118: Chapter 118: A Crushing Defeat! A New Punishment

After the prompt in her mind faded, she did not respond immediately; she had been waiting for this moment for an entire day.

She had to win.

At the very least, she could not let Lu Cheng leave her behind again this time.

Su Wan's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she spoke in her heart.

"Start comparison."

The next second, the system interface unfolded within her consciousness.

A pale golden light screen spread out layer by layer, and familiar handwriting slowly emerged.

[This reward is: Holy-grade Armament component, Destiny Dragon Heart]

[Reward Description: Can automatically fuse when the host obtains Dragon-type, Holy-type, or Fire-type related bloodlines or armaments in the future, condensing the "Destiny Dragon Heart" core. After fusion, it significantly increases burst limits, Source Power recovery, and near-death combat endurance, with a probability of awakening a "Rule-level Dragon Might" in advance.]

Su Wan's pupils constricted slightly.

Her fingers tightened subconsciously, her knuckles turning white. This thing was difficult to obtain even for those in the Destiny Realm... She hadn't expected it to be a reward this time...

The system's light screen continued to scroll down.

[Conducting this month's combat power comparison...]

[Comparison subjects: Su Wan, Lu Cheng]

[Comprehensive evaluation in progress...]

Su Wan stared at those lines of text, her chest tightening slightly.

A few seconds later, the result popped up.

[Result of this comparison: Lu Cheng wins]

The room was silent for a moment.

The expression on Su Wan's face turned cold instantly.

"On what grounds?"

She lifted her head, a flash of coldness in her eyes, her tone suppressed and low, yet clearly carrying anger.

"System, isn't there a problem with your evaluation criteria?"

The system's voice remained steady.

[The comparison result is based on multi-dimensional judgments such as comprehensive combat power.]

Su Wan pressed her lips together, her chest heaving once.

She was unconvinced.

Extremely unconvinced.

Su Wan spoke directly: "Move aside, System. You do your judging, I will fight it myself."

[Start virtual combat simulation?]

"Start."

[Loading virtual space...]

The dormitory, wall lamps, and bed in front of her faded away rapidly.

The next second, Su Wan felt a weight under her feet; she was already standing on a vast, empty black alloy battlefield.

Opposite her, Lu Cheng's figure slowly solidified.

Su Wan stared at him, feeling even calmer in her heart.

She knew this was a simulation, but the sense of oppression was still very real.

The next second.

Lu Cheng lifted his eyes.

Boom!

Black-red flames burst forth first!

Flame horns instantly protruded from his forehead, molten golden pupils lit up, and his Eternal Flame Demon Bloodline was activated directly. Immediately after, gold-white holy brilliance erupted from his body, dragon scales covered him from head to toe, and the Holy Dragon Armament formed with a roar!

Flame Demon Transformation!

Holy Dragon Armament!

Dual activation!

Su Wan's eyelids twitched. Almost at the same instant his momentum surged, the ice beneath her feet exploded, and she had already moved sideways using [Treading Snow Without Traces]!

She had been guarding against this move all along!

Indeed...

Lu Cheng opened his mouth, his chest swelling violently, as terrifying light flames intertwined with gold-white and black-red rapidly gathered in his throat!

[Holy Dragon Roar]!

Boom!!!

A massive beam of dragon flame swept across the battlefield instantly. The air in front was distorted by the impact, the alloy ground cracked layer by layer, and fragments were swept into the air, only to be melted directly by the high temperature and holy brilliance.

Su Wan had prepared in advance; her figure turned back and forth repeatedly, ice shadows bursting one after another.

She had dodged it!

She clearly saw that frontal roar blast past her original position!

But the very next second, her whole body stiffened violently.

A terrifying shockwave and high temperature still slammed fiercely into her body!

"Pfft!"

A sweet taste rose in Su Wan's throat; she was sent flying directly, her protective cold energy shattering layer by layer in mid-air, her body slamming heavily onto the ground, her vision turning white instantly.

