Ch. 201Half-Step Divine Talent!
Chapter Summary: Half-Step Divine Talent!
Key Plot Points and Events
- Jiang Yuan is trapped on the coastline by Muto Tsukasa and another Ninth-Tier Grandmaster, who combine their abilities to form a double spatial barrier: the Glazed Light Realm and Binding Dark Staff.
- Muto Tsukasa boasts that Jiang Yuan cannot escape and that reinforcements from the three great families will soon arrive to kill him.
- Jiang Yuan remains completely calm, implying that the two Grandmasters have misunderstood the situation and that he is not attempting to flee.
- Muto Tsukasa attacks with his Storm Halberd while wearing his dark-gold Thunder Battle Armor. Despite the attack’s overwhelming force, Jiang Yuan blocks it with his bare hand, suffering only a minor injury.
- Jiang Yuan releases a powerful Mental Storm and overwhelming willpower pressure. Muto Tsukasa’s inherited mental-defense equipment prevents complete incapacitation, but he is still stunned long enough for Jiang Yuan to draw his katana and break through his defenses.
- Just before Jiang Yuan can kill Muto Tsukasa, the second Grandmaster—a lightning-based archer—intervenes with a blue arrow that pierces Jiang Yuan’s shoulder.
- The archer follows up with the powerful skill Dragon-Slaying Lightning Arrow: Falling Star, blasting through Jiang Yuan’s chest. However, Jiang Yuan’s life force remains unchanged.
- Muto Tsukasa resumes attacking while the archer continues firing, but Jiang Yuan effortlessly blocks the halberd strike.
- Jiang Yuan’s wounds regenerate instantly through black-red flames containing gray sparks. The flames generate devastating heat, evaporating the sea and melting the ground while also radiating an aura of death.
- Jiang Yuan reveals that, after devouring the Death Fire, his Undying Phoenix Flame has evolved beyond SSS-grade into a half-step divine-grade talent.
- He declares that the Grandmasters believed themselves to be the hunters, when in reality they were already Jiang Yuan’s prey.
Character Developments
- Jiang Yuan demonstrates overwhelming physical strength, mental power, combat awareness, and regenerative ability despite appearing to be only Sixth Tier. His confidence shows that he has fully regained control of his hidden power.
- His newly evolved Undying Phoenix Flame marks a major power breakthrough, combining immense vitality with the destructive and deadly properties of Death Fire.
- Muto Tsukasa shifts from arrogant confidence to shock and fear after Jiang Yuan blocks his strongest attack, resists his allies’ combined assault, and heals instantly.
- The Archer Grandmaster is established as a precise and dangerous long-range fighter whose lightning arrows can pierce Jiang Yuan’s body, though even his strongest attack proves insufficient.
- The two Grandmasters’ cooperation is effective tactically, but they fail to understand the true scale of Jiang Yuan’s abilities.
Significant Themes
- Hunter and prey reversal: The chapter overturns the Grandmasters’ assumption that they control the battle, revealing that Jiang Yuan has been allowing them to attack.
- Hidden strength and misjudgment: Jiang Yuan’s apparent Sixth-Tier status conceals power comparable to or greater than Ninth-Tier experts.
- Evolution through consumption: By absorbing Death Fire, Jiang Yuan’s Undying Phoenix Flame transcends its former limits and approaches divine power.
- Regeneration and immortality: Jiang Yuan’s instant healing emphasizes his near-unstoppable vitality and makes conventional attacks ineffective.
- Calm superiority versus arrogance: Jiang Yuan’s restraint contrasts sharply with Muto Tsukasa’s boastful confidence, reinforcing the difference in their true positions.
Character Interactions
- Muto Tsukasa and the archer coordinate their attacks, using spatial confinement, close-range lightning combat, and long-range arrows to prevent Jiang Yuan from escaping.
- Muto Tsukasa demands that the archer ignore his safety and continue firing, showing their willingness to sacrifice one another for victory.
- Jiang Yuan responds to their threats with mockery and composure, allowing their attacks to reveal the limits of their strength.
- After surviving their combined assault, Jiang Yuan directly confronts their mistaken belief that they are the pursuers, asserting his dominance over both Grandmasters.