Entering the Dream Simulation was an odd experience, to say the least.
Nie Li could confidently say it felt nothing like anything he'd known before.
One moment he closed his eyes in the familiar surroundings of his room, and the next, he was opening them to an entirely different reality.
Looking around, Nie Li found himself perched beside a crystal-clear lake, its serene waters stretching out before him. "What's this?" he wondered aloud, his curiosity piqued as he stood up to explore his new environment.
That's when he noticed it—a six-armed wooden puppet, standing a short distance away.
"Am I supposed to train with this?" Nie Li pondered, a hint of intrigue in his thoughts. Venturing closer, he reached out to poke the puppet, only to recoil in shock as he realized his finger was missing, cleanly sliced by the sword the puppet was wielding.
"Did it just cut me?" Nie Li exclaimed, stepping back just in time to dodge another swing from the puppet.
Glancing at his hand, he saw his finger was perfectly fine.
"Didn't I just... Oh, right, this is a dream," he remembered, the realization dawning on him that the usual rules didn't apply here.
"So, am I supposed to think of a sword for it...?" Nie Li's thought process was abruptly interrupted as, almost as if on cue, a sword shot out from the water, landing neatly in his grasp.
"Convenient."
[ Simulating Combat Style ]
[ Please Select the Following ]
[ ▶ Attack ]
[ ▷ Defend ]
[ ▷ Run Away ]
[ You have selected ▶ Attack ]
[ How do you want to simulate an attack? ]
[ ▶ Martial Arts ]
[ ▷ Item ]
[ ▷ Spell ]
[ Player Nie Li has selected Martial art - The Orchid Garden Weapon Art ]
With the sword in hand, Nie Li charged forward, soul force swirling around his dao, creating a spectacle of energy that seemed to dance along the blade's edge.
But then, something even more unexpected happened.
Time itself seemed to halt, freezing everything around him in place. The water of the lake stopped rippling, and the wooden puppet stood motionless, its six arms suspended in mid-air.
"Huh?"
[ Alert: Enemy positioned for potential harm to Player Nie Li. Directive: Choose from the following options. ]
[ ▶ Counterttack ]
[ ▷ Defend ]
[ ▷ Run Away ]
Nie Li's eyes were drawn upward.
There, he noticed one of the puppet's numerous arms, previously frozen mid-swing, now inching downward toward his head. In that moment of stillness, a realization dawned on him—this attack had triggered the system.
[ Player Nie Li has selected ▶ Defend ]
The moment time resumed its normal pace, Nie Li instinctively raised his arms in defense.
However, he was swiftly cut from the waist down by the puppet's precise strike.
The experience was surreal— one moment, his instincts screamed that he was fatally wounded, and the next, he found himself standing unharmed at the spot where he had first begun, as if nothing had happened.
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This time, Nie Li decided on a change of tactics, opting for a long-range approach. From the water, he conjured a bow and arrow, aiming and releasing it towards the puppet.
The puppet, unfazed, sliced through the arrow effortlessly.
Then, in an astonishing display of skill, one of its arms produced an arrow and launched it back at Nie Li.
Time seemed to freeze again, as Nie Li caught sight of the arrow just inches away from his eye, its tip suspended in space, a heartbeat away from impact.
The sudden halt, the arrow frozen before him, Nie Li realized the system had again intervened, giving him a moment's respite and a chance to react.
[ Alert: Enemy positioned for potential harm to Player Nie Li. Directive: Choose from the following options. ]
[ ▶ Counterttack ]
[ ▷ Defend ]
[ ▷ Run Away ]
[ Player Nie Li has selected ▶ Run Away ]
Time snapped back into motion, and Nie Li, acting on instinct, dodged the arrow.
Yet, victory was short-lived as another arrow found the back of his head.
The world went black once more, and Nie Li woke up at the starting point, a growl of frustration escaping his lips.
"What the hell am I supposed to learn from all of this? That I'm trash and I'm going to die?" Nie Li lamented, the weight of his failures pressing down on him. He sat down, defeated, watching the puppet stand motionless in the distance. A realization hit him then, a small sliver of understanding amidst the confusion. "At least I know that this thing doesn't attack unprovoked," he mused, trying to find some semblance of strategy in the madness.
