Chapter 628: One Against Two (Two-in-One)

Watching the metal-bodied man thrashing uncontrollably on the ground, the uniformed deputy train conductor couldn't help but glance at Old Master Liu again. He didn't understand physical combat, but he knew the elderly man before him had nearly reached its absolute peak.

This elder could render a man of the Mechanization pathway completely immobile with a single strike, and with another, send his entire body into uncontrollable convulsions. It wasn't because he understood machinery, but simply because he understood the body.

Yes, the body.

Whether it was machinery, flowing water, or shifting sand, as long as it was reduced to the concept of a physical body, it could be handled with methods meant for the body. This was a true powerhouse—one strong enough to bypass complex knowledge and experience to strike straight at that ineffable essence.

He felt fortunate to witness such a powerhouse and even harbored thoughts of recruiting the elder to his side.

One day, he would eventually transition from a deputy train conductor to a Train Conductor, and the old man before him would be the perfect candidate to take over his current post.

But when he turned around, he saw that Yan Jing, the game examiner, and the man wearing the tiger-skin headpiece both looked entirely unbothered.

It seemed the old man's performance was just an ordinary occurrence to them.

Tang Chi frowned.

He didn't believe these two were more experienced or knowledgeable than he was.

He had seen countless peerless geniuses and monsters. It couldn't be that monsters like this old man had become commonplace just because he hadn't stepped off the Train in a while.

So... what was the reason?

Did they fail to see through the old man's strength? Or were they just too arrogant?

Both were possible.

Regardless, this was a good thing for him; it would help with the progression of the game.

"I yield, I yield."

Aching to the bone, the frail woman stared at the convulsing metallic man who seemed on the verge of death. Her eyes filled with terror, she hastily spoke up. Hearing this, Old Master Liu nodded and walked over to her.

Under her fearful gaze, he reached out and gently pressed a spot beneath her collarbone.

Instantly, a wave of relief washed over the woman, and the agonizing pain finally vanished.

Then, Old Master Liu reached out again and tapped the center of her brow.

A few seconds later, the woman was astonished to find she could move again.

As for the metallic man, the Old Man simply grabbed him by the arm and tossed him out the door.

"Since this lady yielded and that gentleman left the game area, two players have been directly eliminated this round."

Yan Jing's expression was calm:

"The remaining three players will continue the game."

The woman stood up, casting a resentful glance at the Old Man.

She simply couldn't believe she had lost to a Ninth Tier.

After all, as the only Divine Envoy of the Path of Steel in so many years, she was full of confidence regarding the Mutation in Old Sin City, completely prepared to make a brilliant splash.

Though she knew she couldn't compare to the monsters from First Level Domains, she had still hoped to show off her own brilliance.

Yet now... she had become someone else's stepping stone instead.

Her bitter reluctance was plain to see.

But...

Seeming to notice her resentful gaze, the Old Man blinked and said:

"I'm Liu Fu, from East Lake Prefecture by Minhu."

Who asked you?!

Furious, the woman ultimately slammed the door and left.

"The game continues."

Yan Jing looked calmly at the remaining three.

He reached back, hiding his hand behind him.

1, 2, 3.

It would only be one of these three numbers.

Tang Chi's gaze remained indifferent.

This posed absolutely no challenge to him.

In his eyes, the scene before him reversed, slowly rewinding to a few seconds ago.

To the moment before Yan Jing made his hand gesture.

He adjusted his field of vision, eventually locking onto Yan Jing's back.

It was 2.

The scene returned to normal. Tang Chi took out a slip of paper. Weird Energy surged as he wrote down Same as 2.

After writing it, he glanced over at Tiger and Old Master Liu.

He knew this round would be the moment the Old Man was eliminated.

This man wearing the leather headpiece was the new master of the Path of Destiny.

On the pathway of Fate, it was safe to say no one could surpass him.

There were even rumors that this new master of the Path of Destiny was actually the reincarnation of a great entity.

That great entity had buried himself in a distant era, snapping the threads of Fate connected to him in the process.

Before his departure, he left a prophecy: only when encountering an entity at a turning point of Fate would his threads of destiny reconnect, allowing him to return to the Path of Destiny.

Normally, such a prophecy would have been forgotten over time, with everyone assuming that the great entity had completely lost himself in the chaos of destiny. Unexpectedly, just as Advent Day was approaching, the Path of Destiny announced that the great entity had fully returned. Clearly, Tiger had used an ability related to Fate to predict the number behind Yan Jing's back.

