Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 593 The Terrifying Highest Difficulty

Li Xia led the three little ones upwards, showing that the Hall of Light attached great importance to this so-called Origin Trial.

Not only did they specially bring in the Tree of Origin, but they even preserved the statues of those who failed the challenge.

This is extremely rare in the Temple of Light.

When they reached the fourth floor, the scene there was even more astonishing.

There are still statues here, but compared to the statues on the lower three levels, the statues here are exceptionally large, and their faces are not visible; you can only distinguish the male and female statues by their bodies.

Not only that, even the inscriptions on the base are quite different.

【(blank)】

[Pass the Primal Trial in (Blank)]

The name and the specific time were shrouded in a special force, making them impossible to discern.

Li Xia counted the statues; there were only eight, but besides these eight statues, there were also many empty bases.

It seems there used to be statues here, but they have crumbled and only these bases remain.

These statues and pedestals are arranged in a circle, with a throne-like seat in the very center.

Looking at that throne, the meaning is self-evident.

"Boss—"

Aowu has always had boundless confidence in Li Xia, who is the first generation to transcend the hall!

But after seeing so many 'human sculptures', I still can't help but feel worried.

"fine."

Li Xia smiled. The path he wanted to take had always been the same. He would not back down. Now that he had arrived at the hall, if he could not climb the highest mountain and see the view from the top, he would not hesitate to do so.

Then just switch to employee status.

So he felt as if he had returned home, and without the slightest hesitation, he sat on the throne.

The surrounding space was cold and silent, as if everything had been stripped away.

An endless darkness enveloped everything, as if all five senses had been stripped away; the absolute silence was terrifying.

Li Xia waited quietly until the words of the Hall of Light, shimmering with silver light, appeared before her eyes.

You are about to undergo the Primal Trial. Please read the following instructions.

1. Once the trial begins, it cannot be interrupted except during the rest periods at each stage.
2. Once the trial begins, you will be unable to use any consumable items or supplies.
3. Once the trial begins, the difficulty will increase sequentially, and the rewards will increase with each increase in difficulty.

4. After the trial begins, each difficulty level will have a certain time limit; running out of time will result in failure.
5. If you die at the highest difficulty level after the trial begins, your consciousness will be shattered, and your body will be hardened and stored in the trial grounds.

[Dear Acting Reserve Officer, due to your Source Rank advancement, you can skip the tiered difficulty levels and directly enter the highest difficulty level.]

[Do you agree? If no selection is made by the time limit, you will be deemed to have agreed by default]

【54】

Li Xia's pupils contracted. This was undoubtedly both an advantage and a trap. The inability to use consumable items and supplies meant that it would be difficult to maintain full health when progressing from the lowest difficulty to the highest.

By choosing to start directly from the highest difficulty level, he can face the trial in his strongest condition.

However, correspondingly, he also lost the right to stop the trial.

Either pass the trial, or you'll become a statue and die here!

"I agree"

[The reserve duty assignment has been chosen to start with the highest difficulty level.]

The trial is about to begin.

【3】

【2】

【1】

Li Xia felt as if the throne beneath him had turned into a giant vortex, pulling him downwards with an immense suction force.

When everything calmed down, the darkness gradually faded away.

This is a circular, spacious platform, with a ray of sunlight shining down from above, perfectly illuminating it.

The surroundings were filled with dense darkness, through which one could vaguely see a huge statue with its head bowed, enclosing the high platform.

Li Xia took a deep breath, feeling the air being compressed into her lungs little by little, and feeling her heart pounding like a drum.

I don't know what I'll face next, or how to fight it.

But he knew that what followed might be the most important moment yet, because this time he could only rely on himself.

“Da da.”

The surrounding darkness had quietly spread over the platform, obscuring half of it.

Clear footsteps approached from afar in the darkness, and Li Xia's gaze was fixed on the figure that slowly became clear in the darkness.

His eyes held surprise, doubt, and a sudden realization.

"I should have thought of that."

He murmured to himself, slowly lowering his body, holding the night in his hands, as if speaking to the person opposite him, or perhaps speaking to himself.

The person opposite, 'Li Xia', also slowly lowered his body, lifting Ye Ji in the exact same posture. His black face was expressionless, just like when Li Xia himself faced a powerful enemy.

Without any exchange, the two figures suddenly vanished from their original positions and then reappeared in the center of the circular platform.

The tips of Night Silence and Night Silence's spears collided perfectly. The instant the tips touched, a piercing metallic sound tore through the air on the platform, and white shockwaves exploded outwards.

