Chapter 502: Chapter 433: Overcoming the Self
"Come on, the second round of slaughter begins!"
A low growl squeezed out from a blood-stained throat.
Half-kneeling in the pool of blood and rubble, Jeming propped himself up with his only remaining right arm, ignoring the horrifying hole in his left chest and the excruciating pain that almost tore him apart, struggling to stand up.
His figure staggered, yet he did not pause for a moment, dragging his broken body, he actively charged towards the Time Residue trapped in the Elemental Vacuum Domain!
Each step he took left a footprint mixed with blood and dust on the ground.
But as Jeming’s steps pulsed, his body underwent changes in sync.
At the edge of his wounds, charred and carbonized tissues quickly fell off, and pink, vibrant granulation tissue spread wildly like the wildest vines at a speed visible to the naked eye!
His bones emitted subtle yet dense "crackling" sounds, the fractures filled by a new bone material shimmering with a faint golden hue.
Muscle fibers weaved together as if they had independent life, covering the bones, while blood vessels, nerves, and skin regenerated rapidly, shielding the wriggling flesh beneath.
Driven by the pressure of life and death and a clear will, the Body Refining Technique operated at unprecedented efficiency.
The new tissues were generated with a higher resistance to Energy right from the start, the pathways of energy flow automatically adjusting to better withstand similar attacks.
When he charged in front of the Time Residue, what was originally a stumbling pace returned to normal; the terrifying injuries that would have incapacitated most Fourth Level Wizards in a short time had surprisingly regenerated!
The newborn left chest and arm still looked slightly pink, but their structure was complete, even exuding a tougher texture than before.
Surging power rushed back through his limbs and bones. Despite the massive depletion of Spiritual Power and the lingering pain in his internal organs, the ability to fight had returned!
Across from him, the Time Residue’s icy gaze seemed to show a trace of the slightest fluctuation.
It abandoned the scrapped, smoking wreck behind it without hesitation, clenched its fists, and assumed the most basic close combat stance.
In the next moment, the two figures collided fiercely like comets crashing into the earth!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Thud!
The muffled sound of fists and feet striking each other exploded like heavy war drums amidst the ruins of this silent temple.
This was the most direct release of violence.
Jeming delivered a straight punch containing the force of his entire body towards the opponent’s face, the Residue dodged its head to the side, its left elbow jabbed forcefully like the tail of a scorpion into Jeming’s newly formed left ribs.
Jeming twisted his waist and shouldered down, using his newly formed left arm to block, while his right leg swept low like an afterimage towards the opponent’s lower body.
The Residue lifted its knee slightly for an accurate interception, the shinbones of both clashing with a tooth-gritting thud.
Each retreated half a step, then immediately lunged again like magnets!
The combat techniques were completely identical!
The exertion methods were exactly the same!
The evasive predictions occurred in sync!
The two were like the same person inside and outside a mirror, engaging in a brutal dialogue about "self" beyond words.
Every punch carried insight into their own weaknesses, every kick aimed at the opponent’s most uncomfortable exertion points.
Sweat and droplets of blood splattered with the intense actions.
Initially, Jeming was clearly at a disadvantage.
The coordination on his newly formed left side was still lacking, and the previously consumed Energy affected his force and endurance.
The Residue’s offensive was like a rapid onslaught, precisely capturing each small hesitation and flaw of his.
A heavy punch brushed past Jeming’s cheekbone, making stars dance before his eyes; a tricky knee strike against his side nearly knocked the wind out of him; a knife-hand strike almost hit the vital point on his newly formed neck, narrowly escaping with just a burning pain as he turned his head aside.
Jeming retreated step by step, new bruises and wounds accumulating on him, his breathing growing more labored.
But as time passed, the battle began to undergo a subtle yet determined shift.
The Body Refining Technique’s "Adaptive Evolution" was catalyzed to the extreme in this fight against "self"!
Every successful strike from the Residue that landed on Jeming, causing damage, was faithfully recorded by the Body Refining Technique, encompassing the force, angle, and intrinsic energy properties, driving the body to make targeted adjustments.
The cheekbone struck by the heavy punch, its subcutaneous bone structure became denser and more elastic during its regeneration.
The side hit by the knee strike, the arrangement of muscle fibers subtly changed, forming a more effective cushioning and dispersion structure.
The neck threatened by the knife-hand strike, the toughness of the skin and the strength of the fascia in that area were both enhanced.
More importantly, the Body Refining Technique’s adaptive evolution also influenced Jeming’s control over his own body, forcing him to a new height in this synchronized duel with the "Mirror Image."
Under immense pressure, his thought speed gradually became faster than his opponent’s, his skill techniques more perfect, even his ability to predict the situation was enhancing.
His movements began to show slight deformations.
They were no longer exactly like the Mirror Image’s moves or adhered to the fixed routines; the combat skills knowledge gleaned from the Great Dao Book Pavilion was swiftly absorbed.
