Cosmic Professional Gladiator
chapter-717

In the virtual world, Xu Jingming had delved deep into the humanities, experiencing illusory realms and even surviving the test of life and death in the mysterious land. He had spent countless hours studying the Eight Directions Map, observing the evolution of humans on over 10,000 planets, and analyzing the effects of desire on humanity. His theoretical knowledge was excellent.

Despite all this, Xu Jingming found himself stuck at the sixth level of the Eight Directions Map: Life and Death.

The virtual world's learning requirements deemed Xu Jingming's understanding of life and death to be sufficient, but even after enduring corruption and cultivating for over 10,000 years, he still fell short of the Eight Directions Map's standards.

It was because… Xu Jingming had never truly experienced the threat of death.

Sure, there were dangers in his youth, fighting in the arena, but the risks were never life-threatening. Even a broken leg was considered a serious injury.

Later, it was safer to learn and grow in the virtual world.

After becoming an Origin lifeform, the dangers at the borders were still present, but even death could be undone by the three Paramount realms. There was no true sense of danger.

Until now.

For the first time, Xu Jingming felt the threat of death looming over him.

Images of his loved ones flashed before his eyes: his wife, daughter, parents, and others. His survival instincts kicked in.

No, I can't die! I can't die! Xu Jingming's head buzzed, his eyes turned red, and his body surged with adrenaline. He tapped into every ounce of his potential to survive.

"It's over! You're finished!" the thin ape taunted, his fists slamming down like sledgehammers aimed at pulverizing Xu Jingming.

Boom!

Xu Jingming dodged the thin ape's fists as they struck the center of the crater.

"Huh?" The ape looked surprised. "You stayed lucid after being hit with 60% of my strength?"

Xu Jingming stood a short distance away, his body pulsing with scorching white waves. His eyes glowed red as he looked at the thin ape. "Thanks for showing me what it truly means to fear for my life."

No amount of theory or illusory realm experience could compare to the real deal.

The fear for his life!

His brain felt like it was about to explode. The potential hidden within him erupted like the Big Bang. He didn't care about his body's limits; his only goal was to survive. He unleashed his life's full potential to do so.

Life needs fear. Xu Jingming closed his eyes and felt the trembling of his life. His body was like a bottomless pit, frantically unleashing its potential. His bones, tendons, and muscles were growing stronger by the second.

From the moment he arrived in this world, Xu Jingming knew that everyone's body held infinite potential. The key was to unearth it.

And using life-and-death coercion was a common method.

However… Xu Jingming's understanding of life and death went beyond the Eight Directions Map's Life and Death realm.

After mastering the Life and Death technique in the Eight Directions Map, Xu Jingming realized that it triggered a deeper potential in his body.

The Life and Death realm of the Eight Directions Map requires me to unleash my desire to live to its fullest and control it! The power of that desire will also become a part of my mental strength. Xu Jingming came to a complete realization. The body is a vessel for the mind, and the mind controls the body.

A stronger psyche unearths deeper potential.

Xu Jingming was in an unprecedented state.

The thin ape sneered. "A burst of strength won't save you from death."

He kicked out with lightning speed.

Whoosh.

The thin ape saw a divine bird spread its wings and soar. The bird's wings left thousands of afterimages as it missed.

"You affected my mind?" The thin ape was surprised. "Your mental strength has grown stronger?"

Xu Jingming's Heart Divine Weapon Combat Technique had stirred the tall ape's mind, but it couldn't affect the thin ape—until now…

After reaching the Life and Death realm, Xu Jingming's mental strength had grown even stronger. Thousand Shadows Flying Crane could now affect his opponent.

"A small impact won't save you. Here's 80% of my strength." The thin ape lunged forward and swung his furry palms, his speed reaching an astonishing level. He unleashed his advantage of being fast and having huge palms.

Although Xu Jingming's speed had improved and affected the thin ape's mind to some degree, it was still difficult for him to dodge the endless palm strikes.

Bang!

Xu Jingming was sent flying again, shattering a nearby hill with a whoosh. The thin ape followed up with a kick, but Xu Jingming remained lucid and dodged.

"100% strength," the thin ape snarled. "Die!"

He had run out of patience.

At full speed, his destructive palms sent Xu Jingming flying time and time again.

Xu Jingming went from being sent flying and vomiting blood to only having a little blood drip from his nose and mouth despite being struck. He found his footing quickly and changed locations.

His body has grown stronger. The thin ape could sense it. I hit him with 60% of my strength at the beginning, and although he seemed muddle-headed, his injuries weren't serious.

This is the advantage of being small. To be able to unleash such strength and speed at such a small size, the toughness of the body… is off the charts.

