Chapter 072: Thunderbolt Fist?

In a moment of desperation, Bai Yuxi cast aside concerns about the risks of “emotional deprivation.” Activating his “brain overclock” ability, he forced himself into a state of relative rationality, instantly regaining his composure. The entire world seemed to freeze, as if someone had pressed the pause button. Bai Yuxi’s mind, now operating at lightning speed, recalled with clarity the sensation of nearly breaking through during his time on the training field.

He raised his head thoughtfully to glance at the dense cluster of plasma spheres before him; as he stepped forward, the world resumed its flow, and he inexplicably slipped past the barrage of plasma spheres that crisscrossed his path.

Willy, who had been hiding behind Bai Yuxi, was nearly struck by a plasma sphere that seemed to bypass Bai Yuxi, and when he looked on in astonishment, he could hardly believe his eyes. The plasma toads encircling them had unleashed a dense curtain of plasma spheres—a barrage so thick that, in Willy’s eyes, it was absolutely impossible to dodge. Only the super-active shield could withstand such an onslaught.

Indeed, Bai Yuxi had relied on that shield before. But the moment Willy reminded him to unleash his “ultimate move,” the entire situation shifted, becoming bizarrely surreal. Bai Yuxi strode forward seemingly at random, yet the plasma spheres that should have struck him missed his body by uncanny margins.

Willy even began to suspect his vision was playing tricks on him. Bai Yuxi appeared almost as if he were a virtual image in a holographic projection, the plasma spheres passing through him effortlessly without touching his shield. Every step, every joint’s bend, every pause in his movement seemed to follow a mysterious rhythm. The precise frequency of his movements allowed him to avoid the trajectories of the plasma spheres, as if he were dancing amid a complex web.

There’s an old saying among the people of Yan Country: “threading the rain,” describing someone so slender they can walk through a downpour without getting wet, or someone so agile and clever that they navigate situations effortlessly, like threading through raindrops.

At this moment, Willy felt as if Bai Yuxi was “threading the rain” in the most uncanny way.

Fortunately, Bai Yuxi only maintained this state momentarily, remembering that he had a companion behind him who relied on him to shield against the plasma spheres. With a motion like swatting away buzzing flies, he raised his hand and deflected a plasma sphere that was about to strike his head. The sphere’s path was diverted, colliding with another plasma sphere from a different direction; both exploded into a burst of electric brilliance, which quickly dissipated into the air.

As he continued forward with a deceptively slow yet swift pace, he used his hands to carve out a “path” through the dense plasma spheres. The chaotic barrage was either avoided or deflected by him; and when avoidance was impossible, he would deflect them to collide and destroy each other. For a time, not a single plasma sphere could harm the two as they passed through the corridor Bai Yuxi created.

Willy was nearly stupefied, forgetting to dodge altogether. Simply following behind Bai Yuxi, he muddled his way out of the plasma toads’ encirclement. Even more astonishing, no plasma toad leapt after them to continue the chase. Whenever one did, it was struck back by a plasma sphere, enveloped in electric brilliance, and roasted into a charred lump.

“Damn! I get it now!” Willy exclaimed in delight, “Bai! This is the legendary ‘Cosmic Shift,’ right? Or is it the ‘Star Rotation,’ using their own weapon against them?”

But Bai Yuxi gave no answer. Instead, his body wavered, stumbling before regaining balance. He shook his head to clear his mind, then reached for a bioactive nutrient gel prepared by Su Xiaoke, quickly swallowing it.

Forced out of the “brain overclock” state, Bai Yuxi felt a surge of heat beneath his nose. He instinctively wiped it, only to find his hand stained with blood. Bai Yuxi gave a bitter smile—he had indeed pushed himself too far. Using “brain overclock” in such a complex environment drained his mental energy far beyond his current capabilities.

Fortunately, thanks to the brief “universal insight” state, he not only led Willy out of the plasma toads’ siege but also, using his superhuman computational ability, simulated an “over-limit combat skill” and gained a rough understanding of how to utilize it.

The plasma toads, temporarily subdued, surged forward again as the two paused.

But this time, Bai Yuxi did not drag Willy away to escape. Instead, he punched at the incoming plasma sphere. A flicker of phosphorescence shimmered on his fist like a serpent’s tongue, expanding and retracting in a flash. The plasma sphere he struck deformed slightly, then rebounded, bursting in mid-air into a spray of blue arcs.

Willy’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. What was this—energy counterattack?

After Bai Yuxi succeeded with his punch, his eyes lit up. No longer limiting himself to hand strikes, he plunged into the web of plasma spheres. Punching, chopping, elbowing, shoulder ramming, knee striking, kicking—he seemed to transform into an eight-armed divine ape, intercepting every plasma sphere that came his way.

Willy, moving from surprise to shock to numbness, gaped, unable to express his feelings, which were now as chaotic as a hyperactive husky. Wasn’t he supposed to be the “veteran” who had awakened nearly a year ago? Shouldn’t he be the one charging ahead, showing his broad back to this rookie who had only awakened a day ago? Why was he instead shrieking behind Bai Yuxi like a timid girl?

Utterly bewildered, Willy watched Bai Yuxi—who, under the storm of plasma spheres, seemed to have mastered an indestructible technique, unleashing flashes of electric brilliance with each strike, as if he himself were generating the electricity.

“What is this now?” Willy muttered. “Thunder Fist? Electric Spear Palm?”

With the plasma toads’ attention focused entirely on Bai Yuxi as he blocked their attacks, Willy, hiding behind him, found himself with nothing to do. As an agile scout used to hit-and-run tactics, he was simply out of his depth in this chaotic melee, so he had no choice but to stay behind and watch the spectacle.