Formidable, yet shockingly fragile.
That was everyone’s first impression of a Rule Branch spirit.
If one did not know its rule and had no idea how to inflict damage, it was overwhelmingly powerful.
Yet the moment its rule was uncovered and they knew how to harm it, it proved astonishingly brittle—so much so that a single touch could kill it.
In fact, from the moment Duplicate Jin Sheng summoned the Rule Branch spirit to its defeat, the entire clash had taken only about thirty seconds, over in the blink of an eye.
Right then, Cheng Jian shouted, “The hundredth blink!”
Realization struck everyone at once. They aimed at Duplicate Jin Sheng, unleashing an eclectic barrage of attacks that crashed down upon him simultaneously.
Fortunately, the duplicate was a perfect reproduction of Jin Sheng, which meant Jin Sheng’s vulnerabilities were his as well.
Under the saturated onslaught, Duplicate Jin Sheng was instantly obliterated.
Watching Duplicate Jin Sheng fall, the crowd breathed collective sighs of relief. They had genuinely feared the duplicate’s rules might differ from the real Jin Sheng’s; had that been the case, they would have been in deep trouble.
After all, with countless possible rules, testing them one by one might have taken forever without ever yielding the right answer.
Fortune had truly smiled upon them.
Smiles surfaced on everyone’s faces. With the first duplicate dispatched, nine remained. As long as the trial didn't randomly select Yu Xian, clearing the realm shouldn't be difficult.
“Captain, did you not set a rebirth rule?” Yu Xian asked Jin Sheng in a low whisper, curious.
Jin Sheng’s Rule of Life granted a chance at resurrection once a rule had been established. If Jin Sheng had already set one, Duplicate Jin Sheng theoretically should have revived upon being killed.
“I forgot,” Jin Sheng said, blinking in surprise before offering a wry smile.
Lately, he had been drinking himself into a stupor at banquets.
He had genuinely forgotten to configure the next day’s rebirth rule.
Who could have guessed that his lapse of memory would turn out to be a blessing in disguise, stripping Duplicate Jin Sheng of a life-saving skill?
Just then, the second duplicate materialized. Taking in the sight of the figure, everyone turned toward a class holder named Tom, whose face immediately flushed bright red.
Earlier, he had tried to explain enhancement to Little Nora, spouting wild claims about +100 and +1000 enhancements, legendary class holders, and mythic class holders. Only later did he find out that all of it had been fabricated by internet trolls for laughs, duping countless novices in the process.
After a friend of his got tricked, he had passed the troll’s fabrications along to Tom. Believing every word, Tom had proudly lectured Little Nora, only to discover the truth about the post afterward—that the maximum enhancement level was merely +10.
Ever since, he had been searching for a chance to apologize to Little Nora, but he had never managed to find an opportunity to speak with it alone.
Now, under the gaze of the entire crowd, he noticed Little Nora looking at him, and his embarrassment flared.
In truth, Little Nora had known the whole story from the start.
It even knew that many people in Fukang City had fallen for the prank, and some still believed it to this day.
Consequently, it had never blamed Tom in the slightest.
“Hahaha, watch me!”
At that moment, Zhang Shou felt his confidence return.
He charged straight at Duplicate Tom and crushed the duplicate in a single slap.
From the rear, Tom saw his duplicate’s head burst open under the slap, spraying blood everywhere. A cold chill crept down his neck. Remembering that Zhang Shou was close friends with Little Nora, he shrank back into the crowd, trying as hard as possible to keep a low profile.
“Let’s hope the next duplicates are just as easy,” Zhang Shou said with a grin after eliminating the second one.
Everyone secretly agreed, though they felt voicing it would be something of an insult to Tom. As a result, they merely offered polite smiles without nodding in agreement.
A moment later, the third duplicate slowly faded into view.
Upon seeing the new figure, everyone turned their eyes toward Cheng Pi. Cheng Pi gave an awkward chuckle and rubbed his head. “Uh, I’m actually pretty strong too. Good luck, everyone!”
Fearing that the Mirror God might possess self-awareness, neither Yu Xian nor Little Nora made a move. Their levels were far too high, and any attack from them would unleash immense destructive power. If the Mirror God truly had a consciousness of its own, it would duplicate the two of them next without fail. Thus, they could only remain bystanders for now.
Knowing he was quite capable, Cheng Pi followed Jin Sheng’s example and displayed his status panel.
In any case, attributes were merely temporary. Once he got his hands on more class enhancement stones, his class could undergo earth-shattering changes at any moment, so he had zero fear of letting others see it.
[Name: Cheng Pi]
[Level: 31]
[Class: Stone Colossus]
[Skills:]
[Stone Earth: Activate skill, consuming the power of ley lines to petrify the surrounding terrain into rock. If used upon an ocean or other atypical environment, the cost is doubled.]
[Colossus Form: Activate skill to transform into a Stone Colossus, raising all attributes across the board while gaining the states 'Earth’s Heaviness,' 'Earth’s Thickness,' 'Earth’s Pulse,' and 'Earth’s Stone.']
[Stone Tenacity: Passive effect. When the Stone Colossus stands upon the earth, defense increases by 10,000%, and recovery rate increases by 10,000%.]
[Colossus Power: Activate skill to continuously absorb planetary pulses from the surroundings, causing body size to expand further, with all attributes increasing over time up to 100,000,000%.]
……
……
Originally, his class had been [Stone Giant], but after using a class enhancement stone, it had evolved into [Stone Colossus].
While the Stone Colossus might lack slightly in offensive output, its defensive power was undeniably monstrous—far surpassing the vast majority of tanks.
Silence fell over the crowd after reading his panel. Just as Cheng Pi had said, he truly was exceptionally strong. Without Yu Xian or Little Nora intervening, bringing him down would be no easy feat.
Right then, the mirrored floor beneath them rapidly turned into solid rock.
Duplicate Cheng Pi had already assumed his Colossus Form and triggered an earthquake without hesitation!
The earthquake was not an active skill, but an inherent ability granted by the Earth’s Pulse state. A Stone Colossus attuned to the earth’s pulse required no incantation or skill to unleash a tremor at will.
Many might imagine an earthquake to be nothing more than the ground shaking, but in reality, when tremors reached a certain intensity, human beings could not maintain their footing at all and were forced flat onto the ground.
Moreover, this was no ordinary tremor of the natural world, but a seismic upheaval wrought by supernatural might, capable of bruising or even shattering the internal organs of anyone pinned to the ground.
“A mere duplicate dares to run wild?!”
Zhang Shou, however, remained planted firmly on his feet, the violent shaking unable to disturb him in the least.
With a booming shout, he immediately unleashed the Shadowless Heavenly Martial Fist. Countless afterimages materialized around him as he darted behind Duplicate Cheng Pi, slamming a heavy punch straight into the back of his head.
Infused with intense vitality and blood essence, the punch collided with Duplicate Cheng Pi, producing a deafening crash.
Having landed the strike, Zhang Shou pressed his advantage, driving heavy, ferocious punches relentlessly into Duplicate Cheng Pi’s various joints. Yet the duplicate’s defense was so absurdly high that the entire barrage amounted to little more than an itch against his stony hide.
Chapter 533