.

"Can they even use weapons?" Gu Ding's interest was slightly piqued. The woman on the stage wielded the leather whip like a flood, clearly reaching a certain level. The young man never had the chance to get close, and Gu Ding couldn't gauge his actual skill. However, despite his disheveled appearance, he hadn't been hit by a single whip, and his footwork was quite refined.

"Who do you think will win?" the Sea Emperor suddenly asked.

"The woman will lose. She has been attacking fiercely and will soon run out of energy. As soon as her whip slows down or stops, the man will have the chance to attack close-range." Just as Gu Ding finished speaking, the woman's whip slowed down, and the man took the opportunity to force his way through the whip's shadow, taking two hits and closing in, delivering a punch that shattered the woman's head. The woman's body disintegrated into fragments.

Below the stage, the woman's form gradually reformed, looking slightly dejected but seemingly not suffering any actual damage.

"Looks like we can freely engage in combat on the stage." Gu Ding felt a bit eager to try. He was a bit worried that his rapidly increased strength might hurt others, but now it seemed that this concern was unnecessary.

In the following time, Gu Ding watched twenty matches. The strongest pair was ranked 1118043 and 1112117. In his view, these two had many flaws. He had seen match recordings before and estimated his own strength to be outside the top one million. However, after practicing the 'Ultimate Martial Arts' these past few days, his strength had clearly increased, and his perspective had also improved.

After a match ended, the commentator's voice echoed around, "Our 118043-ranked 'Her Mother Doesn't Like Me' is still on the stage, apparently preparing for a consecutive challenge. Is there anyone who wants to come up and try?"

Looking at the nearly two-meter-tall bald man on the stage with a long scar on his face, Gu Ding curled his lips. "Looking so terrifying, no wonder her mother doesn't like you."

"Aren't you going to try?" the Sea Emperor suddenly asked. "I think this opponent is pretty good."

"I was planning to wait for him to come down before going up, but since he won't come down, I'll take the initiative to challenge him." Gu Ding pressed the challenge button on the touch screen card.

Gu Ding's form quickly reformed on the stage, and his challenge data was clearly displayed.

Name: This Killer Isn't Afraid of the Cold

Gender: Male

Age: 15 years

Challenge Times: 0

Victories: 0

Defeats: 0

Draws: 0

(To be honest, I think the cover I made is pretty good, but it doesn't quite match the story's theme. My protagonist is a 15-year-old young man who will later become a highly rewarded space pirate. The cover uses a fully military-dressed, bearded uncle. So I made a more interesting cover, but the backend didn't approve it... Well, saying all this, I just want some comfort, clicks, recommendations, and collections, no need to be shy...)

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