Getting Stronger By Fighting-Chapter 516 - 514 Sudden Change_1

In other words, rescuing Wang Zhan, compared to rescuing Three Seven, undoubtedly led to a higher survival rate given their current combination.

But looking at Wang Zhan, the Old Man suddenly spoke, "Kid, half of the tendons and bones within your body are already broken. You’re just a strand away from being crippled. Don’t you understand the principle of walking on a tightrope?"

The first ones to die are often the bravest; the ones who drown are often those proficient in swimming. Therefore, initially not knowing much about Wang Zhan, the Old Man—who himself possessed such strength—had truly believed it was Wang Zhan’s extraordinary Talent that allowed him to reach this level and possess such power. Only upon witnessing Wang Zhan’s battle tactics firsthand did the Old Man truly understand. This fellow was no dark horse at all. He was clearly a desperate man, risking his life, constantly pushing his own limits in life-or-death crises and then recovering.

If any Martial Artist possessed Wang Zhan’s determination and his past experiences, then undoubtedly, they too would surely reach the level of power Wang Zhan currently had; this was indisputable. Thus, the Old Man realized it was a strong will that had shaped everything about Wang Zhan, not merely his inborn Talent.

However, at this moment, Wang Zhan was just staring deeply at the ruins before him, a whirlwind of unknown emotions in his heart. Then, he quietly lowered the hand that had been peeking through a gap and returned to the bed. He began to meditate and regulate his breathing, saying only one sentence to the Old Man, "If you go through this a few more times, as long as you don’t die, you can always endure it."

He spoke casually, as if it were nothing important. Yet, when these words were accompanied by the subtle smile on Wang Zhan’s lips, a chill gripped the Old Man’s heart. He finally understood. He knew what the greatest difference was that he had sensed in Wang Zhan from the moment he first laid eyes on him: Wang Zhan’s coldness! His lofty demeanor, his profound indifference—it was such that he could face the complete ruin of his own body without so much as blinking.

Therefore, without a doubt, as soon as Wang Zhan truly matures, he will definitely become an extremely strong and extraordinarily terrifying figure! the Old Man realized. Because, the stark difference compared to anyone else is that Wang Zhan can not only be ruthless to others, but he is even more ruthless to himself! He is truly like an emotionless machine.

Wang Zhan paid no attention to the Old Man’s shock or other emotions like utter disbelief. He urgently needed to repair all the meridians in his body and recover his strength.

Otherwise, just by looking at the Old Man’s current demeanor and the subtly dimming glow around him, I can tell that if I dare to pin my hopes of survival on this fellow, death will be the only thing awaiting me! Wang Zhan thought. In other words, if I want to live, I have to save myself!

Therefore, while Wang Zhan used essence energy to repair the meridians in his body, he also began to assess the gains and losses of this battle. For instance, on one hand, Wang Zhan’s losses were severe. He had broken through to become a level 4 Martial General. However, fundamentally, he had lost over 900 points of essence energy and an entire bottle of Pure Essence Pills. From this perspective, Wang Zhan had suffered a thorough defeat.

But on the other hand, due to the immense pressure, Wang Zhan had managed to elevate the power of his Fatal One Slash to a critical point during combat. He had also timely slain one of the enemy’s clones—a complete extermination at that! Even if the enemy tried to recreate it, they would have to pay a heavy price. Thus, from this angle, Wang Zhan had undoubtedly made a huge profit from this exchange.

His few regrets were that he hadn’t obtained any spoils of war, and even his own physical body had taken a severe beating. Wang Zhan briefly summarized his thoughts. In conclusion, this was likely an exchange with balanced gains and losses. But for me, such a ’balanced’ outcome is tantamount to a loss. Moreover, I’m now in grave danger. Not only am I unaware of the situation in Quan State, but even Three Seven, the child I wanted to protect, has been unavoidably lost.

Thus, Wang Zhan’s mood quietly grew colder. This debt must be settled! he thought with detachment. Once I get out of here, or once I achieve another rapid breakthrough, I will definitely make that giant snake pay in blood! Therefore, for the giant snake, this was also a losing proposition. Both sides ended up harming the other without any real benefit to themselves. Alas, willingly or unwillingly, we’ve both been pushed to this point. It’s like the fated, deep-seated enmity between the Human Race and the Beast Clan...

