Chapter 1: The Mantis Trial.

The state of Jin.

In a nameless estate located in Baiyun County.

"The world of Gao Wu? The Golden Praying Mantis Sect? The Golden Praying Mantis Body Refining Technique? The Mantis Trial?"

Wei Ping slowly woke up in a crude room, his eyes full of confusion.

He had crossed over!!!

With the integration of memories, Wei Ping knew that this was a world where martial arts were flourishing, and where the strong dominated everything while the weak could only seek survival in a lowly manner.

The village where the original owner of his body was located had been affected by the aftermath of battles between the strong, and the entire village had been almost completely destroyed.

The original owner had managed to escape the catastrophe by hiding in a cellar, but had become a beggar as a result, eking out a living by begging.

The Golden Praying Mantis sect was one of the three major sects in Baiyun County, and had a strong force.

To cultivate the backbone of the sect, the Golden Praying Mantis Sect would gather a group of fourteen or fifteen year old orphans and beggars every few years, bringing them to the estate to teach them martial arts for a period of one year.

During this year, those who could successfully cultivate the first layer of the "Golden Praying Mantis Body Refining Technique" would be deemed as having outstanding talent and would be given key training to become the backbone of the Sect.

Those with ordinary talent who could not cultivate the first layer would be relegated to being a mere thug or laborer in the sect.

For Wei Ping, who had been begging for a living, this was a good thing, because at least he would no longer have to be a beggar and could have a meal to eat by joining the Golden Praying Mantis Sect.

However, the problem was that the Golden Praying Mantis Sectwas not a group of saints; they needed outstanding talent, not just ordinary sect members.

Because ordinary members at the bottom of the sect were as numerous as chives in this chaotic state of Jin.

Therefore, in order to stimulate the potential of the young people, the Golden Praying Mantis Sect had established a special rule.

After one year, those who had not yet successfully cultivated the first layer of the "Golden Praying Mantis Body Refining Technique" must engage in a one-on-one fight to determine who was stronger and who was weaker, with the outcome also determining life and death.

Only the winner would be eligible to become a member of the Golden Praying Mant Sect.

After one year, those who have not been able to successfully cultivate the first level of the "Golden Mantis Body Refining Technique" must engage in one-on-one combat to determine their rank and even their life or death.

Only the winner is qualified to become a member of the Golden Mantis Sect.

This is the "Praying Mantis Trial", which is based on the phenomenon of young praying mantises killing each other for resources and nutrition, with only the strongest surviving.

Because life-and-death struggles can help stimulate a person's potential and aid in their cultivation.

The central idea is encapsulated in one word: strive!

In Blue Star, if you don't study hard, you can still do manual labor.

Although you can also strive, at least there is some room for retreat.

However, the "Praying Mantis Trial" is a real test of one's limits, because the consequence of failure is death!

As for those who lose and die, they are just expendable materials, and the Golden Mantis Sect doesn't care about them!

But for those with exceptional talent, they are the treasures of the Golden Mantis Sect and the focus of their future cultivation. The sect is not willing to let them participate in the "Praying Mantis Trial" and risk their lives.

Unfortunately, the original owner Wei Ping's martial arts talent was extremely poor. Despite working hard for ten months to cultivate the Golden Mantis Body Refining Technique, he still had no hope of reaching the first level.

Many other ordinary talented youths in the estate hope to face Wei Ping in the Praying Mantis Trial because it increases their chances of survival.

"So, when I just crossed over, I only had two months to live?"

After digesting the memories of the original owner, Wei Ping's heart was filled with bitterness.

"No way!"

Suddenly, Wei Ping seemed to have thought of something, and his eyes lit up. "He, 'Wei Ping,' has poor martial arts talent. What does it have to do with me, 'Wei Ping'? Maybe I'm a martial arts genius myself!"

Thinking of this, Wei Ping became excited and began to recall the cultivation method of the "Golden Praying Mantis Body Refining Technique."

The Golden Praying Mantis Body Refining Technique was a technique created based on the prototype of the demon beast, the "Golden Blade Mantis." It contained a set of cultivation techniques and breathing methods that, when used together, had the effect of strengthening the body.

As he thought about it, Wei Ping assumed the posture described in the technique and closed his eyes, imagining himself as a Golden Blade Mantis.

He began to move his body to a certain rhythm, coordinating with his breathing, occasionally punching, occasionally moving, and occasionally staying still.

Just by looking at him, Wei Ping seemed a bit clumsy and awkward.

"What the hell! Am I really not a martial arts genius?"

An hour later, Wei Ping gave up in frustration, cursing under his breath.

During this period, no matter how he practiced, he couldn't resonate with the technique, let alone deepen his understanding and bring the technique to an entry level.

Whether or not he could cultivate the first layer of the Body Refining Technique was a huge turning point.

If he succeeded, he could continue to strengthen his body as a martial artist, with limitless possibilities for the future.

If he failed, he would still be an ordinary person.

