Chapter 68: Strength Test

Lei and Yan Siyu followed behind Yuan Shanxing, seemingly walking aimlessly through this vast, boundless white world.

In this space, which was almost like nothingness, a door suddenly appeared. Behind the door lay a beautiful, magical place where a building resembling a church stood tall among flowers, grass, and trees.

Yuan Shanxing was the first to walk through the door. Yan Siyu followed as the second. However, Lin Lei stopped and paused. He said to Yuan Shanxing, who was at the front, “The buildings ahead are illusions. Is this considered a test?”

Yuan Shanxing stopped and turned to Lin Lei, saying, “Yes, they are indeed illusions. You have passed the first test. Your senses are keen, which will help you avoid being deceived to death in future battles. Do not think I am exaggerating. If you successfully join the Star Alliance Guard, you will know exactly what I mean. Of course, the illusions here were merely created for us to relax. There is no danger, so you can follow us safely.”

Yan Siyu turned her head and smiled at Lin Lei, showing her approval…

Lin Lei finally walked through the door. He found himself in a completely unfamiliar realm. At the exact moment he entered, the door behind him disappeared. The white space behind him was as if it had never existed.

This place was actually the office of the Star Alliance Special Operations Team. It was extremely vast, with no end in sight. The buildings were not dense, and their style was very ancient and heavy. From time to time, people appeared out of thin air here, while others vanished into nowhere.

This scene was very similar to situations in the Galaxy Network. When technology reaches its highest peak, it becomes indistinguishable from magic!

Yuan Shanxing led the two to the gate of a castle. He turned around and said to Lin Lei, “Go in. Inside is the trial ground for warriors. No matter what method you use, if you can survive and exit through the back door of the castle, you will automatically become a member of the Star Alliance Special Operations Team.”

Taken literally, if Lin Lei failed, he would pay with his life!

Yan Siyu was shocked and terrified. She said to Yuan Shanxing in disbelief, “How could the Star Alliance Guard be so cruel? Aren’t there necessary safety measures?”

Yuan Shanxing’s expression did not change at all. His tone remained calm: “That applies to volunteers from Level 11 civilizations. If other civilizations want to pass through, they must do so this way! Young man, you have one more chance to back out. So, what is your final decision?”

Lin Lei took a deep breath, glanced at Yan Siyu who looked worried, and directly turned around to step into the castle gate.

Watching Lin Lei disappear behind the door, Yuan Shanxing showed some appreciation: “He is indeed courageous.”

……

As soon as Lin Lei entered the castle, he noticed his surroundings had completely changed. It became pitch black around him. Even his infrared vision could not see anything; everything was just a mix of black and red.

Lin Lei moved forward cautiously. His steps scraped against the ground as he advanced. He focused all his spirit to deal with the situation because he believed Yuan Shanxing was not just scaring him; he would really die if he failed.

With his full mind in combat mode, Lin Lei naturally activated Combat Element Condensation. The darkness in his eyes faded slightly. Several simple lines appeared in the darkness, representing the outline of the room. It seemed the interior of the castle was very calm.

But the calmer it was, the more cautious Lin Lei became. For a warrior like him, completely hidden dangers were the real threats! A single slip of attention would lead to death with no place to be buried.

Following the lines in his eyes, Lin Lei found the castle stairs and climbed up step by step.

Suddenly, several white arcs of light slashed toward Lin Lei. They cut through the air silently. Lin Lei did not dodge. He let these white beams pass through his body because he knew they were just future illusions seen through his skill, lacking actual physical attack.

These attacks were intentional in appearance but formless in reality, used only to frighten.

The real attack came in an instant one second later, targeting the direction where Lin Lei would dodge. Lin Lei only felt strong disturbances in the air brush past him. Judging by the attack’s intensity, it was enough to pierce his Protective Force Field and stab him clean through.

