Inside the Tower of Babel, Han Feng was blasted away for the 241st time, his back slamming heavily against an invisible spatial barrier. He didn't even see his opponent's movements before a beam of starlight, condensed to its fullest extent, pierced through his chest.
"Cough..." Han Feng collapsed to his knees, virtual blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. "This doesn't make sense..."
Zero's figure appeared beside him, a bag of virtual sunflower seeds in his hand, which he was now happily munching on: "241st attempt, 1.7 seconds, 0.3 seconds faster than last time." He spat out the seed shells. "Want to try again? Maybe I can break the two-second barrier?"
Han Feng glared at him fiercely, but the bruise on his face was aggravated—it was the 98th time he had been slapped by his own clone with the power of stars.
"The difference between the Great Dao Realm and the Innate Realm is like an adult arm wrestling with a baby." Ling squatted down, placing a "vegetable" character made of sunflower seed shells in front of Han Feng. "He can casually access the energy of heaven and earth within a hundred meters, while you're still struggling to regulate your breath from your dantian..."
Han Feng, unconvinced, wiped the "blood" from the corner of his mouth: "I haven't even used the Nine Forms of Starfall from the Jue Li lineage yet!"
"Oh?" Zero raised an eyebrow. "You mean the 173rd time you tried to use 'Star Trail' only to have your clone use the move on you first? Or the 209th time you were blasted to smithereens by the same move with three times the power just as you got into the 'Meteor Fall' stance?"
Han Feng was speechless. This was indeed the most devastating Waterloo in his cultivation career—in the past, no matter how strong the opponent, he could at least exchange a few blows. But now, that "himself" at the Great Dao Realm seemed to be able to foresee everything, delivering a fatal blow every time just as his energy was about to be unleashed.
"Do you know where the problem lies?" Zero slurped up a cup of virtual milk tea. "You're like a caveman wielding the latest lightsaber; no matter how advanced the weapon, it's useless if you can't recharge it."
Han Feng sat cross-legged, regulating his breathing, feeling the stellar power that had been replenished within his body. Zero was right; the most terrifying aspect of the Great Dao Realm was its almost limitless energy endurance—the surrounding starlight, air, and even space itself could be instantly converted into offensive power. And yet, he was still foolishly depleting his own reserves.
"Again." Han Feng stood up, his eyes gleaming. "This time, I'll try to sense the energy around me."
Zero whistled: "Commendable courage, but..." He snapped his fingers, "I suggest you take a look at this first."
Space suddenly distorted, playing a slow-motion replay of Han Feng's 87th death. In the scene, the Great Dao Realm clone simply raised its hand, and all the light spots within a ten-meter radius automatically condensed into a beam of destruction, while Han Feng was still chanting incantations.
"The difference isn't in the techniques, but in the level of understanding." The zero-pause scene is like saying, "You can't expect a bicycle to outrun a maglev train."
Han Feng stared at the frozen image, then a sudden thought struck him: "Wait... if he can manipulate the surrounding energy, then theoretically I can also interfere with that manipulation?"
Zero's milk tea stopped mid-air: "Oh?"
"The seventh move of the Nine Forms of Starfall, 'Star Eclipse'..." Han Feng gestured excitedly, "Jue Li's memories mention that this move can create an energy vacuum!"
Zero's expression turned unusually serious: "Are you sure? 'Star Eclipse' requires at least the Great Dao Realm to unleash; forcing its use will..."
"Would it sever meridians? Cause energy backlash?" Han Feng grinned, revealing bloodied teeth. "Anyway, this is a virtual space; no one will die."
Before Ling could stop him, Han Feng had already initiated the 242nd challenge. In the center of the Tower of Babel, the perfect, almost annoying, Great Dao Realm clone once again materialized.
"This time..." Han Feng adopted a strange starting stance, his ten fingers hooked and interlaced in opposite directions, "I'm going to steal your electricity!"
The clone, expressionless, raised his hand, and familiar starlight began to converge. But this time, Han Feng didn't dodge; instead, he charged towards the beam of light, and at the critical moment, his hands plunged into the torrent of energy—
\"Star eclipse!\"
The imagined excruciating pain did not come. Han Feng's hands, like tree branches piercing the water's surface, stirred strange ripples in the energy flow. Centered on him, all the starlight within a three-meter radius suddenly went out, and the clone's attack mysteriously "interrupted" in mid-air.
"Success?!" Han Feng looked at his hands in surprise.
Unfortunately, his joy lasted only half a second. A hint of mockery flashed in the clone's eyes, and it suddenly changed its gesture. The energy that had been blocked by "Star Eclipse" actually detoured and attacked from behind Han Feng!
242nd attempt, failed. Time taken: 3.2 seconds.
"Hahahaha!" Zero laughed so hard he rolled on the ground. "Trying to steal electricity but getting electrocuted instead! Would you call that your own 'suicide attack'?"
Han Feng lay on the ground, feigning death: "At least I lasted three seconds this time..."
Zero floated over and poked his "corpse": "Do you know why you failed?"
"Insufficient cultivation level; the 'Star Eclipse' range is too small?"
"Wrong!" Zero conjured a pointer and smacked Han Feng on the head. "You forgot that those at the Great Dao Realm can control not only energy, but also—"
"—The rules." Han Feng sat up abruptly. "He changed the fundamental rules of energy flow!"
Zero nodded in satisfaction: "Finally, you've got it." He waved his hand to bring up the control panel, "Should we downgrade to the peak of the Innate Realm? A gradual approach is best..."
"No!" Han Feng's eyes blazed with fighting spirit. "Again! This time I'll use 'Star Orbit' defense simultaneously!"
Zero sighed: "Stubborn mule." But he still started the 243rd challenge.
When the clone reappeared, Han Feng was already in position. His left hand was in a claw shape, ready for "Star Eclipse," while his right hand was drawing circles to construct "Star Trails," making him look like a clumsy Tai Chi beginner.
"How many seconds can this last?" Zero pulled out some popcorn from somewhere. "I bet five cents it won't last more than five seconds."
Han Feng didn't have time to retort. This time, the clone actually changed tactics, no longer using energy attacks, but directly manipulating the rules of space—the ground beneath Han Feng's feet suddenly turned into a swamp, and at the same time, a gravity field descended from above!
"Damn it, this is unfair..." Han Feng's protest was drowned out by the mud.
The 243rd attempt took 4.5 seconds.
When Han Feng "resurrected" again, Zero was laughing so hard he was convulsing: "Congratulations! You've set a new record for the longest-lasting death! And the way you died was quite creative!"
Han Feng spat out the virtual mud in his mouth, then suddenly lunged forward and hugged Zero's leg: "Teach me!"
"What?!" Zero was so startled that he spilled popcorn all over the floor.
"Teach me how to manipulate the surrounding energy!" Han Feng blinked pitifully. "You're the most handsome and amazing!"
She kicked her leg dismissively: "Let go! It's disgusting!" But a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. "...I just can't do anything with you."
The scene shifted; the Tower of Babel vanished, replaced by a vast sea of stars. Zero floated before Han Feng, unusually serious: "Watch closely, I'll only demonstrate once."
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