Facing His Own Weaknesses
After seeing Tang Chen off, Tang San did not rush to absorb the God-Given Soul Ring.
Having successively absorbed the Soul Rings of the Sky Azure Bull Python, Titan Giant Ape, Qianjun Ant Emperor, and Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King, his Clear Sky Hammer now possesses six Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings, and his Soul Power has reached the peak of level 97.
The massive influx of energy in a short period of time requires time to digest and stabilize; he felt he needed more time to settle down.
After explaining how to strengthen the defenses against the Spirit Hall Empire, Tang San and Ye Lingling went into seclusion.
The two sat facing each other in the center of the secret chamber, their hands clasped together, and simultaneously touched the Divine Imprint between their brows.
When Tang San opened his eyes again, he found himself no longer in that secret room.
He stood on a wide white platform.
The platform is huge, spanning hundreds of meters in diameter, as if it were carved out of thin air.
Beyond the platform's boundaries lies an endless, pure black void, devoid of light, only boundless darkness.
Ten steps away from Tang San stood a person.
The person was wearing the exact same robes as him, and his figure, face, and expression were exactly the same.
Mirror Tang San.
It possesses all of his current emotions, abilities, combat skills, Soul Rings, and Soul Bones.
Ye Lingling stood to the side between the two, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Tang San and Yingxiang.
Her brows furrowed slightly; she couldn't tell which one was the real Tang San.
When the two Tang Sans stood together, their synchronization was at its peak.
She retreated to the edge of the platform, stopping at a spot near the boundary, and did not act rashly.
Battle breaks out.
The tips of the two Blue Silver Overlord Spears collided precisely in the center of the platform, producing a crisp metallic clang.
The two Tang Sans were identical in their movements, speed, and strength.
Every attack Tang San made was blocked by the image in the same way, and every counterattack from the image was neutralized by Tang San in the same way.
The two crossed paths, collided, separated, and collided again on the platform.
The Douluo I.
A quarter of an hour, an hour, half a day, a day.
Tang San and Yingxiang's Soul Power and physical strength were being consumed simultaneously.
The two maintained a perfectly synchronized fighting stance, like two shadows reflecting each other, never able to defeat one another.
If things continue like this, no one will be able to surpass the other, and they will never be able to pass this test.
After another collision, Tang San created some distance, pointing the tip of his spear diagonally at the ground, adjusting his breathing while quickly thinking.
He gradually understood the essence of this test.
The only difference between the Mirror Tang San itself is that it doesn't actively think about breaking through; it only uses the abilities it already possesses.
But this also means that as long as Tang San doesn't break through, he will never be able to defeat it.
Tang San must examine himself while Douluo I.
The hardest thing for a person to do is to face their own weaknesses and shortcomings. The purpose of this test is to make them realize their shortcomings, find solutions, and achieve self-breakthrough.
Moreover, it needs to be done three times.
The first breakthrough didn't come easily.
Tang San constantly sought out the weaknesses in the Mirror Tang San, which were also his own weaknesses.
During that protracted battle, Tang San gradually noticed a pattern that made him uneasy.
When dealing with situations that require making choices, the image exhibits an extremely slight delay in reaction time.
The image will respond in the safest way, but that "safety" is precisely what makes it miss some opportunities it should have seized.
This is also Tang San's own problem.
He was used to considering every possibility and weighing every consequence in battle, trying to find the optimal path.
This way of thinking allows Tang San to rarely make mistakes, but it also makes him a step slower in certain situations where immediate decisions are required.
Tang San has always pursued perfection, but perfection itself may be the biggest flaw.
It wasn't until that moment that Tang San truly understood that what he needed wasn't a perfect Soul Fighting, but a purer determination and an unstoppable killing intent.
When Tang San finally stopped calculating every possibility and instead focused all his will on a single, unwavering goal, his gun speed increased in that instant.
The tip of the image's gun grazed his shoulder, while the tip of his gun had already pierced the image's throat.
The second trial began.
The image also possessed the purer determination that Tang San gained during his first breakthrough.
Its offensive was even more ferocious than before, each thrust carrying an unwavering sharpness.
This time, Tang San chose to focus on comprehending the power of destruction.
Previously, his understanding of the power of destruction remained at a level of "possession but not complete comprehension".
He knew how to unleash destructive power and how to infuse it into the Clear Sky Hammer, but he never truly "became" a part of that power.
He had been using the power of destruction, but he hadn't truly understood what destruction itself was.
It is disintegration, it is the end, it is the force that shatters all order back to its original state.
When Tang San stopped merely using it and instead merged himself into the power of destruction, his aura underwent a subtle change at that moment.
Gradually, he transformed from "the one who wields the power of destruction" into "the power of destruction itself."
Tang San applied all that insight to his External Soul Bone, "Dreamlike Eyes," and his eyes underwent a change.
Originally possessing only mental attack capabilities, the Dreamlike Illusion Eyes underwent a transformation under the infusion of that pure destructive power.
Its light turned into a pure dark purple, like two compressed, destructive cores.
The External Soul Bone "Dreamlike Eyes" evolved into "Eye of Destruction", and "Annihilation Light" evolved into "Light of Destruction".
Now it no longer just causes mental shock, but can unleash pure destructive power, collapsing everything in sight, whether it be the spirit, the soul, or the body.
In the final, third trial, the image evolved once again.
He inherited everything Tang San had gained from his previous two breakthroughs.
It possesses both an unwavering determination and the destructive power of disintegration.
This time, Tang San focused on the fusion of Life Force and destruction force.
It is not an alternation between the Life Domain and Destruction Domain, but a deeper, true coexistence of the two forces, even a fusion into a legendary power.
Just as two completely opposite Martial Souls can produce a more powerful Martial Soul Fusion Skill, two completely opposite primal forces can also produce a stronger fusion power.
Life and destruction are essentially two sides of the same coin.
Without destruction, life cannot be renewed; without life, destruction loses its meaning.
Through repeated collisions, observations, and attempts, Tang San finally captured that subtle state.
He no longer deliberately distinguished between the two primordial forces, but instead allowed them to flow naturally within his body and intertwine with each other.
The Life Force and the power of destruction do not need to be forcibly distinguished, but can be released simultaneously when needed while maintaining their respective essences.
The two energies that had been surging in parallel within Tang San's body finally showed signs of merging at this moment.
Even a tiny bit of it could unleash a power that seemed capable of deciding a person's life or death at any moment.
It was a new thing born from the fusion of life and destruction; Tang San called it "the Creation Power."
The Creation Power surged from his palm in that instant, condensing into the Blue Silver Overlord Spear or the Clear Sky Hammer.
With a thrust of the spear, the image slowly vanished beneath its power.