High above Steelbull City, at the very center and lowest point of the Heart of the World, Jill Young and Zhao Han were locked in a life-or-death battle. The glass room looked dangerously fragile—any heavy blow could shatter it completely—but Jill showed no intention of holding back. Her face lit up with excitement as she unleashed her full power. On the other side, Zhao Han appeared to be on the offensive, but in reality, he was the most passive. Every punch seemed to give Jill Young an advantage.
Of course, the vibrations from the Killing Fist were a double-edged sword. Medicine can heal, but if the dose is too strong—like chemotherapy—it can also harm the body. The shockwaves were indeed a great catalyst for Jill’s advancement in the Titan Spirit Method, but Zhao Han’s intent was to kill, not to give a pleasant massage. In the heat of battle, Jill often got hurt. With her Insight Technique, she could sense and adapt to the shockwaves, channeling them through her muscles and bones like a floodgate turning a torrent into nourishing water. But if the flood was too strong, disaster still followed.
Zhao Han noticed this too, so he attacked even more frantically. His only hope now was the Mighty Physique. He believed that once he fully completed it, his body would undergo a dramatic transformation—and he’d finally overpower that stubborn woman.
“Why do you think you can fight me? Everything here is mine—I'm the one in control!” Zhao Han roared. “Flood in all the Purified Liquid!” At his command, several more windows opened in the ceiling, and Purified Liquid rushed down in torrents. It wasn’t endless, but by the time the flow stopped, the liquid was already up to Jill’s waist.
“In control? Don’t make me laugh! You’re just a knockoff trying to act like the real deal, and you still have the nerve to brag?” Jill fired two lightning-fast kicks into Zhao Han’s chest, sending him flying.
Zhao Han rolled and landed, clutching his chest and gasping for breath, then charged again with a fierce glare. “What do you know, you wretch? Do you have any idea how much blood, sweat, and tears I’ve poured into this—into everything?”
The two traded punches like there was no tomorrow. The Purified Liquid in the hall churned like a typhoon-tossed sea, roiling with every blow. The fight hit a fever pitch—neither bothered defending. Zhao Han staggered Jill, Jill made Zhao Han cough blood. When the fifth power furnace exploded, the entire Heart of the World shook violently, swaying left and right like a drunk driver.
Just then, as Zhao Han was getting used to Jill’s strength and speed, he suddenly felt her get much faster. A flash of phantom light crossed his vision, and the next thing he knew, a massive force hit his jaw. With a crunch, Zhao Han felt his neck almost snap, spinning through the air. He crashed into the side wall of the hall, then reset his jaw with a sharp crack.
Ouch! Why did she suddenly get so fast? Wait—where’d that woman go? He looked around frantically, only to find Jill wasn’t pressing her advantage. Instead, she stood calmly in the center of the hall.
Jill stood her ground, fists clenched, eyes half-closed—completely different from her earlier bloodthirsty fighting stance. As she stood still, for some reason, the Purified Liquid around her suddenly calmed. It was like drawing a circle in a raging sea: outside the circle, waves crashed; inside, all was calm. Well, not exactly calm—the currents below were still swirling. To put it in science terms, it was kind of like electroplating.
It’s like two schools doing an exchange program: one sends all its top students over in a big wave, and the other sends back an equal number of total slackers. On the surface, it looks like nothing’s changed—same school, same number of students. But in reality, the place has turned upside down.
Zhao Han had no idea what was going on and didn’t dare make a move. The longer Jill Young stood silent, the bigger that circle grew—until it covered the whole rotunda, calming the surface of every pool of Purified Liquid. Inside the ring, Zhao Han suddenly felt uneasy, like a plant with its nutrients sucked out. Even his progress with Mighty Physique slowed down.
“Wait a sec…” Zhao Han started to get a bad feeling.
The next second, Jill Young suddenly moved. She drew a circle with her foot, lifted her palm, and got going.
Just like the old guys practicing tai chi in the park, Jill started throwing a slow, flashy set of punches. It looked like pure showboating—simple, slow, and totally harmless. But every time she punched, there was this weird crackling sound. When she kicked, same thing—crunchy noises. As she rolled her shoulders and swung her hips, the power rippled through her whole body, making her sound like a frying pan full of popping beans.
Something dark and dusty seemed to fall off her, and Jill suddenly looked clear and transparent, almost glowing. Zhao Han stared, rubbed his eyes, and looked again—still the same person, but the routine was over. She pressed her palms down and stood silently, holding her breath.
“Did I spoil myself eating too many wild beasts?” Jill Young opened her eyes, looked at her palms, and muttered, “This Purified Liquid can only get me this far.” Suddenly, she swung her palm—just slapping the water. But the freshly calmed surface exploded into a raging torrent, blasting Zhao Han with a high-pressure stream so hard he almost lost his footing.
