But the drawbacks were also obvious.
The results of years of training within that space didn’t carry over to his actual body; it seemed he would have to retrain this physique from scratch.
Still, at least the experience remained in his mind. If it required more time and effort, so be it.
Hang on…
Yang Zicang quietly waited for more than ten seconds, then opened his eyes and looked around.
Robin Lo opened the windows of the theater box room and set up a straw mat in the corner much like the one beneath himself, along with extra water and food. It looked like he too had been resting and sleeping there.
–Where’s Liang Xi?–
–That damn kid. I told him to come and grab something to eat, but he insisted on squatting out in the shifting arena to keep those bastards from causing trouble.–
Yang Zicang immediately sensed trouble—it seemed some bandits from that group had already emerged.
He walked to the window and saw Yu Chen, who had lost an arm, hanging from a vine dangling down from the second floor.
–He was lucky to be the first out, but also the first to be strung up.–
–Then he really is unlucky.–
The stable space had grown much more extensive, with hardly any flickering, shifting tattered shadows left.
The other few members who had robbed him had aged considerably, bound hand and foot and squatting in the abandoned theater, spaced thirty to forty meters apart from one another.
A small bonfire cast dim light across the dark space, flickering shadows over their gloomy faces.
–The territory is already this big? Why hasn’t an exit appeared yet?–
–That kid who took the Frequency Crystal is playing dirty, deliberately keeping the passageway sealed.–
–Can he actually do that?–
–Normally, no. But can you call this a normal situation? The more people enter the Crossspace, the easier it is to trigger stronger monsters from its confines. That’s exactly what’s happening now.–
Yang Zicang instantly understood what Robin Lo meant—the creator of this place clearly didn’t want people to obtain Chronos easily through sheer numbers.
Thus, the more people who enter the Crossspace, the greater the likelihood of having to face more formidable challenges. A C-grade Crossspace, originally a polyline Moxel’s domain, now had so many intruders—at least two Quads and over a dozen triangle Moxels—that it’d be suspicious if this scenario didn’t trigger.
–I’m worried, y’know. Just the three of us—can we handle the challenges that come next? Based on the intel I’ve gathered over the years, it essentially manifests according to the strength of the strongest person in here.–
–That terrifying?–
Yang Zicang recalled the move that had instantly killed eight or nine people, yet this guy still chose to launch a sinister sneak attack.
–Hey, bro, you’re awake!–
Liang Xi On the stairs, seeing Yang Zicang’s figure appear inside the second-floor window, immediately brightened with joy. He thumped up the stairs and ran over.
–Brother Yang, the uncle said you went to some dream world to find a skill—is that true?–
Liang Xi pushed the door open and couldn’t wait to ask.
–Yeah.–
–Wow, it’s actually true! You guys are all so amazing.–
Robin Lo, a few steps away, tore off a piece of grilled meat and said, –Stop flattering. You’re stronger than me now. As for this idiot, don’t boost his ego.–
Yang Zicang fell silent. Though the first half was just a self-deprecating joke, it seemed Robin Lo didn’t have much Chronos left either, and it must have been spent taking blows from his own weapon.
–Big bro, what skill did you find out there? How many times can you use it?–
Yang Zicang’s brows rose, and he shrugged. –Haven’t found anything just yet.–
–Huh?– Liang Xi’s eyes widened in genuine confusion.
–What?– Robin Lo paused his movements. –No way, you’ve been at it this long and still haven’t dealt with the monster inside? Wait, did you just say ‘this time’?–
The Moxel on his chest flickered briefly.
Although this drunkard’s reaction speed couldn’t keep up with a real detective, with Moxel’s help, he could always piece together more information from limited clues—but at this moment, he wasn’t quite sure.
–Oh, it’s fine. Though I didn’t get a skill, I did gain something.–
The ring on Yang Zicang’s chest materialized, and Quad shimmered as it flowed along his arm into his open palm. Suddenly, a phantom image of a sweet potato appeared out of nowhere.
Liang Xi was startled.
Robin Lo pointed with his grilled meat: –What’s this all about? What is it? Don’t tell me you got a skill that can supply unlimited roasted potatoes.–
Yang Zicang looked at the sweet potato in his hand. It was only a phantom, yet it genuinely contained a substantial amount of pure energy.
[The offering of the First Priest—it brims with ardent faith.]
–It’s a sweet potato.–
–Pfft, no shit.–
[The First Priest believed I was omnipotent; eating it will let me synchronize with certain Near Realm body abilities.]
[It can enhance the willpower and mental resistance of other consumers.]
First Priest?
That guy who can only clumsily clack flint… how did he end up a priest?
Still, Ah-wu did send him a decent gift. With a thought, Yang Zicang split it into one big piece and two small ones.
–Here, share these two for yourselves.–
He made a pinching gesture, offering two small pieces of sweet potato that looked like holographic projections to the two of them.
As Robin Lo took them, his Moxel appeared on his chest.
[I have obtained the power of faith from the –Witch.-** If I eat this, my spirit will be enhanced.**]
Robin Lo was stunned.
