Swallowing the Stars: Recruiting Apprentices and Getting Cash Back

This shot could blast even a regular first-tier cosmic-level weapon into dust. To use it against a star-level spaceship is like using an anti-aircraft gun to kill a mosquito—a complete waste of its potential.

In the eyes of space pirates, the person piloting such an antique and dilapidated spaceship could not possibly be a powerful expert, not even a ninth-level star.

They operate in this star system leading to Qiulong Star year-round, and they've seen far too many of these kinds of people.

But they were wrong.

Empiricism is the most dangerous thing.

With a single swing of his axe, Nuolanshan cleaved the cannon beam into nothingness.

The captain on the other side was terrified.

"It's cosmic-level! Run!"

My God, that legend is actually true—there really are cosmic-level powerhouses who travel in spaceships to conduct entrapment and law enforcement.

There were ten people on their ship: one at the ninth level of the Constant Star Realm, two at the eighth level, and the rest at the seventh level. In the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, this pirate team was already considered a luxurious lineup, after all, cosmic-level powerhouses would never stoop to being pirates.

Killing them at a cosmic level is no different than crushing an ant.

Whoosh!

The spaceship suddenly turned around and fled in a streak of light.

"Want to leave? Not so easy."

How could Nuolanshan let them go? He swung his giant axe, sending a beam of light straight toward the enemy's spaceship.

Like slicing tofu, the pirate ship opposite was cleaved in two by Norlanshan's axe.

Whoosh!

Whether it was intentional on Nuolanshan's part or he simply missed his target, he failed to kill the ninth-level star pirate with a single axe blow.

He survived unharmed, leaving him utterly bewildered as to how he could have survived such a terrifying axe blow.

But in the face of life and death, he didn't have time to think. He focused on one direction and flew away at breakneck speed, reaching the pinnacle of his life.

But he was fast, and Nuolanshan was even faster.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Nuolanshan blocked his path.

"My lord, spare my life!" The space pirate didn't struggle at all and immediately knelt down before Norlan Mountain.

He didn't even have the courage to make a move in front of a powerhouse of that level.

Looking at the space pirates crawling at his feet, Nolanshan was filled with disappointment.

Are you scared out of your wits?

What a coward! With such little courage, he doesn't even deserve to be a space pirate!

"Want to live?" Nuolanshan's voice was authoritative.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The space pirate nodded frantically.

"I'll give you a chance to live. I'll suppress my cultivation level to the ninth rank of the Hengxing level. If you can defeat me, I'll spare your life."

"My lord, I dare not..." The space pirate was sweating profusely.

How could he possibly dare to fight against a cosmic-level powerhouse? Even if the opponent suppressed their cultivation level, their vision and foundation were still cosmic-level. Unless he was an unparalleled genius capable of challenging opponents of a higher level, he had absolutely no chance of winning.

"You have no choice: fight or die," Nuolanshan said coldly.

"I, I... Ah!"

After stammering for a while, the space pirates finally mustered up their courage and charged towards Mount Nuolan.

The space pirate's weapon was a knife made of extremely valuable materials, reaching cosmic level. It's likely he's acquired quite a few valuable items over the years as a space pirate.

In fact, Noranshan had occasionally dabbled in space pirates in his younger days, since it was such a quick way to make money. Of course, now that his soul has changed, he neither would nor would he stoop to doing such a thing again.

The speed of the blade was extremely fast, already reaching the limit of the ninth level of the Hengxing star.

But in Nuolanshan's eyes, it was as slow as a tortoise crawling. He slightly shifted his body and easily dodged the knife.

The space pirate's pupils contracted sharply.

He could clearly sense that Nuolanshan was indeed only using the strength of a ninth-level Hengxing star in his fight against him.

Despite both being at the ninth level of the Eternal Star realm, his full-force strike was dodged so easily, and the shadow of death once again enveloped him.

"what!"

Under immense pressure, some fought with increasing courage, while others suffered mental breakdowns.

This space pirate is clearly on the verge of collapse.

His temperament is terrible.

Mental cultivation is an extremely profound concept, one that even ordinary immortals may not know. Yet, Nuolanshan understands it clearly: to become a true strongman, one must possess a sufficiently strong mental character.

Take Hong for example. Although he didn't have Luo Feng's heaven-defying talent, he made a name for himself with his terrifying mental fortitude and cultivation when he ventured into the Illusionary Sea. Even the founder of the Giant Axe took him as his disciple—that was the strongest being in the universe.

The space pirates were like mad beasts, wielding their swords and attacking wildly, fierce yet without any strategy.

If Nuolanshan wanted to, he could split him in two with a single axe stroke.

But he didn't. Instead, he played like a cat playing with a mouse, constantly dodging and occasionally scratching at it.

This made the mad beast even more terrified, devastated, and enraged.

A scholar may be killed but not humiliated; killing someone is merely a matter of beheading them.

drink!

The space pirate's eyes suddenly changed, his body glowed with a crimson light, and the power of his blade suddenly surged.

He is undergoing a cosmic transformation.

As Baikalo watched from afar, he couldn't help but think of himself.

Back then, he also underwent a transformation amidst such desperate and madness, and then slew his opponent.

Nuolanshan is a good teacher, but also a cruel one.

His method of training disciples can be summed up in one word: kill!

If you win, you're a disciple; if you die, you're a dead man.

boom!

