Qian Jin met Enrack’s challenging gaze, a faint smile slowly curving the corner of his lips. “So, the trials are not solely confined to the battlefield; choice is a battle in itself. Your words are as sharp as a blade’s edge, constantly striking out, attempting to cleave through my composure.”

Enrack’s eyes widened repeatedly, his hands clapping nonstop. “You are truly formidable; you even saw through the hidden attacks. It seems my words failed to disturb your firm will. Does this mean you will adhere to your initial choice for the reward? Choosing to challenge a stronger opponent?”

“Can you stop trying to lead me astray? Even now, you attack me with words.” Qian Jin sighed, his voice laced with sufficient self-mockery. “I am such an idiot; I chose incorrectly the first time. You never specified if this choice was multiple-choice or single-choice, and I foolishly kept treating it as single-choice. Now, I choose both options.” “Good!”

Enrack shot to his feet, his voice reverberating across the entire training ground. Qian Jin frowned deeply, reaching up to rub his ear, trying to dislodge the blade-like sound from his auditory canal.

Qian Jin let out a long breath. Only now did he feel he had truly passed the first hurdle of entering this Dou Qi chamber. If he had unthinkingly chosen the first option right away, he couldn't guess what the outcome might have been.

“You may now choose the number of opponents,” Enrack declared, waving a hand. Five Demon-Slaying Ninth-Battle warriors stood up from the assembled crowd.

The five warriors roared in unison, their Demon-Slaying Ninth-Battle Dou Qi instantly erupting! Their combined burst of energy, mingled with battle intent, formed an invisible net of pressure.

“All of them are Ninth-Battle warriors?” Qian Jin inhaled deeply, a thread of excited battle lust continually climbing in his eyes. Since becoming a Demon-Slaying Ninth-Battle warrior, he rarely had the chance to truly engage opponents of the same caliber. The only true life-or-death duel had been against the Iron-Arm Mantis bloodline warrior beyond the borders recently.

“How many do you plan to fight?” Enrack glanced dismissively at his subordinates, the five warriors. “These are the five strongest First-Tier Ninth-Battle warriors I have. You had better consider carefully.” “Then I’ll fight them all.”

Qian Jin gazed eagerly at the five Demon-Slaying Ninth-Battle warriors. Since leaving the Four Seasons Valley, he had hardly found any true opponents to gauge his own strength. The heavily injured Nila might suffice, but that required a swift conclusion. “All of them?” Enrack asked again. “Are you certain?” “I can injure them, right?” Qian Jin controlled the Dou Qi churning within him, cycling the enhancements one by one. “If so, I’ll fight them all.” “Fighting five opponents at the same level?” Enrack’s eyes showed greater astonishment. “All of you, attack at once, and let Gan Chang see just how fierce this challenger is.” Roar!

The five warriors shouted together, their voices overlapping and echoing throughout the training ground, boosting the battle intent by several more points. The five simultaneously slammed their right feet down, as if they were seasoned soldiers who had trained together countless times. They charged directly forward from five different directions, kicking up flying splinters of wood! Hiss!

The instant the battle began, a fist rapidly magnified in Qian Jin’s pupils. The Dou Qi-infused fist seemed to stretch the fascia beneath his skin, and his rear leg kicked out like an arrow during the punch, stirring up countless fragments of shattered wood! Wherever the golden light of his eyes fell, there were incoming kicks, sweeping strikes, and hands brought together like giant blades chopping down!

All five Demon-Slaying Ninth-Battle warriors attacked simultaneously! Their might was even fiercer than Nila’s had been that day! Qian Jin’s eyelids twitched. Facing five Ninth-Battle warriors of the same level exerted a surprisingly immense pressure! Fully grasping the attack trajectories of all opponents simultaneously was genuinely taxing.

Come on! Let me see what level I am truly at! Qian Jin sucked in a deep breath, as if trying to draw the incoming fist-force into his lungs. One hundred and eight Dou Qiaos had fifty gradually completing their Dou Qi burst. The remaining fifty-eight Qiaos, unable to wait for further sequential enhancement, erupted instantly in full Demon-Slaying Ninth-Battle power.

The enlarged fist in his pupils suddenly had its five fingers spread wide, swelling to more than double their size, turning into huge claws. They hammered down like an iron disc aimed squarely at Qian Jin’s crown.

