Absolute Choice 9

by Pear Lands In The Autumn Spring

  ...

  ...

  "I don't want to become anyone else, even if he is the Hero King. Because, I want to become Speechless Li!"

  The handsome black-haired boy said with a determined look.

  Sitting beside the boy was a girl who lightly blinked her beautiful brown eyes. Her hands were holding up her face that had a bit of baby fat. She said in a childish manner, "Brother Speechless is Brother Speechless, so why do you want to become Brother Speechless?"

  The black-haired boy scratched his head. He seemed to be at a loss for an explanation. With a thought, he said to the girl, "That's because everybody wishes for me to become the Hero King. Daddy, Mommy, Grandpa, Grandma, all of them wish for it. Furthermore...I'm good at imitating. I believe imitation might be my destiny."

  The words that sounded somewhat mature were clearly hard to understand for the girl. She shook her little head that had a mop of short, brown hair to indicate that she did not understand what he meant.

  Following that, she pouted slightly and said naively, "Brother Speechless is good at imitating, then...wouldn't imitating be enough?"

  "Of course not!"

  The boy shook his head adamantly. "I already said, I don't want to become anyone else. I want to be Speechless Li. So how can I keep imitating all the way? Even if imitation is my destiny, as long as I refuse to bow down before it, as long as I do my best to resist it, my destiny can be conquered as well!"

  The girl stared at the boy. A somewhat different glimmer suddenly appeared in her innocent brown eyes.

  She muttered to herself repeatedly, "Destiny can be conquered as well" before she tilted her head. She laughed out innocently and said, "I see, Brother Speechless doesn't like imitating."

  The boy nodded as he reached out his tiny hand to touch the girl's head. He said, "An imitation is an imitation after all. Even if it can be replicated identically, so what? And if it can be replicated identically, wouldn't the real Speechless Li...disappear?"

  ...

  ...

  Speechless' glazed eyes gradually had its luster restored. Memories that had nearly been forgotten returned to him once again. An unfamiliar palpitation made his heart start beating faster.

  "An imitation is an imitation after all."

  The corners of Speechless's mouth suffused a relieved smile. He looked up at the blond youth and said, "I have lost. Even as a counterfeit, you are still a counterfeit of that man. That man is indeed impressive."

  With his Mirror Replication cracked, it actually did not mean that Speechless was bound to be defeated. That was because he had many means that he had yet to use. The absolute balance had been displaced, but the true battle had only just begun.

  However, Speechless admitted that he had lost. He had utterly lost the battle that proved who was the perfect imitation because the illusion of his perfect imitation had been broken.

  However, the blond youth appeared to disagree with the outcome. He said with a deadpan manner, "You have yet to lose."

  Speechless said with a smile, "You might think that I have yet to lose because you only saw through my Mirror Replication. My true strength has not been displayed. However, victory and defeat are relative. To me, the meaning behind this battle is to prove that I'm the perfect imitation. And on that point, you have completely shattered that illusion. You have proved that a loophole exists in my perfection. From my point of view, you have already won, and I completely admit your superiority."

  "You have misunderstood me."

  A cold glimmer flashed in the blond youth's calm eyes. He said, "You have yet to lose, because...you haven't died."

  With that said, everyone present was appalled!

  Speechless' pupils constricted slightly as he wiped the smile off his face.

  According to the rules of the life-and-death battle between the three kings, the dead were the losers, and the losers had to be the dead. Then, Speechless, who was still alive, was indeed far from considered defeated.

  However, there was no prior indication that the sudden battle would follow the rules of the life-and-death battle between the three kings.

  Speechless said calmly, "It looks like you want to kill me?"

  The blond youth said with a nod, "That is the goal for my coming. You aren't the only one. I will be killing all three kings. You can join forces. No, I advise the three of you to join forces now."

  When Speechless heard this, he suddenly recalled of the story of the Hero King. The Hero King had fought the three kings single-handedly and eventually killed all three kings.

  "What a crappy plot setting."

  Speechless could not help but curse in his heart. He looked at the blond youth and said, "We will not join forces. It is impossible for you to kill me either. Although my imitation has loopholes, you are unable to kill me."

  Speechless' eyes were filled with confidence. From a young age, he had been imitating the Hero King. He had worked hard to follow in the Hero King's footsteps, so he knew very well that although he had yet to chase up to the Hero King at the same age, the gap wasn't that large.

  If the blond youth was a counterfeit of the Hero King, then his strength was insufficient to crush him.

  "Won't be able to kill you?"

  The blond youth muttered to himself as he suddenly gestured a motion of clasping a sword with both hands.

  Dots of crystalline purple light suddenly began to emerge from the ground as they gathered in the blond youth's hands!

  A layer of bright purple light emanated in the air before it suddenly took the form of a sword!

  "That is...the outline of a sword?"

  The purple halo formed the outline of a sword. A sword's hilt was being held in the blond youth's hands!

  "That is the outline of the sword that doesn't exist."

  The sword that didn't exist had its outline carved out by the purple halo. From the looks of it, it did not look very different from an ordinary long sword.