The space pirate successfully transformed into a first-tier cosmic-level martial artist.

Feeling the surge of power within him, he felt invincible, capable of taking on ten opponents at once.

He stopped attacking and looked directly at Nuolanshan: "Do you need to unleash your full power?"

"No need." Nuolanshan smiled faintly; this made things more interesting.

He had been waiting for this moment, this very moment of transformation for the space pirates.

What's the difference between a genius and a mediocre person?

Mediocre people can only fight against those of the same level, while geniuses can defeat those of a higher level.

Luo Feng, for example, had already obtained the title of Immortal King of the Blade River when he was at the Realm Lord level.

If Luo Feng can do it, why can't I, Nuolanshan, do it!

"court death!"

The space pirate's gaze turned cold, and he drew his knife without hesitation.

This strike carried the power of a breakthrough, unstoppable, and its power was hundreds or thousands of times stronger than before.

However, Noranshan acted out of character, not only refraining from dodging but also swinging his axe to meet the attack head-on.

On one side is a cosmic-level combat power, and on the other side is a star-level ninth-tier combat power. The outcome seems to be a foregone conclusion.

The clash of swords and axes sent Nuolan Mountain reeling backward. Had it been on the ground, it would surely have been ploughed into a deep, bottomless ravine.

The space pirate laughed, convinced he had won. Ultimately, people have to pay the price for their arrogance.

boom!

Nuolanshan suddenly steadied himself, and a golden sphere erupted from his center, enveloping the space pirates.

"Oh no, it's a domain!" The space pirate's expression changed drastically.

This is cheating! We agreed to only use the strength of a ninth-tier Constant Star, so why did you use a domain? What ninth-tier Constant Star would have a domain?!

But this is no longer the time for debate.

The space pirates felt their power being suppressed so intensely that their movements became sluggish and stiff.

drink!

The space pirate unleashed his full power, attempting to break through the domain of Mount Noran with the surging Force within him.

ka ka ka-

The domain gradually cracked under his violent Force impact.

After all, Nuolanshan only used the ninth-tier combat power of the Hengxing level, and only unleashed one level of her domain.

Ah!

Noranshan would not stand idly by and watch his domain be broken. With his strong willpower, he held on to the domain and continued to attack relentlessly.

The essence of the Realm of Metal and the Law of Metal is "killing and ruthlessness".

Offense is the best defense. No, in the Way of Gold, there is only offense, no defense!

Logically speaking, a space pirate who is already at the cosmic level should have been able to resist easily, but his strength was greatly suppressed in the Gold Domain, while the combat power of Noranshan was amplified.

The space pirates appeared stronger, but their advantages were being diminished. While fending off Norlanshan's giant axe, he unleashed his Force Impact Domain, finding himself overwhelmed and in a sorry state.

Nuolanshan is also suffering.

He was struggling to keep the domain running, and his eyes were already bloodshot. If it weren't for his strong foundation, he would have already been coughing up blood and seriously injured.

Boom boom boom!

After hundreds of rounds, a crisp "crack" was heard, and the Golden Domain shattered completely.

There's no way around it; a cosmic-level being is a cosmic-level being, with a Force recovery speed several times faster than a static-level being.

"Die!"

The space pirates were overjoyed and slashed fiercely at Mount Nuolan with their swords.

But then a strange thing happened.

The blade struck Nuolanshan squarely, yet Nuolanshan was unharmed, with golden light flowing over his body.

With a sharp clang, the space pirate's sword shattered on the spot.

"The Law of Gold!" the space pirate screamed in terror.

My God, a ninth-level Celestial Realm expert has actually comprehended a law! What kind of terrifying being did they encounter?

It should be noted that only domain lords are usually qualified to comprehend laws; they are a standard requirement for realm lords!

"You got it right."

Nuolanshan wielded his giant axe, its blade enveloped in the law of gold, making it incomparably sharp.

*Swoosh*—The space pirate was instantly cleaved in two.

If you answer correctly, then I will grant you death.

Feeling the warmth of the blood on his face, Nuolanshan smiled. He thoroughly enjoyed the real killing, a result of the long-suppressed experience of virtual killing.

"Congratulations, teacher, on comprehending the law!" Baikalu immediately stepped forward to offer his congratulations.

He was genuinely happy for his teacher, who had comprehended the law and was certain to reach the Domain Lord realm.

"I never expected that a game could help me break through. It seems that real combat always leads to faster progress than virtual battles. Alright, let's continue on our way." Nuolanshan sighed, turned around and returned to the spaceship, continuing their journey towards Qiulong Star.

As for the loot such as the wreckage of the space pirate ships, Nolanshan didn't even bother to look at it.

All those things combined were nothing more than a penny to him, something he didn't even want to bend over for.

Not long after they left, a Black Dragon Mountain X81 spaceship happened to pass by and successfully captured the wreckage of the space pirate ship, which had become space debris.

"Babata, is this a cosmic-class spaceship? What kind of power could split it in two?" Luo Feng, who had just stepped into space, was filled with shock.

At this moment, he was only at the planetary level and could not even imagine the power of the universe.

"Simple. The spaceship's monitoring system is intact and should have recorded the entire process of the spaceship being destroyed. I'll extract the video data right away."

Babata moved his fingers and quickly began to operate.

Before long, a scene appeared in front of Luo Feng.