“What the—!” Zhao Han yelled in disbelief. “How is this even possible? My—my Mighty Physique was just about to…”
“Relax, I’ll give you time,” Jill Young suddenly cut him off.
“What—what did you say?” Zhao Han couldn’t believe his ears when he heard Jill.
“If you want to soak, soak all you want. Go ahead, get yourself as pumped up as you can. Then—” Jill pointed hard at Zhao Han, then jabbed the floor. “Get your Mighty Physique to its absolute peak, and when you’re ready—” She retracted her finger and jabbed at her own feet. “I’ll show you exactly what you’re made of.”
Zhao Han was furious, but he gritted his teeth and held back. This crazy woman—just like that dumb mule Victor Nightfall—was nuts! That arrogant attitude, it was uncanny! But whatever, if she’s so cocky, this is my shot!
Zhao Han dunked himself in the Purified Liquid, letting it soak into his skin. As he absorbed more, his apparent age kept dropping. The guy who stitched him up wasn’t exactly a perfectionist, so Zhao Han’s body was covered in scars. But as his body changed, those scars faded and disappeared.
When he finally stood up out of the water, Jill couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and go, “Oh!”
Now Zhao Han looked about twenty-five, the absolute peak of strength, energy, and stamina. Pale skin, handsome face, ripped body, flowing chestnut hair, and deep blue eyes. Honestly, he looked like the dreamy lead in a shoujo manga—better looking than even Mr. Pure.
In the virtual world, his avatar had those electronic lines on his face, looking like a dried-up zombie. But now, Zhao Han finally revealed his true self.
He looked down at his reflection in the water. That familiar yet strange face stunned him for a long moment. Then he threw his arms up and burst out laughing: “Back to my youth? This is the Mighty Physique—the perfect god-body! I actually did it!”
Then, Zhao Han dropped his arms, glared at Jill Young with gritted teeth, his chest heaving, and roared: “Come on, let’s see who kills who! Mighty Physique is perfect, unbeatable! You’ll regret giving me time to catch my breath, because I’m gonna win!”
Boom—the water exploded, and Zhao Han launched himself at Jill Young.
Jill stomped her foot, shooting up like a dragon to meet him head-on.
Thud—a heavy shockwave echoed in midair, making the surface of the Purified Liquid jump with thousands of tiny droplets. Splash! The two crossed paths and landed back-to-back.
“Heh, not bad,” Jill Young shook out her right hand, flicking blood into the water. For a moment, it looked like there were tiny bone fragments too.
“Ha! Told you you’d regret this!” Zhao Han spun around, grinning like a maniac. “Next punch, I’ll take your life!”
But Jill just looked at him, all playful: “Not bad, but borrowed power is borrowed power. It’s never the same as your own. Take a look at yourself—do you really think you’ve got another punch in you?”
Zhao Han’s eyes narrowed. Jill’s hand had blood on it, but no wound—the blood and bone weren’t hers. If not hers, then… Zhao Han looked at his own right hand, and his eyes went wide, teeth grinding with rage. After a moment, an unwilling howl echoed through the hall.
His right fist looked like shattered porcelain, covered in cracks. Blood poured out like a waterfall, and tiny bits of powder fell from the fractured edges, like old roof tiles crumbling in the wind.
“No way! This can’t be! Killing Fist, Mighty Physique—they’re the strongest!” Zhao Han clutched his wrist and staggered back, splashing water everywhere in a fit of hysteria. “I—I’ve been planning for a hundred years—a hundred years! For Ghost Player’s research, I built the dungeon! For the Original Liquid, I kept the chaos going for a century! And the Seventh District—I infiltrated for so long, worked so hard to turn those blockheaded soldiers into my goons! A hundred years! A hundred years!”
“A hundred years, two hundred years, whatever—you’re still just a knockoff, so quit the sob story.” Jill Young cracked her knuckles and stepped forward. A wave of killing intent poured out, making everyone’s skin crawl. “Enough. Time for you to hit the road.”
Zhao Han turned to run, but after two steps, he felt a hand grab the back of his neck. A huge force flung him through the air; he spun a few times and slammed face-first into the wall. Jill flew after him, nailing his spine with a brutal elbow strike.
Pinned to the wall, Zhao Han suddenly started laughing—a sound uglier than crying. “Knockoff? Knockoff of who—Victor Nightfall? You know, that legend was written by me! That guy popped out of nowhere, carved a bloody path through the chaos, unified the whole city. But honestly, that’s all he did!”
Zhao Han swung his left fist, forcing Jill Young back, then lunged at her with arms wide. But Jill just did a leapfrog move, planting her hands on his head and vaulting into the air. She grabbed his head and, mid-spin, smashed her knee into his back. Splash! Zhao Han was slammed deep into the water.
Jill grabbed his neck and started pounding the back of his head. “So you killed him and stole his spot, huh? No wonder his style changed so much from early to late game.”
