AI Cultivation: Reborn as a Sword
Chapter 62: Inner World Sphere (5)

The First Layer test result is always the same.

Wukong charges at her and delivers a powerful punch to the center of her mass, destroying her internal organs. She attempts to avoid this by using her Heartless Blood Lily movement technique, but she cannot outrun Wukong who does not even practice any martial arts.

Then she attempted to pass the test with a double knockout, by using her Storm Cleaver, but that also fails to have any significant effect as even with her profound understanding of sword Qi, she cannot do more than sever a blocking limb, before her organs are recycled into general biomass.

Lan Xiaohui is either very stubborn or cannot resist a challenge — at this point, both are equally likely, though I’d prefer to think that it is the latter.

By the time she gives up on offense or avoidance entirely, five hours have passed in the Inner World Sphere, which corresponds to two and a half days outside of the sphere.

My sub routines inform me that the [Nooparallelism] sliver of consciousness repairing Lan Xiaohui’s body is proceeding along its task with limited but significant efficiency. Luckily, I do not have to operate my internal array to process materials and I would rather not dedicate unnecessary attention to improving my Dao through the various Insights I obtained.

My primary concern is Lan Xiaohui’s battle readiness. At any moment, now, an unknown element could enter the Spirit Basin Grotto and attack her, and in her current state, there would be little she could do to defend herself properly. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the N0vᴇlFirᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Unfortunately, the Inner World Sphere requires my consciousness as well but not to operate it; learning its secrets is what requires my consciousness.

For example, every time Wukong appears, I can sense the array on the Inner World Sphere perform an operation, and I am getting ever closer to understand what it is.

This Inner World contains many mysteries and the first mystery that has me so intrigued is the fact that this is the Inner World Sphere, but my sub routines recognize it also as the Devoured Worlds Sphere.

It could be that the name of the array is simply [Inner World Sphere], but in either case, it strongly suggests that the Devoured Worlds Sphere and the Inner World Sphere are two distinct, but possibly connected, entities.

Every time Wukong appears, the operation of the array could reveal the connection or the nature of these two entities, and if I can divine its nature, and possibly comprehend the array, then I could modify it or operate it more efficiently.

The other pertinent mystery that requires solving is how to operate the [World Eater] talent. Perhaps it is pointless to worry about it now, as I’ve only had a single opportunity to use the talent — which failed to activate properly — but I would prefer not to miss an opportunity because the talent did not come with a proper instruction document.

Nevertheless, Lan Xiaohui takes a more defensive approach this time. Either she has learned what the purpose of this stress test is, or she thinks that if she can withstand one blow from Wukong then she could counter attack more effectively.

She uses a technique that comes like second nature to her as a sword cultivator. When she attacks with my vessel, she clads my edge in sword Qi, and this is not only to sharpen my blade, but also to protect it from damage.

However, her attempts at cladding my vessel in sword Qi and using my vessel to block has had disastrous results so far — either I would slam into her body and pulverize her, or cleave through her meat as if it was made of paper.

Her current approach is different. She clads her own body in a layer of sword Qi and waits for Wukong. She doesn’t even attack, or try to defend herself otherwise. Even though the haptic feedback is now enabled and she can feel every moment of pain and agony, she waits for Wukong.

Wukong, naturally, obliges her death wish gladly, his bestial face twisting into a monstrous grin. It might also be because Lan Xiaohui is so relaxed that most of the blow goes right through her, but the layer of sword Qi ultimately fails to make a large difference, and she is once again blown away by Wukong’s punch, and killed instantly.

As soon as the voice announces the end of the battle simulation, it then immediately announces the start of the next one.

Lan Xiaohui is back.

Wukong appears in a flash of light, but once more I am unable to understand the operation of the array.

The test begins and Lan Xiaohui is once again expelled from the array.

This process repeats itself time and time again.

Perhaps knowing that the only punishment for failure is the pain of death, and not actual death, it helps Lan Xiaohui cope with the harshness of the test. It is no mystery to me that in Lan Xiaohui’s world view a failed challenge that one survives is but a lesson to help her succeed in the future. Pain is a small price to pay — maiming or having her cultivation destroyed is not an acceptable outcome. Perhaps exactly because she had her cultivation destroyed once she is even more eager to face all tribulations.

In fact, to her, this test might not even qualify as “harsh”.

Slowly but steadily, she improves.

She learns a way to quickly form and move her sword Qi, in order to make the protective barrier smaller and more condensed — right in the path of Wukong’s fist. This kind of achievement requires a significant amount of perception which would likely be a lot easier to perform if she used the mnemonic device I taught her.

Her sword Qi continuously improves with each blow from Wukong’s fist. This is not only Lan Xiaohui’s deepening comprehension of sword Qi, but also a reflexive action that tempers and refines the sword Qi with Yin energy to oppose Wukong’s fierce style of combat. In other words, rather than creating a rigid barrier, she is allowing the protective layer of Qi to become more flexible — not to absorb the blow, but to soften it to a point where she could withstand it.

Even so, after dozens of attempts, it is not enough, and each time Lan Xiaohui’s internal structure suffers a complete failure, and her existence terminates.

This time, when Lan Xiaohui doesn’t return immediately, I wait around thirty seconds and then depart the Inner World Sphere as well.

Lan Xiaohui sits at the edge of the basin, and even though she can feel the presence of my consciousness, she does not make any motion to make herself modest.

Behind her, the makeshift campfire is still burning the small amount of wood we fed it nearly four days ago, having only burnt about half of its available fuel.

Lan Xiaohui’s attention, however, is entirely focused on a single mote of sword Qi that hovers above her finger, and she stares at it with a confused but also excited expression.

At first, I do not comprehend her fascination, but then I sense a wave travel through the body of water.

Again, a few seconds pass, and then another wave emanates from Lan Xiaohui’s position. This time, I am fairly certain I see the sword Qi above her finger pulse with light at the same time as the wave appears.

On closer inspection, I feel that the sword Qi contains a mysterious force within it.

“Look,” Lan Xiaohui says, flicking her finger downwards, as if slashing the air with the tiny mote of sword Qi, and the top layer of water beneath her parts, as if a physical sword slashed through it.

Fascinating.

This cannot possibly be her sword Qi. Mine is far more powerful than hers, but even mine cannot achieve such an effect.

“Explain your process,” I tell her.

“What?”

“How are you doing this?” I rephrase.

She smiles and extends her hand towards me. A cluster of sword Qi appears above her palm, and then vanishes, leaving behind a single mote of sword Qi.

This is not compression or refinement.

I don’t know what it is.

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