As Wang Zhan’s thoughts grew increasingly complex, he shifted his focus to studying and familiarizing himself with the trajectory of the Fatal One Slash. The injuries in his body, under the furious mending of his essence energy, had mostly healed in what felt like the blink of an eye.

However, one thing Wang Zhan failed to notice was that the moment subtle fluctuations of essence energy appeared within him, the Old Man opposite, who was secretly observing him, felt his own eyes light up.

This kid... his body actually has fluctuations of essence energy? Just how many secrets is he hiding...? he immediately mused. The closer one got to Wang Zhan, the more curious one became. Especially for a powerful Martial Emperor like the Old Man, the fact that he couldn’t even see through Wang Zhan naturally made his suspicions heavier than anyone else’s.

Quite naturally, Wang Zhan must be hiding a great secret unknown to anyone in the Federation. Only with such a secret could he have risen so unexpectedly and become an elite among dark horses, the Old Man was certain. Of course, as powerful Martial Artists, who doesn’t hide countless secrets, big or small? Therefore, at this moment, I’m not particularly interested in Wang Zhan’s secrets. But I am truly curious... just how formidable can Wang Zhan’s strength be! To withstand a royal-level beast and maintain a dominant position—even though he only managed to escape safely under my cover—that alone is enough to demonstrate Wang Zhan’s incredible power!

Then, for a while, in the small room where both men were quietly healing and their minds were filled with complex thoughts, the very air seemed to slow its flow due to their silence, like a forgotten corner of the world.

To Wang Zhan’s surprise, when his injuries had healed to about seventy percent, the speed of recovery suddenly plummeted. An hour passed, then two, then three... After an indeterminate number of hours, Wang Zhan suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them. He finally understood why his healing had slowed. It might have been due to the advancement in his realm, or perhaps because of the surge in power of his Fatal One Slash. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Undoubtedly, while these factors had brought him powerful aid and inflicted wounds, they had also left him an unexpected surprise! Because Wang Zhan discovered that on the surface of the meridians, which had been ravaged by Essence Energy, their strength, along with the toughness of his skin, was now quietly yet significantly increasing.

After some testing and experimentation, Wang Zhan realized that if his previous self at the level 3 Martial General level merely possessed the robust vitality of a King-level physical body, then without a doubt, from this moment on, his physical strength was rapidly ascending towards the King-level peak. Almost instantaneously, he could clearly feel the powerful changes this brought.

So much so that a surge of heroic spirit rose within him. He desperately wanted to return to the battlefield and once again confront that arrogant, ignorant, and utterly detestable giant snake. Although there’s no actual personal grudge between us, having reached this point, the obsessions in our hearts must become the guiding light for our paths forward! Otherwise, if either of us were to shy away from battle or evade it, the only outcome would be the gradual collapse of our own conviction and a drastic decline in our strength. That was the strong foundation we each chose for our martial arts when we first set foot on the Martial Arts Path. Regrettably, these two foundations are inherently opposed and contradictory; one of us must fall!

Certainly, it’s not the right time yet, Wang Zhan also knew clearly. At least, not before addressing the Old Man’s purpose for traveling so far to this low-tier region. I must continue to suppress my inner impulses and maintain utmost vigilance to face any changes in Quan State City.

Therefore, quietly, Wang Zhan once again noticed the Old Man, who was still recuperating. Then, just as before, he walked over to the curtain and began to extend his mental energy bit by bit into the surroundings, hoping to get a glimpse of the situation within Quan State City.

However, just as Wang Zhan was putting his idea into action, the Old Man behind him, who had been trying his best to recover his own mental energy, suddenly opened his eyes and whispered, "It’s no use. Your mental energy can’t see through the original appearance of this place!"

His gaze was fixed solely on Wang Zhan.

"Huh?"

All of a sudden, a sharp sense of alarm gripped Wang Zhan’s heart. He felt an immense danger emanating from behind, accompanied by an overwhelming unease. Therefore, he slowly turned his head.

Then, he saw the Old Man, every inch of whom was now shrouded in golden light!