Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 328 - 307 VS Water Navy Xuanwu 3

Chapter 328: 307 VS Water Navy Xuanwu 3

"——Are you suggesting that I didn’t give it my all?" I asked, puzzled.

"Isn’t it so? At first, I thought you had exerted all your strength from the get-go, but it seems I was mistaken. Given that you can still summon greater power now, it appears you’re holding something back. And furthermore..." Water Navy Xuanwu said, "you must have some special trump cards up your sleeve, right? After venturing into the abnormal world, you must have gone through numerous battles and accumulated quite a few trump cards. You’ve even killed at least two adversaries at the Great Success Rank.

"Chen Long’s ’All-round Enhancement’ or ’Shadow Entanglement’, and Divine Spear’s ’Guaranteed Hit and Penetration’... Why don’t you use those moves? Do you really think you can defeat me with brute force alone?"

His words left me utterly perplexed.

I originally thought he accused me of not going all out because my rapid growth in strength during the battle had led him to believe I was holding back. But to think he assumed I could execute moves from those I’ve killed in the past... Why is that? Where did he get the idea that I could do such things?

Or perhaps, in his view, being a Fire Attribute Liangyi Inheritor, it’s natural for me to be able to do those things?

This is indeed strange. After all, there hasn’t been any definitive confirmation that I am indeed the Liangyi Inheritor he’s been searching for. Not only have I not found any proof myself, but he also seems to be still in a stage of doubt and testing—no, actually I’m starting to believe that I may very well be the Liangyi Inheritor he’s looking for.

During our exchange, Water Navy Xuanwu once again, along with about a dozen of his clones, launched black water cannons at me. I tried desperately to dodge, but one shot was unavoidable, so I had to counter with a Flame Light Cannon to neutralize it. The two attacks collided head-on, and the result was still my Flame Light Cannon being shattered. Fortunately, the trajectory of the black water cannon was also deflected after the hit.

As I watched the black water cannon whizz past me at close range, it became increasingly clear to me—Water Navy Xuanwu’s Water Magic Power completely overpowers my Fire Magic. On second thought, this is very suspicious.

Both our Manas are derived from our own Spirit intentions, filled with our understanding of our respective powers; they’re built upon our subjective strengths. There shouldn’t be a completely objective counteracting relationship embedded within.

Take the power of flame, for example. In different cultures and ideologies, flames hold a variety of meanings. In the ancient Zoroastrianism, fire is the symbol of the supreme god Ahura Mazda, capable of purifying All Things and holding an exalted status. In the doctrine of phlogiston, which is considered the essence of fire, phlogiston is even regarded as the soul of all material substances in the world, with water not being in a position to compare.

In the current era of scientific perspective, flames are seen as the photo-thermal effect of combustion, and there’s no relationship where they are suppressed by water. Fire fears not the water, but the cooling and blocking of oxygen it brings—a similar effect can be achieved by throwing sand or soil onto burning materials.

Not only do understandings of fire vary from person to person, but perceptions of water also differ across regions and eras. Even within the same region and era, every individual’s subjective interpretation of water and fire will have their minor or major discrepancies.

The reason why Water Navy Xuanwu didn’t even spare a glance and judged that his Shen Gui Spirit Pill could not completely heal Mazao’s Spirit burns might also be due to such "contentious parts".

Considering "water overcomes fire" as a stereotype present in public consciousness, it’s not surprising that my flame is somewhat suppressed by his. However, the imposing counteraction at play is sending me a feeling that cannot be interpreted so simplistically. It’s as if there’s an objective system of judgment deciding my fire is meant to lose to his water.

It seems he’s judging based on the classical theory of the Four Symbols and Five Elements that his water can suppress fire, and my flames are also judging based on the same theory that "they should be suppressed." Our powers are clearly under the same conceptual framework, which is why the once "widely debated" counters have become "indubitable".

"You’re not using your real strength, is it because you want to hide the truth that you are the Liangyi Inheritor in front of me?"

Amidst the fierce battle, Water Navy Xuanwu coldly remarked, "If at first I wasn’t entirely sure, now everything is crystal clear. Don’t tell me you don’t understand what it means to be so overpowered. Even now, do you still wish to continue this act?"

"No, I’ll just admit it now, I’m probably the Liangyi Inheritor you’re talking about..." I said, "but I can’t comprehend those things you’ve mentioned. Why do you think I can wield the power of those I’ve killed?"

