The Path to Tianyuan

"As long as you can survive, I'll already be content."

To have met Shi Hen, to have met this flower-like youth during the final stretch of her life, she had no regrets left.

"Sister Natasha, do you remember when we discussed the limits of stigmata?"

Shi Hen asked with a smile.

"At a time like this, you still remember that..."

Raven sounded somewhat helpless.

Even a stigmata awakener could not withstand the power of three nuclear missiles, much less protect so many people.

"Actually, you're all wrong." Shi Hen calmly shook his head, white light returning to his eyes. "The limit of stigmata isn't Fusion Warriors, nor is it anything else. It is... me!

As I am now, I am the limit of stigmata!"

"What do you mean?"

Looking up at the youth, confusion and hope flickered in Raven's eyes.

"If the limit of stigmata cannot stand against nuclear missiles, then I'll break that limit." Shi Hen spoke lightly as an unusual spatial fluctuation spread from his body. "Stay here and don't move. Let me go level up first."

As soon as he finished speaking, the youth vanished instantly, leaving only a fleeting wormhole behind. Within it, one could vaguely see darkness as vast as a starry sky.

At this moment, only thirty seconds remained before the three nuclear missiles arrived.

Schicksal HQ, Floating Island, Central Intelligence Room.

Watching the enormous projection of Earth in the center of the room, Otto sat in a swivel chair and gently swirled the wineglass in his hand. His handsome face was full of leisurely ease. "Amber, do you think that Welt can survive the strike of four nuclear missiles?"

"Based on analysis of the current intelligence, no."

Like a robot, Amber lowered his head and answered respectfully.

"Yes, theoretically speaking, he can block at most one." Otto took a small sip of wine. "But theory is only theory in the end."

There were too many unreasonable existences in this world. Who could guarantee that what was supposed to happen in theory would definitely happen?

Hearing Otto's sigh, Amber kept his head lowered and did not reply.

But Schicksal's Bishop Sir did not need anyone else's agreement. Otto merely smiled faintly and raised his glass toward the east from afar. "Then let us wait and see. Can you create a miracle like the other Welts?"

The Path of Heavenly Origin

What exactly was the limit of stigmata?

Walking through this empty space, Shi Hen pondered the answer to that question.

If he wanted to answer it, he first had to understand the essence of stigmata.

From a scientific perspective, the essence of stigmata was actually genes.

Due to methods left behind by the Previous Civilization, humans of this era all carried a certain number of stigmata genes within them, more or less.

But in most cases, these genes remained recessive and would not be expressed.

As far as Shi Hen knew, there was currently only one effective method to promote the expression of stigmata genes—the Elysian Realm.

Once the number of dominant stigmata genes reached a certain level and formed a system, a stigmata pattern would manifest externally on the host's body.

In simpler terms, perhaps it could be called a set?

Of course, stigmata patterns were not the only measure of stigmata awakening.

For example, people like Raven did not have stigmata patterns on their bodies, yet their stigmata awakening was definitely not low. It was merely that those genes could not form a system.

And although the future Raiden Mei already possessed a systematic stigmata, she could still bear the power of Signets and activate other stigmata genes.

For people in this world, making a stigmata pattern manifest was merely one stage of stigmata development. It was far from the endpoint of stigmata power, and whether a stigmata pattern could manifest was not even important.

But for Shi Hen, the manifestation of a stigmata pattern was the endpoint.

Theoretically, there should be no unactivated stigmata genes in his body. His stigmata had been granted directly by the system, rather than left behind by the Previous Civilization.

Before today, Shi Hen had believed that he had reached the limit of stigmata. He had pushed the Honkai Energy adaptability and control granted by his stigmata to the extreme, and he even had a way to enter an overloaded burst state.

If even that could not be called the limit, then what was?

If only stigmata and the physical body itself were considered, then this path had indeed reached its end. There was no way to go further.

But the Honkai World possessed the attribute of will.

Through Divine Tone, a cultivation method, Fu Hua's lineage could even use ordinary human bodies to control massive Herrscher-level energy, reaching a point where mortal bodies rivaled gods.

That was the result that could only be achieved by tempering one's will to the utmost limit.

Unfortunately, Shi Hen could not obtain the Divine Tone inheritance in a short time, and he himself did not want such shackles stamped with ideological conditioning.

Therefore, he had to find a new path himself, one different from the fleshly body and different from stigmata genes.

That said, Shi Hen ultimately still had to return to stigmata itself.

In this world, even the evaluation of stigmata actually had two different standards.

One was represented by Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, emphasizing the Honkai Energy adaptability and control granted by stigmata.

Simply put, a stigmata that could fight was a good stigmata.

The other was undoubtedly World Serpent. They did not pursue how strong a stigmata itself was, but valued another characteristic of stigmata—allowing humans to retain themselves even within the torrent of the Imaginary.

Only upon reaching that level was a stigmata truly recognized by World Serpent.

Just like... Shi Hen at this moment.

Even within Imaginary Space, his thoughts remained clear, and his physical body had not suffered any erosion.

