Chapter 292 - 288: So Fast?

Chapter 292: Chapter 288: So Fast?

Zhang Yi froze. The mysterious person before him spoke in a relaxed tone, and he felt no pain, no pressing sense that his life was about to end.

’Am I just going to fake my death, and then they’ll revive me?’

Su Su, in her Witch state, seemed to know what Zhang Yi was thinking.

"Not a fake death. A real one. And..."

The Witch’s voice suddenly turned sinister.

"And it’s a horrible death. Your physical body will simply... collapse. Starting with your fingers and toes, then moving up your limbs, and finally your head... It’ll be hard to even leave a complete corpse behind."

Zhang Yi had been nervous, but he’d already had more than enough shocks for one night, starting with accidentally killing someone. He wasn’t terrified, not really.

But hearing her description, goosebumps inexplicably erupted all over his skin. A chill ran from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

A strange sensation washed over him, as if he could feel the imminent crisis of his own body breaking down.

Shenzhen City was also one of Hua Country’s major economic centers, so the Dawn Association had established a branch here. It was mainly run by Disciples from the Celestial Traveler’s Hall.

Today, the Celestial Traveler’s Hall had over 500 apprentices in total. Most were in a "training state" at the Kyoto Hall, with fewer than 100 having become Disciples of the Inner Sect.

After entering the Inner Sect and learning about the "Dawn Association," some would participate in the Silent Knights’ training camps to rapidly improve their physical abilities. Once they passed, they could choose whether to return to the Celestial Traveler’s Hall, prepare to join the Silent Knight Order, or even apply for a transfer to other branches around the world.

The goal within the Silent Knight Order was, naturally, to become a true Silent Knight, with the Soul Burning Level being the main criterion.

The Celestial Traveler’s Hall, the Dawn Association’s other major combat group, also had its own metric for excellence.

That was to become a "Skywalker."

Elder Mo was proud and arrogant. Rejuvenated in his later years, he was naturally high-spirited. He had lived for so long, considering himself a man of virtue and righteousness, yet he’d been completely unaware that true heroes had always been protecting the world.

As the saying goes, ambition isn’t a matter of age. The Dawn Association was constantly moving forward, and the old man wanted to leave his own unique mark on its history.

The selection for Silent Knights was so strict that only four had been chosen since the order was re-established?

’Then my selection will be even stricter,’ he must have thought. ’And the name has to have what the young people call "prestige."’

Only a true master from the Celestial Traveler’s Hall, one who could hold their own, was qualified to become a "Skywalker." The prerequisite was for their Martial Arts to reach the level of "Intent."

When one’s Martial Arts and related techniques reached the level of "Intent," both their destructive power and control would increase dramatically. The might of their Martial Arts techniques would be unprecedented. Without one’s own "Intent," even if your power reached the Soul Burning Level, Elder Mo would not acknowledge you.

In Qin Xiaoxia’s view, this was, to some extent, an explosive manifestation of human Spiritual Power, and it absolutely could not be underestimated.

Due to these harsh requirements, only three people in the entire Celestial Traveler’s Hall currently met the standard.

One was, naturally, the Martial Arts Grandmaster Elder Mo himself. Mo Shaoge and Mo Qingxue had barely qualified, only securing their positions a month ago. If not for their pride as instructors holding them up, they might have lost their momentum halfway through.

Even Ding Yi was still far from it. The most promising candidate, ironically, was the "Auditor" who occasionally showed up, the Monkey King. His mind was pure, with far fewer distracting thoughts than a human’s. He also possessed exceptional talent and had even been showing signs of awakening Magic Power.

However, gauging a Skywalker’s strength was a bit strange. Without using military-grade weapons, and as long as they weren’t in a confined area, Elder Mo alone could hold out for a long time against any number of pre-Soul Burning Level reserves.

But against a full-fledged Silent Knight, the three current Skywalkers together wouldn’t be enough to handle the Soul Burning Level Baru by himself.

It was clear that breaking skill with sheer force was no joke. Who knew what would happen once Elder Mo also reached the Soul Burning Level.

By Qin Xiaoxia’s estimation, surpassing the likes of Otto shouldn’t be a problem. As for whether he could be stronger than a monster like Baru, they would have to have a real fight to find out.

A small supermarket on the edge of a park in Shenzhen City was the inscription point for the Secret Realm. From there, it extended to encompass the entire park, all of which was within the Secret Realm’s range.

Su Su had carried Zhang Yi to the edge of this park like a kitten.

The moment they drew near, he saw a strange black cat on a tree just outside the park.

It was clearly a cat, yet looking at it felt like looking at a monster. The light around it seemed distorted. Based on his experiences tonight, this cat was probably nothing simple either.

"Lady Witch, that cat..."

"Mm, what color is it?"

’This guy really can see the Secret Realm Spirit,’ Su Su thought. ’An ordinary person would just see a black cat and think nothing of it.’

"Its color... It’s..."

Zhang Yi opened his mouth several times, but suddenly found he couldn’t speak. Every time he tried to describe it, it felt strange.

"You can’t describe it? That’s because the cat doesn’t exist. Or rather, the cat you see isn’t necessarily that cat."

He couldn’t understand the meaning at all, but it somehow fit the mysterious person’s image perfectly.

Then, after taking another step, Zhang Yi felt a wave of dizziness. When his vision cleared, he was so startled he wondered if he’d stumbled into a botanical garden by mistake. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

But a closer look moved him beyond startled; he was utterly terrified.

As far as he could see, all the normal-looking plants were fake, more like realistic projections. The real ones were simply demons, all of them twisted, pitch-black shapes.

All the plants projected a light that seemed to want to devour him, making his entire body go rigid.

Su Su had been observing him, realizing he was even more special in person than her earlier divination had suggested. The physical changes in his body clearly showed the depth of his fear.

It wasn’t until Su Su used the Secret Realm’s power to place a mark on Zhang Yi that the terrifying lights and shadows in his vision—which, though unmoving, had looked ready to devour him—stopped baring their fangs. In fact, the light even became very gentle.

BANG! CLANG! BANG! BANG!...

Two Disciples from the Celestial Traveler’s Hall were exchanging blows at high speed. Soon, however, their weapons broke, and the fight devolved into pure hand-to-hand combat.

Even though Zhang Yi was now an Evolver, and one who’d received a sudden, massive boost, the speed of the two fighters’ moves was too fast for him to see clearly. The vibrations in the air and the torn-up turf around them made their power obvious.

They were like peerless masters from a martial arts film, their fight scene playing on fast-forward.

BANG—! CRACK!

Finally, Ding Yi used a Bone-Crushing Claw Technique to dislocate his opponent’s right arm and lock him in a chokehold, signaling the end of the match.

Although Sister Su could have easily taken care of these two, she had to admit that the rapid strikes of a martial arts exchange had more rhythm than the heavy-artillery collisions of the Silent Knights. Barring any particularly despicable dirty tricks, it was quite a spectacle.

GULP.

Zhang Yi swallowed hard. The things he’d seen and heard tonight had completely overturned his understanding of the world. After watching the two fight, an unprecedented sense of excitement welled up inside him.

’Will I be that strong one day, too?’

HISS...

A sharp pain in his hand snapped Zhang Yi out of his fantasy. The piercing ache came in waves.

"Oh? Did your fingernail fall off?"

Su Su, in her Witch state, gazed at the fingernail that had just fallen off Zhang Yi’s pinky finger, still dripping with blood.

In an instant, terror replaced all of Zhang Yi’s other emotions.

The collapse was starting? This soon?