The deep stench of earth a.s.saulted the Dan's nostrils. When his eyes snapped open, an incredibly realistic scene of a vast swamp appeared right in front of his eyes. Looking down, dark and sticky mud drenched his feet up until his knees. Incredibly, he had arrived at the center of a vast swamp.

"Natalie? Grace? Vincent?" Dan blankly blurted out and scanned for his surroundings. He found no signs of the three and thought that they must've been transported to a different area within the world of the Thousand Worlds Changing Array.

"Well. with all the training that we did together. It's not like they cannot protect themselves... It's time for me to focus on getting to that top 10." Dan shrugged and threw the matter of searching for the three to the back of his mind. He must get into the top 10 or everything that he had planned so far would go into ruins.

Using his Divine Sense, Dan scanned the surroundings and realized that despite his strong Divine Soul. He couldn't scan further than a hundred meters. It was as if there was a heavenly barrier that forcefully restricted his Divine Sense from stretching that far.

"So this virtual world is unlike that previous virtual world where I can use my Divine Sense as efficiently as I can. It looks like they're trying to squeeze our potential by placing us within such a dark and unfamiliar environment. Well, this is also quite good."

When Dan reached the end of his sentence, his eyes narrowed when he realized that a token was plastered on his left chest. Taking the token, he inserted his Spiritual Energy and a holographic image of a number popped out in the air.

[489]

Out of the five hundred plus partic.i.p.ants for the Mystic Realm of the Undead Selection Process, at least fifty or so partic.i.p.ants has been eliminated in such a short amount of time. Just what was going on? Did some people arrive at this place with others and instantly got into a battle?

The sense of imminent danger suddenly crept into Dan's heart. After experiencing all sorts of dangers. His nerves became quite sensitive to danger so in that instant, he ducked his head low and simultaneously unsheathed his dagger and a.s.sumed a defensive stance.

Clang!

Sparks flew and Lightning sparkled amidst the darkness, Dan clicked his tongue and kicked the figure before him away, sending that figure flying into a tree trunk.

"Hmmph, at the least you have quite the capability..."

in front of Dan was a young man clad in the Core disciples robe of the Paradyne Academy. His appearance wasn't that bad. However, his pointed nose that contrasted his deep and solemn looking countenance, formed a distasteful scene that made him look cunning and scheming.

"I saw you act so disdainful of your fellow Core disciples earlier. is it because you're truly capable or is it because you're just mindlessly arrogant and stupid?" The young man dusted his shoulders and stood up. His eyes flashed with the intense light of killing intent which made Dan frown in response.

"Whether I acted arrogant or not, strength proves everything. If you want to fight then let's fight! I don't have the time to deal with such b.a.s.t.a.r.ds like you!" Dan clicked his tongue and rotated his cultivation base. Lightning roared and the dark swamp exploded with the brilliance of azure.

The young man merely shrugged when he saw Dan's actions. In his eyes, Dan was just a mere Early-Stage Divine Soul cultivator that had just entered the Core Disciples Region. He was nothing when compared to his expertise.

Dan sized up his enemy and saw that the young man had a cultivation of the Middle-Stage Divine Soul Realm. Despite the fact that every stage within the Divine Soul Realm had the difference of Heaven and Earth. Dan remained unfazed and faced his enemy with a smile on his face.

According to his calculations, towards such an enemy. He didn't even need to use his Chimera Flame. Using the System's a.s.sistance. He quickly discovered several weaknesses on his target as he stood there in a half-crouched position. Looking like a beast about to pounce on his prey.

"To selectively target someone as weak as me. You must really feel prideful about yourself. I bet that you're the weakest among the Core disciples. After all, you can only afford to fight against someone like me. Bullying the weak to pretend to be strong. How shameless is that!"

Dan smiled in derision, and the young man was taken aback by his speech. Gnas.h.i.+ng his teeth, the young man rotated his cultivation as the earth underneath rumbled. Within the thick muddy waters of the swamp unfurled numerous tree branches that looked as thick as a person that lashed at Dan's direction.

Earth Laws? This will be quite troublesome. Dan thought and Lightning flashed through his eyes. In a burst of brilliance, the three branches that was about to land on his body were roughly deflected back as Dan bent his knees and shot backward. The young man stared at him with clear mocking in his eyes, but Dan maintained his stoic visage.

"A cultivation method based on the laws of Lightning? It seems like this will be quite easy... But if you're really that heaven-defying as what you said, you should be able to find some ways against me..." The young man looked nonchalant and carefree.

"I wonder how you managed to seduce those two beauties earlier, since they're following someone as weak and stupid as you, they should be affected by some kind of a mind control method from you. Either way, once you die, I can just use a secret technique that will enable me to look into your memories so I can bring them into my control..."

The young man teased, but little did he knew that he poked fun at the Dan's reverse scale. Similar to a dragon's reverse scale, Dan's family was his greatest weakness, touching them warranted a death sentence from him.

At that moment, Dan thought of giving the young man a death worthy of a Core disciple, but when the young man actually teased him using his family, all of those thoughts vanished as his expression turned remarkably calm.

