strokinit Chapter 673 On the Way
Chapter 673 On the Way
Chapter 673 On the Way
As these thoughts raced through Jemin's mind, his hands didn't stop, but his movements suddenly became much gentler.
The clone hesitated only slightly in response to Jemin's words before launching another attack.
The clone used the Tai Xu Step at full power, leaving long afterimages in the mirror.
However, the clone was ultimately not powerful enough, and it was always a beat too slow to turn around whenever the real Jemin appeared behind it.
With both sides possessing equal knowledge and skills, the difference in strength made it exceptionally easy for Jemin to deal with the clone before him, even simpler than dealing with other natural disaster-level anomalies.
While dealing with the opponent's attack, Jemin even had the time to deflect all the aftershocks.
After easily defeating the clone's resistance once again, Jemin raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and a miniature magic circle appeared in his palm.
The magic circle shone brightly around the replica, and blue rune lines emerged from the void, enveloping the replica in the center like a spider web.
However, this is not used for sealing, but is a regular binding array.
The clone sensed the change in Jemin's intentions, and the expression of hatred on its face, which was exactly the same as Jemin's, became even more distorted.
His body moved rapidly around Jemin, and the mirrors on both sides of the passage shattered automatically where he passed, the edges of the fragments sharp as knives, spinning in the air and flying towards Jemin.
Jemin ignored the shards; the blessed glass fragments slid across his skin without leaving a trace.
His hands moved rhythmically in the air, releasing binding runes from his fingertips, weaving them into an impenetrable net within the narrow space of the maze.
The clone struggled violently the moment it was trapped in the net, and the Divine Light of Annihilation of Fire shot wildly in all directions, shattering all the remaining mirrors in the maze.
The fragments danced in the air, each reflecting the image of Jemin and his replica. Countless images swirled, overlapped, and intertwined within the fragments, making the entire space resemble a shattered kaleidoscope.
Unfortunately, faced with such an attack, Jemin even had the time to block all of the Blazing Extinction Divine Light!
A golden light shone on Jemin's forehead as the Destiny System pushed an important piece of data to the front of his consciousness: the clone's expression had changed.
Sure enough, after a dozen seconds, the clone's struggles lessened.
The twisted, grotesque expression of hatred on his face receded like the tide, revealing a calm face beneath, identical to Jemin's.
His eyes changed from wide open with hostility to a slight squinting with annoyance.
He looked at the golden binding runes on his body, then at Jemin standing in front of him, his lips moved, but he didn't speak.
Jemin was also looking at him.
The two stood face to face amidst the ruins of shattered mirrors, the air thick with the smell of glass dust and residual energy.
The clone's breathing changed from rapid to even, and Jemin's hands withdrew from the netting posture and hung down at his sides.
The silence lasted for a few seconds.
Then the two of them laughed at the same time, with a knowing smile.
No explanation was needed, because the two people had exactly the same knowledge and way of thinking, so they both figured out the situation at the same time.
This is the effect of body forging method.
The clone also has a body-forging method. Although its level is not as high as the original, its adaptive evolution can still quickly generate "resistance".
This naturally includes resistance to the state of "bizarre creation of distorted consciousness".
The clones are implanted with the obsession of "hatred for the original" the moment they are created, but the body tempering method ignores this and forcibly evolves the corresponding resistance.
Jemin raised his hand and made a gesture in the air. The binding runes fell off the clone and disappeared into the air like snowflakes.
The clone stretched its wrists and shoulders, then sat cross-legged in front of him.
Jemin sat down cross-legged opposite him.
The two people faced each other, separated by a pile of broken glass and dust on the ground.
"Can you leave here?" Jemin asked directly.
The clone shook its head.
His voice was exactly the same as Jemin's, only with a slight tinge of awkwardness: "I exist only because of the power of this eerie city and the unique laws of this world. If I leave this city, my structure will collapse within seconds. If I leave this world, I can't even maintain the most basic energy cycle. I can only stay here."
Jemin nodded, his expression unchanged, but there was a hint of regret in his eyes.
"So, is your current state also considered to be in harmony with the Dao?"
The clone looked down at its hands, clenched its fists, and then relaxed them.
His fingers briefly become translucent when he clenches his fist, a sign that his presence is not stable.
His body was constantly drawing nutrients from the city's eerie energy to sustain itself.
"More or less." The clone raised its head. "But I can only be considered to have achieved Dao in this plane. It's not the same concept as the Dao achievement you're looking for. You understand the difference between achieving Dao at the plane level and achieving Dao across the entire world better than I do. However—"
He tilted his head slightly and smiled gently: "My experience can serve as your reference."
