One cannot face oneself. Or perhaps, as time flows by, the complexity of events ultimately leads to a complete loss of self.

Qin Fen had always believed his path was crystal clear, but only upon confronting the seven Generals did he realize his vision was not nearly as sharp as he imagined. Great power too easily leads to disorientation.

Is it the mighty strength one believes in that causes the loss, or the belief in oneself? "So what if I have power?

So what if I don't? In a fair environment, where none possess true Zhenqi, I would still stand at the pinnacle of this era!" The vast, boundless Zhenqi surged through every meridian in his body like the immense cascade of the Three Gorges Dam breaking its gates.

This time, Qin Fen felt the flow of power more distinctly than ever before, yet there was none of the usual elation that came with gaining strength. This trial was not merely a test of martial skills.

Qin Fen had voluntarily forsaken power before, wandering off for ascetic cultivation. However, the power within was always instantly accessible; even if completely forgotten, the strength remained, ready for use at any moment.

The warhorses vanished, the mighty army beside him disappeared, and the colossal city opposite was gone as well. Qin Fen found himself standing in a massive, ancient circular arena, the stands filled with roaring, excited spectators—all blonde and blue-eyed, not a single person of Eastern descent.

The Roman Colosseum! Qin Fen quickly recognized his location and heard the Light Man’s voice, as cold and devoid of emotion as it was initially: "Survive, or die." "Meaningless," Qin Fen muttered, looking at the sluggish lion slowly emerging and then glancing at the worn, crude knife in his hand.

He stepped forward without hesitation. The blade's aura sliced through the air, but the nobles in the stands, those who decided the gladiator's fate, were his true targets, and they were instantly decapitated.

"Perfect score." The Light Man appeared faster than ever before: "Find the real enemy." The surrounding brilliance flickered again, the light dimmed once more, and the endless black void reasserted its dominance over the mental space. This time, the Master’s figure replaced the Light Man.

"We have waited too long for you to reach this point. We finally no longer need to suppress our power to meet you as a mere worm.

We hope you can offer us more surprises in the days to come." The words drifted on in the endless void. The Master launched himself with a dragon-form movement technique, left arm forward, right arm retracted, executing a grand 'Dragon Plunging into the River'—his body transforming into a battle dragon aimed straight at Qin Fen’s jaw.

Qin Fen was long accustomed to the abrupt nature of the masters who taught him, those who would strike without warning. He stepped half a pace forward and countered with the 'Moving Block Punch,' deflecting and striking simultaneously.

The boundless black void erupted with repeated concussions. Joy appeared once more on the Master's face; pitted against Qin Fen at equal strength, he still attacked aggressively, seeking to seize the initiative in every move.

After three exchanges, the Master’s figure suddenly vanished. Sha Pojun instantly materialized, bringing with him the heavy killing intent of his signature move, the 'Crocodile Snapping Head'—his hardened hands lunging toward Qin Fen’s neck.

When true experts clash, there is seldom a prolonged battle; scenarios like the 'Three Days and Three Nights' struggle are rare; life and death often hinge on an instant. After the Master’s three moves, Qin Fen had already lost.

Sha Pojun impatiently took the Master's place to continue the fight. Defeated again and again!

In just seven moves exchanged between the two, Qin Fen suffered two consecutive losses. Though the final, decisive killing blow was never struck, those engaged in the battle inherently knew the outcome, even if it hadn't fully transpired.

The moment Sha Pojun vanished, beneath the endless black void, a colossal fist shadow suddenly blossomed forth. Qin Fen met brute force with calculated aggression.

His left hand unleashed the 'Eighteen Divine Dragons Gathering Wind and Cloud,' while his right executed Caesar's 'Extermination of the Clan'! The battle became impossible to stop from the very beginning.

After the seven masters took turns fighting, Zong Jue Lü did not remain hidden as usual. As the strongest among the eight formidable opponents, his heaven-defying martial arts radiated an unconquerable, fierce aura!

Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight! Qin Fen battled the eight experts tirelessly in the mental space.

In this mental plane, utterly unbound by spatial or temporal limits, the rapid passage of time could not be perceived. One month!

Qin Fen fought the eight masters fiercely for a full month! From being utterly incapable of winning even a single exchange initially, he reached a state of true equilibrium.

He was undergoing an unprecedented, grand metamorphosis. Zong Jue Lü finally halted his assault.

Qin Fen suddenly lost his combat objective and snapped out of the battle completely. The month had progressed from initial total concentration to instinctive fighting, back to full concentration, and finally into a state he couldn't even articulate.

Just this sudden pause made Qin Fen feel as if the entire world had changed. Even though only the endless black void remained, it felt different from before.

Zong Jue Lü’s figure slowly faded before the stunned Qin Fen, and the Master’s silhouette reappeared before him. Silence.