–You bastard! Where the hell have you been? You… you’re not telling me you used a complete—–
Robin Lo looked at Yang Zicang’s smile and realized he had guessed correctly.
Good grief! This lucky son of a bitch, blessed by sheer dumb luck.
Liang Xi held the phantom sweet potato, a look of ecstasy spreading across his face.
–I knew it, big bro—you’d never come back empty-handed.–
He swallowed the small phantom piece of sweet potato in one gulp.
Robin Lo glanced at his own hand, then back at Yang Zicang, and sighed, –You’re really something, man. I swear, you’ve pissed me off again…–
–What the hell do you mean? This cost me my life.–
He had truly endured death twice, yet Yang Zicang shoved the phantom sweet potato into his mouth, where it dissolved into light and merged into his body.
[My perception of fire has sharpened, and I have gained some heat resistance.]
[My sensation of food has become more acute, and I have gained a certain endurance against hunger.]
[My prestige among those with low mental strength has increased.]
[I can apply the training results from the Near Realm, with a synchronization rate of 50%.]
A surge of power erupted within Yang Zicang’s body, flowing through his limbs and bones, causing his physique to become far more solid.
He swung his arms twice, and the shadow of his fists tore through the air with a sharp whistle; even synchronizing only fifty percent of the dream training content meant accumulating centuries of experience.
Though most of that time was time-accelerated, it was still far beyond what a boxing coach like King Li could compare to.
–Boom!–
Yang Zicang spun around and threw a punch toward the window. Though several meters away, the blast of force left his fist, spinning and expanding, before exploding with a deafening crack against the window frame.
–Not bad—hardly any loss in power.–
The young man said, gazing at his fist with satisfaction.
The two people beside him stood frozen in shock.
But Yang Zicang furrowed his brow—after eating the sweet potato, his perception had increased drastically. He now sensed a strange cluster of energy inside his mind.
It buzzed in erratic bursts, and beyond, another area abruptly stabilized. A battered, swollen-faced elderly figure wailed as he clung dearly to a fallen sika deer’s corpse—far larger and stronger than his own body.
–I finally… finally made it out alive.–
[I detect that Crosspace synchronization has exceeded 130 percent.]
As the thought was born, an indescribable flow of strange energy permeated the atmosphere. Yang Zicang and the others turned to look out the window.
This aura was both desolate and imbued with a profound energy that gestated within.
[**Crosspace is about to be bathed in moonlight; I must make preparations. **]
One by one, suspended candelabras flared to life, the light within the entire Crosspace swiftly growing much brighter, stirring signs of air currents in the theater.
Several bandits outside stirred restlessly, saying:
–That’s the last act that’s going to flicker in. Old Tian ain’t making it outta this one, huh?–
–Probably, maybe.–
–Hey, what’s my Moxel saying? What does that mean?–
[**The bright moon appears. **]
Several bandits with their hands bound looked up, seeing a wisp of clouds drifting across the top of the theater, where the faint silhouette of a crescent moon emerged.
Crackle!
The wall directly above the Y-shaped staircase roared with thunder, as web-like fissures spread and the wall was blasted apart by a tremendous force with a loud bang.
Red thunder and lightning shot forth from within.
One person, before they could even react, was wrapped in dense crimson bolts. In a crackling instant, they were charred black and collapsed to the ground like a dried clay figure.
–Help!–
They were scared out of their wits, but the few tied up hands and feet found it nearly impossible to dodge.
The three people—Yang Zicang and the others—unfurled their Moxels and retreated to the side. Robin Lo urged anxiously:
–I remember seeing a lightning like this in the monthly paid report from HQ—got a good news and a bad news. Which one do you want to hear?–
–Good.–
–Bad.–
Yang Zicang and Liang Xi blurted out simultaneously, instinctively.
–Fuck’s sake! At a time like this, you’re still training your damn Moxel ability?!–
Boom! Several bolts of lightning flashed out of nowhere inside the theater, sending someone flying in an instant.
An electric arc streaked into a second-floor room. Yang Zicang swung a punch at it; golden light flickered and collided against it.
[I neutralized 300N.]
The electric current traveled through his entire body, sweeping from the inside out and from head to toe.
Yang Zicang’s face instantly went grim. If just a minor arc was this strong, could anyone here survive getting hit by an actual blast?
Violet-red lightning continuously erupted in the air, spreading everywhere, twisted and distorted as though the very atmosphere was being shattered. A deafening roar exploded at every corner.
When the thunder died down, the already shabby chairs and decorations inside the grand theater had been thoroughly destroyed by the lightning. Even the floor had turned charred black.
–Shit. Now it’s two bad news,– Robin Lo panted, his eyes wide open.
–What?–
–First, within C-class areas, lightning-type monsters rank among the strongest types; second, the lightning we encountered has a much larger range than the records indicate. This means we’ve likely run into one of the top-tier monsters in a C-class crossroads zone.–
–And the good news is?– Yang Zicang said through gritted teeth, pressing himself against the wall.
Even after neutralizing Chronos, the tingling numbness from the electric arcs gave him a firsthand taste of what it felt like to touch a high-voltage line.
–The good news is, if we survive this, we should get a companion statuette.–
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