Lin Lei’s skill to foresee the future failed at this moment, or rather, it was deceived. In complete darkness, the amount of Combat Elements he obtained was too small. He could only detect the terrain inside the castle. Regarding specific settings, he was completely clueless!

Fortunately, Yan Siyu had reminded him earlier, preventing Lin Lei from blindly trusting the foresight effect of his skill. At this time, Lin Lei had already reached the last step of the second-floor staircase.

Up to this point, the surroundings were still pitch black. Lin Lei finally stepped onto the second floor, but the moment before was total darkness, and the moment after was complete light.

Lin Lei’s eyes were instantly stimulated by the strong light. He felt a white blur before him and temporarily could not see clearly.

Two figures moving at high speed attacked him from different directions. Each attack was faster and more vicious than Yan Qingming’s attack in the past, designed to be instantly fatal.

Since he could not see, Lin Lei simply closed his eyes. His ultra-fast nerve reactions ensured he could defend and counterattack at the last moment before the attack hit. His hearing was also very sharp, allowing him to locate enemies by sound.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Lei exchanged dozens of moves with the two assassins. They were all incredibly vicious and sharp, moves where even a tiny mistake would be fatal.

The two attackers were not human-shaped. In Lin Lei’s perception, they were more like creatures such as werewolves because Lin Lei felt things like sharp claws. When they first clashed, if not for the buffering effect of his Protective Force Field, Lin Lei would have suffered heavily.

As time passed, Lin Lei’s vision recovered. He accurately judged their position, took a sharp step back, and entered the purely dark staircase.

The two attackers chased relentlessly, following closely behind.

In the darkness, no one knew what happened. Only a terrifying and eerie sound of bones breaking, pained groans, and miserable wails came out in succession. Then, two black shadows were thrown out of the darkness like broken cloth bags. When they fell to the ground, they were already dead.

Following that, Lin Lei stepped out of the dark staircase on the stairs, covered in blood. These two fools could only take advantage of sneak attacks. Once Lin Lei took the initiative, he shattered all their bones within one second. Large shards pierced their internal organs and brains. Not even gods could save them.

Lin Lei shook the blood off his hands and wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve. His movements were incredibly natural. He was completely immune to bloodshed of this level.

He then walked toward the third floor. The third floor was a large, wide hall. There was no furniture in the hall, only one person standing in the center.

This person wore a long robe and was surrounded by a layer of transparent Energy Shield. Seeing Lin Lei approach, he actually bowed slightly to him. A smile even appeared on his face.

Energy Shields and Protective Force Fields were completely different concepts. One was pure energy, while the other was a special substance.

Field-like matter possesses the basic characteristics of matter: rest mass! Pure Energy Shields, however, have no rest mass.

“Please allow me to introduce myself. I am an Energy Controller from the Andromeda Galaxy named Musalo. The path behind me is the exit of this trial. Of course, under the premise that you can survive my attacks!”

Lin Lei had maintained the highest alertness from the moment he saw this person. This man gave Lin Lei immense pressure, forcing Lin Lei to enter the Combat Element Condensation state immediately.

Indeed, while this guy was speaking, several white lines of energy quietly extended along the floor toward Lin Lei. They wrapped around Lin Lei’s feet like snakes and spiraled upward.

The prerequisite for this kind of sneak attack is that the target does not discover it. Lin Lei had already seen through it and made preparations. However, he showed no emotion. He only pretended to look at Musalo with fear.

“Enough, young man. It seems you do not possess the qualities of a warrior. Or rather, you do not understand the habits of our Andromeda Energy Controllers. Then, go die!” As he spoke, his left hand suddenly retracted, and his five fingers clenched. The energy he had previously laid out tightened at the same time, trying to bind Lin Lei in place.

At the same time, a extremely bright and highly condensed light ball shot from the tip of his right finger toward Lin Lei. The two actions happened almost simultaneously.

But Lin Lei was well prepared. In the fraction of a second after Musalo spoke and clenched his left hand, Lin Lei suddenly escaped through the gaps in the relatively loose energy lines.

