CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50, TERRIFYING PHANTOM_1

Jiang Chen scrutinized the figure. "Could this also be a Swordsman?"

"You guessed right. He is a Swordsman, just like you. Although he is a virtual shadow with no thoughts of his own, he has already acquired the combat patterns from level 1 to 9. Next, your virtual shadow will battle his."

Jiang Chen looked at his virtual shadow. Bro, are you up to the task?

Jiang Chen was filled with doubt.

Zhang Wencheng laughed. "Your consciousness will link with the virtual shadow, and you will control it in the fight against him."

Jiang Chen now understood. They would be fighting using virtual shadows; he could control his, while the opponent’s shadow merely followed programmed patterns and had no consciousness.

Jiang Chen laughed. "Then that’s way too easy! I can obliterate him in seconds."

Jiang Chen was brimming with confidence.

"Is that so? We shall see. He is very strong, not just ordinarily strong, so you’d better be careful. If you fail, there will be no rewards."

"Let’s begin!"

Jiang Chen stood outside the circle. At that moment, he felt his consciousness linking with his virtual shadow. The shadow checked its skills, which could also be amplified a hundredfold.

With such conditions, isn’t this fight going to be very easy? He didn’t believe the opposing virtual shadow stood a chance against his own.

"Are you ready?"

"We can start."

"Good."

As Zhang Wencheng exclaimed, "Good," the battle commenced.

The virtual shadow on the other side looked at Jiang Chen with a smug smile. Jiang Chen was furious. Still smiling? We’ll see about that! Take this!

WHOOSH...

A forty-meter-long sword light rushed towards the opposing shadow—quick, ruthless, and accurate...

Then, the opposing shadow dodged the attack with a swift sidestep.

Jiang Chen was dumbstruck.

This guy’s good! He can even dodge Sword Qi?

Let’s try another strike.

ZIISH...

Another sword light streaked across. The shadow dodged again with a sidestep. Jiang Chen judged the distance. Thirty meters... is that a bit too far?

Alright, let’s get closer. Jiang Chen activated the Crosswise Sword Qi State, a hundred Sword Auras instantly surrounding him as he charged at the virtual shadow.

He drew his sword once more to attack the opposing shadow.

The opposing shadow dodged skillfully again, then a Sword Qi blast shot towards Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen was shocked. Damn, is this Swordsman also augmented a hundredfold?

Jiang Chen dodged with a sidestep, his expression turning grave.

No wonder he could clear the ninth level. So, he’s a Swordsman who uses Sword Qi and possesses great offensive power. Jiang Chen dared not be careless now.

He attacked with his sword again, which the opponent deftly avoided. While evading, the opponent sent a Sword Qi stab hurtling toward Jiang Chen.

A Diagonally Jump Cut?

WHOOSH...

This time Jiang Chen sustained damage. He stared incredulously at his opponent.

He can counterattack while dodging?

This movement technique is incredible!

At full strength, Jiang Chen possessed a Blood Colored Shield with 500,000 HP. This single strike had already reduced it by 5,000.

Jiang Chen couldn’t afford to be negligent. He flashed next to the virtual shadow, planning to use Jianqi Zongheng to obliterate his foe; surely the shadow couldn’t withstand an attack from a hundred Sword Auras.

Unfortunately, Jiang Chen had miscalculated.

Just as Jiang Chen teleported, he discovered the virtual shadow had cleverly positioned itself two meters away.

This...

How is that possible?

Can this virtual shadow predict the future?

Jiang Chen froze. In his moment of distraction, he was attacked again, and the remaining 5,000 HP of his Blood Colored Shield vanished instantly.

UH...

Is this really just a virtual shadow?

If even the shadow is this powerful, then the real person must be incredibly strong! Jiang Cheng always fought Demonic Beings with a very straightforward method: either killing them from 40 meters away with Sword Qi or performing a close-up massacre with Sword Qi Surging.

Even in battles against humans, he relied on his speed advantage and Jianqi Zongheng to quickly kill opponents, without any sophisticated movement techniques.

