Chapter 64 – Worries

“Let’s go in and give it a try.”

After a few shadow boxing moves, Lu Yuan didn’t feel much. He immediately activated [Imaginary Enemy] and entered his Consciousness Space.

The dark alley was dimly lit by a slanted streetlamp from the outside.

Lu Yuan squinted, sizing up his opponent.

A Ratman.

Yes, he had set his imaginary enemy to be a Ratman.

The Ratman’s strength was definitely at a professional level, far stronger than the fighters he encountered in Mosa, but still much weaker than the likes of Lin Zhiqin or Qin Feng.

As a current sparring partner, it was actually quite suitable.

In the Consciousness Space, he could use his professional core skills.

Lu Yuan had tried it before, using Level 3 [Absolute Concentration].

The Effect was slightly inferior to reality, lacking that sudden plunging sensation and immersion.

But his martial arts instincts still received a significant boost.

However, [A Moment of Inspiration] had never been triggered even once. Lu Yuan suspected it was due to the opponent’s strength and the probability of triggering it.

The imagined Ratman, though lacking the deep-seated resentment and hatred seen in reality, still retained its cunning and ferocity.

After “confirming with his eyes” with Lu Yuan, the Ratman vanished in an instant.

Lu Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he swiftly sidestepped.

“Bang!”

The concrete ground where he had just stood exploded into a small pit, dirt and stones flying everywhere.

Looking up again, he saw the Ratman clinging to the wall of the alley, its sharp claws dug deep into the wall like it was made of tofu.

Its back was arched high, eyes glowing with an oily green light, and a long tail slowly retracting behind it.

“Is this its true combat form?”

Watching the Ratman, Lu Yuan took a deep breath, his eyes beginning to burn with intense fighting spirit.

His heart started to beat faster, each thump pumping more blood and energy through his body.

“Bang!”

Lu Yuan’s right foot stomped on the ground fiercely, and his body shot out like an arrow.

The Ratman also lunged forward to meet him.

They exchanged rapid blows, with the Ratman clearly faster than Lu Yuan by a margin.

After just a few exchanges, Lu Yuan was injured.

The Ratman swiped a claw, its razor-sharp tips slicing across his chest.

Several bloody wounds immediately appeared.

Lu Yuan responded with a front kick, his leg smashing into the Ratman’s stomach with tremendous force, sending it flying like a ball.

“Rip”

Lu Yuan tore off his already tattered clothes and casually threw them to the ground.

He looked down and used his fingers to part the torn flesh around the wound on his chest, sighing.

“Good thing this is in the Consciousness Space. If this were reality, I’d probably be infected with some unknown virus. Even if I didn’t die, I’d be in for a world of hurt.”

“Swish!”

At that moment, the Ratman he had just kicked away came hurtling back with ferocious speed.

“Level 3 [Absolute Concentration], activate!”

No plunging sensation.

Yet, in an instant, time seemed to slow down.

Lu Yuan’s body remained still, his head tilting slightly to the right.

A sharp whooshing sound passed dangerously close to his cheek.

Lu Yuan swiftly turned, his left hand moving from bottom to top, and just as the Ratman was about to dart past him, he grabbed its hind leg, holding tight.

Then, he swung it down forcefully!

“Bang!”

“Bang! Bang!”

The battle began to mirror the progression seen in reality.

But this time, Lu Yuan was more ruthless.

He slammed the Ratman into the ground at least thirty times, and when he was done, he stomped heavily on its spine several times. It sounded like snapping dry straw, with clear, crisp breaking noises.

The Ratman lay on the ground like a pile of mush, completely motionless.

“Can it recover from such injuries?”

Lu Yuan stepped back a couple of paces, squinting at the Ratman, waiting for it to go Berserk.

The anticipated incantation didn’t occur. Instead, a thick grey aura began to emanate from the Ratman’s body.

It quickly enveloped the creature.

Then, after a few breaths, the Ratman appeared before Lu Yuan once again in its true “complete form.”

“Amazing, this grey aura is definitely an extraordinary power,” Lu Yuan couldn’t help but marvel.

Such injuries would have killed a normal person several times over, yet the Ratman could still stand up, and it became even stronger.

Even seeing it for the second time, Lu Yuan still found it incredible.

“So, let’s give it a try.”

Lu Yuan took a few steps back, assuming a stance just like he did in reality yesterday.

The moment he had truly been looking forward to was finally here.

He watched as the transformed Ratman, its eyes blood-red, let out a low roar and charged at him.

The fighting spirit in Lu Yuan’s eyes burned even more intensely.

He clenched his fist and swung.

“[A Moment of Inspiration], crane cry punch, smash it for me!”

The cool night breeze rustled the sheets, blankets, and clothes hanging on the rooftop’s clothesline, carrying with it the faint scent of laundry detergent.

The boy leaning against the wall suddenly opened his eyes, his face as calm as the summer night.

“Dead.”

Killed by the transformed Ratman’s strike, Lu Yuan ultimately failed to land that punch.

But this was within Lu Yuan’s expectations.

[A Moment of Inspiration]’s trigger was highly unpredictable, and a consciousness battle was different from reality. No matter how strong the opponent, it was hard to feel the same life-and-death pressure as in reality.

It was normal to fail.

As the saying goes—between life and death lies great terror, but also great opportunity.

“If I can’t pull it off, I’ll keep learning.”

“Improving my intelligence points should help me understand Lin Zhiqin’s punch better.”

Without delay, Lu Yuan immediately entered another consciousness battle, this time setting Lin Zhiqin as his imaginary enemy.

In this, he was not mistaken.

After his intelligence points increased, his insight and comprehension improved. With the Level 2 [Imaginary Enemy] ability to pause, slow down, and rewind at will, he indeed noticed more intricate details.

Feeling he had gained something, he then tested it against the Ratman.

This cycle repeated, and before he knew it, he had entered the Consciousness Space over a dozen times.

He only stopped when he began to feel a bit fatigued.

“Over a dozen consciousness battles, and only twenty minutes have passed in reality.”

“I didn’t notice this last time.”

Lu Yuan glanced at his mobile phone, surprised to find that every time he entered the Consciousness Space, less time passed in reality.

After a moment of thought, he quickly understood the principle behind it.

It was like dreaming—the deeper the dream, the faster the time seemed to flow.

Sometimes, you feel like you’ve had a very long dream, only to wake up and find that only a few minutes had passed.

“It’s almost ten o’clock. After I get back, I’ll practice two sets of the crane stance, take a shower, and then head to bed. That’s enough training for today.”

Lu Yuan stood up, gathered all the bottles used to set up the “bottle pile,” and put them into a burlap sack, placing it in the corner for next time.

These bottles were all taken from the warehouse, where there were plenty to spare.

Zheng Qiuling usually collected them and, once she had enough, would sell them along with cardboard to the recycling collectors.

Before leaving the rooftop, Lu Yuan leaned over the edge and glanced down.

The alleys across the street were quiet, with the streetlights’ glow stopping at the alley entrance. In the dim alley, he could barely make out a stray cat walking around and a man urinating against a corner.

Lu Yuan imagined a terrifying Ratman suddenly charging out from one of the alleys, crossing the road, and storming into the old building beneath him.

“No way.”

Lu Yuan shook his head, dismissing the thought.

“It’s not that bold. Even if it didn’t die, it wouldn’t heal that quickly.”

He reassured himself.

Turning around, however, his brow furrowed with worry.