Li Xia's face remained calm as he let the bent gun barrel straighten. Then, he slightly lowered his wrist, and the gun barrel spun half a circle. The "Li Xia" opposite him made the exact same move. The two gun shadows, one black and one white, were like twin dragons. The gun barrels collided with a loud crash in mid-air, and the gun blades clashed with each other in mid-air. The violent sharp sound shook the air and made it explode like muffled thunder.

The sparks from the collision scattered like a brilliant firework display around the two of them.

Immediately afterwards, both men stepped forward at the same time, shifting their weight to their knees. The tips of their spears suddenly retracted and then thrust forward again at the same instant. The two spear tips met precisely once more, and the air at the spear tips was compressed into a visible white cloud of gas, which then exploded, bringing out two blinding flashes of cold light.

Li Xia twisted his waist sharply, his body spinning out of a blur, and the gun barrel swept horizontally towards the opponent's waist and abdomen. "Li Xia" also spun around in sync, and the gun barrel swept horizontally at the exact same angle and with the same force.

The two spear shafts clashed again, the impact causing Li Xia's arm to go numb simultaneously. In that instant, he withdrew his spear, leaping into the air with his toes barely touching the ground. The spear tip traced a sharp arc downwards, aiming to strike his opponent's head. Before the spear tip even reached him, the two spear forces collided in mid-air. The solid surface of the platform remained completely still; only the visible shockwaves from the impact of the powerful air currents on the platform were noticeable.

The two landed with perfectly synchronized steps, each using the shaft of their guns to support their bodies, then simultaneously flipped over to dissipate the force, with the tips of their guns pointing diagonally at the ground.

After a very brief pause, Li Xia stood up again. With a flick of his wrist, the tip of his spear drew a circular arc, but the opposite 'Li Xia' did the same. Their arcs completely overlapped, and their spear tips clashed again at the apex of the arc.

This time, the two exerted force simultaneously, bending the gun barrel to its limit, and even the silent gun body faintly emitted a creaking sound.

Li Xia's gaze sharpened, and he slightly loosened his grip on the gun. The terrifying force of the gun barrel's rebound sent both of them flying backward. When they landed, their feet were slightly apart, the gun barrels held horizontally in front of their chests, the tips still facing each other.

"call----"

Li Xia took a deep breath, and the Night Silence in his hand turned into blue electricity with a sharp hissing sound, which he threw at his opponent, who did the same.

The instant the two bolts of lightning met

"Whoosh!"

Two figures simultaneously traversed space, and the instant they appeared, a series of dense sounds of fists and feet colliding rang out in succession. Li Xia and his opponent moved at their limits, so fast that they couldn't even see each other clearly. Only the two people in the midst of the fierce battle knew that each of the other's punches and kicks was so clear in their vision.

"Oh!"

Fists collided precisely at the center line, the crisp sound of knuckles hitting each other mixed with a muffled thunderous boom. Li Xia twisted his wrist to try and grab his opponent's pulse point, while the "Li Xia" opposite him also twisted his wrist in sync, his knuckles pressing tightly against each other. Both of them exerted force at the same time, their arm muscles bulging like iron, and they were locked in a stalemate in mid-air. Li Xia's left fist had already been twisted out from his waist and was hanging down toward his opponent's waist. The two identical fists met again unexpectedly, and a white wave of air exploded from between their fists, blowing their clothes fluttering.

Immediately afterwards, the two men simultaneously withdrew their fists, bent into a lunge position, and lowered their waists. Their left fists slammed into each other's chests like cannonballs. Before the fists even arrived, the air was already compressed into a visible white wall of air.

With a muffled thud, their fists collided precisely, both of them jolted, and in the same instant, they bent their knees, their knees striking each other's abdomens like steel hammers. The crisp sound of their kneecaps colliding made the surrounding air tremble.

Li Xia twisted his waist sharply, side-spinning and kicking, his right foot sweeping towards the opponent's neck with a sharp whistling sound. The "Li Xia" opposite him also spun around in sync, his right foot sweeping at the exact same angle and speed. The moment their feet collided, both of them used the momentum to flip backward, completing three rotations in the air. When they landed, their toes touched the ground, and their bodies sprang up like cheetahs, their fists raining down on each other's faces.

The sounds of fists and feet clashing were continuous, like a downpour hitting a sheet of metal. The two figures overlapped in the center of the round platform, forming a blurry black shadow, so fast that even the afterimage could not be distinguished.

If Li Xia throws a left hook, his opponent will definitely throw a left hook in return.

