Yama Reborn-Chapter 393 - 390 [All Mortals] (10,000 words)

Chapter 390: All Mortals

Extraction of blood serum from Self-Healing Ability Users.

This thing, setting aside the extraction of biological agents, synthetic manufacturing processes, and so on. To put it crudely, it is a drug made from the extracted self-healing ability of Self-Healing Ability Users.

But the ability level of Healers is also classified.

Forget Self-Healing Ability Users; even for a regular person’s body, the self-healing growth capabilities differ between various body parts of the same individual.

For example, for ordinary people, the regenerative and healing abilities of soft oral tissues heal faster than other parts of the body.

Many people have this experience: accidentally biting your tongue while eating, if you rinse your mouth and avoid touching it, not long after, the wound stops bleeding. Then, perhaps after a good night’s sleep, the wound would have mostly healed; at most, it takes two or three days to fully recover.

If you take a fall and scrape your knee, a small wound requires at least a couple of weeks.

Similarly, the literal meaning of self-healing ability is easy to understand; those with such superpowers naturally have cellular division and regeneration activation levels far beyond those of ordinary people.

However, this "far beyond" is also graded.

Some might heal a cut on their palm in an hour or two.

Others might only need ten to twenty minutes, or even less.

The faster the recovery speed, the shorter the healing time, the stronger the regenerative ability... the higher the self-healing ability level!

In his past life, Chen Xiaoguo, then Chen Yanluo, encountered very strong masters possessing self-healing abilities.

Those akin to the Great Devil Piccolo from Dragon Ball, who could immediately regrow an arm that was chopped off with a shout—no, he had not encountered that.

However, he had indeed seen limb regeneration; it just couldn’t happen instantly. They had to escape, find a place to hide, and wait for some time to slowly grow it back.

To reach such a degree, that is, limb regeneration or even the regrowth of damaged internal organs, a Healer in the realm of "self-healing" is already considered a MAX level player.

Any stronger... that would not be self-healing, but rather a freaking Undying Body.

By the way, an Undying Body is an ability Chen Yanluo, in both his lives, has never heard of existing—within humans, that is.

Seed doesn’t count.

But MAX level Self-Healing Ability Users? You couldn’t find more than two or three around the world.

Don’t think that Self-Healing Ability Users can live forever—self-healing ability is, frankly, a higher speed of cellular division and regeneration, a higher level of activation.

But, as anyone familiar with biology knows, human cell division and regeneration lead to the continuous shortening of telomeres, and when they shorten to a certain extent, aging occurs.

In theory, Healers with strong cell division and regeneration capabilities are actually cutting short their lifespan.

That is, for the short-term healing of bodily injuries, they induce their body’s cells to divide and regenerate in large quantities and at a frenzied pace—effectively expending their own lifespan.

Moreover, after a certain number of excessive cell divisions and regenerations, another potential situation may arise—cancer.

So, theoretically speaking, the higher the ability level of the Healer and the more powerful this instant healing ability, actually...

The shorter their lifespan may be.

Imagine, if you cut your finger while chopping vegetables and SHWOOP, in less than a minute, the wound heals rapidly.

It’s cool, right?

But this cool one-minute self-healing could potentially cost you a month’s worth of lifespan, couldn’t it?

Chen Nuo wasn’t a biological expert in this field, but from what he personally knew and experienced, in his past life the Underground World figures with strong self-healing abilities...

Not one of them had a long life!

A Level A Self-healing Serum, since it is Level A, naturally requires extraction from MAX level Healers.

How many MAX Self-Healing Ability Users can there be around the world?

Chen Nuo, from his past life, knew of only one or two—there might be others he didn’t know of, but there couldn’t have been many more.

Maybe three to five?

There are only so many people, how much blood can they provide for your extraction into serum?

These few Ability Users couldn’t just sit around all day doing nothing, being kept at home like blood bags, right?

The production of Level A Self-healing Serum is obviously not abundant!

And market demand is definitely not low; after all, this kind of good stuff can save lives and is naturally very popular among Ability Users. The higher the level, the more popular it is.

In his past life, Little Candy was doing business with Chen Yanluo, also setting up a lab to refine and formulate serum. So, Chen Nuo is quite familiar with this.

