Chapter 1060: Let's Have a Duel of Weapons and Equipment!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1060: Let's Have a Duel of Weapons and Equipment!
"Go, Sister Xiao Han! You can do it~"
"Good luck! Beat Sister Bai~"
At this moment, Fool's Dream stood to the side, acting as the sole spectator for the battle between Sister Bai and me.
"Cheer for Sister Bai a little too~" I said, glancing sideways at Fool's Dream.
"Good luck to Sister Bai too!"
"Beat Sister Xiao Han~"
Hearing her cheer for Sister Bai without the slightest hesitation, I couldn't help but sigh at Fool's Dream's innocence. But it didn't matter—I had a very high tolerance for Fool's Dream!
I turned my gaze back to Sister Bai. Her current attire was a bit... extravagant.
She was practically armed to the teeth.
She had managed to squeeze eleven rings onto her ten fingers, and the necklaces around her snowy neck were piled up as if she’d bought them at a wholesale market.
Then there were the bracelets, bracers, capes, belts, leggings—she had even changed her shoes.
"Sister Bai, you look so over-the-top right now! Isn't there a limit to how much equipment you can wear?"
"Theoretically, there is no limit. There's only the issue of overlapping effects from the same type of equipment. That's why you don't usually see someone wearing this much, unless... all these items are instruments for offensive or defensive spell effects."
"That really is something," I remarked, then continued, "So, are you ready?"
"Of course. You can start whenever you like, Xiao Han. We both have a Time Sense; a sneak attack won't work on either of us, right?"
"True~"
Once our brief exchange ended, my smiling expression naturally shifted into one of focus.
Even if my opponent was Sister Bai, I wouldn't treat this challenge as a joke. To do so would be disrespectful to both of us. Only by giving it my all could I truly honor the duel!
My combat awareness was no longer as lacking as it once was. So many of my clones were still acting as gatekeepers at the Arena, experiencing countless battles every day. Even if I hadn't experienced them all personally, the combat techniques and responses to various tactics I had summarized from their first-person perspectives meant I was definitely not inferior to the upperclassmen who spent all their time soaking in the Arena.
With an opening spell amplification paired with the perception of Five Senses Body Cultivation, my first priority before the clash was to find a flaw based on my opponent's demeanor.
However, Sister Bai clearly wasn't going to give me such an obvious opening.
"Starting off—Fireball Spell!"
I watched Sister Bai's eyes. Whether it was my preemptive casting or my verbal interference, nothing could shake her in the slightest.
The opening Fireball Spell was followed by a heat ray derived from the fireball, a classic follow-up strike. But Sister Bai dodged it with a simple sidestep.
Sister Bai's physical fitness was much stronger than mine; I had experienced that firsthand in bed.
Even so, her reaction speed exceeded my expectations.
Sister Bai hadn't actively used her time sense; this was merely a dodge born of physical instinct.
"So fast! But... Coking Fire Oil!"
I let out a cry of admiration but showed no mercy, instantly triggering a derived effect from the initial fireball.
Although it was called "Coking Fire Oil," it had nothing to do with actual oil. It was simply a fireball mimicked into a large-scale liquefied fireball.
It wasn't just liquid; there were solid forms too—the kind of fireball that would make a clanging sound when it hit the ground. While they seemed useless, these were all brand-new ideas and sequence derivations. The value always lay in the creative thinking.
"Equipment can boost my reaction speed. The effects of magic tools are beyond your imagination. Even abstract things like reaction speed, muscle instinct, and killing passion can be enhanced using equipment as a medium."
Sister Bai explained the mysteries behind it all without a hint of impatience. Even in the heat of battle, she remained a dedicated teacher.
Her main goal was to ensure that I didn't harbor prejudices against specific things.
It wasn't just equipment; there were many things labeled as "external forces," such as combat potions, rune stones for amplification or auxiliary casting, and magic arrays for combat support.
She specialized in the Ordinary Subject and was willing to try anything. Naturally, she rarely had obvious prejudices, only things she liked to do and things she didn't.
