[ AI intervenes in battle ]
The notification flashed vividly as Nie Li, now a mere spectator floating above the battlefield, watched with a blend of horror and intrigue as the AI-controlled version of himself charged headlong towards Shen Xiu.
Her growls filled the air, animalistic and menacing, as she swiped at him with her razor-sharp nails, transformed by her demonic spirit fusion.
In response, the AI, with Nie Li's body under its command, moved with an almost inhuman precision. It swiftly calculated the most efficient path for an attack, lunging forward with a speed that seemed to bend the air itself.
The soul katar in his hand sliced through the space between them, aiming for a hit.
But, to Nie Li's surprise, the katar met nothing but air.
Shen Xiu, rather than evading, had let the feigned attack pass harmlessly.
"I almost died there," Nie Li realized, momentarily forgetting he was not in control. The AI's strategy was beyond his understanding, executing moves with a level of perfection he had never achieved.
"Why so aggressive?" Nie Li questioned mentally.
A direct assault against Shen Xiu, especially given her massive battle power, appeared irrational. But he soon realized the AI's strategy was deeper than he anticipated.
His body, agile and precise under the AI's command, narrowly dodged a ferocious strike from Shen Xiu, her nails grazing his cheek, leaving a thin red line of blood. The AI, having analyzed her attack pattern, seemed to know exactly when and where to move.
Nie Li observed as the AI made another calculated charge. Shen Xiu's eyes flared with fury, her attacks becoming more ferocious, but the AI's movements were a dance of dodges and counterattacks. Every swing of the katar was perfect, slicing through the air in a deadly ballet.
The AI, having lured Shen Xiu into a false sense of dominance, suddenly changed its tactics. It feinted to the left, then spun swiftly, bringing the sword in a wide arc.
The AI executed a decisive slash across Shen Xiu's face. The soul weapon moved with lethal precision, cutting through the air and leaving a trail of blood in its wake. As the blood spurted out, Nie Li witnessed a level of power and skill that was almost unfathomable. The AI had taken on an opponent whose strength was vastly superior and had managed to inflict significant damage.
Nie Li looked on as Shen Xiu, her face marked by the horizontal slash. She was dazed, the shock and pain rendering her unable to continue the fight.
The system updated Shen Xiu's stats, the damage done by the AI's precise strike:
[ Name: Shen Xiu ]
[ Stats ]
[ Health: 39.48K ( ↓16.92K) /56.4K ]
[ Soul Force (SF): 3,000 /3,000 ]
[ Battle Power (BP): 729000 ( ↓78.51K ) /807K ]
Guess that amount of damage is because the Soul Katar attacks the soul rather than the body.
Nie Li's jaw dropped at the sight unfolding before him.
Shen Xiu, fueled by rage, erupted into a blazing inferno.
Her demon spirit form, the flaming fox, became more pronounced, with fiery tails lashing out in a frenzied attack.
The AI, controlling Nie Li's body, reacted with lightning speed.
It dodged the fiery tails with a series of agile maneuvers, moving closer to Shen Xiu. In a bold and unexpected move, the AI used Shen Xiu's body as a springboard, planting a foot on her face to gain the necessary leverage to vault into the classroom.
Shen Xiu, humiliated and furious, chased after the AI with unrestrained ferocity.
"I'll smoke you out like a rat," she growled, her voice echoing with anger as she unleashed a torrent of flames into the classroom.
The room quickly became an inferno, the flames consuming desks and chairs, creating a scene of chaos and destruction.
From his vantage point, Nie Li saw the AI skillfully hide beneath the front row of desks, almost blending in with the shadows.
Shen Xiu, in her blind rage, seemed unaware of the AI's location.
"What are you planning?" Nie Li wondered, watching the AI's calculated movements.
Shen Xiu continued her fiery rampage, determined to flush out her opponent.
Nie Li's eyes widened in horror as he watched the flames.
As the AI jumped out, Shen Xiu impaled him right through the stomach.
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"You are dead," Shen Xiu growled, as seemingly the AI went limp, but Nie Li knew better as he saw Shen Xiu throw him away but what she didn't see was the soul formation pill in his mouth.
Shen Xiu immediately discarded her demon spirit form as her opponent was dead.
That's is when the AI used the pill to increase its soul force and health to the point it could live for a few more minutes as the AI used the soul wings skill.
Crimson red wings greeted Shen Xiu as she saw the AI's cold, dead eyes.
Nie Li saw blood-red soul force warp around the Soul Katar as he knew it was over.
[ You have activated Gardener's Elegy: ↓↘ → ←, B ]
Nie Li blinked as the AI decapitated Shen Xiu and sliced the classroom in half.
[ Name: Shen Xiu ]
[ Stats ]
[ Health: 0/56.4K ]
Shen Xiu had been defeated.
[ You have obtained 2 Life Coins ]
Nie Li was stunned.
The AI hadn't just subdued Shen Xiu; it had made Shen Xiu dance to its tunes.
The realization of what had just occurred was overwhelming.
As the gravity of his actions dawned on him, Nie Li's brief smile faded, replaced by a sinking feeling in his heart.
The realization that he had just killed Shen Xiu, the sister of one of the most powerful family patriarchs in Glory City, sent waves of panic through him.
