hhnovel Chapter 325: Connection
Chapter 325: Connection
Xu Wuyi opened his eyes.
Reflected in his pupils were the Celestial Wolf Illusion behind Milo and the suppressed Undying Flame on Milo’s body.
The tiny flames flickered stubbornly around the wounds, like candles in the wind, on the verge of being extinguished at any moment.
But... they were still burning.
As long as they burned, they were not extinguished.
Xu Wuyi suddenly understood.
The characteristics of the Undying Flame were "undying" and "incineration."
But before all that, it first had to be "fire."
The fundamental meaning of fire is combustion, a form of motion. This was his most basic understanding of "fire," shaped by his Federation education.
This understanding wasn’t necessarily the absolute truth, but it was his own most direct interpretation.
To make the Undying Flame exhibit its unique properties, he had to act according to his own understanding, even if that understanding was limited by his own perspective—and might even distort the physical nature of fire itself.
Whether it was right or wrong didn’t matter. What mattered was that he had to have his own understanding.
Xu Wuyi’s eyes brightened. He felt he was truly starting to understand.
Why were the flames scattered across Milo’s body being suppressed? Because they were fighting alone, isolated and without support.
’What if... they could connect into one?’
Xu Wuyi stood up.
He tightened his grip on his spear, and a dark gold flame once again rose from its tip.
But this time, the flame’s form had changed.
It no longer simply clung and burned; instead, it began to "breathe" as if it were alive.
With each "breath," the flame pulsed, expanding and contracting slightly.
Milo stopped in his tracks, a trace of confusion flashing through his crimson pupils.
He sensed something was different.
Xu Wuyi moved.
He no longer tried to strike Milo’s vitals directly. Instead, he aimed his spear tip at the wounds already seared by the Undying Flame.
He thrust his spear, touching one of the wounds.
The dark gold flame surged from the spear tip and merged with the fire already burning in the wound.
Milo’s body trembled. He felt the searing pain at that wound suddenly intensify.
No, it wasn’t just stronger.
It had "connected."
After that strike, the once-scattered flames seemed to have been linked by an invisible thread and began to resonate with one another.
Xu Wuyi thrust a second time, touching another wound.
A third thrust.
A fourth.
His speed wasn’t fast, but every thrust was impeccably precise, striking the parts of Milo’s body that had been seared by the flames.
And with each strike, the connection between the flames grew stronger.
Milo finally realized something was wrong. He roared and lunged at Xu Wuyi, trying to interrupt the process.
But Xu Wuyi pushed his Instant Shadow Step to its limits, dodging and weaving within the confined space, constantly maintaining his distance from Milo while striking out again and again.
The tenth thrust.
By now, the dozen or so wounds on Milo’s body seared by the flame were all "connected."
The dark gold flames no longer burned in isolation. They had formed a single entity, like a web of fire woven within his body.
The web was still faint, barely holding together under the suppression of the Celestial Wolf Illusion.
But... it had taken form.
Xu Wuyi stopped, standing in the center of the arena with his spear angled toward the ground.
He looked at Milo, his gaze calm.
"Now, it’s my turn."
As his voice fell, he gripped his spear with both hands and thrust forward.
This thrust had no frills. It was the simplest, most basic lunge.
But atop the spear tip, the dark gold flame blazed ferociously.
And inside Milo’s body, the web of fire seemed to answer a call, "lighting up" all at once.
All the flames erupted in the same instant.
A change in quantity led to a change in quality.
When scattered, they were just faint embers, easily suppressed by the Celestial Wolf Illusion.
But once connected into a whole, their power grew exponentially.
BOOM—!
Milo’s body exploded from within.
Not a physical explosion, but an eruption of fire.
Dark gold Undying Flame gushed from every wound on his body, instantly engulfing him.
The Celestial Wolf Illusion behind him let out a silent wail and began to crumble, inch by inch.
Milo’s Illusion stood rooted to the spot, his crimson pupils filled with utter disbelief.
A few seconds later, he dissolved into a shower of light particles and vanished from the arena.
The arena fell silent.
Xu Wuyi stood, spear in hand, and slowly exhaled a deep breath.
He looked down at his palm, where a wisp of dark gold flame burned quietly.
The flame seemed a little different than before.
It had gained a trace of... Spiritual quality.
Silence reigned in the monitoring hall.
After a long moment, Luo Cheng finally spoke slowly, "Record the data."
His voice was a little hoarse.
"Yes, sir!" The technicians finally snapped out of it and began working frantically.
Luo Cheng stared at Xu Wuyi on the screen, his expression complex.
This young man hadn’t just won.
He had also found a way to break the Celestial Wolf Illusion.
It was only an Illusion, and the real Milo was likely even stronger.
But this was more than enough.
"Xu Wuyi..." Luo Cheng murmured the name, a smile touching his lips.
’The Federation might actually win this time.’
...
When Xu Wuyi emerged from the Virtual Cabin, Luo Cheng was already waiting for him.
"How do you feel?" Luo Cheng asked.
"All right." Xu Wuyi flexed his wrist. The virtual battle didn’t cause physical harm, but the mental exhaustion was real.
Luo Cheng nodded and gestured to the lounge area nearby. "Sit. Let’s talk."
The two sat down on a sofa in the lounge, and a staff member brought them two Energy drinks.
Xu Wuyi took one and had a sip. The warm liquid slid down his throat, easing his mental fatigue.
"You’re the first test subject to defeat Milo’s Illusion," Luo Cheng said, getting straight to the point.
Xu Wuyi raised his eyes but didn’t speak.
"There were seven test subjects before you. Two lasted past fifty moves, three were defeated within a hundred, and the other two were defeated before fifty," Luo Cheng said, pulling up a data file.
"But no one, after forcing out the Celestial Wolf Illusion, has ever managed to turn the tables and win."
He looked at Xu Wuyi. "How did you do it?"
Xu Wuyi was silent for a few seconds before saying slowly, "His power is borrowed, not his own. He’s just a very durable target. Find his weakness, and break him."
Luo Cheng stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed. "A simple principle, but not many people can actually pull it off."
Xu Wuyi was right. The Celestial Wolf Illusion didn’t belong to Milo, but it was powerful enough that even if others knew the living target had a clear weakness, it was useless.
Luo Cheng stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the soldiers coming and going on the training grounds.
"Among the Federation’s younger generation, there are fewer than ten people who can touch upon the essence of a Mental Realm at your age." Luo Cheng spoke slowly, his back to Xu Wuyi. "This is the root of forming a Heart Image. Remember this feeling."
Xu Wuyi didn’t reply, simply nodding.