MTLNOVEL CHAPTER 218
Chapter 218: The Crucible of Combat
Lu Ming had a revelation: superpowers could be advanced again, similar to how the Void Domain had leveled up from Beginner to Intermediate.
His usual approach of avoiding evenly-matched opponents had its benefits. It minimized danger.
But it also had its drawbacks. Some things could only be honed in the crucible of true combat.
This battle with Li De was a stark reminder of that. Lu Ming acknowledged his opponent's strength. But it was precisely because Li De was a worthy adversary that Lu Ming was experiencing such profound refinement.
"Focusing solely on attribute gains isn't always the best strategy..."
A powerful punch to the face interrupted Lu Ming's musings.
Pain flared, followed by the familiar numbness.
He opened his eyes, meeting Li De's fist as it swung towards him again. Lu Ming's gaze hardened, his focus sharpened.
The rematch between Lu Ming and Li De appeared, on the surface, much like their previous clash.
The battle raged on, a titanic struggle between two fifty-meter giants.
The outskirts of the Imperial City District lay in ruins, devastated by their relentless exchange of blows.
Both combatants possessed explosive strength and speed, their movements a blur to the naked eye.
A violent astral wind whipped through the air, a testament to the sheer power unleashed in their confrontation.
Thunderous roars echoed through the Imperial City District, the sonic booms generated by their collisions shaking the very foundations of the ancient structures.
A sense of despair crept into the eyes of Roda and Roxin as they witnessed the brutal spectacle.
Lu Ming was clearly outmatched.
Roxin could barely keep up with the rapid exchange of blows. But what she saw was enough to fill her with dread - Lu Ming's bone armor shattered, his body riddled with wounds.
Roda's vision was even clearer.
He saw the confident smirk on Li De's face, the glint of murderous intent in his eyes.
Li De was certain of his victory.
This battle had become a gruesome display of power, a sadistic outlet for his pent-up rage.
Bang.
Lu Ming's fist, heavy as a sledgehammer, slammed into Li De's body. But the Spirit-Light Bodyguard Technique held firm, deflecting the blow effortlessly. Lu Ming's most powerful attack couldn't even penetrate Li De's defenses.
Seizing the opportunity, Li De unleashed a picture-perfect uppercut, catching Lu Ming on the chin.
A sickening crack echoed through the air.
The bone armor on Lu Ming's chin shattered, the Micro-Level Origin Power Armor proving as fragile as paper. The force of the blow surged into Lu Ming's brain.
The Spirit Communication Force, already suppressing Lu Ming's physical reactions, now began to cloud his thoughts, disorienting him.
His body was sent flying high, and Li De, relentless, gave Lu Ming no respite.
"Yang Spirit Finger! Endless Style!"
A blinding white light erupted from Li De's fingertip, unleashing a torrent of Yang Spirit Fingers that engulfed Lu Ming. He tried to shield himself, but the sheer force of the attack sent him soaring uncontrollably into the air.
It wasn't until he reached a dizzying height of a hundred meters that the onslaught ceased.
Li De's voice, now directly behind Lu Ming, boomed through the air.
"Spirit Communication Force! Ghost Tiger!"
Everyone watched in horror as Lu Ming hung upside down in mid-air, Li De hovering behind him.
With a brief gathering of energy, Li De unleashed a double-fisted strike, sending a wave of platinum energy surging forth.
The energy coalesced into a colossal tiger head, its jaws gaping wide with a fearsome roar. It enveloped Lu Ming, swallowing him whole, and then plummeted towards the ground.
BOOM!
A massive mushroom cloud erupted upon impact, the shockwave visible even from the ancestral hall.
Roxin, who had wisely retreated earlier, was still thrown back by the blast, several of her ribs fracturing.
She gritted her teeth against the pain and looked towards the impact zone.
The sight that greeted her filled her with despair.
The Spirit Communication Force Ghost Tiger, along with Lu Ming, had created a massive crater in the ground, the size of a small lake.
Lu Ming lay at the center of the deep pit, his body enveloped in a platinum glow. This light, akin to an electric current, coursed through him, causing numbness and paralysis.
"My Spirit Communication Force suppresses an opponent's physical strength," Li De explained from his vantage point above, his voice dripping with arrogance. "And Ghost Tiger amplifies that effect, making it even stronger and faster!"
The unwavering confidence in his eyes was unmistakable.
Lu Ming, trapped below, could only squint against the blinding light. After a moment, he muttered, "Not enough..."
Li De's eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"
Lu Ming was about to elaborate when Li De cut him off with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Forget it, it doesn't matter what you say... I'm tired of playing with you."
He raised his hands, pointing his index fingers at Lu Ming.
"From the beginning of the Yang Spirit Finger to the end of the Yang Spirit Finger!"
"This move will send you to hell!"
"Yang Spirit Finger, Double Extreme Kill!"
A blinding white light erupted from Li De's fingertips.
Then, it began to compress, the white light intensifying until it turned a shimmering platinum. Terrifying energy surged at his fingertips, building to a crescendo.
Lu Ming, immobilized by the Ghost Tiger, could only watch helplessly as the chilling killing intent grew stronger.
A sigh escaped his lips.
"What a shame," Lu Ming thought, a flicker of disappointment crossing his mind.
Li De, it seemed, wasn't the ideal sparring partner. His actions didn't quite align with Lu Ming's needs.
Even more regrettably, his Body Self-Limitation ability hadn't completed its transformation. Lu Ming sensed it was less than a third of the way there.
"Well, it has to be this way," he resigned himself, accepting the inevitable.
The attribute panel materialized before his eyes.
He gazed at the words "Body Self-Limitation," then at the line indicating his Divine Origin Points: 45.
System, he thought with fierce determination, give me more points!
In response, his Divine Origin Points instantly decreased from 45 to 44.
A surge of immense energy, seemingly drawn from an unknown source within Lu Ming's body, flooded his brain.
His entire being convulsed in agony.
He writhed and struggled, desperately trying to alleviate the overwhelming pain.
But in the blink of an eye, it was over.
The light on the attribute panel flashed, and the description of Body Self-Limitation changed abruptly.
At the same moment, Li De's Double Extreme Kill reached its climax.
A sense of unease prickled at Li De. Something felt off.
Though the attack hadn't fully charged, he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to act now.
Two beams of pure energy, one white-hot and the other crackling with electricity, descended from the sky, converging on Lu Ming's prone form. The impact unleashed a blinding flash, momentarily turning the world into a sea of white.
"It's over," Roxin whispered, her voice choked with despair. "I'm so sorry, Lu Ming. It's my fault you're in this situation."
Roda, his face pale, closed his eyes, mourning the loss of their newfound ally.
In the distance, the Divine Dao Alliance members erupted in cheers.
Li De was invincible.
At least within the Flame Clan Ruin, in this corner of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, he reigned supreme.
Lu Ming, the mysterious challenger, was nothing but a stepping stone on Li De's path to absolute dominance.
But as the dust settled, the cheers gradually died down.
Li De's face was devoid of any victorious joy.
He stood frozen, his teeth clenched, staring into the depths of the crater.
A hoarse voice escaped his lips.
"How could you not be dead... How could you not be dead?!"
From the bottom of the pit, a calm, almost serene voice answered him.
"Because you didn't kill me."
"You're strong, but not strong enough."
"At least, not strong enough to kill me."
End of Chapter 218