Dozens of Level A Self-healing Serums?

Invaluable!

There simply isn’t that much circulating in the market!

It’s like you want to buy a certain type of white rhino, saying you have money, loads of it.

A hundred million for one, give me a hundred!

Sorry, they don’t exist! There are only about twenty left in the whole world.

Let’s not even talk about Old Jiang.

Even Chen Yanluo from his past life never owned dozens of Level A Self-healing Serums.

Little Candy had once managed to get him a little, not much, just three doses.

There were plenty of less potent ones, but as for Level A Serums, Chen Yanluo only had three doses in his possession. Moreover, he was reluctant to use them, keeping them reserved for emergencies. They were only carried on the most dangerous of missions.

Old Jiang?

An Ability User who hasn’t even reached Destroyer Level wanting to buy a dozen or so Level A goods?

What a joke.

It’s just that Old Jiang’s rank was too low. Although he was an Ability User and an old-timer in the Underground World, his rank was too low. Many things that are higher up, if you don’t understand, you just don’t. Never having encountered higher-level stuff, this time he definitely got swindled by some black-hearted dealer in the Underground World.

After Chen Nuo finished discussing these matters with Old Jiang, Old Jiang’s expression immediately turned sour.

"I’m saying, Old Jiang, you were originally content to stay put in Jinling City and never venture out for business. You never wanted to leave Jinling before but this time, you actually came to Europe to make money. You were raising funds to buy this stuff, weren’t you?"

Old Jiang’s face darkened. "I had no choice. My wife’s illness can’t be delayed any longer, so... Eh?!"

Old Jiang suddenly changed his expression and glared at Chen Nuo. "Wait a minute! How would you know that I’ve never left Jinling when I take on jobs?"

Chen Nuo’s face tightened, and he quickly laughed it off. "Ah? That... I guessed."

He quickly added, "Before, you were hiding in the school teaching and never left home. I guessed you must have stayed to take care of your wife, so..."

Old Jiang looked at the young man with a suspicious expression. "I always have the feeling that you’ve been watching me for a long time, figuring out a lot of things about me."

"No, no! A teacher for a day is a teacher for life. I am a person who respects teachers and values education the most," Chen Nuo hastily denied.

Uh... that definitely couldn’t leak out.

If Old Jiang found out about the "arsonist" incident and the previous job he was hired for, then the school rules would truly be enforced...

"You’ve come to Europe to make money; what about my teacher’s wife?" Chen Nuo quickly changed the subject.

Old Jiang glanced at Chen Nuo and shook his head. "I’ve settled her in our ancestral home, left some medicine, and hired someone to look after her—it was a last resort. The seller I found on the black market promised to deliver within three months; I must raise the funds within that time frame."

As he spoke, Old Jiang’s thoughts became increasingly agitated. "To think that those bastards were actually deceiving me!"

Chen Nuo shook his head. "Don’t be too anxious. Once we return, I’ll have a look at the teacher’s wife’s illness, see if there’s a way. That marrow cleansing you mentioned might work. Even if that doesn’t work out, while we may not be able to purchase so many Level A Self-healing Serums, we can still get some of the less potent ones. We’ll stock up more, and maybe they can be a temporary solution. Anyway, we’re not out of options yet."

Old Jiang fell silent but then suddenly shook his head. "I... need to step out for some air."

The old man, clearly agitated, stood up, walked to the door, and went out.

Chen Nuo knew that Old Jiang had most likely gone outside to find a place to smoke.

After spending half the day there, Chen Nuo paid close attention to the local news without finding any unusual reports. He also carefully watched over the surrounding area of the street to make sure no one was secretly spying or tailing him. Only then did he feel a bit more relieved.

But his heart was still on edge.

Because... the Electric General!

Since discovering that the mastermind behind the pursuit of Lu Xixi was actually the Electric General, Chen Nuo couldn’t put his mind at ease.

Because... the Electric General was someone who knew his own background!

During that encounter in Jinling, where several of them fought a big battle with Seed, the Electric General had met him.

Not only had he met him, but he had also seen the relationship between him and Lu Xixi. Moreover, the Electric General had even been involved in the grudge between Fang Yuanchao and Li Qingshan.

