Chapter Eighty-One: The Virtual World

At that moment, whatever crossed Alice’s mind caused a flush to spread behind her ears. Lando gazed at her, his eyes brimming with emotion as he spoke in a deep voice, “Alice, I…”

Alice, as if suddenly awakened, hurriedly interrupted him, “Wait, wait, wait… this is too fast, I—I’m not ready yet!” Her words stumbled out, cheeks crimson, and she dared not lift her head.

She felt torn, longing to flee yet equally desperate to witness Lando’s reaction, clutching the box in her arms and standing frozen.

Then she heard Lando’s slightly puzzled question, “What’s too fast? Not ready for what?”

Alice jerked her head up in surprise and raised the box. Lando smiled, “This is my latest research. Last time, during our exploration, you seemed fascinated by that world’s spatial abilities, so I decided to study them. This ring is the result. Once you wear it, you’ll be able to use those abilities. Unfortunately, due to various limitations, there may never be another like it.”

Hearing this, Alice’s blush deepened. She hugged the box and fled.

As Aldo privately lamented that his straightforward disciple had missed yet another opportunity, he noticed a faintly smug smile at the corner of Lando’s mouth.

Aldo: ???!!!

…

After several days of hesitation, Alice finally put on the ring.

In many worlds, rings carry no special meaning, but as chance would have it, in Alice’s family’s world, they do! And, even more coincidentally, Lando knew this!

Happy times are always fleeting. After nearly two months of studying with Alice, she apparently received a summons from her family and departed once more.

Lando, however, felt little regret. Improving himself remained his priority, and affairs of the heart were just a pleasant seasoning to life, not something to chase too fiercely for now.

Aldo, too, grew busy. With the change of leadership approaching, he needed to acclimate to the role of rotating chairman and had been assigned a secretary-like position to the chairman. Such posts were normally filled by specially trained individuals, and as Aldo grumbled, he now had more work than the chairman himself, scarcely a moment to slack off!

Lando: …

Progress with the Elemental Body was promising. Perhaps due to his recent absorption of copious elemental essence, Lando sensed his affinity for the elements subtly strengthening. His mentor explained this was normal, as absorbing elemental essence was among the most extravagant ways to enhance elemental affinity.

Over this period, the Sentinel’s design advanced to version 1.3, featuring a stronger energy core, more suitable auxiliary materials, and most critically, improved combat intelligence.

The Sentinel 1.3 now boasted at least double the combat capability compared to the original, with vastly superior adaptability and endurance.

Having pushed the Sentinel to its current limit, Lando embarked on a new project.

The inspiration struck during his last journey into another world via consciousness projection—the mysterious spark of wisdom that flickered then. He should have begun researching it sooner, but after returning, his mind was consumed by Sentinel designs. Once the Sentinel was completed, thoughts of the spark faded, until now.

He hadn’t yet formulated a concrete research plan, but he invested heavily to acquire the highest-grade virtual equipment—a sci-fi-styled virtual pod, unlike his previous projection device.

He installed the pod in his magic tower, performed a quick calibration, and, once satisfied, entered.

A faint sense of detachment washed over him—so mild he could break it with a mere thought.

He let the pod operate, but try as he might, he could not recapture that state where sparks of wisdom flashed and his mind transcended its limits.

Soon, he found himself in the public hub of the virtual world—the outermost layer established by the Empire. According to imperial regulations, all virtual activities must pass through here, so every virtual platform and game was accessible.

He tried a few of the most popular virtual games, played briefly, then exited. It wasn’t lack of interest—any of these would have enthralled him in his previous life—but, as the saying goes, perspectives shift and so do pursuits.

The virtual hub was lively; he used the default avatar, a slightly blurred version of himself. Looking around, he saw a wild array of forms—hardcore sci-fi robots, adorable cartoon characters, even bizarre tentacled beings.

The most popular game in this virtual world was the Empire’s official combat arena—an unrestricted battle simulation where one could face opponents of every fighting style imaginable. Whether a novice seeking experience, a thrill-seeker craving combat, or an inventor wishing to test or showcase new weaponry, this was the place to be.

Lando’s interest piqued. He entered his private virtual space, scanned and uploaded the new Sentinel’s data—the necessary prerequisite to join the combat arena. Whether as a person, a weapon, or a golem, one must upload a scan in their private space first. Since Sentinel was already patented by the Empire, he had no qualms about uploading it, though he refrained from uploading himself.

The combat arena, as the most popular virtual game, naturally boasted enormous daily activity and attention. Even “newcomer” battles, unless set to private, drew crowds of spectators.

…

Luo Xiaohu was a martial artist with an extraordinary constitution. An orphan raised on society’s fringes, he spent his childhood among thugs and hooligans, displaying remarkable talent for fighting. Even when injured, his recovery was astonishingly swift. After being discovered by a martial academy instructor and brought into the school, he soared.

Having tasted hardship, Luo Xiaohu understood the value of opportunity. With both talent and determination, he quickly stood out, earning the principal’s praise as “possessing legendary potential.”

His early experiences made him loyal yet shrewd, soon winning him the support of classmates, juniors, and even many upper-year students.

After completing a particularly arduous academy challenge, he received his dream reward—a virtual combat arena pod. This pod couldn’t access the virtual hub or any other functions, only the combat arena.

As a battle fanatic, he had even sneaked into bars as a child just to watch combat arena tournaments.

Now, with the right to enter, Luo Xiaohu could hardly wait to show his skills!