Give Me a Punch

No one could blame Inayat for having poor psychological resilience; what was unfolding before his eyes was simply far too bizarre, far too uncanny. It was like a physics professor from Tianmen University leading on points in a lightweight boxing ring, a ninety-year-old retired grade-eight fitter grandma beating the hell out of a three-time champion in a MOBA, or Lu Feng being awarded the Crown of Glory in an internal Association vote... How could that make any sense?! Even if both of them possessed the specs of a Wolf, this was beyond ridiculous—you're an artisan! Your OS and software are all Embers! And I didn't even see you whip out any Wolf gear! Or could it be... "The Circle Domain." He recalled the instantaneous shift he had felt just now—a subtlety so elusive it seemed like an illusion—and felt a jolt of horror. What kind of trick was this? From start to finish, he hadn't sensed a thing. Falling into a Circle Domain time and again without even knowing it—how was that any different from lying flat at someone's mercy? If this hadn't been a duel, had he failed to bring down his opponent at the first exchange, he would probably be dead by now! "It is indeed a Circle Domain, but it's not as drastic as you think, nor does it have any complex effects." Ji Jue finally spread his hands, demonstrating the presence of the Circle Domain. "At best, it just makes things a little more convenient. It still needs training and control. Just now, if you hadn't deliberately slowed down, I probably would have crashed and burned." Non-Offensive flickered and faded. In the opening and closing of the Circle Domain, the moment Ji Jue ceased holding back, Ni Lin's vision blurred, only to find Ji Jue's palm already hovering right at his throat, Jingzhen coiled and ready to strike. Exactly like what he had just done! If anything, the latent ferocity and terror radiating from it surpassed even wolf claws! He instinctively moved to step back, his whole body tense. Even though risking life and limb for the Wolf Lord was only natural, feeling his life held so effortlessly and genuinely in Ji Jue's grasp still sent a chill of horror through him. "I understand." Ni Lin sighed. This time, he truly understood: he was fucking worrying for nothing again. The Wolf Lord's grand vision and earth-shattering talent—how could someone like him ever fathom it? Even now, the Wolf Lord was using this method to enlighten and ease his mind as much as possible, encouraging him to shed his reservations. If he held back any further, how could he face such earnest expectations? "I get it, Wolf Lord!" He took a deep breath and spoke resolutely. "..." Ji Jue's expression twitched. He suddenly really wanted to ask: *What the fuck did you just suddenly understand?* Still, it seemed like a good thing? He smiled faintly and asked, "Ready to get a little more serious?" Ni Lin nodded, speaking no further. Gazing at his opponent with absolute focus, a drone hummed from his hanging hands. His blood boiled, and his bones vibrated. Blood Quiver, Bone Pierce! Empowered by blood, bones honed into blades—he entered his true combat form. Assuming a probing stance, after a split-second inspection, his knife-hand shot out, aimed straight at Ji Jue's throat! No holding back, no lingering reservations. A Wolf's speed and reflexes, malice and ferocity, were poured entirely into this strike. *Boom!* Amid a thunderous roar tearing through the air, Ji Jue finally turned sideways, slipping past the crest of the surging tide. His hand swept out once more, and yet again... slapped it away! At that very instant, a bone-chilling dread struck from behind. An afterimage coalesced from phantom to flesh, pale phantasmal light surfacing across Ni Lin's claws—Soul Slaughter! The hand suspended between reality and illusion had transformed into a wolf claw to tear the soul apart. Yet before it could even strike home, it collapsed halfway through—slapped away once more! Ni Lin said nothing, pressing his attack relentlessly, growing faster and faster, unleashing full power. And in the silence, Ji Jue was already soaked in sweat. Unlike the fierce onslaught rising wave after wave, what Ji Jue experienced every single second was the infinite visions branching out with every opening and closing of the Circle Domain. Opposing hundreds, thousands of Ni Lins simultaneously, behind a single success lay countless failures. Behind every effortless-looking parry was Ji Jue pouring every ounce of strength and focus into each attempt! It looked breezy and nonchalant, but Ji Jue's matrix was on the verge of complete overload! Brother Inayat was an honest man at heart. He might know Wolves inside out, but he truly knew nothing about Mohists. In fact, Ji Jue had even rigged the premise of this duel—under the interference of Non-Offensive's Circle Domain, if someone could draw blood or break his skin, it meant they were an opponent he couldn't rival at all, holding his life in their hands. Surrendering wouldn't be shameful in the slightest! Compared to the Swarm's explosive multipliers and raw stats, a micro-intensive opponent like the White Stag was actually the best sparring partner for Ji Jue right now. Only under such high pressure could he master his Circle Domain as quickly as possible and familiarize himself with this art that ought to be carved into his very bones! At this moment, he didn't advance a single inch, remaining planted where he stood, silently enduring the ever-escalating storm. As his eyes lost focus, his perception branched out along the infinitely multiplying possibilities, reaching in countless directions, searching for that one vital thread of guidance! "[Mohist Defense], [Subduing Merit], [Heavenly Punishment]." A few days earlier, within Nirvana's Border Realm, the old dog—dressed up once again as the Juzi—had been eating takeout from a paper carton, speaking indistinctly and perfunctorily: "Now that you've