She didn't even have time to get up before the scene in front of her shattered with a boom.

[Simulation ended.]

Su Wan returned to the room, her breathing instantly becoming chaotic.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her palms still gripping the bed frame tightly, her fingertips cold.

"How can this be?"

Her brows furrowed tightly.

She had clearly dodged it.

The route was fine, the timing was fine, and the judgment was fine.

That Holy Dragon Roar didn't hit her head-on at all.

Yet she was still blown away.

Su Wan closed her eyes, forcibly suppressing that wave of irritation.

"Again."

[Loading virtual space...]

The second time.

The third time.

...

Ten times, twenty times...

Su Wan went in again and again, and was blasted out again and again.

Her complexion grew increasingly ugly, and a layer of fine sweat even seeped from her temples.

By the end, she finally had a rough idea.

The strongest duration of Lu Cheng's dual burst of Flame Demon Transformation and Holy Dragon Armament was about thirteen seconds.

Thirteen seconds was not long.

But within these thirteen seconds, he was outrageously strong.

Speed, strength, defense... all were raised to an extremely high level.

Su Wan exhaled a cold breath, her eyes sinking bit by bit.

She looked at the system interface and suddenly spoke.

"I have a question for you."

[Please speak.]

"All the methods I use here will not cause backlash in reality, right?"

When she said this, her voice was very flat, but her fingers were already slowly clenching.

The system responded quickly.

[The virtual space is an absolute simulation environment.]

[Any forbidden arts, bloodlines, domains, or talent overdraft abilities used by the host within it will not cause backlash to the real body, Source Core, or talent origin.]

After hearing this, a trace of coldness finally flashed in Su Wan's eyes.

"Good."

Then there was nothing to worry about.

The moment she entered the virtual space next time, Su Wan didn't even test anything.

As soon as she arrived, she directly raised her hand and pressed it against her chest.

"Forbidden Art [Cold Ember Soul Burning]."

Hum!

The blood, Source Power, and life heat within her were forcibly ignited at this moment!

An extreme chill burst from deep within her body, causing even the surrounding air to instantly freeze.

The tips of her long hair were rapidly covered in a layer of icy blue frost, cold light surged in the depths of her pupils, the embryonic Source Core in her dantian spun at high speed, and the Nine Cold Heavenly Breath Art was forced to its limit!

That feeling was extremely painful.

Su Wan could clearly feel the "heat" in her body being drawn away inch by inch.

Her limbs grew cold, her blood grew cold, and even her breathing carried the stinging pain of a knife scraping through her lungs.

But at the same time, her perception, reaction, speed, and Source Power quality were also soaring crazily!

Not enough!

Su Wan lifted her head, the icy blue in her eyes almost solidifying.

"[Holy Soul Domain Split] Open!"

Boom!

The core of her talent origin, Holy Soul · Ice, was forcibly torn open by her!

A semi-finished domain unleashed at the cost of talent damage!

The next second, the domain suddenly spread out!

With her as the center, a vast icy blue cold domain roared and expanded. The alloy ground instantly frosted over, layers of ice crystals grew wildly outward, countless tiny ice shards floated in the air, and the temperature of the entire battlefield plummeted crazily.

In this pseudo-domain, ice possessed the absolute home-field advantage.

Su Wan could clearly feel that the consumption of her ice-type skills was rapidly decreasing, while their power was climbing section by section.

She raised her hand and clenched it; the surrounding floating ice elements immediately gathered toward her palm, terrifyingly obedient.

Within this area, the enemy's blood and Source Power would be continuously eroded by the cold domain.

And she could control all ice-attribute elements within this pseudo-domain!

The cost of this move was damage to her talent and injury to her foundation.

In more serious cases, her martial arts path would be severed directly.

But this was a simulation space.

It didn't matter!

Su Wan stomped her foot, and her entire figure vanished from the spot instantly.

