Chapter 434: Overcoming the Self

"Come on, the second round of slaughter begins!"

A low growl was squeezed out from a bloodied throat.

Kneeling half in a pool of blood and shattered stone, Gao Jie Ming slammed his remaining right arm against the ground, ignoring the horrific void in his left chest and the agony threatening to tear him apart, and struggled to his feet.

His body staggered, yet he did not pause a step, dragging his ruined frame forward to launch a direct charge at the time echo trapped within the elemental vacuum field.

Each step left a footprint mingled with blood and dust.

But as Gao Jie Ming's steps pulsed, his body underwent synchronized transformation.

At the wound's edges, charred, carbonized tissue rapidly sloughed off; pink, vibrant granulation tissue sprouted and spread like wild vines at visible speed.

Bones emitted faint, dense cracking sounds, their fractures filled with newly formed bone tissue shimmering with a pale golden luster.

Muscle fibers wove together as if possessing independent life, covering the bones; blood vessels, nerves, and skin regenerated swiftly, concealing the writhing flesh beneath.

The Body Forging Art operated with unprecedented efficiency, driven by the pressure of life and death and a clear will.

New tissue formed with higher resistance to energy, and the pathways of energy flow adjusted automatically to better resist similar attacks.

When he reached the time echo, his stumbling steps returned to normal; the terrifying injuries that would have disabled most fourth-rank sorcerers had fully regenerated.

The new skin on his left chest and arm was still slightly pink, but structurally complete, even hinting at a toughness greater than before.

Powerful energy surged anew through his limbs and bones; though his spiritual power was heavily depleted and his internal organs still ached faintly, his combat capability had returned.

The time echo's cold eyes seemed to flicker with the faintest ripple.

It unhesitatingly abandoned the shattered, still-smoldering remains of its great light form behind it, clenching both fists into the most basic close-combat stance.

The next instant, the two figures collided like a comet striking Earth!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Boom!

The muffled impacts of fists and feet exploded like heavy war drums across the silent ruins of the temple.

This was the most direct expression of violence.

Gao Jie Ming threw a straight punch infused with his full strength toward the echo's face; the echo sidestepped, its left elbow whipping like a scorpion's tail to strike Gao Jie Ming's newly regenerated left ribs.

Gao Jie Ming twisted his waist and lowered his shoulder to block with his new left arm, while his right leg blurred into a low sweep aimed at the echo's lower body.

The echo slightly lifted its knee, intercepting precisely; their shins collided with a grating, sickening thud.

Each stepped back half a pace, then immediately lunged forward again like magnets.

Their combat techniques were identical!

Their power application was exactly the same!

Their evasions and predictions were perfectly synchronized!

The two were like the same person inside and outside a mirror, engaged in a brutal, wordless dialogue about "the self."

Every punch carried insight into his own weaknesses; every kick targeted the opponent's most vulnerable point of force generation.

Sweat and droplets of blood flew with every violent motion.

Initially, Gao Jie Ming was clearly at a disadvantage.

His newly regenerated left side lacked coordination, and the energy he had expended earlier affected his power output and stamina.

The echo's assault came like a sudden storm, precisely seizing every tiny hesitation and opening.

A heavy punch grazed Gao Jie Ming's cheekbone, sending stars dancing before his eyes; a cunning knee strike slammed into his flank, nearly stealing his breath; a palm-strike nearly severed his newly regenerated neck, which he barely avoided by a hair's breadth, leaving only a searing pain.

Gao Jie Ming retreated step by step, new bruises and wounds accumulating across his body, his breathing growing heavier.

But as time passed, the tide of battle began a subtle yet firm shift.

The Body Forging Art's "adaptive evolution" was pushed to its extreme in this physical struggle against "the self!"

Every successful strike the echo landed on Gao Jie Ming, inflicting damage, was faithfully recorded by the Body Forging Art—recording the force, angle, and energy characteristics of the attack—and drove his body to make targeted adjustments.

The zygomatic bone struck by the heavy punch developed a denser, more elastic microstructure during regeneration.

The abdominal side struck by the knee strike saw its muscle fibers rearrange into a more effective cushioning and force-dissipating structure.

The neck threatened by the palm-strike saw enhanced skin resilience and fascial strength.

More importantly, the Body Forging Art's adaptive evolution also enhanced Gao Jie Ming's control over his own body, forcing him to a new height in this synchronized battle against the "mirror."

Under immense pressure, his mental processing speed gradually surpassed the echo's; his techniques became more perfect; even his ability to predict the flow of battle grew stronger.

His movements began to subtly diverge.

No longer merely copying the echo's techniques or following fixed patterns, knowledge of close-combat techniques from the Great Dao Library was rapidly absorbed.

When blocking, his wrist would twitch at the moment of contact—a minuscule, unconventional angle shift that subtly deflected part of the force.

When evading, his body tilted just one or two degrees more than the echo predicted, allowing attacks to miss by a hair's breadth.

