Chapter 23 - The Correct Solution and the True Way to Open Up
Lu Yuan's body shook violently and he staggered back several steps.
The middle-aged man who had kicked him back also retreated from the recoil.
But he did a beautiful backflip, using the force to steadily land on the hood of the minivan behind him.
Looking down with indifferent eyes at Lu Yuan.
"His leg skills are only comparable to mine, his strength should be around 10 points."
"Also, there is no pain sensation during battles in the conscious space!"
Lu Yuan judged the middle-aged man's strength value at a glance.
He shook his forearm that had blocked the earlier kick and looked up at the pouring rain.
He had just locked onto the opponent's figure and was considering what means to attack with next.
But he saw the mist in front of him explode, and the middle-aged man standing on the hood suddenly lifted his leg and viciously kicked towards his face.
Lu Yuan's pupils constricted sharply, and the world in front of him seemed to slow down by a thousandth of a second.
He could clearly see the man's kicking motion, the black leather shoe tip shattering raindrops as it rushed towards him.
"Swish!"
Lu Yuan sidestepped, perfectly dodging the middle-aged man's front kick.
The benefits of 10 points of agility were demonstrated at this moment.
Before this, Lu Yuan's reaction speed was not enough to support such an evasive reaction.
"Get down from there!"
After dodging this kick, Lu Yuan immediately turned and swept the middle-aged man's stance with a kick.
The latter reacted quickly as well, withdrawing rapidly to jump onto the roof of the minivan.
Lu Yuan put his foot on the front bumper, using it to leap onto the hood. His right fist fiercely punched at the middle-aged man's face.
Exchanging fists and kicks, the two quickly skirmished for several rounds.
Lu Yuan was fierce in his offense, forcing the middle-aged man down from the roof in a flash as their battle continued onto the rainy street.
The fight began to develop in a completely different direction from reality.
With improvements in strength and agility attributes, plus four basic martial arts techniques.
Lu Yuan felt his skills had improved considerably, and thought he could quickly take down the middle-aged man.
But on the contrary.
As a simulated opponent constructed from Lu Yuan's consciousness, stripped of all emotions and left with only pure combat instincts and techniques.
The middle-aged man unleashed strength far exceeding Lu Yuan's expectations.
After exchanging several quick rounds, Lu Yuan was completely stuck in the opponent's rhythm.
"How did he suddenly become so strong?"
"Or is this his original strength!"
The middle-aged man's leg techniques were extremely exquisite and sharp.
Vicious and ruthless.
Every time he lashed out with his leg, it seemed as if the pant leg contained a strong bloody aura.
His two legs took turns whipping Lu Yuan's body like a whip.
The speed of his kicks was extremely fast, like a storm of legs raining down, suppressing Lu Yuan to the point he could hardly breathe.
Although his strength was far superior, Lu Yuan could only continuously block and evade passively.
He simply could not find a good opportunity to counterattack.
Occasionally when he did fight back, the man would slippery as an eel, quickly opening distance from him when the situation was not favorable, waiting for the right time to come storming back.
This was too frustrating!
The ambitious spirit before the fight now seemed like a joke.
"If this continues, I might be kicked to death alive by his wild kicks!"
"This guy's leg techniques are not outside the basics, but the level is too high, probably already lv6 or lv7."
"The gap in techniques is too big, and his actual combat experience far exceeds mine."
"How do I solve this fight?"
If a loser in the real world suddenly turned the tables and beat him badly in the conscious space, that would be too embarrassing.
Lu Yuan was determined to win this match no matter what.
While thinking, his left arm was heavily struck again.
The huge impact force of the heavy kick made his whole body tremble violently.
Although there was no pain sensation during battles in the conscious space, the continuous passive beatings made Lu Yuan's heart congested with frustration.
After this kick, he could no longer hold back and suddenly erupted ferociously.
Blood rushed to his head, and as the middle-aged man's next kick came, he similarly met it head on with a kick!