Exhausted, Nie Li laid down, staring at the sky as a thought wormed its way through his frustration. "If only I didn't have this system intervene... Maybe I'd learn a proper path rather than just choose an option that I don't even know is the best."
[ New Combat Style Unlocked ]
[ Name: Free Style ]
[ Description: Player is granted complete autonomy in combat. System intervention will be disabled, allowing for unrestricted actions and strategies. ]
"That works," Nie Li muttered to himself, determination setting in as he gripped a sword and charged at the puppet once more.
Yet, his advance was swiftly met with defeat as the puppet sliced his head in half, sending him back to the starting point again.
This time, however, something felt different to Nie Li, perhaps a sense of liberation. Freed from the constraints and suggestions of the system, he found himself engaging in the battle with a newfound perspective. He began to rely more on his instincts and skills, dodging the initial attack and then, leveraging his heightened perception, predicting the puppet's next move.
Despite the progress in strategy, Nie Li was still cut down, but now, each defeat carried with it valuable lessons.
He started to recognize his own errors and shortcomings.
Every encounter, every cut he received, and every failed maneuver became a crucial part of his learning curve.
This cycle of trial, error, and rebirth within the simulation taught Nie Li more than just how to fight; it taught him resilience, adaptability, and the importance of self-reliance.
With each reset, he approached the puppet with a slightly altered strategy, gleaning insights from his previous attempts.
This process, though fraught with failure, was shaping Nie Li into a more skilled and perceptive combatant, inch by inch.
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Nie Li took a deep sigh as he faced the puppet once again.
"You've killed me 68 times," he said, almost conversationally, as if the wooden adversary could comprehend his words.
"I think it's about time I returned the favor." A sly grin crossed his face, signaling a plan forming in his mind.
With renewed vigor, Nie Li charged at the puppet, his grip on the sword tight and purposeful.
In a bold move, he hurled the sword towards the puppet, which instinctively turned to block the incoming attack. But Nie Li had anticipated this; the sword was attached to a piece of his shirt, a makeshift tether that he yanked back, pulling the weapon back towards him. This maneuver left the puppet momentarily stuck in a blocking position, giving Nie Li the precious second he needed.
Seizing the opportunity, Nie Li twisted his body and, with a swift motion, sliced through the puppet's right side. As the left side of the puppet turned to counterattack, Nie Li executed a flawless somersault, dodging the blade with inches to spare. Landing on his feet, he didn't waste a moment before slashing at the puppet's leg, further destabilizing it.
Stepping back to survey his handiwork, Nie Li watched as the puppet flailed, its movements erratic like a headless chicken. "Thanks."
[ Due to continuous use, The Orchid Garden Weapon Art's grade has evolved from mid to high-grade. ]
[ Skill: The Orchid Garden Weapon Art ]
[ Level: 1 ]
[ Grade: High ]
[ Description: Elevating from its mid-grade status, The Orchid Garden Weapon Art has reached new heights of mastery through diligent practice and profound insight. Inspired by the serene yet unpredictable dance of orchid leaves in the wind, this high-grade martial arts technique now encompasses a broader understanding of fluid motion and the harmony between wielder and weapon. Its application extends beyond mere physicality, incorporating a deep bond with the wielder's soul force to create movements that are not only unpredictable but also resonant with the essence of life itself. ]
[ Effects: ]
- [ Agility Boost: Increases user's agility by 30%. ]
- [ Weapon Flexibility: Improves the efficiency of using unconventional weapons by 30%. ]
- [ Wind Trace: Grants a 10% chance to execute a counter-attack that mimics the unpredictable movement of wind-blown leaves, further confusing opponents. ]
- [ Soul Force Coating: Enhances the power of the weapon by 30% by coating it in soul force. ]
- [ Leaf's Whisper: Enables the wielder to sense incoming attacks through subtle air vibrations, increasing evasion by an additional 25% and providing a near-preternatural awareness of the battlefield. ]
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- [ Special Move: Gardener's Elegy - A beam of hot soul force. Activation: ↓↘ → ←, B ]