Theoretically, he could even use this to directly touch the Imaginary Tree and obtain authority like that of a god.

However, theory was only theory in the end.

If he truly did that, then there was a thousand percent chance that he would end up with his soul scattered and his spirit destroyed, making the story prematurely display GG.

"So, can you appear now, Stigmata Will?"

Shi Hen suddenly stopped walking and spoke to the void before him.

Whoosh!

In an instant, this world, which had originally been as empty as the starry cosmos, changed.

With Shi Hen at its center, endless pure white spread outward madly. In the blink of an eye, it covered the limit of the youth's vision, leaving nothing but white before his eyes.

In real space, such whiteness would have been enough to make one panic.

But this was Imaginary Space. Everything was given meaning by Shi Hen, so he found it ordinary.

"I thought you would think for a little longer."

A pure-white figure appeared before Shi Hen, rapidly transforming into someone identical to him.

"It feels like looking into a mirror."

Rather than answer the Stigmata Will's question, Shi Hen clicked his tongue in wonder at the person before him.

"You can understand it that way, because I am you."

The Stigmata Will said with a smile.

"You are merely my shadow."

Shi Hen shook his head.

"Light and shadow are one."

The Stigmata Will continued smiling.

Looking at that face identical to his own, Shi Hen raised one finger and shook it. "You seem to have gotten one thing wrong.

You are merely my shadow, while I... am your only source."

A shadow was merely a trace left behind at a certain moment.

As long as Shi Hen did not stop moving forward, he would always leave behind new traces.

But no matter how many traces there were, their source would forever be only one.

"Heh, what arrogance."

Mockery appeared in the Stigmata Will's smile.

"I'm only stating a fact." Shi Hen shrugged. "On the contrary, you, a Stigmata Will that cannot even accept the truth, are rather pathetic."

"Hehe, are you trying to anger me!?"

The Stigmata Will laughed in fury.

"Anger you? You think too highly of yourself." Shi Hen could not help but laugh. "I was merely curious about your existence, so I chatted with you a little longer."

After all, this was Imaginary Space. All physical laws ceased to exist here, including time.

In other words, he possessed endless time here.

Even if he stayed inside for a hundred years, only an instant would pass when he returned to reality.

Only when it connected with the real world did anything within Imaginary Space have meaning.

This was the sole law of Imaginary Space.

"Haha, you have truly angered me!"

The anger on the Stigmata Will's face could no longer be concealed.

Seeing this, Shi Hen gently shook his head. "As expected, a shadow is just a shadow. It can't compare to me at all."

Moreover, perhaps because it had existed for too short a time, this Stigmata Will was far inferior to the Kaslana family's.

It had no composure at all, loudly arguing over every little matter. Shi Hen felt that it was embarrassing.

This was his shadow, after all.

"You... die!"

As if it could no longer endure, white light surged from the Stigmata Will's eyes, and an incomparably majestic aura erupted forth.

A pure-white bat appeared in its hand, and the Stigmata Will swung it straight at Shi Hen like lightning.

Bang!

A bat likewise materialized in his hand, and Shi Hen easily blocked the strike.

"Have you flown into a rage out of shame?" Looking at the Stigmata Will's oppressive white eyes, Shi Hen remained calm. "But that is fine. Between us, strength must settle things in the end."

"I am you, and you are me. Our strength is exactly the same. What could you possibly use to defeat me!?"

The Stigmata Will laughed wildly. Its bat slashed left and jabbed right, forcefully unleashing an offensive like a raging storm.

Shi Hen chose to meet it in the same way. The two bats immediately clashed together, carving countless white afterimages through the air.

In merely a few breaths, the two bats struck each other hundreds of times, their clanging ringing out in succession.

Fortunately, this was Imaginary Space rather than the real world. Otherwise, the shockwaves from their clash alone would have been enough to destroy an entire city block.

Clang!

The two bats collided once more, then snapped in half at the same time in the next second. Shi Hen and the Stigmata Will used the opportunity to separate.

"The same strength? You seem to have some misunderstanding about me." With a flick of his right hand, Shi Hen restored his bat. He spoke word by word, "I can actively leave the real world and come here, while you can only hide here like a rat. What makes you think your strength is the same as mine?"

"Because... of this!"

With an angry roar, the Stigmata Will leaped high into the air. The bat in its hand, which had also recovered, came crashing down with the weight of Mount Tai.

Yet facing that overwhelmingly powerful strike, Shi Hen merely stepped slightly backward, spun once to gather strength, then directly met it with his bat.

Clang!

To the Stigmata Will's surprise, Shi Hen's bat severed the one in its hand without the slightest resistance. The bat's remaining force even smashed into its face, sending it flying dozens of meters away.

"H-How is this possible!?" Clutching its cheek as it struggled to stand, the Stigmata Will looked utterly unable to comprehend it. "Our strength should clearly be equal!"

"Yes, our strength is indeed exactly the same." Shi Hen nodded as he slowly approached the Stigmata Will. "But aside from strength, will is the key factor that determines victory or defeat in battle."

Especially in this Stigmata Space that belonged to him.