Li Xia raises his right elbow to strike the opponent's ribs, and the opponent will inevitably raise their elbow in unison.
If Li Xia uses his knee to strike the opponent's thigh, the opponent will inevitably respond with their own knee.

Every collision was precise to the millimeter. The two forces clashed against each other, and even the sturdy circular platform trembled. The battle between the two was as intense as a storm. If it were a regular fourth-tier apostle, a single blow would probably cause him to cough up blood.

Suddenly, the two men simultaneously pulled back their fists, crossed their hands to protect their chests, and kicked each other in the abdomen. The moment their feet collided, two powerful forces erupted, and the shockwave spread outwards from the two men, tearing the air around the platform into distorted ripples.

Both were thrown backward by the shock, but adjusted their bodies in mid-air, using their hands to support themselves and completing a spinning flip. When they landed, their feet were slightly apart, their fists were clenched, their eyes were fixed on each other, their chests heaving violently, yet they maintained the exact same posture.

Exactly the same.
Li Xia's eyes held an unprecedented solemnity.

After the series of tests, it became clear that the other party was exactly the same as him in terms of strength, movements, and even thought process.

This is no longer an ordinary trial, but a true mirror match!
Li Xia slowly adjusted his position, as did the person opposite him. Countless sparks of thought flickered in his mind, generating countless ideas each time they intersected and were then rejected.

First, we need to determine whether the other party is completely copying our actions, or whether they are simply copying us but are only synchronizing because of a shared thought process.

If it's just the first simple copy action, breaking the mirror image of the other side isn't difficult!
But if it's a perfect copy of oneself
Li Xia's eyebrows gradually furrowed, which meant things were in trouble!
Regardless of the situation, the first priority is to break this synchronicity. If we continue to be synchronized, it will only be a war of attrition.

Li Xia's gaze shifted slightly; above the circular platform, the countdown was slowly ticking away.

The battle lasts for one hour. If you cannot win, even if you survive, it is considered a failure.

Want to break the synchronization
The best way is to create differentiation, such as deliberately taking a punch from the opponent, but the cost of doing so is not small at all.

If the opponent is a perfect copy of oneself, with skills at one's level, a single mistake could easily lead to being suppressed to death. The opponent won't give you a chance, just as if you wouldn't give the opponent a chance if you seized the initiative.

Therefore, there are only two ways to create differentiation and avoid putting yourself in a passive position.

1. Utilize 'third-party variables'

Li Xia looked around and found nothing there. He couldn't even use the only available space, the round platform. The platform was made of some unknown material and was incredibly sturdy. Even Li Xia's confrontation with the opponent hadn't shaken it in the slightest.

Clearly, this trial has taken this into account and excluded 'third-party variables'.

That leaves only one method!

Li Xia's gaze drifted past 'Li Xia', and then...
"Whoosh!"

The two figures disappeared again, colliding violently together.

"Boom—Crack! C ...!"

In just a few seconds, the two sides exchanged blows countless times, the so dense sounds even overlapping, echoing across the empty platform.

The moment their right fists collided, both men froze for a split second, but Li Xia's left hand touched the cold barrel of the gun at his waist.

The shadow opposite Li Xia finally changed its expression, and its left hand, like an eagle's claw, grabbed at Li Xia's left hand.

The actions that had been synchronized finally began to change.

Li Xia's eyes lit up instantly.

Chance! !
The left hand, which was reaching for the gun, suddenly flipped over, forming a claw, and with perfect timing, grabbed Shadow Li Xia's wrist.

He roared, his body taut like a bowstring, instantly unleashing terrifying power. With a downward pull of his left hand, it was as if a giant python was shaking its scales, dispersing the force of Li Xia's body.

His right fist silently extended, fingers pointing like a knife, and slashed towards the neck of the person opposite him.

The outcome is decided!

Just as they were about to meet, Li Xia's pupils contracted. In that split second, his palm transformed into a claw, reaching for the cheek of the shadowy figure opposite him, 'Li Xia'.

"laugh!"

Five bloody marks appeared on Li Xia's face, while Li Xia himself quickly retreated.

He remained silent, watching the increasingly obvious mockery on the other person's face.

He knew why so many powerful apostles died at the highest difficulty of the Primal Trials.

Li Xia touched his cheek, where there were five deep scratches.

Damage mapping, coefficient 1.1
That is, the opponent takes 10 points of damage, and you take 11 points.

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1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

Does anyone know how to win?

I thought about it for a long time before I came up with a way to win.
No reward for guessing correctly!
(End of this chapter)