A Dou Technique! Raging Bear’s Mighty Claw! Legend says the ferocious magic skill used by the Raging Bear beast when enraged can expand its claws twofold; even if you wore iron armor, this single strike would flatten you and break your bones.

Faced with the Raging Bear’s Mighty Claw aimed at his head, Qian Jin didn’t resort to a Dou Technique. He met the charge with his arms raised, protected by the Wind-Cloud Golden Body. The two fierce Dou Qi forces collided, emitting a muffled thud of muscle impact and the crunch of splintering floorboards beneath their feet. Qian Jin’s palm felt slightly searing, and his five fingers splayed open to grasp the opponent’s hand. “Not good!”

The warrior cried out in alarm. His swollen palm retracted rapidly; the Dou Technique had been broken! His footing felt slightly unstable. Seeing the grasping hand, he immediately recalled the shoulder throw from not long ago! This opponent wasn't just fierce in Dou Qi; his monstrous strength was enough to toss a four-hundred-pound fatty around like a toy. Raging Bear covers heaven and earth, body crashes into Golden Armored General!

The expected follow-up Raging Bear impact after the Mighty Claw strike could not be executed at this moment; the entire rhythm of the offense was thrown into disarray.

Before the warrior could fully regain his balance, an immense pressure descended through the air. Qian Jin closed the distance rapidly. The warrior’s eyes widened in surprise once more—Raging Lotus Dou Technique! It was the Raging Lotus Footwork used by that little girl when she first fought Qian Jin!

When the little girl used it, it was ethereal and graceful; under Qian Jin’s feet, it was as swift as lightning, truly like a lotus flower suddenly blooming in full fury!

A palm, opening like a raging lotus seal, pressed solidly against his lower abdomen.

This isn't the Raging Lotus Dou Technique! He only imitated the form; the Dou Qi projection was still ordinary force application! The thought flashed through the warrior’s mind just as the heavy impact on his abdomen sent him flying high. The overwhelming force caused his warrior uniform to snap outward on his back, and he spat out an uncontrollable mouthful of blood.

The remaining four warriors converged with fists and feet. Qian Jin subtly tucked in his body and braced his back, his eyes locked onto the incoming blows. Bang-bang-bang-bang—!

Fists and feet rained down like a storm. Qian Jin unleashed the Wind-Cloud Selfless Body Dou Qi explosion sequentially. The Dou Qi power of the incoming strikes shattered the Golden Body only to find the newly repaired Golden Body blocking it again before it could penetrate.

Recharging Qi? During those two years in the Strange Lake, even a slightly slower Qi recharge could have resulted in him being burned or frozen to death! If the power of the strikes wasn't fast enough, even if the Wind-Cloud Golden Body was broken, Qian Jin still wouldn't be injured!

Pain! Qian Jin took a hit to the abdomen from a Demon-Slaying Ninth-Battle’s Earth-Shattering Slash. The pain was no less intense than Nila’s debilitating punch when he was heavily injured. A Dou Technique! This was the power of a high-level Dou Technique! The Demon-Slaying Ninth-Battle warriors could even unleash the killing potential of a Demon-Subduing First-Battle warrior.

If this power is present in their hands, what if it were in mine? A cold glint flashed in Qian Jin’s narrowed eyes. He charged heavily into the opponent who used the Earth-Shattering Slash, seizing a flying kick in mid-air with his arm, hoisting the man up, and slamming him into another opponent. Bang! Bang!

The melee erupted and concluded in an instant. Qian Jin stood in place, rubbing the pain in his abdomen. The lethality of the Earth-Shattering Slash was stronger than he had imagined. Although it didn't damage his physical body, being struck was incredibly painful. Furthermore, that single strike from another opponent carried scorching heat! A Dou Technique composed of Dou Qi had actually generated a flame-like burning heat!

Qian Jin frowned, secretly marveling. If he hadn't become accustomed to temperatures higher than this in the Tides two years ago, that sudden strike—even if it had been just palm-to-palm contact—could have allowed the heat to invade his Dou Vessels, instantly weakening his Dou Qi. This must be a rare Attribute Dou Technique! He never expected to find this here as well.

The training ground returned to its initial silence. The surrounding warriors all stood with their mouths agape, their eyes staring blankly at the scene.

They were all warriors of the same rank! Winning a one-on-one fight, even with a formidable ability, was impressive. Winning a one-on-two after a bitter struggle suggested exceptional strength. One-on-three? One-on-four? This fellow just finished a one-on-five, and his expression showed nothing but a slight indication of pain, no sign of strain at all. Was this truly a fight between warriors of the same rank? Or a battle between warriors of two completely different realms?

