funbook-pk Chapter 383: The Three
Chapter 383: The Three
She had noticed the problem, too.
These three were only at the Heart Image Prototype stage. They weren’t young, and their potential was mostly spent. Their strengths lay in their experience and specializations, but their raw power... was truly lacking.
In a behind-enemy-lines sabotage mission like this, specializations were certainly important, but raw power was the foundation for survival.
When facing unexpected situations or a necessary head-on confrontation, no amount of specialized skill could overcome a massive gap in strength.
Besides, their specializations actually overlapped to some extent with the other two members of the team.
"Understood." Hong Nianyi’s voice betrayed no emotion. "Then, as per procedure, we’ll need a brief sparring session. This isn’t to determine a winner, but simply to understand everyone’s combat characteristics."
She looked at Xu Wuyi. "You do it?"
Xu Wuyi nodded and walked to the empty area in the center of the conference room. The virtual space automatically expanded, forming a circular arena fifty meters in diameter.
"Who’s first?" he asked.
Zhang Meng stepped forward. "I’ll go."
The two stood twenty meters apart.
No referee, no rules.
Zhang Meng took a deep breath, and the aura around him began to change.
A layer of faint yellow light emerged from his body, rapidly condensing and shaping itself into the phantom image of a turtle with a heavy shell behind him.
The phantom image wasn’t clear, its edges blurry—a characteristic of a Heart Image Prototype. It had an outline, but had not yet solidified.
Xu Wuyi could feel that as the rock turtle phantom appeared, the space around Zhang Meng seemed to grow viscous, the air resistance increasing noticeably.
This was a common effect of defensive Heart Images: weakening an opponent’s attacks by altering the environment.
"Watch out," Zhang Meng growled. He pushed off with his feet, his entire body shooting toward Xu Wuyi like a cannonball.
His speed wasn’t exceptional, but every step was heavy and powerful, making the ground tremble slightly.
Halfway there, he thrust out both fists. A faint yellow fist energy, imbued with the heavy Intention of earth and stone, pressed down on Xu Wuyi like two giant shields.
Xu Wuyi didn’t use a weapon, nor did he fully manifest his Heart Image.
He simply raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and channeled his dark gold Qi and Blood to its edge before punching straight at Zhang Meng’s fist energy.
He silently activated *Melting Furnace Boiling Blood*—to one-third of its capacity.
BOOM!
The fists collided, and a shockwave erupted.
Zhang Meng let out a muffled grunt and stumbled back three consecutive steps, each one leaving a deep footprint in the ground.
The rock turtle phantom behind him flickered violently, its color dimming slightly.
Xu Wuyi stood his ground, not moving an inch.
"You let me win," he said, retracting his fist.
Zhang Meng steadied himself and looked at Xu Wuyi, shock flashing in his eyes before turning into a wry smile. "The gap is too big... I used my full strength, and you didn’t even use your Heart Image."
"Your defense is quite good," Xu Wuyi said honestly. "A normal level 39 Martial Artist would have needed at least seventy percent of their strength to take that punch. The fact you only retreated three steps shows that your rock turtle Heart Image has outstanding force-dispersing and defensive properties."
Zhang Meng shook his head, said nothing more, and retreated to the side of the arena.
Li Wei stepped up.
She didn’t attack directly like Zhang Meng. Instead, she took three silver Rune Squares from her tactical jacket and held them between her fingers.
"My combat style is a little different," she said. "Be careful."
As soon as she finished speaking, she flicked her wrist. The three Rune Squares shot out, carving three arcs through the air as they flew toward Xu Wuyi from different angles.
At the same time, her hands formed a series of rapid seals, and her Spiritual Power surged forth, pouring into the Rune Squares.
The first square exploded in mid-air, transforming into dozens of silver needles of light, as fine as ox hair, that covered Xu Wuyi’s upper body.
The second square hit the ground and instantly unfolded into an electric net five meters in diameter, sealing off Xu Wuyi’s lower body.
The third square hovered above Xu Wuyi’s head, emitting a wave of spirit-disrupting energy.
The coordination was seamless, the timing precise.
’This combat style is certainly unique,’ Xu Wuyi thought. ’Against a Martial Artist of the same level, a combo like this could very well pin them down.’
But he wasn’t of the same level.
Xu Wuyi didn’t dodge. A mere thought crossed his mind.
VMMMM—
The dark gold phantom of his Heart Image flashed into existence behind him and vanished. Although it had only appeared for less than half a second, the heavy, mountainous Intention had already descended.
The silver needles of light struck the invisible barrier formed by the mountainous Intention and shattered one after another.
The electric net at his feet was incinerated by the dark gold Flame the moment it touched Xu Wuyi’s Qi and Blood Domain.
The spirit-disrupting wave above his head was incinerated by his Mountain Peak Great Sun Realm the instant it touched his sea of consciousness.
The three Rune Squares were all broken.
Li Wei’s face went pale. The backlash from her Spiritual Power made her grunt and stumble back two steps before she could regain her footing.
"Very clever coordination," Xu Wuyi commented. "It would be very effective against a Martial Artist unfamiliar with rune tactics."
"But in the face of an absolute gap in power, technique has its limits," Li Wei finished for him, her tone tinged with helplessness. "I understand."
She put away her remaining Rune Squares and retreated to the side.
Wang Mo was the last to step up.
He didn’t attack immediately. Instead, his figure flickered, and his entire body became blurry.
It wasn’t an afterimage caused by high speed, but a genuine "blurriness"—his presence was rapidly diminishing, his aura retracting until it was almost nonexistent, and his figure became visually difficult to lock onto.
’A shadow-hiding Heart Image, specializing in Stealth.’
Xu Wuyi closed his eyes, his Spiritual Perception fully extending outwards.
In his perception, Wang Mo’s figure hadn’t completely disappeared. Instead, it had become an extremely faint "shadow" that was circling him at high speed, searching for an opening.
Three seconds later, Wang Mo made his move.
He slipped into Xu Wuyi’s blind spot, a pitch-black dagger thrusting silently toward Xu Wuyi’s back, aimed for his heart.
The strike let off no trace of an aura; even the sound of it cutting through the air was deliberately suppressed. The dagger was coated with a substance that blocked spiritual senses, making it almost impossible to detect in the dark.
A very professional assassination.
But Xu Wuyi sensed it the instant Wang Mo struck.
Not through sight, nor through Spiritual Perception, but through something more fundamental: an intuition for "danger."
After achieving Great Success in Heart Image, his body’s sensitivity to killing intent had become so acute it was almost instinctual. Any attack directed at him that contained killing intent would trigger a physical warning before it was even launched.
Xu Wuyi didn’t turn around. He simply jabbed a finger out behind him.
Dark gold Flame coalesced on his fingertip, precisely striking the tip of the dagger.
CLANG!
The crisp sound of metal on metal.
Wang Mo felt a scorching, tyrannical force travel up the dagger, instantly numbing his entire arm. He reacted in a flash, letting go of the dagger and retreating explosively.
But Xu Wuyi’s second finger was already in pursuit.
This finger didn’t aim for Wang Mo’s vitals, but at the empty space half a meter in front of him.
Wang Mo’s expression changed drastically. That was his intended escape route!
He forcefully twisted his body to dodge sideways, but he was half a beat too slow. Xu Wuyi’s Finger Wind grazed his shoulder, leaving a scorched black mark.