Chapter 284: Terrifying Combo Move

Not flexibility!

He had clearly misunderstood the path entirely; this "resilience" referred to fortitude, not suppleness.

It felt somewhat like an 'overlord body' state, but not entirely. Or rather, it was simply an added trace of unyielding tenacity from that state. The rest, however, was more about enduring!

Yes, it was "endurance." An endurance that allowed him to stand firm amidst violent storms.

As soon as this passive skill reached the Innate level, Xu Xiaoshou felt like a roly-poly toy. It was as if no matter how ferocious an enemy's attack, it couldn't push him back; the resilience would disperse the force.

But...

He had "Rebound"!

Xu Xiaoshou felt something was slightly off, but the next moment, he was utterly thrilled by a new line of thought.

"Rebound" combined with "Resilience" wasn't contradictory at all; in fact, it felt like a synergy where one plus one was greater than two. If an enemy now struck him with a furious punch, even if the opponent was sent flying by the rebound, Xu Xiaoshou would surely be pushed back.

But with "Resilience," what if he couldn't be pushed back? Where would that force, which would have sent him flying, go instead?

A light flashed in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes. Without a doubt, if this force couldn't instantly tear him apart, it would certainly return to the attacker!

"Double Hidden Force!"

Acting on the thought, Xu Xiaoshou swiftly raised his fist, and with a 'bang,' his knuckles collided. He recalled performing this experiment when he first acquired "Rebound"; back then, even a light tap of his fists would send his hands flying back, leaving him completely open.

Now, however, he forcefully collided his fists, and his hands didn't even separate a millimeter; they remained stuck together, completely halted. While his fists stopped, the "Rebound" force hadn't stopped at all. A terrifying force directly surged through his muscles, like a power drill boring into his bone marrow. His arms, unable to retreat and dissipate the force, completely absorbed it without leaking a single bit!

Such sickening and agonizing pain directly contorted Xu Xiaoshou's face.

"Ugh!"

He groaned, feeling his forearms go numb, but the pain wasn't over. A second, even stronger wave of "Rebound" force surged through him from the collision.

"Splat!"

Xu Xiaoshou's elbow directly split open, blood spattering, leaving him stunned.

"This... this is a bit terrifying!"

Evidently, the passive skill "Resilience" was also amplified by "Sturdy," just like "Rebound." Even at the Innate level, it could achieve remarkable effects!

After withdrawing his hands, Xu Xiaoshou felt both hands were completely numb and useless. Fortunately, "Endless Life" restored them, and the wounds quickly healed.

"This is a damn divine skill!"

After just a moment of hesitation, Xu Xiaoshou became completely hyped. It had arrived at the perfect time. If "Resilience" had appeared earlier, he would have just been a punching bag, completely unable to utilize its effects. But appearing now, with Xu Xiaoshou's established physical foundation, it was like adding wings to a tiger...

No, this should be considered an explosive surge in power, like a sudden thunderclap from a clear sky!

"'Rebound' and 'Resilience'..." Xu Xiaoshou murmured, as if seeing... a scenario where an enemy's punch landed, he remained motionless, yet the opponent's fist shattered, they were sent flying, and then exploded a second time in mid-air.

What if the enemy landed multiple punches?

"Holy hell!"

"This completely counters continuous damage dealers!"

"If an opponent throws a hundred punches a second, they might find their hands blown off halfway through!"

"This..."

Xu Xiaoshou's face was blank, his scalp tingling.

"How is this even fighting? Is this system trying to make me someone who cultivates even in sleep, and now wants me to sleep during fights too?"

"No, that can't be. There's no one this strong in the world."

"I, Xu Xiaoshou, must have a weakness!"

Xu Xiaoshou fell into deep thought. After a long moment, he clapped his hands!

That's right! As long as the enemy withstood the first blow and learned about his double "Rebound" force, they surely wouldn't try to engage him in close combat again. In that case, his "Resilience" and "Rebound" combination would be utterly useless!

"Hmm, no, wait?"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened again. He wasn't actually going to sleep during a life-or-death battle. While the enemy could retreat after the first blow, couldn't he also capitalize on their first strike, or initiate his own?

Then, he wouldn't need to do anything else, just grab them.

If they hit him, he definitely wouldn't fly back, so...

Which means... they would fly?

But, what if he had them grabbed...?

What if the part he grabbed was their head?

"Holy hell!"

A chill ran down Xu Xiaoshou's spine.

"That's not right either. What if they just didn't attack? Then surely nothing would happen!"

But Xu Xiaoshou had another thought: if they didn't attack, he could! And if he attacked, the effect would be even more devastating.

Xu Xiaoshou felt his legs go weak.

"Invincible?"

"Impossible. There's no absolute invincibility in this world. I, Xu Xiaoshou, must have some flaw!"

The young man clutched his knees and pondered again. After a long moment, he excitedly clapped his hands once more.

"That's it! As long as the enemy's physical body was strong enough, they could also achieve the effect of 'Resilience,' and forcibly return the double hidden force back to him!"

"Fantastic! I'm not invin... wait, no."

Xu Xiaoshou then realized, if a physical body was strong enough to return the double hidden force back to him, wouldn't that mean the opponent was above the Grandmaster realm?

How could that be?

Upon realizing this, Xu Xiaoshou could no longer hold his knees and collapsed to the ground. His mouth twitched, his eyelids fluttered, making it impossible to tell if he was excited or just excited, as he unconsciously murmured:

"This is impossible!"

"It can't be! I, Xu Xiaoshou, absolutely cannot be invincible!"

Yet, half a day passed, and after considering hundreds of combat scenarios, he still couldn't find a way to break this situation. Xu Xiaoshou felt his heart clench repeatedly. He clutched his chest, his facial muscles twitching.

"Heh, heh-ha-heh..."

He had a sudden stitch in his side and nearly couldn't recover. To relax his stiffening body, which was on the verge of cramping, he hastily picked a pill from his ring and sucked it down.

"Hiss!!"

An incredibly violent energy directly transformed into two spirit-energy dragons that surged from his nostrils, disappearing into his Spirit Sea. Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened, realizing something was off.

This spirit energy... how was it so many times more potent than a Spirit Refining Pill?

He lowered his gaze, brought two fingers to his nostrils, and distinctly caught the scent of a Primeval Court Pill.

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

"Oh... ugh!"

The young man, sprawled on the ground, suddenly squeezed his legs together, his face flushing crimson.

"Mmgh!"

"Holy hell, no!"

Xu Xiaoshou twisted his wrists, craning his neck high, trying to struggle and turn over. But his body was too sensitive; it was fine when still, but with this movement...

"I... Aaaah!"

"Oh, sh*t!"