  A light smile suffused across Speechless's lips. "The power of Sword Truth? It looks like you have discovered it as well."

  Without a doubt, the purple dots of light that suddenly emerged out of the ground as well as the purple halo that carved out the outline of the sword that did not exist was the blond youth's Sword Truth!

  In fact, Shi Xiaobai had previously discovered such a fact. Speechless's Mirror Replication could only imitate techniques!

  As for the power of Sword Truth, it was part of one's physical strength, and was not part of the move.

  Speechless was unable to imitate the power of Sword Truth!

  The blond youth had used his sharp observational skills to notice this point.

  "If you think using the power of Sword Truth is enough to defeat me, then you are overly naive!"

  Speechless sneered as he suddenly clenched the black-and-white sword with both hands.

  Purple points of light began to rise up from the ground as they augmented on the black-and-white sword. It formed the sword outline with a purple luster.

  That scene was nearly identical to the blond youth's usage of Sword Truth!

  "Sorry about that. The person I imitate has always been that man you are modeled after. Although the power of Mirror Replication cannot imitate a Sword Truth, I, who have attempted to imitate that man, would not only rely on the power of Mirror Replication!"

  Speechless said loudly, "That man's Sword Truth is my Sword Truth!"

  The superpower of Mirror Replication allowed Speechless to do imitations that were opportunistic in many ways. However, there were many imitations that required him to depend on his hard work to grasp it. And from his birth to the present day, he, who had never stopped imitating the Hero King, had suffered through countless tears and sweat to possess his present strength.

  He had used his life and youth to imitate that man.

  He naturally also possessed that man’s Sword Truth!

  "Then what about Sword Soul?"

  Suddenly a calm voice was heard.

>   Speechless felt as though he was struck by lightning. He looked up in disbelief. "Imposs..."

  He did not manage to finish saying the word 'impossible'.

  Because at the moment he lifted his head, a gigantic astral soul appeared behind the blond youth's body.

  The astral soul was about ten meters tall. It was blurry, preventing others from seeing its true form. However, one could tell that it was wearing armor, and that both of its hands held onto a gigantic sword. Its posture was identical to the blond youth's.

  The gigantic astral soul's sudden appearance behind the blond youth gave many people a fright.

  And Sunless, who knew what that astral soul meant, had a rare startled expression.

  Speechless' eyes nearly glazed over as he muttered, "The power of the Sword Soul. In the family's records, that man at this age had clearly not grasped the power of the Sword Soul, so how can you possess such power? Did that man conceal it from the family? Or have you been designated to be stronger than that man?"

  In the way of the sword, the enhancement of sword techniques had four levels.

  The lowest level was Sword Intent. This was a power that a swordsman with some talent would eventually grasp.

  The second level was Sword Truth. This was something a genius swordsman would learn of after many years of accumulated experience. It was a power that would be awoken after one figured out one's way of the sword. Typically, those who wielded the power of Sword Truth were already at a top tier standard in the realm of swords.

  And the third level was the Sword Soul. It was a mystical power. The swordsmen that could comprehend and use the power of Sword Soul were few and far between. The power of the Sword Soul not only needed extraordinary perceptive powers, one needed crucial encounters. Even many of the top ten Sword Masters in the world failed to gain insights into the power of the Sword Soul till much later.

  The fourth level, the Sword Domain was even more mystical. Even across history, there were very few humans that managed to comprehend a Sword Domain. The most famous Sword Domain was Sword Immortal Xu Taibai’s at his peak.

  Speechless, Sunless, and even Shi Xiaobai could be considered geniuses among geniuses. At such a young age, they had already gained insights into the power of Sword Truth which was enough to cause a stir in China. But no one could be sure that the three of them would be able to comprehend the power of the Sword Soul at the age of thirty, forty, or even fifty.

  As for the Hero King, or in some sense, the fake Hero King in front of them, was demonstrating the power of the Sword Soul at that moment!

  Even though his Sword Soul was only ten meters tall and it being blurry to the point of not being able to discern its facial features, it was still a sword soul!

  It was a power that far exceeded the power of Sword Truth!

  The power of Sword Soul was enough to completely crush Speechless!

  "So you always possessed the power to absolutely crush your foes from the beginning."

  Speechless said with a wry smile, "You could have used your absolute power to destroy the Mirror Replication, but you chose the most difficult manner to completely defeat me. What unpleasant pride."

  "You are an opponent worthy of respect."

  The blond youth said in a deadpan manner, "If I do not use the power of Sword Soul, I won't be able to kill you. But sorry, I have to kill you. Receive the attack. I will be using all my strength for this strike, giving you the most respectable death!"

  As the blond youth said so, his cold pair of eyes suddenly showed an additional strand of emotion. He lifted his arms. The gigantic astral soul behind him did an identical motion!

  "Slash!"

  The strike did not seem to have a name. It appeared to be the most normal of slashes, but the power produced from the strike struck fear into the deepest depths of one's soul!

  Shi Xiaobai, who was far in the distance, could clearly sense the terrifying power contained within that strike. He placed himself in the shoes of Speechless.

  He was pondering how he would face such a strike.

  Face it head on?

