Occasional Defeats, Reflection and Summary

The footsteps in the southwest corner grew closer, and the ground trembled slightly. I gripped Flowing Abyss, my body still carrying the fatigue from the previous battles, but I couldn't retreat.

The person walked out.

Black flames coiled around their entire body, not flickering or swaying, like solidified lava stuck to their skin. Their eyes were two balls of dark red, like the depths of burnt-out charcoal still hiding embers. I hadn't seen them before, but the System automatically displayed a line of text: [Flame Ash Demon King, ancient demon from the Southern Desolate Volcano Belt, skilled in Molten Lava True Intent, capable of burning Spiritual Platform Clarity].

They didn't speak. With a stomp of their right foot, the ground cracked open, and a stream of red-hot air erupted. I leaped to the left, and my spirit beast pounced simultaneously, only to be knocked back by a wave of heat.

The battle began.

Their attacks were incredibly steady, each strike accompanied by a dull roar. I didn't dare to meet them head-on, relying on my movement techniques to evade. In the seventh round, they slammed a palm onto the ground, and three lines of fire shot up from different directions. I misjudged, flashing to the right, only to find that path was an illusion. The real killing blow came from beneath my feet.

A pillar of fire shot into the sky, flinging me into the air.

I forcefully twisted my body in mid-air, trying to block with Flowing Abyss, but they were already waiting there. A punch landed on my chest, bones cracking with a crisp sound, and I fell directly onto the stone platform.

My saber flew from my hand, embedding itself in the dirt.

I propped myself up on the ground, trying to stand, a sweet taste in my throat as I spat out a mouthful of blood. My vision blurred slightly. I saw them standing not far away, the black flames slowly retracting into their body.

"You're not bad," they said. "Not many can last until the seventh round."

I didn't respond, only feeling my internal organs burning, my meridians as if they had been scorched.

They turned and left, stopping at the valley entrance. "Come back in three days."

The wind stirred up ashes, which fell onto my face.

My spirit beast crawled over and lay beside me, its breathing heavy. I reached out and stroked its head, then slowly shuffled to the center of the stone platform, sitting down against a broken stone pillar.

Only half a bottle of Soul Protecting Dew remained. I poured it out and drank it. My mind cleared a little, but my body remained heavy. The System interface appeared, its light patterns flowing.

[Retrieve combat data stream?]

I tapped confirm.

Scenes replayed in my Sea of Consciousness. I saw myself in the third round, able to move sideways and get behind them, but I chose to retreat; in the fifth round, their palm trembled slightly, a sign of charging up, which I didn't notice; in the seventh round... before that strike, the ground did tremble slightly, but I relied on my spiritual sense scan and ignored the movement beneath my feet.

Zhen Yuanzi's words suddenly surfaced—the earth communicates, but few understand.

I closed my eyes, reorganizing the rhythm. Their attacks weren't without warning; I had simply relied too much on System prompts and spiritual sense coverage, forgetting the most basic sense of the ground.

[Generate 3D deduction model?]

I tapped confirm.

A phantom reappeared on the battlefield. This time, I chose to proactively close in on the right side in the sixth round. As expected, they exerted force in their palm, the ground vibrated, and the fire lines erupted from the left. I used the opportunity to get behind them, and Flowing Abyss slashed towards their nape. It hit successfully.

The model showed that if I had reacted correctly at that moment, I not only could have avoided severe injury but also had a chance to counter-kill.

I opened my eyes, my fingers digging into my palm.

It wasn't a lack of strength, but a misjudgment.

Several days of consecutive battles had made me accustomed to winning. Each time the System posed a question, I answered correctly, and I obtained the treasures one by one. I thought that as long as I reacted quickly and had strong techniques, I would be invincible. But in that last battle, there were no System questions, and no rewards popped up. They didn't give me time to think, forcing me to make decisions in pure combat.

I lost.

And I lost clearly.

My spirit beast let out a low hum and looked up at me. I placed my hand on the golden patterns on its neck and said softly, "We can't rely on luck anymore."

I sat down cross-legged, picked up Flowing Abyss, and laid it across my lap. The saber blade had a fine crack, left from the previous battles, which I hadn't had time to repair. I traced the crack with my fingertip. The cool sensation brought me back to clarity.

It's easy to remain humble in victory, but difficult to stay undiscouraged in defeat.

I knew the most important thing to do now wasn't to seek revenge or immediately regain combat strength, but to understand where I was lacking.

I said to the System, "Activate Tactical Re-training Mode."

[Set simulated combat level?]

"Same level, three matches daily."

[Add environmental interference items?]

"Add."

[Limit technique usage count?]

"Limit Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Art's third form to two uses."

After doing this, I took out a worn-out booklet from my bosom—the complete text of the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Art. I had been too busy fighting to read it carefully before. Now I discovered that before the fourth form, 'Cloud Collapse,' there was a preparatory guiding movement, explaining how to circulate spiritual power in three paths from the Dantian to create pressure.

I had always skipped this step, directly activating the spiritual power to erupt, no wonder the power was less than thirty percent.

I looked down at the text, reading it sentence by sentence. Back in my modern world, when I encountered difficult problems, I would repeatedly practice until I understood them thoroughly. It was the same now. I wasn't a genius, just more willing than others to go back and check my mistakes.

The sky outside was growing dark, and the valley quieted down. The figures in the distance had long since dispersed. No one would come in tonight.

I tore off a corner of my clothes, dipped it in blood, and drew the Flame Ash Demon King's attack route on the stone platform. Three fire lines, one aerial launch, seven palm strikes. Each had a precursor, but I hadn't grasped it.

My spirit beast lay at my feet, its ears occasionally twitching, listening to the wind.

I continued flipping through the booklet, finding the chapter on spiritual power distribution. It turned out the third form shouldn't release all its power at once; instead, half of it should be suppressed in the Jianjing Acupoint first, then gradually advanced. This would create a secondary acceleration when drawing the saber.

No wonder that last strike felt weak.

I committed the key points to memory and closed the book. I looked up at the sky; the stars were beginning to appear. This battle had cost me face, but it had also shown me where my limits lay.

I'm not afraid of losing, I'm afraid of not knowing how to lose.

For the next three days, I will not accept any challenges. It doesn't matter who comes. I need to practice every move until it's perfect, and engrave every reaction into my instincts.

The System floated quietly in my Sea of Consciousness, no longer presenting prompts or issuing rewards. It knew that what I needed now wasn't resources, but cultivation.

I closed my eyes and began circulating the basic cycle. Spiritual power flowed slowly, encountering some resistance as it passed through the fractured meridians, but it was smoother than before.

Tomorrow's first simulated battle will begin at dawn.

I must be ready.

My fingers lightly tapped the blade twice; the cracks were still there, but my grip felt steadier.

The night wind swept across the stone platform, carrying away the last trace of warmth.

My breathing gradually deepened, my heartbeat steady.

In the distant woods, a withered leaf detached from a branch, spiraling downward.

The tip of the saber trembled slightly.