When countering, the combination of muscle groups involved shifted slightly, producing a weak but critical advantage in speed or explosive power.

These changes were extremely subtle, nearly imperceptible in the heat of high-speed combat.

But accumulated, their effect became evident.

Gao Jie Ming's retreat steps grew shorter; the trembling in his arms after blocks lessened; his counterattack frequency increased, and his hit rate slowly climbed.

On the echo's cold face, what appeared to be a trace of "confusion" emerged for the first time.

Its attacks remained fierce, but that sense of "perfect prediction" was slipping away.

It "saw" Gao Jie Ming's movements, yet Gao Jie Ming's actual physical responses sometimes deviated slightly from its built-in "combat model."

And in life-or-death combat, such deviations were fatal.

"Thud!"

For the first time, Gao Jie Ming used his newly regenerated left arm to firmly block the echo's powerful downward slash; his body only trembled slightly.

Previously, the same attack would have numbed his entire arm.

Hiss!

Gao Jie Ming's sharply angled foot jab struck the echo's supporting knee joint half a beat earlier than expected.

Though the echo's muscle tension absorbed most of the impact, it successfully disrupted the echo's continuous offensive flow.

The balance of advantage was visibly tilting toward Gao Jie Ming!

He fought more smoothly, grew bolder with every clash.

His newly regenerated body coordinated perfectly with his original form, even appearing more explosive due to "evolution."

His gaze sharpened like a blade, capturing every fleeting pause the echo made due to "confusion."

Finally…

In a fierce close-quarters struggle, the echo swung a wild hook punch and missed, its old force spent and new force unformed, its center slightly exposed.

Gao Jie Ming seized this fleeting opportunity he himself had created!

This time, he used no complex technique.

He simply channeled all his strength, along with the stale air long held in his chest, into his right fist.

Twisted waist, thrust shoulder, fist shot out like a dragon!

The simplest, most direct, and utterly unstoppable straight punch!

Boom!!!

This punch struck squarely at the center of the time echo's chest.

With a muffled, heavy sound like a blow against solid rubber, Gao Jie Ming's fist punched clean through the opponent's torso.

The time echo's body froze rigid; those identical eyes to Gao Jie Ming's, for the first time, clearly reflected a complex mix of "shock" and "relief."

It looked down at its sunken chest, then raised its head to gaze at Gao Jie Ming—blood trickling from his lips, eyes blazing like fire.

Without any intention to communicate, Gao Jie Ming's other hand struck with sudden force, crushing the time echo's skull.

The next instant, its form, along with its tattered gray robe, began to blur and grow transparent.

Like a faulty hologram, it flickered violently twice.

Then, along with the surviving black giant clones, the remnants of the great light form, and even the bloodstains scattered on the ground belonging to the clones…

All things created or replicated by the time echo vanished silently like pencil sketches erased by an eraser, dissolving into the air.

Not a trace remained, as if they had never existed.

Only Gao Jie Ming, drenched in blood, gasping heavily yet standing perfectly upright, remained alone at the center of the now completely vanished temple.

And just as he defeated the mirror image, his breath still ragged…

The space before him was gently peeled back, as if by an invisible hand.

A black fissure, its edges flowing with serene starlight, opened once more.

The unadorned figure of the Starforged Altrius stepped calmly forth from the rift.

His gaze swept over Gao Jie Ming's rapidly healing wounds, sensing the clearly denser, more potent body within, and a look of unhidden approval appeared on his face.

"Congratulations," he said, his voice gentle, "defeating another self has always been the most difficult leap of cognition and will. You did well—better than I anticipated."

Gao Jie Ming pulled at his lips, offering a smile mingled with exhaustion, pain, and understanding.

Upon hearing these words, he immediately realized: Altrius had likely long since located this time branch.

His failure to intervene immediately must have been deliberate—to observe, to wait, to let Gao Jie Ming complete this "mirror trial" and force out his deeper potential.

Yet, feeling his body elevated to a new level, his Body Forging Art's enhanced adaptability and recovery, and his spirit and will now more refined after the life-or-death struggle, the smile held genuine gratitude.

"Thank you, my lord, for this opportunity," Gao Jie Ming said, catching his breath, and bowed respectfully.

He knew: without Altrius's external restraint and final approval, he would never have had the qualification to enter this trial, let alone benefit from it.

Altrius waved a hand, his gaze fixed on the surrounding world now growing unstable, like a fading canvas:

"This temporary prison is collapsing. We must leave."

He gestured, stepping first into the rift and departing.

Gao Jie Ming hesitated not at all; feeling the lingering pain in his body, he stepped forward decisively, crossing the starlit spatial rift.

Behind him, the time branch known as the "Mirror Corridor," lastly constructed in frantic desperation by the sphere's will, silently collapsed and vanished, ultimately returning to nothingness.

(End of Chapter)