"Damnit, no, what do I do now?" he thought, his mind was racing for solutions.
Suddenly, a voice called out to him, snapping him back to reality.
Nie Li turned, stunned to see his AI-controlled body looking directly at him.
"Next time, do better," the AI said, its tone almost instructive.
"Did you just talk?"
Before he could process the situation further, he felt a jolt, and suddenly, he was back in his own body, amidst the ruined classroom.
His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, desperately trying to figure out a way out of this catastrophic situation.
But before he could form a coherent plan, dizziness overwhelmed him.
His body, weakened from the battle and the immense stress, gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
The system updated his stats, revealing his critical condition:
[ Name: Nie Li ]
[ Stats: ]
[ Health: 1 / 1000 ]
Nie Li lay there, barely conscious, realizing he too was on the brink of death.
"Damn it, fight?" he thought, but his body refused to respond.
Darkness crept in at the edges of his vision, enveloping him in its cold embrace.
The last thing he saw before everything faded to black was the system notification:
[ Player Nie Li has died ]
----------------------------------------
Floating in what seemed like an endless black sea, Nie Li found himself in a state of bewilderment.
"Is this the afterlife?" he pondered, trying to make sense of his surroundings. It was then that the familiar system screen flashed in front of him.
[ Select on the Screen ]
[ Resume ]
[ Load a Save point ]
[ Restart ]
Nie Li blinked in realization.
He remembered this screen; it had appeared when he was on the brink of death last time.
"Could this be another chance to go back in time?" he wondered, contemplating his options.
He tried to select [ Resume ], but a warning flashed:
[ Warning: Conditions for resume haven't been met. Option can't be selected ]
"Figures," Nie Li muttered.
"Even in death, there are terms and conditions."
He then considered the [ Start at save point ] option, noticing the save he had made just a few hours ago.
[ Narrative points ]
[ • First Narrative Point - Support of the Family ]
[ • Second Narrative Point - Kill or Court ]
"The first option is practically useless since I would have to go through everything again, but the second option could take me back just a few hours," Nie Li mused.
"But then I'd have to relive the whole Shen Xiu debacle. Do I really want to go through that again?"
"Well, Nie Li, looks like you've got yourself into a real pickle this time. Restart, and lose everything? Or go through the worst courting session in existence. Decisions, decisions."
Nie Li hesitated for a moment before making his choice to start at the save point.
[ Coins: 4 -> 3 ]
[ Life coin has been used to start at save point ]
Suddenly, everything around him vanished, and a hazy blur enveloped his senses. As the haze cleared, Nie Li found himself back in the Fighter Apprentice class at the Holy Orchid Institute.
He blinked several times, disoriented, and pinched himself to confirm the reality of his situation.
The sharp sting that followed reassured him that he was indeed back.
As the realization sank in, Nie Li's emotions began to spiral. He had died and was now back again. The weight of this experience hit him like a ton of bricks.
"I was dead... and now I'm not. This is... this is just insane," he thought, struggling to process the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings.
He leaned back in his chair, feeling a wave of disorientation and disbelief wash over him. "I've got a third chance," Nie Li mumbled to himself, trying to grasp the gravity of his situation.
"But at what cost? How many times can I cheat death?"
The class around him buzzed with the usual chatter and noise, but to Nie Li, it all seemed distant, almost unreal.
As Nie Li sat in the classroom, watching Shen Xiu teach with her usual authoritative demeanor, a wave of discomfort washed over him. The memories of their recent battle, facilitated by the AI, flooded back, overwhelming him with a mix of fear. In that alternate reality, they had effectively killed each other - Shen Xiu had fallen to the AI's merciless attack, and he, in turn, had been fatally weakened by her flames.
The realization that this was his third chance at life weighed heavily on him. Unlike his previous reincarnation, where gratitude had filled him for the second chance, this time, his emotions were muddled.
The system, which he had trusted implicitly, had led him to a violent end.
But then, a thought struck him, slicing through the turmoil.
"Wait, why am I blaming the system? It didn't make the choices; I did. It was my own greed, my own need to prove myself, that led me down that path."
As he continued to berate himself, Nie Li realized the futility of it.
Self-reproach wouldn't change the past nor help him navigate the future. He needed to focus, to learn from his mistakes.
"Thinking about what I could've done differently is pointless now. I need to move forward, not get stuck in a loop of regret."
Nie Li took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing thoughts. He reflected on his actions, the choices he had made, and the consequences that followed.
As Nie Li grappled with his tumultuous thoughts, Lu Piao's voice cut through his reverie.
"Hey, are you ok, man?"
Nie Li looked up, momentarily pulled from his introspection.
"I just don't know, Lu Piao. I just feel like I want to get out of this class."
"Same, man. I heard that the girls in the other classes are much prettier," Lu Piao replied.
Nie Li couldn't help but smile at his friend's comment.
Maybe it was the simplicity of Lu Piao's words or the normalcy of this interaction, but it was a reminder that life continued to move, with or without his internal struggles.
He had been given a third chance, and he resolved to use it wisely, to learn from his past mistakes and be better.
Just then, a system notification appeared, snapping Nie Li back to the reality of his situation:
[ Narrative Point Detected ]
[ Select from the following ]
[ 1- Kill Shen Xiu ]
[ 2- Court Shen Xiu ]