mastered the Circle Domain, the next Mohist arts need to be put on the schedule. Otherwise, your Circle Domain is just an empty, blank display piece, and taking it out there will only embarrass you. "Take that book on the table back and read it first. If there's anything you don't understand, figure it out yourself. Of course, if you're longing for guidance and instruction from your grand-master, I don't mind sparing a bit of my precious time..." "Shut your damn mouth." Ji Jue rolled his eyes, plopped down into a seat, and picked up the book on the table, only to find it coated in dust. After dusting off the cover, he made out the script from the era of the Eternal Empire. —*Ten Treatises*. A meager few pages, their corners curled and tattered. The contents inside were sparse and broad, like a set of casual notes. [Reverence and Love], [Utility], [Ascending Heaven], [Potential Energy]... "Holy shit!" He had glanced at it casually, only to be struck like lightning. He sat bolt upright instinctively, rapt with attention, his fingers trembling. *You damn old dog! Storing something this important in a state like this? You truly deserve to die!* "It's just stuff from the scrap heap of history. Browse it and be done with it. Clinging to it like a priceless treasure—how is that any different from cutting your feet to fit the shoes?" the Juzi said calmly. "Don't treat it like some sacred relic. Use what works, discard what doesn't. No big deal." Ji Jue was speechless. This *Ten Treatises* seemed to consist of merely ten vague, simple propositions or tenets, but in essence, they pointed to ten vital cruxes within the Mohist lineage. Though the content was overly theoretical and devoid of practical steps, through succinct, overarching summaries, it outlined a clear path—no, ten clear paths—for all users of Non-Offensive. Digging deep along these ten directions, the Celestial-Human chronowedges and even the foundation of the Dragon and Sage cosmogony and eschatology shifted from airy abstractions to traceable realities. Even if it was of little immediate use to Ji Jue now, if one could slowly accumulate and explore along these lines, it was undeniably a shortcut to Celestial-Human, a highway to Sagehood! Including the Non-Offensive matrix he currently wielded—weren't its core concept and theme extended directly from the first volume, [Reverence and Love]? Likewise, the essence and theories of the ten treatises were manifested across Non-Offensive; Ji Jue was only just discovering it now! If this were some martial arts sect, this would be the supreme canon, the true master manual of the Mohist lineage! The moment he held it in his hands, Ji Jue instinctively asked, "Has Teacher read this?" When there was good stuff, he naturally had to carry it back in his mouth for his teacher to look at! Just in case it proved useful! "...You really are a devoted student, Ji Jue." Tianlu looked up at him with a sigh. "It doesn't suit her path." As an artisan, Ye Xian's talent was beyond doubt; similarly, she was too deeply immersed in the craft, consumed by her own artistry without caring whether heaven and earth caved in. Compared to Tianlu, she was far more like Kanemoto. At times, even Tianlu would marvel at the bizarre twists of fate—how had he, a Juzi, ended up raising such a textbook artisan, only for that textbook artisan to turn around and bring back an apprentice who was a pure Mohist without even realizing it? "It's rare for you to come ask for my guidance, so I might as well open your eyes." He lowered his head to eat his fried noodles, speaking indistinctly, "Come on. Give me a punch." "What did you say?" Ji Jue was stunned, at a loss. Even as the words left his mouth, his hand had already risen instinctively. Before his brain could catch up, he swung right at that face! *One punch?* *Is that really okay?* *I mean, is one punch really enough? If not, how about a few more! We're already here, it's practically New Year's... You asked for a beating yourself, so don't mind if I—* *Bam!* Ji Jue's vision went dark; it felt like he had been punched. Was that his own hand? He looked down and saw his hand hovering right in front of his face, dumbfounded. He hadn't held back in that punch just now; he had even activated his Circle Domain. Across countless possibilities, his fist had clearly slammed into Tianlu's face without a hitch, yet when the possibilities collapsed, everything had been completely reversed. What happened? Refusing to accept it, he aimed right at the bald dog head of the disguise and swung again. Then, his vision darkened, and his ears rang violently. He hit his own head! This time, he had paid rapt attention to every single detail, yet in the end, what occurred still slipped out of his grasp. Or rather, from the very beginning, everything had been under Tianlu's control. The probabilities he had observed had been overwritten and replaced by a far more terrifying, magnificent web of probability—and what had been used was something Ji Jue knew intimately well. The Circle Domain of Non-Offensive! *But how did you do that?!* "Don't be fooled by the stories handed down through history, Ji Jue." Tianlu leisurely finished his fried noodles and looked up, casting a half-smiling glance at the bruised and battered Ji Jue. "Even if Mohists were terrorists who carried their heads at their belts, plotting daily to kill the Emperor and destroy the Empire, up until the Tower of Tianyuan completely collapsed, Mohists were perpetually suppressed by the Empire. "For the vast majority of that time, the terrifying gap in power between the Mohists and the Empire left them exhausted just defending themselves, barely able to resist. "Before Quicksilver severed the Heavenly Pillar, what Mohists excelled at and were most famous for was defense!" "What you witnessed is one of the three heritage arts forged upon the foundation of the Circle Domain." —The so-called [Mohist Defense]!