His cold countenance turned into indifference, but within his eyes burned a wick of flame that could ignite at any second and burn everything around it.

"Of course I can bestow upon you a good and painless death and even leave your body intact. But that will only happen if you willingly teach me that wicked method that you used against those women. If not, don't blame me for being forceful." The earth underneath the young man continuously trembled like gongs.

It has to be known the Laws had their respective counters. In this case, since Dan was an expert with the Laws of Lightning, he found it hard to deal significant damage to his enemy, whose cultivation method directly countered his own method.

"Hmmph! l.u.s.ting after another man's wife. That goes to say that you're so socially inept that you can't even attract those of the opposite s.e.x. I bet that after they stare at your face and saw that pointed nose of yours that looks like dog's donger, they would run away in fear. What a coincidence, it also explains that deep-seated insecurity of yours."

Dan coldly snorted and venomously retorted. The young man's figure trembled as rage suffused on his face. His eyes sparkled with immense killing intent.

"I'll kill you!" He roared out and the earth beneath him violently s.h.i.+vered as dozens after dozens of thick tree branches shot out and lashed at Dan's direction. Dan took both of his daggers and engaged in a fierce close combat battle against those tree branches.

Despite the young man's horrendous att.i.tude, he actually possessed finesse when it comes to controlling his cultivation method. It has to be known that Dan was personally taught by George, and his techniques when it comes to holding the dagger also came from that old man.

At that time, Dan experienced h.e.l.l and trained his techniques until he acquired George's approval. Without even saying it, one can understand the strength of such techniques that personally came from a peak-expert like George. Nevertheless, despite all of these, the young man in front of him could actually contend against him and deter his techniques.

Dan thought for a moment and considered using the Chimera Flame. But he soon shook his head, it was still too early to reveal his trump cards. If he did so, he would lose the element of surprise and may as well suffer from other enemies that should be observing him and this young man before him. Right now, he had to defeat this b.a.s.t.a.r.d and send him to the other side using his techniques and the experience he had gained in these past several months.

Dan's body suddenly turned slippery like an eel and she slipped into a gap in between the tree branches that rained past him. Stabbing outwards with his dagger, he aimed at the young man's stomach. Giving him a severe injury so that he would learn his lesson!

"Futile..." The young man coldly smiled and stared at Dan's incoming dagger. When it was about to strike his skin, a dull thud echoed that sounded similar to metal striking wood. The young man's cold smile turned into mocking, but before he could counter-attack. A burning sensation came from his stomach along with the smell of burnt wood.

"Ah!" The young man retreated in a panic. The tree branches that he controlled lifelessly fell into the deep swamp. Dan stared at him with a cold smile on his face. If one looked closely at the tip of his dagger, they would find a small crimson fire that looked more like of a spark instead of a fire.

Acquiring the Chimera Flame's trust and having it willingly submit under his control meant that Dan wouldn't have a hard time controlling it. Although he couldn't use its true strength yet. He could manifest it into a small spark that could let him penetrate his enemy's defenses.

"What did you do!" The young man angrily roared as he stared at the small hole that opened up in his chest. Blood continuously dripped from that opening and despite a Divine Soul cultivator's strong regenerative properties. The hole didn't look like it would heal soon.

Humans subconsciously feared the unknown and receiving damage from an unknown source brought quite an impact on the young man's heart. Gnas.h.i.+ng his teeth, he glared at Dan's direction and blurted out.

"Earth's Core: Arrival of a thousand soldiers!"

With his signal, his cultivation base madly rotated and his cultivation method fully came to life. The energy fluctuations that emanated from his body made the Dan who stood at the distance click his tongue in annoyance. A battle between Divine Soul experts would definitely attract the eyes of other disciples within their location.

And with the taunting that Dan did earlier, he knew that once those mad dogs laid eyes on him. He would be chased until the end of this virtual world. They wouldn't definitely rest until he died. Igniting his cultivation base to the maximum, Dan awakened his cultivation method and his figure transformed into an azure lightbulb that illuminated the darkened swamp.

Blessing of the Lightning G.o.d: Third Stance!

Dan discarded his second dagger and used both of his hands to hold a single dagger. Imbued with extreme Lightning, the heatwave that came from his dagger evaporated the thick and muddy swamp around him as he ran towards the young man with a roar.

Puchi! A clear sound of penetrated flesh rang out!

"H-H-How could it be like this..." The young man stared at the dagger that directly pierced his heart. His heart completely disintegrated from Dan's attack and his life was quickly fading away.

"It's because you insulted my family, that's why..."

Dan's expression still maintained that cold indifference; as if he never even cared about his enemy from the start.

"I'll remember you... Dan..." The young man whispered with resentment and Dan coldly smiled at him.

"Remembering me? I'm sorry but I can't do that and remember you... You're too insignificant to remember..." These words landed into the young man's ears as his body exploded into countless light crystals that eventually vanished into nothingness.

Sheathing his daggers, Dan swiftly left the area, several minutes later. a disciple stumbled upon the scene of battle.