Opposite her, Lu Cheng also activated his dual burst at the same moment.

Flame Demon Transformation!

Holy Dragon Armament!

Holy Dragon Roar!

But this time, the cold domain pressed over first.

As soon as the dragon flames lit up, the surrounding temperature plummeted crazily, and even that churning firelight was suppressed and flickered.

Su Wan's figure cut in from the side, drawing her long sword, the Cold Soul Sword Cloak condensed into a thin line of icy blue edge!

Clang!

The first sword strike slashed onto the side of the Dragon Scale Holy Armor, the cold energy drilling inward along the gaps in the scales.

With the second sword, Nine Cold Pulse Locks burst out simultaneously!

Nine ice locks entangled Lu Cheng's limbs, torso, shoulders, and neck from different directions; under the augmentation of the cold domain, the locking speed was astonishingly fast.

The third step, Treading Snow Without Traces flashed repeatedly!

She dragged a series of ice shadows across the battlefield, forcing Lu Cheng's Dragon Might lock-on to miss repeatedly.

Su Wan gritted her teeth, pushing every bit of calculation to the limit.

Thirteen seconds.

She just needed to survive these thirteen seconds!

Under the continuous erosion of the cold domain, Lu Cheng's burst would be stalled.

The energy buildup for the Holy Dragon Roar would also be interfered with.

Her sword grew faster and faster, the cold grew heavier, and even the Holy Dragon Armament on Lu Cheng began to be covered in a layer of frost.

Just a little bit more!

Su Wan's eyes turned fierce, and the bloodline deeper within her exploded with a roar.

"Abyssal Ice Nightmare, bloodline fully activated!"

Boom!!!

A massive phantom of an Ice Nightmare suddenly appeared behind her, the extreme cold bloodline awakened completely, and the coldness of the entire pseudo-domain instantly surged to a terrifying level.

The ground froze! The air froze!

Even the churning flames around Lu Cheng were forcibly suppressed by a notch.

Su Wan thrust her sword out!

The icy blue sword light tore through the air, carrying the full power of the cold domain, the forbidden art, and the Holy Soul Domain Split, stabbing fiercely into Lu Cheng's chest!

Crack!

Dragon scales shattered!

Holy brilliance scattered!

Lu Cheng's body was directly pierced by this sword, then frozen inch by inch in the extreme cold burst, and shattered with a roar!

Done!

The moment Su Wan landed, her chest heaved violently, and her fingers were trembling.

She stared at the exploding ice crystals in front of her, a hint of joy she couldn't suppress finally surfacing in her eyes.

She had won!

She had finally...

This thought had just emerged.

The next second.

The hairs on her back stood up violently!

A terrifying fluctuation, so familiar that it made her scalp tingle, rose with a roar from behind her!

Su Wan's pupils constricted, and she turned her head with a stiff neck.

She saw Lu Cheng.

To be precise, it was another Lu Cheng who was still in the Flame Demon Transformation and Holy Dragon Armament state.

He stood further back, his chest swelling, the intertwined gold-white and black-red light flames in his throat already compressed to the limit, while Dragon Might and flames churned crazily around him.

The second shot, Holy Dragon Roar!

"Wait!"

Su Wan only had time to spit out two words.

Boom!!!

The terrifying torrent of dragon flames slammed down head-on, and the entire virtual space was swallowed by gold-white and black-red. The cold domain, ice locks, sword qi, and Ice Nightmare afterimage she had just deployed were all smashed to pieces in this instant.

Su Wan was blasted away head-on, and her consciousness disconnected on the spot.

The next second, she was ejected directly from the virtual space.

In the room, Su Wan opened her eyes violently, her breathing rapid, her shoulders and back tense.

She sat on the edge of the bed, completely dazed.

"What's going on?"

She stared at the air in front of her, her eyes a bit vacant.

