Chapter 123: Fusing with the Phantom Horror, Contempt from an Opponent

The fourth battle: Liu Ruyan.

She was a woman who seemed as elusive as clouds and smoke, her expression cold and distant, her eyes misty, as if her spirit were wandering far beyond this world.

Seeing Jiang Ming appear opposite her, she simply cupped her hands in a respectful gesture.

"Classmate Liu!" Jiang Ming greeted, while information about his opponent surfaced in his mind.

Liu Ruyan, a practitioner of the Divine Path, specialized in illusions. While she appeared to lack any special combat ability, her mastery of illusion was world-shaking, having soundly defeated the likes of Yan Jiu and Ran Xin. Moreover, she was only at the fifth stage of the Divine Path. Being able to reach this stage of the tournament meant one thing: her illusions were terrifyingly powerful.

Liu Ruyan had already chosen her weapon: the Fish-Scale Sword, a blade composed of eighty-one smaller sub-blades. It could be joined or separated at will—a weapon for a telekinetic practitioner.

"Please!"
"After you!"

Following their formal exchange, Liu Ruyan struck immediately. Without any perceptible movement, a strange power surged directly into Jiang Ming’s mind, causing his spirit to falter. His vision shifted, and suddenly, he was standing in the classroom of Class 3-4 at Pingyang City No. 2 High School. He was sitting next to Fatty Wang, and Teacher Chen was lecturing.

"Xiao Ming, the federal exam is in a month. How are your preparations?" Fatty Wang nudged him and whispered, "Want to go out and have some fun to relax?"

Jiang Ming felt a momentary lapse in focus. *An illusion.* He judged it immediately, but then his expression changed drastically. The memories of the federal exam were rapidly fading—no, they were being overwritten.

*My passive defense can’t block this? So, this is the true strength of her illusion!*

Jiang Ming was astonished. Truly astonished. In terms of willpower and soul strength, he was unmatched among the prodigies of the exam. Beyond his enlightenment in various artistic domains and the baptism of heaven and earth, his cultivation at the peak of the sixth stage of the Soul Path, combined with his soul insights, was far from ordinary. His greatest asset was his "Soul Sovereign" talent, which granted him inherent resistance—or even immunity—to illusions. Yet, her ability was still effective against him, even without resistance.

*No wonder she made it this far!* As Jiang Ming pondered, he focused his intent. The suppressed memories reappeared clearly, and the surroundings began to tremble. Looking at Fatty Wang, Teacher Chen, and class monitor Qin Zhiyan, he smiled. The ripples in his surroundings grew, and the scene shattered.

However, he was still in the classroom.

Jiang Ming paused, then realized. *This is a double-layered illusion. Or perhaps, 'manifestation' is more accurate.* The surroundings were entirely real; she had manifested the illusion into reality, though it was restricted, as the other classmates were absent.

"Broken so quickly!" A shocked whisper reached him, and the sub-blades descended from the ceiling like streams of light, intending to skewer him.

Jiang Ming looked up and exhaled a burst of soul storm, directly destroying the imprint on the flying swords and causing them to fall to the ground. In the next moment, the room shifted, folded, twisted, and inverted. The speed of the change was dizzying, and multiple figures of Liu Ruyan appeared, each one perfectly real. They pressed in on him from all directions, leaving no gap. Hidden within the walls, a terrifying, sharp aura lurked.

"A real-world illusion, with hidden flying swords waiting for an opening—truly difficult to deal with!" Jiang Ming remarked. "Have you mastered the Dao of True Illusion?"

"I suppose so," she replied coldly.

Jiang Ming’s internal energy erupted. The Yin and Yang energies rotated, easily passing through the walls and the room without causing damage, yet all the hidden flying swords were blasted away.

"Truth and illusion are but a single thought apart. If you could make the swords intangible, you would truly be invincible." As Jiang Ming spoke, the Yin-Yang essence flowed out, grinding the encroaching walls to dust. "The Dao of Illusion is a form of heaven and earth's artistic charm; it is naturally influenced by the power of that charm." He tried experimenting with his Water Domain, but the effect was minimal.

As his power shifted, he gained further insight: *This is a contest of artistic charm. If I can't suppress you, it's hard to break your power of True Illusion; even if I can suppress you, it's still difficult to break. Your greatest strength is that first layer of illusion capable of overwriting memories. If one can't escape that layer, they are at your mercy. Brilliant, truly brilliant.*

"Truly brilliant? Yet you are still analyzing it!" Liu Ruyan seemed slightly annoyed.

"It is truly brilliant. The first layer is the strongest; if broken, the second layer of True Illusion assists, in turn pushing the first layer to return. If one doesn't break it forcefully and quickly, they will fall into an endless cycle and reach a dead end. By the way, you also possess Divine Path techniques to strike while waiting," Jiang Ming mused. "Remarkable, truly remarkable."

Liu Ruyan snorted. The environment changed again. Beneath his feet was a cliff, surrounded by an abyss, and a vortex appeared overhead with lightning snakes weaving through it—an exceptionally terrifying sight.