This meant he knew his own background.

Though Chen Nuo didn’t know why the Electric General had suddenly made a move against Lu Xixi, but... a foe who knew his own secrets was a top figure in the Underground World, a Controller.

It was very possible that, failing to capture Lu Xixi, he would go to Jinling to continue the pursuit.

He could easily find him.

After some thought, Chen Nuo asked Yu Naitang for a laptop and a small account on the Octopus Monster website.

After logging in, he carefully scrolled through it for a while.

In the end, Chen Nuo fell into deep contemplation.

"What information are you looking for?" Yu Naitang, after taking care of the children, walked up to Chen Nuo and frowned. "You must have discovered something, right? You didn’t come back with us yesterday; instead, you went to block those guys. You..."

"It’s the Electric General," Chen Nuo didn’t hide it.

This was perhaps a habit from his previous life.

In his previous life, Yu Naitang—Nai Tang—had been one of Chen Yanluo’s most capable and trusted companions, outstanding in both ability and intelligence.

Ever since his last life, Chen Nuo had been accustomed to discussing and analyzing major issues with Yu Naitang.

The young girl with white hair immediately grew serious. "The Electric General?"

"Yes, most likely," Chen Nuo slowly said. "The group that was after you, their leader wearing a Black Windbreaker, I saw a lightning tattoo on his body."

"The Lichtenberg figure?" Yu Naitang immediately responded. "Are you sure?"

"I saw it with my own eyes, checked it with my own hands," Chen Nuo shook his head. "While I can’t be certain, it’s very likely one of the Electric General’s men. But that guy didn’t give any valuable clues to confirm my suspicion before he died. Just as I was pressing him and he was about to confess, someone had placed a very clever spiritual restriction on his consciousness. So before he could spill it, the spiritual restriction was triggered, and his brain exploded, killing him."

The white-haired girl immediately bowed her head in deep thought.

After a while, she lifted her eyelids and looked at Chen Nuo. "So... I have two questions."

Chen Nuo glanced at the young girl. "Hmm, go ahead."

"First, I can confirm there was no enmity between the teacher and the Electric General. I’m sure of it. I’ve been handling all of the teacher’s external affairs, including going out to take missions for money. At least, not in recent years. So, why would the Electric General, without any reason, make a move against us? That’s my first question."

Chen Nuo nodded. "Hmm, I believe that point you made."

If Lu Xixi had any hatred towards the Electric General, they would have come to blows when they last met in Jinling City.

"The second point I want to ask you... I am not a master of the Mentality Series, the kind of spiritual restriction you speak of, is it very sophisticated? How sophisticated is it?"

Chen Nuo thought seriously for a moment and then confidently said, "Very powerful!"

"Set by a master of the Mentality Series?"

"Hmm."

"What level must one be to craft such a spiritual restriction? Is a Destroyer’s level enough?"

"It’s not enough," Chen Nuo asserted decisively.

Chen Yanluo was a top-tier expert in terms of spiritual power, so he was quite certain of this. He slowly said, "Spiritual restriction itself is not a particularly complex or difficult ability to master. Basically, any Mentalist who is a master of Telekinesis can do it... Similar to hypnosis, setting a trigger mechanism, some sort of cue that can evoke the memory or thoughts, or a certain emotion in the individual who has been implanted with the restriction. It could be an object, a sound, a certain memory, or even a piece of music... In short, it’s about using a trigger that can activate the host, and once the host comes into contact with this trigger, they will evoke a specific emotion that plunges them into the mental trap of the spiritual restriction. But that part, simple, easy to handle. The complex part, that’s what really tests one’s strength."

Continuing, Chen Nuo explained, "There are two difficulties with this kind of spiritual restriction. One is the punishment effect after the restriction is activated. Generally speaking, weaker restrictions can cause negative emotions in a person, make them avoid problems, or create intense emotions, and can even cause fainting. More complex ones can even plant a segment of false memory information... What I encountered, however, was extremely domineering... it caused straightforward death upon activation! You should know, even for a regular Ability User, it’s not easy to directly burst someone’s Consciousness Space with spiritual power when facing each other head-on. Not to mention, leaving a segment of spiritual power capable of blowing up the target’s brain, tucked away in their Consciousness Space, latent and untriggered? This is almost like someone performing surgery on your brain, leaving a knife inside, yet still being able to avoid harming you. Quite difficult. Of course, this isn’t the most important part."

"The most crucial aspect is... the trigger mechanism for the spiritual restriction! Take the guy I was dealing with, for example. When I pressured him about his boss behind the scenes, the triggering mechanism was that he couldn’t mention this name. This triggering mechanism is very complex! Imagine, if you have someone’s name concealed in your mind, even if you don’t speak it, you will inevitably think of this name inadvertently in your daily life. Even more so, you might mention the boss’s name when talking with your companions. Or, you could possibly speak with the boss in communications while reporting up. If the mechanism was ’do not mention the boss’s name’, then this person would have died hundreds of times over in daily life! Hence, the trigger condition for this person’s spiritual restriction isn’t simply ’mentioning the boss’s name equals activating the spiritual restriction.’ The activation of such a restriction must definitely include additional emotional conditions. For example: Mentioning the boss’s name + various emotions (fear, despair, helplessness, submission, betrayal) equals activating the spiritual restriction! This is extremely complex!"

"The more complex the triggering mechanism, the more difficult it is to construct this kind of spiritual restriction. Otherwise, even the slightest investigation could lead to unpredictable consequences: inadvertently killing one’s own people or failing to activate at a critical moment. For example, if the activation condition was merely ’mentioning the boss’s name + being angry and upset,’ then you might accidentally kill a subordinate. What if the subordinate was just a little dissatisfied with the boss, say, for receiving a lower payment or just being in a bad mood... If that triggered the restriction, wouldn’t that be terrible? This kind of restriction must only be activated by mentioning the boss’s name, coupled with an emotion strong enough to be judged as ’potential for betrayal.’ It must anticipate the various emotions that a person would generate while being interrogated, incorporate each of these different emotions into the mechanism, and require them to occur simultaneously to form a pattern that can be judged as ’potential for betrayal.’ Anger, fear, despair, indignation... and much more. This is extremely complex! In the realm of the mind, the more complex, the harder it is. And this point, the triggering condition, is even more difficult than the first point I mentioned about the punishment effect! I have thought this through carefully. The person who set up the spiritual restriction on this guy is undoubtedly a top-tier powerhouse in the field of spiritual power!"

Yu Naitang nodded. "Then, I think a new problem has arisen... Do you think the Electric General has this kind of capability?"

Chen Nuo sighed and looked at Yu Naitang; neither of them spoke.

Actually, both were very clear about the answer.

Although the Electric General was a Controller, he wasn’t a top power in the realm of spiritual power; his abilities lay elsewhere.

"In the domain of spiritual power, he’s definitely not this strong," Chen Nuo said with a wry smile. "So this problem is giving me a headache too."

Yu Naitang curled her lip. "Actually, the answer is almost within reach. Either, this matter is the doing of the Electric General, in collaboration with another top mental power expert in the spiritual domain, conspiring against us. Or, this matter has nothing to do with the Electric General, and the mastermind is a top expert in the spiritual domain. That lightning tattoo you saw might just be a coincidental red herring. Which one do you lean towards?"

"The first one," Chen Nuo shook his head. "The dead Black Windbreaker, I feel that he must belong to the Electric General. That tattoo was too emblematic."

"So, here comes the paradox," said Yu Naitang with a faint smile.

Chen Nuo glanced at the youngster and then shook his head as if feeling a bit melancholic, and sighed lightly as he muttered to himself, "Indeed, whenever trouble strikes, it’s you who contributes your wisdom."

Yu Naitang raised an eyebrow. "Every time?"

"It’s nothing."

Chen Nuo stood up, logged out of the Octopus Monster website on his laptop, then shut it down, and handed the computer back to Yu Naitang.

The paradox mentioned by Little Candy was actually easy to understand.

If the name that the Black Windbreaker couldn’t disclose was the Electric General’s...

Then there was no need for a spiritual restriction!

If someone caught him, they could just peel off his clothes to see the lightning tattoo and guess that he worked for the Electric General.

So why bother machinating an unnecessary restriction prohibiting the disclosure of a name?

"That is to say, although this person could very well be a subordinate of the Electric General, the name that he couldn’t utter under the restriction may not be the Electric General’s."

Yu Naitang smiled, her eyes narrowing with amusement as she passed a steaming cup to Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo took it and sipped casually, frowning. "Milk?"

"Yeah, infant formula, quite nutritious. I made some for my little junior brother... ah, junior sister, and made too much, so you drink it up."

Chen Nuo chuckled, gulped down the milk, and then set the cup on the table.

"How many people in today’s world do you think are capable of creating spiritual restrictions of this level?"

Chen Nuo said, "I’ve considered this question... two people!"

"Two? Only two?" Yu Naitang’s eyes widened immediately. "That few? You mean they are that brilliant, brilliant to this degree?"

"Yes, only two," Chen Nuo nodded. "It has to be someone whose spiritual power has reached the Controller level, the very top amongst Mentality Series experts!"

"Two..." Yu Naitang’s eyes lit up. "I originally thought there would be several, which would make the investigation troublesome. Since you say there are only two... wouldn’t that make it easy to find out? Who are the two people? Um, the first one is definitely the Wizard, right?"

"That’s right," Chen Nuo nodded.

In today’s world, among those with spiritual domain abilities, the most powerful, undoubtedly recognized by the Underground World, is the Wizard.

Even in his past life, before Chen Yanluo had emerged, the Wizard was hailed as "the strongest Mentalist."

Perhaps in terms of overall combat power, people have always disputed whether the Wizard or the Star Sky Empress is the strongest.

But, at least in the domain of spiritual power, the Wizard is undoubtedly number one.

—Before Chen Yanluo emerged.

"So, who is the second person?"

Chen Nuo sighed and pointed to his own nose. "It’s me."

Yu Naitang stared at Chen Nuo, her mouth agape. "You?"

After a pause, Yu Naitang suddenly screamed, "Chen Nuo! You mean... you’re actually a Controller too?"

Chen Nuo pondered for a moment. "Sort of... yes."

Alright, after all, it’s 16/17.

Yu Naitang was shocked, but also somewhat delighted.

After all, her teacher, such a celestial figure, was actually with this Chen Nuo... Yu Naitang had always found him somewhat disagreeable.

She always felt her teacher was somewhat wronged.

This guy named Chen Nuo, he was simply freeloading!

However... now that she knew he was a Controller, well... he just about scraped by as being worthy of her teacher.

Yes, just about.

"So, between you and the Wizard, who is more formidable?"

After all, a child is a child, and she immediately asked the most curious and gossipy question.

Chen Nuo and the Wizard, who is more formidable?

This question might just be gossip, but for Yu Naitang, it seemed extremely important!

In the Underground World, a hotly debated topic had always been: who is the mightiest of the present era, the Star Sky Empress or the Wizard?

Well, actually, beneath the debate over "the strongest of the current era", every Controller has some supporters.

But the Star Sky Empress and the Wizard had the most.

By the way...

For some reason, the plump old man known as Son of the Sun had the least supporters.

Actually, the old man’s battle record wasn’t bad either; compared to other Controllers he had faced, there wasn’t any shameful or markedly embarrassing loss to criticize.

But... maybe it’s a matter of temperament.

No matter how you look at it, the old man did not carry the air of "the number one master in the world".

In terms of actual combat strength, Chen Nuo had a pretty authoritative voice.

After all, in his previous life, Chen Yanluo burst onto the scene, and he had fought with several Controllers of that time.

He had clashed with the Empress in Antarctica.

And fought with the Wizard several times afterwards, with both victory and defeat, but it was always a minor win or loss; they never fought to the death, and often, if the time, place, and people were not favorable, they would choose to disengage instead of fighting to the demise.

However, based on Chen Nuo’s own feeling, he always thought that Lu Xixi had an edge over the Wizard in terms of talent.

So, if Chen Nuo had to choose between Lu Xixi and the Wizard in their comparison of strength, even without considering emotional factors, he felt Lu Xixi was the stronger one.

The Empress, as the foremost person of the age, was someone Chen Nuo willingly acknowledged—not because Chen Yanluo thought he couldn’t defeat the Empress, but... He simply refused to fight her.

Moreover, in his heart, there was a slightly embarrassing thought that he was reluctant to admit: For a long time after his debut in his past life, Chen Yanluo actually felt that he was just a little bit inferior to the Empress in terms of strength.

Yes, it was that kind of feeling.

Just a tiny bit short.

Of course, if it really came to a life or death battle, Chen Nuo was confident he wouldn’t lose, especially since... Chen Dog had a rather dirty heart!

He wouldn’t hesitate to use all sorts of tricks in a real fight.

That slight difference in strength could be compensated for with tactics.

At their level, a slight gap in strength hardly played a decisive role anymore.

More often, it came down to the state of mind and psychological condition during the battle.

But how could Chen Nuo, with his feelings for the Empress in his past life, ever bring himself to fight Lu Xixi to the death?

So, he wasn’t overly concerned about being slightly weaker.

So what if I’m a tiny bit less powerful than you?

Aren’t you still the one whose butt I’ve touched...

But in the last few years of his past life, Chen Nuo could no longer compare himself with Lu Xixi.

Because by that time in his previous life, the Star Sky Empress had already perished.

In the last years of Chen Yanluo’s life, the hypothetical enemy he compared himself to in his mind was always the Wizard!

He knew the Wizard all too well, having faced him many times, and was naturally very aware of the Wizard’s strength.

By then, Lu Xixi had also fallen.

The debate in the Underground World over "the number one in the world" turned into a comparison between "Yama" and "the Wizard".

Chen Nuo had personally weighed his strengths and weaknesses against those of the Wizard.

He had a very clear understanding of himself.

If he had faced the Wizard in the first two or three years after becoming a Controller, he would certainly have lost!

Although he could escape, if it came to a fight to the death, he would truly die.

At that time, he couldn’t beat him.

At the most, he could have traded his own life for a severe injury to the Wizard.

After the age of twenty-five in his past life...

It was after assembling that group of neurotic prodigies that Chen Yanluo began rampaging through the Underground World, his battle honors growing more and more illustrious.

At that time, the previous life’s Chen Nuo was also gradually maturing into his peak strength.

After turning twenty-five, Chen Nuo had several encounters with the Wizard, already handling himself on equal footing, with victories and losses on both sides.

Don’t think that this was nothing...

The Wizard became famous even earlier and was more well-known, always a contender for the top spot in the Underground World.

In that time, the fact that Chen Yanluo could fight to a draw with the Wizard solidified the reputation of "Lord Yanluo" from his previous life!

If you could tie with the world’s second, then your strength... must rank within the world’s top three.

Seated third, eyeing first!

However, Chen Nuo didn’t believe that was his true peak.

In fact, no one knew that Chen Yanluo’s true period of peak strength was unknown to the world... his final eight years!

That is, those eight years when he imprisoned himself on that ship in the sea, trapped in his voyage, drifting on the ocean!

For eight years bound by the sea, for eight years without participating in the Underground World’s power struggle, for eight years without showing his face, for eight years without a fight!

Even at that time, many in the Underground World thought it very possible that Yama had already died.

Although Yama’s group of mad prodigies still wreaked havoc around the world and had announced that Yama wasn’t dead, after all, remaining unseen for eight years—who would believe it!

More people in the Underground World suspected that Yama had died long ago, and his subordinates, in order to maintain the intimidation power of the Yama Organization, simply didn’t announce it.

After all, the existence of a top-tier big shot in an organization makes a world of difference in its threatening presence to the outside world.

But regardless of the outside world’s speculation, even the other prodigies within the Yama Organization didn’t know of Chen Nuo’s confinement at sea, much less that he was also suffering from a brain tumor, or how much strength he still had.

Only Chen Nuo was very clear... he was getting stronger!

He continued to grow stronger!

Even though the brain tumor was uncontrollably progressing, and his body was in torment, only Chen Nuo knew that not only had his strength not diminished, it was resolutely climbing!

In the first two years of his imprisonment at sea, Chen Nuo felt that if he were to encounter the Wizard again in a life-or-death battle... He would definitely be able to defeat the opponent, just as when he first became a Controller, only reversed.