Lin Lei’s speed was extraordinarily fast. He actually left an afterimage in Musalo’s retina, making Musalo mistakenly believe he had hit the target!

This visual error of Musalo lasted less than half a second. Then he realized the attack had failed. But at that very moment, Lin Lei’s full-force punch had struck the Energy Shield on Musalo’s lower abdomen.

Lin Lei could exert maximum force with his hands, feet, or head. This time was no different. The 6.0 Energy Level attack was concentrated under the tiny contact area of a single fist. The resulting penetration power was astonishing, like an anti-tank missile!

But Musalo was an Energy Controller, an existence completely unfamiliar to Lin Lei. The defensive power of his Energy Shield was astonishing. The shield automatically completely buffered Lin Lei’s penetration power into simple thrust. Musalo was blown away like a rubber ball, but he suffered not a single injury.

Lin Lei was surprised. He did not expect this result. However, his trial was not to kill the opponent but to enter the door behind him. So, he did not care about the result. He chased after Musalo, who was flying backward like the wind. He grabbed Musalo’s long robe and threw him backward. Meanwhile, Lin Lei used the force of this throw to accelerate forward.

“You shall not!” Musalo’s reaction was also incredibly fast. Seeing Lin Lei’s move, he immediately guessed his intention. He pointed his finger, and another light ball shot toward Lin Lei’s back.

But Lin Lei could counter a sneak attack once. He did not fear it happening a second time. Moreover, this type of light ball attack was the second time. How could he possibly fall for it!

He accelerated violently. It was like teleportation. He lunged forward several feet and dodged the light ball. Reaching the door, he did not push it. Instead, he kicked it directly.

The door burst open explosively. Lin Lei’s speed did not decrease. He rushed directly onto the castle balcony and jumped down from there.

The height here was less than fifteen meters. For Lin Lei, it was about the height of a small dirt slope, just enough to loosen his muscles and bones.

As soon as Lin Lei landed, Yan Siyu, who had been waiting there long ago, did not care about the smell of blood on him. She threw herself into his arms.

“Lei, I knew you could pass smoothly. I am proud of you!”

Holding soft jade and warm fragrance in his arms in such a setting made Lin Lei feel a bit awkward. He did not know where to put his hands. He looked at Yuan Shanxing, who was also present, in an unnatural manner: “So, does this count as passing the trial?”

Yuan Shanxing was used to this scene. Members of the Watcher Civilization were always daring to love and hate. He nodded at Lin Lei and said, “From this trial, it can be seen that you possess all the excellent qualities required of a powerful warrior. You have now obtained the qualification of a reserve member of the Star Alliance Special Operations Team. To truly become a full member, you must complete one formal mission.”

“Formal mission? Full member?”

“Yes. We have already investigated everything about your past. We believe you have great potential for improvement. So, once you become a full member, the Star Alliance will solve all your worries!” Yuan Shanxing’s tone remained unchanged after a millennium, still neither salty nor bland.

But to Lin Lei’s ears, it sounded like a shocking thunderbolt: “Worries? All of them? Can you be more specific?” His heart was agitated beyond words.

Yuan Shanxing looked at Lin Lei, whose eyes revealed urgent longing, and smiled faintly: “After you become a full member, the Star Alliance will intervene in the living conditions of the surviving Earthlings. It will raise them to the survival standard of legal citizens in the Galaxy. It will also guarantee that no discrimination, abuse, or arbitrary execution will occur. However, to lift their prisoner-of-war status, you still need to exert your own efforts!”

The Star Alliance really had great plans and bold moves. For the sake of a potential Guard warrior, they were willing to invest so much!

Lin Lei gently pushed Yan Siyu out of his arms. He took a deep breath and said, “In that case, I will definitely fight to the death!”

In his view, this contract was very fair. He fought desperately and improved himself, thereby improving the living conditions of the surviving Earthlings.

In return, the Star Alliance would obtain his loyalty.