Qian Jin retracted and extended his fists and fingers, feeling the circulation of the Dou Qi within his body, silently calculating the defensive capability of the Wind-Cloud Golden Body. It now seemed impossible for an ordinary Demon-Slaying Ninth-Battle warrior to completely breach the defense of the Wind-Cloud Golden Body, unless their Dou Qi rotation speed surpassed that of a normal Ninth-Battle warrior, as the Tenth Regiment Commander did, supplemented by specialized Dou Techniques—only then could the Wind-Cloud Selfless Body truly be broken.

Alternatively, it would require four or more Demon-Slaying Ninth-Battle warriors to strike him simultaneously with their battle techniques to completely shatter the defense of the Wind-Cloud Golden Body. “Two years in the Strange Lake were not wasted.”

A smile played on Qian Jin’s face, and the pain quickly vanished, completely eradicated by the efficient recovery power of the Wind-Cloud Golden Body.

“A very fine protective Dou Technique,” Enrack nodded slightly, his approving gaze frequently leaking out. “Just now, if this had been a life-or-death battle, even without using your protective Dou Technique, you could have won based on the premise of killing the enemy.”

Qian Jin nodded toward the curious gazes of the surrounding warriors. Although he lacked many offensive Dou Techniques for his fists and feet, he held the Zhanma Saber, which meant he possessed the basic techniques learned at the academy, the life-or-death combat methods honed during his two years of brutal training in the Four Seasons Valley, as well as [Myriad Shadow], [Flying Dagger], [Ascending Apex Eighteen Hammers], and the Qian family’s [Kun Dou Technique].

A life-or-death battle was entirely different from a staged duel; it meant unleashing oneself fully, without concern for any consequences.

“Very good, you have now completed half of your choices,” Enrack looked at Qian Jin. “The reward is the Dou Techniques of those you just defeated, such as the Earth-Shattering Slash you desired, and the Raging Bear’s Mighty Claw, which you also seemed very interested in.”

“Thank you.” Qian Jin bowed slightly, not bothering to conceal the joy in his heart. He had learned so much in the Four Seasons Valley over two years, yet he had pitifully few Dou Techniques. Apart from the Wind-Cloud Golden Body, he had learned almost no effective Dou Techniques. According to the old master, “As long as you can kill someone, why learn techniques?”

Qian Jin had always suspected that was the old man’s excuse for lacking Dou Techniques compatible with Wind-Cloud Dou Qi. Why else would he specifically instruct Qian Jin to supplement his learning at the War Academy before leaving the Four Seasons Valley?

The sharp edge of the Earth-Shattering Slash was no less potent than the bloodline technique of the Iron-Arm Mantis bloodline warrior. If he could learn it and merge it, the sharpness of his strikes would surely increase! If the Raging Bear’s Mighty Claw could merge with the Wind-Cloud Golden Body’s palm strikes, the power...

A trace of self-mockery surfaced on Qian Jin’s smile. What was he thinking? Every single Dou Technique was meticulously summarized and forged through countless generations of warriors. Even attempting a minor modification was incredibly difficult, let alone merging two Dou Techniques? If two techniques were that easy to integrate, the War Academy would have been merging techniques daily; how could they only manage to release an improved technique once a year? On the ruined wooden floor of the training area, a pair of bare feet appeared again. Qian Jin looked up, slightly stunned by his opponent before him. “Isn’t that a mirror?” Qian Jin blinked hard, exclaiming in astonishment that someone in this world could be exactly identical to him. “What is your name?”

“Qian Jin.”

“What?” Qian Jin stared blankly at the person before him. The man was also called Qian Jin? If he was Qian Jin, who was he? “He is also called Qian Jin, or you can call him Qian Jin the Second.”

Enrack raised a hand lightly to introduce Qian Jin’s opponent. “In this world, who is the hardest person to defeat? Facing an opponent stronger than yourself, perhaps you have the confidence to fight? But facing yourself, your exact double—can you win?”

“He is me?” Qian Jin circled Qian Jin the Second, nodding repeatedly. This Endless World was full of strange things. Uncle Black, Oulala, Adams—weren’t they all peculiar in their own ways? Having someone identical to him was hardly surprising.

“Defeat him, and you can ask me questions,” Enrack signaled downwards with his arm. “Begin.”

