"So, you just said you'd tell me how to improve my strength, can you tell me now?" Han Feng asked excitedly.
“Okay,” Zero replied.
As he spoke, Ling waved his hand, causing a ripple in the space, and then a small room appeared before Han Feng's eyes.
"Go in," Zero said to Han Feng.
What's inside?
"You'll see when you go in." Ling waved his hand, and Han Feng instantly appeared at the door of the room.
Han Feng pushed open the door and entered, only to find himself in complete emptiness. There were no walls or ceilings, only an endless starry sky flowing beneath his feet. He tentatively took a step, and a ripple of starlight spread out from beneath his feet.
"Is this how to improve strength?" Han Feng looked around.
"This is the Tower of Babel. There will be an opponent on each floor, and your job is to defeat him."
"Defeat him?"
Zero's voice came from all directions: "To be precise, defeat yourself in your 'perfect state'."
The words had barely left his lips when the space three meters away suddenly distorted. Starlight converged like flowing water, gradually outlining a human figure—a slender frame, neat short hair, and a familiar combat uniform. When that face, identical to Han Feng's, opened its eyes, Han Feng's breath caught in his throat.
The energy entity Han Feng's eyes were devoid of emotion, displaying only absolute calm. It raised its hand and unleashed a starburst, its movement so swift it barely had any warning.
\"boom!\"
The starlight barrier that Han Feng had hastily conjured was shattered, and the shockwave sent him flying two meters. Before he even landed, the energy entity had already rushed in front of him, its longsword, formed from starlight, aimed straight for his heart.
\"laugh--\"
A sharp pain exploded in his chest. Han Feng looked down at the starlight blade that had pierced through his body, his eyes wide with disbelief. The energy entity expressionlessly withdrew the sword, and Han Feng's consciousness immediately plunged into darkness.
"Ugh!"
Han Feng sat up abruptly and found himself back on the star platform of the cultivation space. He subconsciously touched his chest—there was no wound, but the phantom pain was still throbbing in his nerve endings.
"Two moves." Zero's figure floated to the side. "You only withstood two moves."
Han Feng's fingertips were still trembling slightly: "That thing... is it really a version two levels lower than mine?"
"Absolutely true." Zero's voice was perfectly natural, as if he had known all along that Han Feng would end up this way. "His energy intensity is only 60% of yours, but every bit of power was used at the most opportune moment."
The battle began to replay in the void. Han Feng stared intently at every movement of the energy body—the starburst was not released randomly, but rather predicted the direction of his center of gravity shift; the subsequent thrust precisely seized the moment when he lost his balance.
"Its fighting spirit..." Han Feng's throat went dry, "...like it's been calculated a million times."
"No, it's tens of millions of real battles," Zero corrected. "The Tower of Babel simulates the theoretically 'perfect' combat state. Want to become stronger? Want to improve your realm? First, learn to defeat your 'perfect' self."
Han Feng clenched his fist, recalling every detail before he was pierced. The energy entity's attack was fluid and seamless, without a single superfluous movement. In comparison, his own defense was like that of a clumsy child.
"Again." Han Feng stood up, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
Zero's light flickered: "Shouldn't we first analyze the reasons for the defeat?"
"The connection between the moves." Han Feng pointed to the projection, "After blocking the Starburst, I instinctively retreated, which instead exposed my vitals to its sword. If I had rolled to the side then..."
"Good analysis," Zero interrupted him, "but you'll still lose."
Han Feng frowned: "Why?"
"Because you're only thinking about 'coping'." Zero's figure suddenly approached. "True battle isn't about parrying moves, but about controlling the rhythm—like in chess, a master always thinks three moves ahead of their opponent."
These words were like a wake-up call. Han Feng recalled his battles with Kurosaki and the Knight, realizing that he had always been on the defensive and rarely took the initiative to set up a trap.
"I understand." Han Feng took a deep breath. "Let me try one more time."
Zero didn't speak, but simply pointed towards the door of the Tower of Babel. Han Feng strode over, pausing before pushing open the door: "Zero, why is this tower called 'The Tower of Babel'?"
"Because..." Zero's voice suddenly became distant, "It is said that those who clear all levels can touch the true essence of the rules."
Han Feng grinned: "We'll have to get past the first level first."
The door opened. The same void space, the same energy condensing in the starlight. But this time, Han Feng didn't wait for his opponent to make the first move—he preemptively threw out three starlight darts while simultaneously dashing to the left front.
The energy body easily dodged, unaware that this was Han Feng's trap. He had anticipated the direction of the dodge, and the Starburst Technique he had prepared beforehand exploded at the point where the energy body landed.
\"boom!\"
The energy entity was blasted and staggered. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Han Feng pounced, his starlight sword aimed straight for its throat. Just as he was about to succeed, the energy entity twisted its body at an impossible angle, the sword grazing its neck. At the same time, its knee slammed into Han Feng's abdomen.
"Ugh—" Han Feng bent over in pain, and the next second he was hit on the back of the neck by an elbow strike, and everything went black.
When he returned to the star platform, Han Feng did not get up immediately. He lay flat, reviewing every detail in his mind.
"That's progress," Zero commented. "This time you lasted twenty-one seconds."
Han Feng said with a frustrated expression, "Its adaptability... is simply terrifying."
Zero continued, "Just reaction speed?"
Han Feng stroked his chin: "It seems like every attack he makes is calculated to put me in a certain position, or he can immediately predict where I'll appear after I attack him..."
As Zero continued speaking, his smile deepened, and Han Feng felt a chill run down his spine. He looked at Zero in disbelief: "His control over energy is too precise."
“That’s right.” Zero smiled with satisfaction. “That’s also a characteristic of the Tower of Babel. The so-called perfect self is someone who has achieved perfection in both the analysis of the situation and the control of energy. It’s not easy to defeat such an opponent.”
Upon hearing this, Han Feng's eyes flashed with fierce fighting spirit: "Is that so? Then I refuse to believe it. If energy bodies can do it, then I can too!" With that, Han Feng entered the Tower of Babel once again.
As time ticked by, Han Feng lost count of how many times he had been blasted away by the energy body.
Fortunately, he went from only being able to withstand two moves from the energy form Han Feng at the beginning to being able to hold out against the energy form Han Feng for half an hour without being defeated. In the end, the energy form Han Feng seized the opportunity and pierced through Han Feng with a sword.
At this moment, Han Feng was slumped on the ground, panting heavily. Zero said to him, "Alright, that's enough for today. You've been in the Tower of Babel for a week now."
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