Chapter 3013: The Materialization of the Mental Defense Line
Leaving aside the shock of the onlookers when they saw that Ms. Yao had finally peeled out a face identical to Xu Huo's, Xu Huo had already grabbed the Reflection Person's forehead with one hand. He did not use Hyperdimensional Space Power, because the moment he caught it, the "Ms. Yao" representing the core of the Instance Dungeon venue had already escaped. What he was now holding was his own Reflection Person.
He and his Childhood Personality, one in front and one behind, clamped down on the Reflection Person. Under the superposition of Mirror Space, the Reflection Person's form began to dissipate, quickly returning to a shadow state, and finally, crushed by Xu Huo's Spiritual Power, it completely vanished.
[Congratulations to Player Passerby A for clearing A-grade Instance Dungeon "Reflection." Based on your performance this time, your Instance Dungeon rating is S.]
The Reflection Person completely dissipated, and the Childhood Personality vanished along with it. After the Instance Dungeon was cleared, the restrictions on the player disappeared. Xu Huo immediately activated a Container Item, placed Wang Xiaohui and Wei Mang inside, and instantly left the Instance Dungeon.
When he returned outside the manor, the Instance Dungeon venue had already been isolated by Enforcement Department players. The Xiang siblings had been waiting for him outside the entire time. Seeing him come out, they breathed a huge sigh of relief and quickly rushed over.
Xu Huo released Wang Xiaohui and Wei Mang, nodded slightly to them, and then turned to the Xiang siblings. "Is there something urgent?"
He was asking whether there had been any major changes in District 014 after he entered the Instance Dungeon.
"After the National Resource Instance Dungeon ended, the district stabilized," Xiang Yao said. "Things are getting better day by day. But the nation was worried about your situation, so they arranged for us to seal off the Instance Dungeon."
"This is a mental-type Instance Dungeon. I'll briefly explain the situation inside to the Enforcement Department later," Xu Huo said. "Ordinary A-grade players shouldn't attempt this Instance Dungeon. There are no newly generated items inside, nor is it a suitable venue for promoting Mental Evolution."
The Xiang siblings indicated they had noted this.
"Mr. Xu," Wang Xiaohui interjected once they had finished talking. "Thank you for saving me this time."
"It was just a conditional exchange," Xu Huo said. He paused, then asked, "Have you been to the Sanatorium recently?"
Wang Xiaohui understood. "The district merger caused a lot of trouble. I was worried about Aunt Yao's safety in the Sanatorium, so I've already sent her to a more suitable place in advance. Do you want to see her?"
Xu Huo shook his head slightly. He had already learned what he wanted to know from the Memory Fruit. Ms. Yao's mental state was unstable; there was no need to provoke her further.
"Aunt Yao's physical condition has been deteriorating," Wang Xiaohui added. "She might not have long to live."
"I hope she can find peace in her final stage," Xu Huo said sincerely.
Without lingering any longer, Xu Huo exchanged a few words with the Xiang siblings and then went home.
The place he had been staying in before had its floorboards pierced through by the "Ice and Snow World." The Location Item was difficult to repair, so his family had moved to another Location Item overnight.
The Xu family, who had been anxious after his sudden departure, were relieved to see him return safely. Father Xu was very concerned about him, hoping he wouldn't enter another Instance Dungeon so soon and wishing he could stay home for a while, since the outside world was so dangerous.
Having just completed an A-grade Instance Dungeon, Xu Huo had no intention of entering another one anytime soon. However, after witnessing Ms. Yao's Mental Evolution and successfully recreating a new Core Spiritual Realm, he had gained new insights into the Mental Defense Line.
"There's nothing else major coming up. I might need to help the Enforcement Department with some tasks," he said.
"It's only right to help the nation," Father Xu nodded repeatedly. "But getting proper rest is also important. You look like you're in low spirits."
The time spent inside the "Reflection" Instance Dungeon wasn't actually that long, but his mental power had been under high load the entire time. Coupled with the later confrontation with Ms. Yao, it had left him exhausted.
Xu Huo felt that he really should get some good sleep. He returned to his room, took out the Painting Woman from his clothes, and said, "Go play by yourself."
The Painting Woman had hidden in his clothes when he entered the pavilion to track Ms. Yao and had been feeling stifled. As soon as she was released, she grabbed her snacks and left without a hint of reluctance.
Xu Huo had just closed the door when he turned around and saw the Childhood Personality standing behind him.
"Why are you out?" he asked.
The Childhood Personality pointed at his own eyes.
Xu Huo glanced at the mirror beside him. His eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles underneath, making him look like he had stayed up for several nights in a row.
"I'm fine," he said, walking over to the bed and sitting down. He stretched his limbs before speaking. "Can't get into the Reflection Space?"
The new Core Spiritual Realm seemed to be a mirror image of the original Core Realm. The two were connected, with no gap between them. However, while imitating the "Reflection" Instance Dungeon venue, he had incorporated some ideas about the Mental Defense Line. Since the Spiritual Realm was a line of defense, the recreated Core Spiritual Realm should have a stronger defense. Otherwise, it wouldn't be effective for self-protection.
At the same time, the venue of the "Reflection" Instance Dungeon was an excellent training ground for him. Apart from the Moving District, he rarely encountered such a suitable venue for Spiritual Power. Therefore, when the new defense line was established, his Spiritual Power was also somewhat strengthened.
Although the Library Tower was established after he entered the game, the other three personalities were also within it. This meant that he had not truly created a Core Spiritual Realm that he could absolutely control. It also meant that he was essentially on the same level as his Childhood Self in terms of Mental Evolution. If he couldn't defend against his Childhood Personality, he certainly couldn't defend against Dr. Zhang.
The new Reflection Space was a place where only he could enter and exit. Naturally, this wasn't about dividing his present self from his past self, but rather elevating his Mental Evolution to another level. This was a place where the Childhood Personality could no longer move freely.
The Childhood Personality was very interested in the Reflection Space and wanted to go in and take a look.
"The Reflection Space is transparent to you. Looking at it from above is the same as going inside," Xu Huo naturally wouldn't relent. The more information he came into contact with, the more he worried that Dr. Zhang had planted deeper traps within his Spiritual Realm.
He didn't know how far this former creator of the highest Spiritual Power value in the game had evolved now, but the repeated refreshment of his concepts regarding Mental Evolution made him realize that he was still far from reaching the end of this path.
The Childhood Personality didn't insist. He climbed onto the bed, lay down, and closed his eyes.
Xu Huo also lay down. Almost the moment he closed his eyes, he fell asleep.
Given how exhausted he was, logically, this sleep should have been very deep. But soon, he began to dream. In the dream, he walked along a narrow path shaded by trees, his gaze always drawn to the light source ahead. When he reached the exit—or rather, the entrance—he saw countless versions of himself.
They were like one-to-one replicated simulation robots. His image had been reproduced countless times. If not for the subtle changes in expressions and skin texture, it would have been impossible to tell which version of himself he was seeing at any given moment.
But with so many versions of him, even just from the recent period, they stretched to the edge of his vision, as if every minute and every second of the past had been recorded here.
Ignoring the strange feeling of being stared at by countless versions of himself, he continued forward. With every step he took, the versions of himself behind him began to disappear, and his steps grew heavier, as if all these versions of himself representing the past years were being superimposed onto his body.
When his steps became increasingly difficult, a sudden flash of insight struck him: So this is the materialization of the Mental Defense Line.