Translator: CinderTL
"Slightly stronger than my clone?"
Jiang Ye's expression immediately turned serious as he read the subtitle.
Clone? What does that mean?
It must be an individual identical to him, perfectly replicating his combat abilities.
A clone slightly stronger than him meant that its overall capabilities would surpass his in every aspect.
"As expected of the final stage. This difficulty is insane," Jiang Ye muttered to himself.
Geniuses often fear no opponent. But what if that opponent was themselves—a stronger version of themselves?
Who could claim absolute certainty of victory?
"And I have to defeat it without taking any damage?" Jiang Ye stared at the subtitle, lost in thought.
He didn't immediately advance. This was the final stage, and he couldn't afford to be careless. He needed to secure victory through caution.
"No damage? Few could achieve that."
"This stage must be about the degree of injury."
"The less damage you take, the higher your chances of passing. Of course, you still have to defeat the clone first."
A series of thoughts flashed through Jiang Ye's mind: "But will this Clone replicate my combat power from earlier?"
He had previously triggered the effect of "Beauty's Inquiry," granting him a 35% increase in attack speed and a 50% chance to deal bonus damage.
Against the Clone, he would undoubtedly lose this ability.
If the Clone also "replicated" this ability, the resulting back-and-forth would instantly create a 50% gap between them!
"Fortunately, I've still got a few trump cards up my sleeve," Jiang Ye thought, secretly relieved.
He remembered Su Tong'er's words: "Save your trump cards for the final stage."
To that end, Jiang Ye had been holding back throughout the earlier stages.
"No matter what," he resolved. "Only by clearing the final stage can I obtain the Cosmic Blessing."
Jiang Ye banished all distractions, his gaze hardening with unwavering determination. "I will win this battle."
Without further hesitation, he lifted his head and strode forward.
Buzz!
Just ten meters ahead, the cloud path beneath Jiang Ye's feet suddenly narrowed sharply.
From its previous width of over ten meters, it shrank to a mere five meters.
The starlight around them dimmed, and the cloud path transformed into a rectangular arena.
On the opposite side of the arena, a figure slowly materialized.
He looked exactly like Jiang Ye, with strikingly handsome features and a face radiating masculine energy. Yet his eyes held no emotion, like those of a cold machine.
Please engage in combat within the designated area. Leaving the designated area will result in disqualification.
A line of text appeared.
"Designated area? Only five meters wide?" Jiang Ye stared at the arena.
How narrow was five meters for a cosmic martial artist?
Two or three steps would cover the distance.
Fighting in such a confined space while minimizing injuries would be incredibly challenging!
Combat begins.
Jiang Ye had no time to adjust.
The moment the text disappeared, the Clone lunged forward from across the arena.
Whoosh!
The Clone transformed into a bolt of lightning, surging toward Jiang Ye with murderous intent.
His fist struck out, unleashing a thunderous roar!
From the very first move, he unleashed his most lethal technique.
Just like Jiang Ye moments before, the copy carried an aura of divine majesty, yet its power seemed even greater.
"Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist?" Jiang Ye's eyes flashed, but he neither dodged nor retreated.
He countered with his own Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist, striking straight forward.
Boom!
Boom! Boom!
The two exchanged blows at lightning speed, unleashing over a dozen punches in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Ye felt an overwhelming force crashing into him, forcing him to retreat repeatedly to dissipate the terrifying impact.
He was about to step off the edge of the arena when suddenly, his feet slammed to a halt.
[Grounded: Active effect. Transforms the legs into bedrock foundations, increasing resilience by 100% and granting immunity to knockback, knock-up, and other negative effects. Duration: 60 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.]
Immunity to knockback!
Jiang Ye's legs rooted to the arena's edge like bedrock, while his fists continued to strike relentlessly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One punch after another!
Suddenly,
"Hmm?"
Jiang Ye felt a sudden surge of inspiration. Within his Guanyuan Acupoint, over a hundred strands of stellar energy erupted forth, converging in his palm.
He threw a punch!
Boom! The punch left a dull, explosive sound in the air, as if tearing through the very atmosphere.
