Absolute darkness and nothingness.

Consciousness plunged into an abyss where even time did not exist; every perception, thought, and sense of self was utterly stripped away.

Then—

Pain!

Indescribable agony at the soul level, as though billions of red-hot steel needles pierced every corner of his awareness at once, forcibly ripping and dragging him back from that absolute “nothingness”!

“Ughaaa!!!”

Jie Ming’s eyes snapped open, but all he saw was blur.

He struggled instinctively until his pupils refocused. Only then did he realize he was suspended in a liquid glowing faintly green.

His body was immersed in thick fluid, mouth and nose covered by a respirator. His limbs felt strangely weak and unfamiliar.

He was inside a massive glass incubation tank.

After the initial wave of soul-rending pain passed, sensation rapidly returned.

Through the transparent liquid he saw row upon row of similar tanks, standing like cold tombstones in the dim space.

Only the tiny status lights along the tank edges gave off a lonely glow, illuminating the sleeping human silhouettes within.

The instant his consciousness fully awakened and he began to struggle—

Hum…

Soft white light blazed from above, banishing every shadow and flooding the entire area with daylight brilliance.

This was an enormous, ultra-futuristic laboratory.

The vaulted ceiling soared high; walls of cold metallic sheen were embedded with countless screens streaming endless data.

Precision mechanical arms hung motionless in mid-air or rested on brackets. The air-circulation system emitted a low hum, carrying the clean scent of disinfectant and nutrient medium.

Everything was orderly, saturated with high technology.

The nutrient fluid inside the tank was being absorbed by his body at a visible rate, like a parched sponge meeting water.

The extreme weakness faded swiftly; strength gathered once more in his limbs and bones.

He reached up, roughly tore off the respirator, and greedily sucked in the remaining air inside the tank, thick with the taste of nutrient solution.

Click.

The reinforced glass cover in front of him silently slid open.

Jie Ming braced his still-soft body, stumbled out of the tank, and collapsed onto the ice-cold, smooth metal floor.

Viscous fluid slid off his naked skin, pooling beneath him.

“Hah… hah…” He lay there, gulping air.

It was more than physiological need; it was the instinctive reaction of a survivor.

Only now did the terror of having been instantly “erased” crash over him like a delayed tsunami, bringing an almost suffocating chill.

Yet the cold air filling his lungs, the powerful beat of his heart, the solid feeling in his limbs—all told him clearly:

He was still alive!

Jie Ming raised his head and surveyed the familiar laboratory section. In an instant he understood.

The Substitute Death Doll! (Chapter 164)

That stern, unsmiling mentor who had nevertheless valued him highly had forced this life-saving artifact upon him before he departed for the living plane: a one-time wonder crafted with the extremely precious techniques of “causal reversal” and “soul anchoring.”

When its master suffered an instant-death effect, it would forcibly reversed causality, instantly transferring the soul into a pre-prepared clone grown from the master’s own genes and mental imprint—granting resurrection!

He immediately turned his perception inward to the depths of his soul.

Sure enough, the exquisite doll-like sigil that had been branded upon his soul origin was now covered in cracks, its glow dimming as it slowly dissipated.

A mixture of cold dread and celebration sent sweat soaking his back.

He had survived, but the terror of having faced “non-existence” was real and bone-deep.

Jie Ming quickly examined his condition.

Mental strength was vigorous and full, completely undiminished.

The Nascent Soul in his dantian appeared somewhat listless, an aftereffect of spiritual power overdraft during resurrection.

But his foundation remained solid; his realm had not fallen.

This clone body, perfectly cultivated from his own cells, shared the same essence, energy, and spirit. Apart from the initial weakness of a newborn vessel, there was no rejection or discomfort.

“Just the emptiness from spiritual power depletion… a little rest and I’ll recover,” Jie Ming exhaled in slight relief, only to feel a pang of regret immediately after.

“Unfortunately… all the adaptive-evolution resistances granted by the Body Forging Method were probably lost with the destruction of my previous body…”

Physical strength could be reforged with spiritual power, but those hard-earned resistances to various energies, environments, and even mental influences accumulated through countless life-and-death trials were a priceless treasure. Most likely…

The moment that thought arose, something strange happened!

The faint stinging in his mind from mental-power overdraw began to ease at an astonishing speed.