She had clearly killed Lu Cheng, having watched with her own eyes as he was pierced, frozen, and shattered by her sword.

Where did that second Lu Cheng pop out from?

Su Wan was silent for a few seconds, her complexion turning ugly bit by bit.

"System."

Her voice was cold.

"Did you glitch?"

[System running normally.]

"Normal?"

Su Wan stood up directly, her brows furrowed tightly.

"I already killed him, and yet he can still fire another Holy Dragon Roar from behind? You call this normal?"

[The system will never make a mistake.]

Su Wan stared at that line of text, her chest feeling stifled with anger.

She didn't believe it.

"Again."

[Loading virtual space...]

Then.

She was beaten out again.

It was the same.

She had clearly completed the "kill," but immediately after, the second Holy Dragon Roar would still blast out from behind, sending her away on the spot.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Su Wan's complexion grew whiter and whiter, her forehead covered in fine cold sweat, and even her fingers were trembling slightly.

She stood in the center of the room, replaying the scene from just now over and over in her mind.

Impossible...

Even if the Eternal Flame Demon Bloodline could resurrect someone, it couldn't restore them to their peak state in an instant.

This simply didn't make sense.

Then there was only one explanation left.

She... hadn't truly killed Lu Cheng at all.

What she shattered was just some kind of "illusion"?

Or perhaps a substitute afterimage created by the armaments, while the real Lu Cheng had been hiding in the back all along?

Thinking of this, Su Wan felt a chill on her back.

This Lu Cheng... what kind of monster is he?

She gritted her teeth and entered the virtual space again.

Try again.

Try one more time!

But the result remained the same.

She deduced again and again, burst forth again and again, and was smashed by the second Holy Dragon Roar every time she thought she had caught an opportunity.

Time passed bit by bit.

In the room, there was only the sound of her increasingly urgent breathing.

Finally, after being beaten out of the virtual space once more, the system light screen slowly popped up.

[Give up?]

Su Wan stared at those four characters, her teeth clenching bit by bit.

Of course, she was unwilling.

She could even feel that she was just a little bit away!

But that little bit was something she just couldn't overcome.

After a long time, she slowly raised her hand and tapped with stiff fingertips.

"Give up."

The system interface flickered slightly.

[This comparison failed.]

[Generating punishment task...]

Su Wan's eyelids twitched, and a deeply ominous premonition suddenly arose in her heart.

The next second, the system prompt popped up.

[Punishment task: When the next challenge arrives, the host must personally make love bento boxes for Lu Cheng for seven days.]

[Love bento, as the name implies, must have a heart shape appear in the middle of the bento to count as a love bento.]

[Note: Rewards of corresponding grades will be issued based on the target's satisfaction.]

Su Wan: "..."

She froze completely.

A few seconds later, her face turned black.

"What did you say?"

Last time it asked her to give Lu Cheng a massage, this time it wanted her to cook, and it had to be a love bento...

Then what will it want her to do next time??

Do ? ? ? ?

The system's handwriting remained clear.

[The highest-grade reward is: King-grade Source Weapon · Frost Heavenly Dragon Fang]

[Reward Description: Top-tier King-grade ice-attribute Source Weapon, comes with three characteristics: "Cold Domain Augmentation," "Armor-Piercing Freeze," and "Dragon Soul Resonance," of extremely high value.]

Su Wan looked at that line of reward description and fell silent.

A weapon above SSS-grade...

The weapon she was using now was only C-grade; if she had this thing, Lu Cheng would definitely not be her opponent in that battle...

There were still three realms for weapons above SSS-grade.

King-grade, Holy-grade, God-grade.

This reward was strong, indeed very strong... but the problem was...

She had to make love bento boxes for Lu Cheng for a week first.

And it would depend on whether he was satisfied or not.

Do it!

Isn't it just cooking!

What's so hard about it!

She had encountered even harder things than this!

Having thought this through, Su Wan began to study recipes for love bento boxes...