Take Jiang Chen’s evasion of attacks, for example. His opponent cleverly avoided them while managing a counterattack; Jiang Chen, on the other hand, simply sidestepped clumsily, lacking any sophisticated movement techniques and ending up in awkward postures.

Jiang Chen was enraged. I have Hundred Times Amplification, and I still can’t defeat a mere virtual shadow?!

Jiang Chen’s figure flashed, appearing behind the opposing shadow.

But as Jiang Chen moved, so did the shadow, as if it knew exactly where he would be. It effortlessly dodged his attack and, moreover, counterattacked the very spot where Jiang Chen reappeared.

Another 5,000 HP vanished.

Jiang Chen flashed again...

Five thousand HP, gone.

He flashed again.

Another 5,000 HP disappeared.

Zhang Wencheng said, "Your movements are fast, but there’s a flaw when you teleport. When you flash from one place to another, your mind doesn’t quite keep up.

"There’s a one-second delay, a momentary stun. Although it’s brief, for a master, it’s an opportunity.

You might manage against an average person, but you’re no match for a skilled opponent.

Speed alone doesn’t guarantee victory."

Jiang Chen kept silent.

Zhang Wencheng was right. When Jiang Chen teleported from one place to another, his speed was so great that it indeed caused a brief mental lag.

It was like closing your eyes and then suddenly opening them, experiencing a moment of dizziness. It was during this exact instant that the opposing shadow made its move, creating a two-meter distance.

Jiang Chen said, "Then how can I change this?"

"That’s something you need to comprehend on your own. Your speed is an advantage, your offensive power is an advantage, and your Sword Qi reaching forty meters is an advantage. You need to learn to act decisively in that instant."

Jiang Chen had only been focused on using Flash in the Void to get close to the shadow, then relying on the rapid attacks of Jianqi Zongheng to kill it. Jiang Chen was very fast, but so was his opponent—just not as outrageously fast as him.

"The opponent’s Sword Qi isn’t as long as yours, just around 10 meters. He defeated the Demonic Tree Monster with his movement technique, not by killing it from 30 meters away with Sword Qi."

Jiang Chen pondered.

Defeating a Demonic Tree Monster with movement techniques? But how? That Tree Demon has dozens of attacking tendrils; it seems impossible to dodge them all with quick movements alone!

Jiang Chen couldn’t imagine someone being that formidable.

To think someone could dodge all the tendril attacks of a Demonic Tree Monster using only movement techniques...

Zhang Wencheng continued, "The way you’ve thought about combat from the very beginning is flawed. Skills are powerful, yes, but what’s truly powerful isn’t the skill—it’s the user.

"Leveling up by hunting monsters, do you think it’s all about the Tank Knight taking the frontlines, the Mage casting magic from behind, the Priest using skills from the back, and the Archer taking potshots from the side? Is that what you think combat is?"

Jiang Chen couldn’t refute it; that was indeed his understanding of combat.

Working together to kill monsters.

"If you want to become strong, it’s not just about relying on skills, but on your own understanding of battle. If you can kill the Demonic Tree Monster with movement techniques, that’s when you’ll truly be strong, not just by casting Sword Qi from thirty meters away."

Jiang Chen wanted to retort with a single thought: Being able to rely on Sword Qi is a skill in itself!

Jiang Chen continued to fight the virtual shadow, carefully observing its movements. He wasn’t in a hurry to attack but charged towards the shadow, not relying on Flash in the Void, to see how it avoided Sword Qi.

Zhang Wencheng nodded, impressed. This kid is insightful. Now it’s just a matter of how much he can learn.

Gradually, Jiang Chen became familiar with the opponent’s movements. He started to learn and imitate them, progressing from awkward mimicry to familiar execution.

While learning, Jiang Chen also attacked.

The virtual shadow occasionally struck back. Jiang Chen could deftly avoid its attacks from ten meters away, but within that range, he was invariably hit.

Is this the difference in skill?

Jiang Chen sensed a shift on the battlefield. He entered a State of Enlightenment and began learning from the virtual shadow, slowly closing the distance between them.