*Crack...*

A bolt of lightning descended, striking directly at his head. Jiang Ming reached out and grabbed it, but the lightning passed through his hand and struck his crown, sending a tingling sensation through his body.

"Virtual and reality are but a thought apart. I admire you, I truly do!" Jiang Ming added, "Your talent is rare throughout the ages."

"Do you really think I want this power?" The previously calm Liu Ruyan suddenly erupted in fury, as if she had lost her mind. The lightning fell incessantly. These attacks could not harm him, but then, his pupils constricted. The vortex above had transformed into a vertical eye, pouring down a world-destroying aura that locked onto him.

"This ability is truly heaven-defying!" Jiang Ming said, invoking his Soul Path domain, which shattered everything around him. It was a powerful, overwhelming crush. The eye vanished, and the lightning disappeared.

They both stood back on the arena floor, staring at each other as if they had never moved.

"Under absolute power, the Dao of Illusion is ultimately insufficient," Liu Ruyan sighed, looking somewhat dejected. She took a deep breath, looked at Jiang Ming, and transmitted her voice: "Do you want to know how I got this ability?" A mocking smile flickered across her lips.

Without waiting for Jiang Ming’s response, she continued: "I fused with a Phantasm Demon while struggling in endless fear, sinking into death, unable to live and unable to die. Once, I couldn't distinguish reality from illusion. Once, I wanted to destroy the world. Once, I wanted to destroy myself. Do you still think it's heaven-defying?"

Jiang Ming’s expression changed. She turned to concede, but paused, sending one last cold transmission: "My Dao of Illusion is different from Ran Xin's Heart Path; I can vaguely detect and simulate an opponent's memories. If I recreate your loved ones, if thousands of infants in swaddling clothes appear, or countless elders, what will you do? If the illusion becomes reality, and they are just like the real thing, Jiang Ming, will you strike? If you don't strike, you will surely sink; if you do... heh, heh..."

She conceded and walked off. Jiang Ming’s expression shifted again, looking troubled. Finally, he sighed, a look of extreme coldness flashing in his eyes.

Back at the spectator stand, his heart was still filled with ripples.

"Sigh..." Wang Qiutong sighed softly. "She is a tragic soul. But if she steps into the sixth stage of the Soul Path, she will definitely make it into the top ten, or even the top five!"

Pity, and recognition.

As the battles progressed, everyone’s true strength was revealed. The myriad of supernatural abilities and magical arts opened Jiang Ming’s eyes. However, everyone was also growing rapidly—that was the true purpose of the grand exam. To improve through tempering and progress through slaughter.

To the audience across the Federation, this was a rare feast. They cheered and shouted; every victory or defeat stirred their emotions to great heights. Jiang Ming ignored all of this. Between matches, he kept deducing the "Inch Fist," organizing his own genetic information, and analyzing specimens sent by Instructor Yu. His days were incredibly fulfilling.

On the fifth day of the finals, his opponent was Ren Tianxing.

His cultivation was at the fifth stage of the Martial Path, having opened many acupuncture points. He appeared to lack special abilities, yet he had mastered a divine movement technique.

"Brother Jiang, they say your comprehension is heaven-defying, and that your eyes can perceive the essence of the world and see through the abilities of every candidate." Ren Tianxing was short and quite chubby; whenever he spoke or smiled, his eyes turned into crescent moons, looking very jovial. Yet, his name was rather unconventional—one would expect a name like that to belong to a majestic, handsome, and resolute figure.

"Brother Ren, you overestimate me. I am just an ordinary student," Jiang Ming laughed. "I have no Supreme Bone, no Sacred Body, no third eye, and no ability to control the powers of heaven and earth. Look, I am truly useless."

Upon hearing this, Ren Tianxing rolled his eyes. At the spectator stand, the others were cursing.

"This son of a dog actually said he's ordinary!" The Sacred Body, Ye Bai, was the first to jump in rage. "If he's ordinary, what are we? Dog shit?"

"You've fought him privately?" Jun Qiye asked strangely. "This guy is annoying, but not enough to make you this angry. You must have lost to him, and in your strongest aspect. Xiao Ye, don't tell me you lost in terms of pure strength?"

The others looked over, all showing shock. Ye Bai, the Sacred Body, possessed an incredibly strong physique, touted as capable of pushing through everything—even Li Ping'an’s Tyrant Body was slightly inferior. Even Stone Lei, with his Supreme Bone, wasn't confident in resisting him. Yet, he lost to Jiang Ming? How could that be?

"Sigh!" Ye Bai sighed. "That guy is a freak. A freak who makes you despair. Damn it, he says he's ordinary, he has no special physique, no special ability, but his heaven-defying comprehension is the most terrifying ability of all—it's practically a cheat code."

"So you really did lose to him in the way of the flesh!" Jun Qiye was deeply shocked.

Not just him. Stone Lei and the others were also dumbfounded.