The two Qian Jins rushed toward each other with identical movements. Qian Jin’s fist slammed heavily into his opponent’s body, and simultaneously, his own chest was struck by a punch.

Bang! Dou Qi collided with pectoral muscle. Qian Jin felt the Wind-Cloud Golden Body shatter for the first time. A burning pain shot through his chest. He inwardly rejoiced that the moment he initiated the move, he had already focused all his concentration on controlling the sequential acceleration of the Dou Qi inside him, achieving perfect synchronization with Qian Jin the Second. If he had been slightly distracted, he would truly have lagged behind the opponent. This opponent was exactly like him.

The Wind-Cloud Golden Body instantly recharged. The two men pushed off the wooden floor with their toes, their bodies taut like arrows nocked on a full moon bow, swaying slightly before crashing into each other again.

Seize the initiative! Wind-Cloud Dou Qi was channeled into both arms, forming a unique cycle. Threads of Dou Qi followed the swing of their arms, sounding like blades slicing paper with a sizzling hiss. [Gold-Splitting Continuous Slash]!

Qian Jin the Second’s arms emitted the same slicing sound; even the movements were identical. Arms and legs launched a rapid series of collisions.

The impact, sounding like wood striking iron, echoed incessantly in the hall at high speed. Both used the Gold-Splitting Continuous Slash with arms and lower legs simultaneously. Each impact inevitably shattered more floorboards, the dense sound resembling more than a dozen people hacking at each other with weapons. [Gold-Splitting Continuous Slash] vs. [Gold-Splitting Continuous Slash]!

Qian Jin finally believed completely that his opponent was himself! This Gold-Splitting Continuous Slash was never just about the arms; it could also allow the legs to execute cutting attacks like sabers. The Tenth Regiment Commander couldn't manage this dual function; very few people in the world knew this secret. This Qian Jin the Second wielded it with complete ease.

The warriors gathered around the perimeter watched, transfixed. Their combat styles were identical; the dense, rapid attacks allowed no room for thought. This was purely a contest of combat instinct.

Qian Jin had never felt so exhausted, nor so awkward. Every exchange mirrored the opponent’s attack and defense exactly. He couldn't gain any advantage in the speed of their Dou Qi rotation; most critically, he had to maintain absolute concentration! Any lapse in focus would result in a decisive defeat with no chance for recovery.

Clash, trade damage! Sustained Dou Qi explosion without needing a breath! The spectators clenched their fists. Were these two fighters truly Demon-Slaying Ninth-Battle warriors? Ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes... Wood shavings flew across the field, torn cloth drifted in the air, and bright red blood spurted out.

Qian Jin had various abrasions on his nostrils, the corners of his mouth, his chest, and his arms. Sweat and blood mixed, continuously dripping onto the floor. His chest rose and fell violently. Looking at Qian Jin the Second, equally wounded, gave Qian Jin a terrible headache.

Awkward, grueling! Qian Jin would rather fight Nila than fight an exact copy of himself. This was too unsettling! The opponent was as precise as a geared machine! His own spirit was constantly under maximum strain, feeling as if his skull might split open, yet this fellow seemed immune to mental fatigue!

“This isn’t fighting myself,” Qian Jin spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. “This is likely fighting a version of myself that doesn't experience mental exhaustion. How is it possible to maintain such high mental focus for so long?”

Enrack nodded slightly. “You actually figured that out. Yes! He does not suffer mental fatigue, so actually, you were at a disadvantage from the very beginning.” “I don’t believe this kid is truly me!” Qian Jin readjusted the one hundred and eight Dou Qiaos inside him, accelerating their sequential boost!

Growth! The speed of the Qiaos’ sequential acceleration had been reduced by at least half compared to before! Completing the cycle for all one hundred and eight Qiaos usually took a full two minutes while sitting cross-legged; now it only took one minute! In a battle where defeat was not an option, under intense mental stress, the time required for the accelerating Dou Qiao rotation had halved!

A surge of exhilaration rose in Qian Jin’s heart. Even if he ultimately lost, what of it? Entering the Dou Qi chamber this time had yielded immense gains! Even if he didn't learn the Dou Techniques, at least he could mimic the movement style of the Raging Lotus Dou Technique to a convincing degree.

Qian Jin the Second simultaneously completed his Qiao burst. His waist rotated as his feet planted on the ground, his arms tucked near his waist like two venomous snakes hiding in a hole, ready to launch a fatal strike.