Like a cannonball, it hurtled toward the Clone!
[Tilting at Windmills: When facing an opponent with a higher cultivation realm, there is a chance to increase damage by 100% and inflict continuous bleeding.]
100% increased damage!
Bang!
Jiang Ye's punch suddenly surged with power, doubling its original force!
Completely surpassing his usual limits, the blow sent the Clone flying backward.
Whoosh!
Jiang Ye's figure flashed as he swiftly returned to the center of the arena.
"The Tilting at Windmills effect finally triggered!"
He had initially doubted whether the effect would ever activate.
To his surprise, it only triggered once after dozens of consecutive punches.
The activation rate was disappointingly low!
Still, the power was undeniable.
With a single punch, he had completely erased all the advantages the Clone had accumulated.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Ye had regained control of the situation.
The opponent has indeed replicated the effects of 'Beauty's Inquiry,' Jiang Ye thought rapidly. And the 50% damage boost, which was supposed to be probabilistic, has been transformed into a 50% damage increase with every strike!
To put it bluntly, this clone had no probabilistic elements.
Its base stats had simply copied Jiang Ye's peak combat performance from their earlier exchange.
In that fleeting moment, he had completely grasped the clone's capabilities.
Then... it's time for my counterattack!
A fierce killing intent erupted in Jiang Ye's eyes.
"Kill!"
With a low growl, he moved like lightning, charging toward the clone that had been sent flying backward.
He unleashed a sweeping leg strike.
[Foot Dao is Also Dao: Active effect. Increases foot damage by 50% for 60 seconds. Cooldown: 10 minutes.]
Whoosh—
A silver flash streaked through the air.
Jiang Ye's thigh instantly flooded with hundreds of strands of stellar energy, feeling as heavy as lead as it carved a starlit arc through the air.
Then, he struck fiercely at the Clone.
The Clone raised its arms to block, a dense silver light erupting from its limbs, transforming them into an impenetrable armor of stellar energy.
Boom!
The strike sent the Clone flying backward again, though it remained within the arena.
Jiang Ye's expression remained unchanged as he unleashed another lightning-fast leg whip, each blow carrying the weight of a thousand pounds.
One strike! Another!
On the arena, Jiang Ye completely dominated the battle, forcing the Clone into a relentless retreat.
Yet the Clone, 'Jiang Ye', proved incredibly tenacious. Each time it neared the edge of the arena, it skillfully dismantled Jiang Ye's attacks, dissipating the force and returning to the center.
"A troublesome opponent," Jiang Ye muttered, his brow furrowing slightly. His active effect was nearing its end.
This Clone seemed to have inherited his Martial Dao Will, displaying remarkable resilience in defense.
Of course, it was also possible that the Clone felt no pain.
Any normal person subjected to such a barrage of heavy blows would have long been dazed and disoriented.
"The foot dao effect is ending," Jiang Ye thought grimly. "It seems I won't be able to knock it out of the arena."
"The only way forward is to defeat it head-on!"
Jiang Ye stared at the Clone ahead, a flash of determination in his eyes.
Looks like I have no choice but to use that move.
Whoosh!
Jiang Ye's figure transformed into a bolt of lightning once more, hurtling forward.
Meanwhile, in the hexagonal building's top-floor conference hall, Director Liu observed the authentication progress of Jiang Ye and his companions on the large screen.
"Su Tong'er and Yun Qing'er have both passed the first trial and are now undergoing the second."
"Jiang Ye? He seems to be stuck on the final stage."
Director Liu nodded slightly, unsurprised. "The final stage is notoriously difficult. Unless one possesses innate talent at the dao bone level or higher, along with special abilities, it's extremely challenging to overcome."
"According to Jiang Ye's records, he's only mastered one advanced art technique. Unless something unexpected happens, this stage will likely trap him for a long time."
Just as Director Liu finished speaking, he suddenly paused.
"Hmm?"
His eyes widened in disbelief. "How is this possible? The kid's finished!"
(End of the Chapter)
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𝟏𝟒 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 | 𝟖.𝟓𝐤 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 | 𝟏𝟒.𝟑𝐌 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 [𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦]