AI Cultivation: Reborn as a Sword
Chapter 61: Inner World Sphere (4)

[ FIRST LAYER: BATTLE SIMULATION END. ]

No matter how many times Lan Xiaohui tries, and the various methods she develops to withstand even one blow from Wukong, it always the same way.

It is an obvious conclusion.

At the height of his cultivation Wukong had killed a cultivator that formed a Gold Core, and even though he would die from his injuries later, the ravine between a Gold Core cultivator, and someone in the Peak of Foundation Establishment is about the same for someone at the Peak of Foundation Establishment and someone in the Early stage of the same realm.

In other words, since Wukong could kill a Gold Core cultivator, Lan Xiaohui’s only option when facing Wukong is to quietly die.

And her death is all but quiet. Even though the simulation does not provide haptic feedback to her body — meaning, she cannot feel the pain of being struck — she can still feel the terror of suffocating and dying due to her crushed organs.

A familiar pattern begins to emerge as I decipher the nature of this test. Wukong always strikes the same point on her body, to much the same result. Crushed organs and then death.

And despite her best efforts, I wonder if I should tell her that she has no hope of defeating Wukong in this test. Though, informing Lan Xiaohui turns out to be unnecessary, as each time she attempts the test again, she focuses on her defense and withstanding that single blow.

For the last thirty or so attempts, I do not leave the Inner World Sphere, but rather try to figure out its operations from within. This is without a doubt the inner world of the black sphere in my sea of consciousness.

From the outside, when Lan Xiaohui enters, I see a flash of light over the sphere, and the brief appearance of magical symbols, and that’s it. I know that Lan Xiaohui sometimes enters my black sphere when she goes to sleep. This seems to coincide with the particular wording related to the array I purchased — that it now allows conscious and manual entrance.

From the outside, I cannot divine the operation or purpose of this black sphere, and, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem I can do so from the inside either.

What did Lan Xiaohui experience here while she was dreaming? Was she fighting Wukong? To begin with, has Wukong — or an illusion of him — been here the entire time, or is this a recent development? Wukong’s Soul Core which I had stored inside my internal storage device fused with the black sphere during my tribulation, and I am fairly certain that this has somehow saved our lives at that critical moment, when the tribulation lightning struck the black sphere instead of my internal vessel.

But the creature that Lan Xiaohui fights is certainly not Wukong. I cannot know for sure, but it is my intuition.

For the first time in a total of eighty or so tries, Lan Xiaohui is not expelled from the Inner World Sphere once her life functions cease. Instead, her bones knit together, and her organs repair themselves.

[ FIRST LAYER: HIGH LOAD TEST COMPLETE. FINAL LOAD TEST COMMENCING. HAPTIC FEEDBACK ENABLED. ]

The same, disembodied androgynous voice calls out over the void as Lan Xiaohui’s wounds heal and her eyes snap open. Her achievement of withstanding the experience of death so many times to the point that her consciousness can remain inside the Inner World Sphere is quickly soured by the knowledge that this time she will feel pain.

“Haptic feedback… that means it will hurt?” she asks, as if to make sure.

“Yes,” I tell her. There is no point in beating around the bush, so to speak. This will hurt a lot.

I know Lan Xiaohui is a strange deviant that does not mind pain or hardship, or disregards even the most basic survival strategies under certain circumstances, but I wonder if she understands the purpose of this load test.

She chuckles nervously, climbing to her feet and holding me shakily in her hands. Her teeth all but clatter together as she prepares herself for the next onslaught.

I don’t think she does understand the point of this load test. I think she is just trying to pass the challenge because the challenge exists. I sense a deep awe within her and an invincible determination.

I think she wants to impress me.

This time, when Wukong appears in the distance, Lan Xiaohui wastes no time. A burst of sword energy emits from her as she uses her movement technique to cross the distance. Like a conquering princess, she raises me high above her head, black and red sword energy trailing in her wake, fusing with my sword Qi and forming the shape of glimmering lily petals that almost fall to the formless ground before disintegrating.

“Autumn-severing petals!” Lan Xiaohui aggressively pushes the words out and brings her sword down on Wukong.

Wukong raises his left arm that is as thick as Lan Xiaohui’s torso and takes the blow from Lan Xiaohui. Her sword digs into his skin, muscles and even his bones, cleaving through them cleanly until the blade is stopped, somewhere past the halfway point through Wukong’s forearm.

The real Wukong would have mocked Lan Xiaohui’s bravery and stupidity. This pale imitation of Wukong does no mocking. He simply punches Lan Xiaohui in the chest, sending her flying away like she was a kite with its strings cut.

[ FIRST LAYER: BATTLE SIMULATION END. ]

Her consciousness falls out of my Inner World Sphere and I decide to follow her. I doubt she will attempt this again.

My doubts quickly prove to be correct, because Lan Xiaohui’s expression is one of horror and shock. She had so far experienced various kinds of painless deaths, but it is certainly another thing to feel oneself going from the peak of physical condition to imminent death in a very painful instant. The appropriate emotional response is fear.

Lan Xiaohui’s emotional response is fear and rage. Still, there is no wrong way to go about completing this test. This is a learning experience, too. I doubt that many can practice experiencing death, or trying to conquer this kind of mortal terror.

As sadistic as it may sound, this is a good experience for Lan Xiaohui.

The other part of the Inner World Sphere quickly makes itself known. In the two hours we have spent inside the Inner World Sphere, twenty-four hours have already passed in the world outside. Meanwhile, while my consciousness was occupied in the Inner World, my [Nooparallelism] has maintained its functions and continued to support Lan Xiaohui’s internal systems.

I am not yet certain if the time dilation function is a useful attribute or not. Cultivating for years and doing nothing might be too boring for Lan Xiaohui. On the other hand, I do not experience boredom or impatience — I spent a hundred years in Jupiter’s Lagrange points — but I cannot say the same for Lan Xiaohui who is very straight forward about solving her problems in a way that becomes someone who cultivates the sword.

Finally, after several long minutes of silence, Lan Xiaohui grips my hilt tighter and nods. Sᴇaʀch* Thᴇ NøᴠᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“I… I am ready to try again,” she says, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves.

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