"Do you still want to feign ignorance? Or do you think that part of the power has nothing to do with the Power Seed within your Spirit? Then let me tell you straight." He said, "Shan Liangyi’s Power Seed’s attribute corresponds to the powers and skills he once had, as well as to the Four Symbols, namely Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu, White Tiger...

"Among them, I possess the Xuanwu Seed, corresponding to ’Water and Alchemy’; clearly, you have the Vermilion Bird Seed, corresponding to ’Fire and Refining’.

"Manipulating fire is just the external manifestation of your power; your real power ought to be in refining the souls of those you killed into artifacts that correspond to their natures after slaying them with fire, just as I can refine my soul into Spirit Pills that correspond to its nature... That is the so-called ’Soul Refining’ power.

"If your enemy excels in wielding a spear that can hit and penetrate any target, then after you refine his soul, you should obtain a spear artifact that will Guaranteed Hit and Penetrate whatever target you aim for when held. And as you progress further in Artifact Refining, you will discover more directions to refine, or choose materials besides souls for Artifact Refining.

"You couldn’t possibly be unaware of your own power, because you have become a genius in artifact crafting. Also, as long as you don’t intentionally give up the magical treasures, the process of refining an enemy’s soul into a magical treasure can proceed automatically...

"So why don’t you bring out your own magical treasures? Are you not afraid that you will get killed by me before you have a chance to use them? Or did you give all the useful magical treasures to the people around you...like that girl named Mazao?"

Ah? Killing people isn’t just about taking their lives but also obtaining magical treasure weapons from the enemies? I possess such enviable power? Why don’t I know about it?

And he said it’s impossible for me not to notice, but I really didn’t notice at all?

I was completely baffled by his words, but soon, I remembered something.

"Slag"... Every time I killed someone, my flames would automatically burn the enemy’s soul into a black coal-like substance and automatically preserve it within my fire... Could that be the magical treasure he was talking about?

But that thing obviously isn’t the same as the magical treasures he mentioned, right? And according to his statement, the result of soul refining should be different each time. It’s not possible that my flames make a mistake in the artifact crafting process every time, turning everything into waste, right? But now, shouldn’t I be a super genius at artifact crafting? Failing once or twice is one thing, but it’s improbable to fail every single time to the point of burning the materials beyond recognition, right?

I also don’t think it’s purely because my fire is too strong. It might be okay for those freaks I killed before, but it shouldn’t be the case for Chen Long and Divine Spear. Granted, my flames might be at the Impermanence level after fully releasing my power, but that’s not the case right now. It’s hardly possible that even the souls of those at the Great Success rank cannot withstand the so-called automatic refining process described by the Water Master Xuanwu.

I’ve already believed that I am the Liangyi Inheritor, but there seem to be some noteworthy contradictions in the details.

"Sorry, but every time I can only refine some blackish stuff, I don’t have the kind of magical treasures you mentioned."

I decided to tell the truth straightforwardly to see how the Water Master Xuanwu would react.

However, he showed an expression of disbelief.

It’s not impossible to understand. Words spoken by an enemy in battle are supposed to be doubted first.

"...After completely exposing your identity, you still insist on pretending, still speaking such nonsensical words... I see, you want to keep hiding your capabilities," he said. "Then continue to hide them until you take your secrets to the grave.

"When a lion hunts a rabbit, it still uses all its strength... The same goes for when you are at a disadvantage in battle. Not even understanding the basics of fighting, yet trying to act clever with these little tricks... you will soon pay the price for your actions."

Though he said that, his actions visibly became more cautious, and the intense battle rhythm also slowed down, as if he was afraid of moving too deeply and then falling into my "trap".

My abilities really are just ordinary flame manipulation, you don’t have to be so cautious—I wanted to say this, but the situation was actually in my favor.

Now I had some more time to catch my breath, and could use him as a whetstone, gradually releasing my power. Thinking of it this way, I indeed had a "scheme." If I could prolong the battle until I release all my power, even if I was at a disadvantage, it would eventually lead to my victory.

But the Water Master Xuanwu was not a fool, he would definitely sense the truth before my power surpassed his and then launch a decisive blow.

Hopes of fully releasing my power, perhaps, could only be pinned on Yinyue.

I had to completely abandon the idea of using the Water Master Xuanwu to unlock all my powers and focus my attention elsewhere. Slowly, I sensed something else on the Water Master Xuanwu.

That was flame.

But it wasn’t my flame, rather a foreign fire that had invaded his soul, far surpassing the level of my current power.