At the same time, the lingering bodily weakness receded like a tide, replaced by a familiar surge of strength and abundant vitality.

This sensation… was clearly the powerful resistance to “weakened states” that appeared only when the Body Forging Method reached profound levels!

“Could it be…” Incredulous joy exploded in Jie Ming’s eyes. “These resistances… didn’t vanish with the change of body?!”

He carefully examined himself and finally confirmed it.

Not only resistance to weakness—he could vaguely sense that his tolerance to extreme heat, extreme cold, toxins, and even a certain degree of mental interference remained exactly the same as before his “death”!

“Who would have thought… this body-tempering art was actually this profound?!” Shock coursed through Jie Ming’s heart.

The adaptive evolution granted by the Body Forging Method was evidently not limited to the physical body; to some extent it had been engraved upon his very life essence—or perhaps his soul.

Even after switching vessels, the fruits of that evolution were preserved!

An unexpected windfall!

He took a few more breaths, feeling power flood back into his limbs, then stood.

The sticky nutrient fluid made him uncomfortable. He glanced around and confirmed this was indeed was the “Biological Management and Living Specimen Storage Sector” beneath Mentor Clark’s laboratory.

“So Mentor Clark stored the resurrection body here,” he realized.

Before he could think further, the space beside him rippled like water.

The next second, Mentor Clark—clad in his impeccable black wizard robe, slightly balding, face stern and grave—appeared in the laboratory.

Clark’s all-seeing eyes swept over Jie Ming, lingering briefly.

Sensing his rapidly recovering state and the fading Substitute Death Doll imprint on his soul, Clark’s expression remained impassive, but he gave the tiniest nod, and the faint tension in his shoulders eased imperceptibly.

“It seems you met a troublesome enemy,” Clark said flatly, betraying no concern.

Yet Jie Ming knew this was simply his mentor’s way of showing care.

He nodded, still shaken. “I almost didn’t make it back.”

Clark merely hummed, then said coolly, “A loss is good for you. Remember this lesson. In the future, weigh your options more carefully, learn when to lie low, and think thrice before acting.”

Jie Ming broke into a tired yet sharp grin. “Mentor, this time… I wouldn’t say I lost. If luck is with us, I might even bring back the greatest merit.”

At those words, Clark’s perpetually furrowed brows lifted—an extremely rare sign of surprise.

But he asked no questions, only waved a hand. “If you can walk, follow me. You need to submit a formal report.”

“Yes, Mentor.”

Jie Ming glanced down at his naked, slime-covered body, pointed a finger, and traced a simple alchemical array in the air.

A faint spiritual glow mixed with his remaining mental strength flashed. The nutrient fluid clinging to him instantly decomposed, recombined, and transformed—becoming a clean, well-fitted grey wizard robe that draped over him.

Following Mentor Clark through the laboratory’s internal teleportation array, light and shadow flowed, and Jie Ming once more set foot on the solid, familiar ground of Noren Academy Sector 13.

Without the slightest delay, before he could even process the complex emotions of returning to the academy, Jie Ming immediately requisitioned a laboratory.

He sealed all external communication, mobilized every ounce of mental strength, and compiled nine whole years of experiences, observations, deductions—including his alliance with Rex, the frontline investigation, his direct confrontation with “Justice,” and the complete intelligence on the Mind Realm, the artificial intelligence “Justice,” and its core logic—into an extraordinarily detailed top-secret report.

Using the Magic Net terminal stored in his inner space, this report containing every secret of that plane was transmitted directly to the expeditionary force’s highest command headquarters for the unknown plane.

One could imagine the shock and attention this report would command among the top brass.

Jie Ming stood in the laboratory, gazing through the massive crystal window at the boundless starry sky beyond.

He knew that from this point forward, the stage belonged to those Rank-8 existences who stood at the pinnacle of wizard civilization.

With the intelligence he had provided, the Rank-8 wizards could launch a precisely targeted strike against “Justice” itself.

In other words, the outcome of this planar war was already decided.

But that was a battle beyond his current ability to participate in, so Jie Ming had no intention of returning immediately.

His mission was complete.

Gazing at the stars, complex emotions welled up in his heart toward that colossal plane imprisoned by “beautiful wishes,” and toward the sage who, chasing a utopian dream, had created such a frigid reality.

Yet no matter what—he had survived, and he had brought the truth back with him.