In Tang Chi's view.

In this round, Tiger would hand over his slip of paper to hide his answer, just as before.

That way, the Old Man would be the only one with a chance of making a mistake. Even if the elder was lucky enough to guess right once or twice, his luck would eventually run out.

When that time came, and he was the only one who guessed incorrectly, he would naturally be eliminated.

Thinking of this, he looked at Yan Jing:

"I'd like to ask a question."

"Go ahead."

Yan Jing nodded.

"If, and I'm just saying if."

Tang Chi said, "What happens if the last two remaining players keep correctly guessing your numbers?"

"We can't just keep going forever, right?"

Yan Jing's gaze was calm:

"According to the rules, if no one is eliminated after ten consecutive rounds, a duel of Fate will be triggered."

"All remaining players will enter a chaotic melee."

"The losers will be eliminated."

Tang Chi nodded:

"I have no more questions."

"Very well, then please provide your answers."

Yan Jing looked at Tiger, who was first in line.

"Same as 2."

Tiger's voice rang out, rather than him handing over a slip of paper as Tang Chi had expected.

Tang Chi's eyes snapped wide open.

He looked at Tiger in disbelief, his mind racing.

Finally, he reached an unacceptable conclusion.

Tiger and this Old Man before him had crossed paths before.

Furthermore...

They were on good terms.

Only this could explain why Tiger no longer hid his answer, and why he deliberately spoke the correct one out loud.

Sure enough, when it was Old Master Liu's turn, he spoke without the slightest hesitation, giving the exact same answer as Tiger.

Tang Chi's hands clenched unconsciously.

If this continued, once this so-called moment of Fate was triggered...

It would be two against one.

"It's your turn, sir."

Yan Jing's voice pulled Tang Chi from his thoughts.

His eyes darkened. Quietly crushing the slip of paper in his palm, he said coldly, "Same as 2."

He had also spoken the correct answer.

Of course, he could have given the wrong answer, lost the game, and walked away.

But that was not the choice he should make.

He was the youngest deputy train conductor in the history of the Train.

If these two guys across from him thought they could win this game with a numbers advantage, they were dead wrong.

In the second round, the third round...

Everyone maintained a silent understanding; their answers were completely identical.

Until...

The final round.

"Greater than 2."

As Tang Chi's voice fell, a golden curtain of light quietly rose around them. Streaks of pale gold energy materialized in the air, enveloping all four people, including Yan Jing.

"Now entering the moment of Fate."

Yan Jing spoke:

"You three may engage in a free-for-all. The winner takes all."

Tang Chi nodded. He reached up and unbuttoned the top button of his uniform.

Looking at the Old Man and Tiger, the corners of his mouth curled into a faint smile.

"You think two people are enough to beat me."

"That is your biggest mistake."

As soon as the words left his mouth, his figure vanished, instantly reappearing right in front of the Old Man.

With his hands in his pockets, he unleashed a high kick.

Bang!

The Old Man seemed a beat too slow, failing to intercept Tang Chi's strike immediately. It wasn't until the foot was practically at his chin that he managed to reach out and press against Tang Chi's ankle.

But he was already too late.

With a muffled thud, the Old Man's body shuddered as he took the blow head-on.

Crack, crack...

Countless fissures spread through the space around the Old Man.

This strike was far heavier and far more devastating than it looked.

The Old Man didn't seem seriously injured, though his eyes were slightly bloodshot.

Swish!

The Old Man's hand swept up from Tang Chi's ankle, his fingertips rapidly flicking along his Achilles tendon.

Seeking the Dragon and Striking the Pulse.

This was a common technique used to restrict an opponent's speed.

As long as it landed, the leg would definitely be ruined.

And right now, Tang Chi was already in his grasp, with absolutely no room to dodge.

At least, that was what the Old Man thought.

But a split second later, something felt wrong. He frowned, and by the time he realized it, the Tang Chi in his hand had vanished.

A shadow appeared above his head.

Bang!

The descending foot carried the heavy howl of the wind. The Old Man reached out, but he was too slow again.

His palm should have landed on the bottom of Tang Chi's foot, but it only managed to brush past his calf.

As for Tang Chi's foot, it crashed directly onto the top of his head.

Another hit.