Pinned underwater, Zhao Han braced his limbs and roared, launching both himself and Jill toward the ceiling. But Jill twisted her waist, shot her legs upward, and landed solidly on the ceiling. With a powerful kick, she sent Zhao Han crashing back down even faster.
Splash! In an even bigger burst, Zhao Han slammed into the floor. Beneath the transparent floor was Steelbull City. Jill bent like a bow and hurled Zhao Han like a javelin—he smashed into the wall so hard it cracked, then slid to the ground.
Gasping, Zhao Han staggered to his feet, wiped blood from his forehead, and chuckled. “No, I didn’t kill him—I was a nobody back then. He left on his own! That idiot, after getting all that power, just walked away. Talk about a gift falling from the sky!”
As he spoke, the Purified Liquid healed most of his wounds, and he charged again. Even as Jill Young beat him down, he kept ranting: “This city used to be a dump. Victor Nightfall just drew up a plan, but I did the real work! I built it up over forty years! Every street, every building—it’s all mine! I—ugh…”
Whatever else Zhao Han wanted to say, Jill Young slipped inside his guard and punched him in the throat. And that was just the beginning—she hammered him with lightning-fast blows, from his face to his chest, every inch of skin and bone taking hit after hit.
With a series of crunches, Zhao Han lost his footing and collapsed into the water.
“Heh… you—you can’t kill me…” Zhao Han managed a twisted grin. “My body can heal forever, as long as I’m in this Purified Liquid. Your weak punches can’t…”
“Same old story—borrowed power is always second-rate.” Jill Young’s eyes were icy. “Take a look at your pitiful self before you talk.”
“Ugh…” Zhao Han struggled to turn his head and look at his body. The wounds that were supposed to heal suddenly split open again. “What… how? My body should be able to handle this level of impurities, why is it falling apart?”
“That’s because the impurity level’s rising. I can absorb this stuff too, but I only take the good bits. My body listens to me—it filters out the junk. So naturally, the impurities build up. But your body? It doesn’t listen at all. Good, bad, whatever—it takes it all, and that’s why you’re toast.” Jill Young stepped forward, grabbed Zhao Han by the hair, yanked him out of the water, and cocked her fist, murder in her eyes. “Got any last words?”
Zhao Han coughed twice, unwillingly opened his eyes, and rasped, “What’s wrong with using my own stuff as a sacrifice?” He rolled his eyes toward the city below, stretched out his left hand like he wanted to grab the earth, and muttered, “Steelbull City… this is my turf… my turf…”
Jill Young just snorted and twisted his chin to face her, smile sharp as a knife. “If it were the other me, maybe I’d give you a whole speech about cherishing life and love and beauty. But this me? I’m not interested. For a ghost who should’ve died a century ago, I’ll just say: Even if this was your turf once, so what? In the underworld, the strong rule. I’m stronger than you, so now it’s my turf. Coronation, godhood—none of that’s for you!”
She punched him in the nose. Another punch for the eye socket. Jill Young held Zhao Han’s hair, hammering away until blood splattered everywhere. With a final blow, Zhao Han was sent flying, bounced off the wall, and rebounded back toward her. Waiting for him was a giant gun. Jill didn’t shoot—she just grabbed the barrel and swung it like a warhammer from above—
Crunch—blood sprayed, bones shattered, and that was that.
Whoosh—a door in the ceiling popped open, and a gun poked through, scanning left and right before pulling back. Then Xiao Di’s head popped in. She looked at Jill Young and asked, “All done?”
Jill Young pointed at the corpse underfoot. “This guy’s done.” Then she pointed at the giant city below the transparent floor. “That one—not yet.”
Xiao Di grinned. “That’ll be sorted soon—hey, your glass floor’s all cracked. You coming up or what?”
Jill Young just laughed and leapt up, grabbing Xiao Di and hauling her down. With her other hand, she gripped the big gun and fired at the glass below. Bang bang bang—finally, the glass gave way. In a spray of Purified Liquid, Jill held Xiao Di and laughed as they fell through the air.
“Hey! Can you not be so nuts?!” Xiao Di screamed into the howling wind.
“Ha, it’s just efficient—I don’t feel like waiting! That big guy down there, I want to finish it off ASAP!” Jill Young glanced at Xiao Di. “By the way, you’re not even nervous this time?”
“Duh! Ever since last time, I always carry a parachute.” Xiao Di pointed at her back and raised an eyebrow. “If you’re just acting crazy and didn’t bring one, you’d better beg me now—maybe I’ll be merciful and pull you up. Otherwise, No One Under Heaven’s number two is about to get promoted today.”
Jill Young just smiled. “No rush. If not today, soon enough you’ll get promoted.”
The wind whipped past, making it hard for Xiao Di to hear. She shouted, “What? I didn’t catch that!”
Jill Young didn’t answer. She just tossed Xiao Di out and stretched her limbs, diving toward the city below. “I said—from today on, Steelbull City listens to me!”