During blocks, his wrist would make a very subtle, unconventional exertion angle tremor at the moment of contact, skillfully diverting part of the force.
During evasions, the tilt angle of his body would be one or two degrees more than the Mirror Image’s prediction, causing the attack to narrowly miss by a hairline.
During counterattacks, the muscle groups used for exertion would undergo slight adjustments, generating a slight but crucial advantage in speed or explosive power.
These changes were extremely subtle, almost imperceptible in high-speed combat.
But as they accumulated, their effects gradually manifested.
Jeming’s retreating stride decreased, the trembling in his arm after blocking lessened, his counterattack frequency increased, and his hit rate slowly climbed.
The icy face of the Time Residue seemed to show a trace of "confusion" for the first time.
Its attacks remained fierce, but the feeling of "absolute predictability" was starting to fade.
It "saw" Jeming’s movements, but Jeming’s actual physical responses sometimes deviated slightly from its internal "battle model."
And in life-and-death combat, such a discrepancy is deadly.
"Bang!"
For the first time, Jeming used his newly born left arm to firmly deflect a powerful chop from the Time Residue, his figure only swaying slightly.
Previously, the same attack would have made his entire arm numb.
Swish!
With a tricky angle, Jeming’s kick was the first to strike half a beat ahead, hitting the supporting knee pit of the Residue, which was trying to lift its leg.
Though the opponent’s tense muscles neutralized most of the impact, it successfully disrupted its continuous onslaught.
The scales of advantage began to visibly tilt in Jeming’s favor!
He fought more smoothly and courageously.
The new body perfectly coordinated with the existing parts, even appearing more explosive due to "evolution."
His gaze was as sharp as a knife, capturing each fleeting pause the Residue made due to "confusion."
Finally...
In a fierce close-quarters grappling, the Residue swung a fierce hook in vain, its old power exhausted and new force unfounded, leaving its center open.
Jeming seized this fleeting chance that he himself created!
This time, he did not use any complex techniques.
He simply poured all his strength, along with the breath held in his chest for a long time, into his right fist.
Torsion waist, send shoulders, the punch unleashed like a dragon!
The simplest, most direct, and unstoppable straight punch!
Boom!!!
The punch landed squarely in the center of the Time Residue’s chest.
Accompanied by an utterly deep sound, as if pounding on solid rubber, Jeming’s fist brutally pierced through the opponent’s chest.
The body of the Time Residue suddenly stiffened, and the eyes identical to Jeming’s reflected for the first time a complex emotion of "astonishment" and "release."
It looked down at its caved-in chest, then looked up at Jeming, whose mouth was bleeding but whose gaze was as fierce as fire.
Without intending to communicate with the opponent, Jeming’s other hand abruptly exerted force, blowing up the Time Residue’s head as well.
The next moment, its figure, along with the tattered gray robe it wore, began to blur and turn transparent.
Like a faulty holographic image, it flickered violently twice.
Then, along with the distant surviving Black Giant replicas, remnants of the Great Light Appearance, even the bloodstains belonging to the replicas scattered on the ground...
All things created or replicated by the Time Residue vanished silently into the air like a pencil drawing erased by a rubber eraser.
Leaving no trace, as if never existed.
Only Jeming, covered in blood and breathing heavily, but standing straight, was left alone in the completely vanished temple center.
And just as he defeated the mirror image, while his breath had not yet calmed.
The space before him elegantly lifted a corner as if by an invisible hand.
A black fissure edged with tranquil star brilliance quietly unfurled once more.
The simple figure of the Starforger Artarius stepped out casually from the fissure.
His gaze traveled over Jeming’s rapidly healing wounds, feeling the evidently more solid and vigorous body within him, his face showing unapologetic approval.
"Congratulations," he smiled, his voice gentle, "Overcoming another self is always the most arduous leap of cognition and will. You’ve done well, exceeding my expectations."
Hearing this, Jeming twisted his lips into a smile mixed with fatigue, pain, and understanding.
Upon hearing these words, he immediately understood that Artarius probably pinpointed this time branch long ago.
The reason for not intervening immediately was likely observing, waiting for him to complete this "mirror trial" on his own, forcing out deeper potential.
However, feeling the evidently enhanced body, with increased adaptability to damage and recovery from the Body Forging cultivation, and a spirit and will more refined after the life-and-death struggle, the smile also carried sincere gratitude.
"Thank you for the opportunity, my lord." Jeming steadied his breath and bowed respectfully.
He knew without Artarius’s external constraints and final permission, he wouldn’t even have qualified to enter this trial, let alone benefit from it.
Artarius waved his hand, glancing around at the world gradually becoming unstable, like a fading canvas:
"This temporary prison is about to collapse. We should leave."
He gestured, and was the first to step into the fissure to leave.
Jeming, without any hesitation, feeling his still somewhat painful body, decisively moved forward, stepping across the space fissure flowing with starlight.
Behind him, the "mirror corridor" time branch last crazily constructed by the spherical will quietly collapsed, annihilated, finally returning to nothingness.