The boundless mental space was unnervingly quiet. Qin Fen reflected on everything he had experienced during these nearly two months within the mental space, concentrating and pondering deeply.

Ten days. Doing nothing at all.

Just contemplating, Qin Fen stood there like a statue, unmoving. The Master watched Qin Fen’s slowly furrowing brow and spoke lightly, "Do you remember the Star Force Infusion?" Qin Fen’s eyes regained a trace of clarity as he replied, "How could I forget?" "Want to know what the Star Force Infusion is?" The Master waved his hand, summoning another projection screen, and spoke to himself, "See this?

These are scenes of experts entering the state of 'Heaven and Man as One.'" "The Star Force Infusion is Heaven and Man as One?" Qin Fen suddenly felt he understood something. "Close, yet different," the Master said quietly.

"Heaven and Man as One, as it is spoken, is the only path for a martial artist to reach the supreme peak." How powerful is Heaven and Man as One? Qin Fen knew clearly that even for a fleeting second, the aura of heaven and earth seemed to be drawn massively into his body.

It was a marvelous journey impossible to describe in words, the only drawback being its extreme brevity—seldom lasting even two seconds. If Heaven and Man as One could be sustained for a minute?

Qin Fen suspected he could challenge a Divine Beast directly. That ethereal existence, dependent entirely on enlightenment and chance, was truly too rare.

Perhaps, if this fierce battle had occurred in reality instead of the mental space for an entire month, Qin Fen felt he might have naturally entered that wondrous state of Heaven and Man as One. It was a pity that here, in the marvelous mental space, Heaven and Man as One could not manifest.

"I conduct research on the Martial Dao," the Master declared, a researcher's pride returning to his face. "Heaven and Man as One, in my view, is the ultimate code of the Martial Dao.

But this code seems truly unsolvable. I have exhausted every method, yet I cannot crack it.

Perhaps if he were still here, working with me, we would have a better chance." Qin Fen did not interrupt. Everyone has their past; an expert like the Master must have had an even more brilliant history.

The person he mentioned must have been a genius of the highest caliber. "Not being able to unlock the ultimate code of the Martial Dao leaves me somewhat unwilling to accept it." The Master clicked his tongue.

"So, I tried my best to replicate it, to create a similar condition to manifest. In your ancient terms, I sought to manufacture a 'knockoff' Heaven and Man as One." A knockoff?

Something functionally equivalent to the genuine article but inherently inferior in quality? A counterfeit Heaven and Man as One?

Qin Fen could only offer the Master his awe, having nothing else to say. "In a sense, I succeeded, and in another sense, I failed," the Master said, waving away the projection.

"I did research and developed a method to counterfeit Heaven and Man as One. However, it has too many drawbacks.

The biggest one is that each person can only enter this counterfeit state through me once in their lifetime." "Once?" Qin Fen laughed. "That’s not so few." "It is actually quite significant," the Master regained a degree of pride.

"In my research, I had hoped to forge a counterfeit that even an infant could enter. But in the end, I only managed to achieve the Star Force Infusion, accessible only after achieving 'Blood Replacement Rebirth to True Innate' state." "You must be asking why I didn't let you enter the Star Force Infusion sooner if achieving Blood Replacement Rebirth to True Innate was the requirement, correct?" The Master’s smile resembled that of a seasoned hunter.

"It’s simple, actually. This is another drawback of the Star Force Infusion: the infusion power is determined by the recipient's Martial Dao foundation.

That is to say, the infusion strength you, with your Ten-Star potential, could absorb now is far less than what you can absorb currently." "Of course, my Star Force Infusion naturally has its advantages!" The Master's pride shone through again. "Compared to Heaven and Man as One, which might last less than a second, the duration of my Star Force Infusion is exceptionally long!" Qin Fen nodded repeatedly as he listened.

The greatest lack among the older generation of experts was accumulated time. If he had another ten years...

"Oh, and there's one more benefit," the Master’s pride intensified further. "This benefit might not seem highly valued by others, but I suspect that due to the side effect generated when I researched it, it will make you very happy." Qin Fen grew more curious.

What could this be that added even more pride to the Master’s expression? "It has a chain reaction effect!" The Master’s face was alight with a mysterious smile.

"That is, if another expert is holding your hand while you are within the Star Force Infusion, they can passively be drawn into the Infusion state with you." "Ah." Qin Fen finally understood why the Master said this suited him so well. Indeed, this side effect was perfectly tailored to his needs!

The metallic sphere, by this point, didn't require absolute secrecy from everyone. At least, among these friends who had faced life and death together multiple times, such stringent secrecy was unnecessary.

At least, when choosing between the ability to help his comrades and maintaining absolute secrecy, the choice shouldn't be total concealment. Since only the Master could perform the Star Force Infusion, and each person could only receive it once, Qin Fen didn't want to selfishly enjoy it alone.

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