Facing my endless stream of spell attacks, Sister Bai dealt with each one.
She didn't display any extraordinary means, such as immense physical strength; she primarily relied on her equipment to take the lead.
These items were things she had stockpiled—some kept from her student days, others small gifts received after becoming a Transcendent Witch.
Many were Beyonder equipment, which held little value to her. To her, only Transcendent equipment and Holy Artifacts were truly valuable.
As for the rest, if they could teach Xiao Han something in this battle, then their value would be fulfilled.
Equipment could be divided into two categories, or three if you wanted to be specific—the third being unique to the Witch race.
First were disposable items, which included equipment that was non-repairable or not worth repairing.
Second were rechargeable items, which could be used continuously as long as they were supplied with energy. The value of these was much higher than non-rechargeable ones, whether they were Beyonder or Transcendent equipment.
As for the third... they were called Mana Source Magic Tools. These used a Mana Source as one of the materials and were forged with special magical techniques, allowing the equipment itself to wield the Mana Source just like a Witch.
Logically, these could be categorized under rechargeable equipment, but because they could break the limit on the number of Mana Sources an individual could hold, Witches classified them separately.
Of course, another reason was that other races and Transcendent systems didn't have anything quite like a Mana Source.
In just a short while, I had already exchanged dozens of blows with Sister Bai. Casting spells was second nature to me.
However, the instant-trigger defensive equipment on Sister Bai's body managed to patch up every opening I painstakingly created.
Though these trigger-type items were powerful enough to be called life-saving gear, they shattered one after another after blocking my derived spells.
These were typical disposable defensive magic tools.
Watching Sister Bai toss the broken equipment aside, even I—someone who didn't usually care about money—couldn't help but marvel at her wealth.
The price of such life-saving gear in the academy was enough to ensure many students couldn't save up enough to buy one even by the time they graduated.
"Does it hurt your heart to watch? It's fine. These items aren't very valuable to me. I am a Transcendent Witch, even a Transcendent Saint Realm expert. Only Holy Artifacts are things I'd be loath to use like this," Sister Bai explained, noticing the change in my expression.
"Does Sister Bai have a Holy Artifact?" I asked curiously.
"Naturally. But if I used one, it would be a bit like bullying you," Sister Bai revealed.
"Is that so?" I looked at the gear on Sister Bai. I understood that once I exhausted the power of those Beyonder items or destroyed them, I would be facing Transcendent equipment next.
"Warm-up's over!"
Realizing this, I cast my spells without hesitation, forcing Sister Bai to end the warm-up phase by using her magic tools to counter mine.
After all, Sister Bai had set strict rules for herself. Once I figured out the inherent power of all her equipment, I could use those methods to trap her in a dead end.
Crack...
With the sound of breaking equipment, the last piece of Beyonder gear shattered.
The energy in the remaining rechargeable Beyonder items was completely drained. In such an intense battle, Sister Bai couldn't find the time to recharge them.
"Xiao Han, your combat awareness is quite good. You actually pushed me to this point. No wonder you feel like equipment is optional for you," Sister Bai said with a look of gratification.
Moreover, she knew very well that even now, Xiao Han hadn't given her all.
Whether it was the simulation assistance from the Tree of Great Knowledge or the derivation of powerful spells, she hadn't even used the power of her Domain, and her Body Cultivation strength was mostly held back.
And Sister Bai had personally witnessed the spell life Xiao Han had created—a feat that had even amazed the First Generation Elder!
She hadn't used that method either!
"Of course~ The combat experience my clones accumulated in the academy isn't just for show." I also knew that in the Expansion Realm, many of my non-human clones were leading groups of variant beasts in a battle of wits and courage against humans.
If I really went all out, combining those wild instincts with Body Cultivation strength and transformation spells, I could turn into a ferocious beast myself!
"Then the battle is about to level up~" Sister Bai smiled faintly. With a wave of her hand, a Gale Blade shot out!
It was the spell effect from that bracelet earlier.