At that time, Chen Nuo was confident that, as long as the Wizard didn’t flee, he could, at the cost of being severely injured himself, slay the Wizard!

In the third year at sea, Chen Nuo felt his strength make another leap forward.

By then, he thought that if he were to face the Wizard again, he wouldn’t have to pay the price of a serious injury to kill him, a light injury would suffice!

In the fifth year, Chen Nuo felt that if he were to fight the Wizard, he might not even need to get injured at all to kill him... it might just take some time.

By the sixth year, Chen Nuo felt... if he were to face the Wizard in battle, whether he could kill his opponent wasn’t about the Wizard’s strength anymore, but rather whether the guy was willing to fight to the death—if the opponent didn’t want to fight to the death and tried to escape, it might be a bit more troublesome. After all, if a top-tier big shot tried to escape with all his might, it would be quite difficult to kill him.

Until the seventh year... Chen Nuo felt his Life Force increasingly devoured by those infuriating and bizarre tumors, with less and less remaining.

But his grasp and perception of many powers had gradually broken through to a realm he could never understand before.

It seemed he had already seen the ceiling that all Controllers in the world, no, not just the present world but throughout history, had longed for!

It was so close and seen so clearly!

It was as if he could reach out and touch it!

No, not just within reach!

In the eighth year, during the last few months before Chen Nuo’s death, he even felt that he had touched that ceiling, clearly sensing that barrier... and occasionally, as though he could glimpse a little of the world beyond that ceiling...

Although it was just a fleeting look, he could truly see it!

At that time, Chen Nuo no longer saw the Wizard as the measure of the imaginary enemy in his heart.

He was very clear that if he were to encounter the Wizard then and wished to kill him... He might not even break a sweat.

Moreover, the Wizard would definitely not be able to escape!

The once magical and endlessly varied power application of the Wizard which he observed, those seemingly flawless ability movements, the understanding of power, perception... In those last few months before Chen Nuo’s death in his previous life, when he recalled them, it all appeared full of holes!

Everywhere were flaws!

By that time, Chen Nuo was very clear about one thing: the Wizard was no longer worthy of being his opponent or an imaginary enemy.

As long as he did not die, he would soon be able to cross that barrier, break that ceiling coveted by countless Ability Users for hundreds of years, and elevate his strength to an entirely new realm!

Moreover, Chen Nuo even vaguely felt that if he could enter into that level of realm... the strange incurable tumor in his body might also find a solution!

As long as he did not die!

It’s just a pity...

Chen Nuo didn’t have that much time.

When he had clearly touched that ceiling, even perceiving the world beyond... His illness finally devoured his life, and his life had finally reached its conclusion.

Actually... Perhaps... It was just one step away.

Even, if Chen Yanluo from his previous life could have lived for another year or half a year... No, even just a few more months, maybe everything would have been different.

At this moment, faced with Yu Naitang’s question, Chen Nuo thought for a moment and then gave an answer. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"...If it were me and the Wizard... Now, if I were to encounter the Wizard, I’m a bit weaker than him in strength. But if I wanted to kill him... I could do it."

Yu Naitang was stunned.

The face of the white-haired loli turned a bit strange.

"What’s wrong?" Chen Nuo, seeing the change in Little Candy’s expression, smiled and said, "You don’t believe it? Think I’m boasting?"

"No, whether I believe it or not isn’t important; it’s just that what you said is very interesting."

"Interesting in what way?"

Yu Naitang thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "During the latter stages of the teacher’s pregnancy... her strength decreased a lot. One day, I jokingly asked the teacher, I said if at this time, the Wizard came to claim the title of the number one in the world, challenging the teacher, could the teacher beat the Wizard. At that time, the teacher said something very similar to what you have just said. The teacher also told me this. She said, ’I’m currently not as strong as him. But, I can kill him.’"

Chen Nuo was taken aback.

After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly stood up with a surge!

Chen Nuo strode into the inner bedroom, sat down beside the bed, and looked at the sleeping Lu Xixi.

Then, Chen Nuo reached out, his fingers gently pressing on Lu Xixi’s forehead.

A thread of spiritual power slowly infiltrated, entering into Lu Xixi’s Consciousness Space...

