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Time passed peacefully, with cultivation and breakthroughs forming the rhythm of Bai Xu's life. Since joining the Blood God Camp, he had gained a considerable degree of freedom. However, whenever Bai Xu participated in battles, the Blood God had to be present to guard against potential ambushes from the Abyss.
Minor skirmishes no longer required Bai Xu's involvement—only Abyssal Tides of Level One or higher would summon him to the frontlines.
As a result, Bai Xu had plenty of free time.
To make use of it, he spent his merit points on a Star Network Device, which allowed him to connect to the Star Dou Battle Network.
This was akin to a virtual space where one's consciousness could enter, as if living in another world. Here, combatants could go all out in duels—even if someone was killed in the network, they wouldn't die in reality.
The moment Bai Xu logged into the Star Dou Battle Network, a silver figure was already waiting beside him.
Gu Yuena complained, "Getting you to log in is such a hassle. Here, we can fight to our heart's content—why are you so reluctant?"
"I'm just a little late, that's all."
"Enough, let's go. We're having a match." Her heroic demeanor shone through as she dragged Bai Xu toward the arena.
"You sure?"
Remembering something, Gu Yuena gritted her teeth and added, "No using those secret techniques that target the Silver Dragon's origin!"
"Fine, let's go."
As they walked, Bai Xu glanced at Gu Yuena's profile in the Star Battle Network. In the federation's ranked matches here, she had already won eight consecutive victories, advancing to the top sixteen.
Her ID in the Star Battle Network: Silver Dragon Princess.
"Bai Xu, do you want to know the name of my three-word Battle Armor?" Gu Yuena glanced at him, her tone oddly hesitant. Logically, given how close they were, there shouldn't be any awkwardness between them. Yet even now, she found it hard to bring up certain topics.
"I'd rather hear the name of your four-word Battle Armor," Bai Xu teased.
"Hmph, I've already decided on it." Her voice softened. "Silver Dragon Rising Sun—Gu Yuena of the Silver Dragon Rising Sun. How does that sound?"
"Not bad. But… I don't have Battle Armor. And I might not even have a Title when the time comes." Bai Xu froze. The moment he reached the 90th rank, chaos would inevitably follow. By then, he'd likely be known more as the "Otherworldly Demon" than a Titled Douluo.
"Whether you have one or not doesn't matter—I do."
Soon, they arrived at the dueling platform.
A cold, electronic voice echoed, announcing the rules and precautions for the match.
Bai Xu grinned. "Since we don't have to worry about life and death here, how about I test a new technique?"
"Go ahead. At worst, I'll just log back in later!" Gu Yuena's fighting spirit burned brightly. She was already close to becoming a Soul Douluo and was a three-word Battle Armor master. The adaptive armor Bai Xu had given her could grow alongside her strength, molding itself to her body as if the Five Elements themselves understood her.
"Then… be careful!"
The next moment, Gu Yuena saw the willow tree—its emerald trunk towering thirty meters high, its branches swaying as countless snowy willow fluffs filled the air.
"Still trying to target the Silver Dragon's origin? As long as these don't touch me—" Gu Yuena raised her dragon spear, preparing to counter with her own devouring ability.
But suddenly, the willow fluffs embedded themselves into the void, lashing at the space around her. The surrounding area began collapsing, inching closer to her. She thought of teleporting, but the space was already saturated with the fluffs—any movement would force contact with them.
"Whatever!"
Her dragon wings unfurled, and her three-word Battle Armor's battle skirt gleamed, the silver plating enhancing her heroic aura. Then, a series of explosions shattered the collapsing space, dispersing the willow fluffs but also obscuring both fighters' vision.
Whoosh!
A silver figure abruptly appeared behind Bai Xu, her dragon spear thrusting forward while her left hand gathered a storm of destructive elemental lightning.
Whoosh!
Bai Xu teleported as well, reappearing behind Gu Yuena. "Relying solely on teleportation in spatial combat is such a waste. There's so much more you can do with space."
Gu Yuena had anticipated this. The elemental lightning in her left hand was precisely for this moment. Yet Bai Xu wasn't defenseless—his right hand radiated a five-colored mystical light, catching the seven-element lightning with ease. The crackling energy writhed in his grasp but couldn't break through the five-colored barrier.