Instantly, I felt the pressure of facing a Transcendent-level offensive. This wasn't just pressure on an attack level; it was a total, all-encompassing suppression!
A feeling that if I were hit, I would die!
Even my Immortality felt powerless against such an attack.
When I had fought a Transcendent Wizard with my life clone before, the feeling hadn't been this deep.
But now, Sister Bai's strike—half-attack, half-demonstration—made me realize the crushing sense of futility where my individual efforts couldn't compare to a mere piece of equipment!
It wasn't that the attack was incredibly powerful in terms of raw force. I could derive a Gale Blade from a wind blade spell too, but it would never reach this terrifying level!
If a spell's form and the energy used to shape it were two dimensions of an attack's power, then a Transcendent strike, which delved into Real Time, added a whole new dimension to the attack!
This wasn't a gap in quantity or technique; it was a gap in level.
No bells or whistles—just pure "numerical suppression."
"That's just cheating!" I barely managed to dodge the strike. The Gale Blade carved a deep rift into the edge of the duel arena!
If Sister Bai hadn't reinforced the area beforehand, this arena wouldn't have been able to withstand a Transcendent-level blow!
"It is indeed cheating. But this is what weapons and equipment are, Xiao Han. You can face the gap between yourself and others; why are you unwilling to face the gap between yourself and equipment? Ready-made power is still power. The Void doesn't care about logic, nor does it care about your potential. Combat power is combat power. In the Void, saying 'Equipment is King' isn't an exaggeration."
"I understand..."
"It's good that you do. From the moment intelligent life was born, the difference between them and unintelligent life has been the use of tools. No matter how fancy you describe equipment, it never leaves the realm of being a tool. So, there's no need for you to have so much internal resistance toward it." Sister Bai was putting a lot of effort into her explanation.
In truth, Bai Yu understood why Xiao Han had this mindset. She was too comfortable, to the point where she didn't feel the need to chase the power of equipment.
If Xiao Han were on a battlefield where her life was constantly at risk, or in a lawless, high-conflict area like the Void, she would quickly realize how much security the power of equipment could provide.
Power is power. The power you master yourself can be improved, and equipment can be constantly replaced. Once you see past it, there's no issue at all.
"Xiao Han... you still lack a sense of crisis. When you face an invincible situation, you'll realize that there's no such thing as 'equipment' or 'not equipment.' Any means that can save your life is a good means! Not just equipment—potions, rune crystals, magic arrays, or even mechanical puppets—they are all power."
"And the corresponding master smiths, alchemical potion masters, rune scroll masters, and even mechanics—these all belong to their power. It's just like a mage who excels at summoning spells. Can you say he isn't strong, and that only his summoned beasts are?"
Sister Bai's words cleared up a lot for me. I tended to categorize everything I didn't like as something I hated, which easily led to extreme thinking.
The fact that I didn't like using equipment and my resistance to using it was mostly caused by this confusion of concepts.
Actually, by the time Sister Bai was halfway through, I had already completely figured it out.
This way of thinking was the same as my old ideas. Even things that everyone else saw as their own "power" were just "tools" in my eyes.
Even the Tree of Great Knowledge, which was so important to me, was a "tool."
The reason I made the Tree of Great Knowledge the core of my power development was because it was suitable, not because it was my everything.
In the end, it all came back to the concept of "defining external objects."
"I understand..." I took a deep breath and made a decision.
Then, I pulled out my Book in the Box.
This was my response to Sister Bai: It's just equipment. Just like my own strength, it's a "tool" to achieve my goals.
But understanding it was one thing; this battle wasn't over yet!
"Has Xiao Han learned to use 'tools' too?" Sister Bai saw what I had taken out. Even without using heart sense resonance, she could feel the decision I had made.
"That's right~ Sister Bai won't blame me, will she? Now, the real intensity of the battle is just beginning!"
After saying that, I charged toward Sister Bai with the Book in the Box in hand.
"Let's have a fresh duel between our weapons and equipment!"