Jemin's eyes lit up. This was even better than he had expected.
He originally only wanted to study the characteristics of strange law-based creatures, but unexpectedly a living reference sample of Dao Integration appeared right in front of him.
"If you could get out," Jemin changed his perspective, "how high do you think the risk of you merging with the Dao and transforming into its essence is?"
The clone sighed.
The sigh was very soft, but when it came out of his mouth, the surrounding air seemed to vibrate.
"Although we have the same knowledge, there are still differences. Total strength, mastery of laws, and completeness of life form." He stretched out his finger and pointed to his chest, where the core of his Dharma body was located, but it was much dimmer than Jemin's original body.
"My core is not stable enough. If I were to merge with the Dao, the probability of me becoming a Daoist would be over 90%."
Hearing this, Jemin frowned slightly, but the clone's next words made his brow relax.
"But you don't need to worry. With your current level, relying on the worldly energy provided by incense and the faith of all living beings, your success rate in achieving enlightenment should exceed 95%," the clone added.
"Your research on the supernatural is indeed very useful. And the ideas in the professor's notebook, plus the expansions you made on that basis—those things filled the last few gaps in your path to enlightenment. Without them, your success rate would probably be around 70%."
Jemin paused for two seconds, then uttered a single word.
"good."
The clone opposite nodded slightly, then stretched out its hand and drew a line on the ground between the two of them.
"Then let's begin." The clone's voice became calm and formal, like a teacher just before speaking in class. "I will begin with the essence of the Dao."
Jemin adjusted his cross-legged posture, placing his hands on his knees with his palms facing up.
The sound of the replica echoed in the small space.
His tone was steady, and his pace was moderate, almost exactly the same as when Jemin lectured Eric in the bookstore.
"The essence of harmony with the Dao is not fusion, but confirmation. Your relationship with the laws of the world is not two different things merging into a new thing, but a confirmation that you are originally the same thing. You don't need to 'become' a part of the laws, you only need to 'realize' that you already are."
"The traditional path of Dao integration in the cultivation world is so risky because it attempts to achieve 'confirmation' through 'integration.' This is a logical paradox: when you integrate into something you already belong to, the process itself is an admission of your 'absence.' The harder you try to integrate, the more you reinforce the perception of 'I am not part of it,' making it easier for the laws to see you as an outsider. Dao transformation is not the laws' rejection of you, but your own self-denial."
Jemin lowered his head in thought, and quickly grasped the concept: "Does that mean I have to completely forget myself?"
"No, the most troublesome thing about merging with the Dao is that you can't completely forget that you are in a state of merging with the Dao, otherwise you will also be assimilated—"
"The reason why incense and religious rites are effective is because they remind you when you've completely forgotten about them. The power of people's beliefs lies not in how strong the spiritual protection they provide, but in the fact that they can act as a last resort—"
The clone's voice continued to echo through the ruins of the labyrinth, and Jemin's consciousness followed his words, searching for new paths within the familiar framework of knowledge he already possessed.
The two of them continued their question-and-answer session, losing track of time.
There is no day or night in the Mirror Palace, only endless shadows reflected by countless mirrors.
The shadows in the mirror silently watched two identical people sitting on the ground, face to face, eyes closed, lips moving rapidly.
The voices were soft, but the pace was fast, like two computers exchanging data at high speed.
The energy fluctuations outside are becoming increasingly intense.
Other wizards were frequently fighting throughout the Hollow City. The sounds of explosions and the aftershocks of energy shocks came from afar, passing through the walls and mirrors of the Mirror Palace, turning into a continuous low-frequency hum in the ears of the two men.
The buzzing sounds were like the tides of the distant sea; it was unclear whether the tide was rising or falling, but it kept ringing tirelessly.
Neither Jemin nor the clone paid any attention to the voices, completely absorbed in their discussion.
They discussed the essence of harmony with the Tao, the cognitive model of laws, the mechanism of Taoism, and the working principle of incense and deities.
Each topic is like the root system of a big tree, extending downwards, branching out, and branching out again, intertwining with other roots at the bottom of the soil to form an inseparable network.
Time slips away unnoticed.
The energy fluctuations outside the maze grew increasingly intense, and the frequency of explosions and law-based vibrations from afar increased, with shorter intervals.
After an unknown amount of time, Jemin finally opened his eyes.
The clone also opened its eyes.
The other's face was reflected in each of their pores.
"My path holds promise!"
"good!"
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