  The outcome would be an abject defeat. He would be blasted to pieces by the power of that single strike!

  Dodge as fast as possible?

  No, there was no time. The strike could not be dodged. Even if his Crab Steps were to be upgraded by another grade, there was no way he could dodge that strike.

  What could he do?

  What could Speechless do?

  If one was struck by that strike, it would result in death.

  A very likely death.

  But if there was no way to face it head on nor dodge it in time, what other means were there?

  What...should be done?

  "Quickly use the exit command!"

  Shi Xiaobai roared at the dazed Speechless!

  ...

  ...

  "Why is your hair not blond? Should you dye it? The Hero King's hair is blond."

  In the arms of a young girl, there was a boy as she ruffled through his black hair. Her eyes appeared like she was deep in thought, as if she was pondering over her own suggestion.

  The boy suddenly looked up and said, "No, definitely not!"

  The young girl frowned slightly and asked, "Why not? Blond hair is so pretty. It's as resplendent as the rays of the sun. It is said that the Hero King's hair had caused countless girls to be infatuated with him. If Little Speechless were to dye his hair blond, he will definitely look better than he is now."

  The boy smacked his lips, "I'm already handsome enough. There's no need to become even better looking."

  The boy's facial features looked exquisite and perfect. From a young age, there was a hint that he would grow up to be a handsome young man who would cause thousands of girls to fawn over him. Therefore, what he said was not a lie.

  The young girl smiled and pinched the boy's cheek. She said with a laugh, "It's not a bad look. You are indeed worthy of being my sister's child. However, it will look even better if you dye it blond."

  The boy said loudly, "Black is nicer than blond!"

  The young girl shook her head and said, "Blond is nice. The Hero King's hair is blond."

  The boy smacked his lips and said, "Hmph, you idolize the Hero King so much, so it's obvious you would think his hair color is nicer."

  The young girl gave a happy smile and said, "What you said seems to make a bit of sense, but I really do think blond is nicer. Who asked the Hero King to have blond hair?"

  The boy got away from the woman's arms and jumped onto the ground. Facing the young girl on the chair, he said seriously, "There will be one day you will prefer black!"

  The young girl pricked her eyebrows up and said with a laugh, "That's impossible. Unless the Hero King is revived and dyes his hair black. If not, the color I like will forever be blond!"

  The boy clenched his tiny fist and looked up to say loudly, "No, there will be a day when I will surpass the Hero King. I will become a man even greater than he was! When the time comes, the person Little Aunt will worship the most will be me! When the time comes, you will definitely prefer black!"

  The young girl widened her eyes slightly as her lips curled upwards. She revealed a beautiful smile as she said softly, "Then we have made an agreement. The day you surpass the Hero King will be the day I prefer black."

  As the young girl said that, she stretched out her fair and slender pinky.

  The boy nodded his head heavily.

  "Yea, there will be a day when I will surpass the Hero King!"

  ...

  ...

  "Quickly use the exit command!"

  Shi Xiaobai's roar came from a distance, jolting Speechless awake.

  That sword beam that tore through the void could not be avoided. Facing it head on would be overwhelming, but if he did not do anything, he would die. He would be killed by that strike.

  This was the first time Speechless felt lost. Only when Shi Xiaobai roared was he pulled back to reality.

 
; That's right. Use the exit command.

  There was still that method.

  As long as he used the exit command, he could instantly leave the land of the trials. He would escape that strike and successfully live on.

  To use the exit command, all he needed to do was utter those two words. It was that simple.

  But...

  "Heh, I now realize that the young me is so much cuter than I am now."

  Speechless' eyes turned somewhat gloomy.

  "To think that what I thought wasn't me escaping reality but facing reality head on was actually the biggest escape from reality. The young you could at least say the words 'an imitation is an imitation after all' and 'I want to surpass the Hero King', but now? You can't say a thing. It's like your throat is choked and can't say a word."

  "What happened to those arrogant claims?" Where did that arrogant you who kept making arrogant claims go to?"

  "Ha, to be subdued by that man's life and to lose the confidence to surpass him. To me, being able to imitate that man's life is also a destiny that one can be contented with. In the end, it's only consoling the unsuccessful me. Isn't it to fulfill me who is destined to fail?"

  "Could it be that I have to continue escaping?"

  "Are you willing to continue escaping?"

  Speechless gradually lifted his head. His gloomy eyes suddenly flashed with a dazzling light.

  "Little Aunt, black is nicer."

  A peaceful smile suffused across Speechless's mouth. With both hands clasping the sword, he slowly lifted them up and slashed out at that strike that covered the world with white light!

  "I will not escape any further!"

  ...

  The white light filled the world. The blond youth's strike was blinding. Even the sun's rays were overwhelmed by it.

  What Shi Xiaobai last saw was Speechless's figure as he held up his sword.

  Then, everything was consumed by whiteness. It was devoured by energy.

  Nothing could be seen.

  But the outcome could already be seen.

  "No!"

  Shi Xiaobai roared angrily as he crazily ran in Speechless's direction.

  Speechless did not use the exit command but chose to face it head on. Although he knew he was no match for the strike, he still chose to face it head on.