After a moment, Chen Nuo frowned, withdrawing his hand and the tendril of spiritual power.

Lu Xixi’s Consciousness Space was very calm, as tranquil as a deep abyss, with the waves of consciousness very slow, almost at a standstill.

But, the Consciousness Space was intact.

"Did I guess wrong?" Chen Nuo furrowed his brow.

The reason he had made such a claim was because... he was now at 16/17.

But as long as Chen Nuo could restore himself to 17/17... Chen Nuo was confident he could kill the Wizard!

Even though Chen Nuo was now at 16/17, he always felt that his realm had fallen below the Controller level.

But over this past year, from 1/17 to 16/17, Chen Nuo had actually felt his strength continuously increasing.

Not just recovering... but growing!

He could feel that once he returned to 17/17... Then, his strength would definitely not just be restored to his status before the Brazil rainforest incident!

Instead, there could be a huge surprise... or shock, waiting for him!

Therefore, the words of Yu Naitang just now had sparked a suspicion in Chen Nuo’s heart.

Could it be that Lu Xixi’s Consciousness Space was damaged during the process of pregnancy and giving birth?

But after a check, it wasn’t the case.

Chen Nuo suddenly turned his head, looking towards Yu Naitang who had followed him and was currently standing by his side.

His expression was very serious. "Before Lu Xixi fell into a coma... did she tell you anything else?"

"Ah? Well... she must have said a lot of things, what aspect are you asking about?"

"About Ability Users, strength... that kind of thing."

Yu Naitang thought for a moment. "Not much about that. We mostly discussed you..."

"...Me?"

"Yes, the teacher said you’re a scumbag."

Well then, Chen Nuo... That whelp got what he deserved.

"...Hmm, it seems she mentioned a few other things." Yu Naitang pondered for a while. "After the teacher went out once, she came back after a while and never mentioned you again, and every time I brought you up, she would be upset for a long time. So I stopped mentioning it as well. The two of us, we hardly spoke about you anymore. At that time, the teacher’s strength was declining rapidly, I was actually worried every day. But I remember, one evening..."

「Six months ago... one evening.」

"Teacher, actually, strength isn’t that important. I bet Little Junior Sister will definitely be a genius! After she’s born, I’ll teach her well, and you teach her well... Maybe she’ll become the youngest Controller ever! Then, she can succeed you as the second Star Sky Empress!"

Yu Naitang looked at Lu Xixi and tried to muster an innocent smile.

Lu Xixi sat under the lamp light, gazing at the starry sky outside the window, and turned around with a gentle smile only when she heard this.

However, Lu Xixi had aged a lot by that moment.

"Are you comforting me? Are you afraid that after my strength declines, I’ll never find it again?"

"...Er, I really think those things are unimportant. Look, we’re rich and powerful, the money we’ve saved up these years, we can’t spend it all in ten lifetimes."

Lu Xixi fell silent for a while but continued to look at the starry sky outside the window.

Then, she suddenly raised her hand as if gently reaching out toward the starry sky...

Muttering to herself:

"I suddenly realize... it’s faded a bit too far, but that door, I can see it even more clearly than before... How strange..."

Yu Naitang was baffled. "Teacher, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing." Lu Xixi smiled gently. "There are some things, I suddenly seem to understand... clearer than I did before. But these things are too complicated, you now... you won’t understand even if I told you, when you grow up a bit, become stronger, I’ll teach you slowly. Ai... my disciple... Actually, in this world, the way all of us classify power... We got it all wrong."

"Ah? What’s wrong?"

"Knight Level, Medal Level, Noble Level... Destroyers, Controllers, even the legendary Lord Level, it’s all too laughable. Actually, there’s always been only one classification, two realms. Either, outside the door. Or, inside the door! A single door’s difference is an insurmountable gap! Outside the door, even a mountain peak is mere loose soil. Inside the door, even gravel is a star!"

Inside the room, sitting by Lu Xixi’s bedside, Yu Naitang glanced at her sleeping teacher, then at Chen Nuo, and whispered, "...That night, the last thing the teacher said... She said, ’Now I finally understand the meaning of that phrase... Below the Lord Level, are all mortals.’"