And now, I can't send him flying with a 100% strike. He is only slightly injured from my hits, and he will be completely fine in a few seconds. The thin ape knew this well.

In this world, the stronger an individual was, the faster their recovery speed.

To kill Xu Jingming, the thin ape had to completely destroy him in one go and not give him a chance to catch his breath.

He started at Lv. 52, but he's now Lv. 53. Moreover, he can affect my mind and weaken my performance. The thin ape vaguely felt that something was amiss.

Although he had slapped Xu Jingming time and time again, he sensed that Xu Jingming's physical tenacity was increasing rapidly. He became more and more resilient with each strike, unearthing even greater potential.

He was like a piece of tempered steel, and the ape's palm was like a huge hammer that only made him stronger.

Finally, the sharp increase in potential slowed down, and so did the improvement of his body.

Xu Jingming suddenly asked, "Did you enjoy slapping me around?"

The thin ape, who was still attacking, was stunned.

"It's my turn next." Just as Xu Jingming finished speaking, he attacked.

Roar!

The thin ape saw a tiger emitting an endless black aura. There was even a roar—the third move of the Heart Divine Weapon—Ferocious Tiger Sky Tearing!

Xu Jingming had only mastered the first two moves previously, and the subsequent moves weren't powerful enough. But after his mental strength transformed to the Life and Death realm, his clone in the outside world had deduced the Ferocious Tiger Sky Tearing a thousand times. He was ready to use it now.

With his current mental strength, he could perfectly wield this move.

The thin ape heard the tiger's roar and jolted. Not good. My mind is too affected.

Relying on instinct, the thin ape frantically brandished his palms. His huge palm struck out hundreds of times, enveloping every spot.

Xu Jingming flashed around the thin ape and found a flaw. He struck out at the thin ape's eyes as fast as lightning.

The thin ape instinctively lowered his head.

Xu Jingming's claws swiped across the thin ape's forehead, tearing open five bloody wounds and leaving claw marks on his skull.

Whoosh.

The thin ape slapped Xu Jingming, forcing him to retreat.

The thin ape escaped the mental effects and stared at Xu Jingming. The injury on his forehead healed completely in seconds.

"I never expected to fail to defeat a human," the thin ape remarked, looking at Xu Jingming. "What's your name?"

"Ming!" Xu Jingming gazed at the other party.

"My name is Yarojin. You have such strength after being born into the human race in just over a century. I believe you will definitely make a name for yourself in the Myriad Species Arena in the future."

"The powerful species that are large, strong, and fast are still inferior in actual combat to small bodies like yours," Yarojin continued. "Your body is tough enough to withstand ten or a hundred strikes from me, but you can kill me with just a few strikes.

"Perhaps speed is only meant for us to escape." Yarojin mocked himself. "The longer it drags on, the more advantageous it will be for your small size. We powerful species still have a chance in the first few Myriad Species Arena tournaments… In the later stages, it will probably be weaker species like yourself that dominates."

With that, Yarojin turned and left.

Xu Jingming didn't chase after him.

He wasn't confident in defeating Yarojin now, and even if he could, he wouldn't be able to catch up to the other party focused on escaping.

"Yarojin." The black-furred ape in the distance was still a little stunned.

"Remember this human powerhouse, Ming," Yarojin said to the black-furred ape in the distance. "When you sense his aura in the future, make a run for it."

The black-furred ape nodded and sighed. "I can't even defeat weaker species now, so how can I have any hope in the future? I'm ranked outside the top ten of the Giant Apes, so there's no hope of me being number one in the Myriad Species Arena. This life in the Myriad Species World might be the last days of my life."

"There's hope as long as you're alive," Yarojin said.

The large aircraft in the distance slowly descended, and the two apes entered the aircraft and quickly flew away.

Xu Jingming watched the large aircraft leave and glanced at the spherical monitors in the sky.

I'm only at Lv. 53 now, he thought. I could only fight Yarojin thanks to my mental influence. Those half-step third-realm and Heart Realm powerhouses won't be affected mentally.

In terms of size, there are bigger species like the Giant Celestials, Demon Dragons, and so on. And smaller species like the Ants and Bees.

I don't have an advantage in terms of species. I have to make the best use of my time to improve myself. Xu Jingming felt a sense of urgency. After all, only the number one in the Myriad Species Arena could leave. Be it in the early stages or later stages, it was very difficult to get first.

Whoosh.

Xu Jingming quietly left.

The videos of this battle gradually spread over time. Like many other combat videos, they were gathered and watched by the high-dimensional lifeforms that had descended into this world.