According to the memories of the original owner, Wei Ping knew that among this group of young people, the first genius to cultivate the Golden Praying Mantis Body Refining Technique to the first layer only took just over a month.

This terrifying talent not only shocked the elders of the management sect but even alarmed the head of the Golden Praying Mantis Sect, who took him as a disciple and cultivated him with great emphasis.

In contrast, Wei Ping had been practicing for ten months and had not yet found the "threshold" of the first layer, let alone entered it.

Buzz!

Just as Wei Ping sighed in frustration, a scarlet-golden sphere suddenly appeared in his mind, shimmering with light.

Immediately afterwards, an unusually simple panel appeared in front of Wei Ping.

Name: Wei Ping

Realm: None

Technique: Golden Mantis Refining Technique (Compatibility: 3%. Practice Progress: 32%)

Current Available Number of Avatars: 1

"Panel? Golden finger?"

Wei Ping first shook his body in shock, then widened his eyes, with a look of surprise on his face.

As the information about this panel emerged, it flooded Wei Ping's mind all at once.

This panel has two main functions.

One is to make Wei Ping's information visualized, such as the compatibility of his technique and his progress in practice.

The realm column shows "None," indicating that Wei Ping has not yet become a martial artist and is just an ordinary person.

"My compatibility with the Golden Mantis Refining Technique is only 3%? No wonder I haven't been able to practice the first level for almost a year."

When he saw the technique column, Wei Ping's mouth became even more bitter.

This compatibility is too low!

The practice progress is "32%," which means that he must improve another 68% before he can practice the technique to the "first level."

At the beginning of his practice, the elder taught him some common sense knowledge about martial arts, so Wei Ping was not a complete novice.

Learning means that he is just starting to learn the technique. After fully learning it and gaining some understanding, he can practice the first level.

However, the previous owner spent a whole ten months improving only 32% proficiency during the "learning" stage.

It might take another two years to practice the first level.

In this way, Wei Ping will almost certainly die in the Mantis Trial two months later!

The second function of the panel is to allow Wei Ping to conceive an avatar.

"Conceive an avatar?"

Wei Ping raised his eyebrows and became interested.

According to the information transmitted by the panel, Wei Ping learned that as long as he obtains a trace of genetic material from the "target", such as hair, blood, skin, etc., he can use the panel to breed a corresponding avatar. The avatar's body not only possesses Wei Ping's consciousness but can also be reabsorbed back into his own body.

"Only a small amount of genetic material is needed to breed an avatar? Is the effect so powerful?" Wei Ping was overjoyed and excited.

If he could obtain even a trace of genetic material from an "Elder", he could breed an Elder as an avatar, making him an invincible existence in the manor. He could not be defeated and could even escape safely, at least his life would be secure.

However, Wei Ping soon realized that he was being too optimistic. According to the information transmitted by the panel, the strength of the "target" cannot exceed Wei Ping's own strength, otherwise, he would not have enough energy to successfully breed an avatar.

Furthermore, the breeding of an avatar is similar to pregnancy. The avatar body can only be the "target's" young body, and it is impossible for it to have the same combat power as the "target" right from the start.

"This is a scam?" Wei Ping cursed silently, feeling disappointed.

As a result, even if he obtained the genetic material of an "Elder", he could only breed a baby Elder without any combat power. This would be of no use in the Mantis Trial two months later!

Right now, Wei Ping only wants to pass the Mantis Trial safely and keep himself alive.

"So, what kind of avatar should I breed to maximize my benefits in the Mantis Trial two months later?" Wei Ping thought, resting his chin on his hand.

He ruled out humans because they take too long to grow. But time is running out for Wei Ping!

He wanted to breed a beast as an avatar, but he couldn't obtain the genetic material. Furthermore, even the weakest beasts have strength comparable to that of a warrior, and Wei Ping wouldn't be able to breed them.

The key is that Wei Ping doesn't have many options within the Golden Mantis Sect's manor.

As he systematically eliminated each option, Wei Ping suddenly realized that he didn't seem to have any options left to break through.

"No, no! When one door closes, another opens. There must be another opportunity!" Although disheartened, Wei Ping's mind continued to spin, thinking of ways to break through the impasse.

At that moment, Wei Ping's ears suddenly heard the sound of insect wings flapping.

Turning his head, Wei Ping saw a green figure fly in through the small window of the room.

The creature was about the length of a finger, with a small head in the shape of an inverted triangle, and had a pair of long, sharp forelegs with spines. It stumbled and crawled towards the oil lamp.

This little creature seemed to be attracted by the light of the lamp.

"A praying mantis!" Wei Ping recognized the unwelcome guest before him.

It was the praying mantis, known as the "tiger of the insect world", the master of animal swordsmanship that can complete a hunting kill with a single strike in 0.01 seconds.

"A mantis? Golden Mantis Shape-Shifting Technique?" Wei Ping's mind suddenly lit up, like a bolt of lightning. His body trembled suddenly.