Young People These Days

"Huh? You knew I was coming?" This time, the man in black was stunned, his face hidden in the shadow of his hood looking completely bewildered.

"Of course, your appearance was only a matter of time. I knew you were coming. So, what brings you here? I bet you have something to tell me." Xiao Yu said as he walked up to the man in black robes, arms crossed, and looked at him.

Sure enough, this black-robed man was just a hallucination created by his subconscious mind; he didn't have the same sense of oppression and mystery as the black-robed man he had seen in the Magic Mirror of True Knowledge.

The man in black said, "Uh, of course, I did. I noticed just now that you've already grasped some techniques for using magical power."

Xiao Yu asked curiously, "What do you mean by 'partial techniques'?"

"You've learned the techniques of using strength, but you haven't grasped the principles. It's like the difference between a carpenter and a scientist; the former can only construct, while the latter can invent."

"Wasn't the skill I just used an invention?" Xiao Yu asked, somewhat unconvinced.

"No, no, no, you've just crudely combined different elemental energies together. In fact, the power of your skills isn't even as good as the official ones. The official skills have undergone countless tests to optimize their power, while yours wastes a lot of energy. There are even some skills you can't combine at all. Like just now, you wanted to use the Fission Orb, but you couldn't. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because the Fission Orb is not simply a fusion of ice and fire, but a perfect superposition of two diametrically opposed energies, ice energy and fire energy, so that their destructive effects on matter are multiplied, just like two enormous forces pulling an object in two different directions simultaneously, ultimately tearing the object apart completely."

"This fusion requires a perfect understanding of power. Only by fully understanding its principles can you know how to control it. You must understand that the laws of this world are completely different from those of the real world. Without someone to guide you, it's impossible for you to achieve this." The man in black seemed to smugly add as he said this.

(Wow, my subconscious knows so much! Could it be that I'm a hidden genius who just hasn't realized it yet?)

"So you can guide me?" Xiao Yu asked.

"Of course, as long as you're willing to obey me," the man in black said confidently.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu immediately became alert. The doctor had also told him about the subconscious mind. Sometimes, a person's subconscious mind can develop a completely different personality from their conscious mind. Once this personality manifests, a person will constantly switch between the two personalities, which is what is known as schizophrenia.

What does this subconscious mind mean by saying this? Is it trying to control me? Damn, how insidious is this subconscious mind?

Thinking of this, he immediately cursed, "Obey my foot! I'm ordering you, tell me right now what to do!"

"Huh?" The man in black was stunned, clearly not expecting the other party to speak to him so rudely.

"What did you say?" he asked, emphasizing each word.

"I said I'm ordering you to tell me what to do right now, are you deaf or something?" Xiao Yu said without changing his expression.

"Do you know who I am?" the man in black robes asked.

"Of course I know, that's why I ordered you to." After saying that, seeing that the other party didn't react, Xiao Yu said without any politeness. He remembered what the doctor said: although the subconscious knows more than the main consciousness, it is essentially an appendage of the main consciousness, so there is no need to be afraid of it. In fact, the more afraid he is, the stronger the subconscious will become, so he must show a tough attitude. Maybe the subconscious will be absorbed directly.

The man in black robes seemed both angry and helpless.

He suddenly laughed, a very unpleasant laugh, and shook his head as he laughed, "Hehehe, these young people nowadays, what can I say—" Xiao Yu heard the man in black robes muttering to himself, and then suddenly he disappeared.

Five minutes later.

Nine Layers of Purgatory, Endless Battlefield, where upper and lower demons have fought for territory for countless years. Every day, countless bloody massacres take place here. At this moment, the slaughter is nearing its end. Naiser wields the Dark Ripper, beheading a Balor with one stroke, and then disemboweling a six-armed serpent demon with another. The serpent demon's massive body writhed, but before it could even scream, it was Ashes by the Purgatory Fire emanating from the Dark Ripper.

Naiser stood there, looking at the endless corpses around him. He could feel the energy in his body gradually fading. The Nephalem bloodline was exceptionally powerful, and killing could continuously increase his power, but this also brought a downside: once the battle was over, his power would gradually fade and eventually return to normal.

A series of clapping sounds made Naiser turn around abruptly, only to find a mysterious figure in black robes appearing behind him without warning.

Naiser's expression immediately turned serious. This person was definitely not simple; they could approach him silently. And he couldn't sense their breathing—was it some kind of projection magic?

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

(Ha, that's the kind of reaction I should have,) the man in black robes thought with a sigh of relief. "Who I am isn't important; what matters is my purpose in coming here."

"So what is the purpose of your visit?"

I will grant you great power.

A mocking smile suddenly appeared on Naiser's face. "Power, you're quite amusing. My current power is already Invincible, why would I need any more power from you?"

The man in black shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not the case. If I remember correctly, when you killed that Gronn, you said something like, 'No one is absolutely Invincible.'"

Naiser scoffed, "So what? I don't need to be truly Invincible; I just need to be stronger than my opponents."

"Oh, don't say that. As far as I know, Azathoth's power is no less than yours. Although his overall strength is not as great as yours, his control over power is far superior. If I don't help, you might not be his match. I don't need your loyalty to me—just ally with me. As an ally, as long as you need me and are sincere, I will give you my greatest support."

Naiser sneered, "So you mean I should beg you to tell me how to gain power?" His hand gripped the hilt of the Dark Ripper tightly, his killing intent gathering.

The man in black robes was completely unaware of the approaching danger. "Hmm, is that so? That's right. If you beg me, I'll tell you. So, what's your answer?"

My answer is—go to hell!

As Naiser spoke, the Dark Ripper swept out without warning, and the black-robed man stared in astonishment as the Dark Ripper cleaved him in two.

He only managed to utter one sentence: "These young people nowadays—"

Then it disappeared.