"I don't believe it!" Li Ping'an frowned. "He's as thin as a chick; I could snap him like a snack. He's stronger than the Sacred Body? Impossible, absolutely impossible! No matter how heaven-defying a normal physique is, it can't surpass a Sacred Body."

"Could it be his Inch Fist?"
"Even a tenfold burst wouldn't stop a Sacred Body!"
"Artistic domain?"
"It's not like you don't have one!"
"And the Sacred Body has forbidden techniques!"

Li Ping'an shook his head incessantly. "There is one possibility!" Wang Qiutong’s eyes sparkled. "He tempered his bones to the Jade Bone stage, mining the potential of a mortal body to the absolute limit. Combined with the Inch Fist, he can unleash terrifying power, but that's still not enough! Then, the only possibility is that he also realized the 'Infinite Power'!"

"Infinite?!" Stone Lei gasped.
"Infinite!" Li Ping'an’s body shook, his eyes burning with intensity.
"Infinite!" Luo Feng’s teeth ached.
"Infinite!" Fang Qinghan’s mouth twitched.

"Is it true?" Stone Lei stared intently at Ye Bai.

"That's why his comprehension is heaven-defying—despairingly so. A terrifying Inch Fist, superimposed with the Infinite Domain—what kind of power do you think that unleashes? I’m in despair!" Ye Bai said with a bitter smile.

"If he really realized 'Infinite,' he is my brother! My own, absolutely my own!" Li Ping'an rolled up his sleeves. "If I realized the Infinite Domain and combined it with my Tyrant Body, I could shatter your Supreme Bone, Stone Lei!"

"If I realized the Infinite Domain, I could shatter all of you!" Ye Bai added. "Unfortunately, this power is too hard to grasp. Who in this world has realized it? I certainly don't know. Otherwise, I would have gone to apprentice under them long ago! But Jiang Ming, Brother Jiang, hehe..."

"Do you think he has realized many top-tier domains?" Luo Qingchen asked quietly. Looking at Jiang Ming on the arena, she no longer held any pride.

"Yin-Yang, Space, Infinite... he walks the Soul Path, and when fighting Liu Ruyan, he seemed to unleash a Soul Domain, so that makes Soul as well..." Chen Bei frowned. "That's four already. What about the ones we don't know? Damn, this guy is truly heaven-defying. I'm numb."

"What if I swallow him?" Fang Qinghan rubbed his chin.
"Heh..." Ye Bai sneered.
"Heh heh..." Stone Lei glanced at him.
"Hehe..." Li Ping'an’s eyes were full of violent intent.
Wang Qiutong and the others all snorted.

"Just a joke!" Fang Qinghan shrugged. "If I tried to deal with him, there wouldn't be a place for me in this vast world. Besides, I wouldn't dare. This kid, who knows how deep he's hidden?"

They looked at Jiang Ming again, their gazes now entirely different.

On the arena:

"Brother Jiang, why are you cursing?" Ren Tianxing complained.
"How did I curse?" Jiang Ming was confused.
"You said you were useless, but you were first in the qualifiers, first in the provincial exams, and first on the Sky Ladder. If you're useless, what are we? All garbage! Isn't that cursing us?" Ren Tianxing said gloomily. "I didn't expect you to be that kind of person, Brother Jiang!"

Jiang Ming’s mouth twitched.

"Brother Jiang, so you look down on everyone!" Ren Tianxing sighed. "Understandable, since you want to be the peerless prodigy who suppresses his generation. I understand!"

*Understand your grandmother!* Jiang Ming almost shouted. He realized this chubby guy’s mouth was truly grating. No, it was his own mouth that was at fault—he had let himself be cornered by his own words.

"You really can sprout lotus flowers from your mouth. I yield!" Jiang Ming pointed at him. "In this regard, I admit I am not your match!"

"Brother Jiang, are you conceding?" Ren Tianxing’s eyes lit up.
"Heh..." Jiang Ming sneered. "Make your move. Don't say I didn't give you a chance!"

Ren Tianxing’s body shuddered, revealing an ugly smile as he quickly waved his hands: "Competition is secondary, friendship is primary. Let's just spar. Yes, just a spar. Brother Jiang, please go easy on me!"

In the next instant, his figure vanished, as if he had traveled through time and space to appear behind Jiang Ming, his blade swinging toward his head. Fiercely.

Jiang Ming seemed to have anticipated this; his figure vanished as well, appearing behind his opponent. Before he could strike, he found that Ren Tianxing had vanished again.

"He's fast!" Jiang Ming couldn't help but exclaim. This was Ren Tianxing’s special ability. Even he couldn't determine if it was a talent or a divine technique. With a step, he moved in a way that defied the description of "shrinking the earth to an inch." It was too fast, like teleportation.

"Then I'll race you to see who is faster!" Jiang Ming wanted to experience it carefully; if it were a secret technique, it would be wonderful.

"Racing me in speed?" Ren Tianxing laughed. "I don't mean to look down on you, Brother Jiang, but even if you possess spatial power, you're still a toddler in this regard!"