"Boom!"
This kick was heavy.
Both of them staggered back.
Lu Yuan felt his right leg become a little numb.
The frontal collision of both legs caused a bone fracture in his right shin.
The injured state was perfectly simulated in the conscious space.
"Damn it!"
Lu Yuan suddenly regretted his earlier rash response. The injury to his right leg would surely affect his evasion, and the already difficult situation would undoubtedly become even worse.
"Huff-"
The middle-aged man's next kick tore through the rain curtain and howled towards him.
Lu Yuan staggered awkwardly on one foot to barely dodge it.
Originally, the opponent's second kick would have followed like a storm, then the third, fourth kicks...
But to his surprise, the middle-aged man's second kick this time came slowly.
And it kicked in the same direction as the last one.
"Wait!"
Lu Yuan raised his hand, bracing himself to block this kick, but his gaze fell on the middle-aged man.
When he saw the obviously unnatural approach of the opponent, a flash of insight struck Lu Yuan's mind like lightning.
In the pouring rain.
The teenager covered his head with both hands, looking somewhat disheveled as he continuously blocked the opponent's roundhouse kicks.
Rainwater and sweat splashed wildly from his hair.
But within those black eyes hidden behind the hair, rays of light were sparkling bit by bit.
"I think I know the solution."
"Huff-"
A long exhale.
Lu Yuan opened his eyes, withdrawing from the conscious battle.
The dry clothes he had just changed into after showering were now slightly damp with sweat, though he didn't know when that happened.
【Imaginary Enemy】 initial experience. End.
In the end, Lu Yuan still won.
But it was an extremely difficult victory, far more difficult than reality -
He had crippled the middle-aged man's legs in exchange for injury, then relied on his strength advantage to beat him to death on the rainy ground.
It was a very inglorious victory.
"If not for them looking down on me for just being a high school student with crude martial arts skills, and I was surrounded by their group, always maintaining an attitude of contempt and toying with me.
Plus I allocated points on the spot and my strength suddenly surged...
It would have been almost impossible to resolve the opponent so quickly in reality."
Recalling the ferocity and ruthlessness displayed by the middle-aged man in the conscious battle, Lu Yuan felt incredible that he was now sitting safe and sound in his bedroom, with only minor external injuries.
That fight was filled with too much luck. If it happened again, the outcome could be completely different.
"In any case, I got the last laugh in the end."
This incident also greatly warned Lu Yuan - never underestimate any opponent!
He didn't want to end up like that middle-aged man called "Brother Hei".
Despite possessing formidable and sharp leg skills, he still capsized in an open drain, and finally had both legs broken by a "martial arts newbie" with a baseball bat.
That guy was probably having tea and buns at the police station now.
"The effect of【Imaginary Enemy】 is even stronger than I expected!"
Lu Yuan didn't think the imaginary opponent constructed from his memories.
Would be a 100% perfect replication of reality in the conscious battle.
Not based on his own shallow perception of the opponent.
Thinking back on the conscious battle again, Lu Yuan's expression became complex.
That sharp and domineering leg work of the middle-aged man really made him extremely envious.
Although it was just those basic leg technique moves repeated back and forth, not too difficult, but each kick was as sharp as a military knife when executed by him.
And that wild, savage, bloody aura, heaven knows how many opponents he had crippled to cultivate it.
"If I had leg skills comparable to his, with my strength advantage, this fight wouldn't have been so difficult."
"Wait! What am I envying? I can totally learn from him!"
"What could be more suitable as a combat teacher than the enemy?"
Thinking this, Lu Yuan's eyes lit up. The more he pondered, the more feasible he felt this idea was.
He even felt this.
Perhaps, this was the truly correct way to unlock【Imaginary Enemy】!
"Unlimited combat lessons, I don't believe I can't grasp the essence of these leg techniques!"
Lu Yuan became excited and impatient, immediately closing his eyes again.
"Activate skill, 【Imaginary Enemy】!"