Seizing the chance, Gu Yuena retreated, watching as the surrounding space mended itself. Her brows furrowed under mounting pressure. "What form is this now?"
Bai Xu's body was now enveloped in the five-colored radiance, the light thickening like flames until even his face was obscured—only his eyes remained visible.
"This is a natural result of reaching a certain stage in Meridian Awakening. But it's still incomplete—lacking power. This is my first time trying it; it's hard to go all out normally." He explained while analyzing his new state.
"You really love transforming, don't you? And always in the most colorful ways." Gu Yuena scoffed, her Silver Dragon Spear gleaming menacingly. She didn't use the Dragon God Core, relying solely on her three-word Battle Armor as the two clashed violently.
Bai Xu met the spear with his fist. The Silver Dragon Spear devoured a portion of the five-colored light, exposing his arm—yet it couldn't pierce his skin. In the next instant, the light reformed, though fighting the Silver Dragon Spear with just the Five Elements Avatar was still at a disadvantage.
"Your devouring ability is downright cheating," he remarked.
"Takes one to know one. Without this spear, I'd lose in a pure physical fight." Gu Yuena's grip on the spear trembled slightly—Bai Xu had clearly overpowered her in that exchange. And this likely wasn't even his full strength. Someone who could match the Golden Dragon King in raw power wouldn't be this limited.
"Next, let's compare spells." Bai Xu raised a finger like a sword.
Gu Yuena mirrored him, summoning the seven elements. "Seven Elements—Sky-Piercing Spear!"
The elemental spear was nearly a direct manifestation of elemental law. Unfortunately, Gu Yuena's cultivation wasn't yet sufficient to perfect this technique.
"The Five Elements represent harmony with nature, ensuring order and balance. Reversing them is called Plundering the Five Elements—a method that defies natural law." As Bai Xu spoke, Gu Yuena felt a growing unease. This guy always came up with things beyond common understanding.
"To follow is human, to defy is divine—the truth lies in the reversal between."
"Inverse Five Elements! All Paths Are Techniques, All Methods Are Void."
Suddenly, the world lost all color, leaving only monochrome gray. The sole remaining hues were the five-colored lights shrouding Bai Xu. Gu Yuena looked up—her Sky-Piercing Spear was disintegrating, its form unraveling as if undone by chaos.
Fortunately, the effect lasted only a second. Bai Xu wasn't yet proficient with it, so Gu Yuena remained largely unaffected. Still, her amazement grew as nine-colored light began emanating from her body—the Dragon God Core activating.
"On my own… I really can't beat you." She admitted.
"Then come at me with everything!"
This time, Gu Yuena discarded her Silver Dragon Spear, clashing with Bai Xu in a battle of avatars.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out endlessly. The naked eye could no longer track their movements, and the arena was long destroyed. Their power exceeded all limits—yet in the end, neither emerged victorious.
After the Match
"Bai Xu, there's something I need to tell you." Gu Yuena said.
"What is it?"
"In a few days, I'll be returning to the Blood God Legion. After some more service, my teacher will recall me. I won't be stationed there permanently—the development of the ten-thousand-year spirit souls can't proceed without me."
"Alright."
"That's not what I wanted to say…" Gu Yuena hesitated before finally speaking. "Due to the fusion, even though I'm the dominant personality, Gu Yue and Na'er still exist. They… will also emerge."
!!!!
Bai Xu's eyes widened. "You mean—"
"Exactly what you're thinking. The next time you see me… it'll be Gu Yue."
"Are you hinting that I should seize the opportunity?" He smirked.
"Seize your head! I'm warning you—no touching!" Gu Yuena was dead serious. She and Bai Xu had already crossed that line. If Gu Yue and Na'er also… well, it wouldn't be too bad.
But the real problem was that all three of them shared the same body!
That was absolutely unacceptable!
"So if you dare lay a finger on Gu Yue or Na'er, you're dead when I come back."
Bai Xu's mind reeled. This was getting out of hand. Three personalities, one body—all connected to him. If things went further… He didn't even want to imagine it. It was too much, even for him.
In a way, the three were one—so it wasn't entirely wrong.
But the more he thought about it, the more tangled the relationships became, and soon, even his thoughts were in chaos.