The Old Man withstood it. His feet dug into the ground, sending cobweb-like cracks spreading across the floor. He yielded slightly, allowing Tang Chi's foot to press down deeper, and then...

He reached out.

And grabbed Tang Chi's ankle.

Followed by a vicious twist.

The Old Man's pupils constricted. The tactile feedback still felt wrong.

This time, he didn't waste a moment thinking. Relying purely on physical instinct, he brought his arm up to block his neck.

Bang.

He finally managed to parry Tang Chi's decisive blow.

The next instant, Tang Chi's figure materialized hundreds of meters away.

He smiled as he looked at Old Master Liu:

"Not bad luck."

Old Master Liu frowned.

It truly could be called good luck.

Just now, Tang Chi had actually targeted three different vital spots to end the fight. In that fraction of a second, the Old Man could only choose one to defend. He had guarded his neck almost entirely out of instinct. Fortunately...

He had chosen correctly.

He raised his eyes and looked at Tang Chi.

He still couldn't quite figure out why his opponent was so fast.

He had seen many fast people in his life.

In that secret realm of the Martial Dao, he had even sparred against the phantom of someone far faster than what Tang Chi was displaying now.

But...

He had always been able to at least touch them.

An opponent might be fast enough to bypass his defenses, but as long as he used a few techniques, he could force them to pay a far heavier price.

But Tang Chi was different.

He had the distinct feeling that from beginning to end, he hadn't actually touched him at all.

The tactile feedback, his own predictions, the counterattacks launched from a defensive posture—they all felt as though they were happening on a completely different plane of existence.

A plane he couldn't quite grasp.

"Ready?"

Tang Chi's voice rang out:

"The next strike is coming."

Bang!

The Old Man raised his arms in front of him, blocking that "invisible" strike.

Every muscle in his body shifted from a relaxed state into high tension, adopting a perfect defensive stance.

He needed time. Time to understand the logic behind his opponent's attacks.

However, simply enduring the barrage seemed like it wouldn't be an easy task.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Old Man was suppressed, forced to retreat step by step.

On the other side.

Tang Chi looked at Tiger and smiled faintly:

"Master of the Path of Destiny. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Tiger didn't reply to Tang Chi. His gaze swept toward the spot where the Old Man had just been standing.

Without him noticing, the Old Man had vanished.

"The youngest deputy train conductor of the Train... truly living up to your reputation."

Tiger muttered softly, "Has your mastery over time reached such a degree?"

"It is quite reminiscent of the time domain lord from back then."

"Could it be that you're already capable of summoning a version of yourself from another layer of time into the present?"

As Tiger spoke, Tang Chi's pupils imperceptibly contracted.

He hadn't expected Tiger to completely figure out his technique.

However...

It wasn't a big deal.

There was a world of difference between figuring it out and actually breaking it.

"I'm starting to believe you really are from that distant era."

Tang Chi chuckled:

"But time is a very cruel thing, sir. That distant era is long gone; this is the present. I'm quite curious... can you still recreate the miracles of the past?"

Tiger smiled warmly:

"Which is crueler between time and Fate still requires some debate."

"Then let's find out." Tang Chi smiled. As his voice faded, Tiger took a seemingly casual step forward.

Bang!

The floor where Tiger had just been standing abruptly exploded.

The next second, Tiger bent over.

A dark arc of light flashed right above his head, tearing a rift through the space.

Tiger then sidestepped. Diagonally in front of him, a pitch-black void was blasted open in midair.

"Not bad, not bad."

Missing three consecutive strikes, Tang Chi's figure reappeared in the distance, smiling.

"You truly aren't just an ordinary genius."

Tiger bowed slightly:

"You flatter me."

Tang Chi opened his mouth, about to say something else. But a split second later, sensing something, he vanished from where he stood.

With a loud crash, a massive steel rebar pierced through the side wall, slashing violently through the air.

The angle of Tiger's bow perfectly dodged the massive rebar.

Tang Chi, however, was caught off guard by the sudden attack. Though he avoided the initial thrust, he was still clipped by the subsequent horizontal sweep, sending him flying sideways to slam heavily against the wall.

A pair of eyes peered through the hole in the wall, looking into the room.

It was exactly that frail woman who had just left.

After she left, she became angrier the more she thought about it. Finally unable to stomach it, she had decided to come back and leave a little something for the remaining players. "Well done," Tiger said calmly.

"Miss, you've been of great help."