The middle-aged Wen Wen, facing his much younger self across from him, was filled with a myriad of emotions.
In that instant, many things became clear to him. The past decade and more of his experiences had been nothing but an illusion, a dreamscape under the influence of the Jianzhen Spring's power.
Upon reflection, he realized there were very few things he could distinctly remember from those years of life. Only a handful of significant choices remained sharp in his memory.
He looked at his own scarred and calloused palm, lamenting, "In this life, I didn't enter that mental institution, so I missed the chance to be associated with the facility, no longer a special super-powered individual."
"Yet, I still walked the same path as before, only it took me over ten years longer to reach the same realm..."
"Perhaps this is what it means to comprehend one's true self."
The so-called true self was, in essence, finding one's authentic being. Most super-powered individuals in this world, to achieve their current strength, relied on something or other, consciously or unconsciously.
Whether it was their own super-powered abilities, a fortuitous encounter, or a containment item, Wen Wen's greatest reliance had been the facility.
The ability of the Jianzhen Spring was to allow super-powered individuals to relive their lives within a dream that was both real and illusory.
However, this reincarnation lacked the powerful assistance that had propelled the super-powered individuals to their current states; everything had to be achieved by the super-powered individuals themselves.
If, under such circumstances, a super-powered individual could still tread the same path and reach the same realm, they would naturally be freed from the limitations of residual spiritual power, break through the shackles of power, and enter a new realm.
That is to say, to comprehend the 'true self'!
A smile played on Wen Wen's lips. His mood was now remarkably clear, and he held a new perspective on the facility.
The choices he had made and the achievements he had attained within the dream told him that his current strength was an inevitability. The facility had merely accelerated this process.
Wen Wen was not merely a lucky individual who had stumbled upon the facility by chance. Even without it, he would not have been unsuccessful. He would have strived to strengthen himself, to possess the ability to protect himself in this unreasonable world.
"It seems those super-powered individuals who left after only a few hours must have made the wrong choices, thus forfeiting this opportunity."
As he pondered, the middle-aged Wen Wen saw the younger Wen Wen draw a long sword that flowed with a river of blood. His aura was locked firmly onto him.
His eyes burned with intense battle intent!
The middle-aged Wen Wen let out a few hearty laughs, holding an old-fashioned revolver in his left hand and an entrenching tool in his right. A surge of frenzied, bloody energy emanated from him.
"It seems we must fight before this concludes..."
"Then, let's begin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entrenching tool and the blood river sword collided. The surge of immense energy caused the Jianzhen Spring to churn incessantly.
Then, the two exchanged blows, unleashing their hidden trump cards, causing the surface of the Jianzhen Spring to churn wildly.
Yet, Wen Wen, sitting in the water with his eyes closed in contemplation, curved his lips into a smile.
On the mirror-like surface beneath the water, one young and one middle-aged Wen Wen, both were Wen Wen, yet neither was truly Wen Wen.
The consciousness of Wen Wen's true body flickered between the two bodies, observing himself from another perspective, rapidly deepening his understanding of himself.
The younger Wen Wen possessed the facility as a cheat, wielding multiple abilities. The middle-aged Wen Wen lacked such flashy skills but possessed a better foundation and more combat experience.
The battle raged for three days. In the end, the blood river sword pierced the middle-aged Wen Wen's chest, and a bullet from the revolver found its mark in the younger Wen Wen's eye socket. Both lost consciousness simultaneously.
At the same moment, Wen Wen, who had been sitting in the Jianzhen Spring, opened his eyes. A hint of world-weariness seemed to have settled within them.
He stood up, not a single drop of liquid staining his person. He glanced at the colossal creature made of light and shadow and slowly bowed.
This journey of comprehending his true self had not granted him a direct increase in power, but undeniably, his mindset had subtly shifted from what it was before.
Then, Wen Wen surveyed his surroundings. He found himself to be the only one left in the hot spring room; it seemed everyone else had already departed.
"How long have I been sitting here? It must have been more than ten years in reality."
Wen Wen muttered to himself as he followed a little strawberry girl’s lead, exiting the peculiar hot spring room.
After waiting for a short while, he flew out from the now-dry lake and landed on the ground.
A glance revealed that the surface of the giant whale was peaceful and serene, unlike the noisy atmosphere during the previous exchange meeting.
It seemed that at least the ten-day exchange meeting had concluded, and everyone had departed. This was good news for Wen Wen, as he hadn't wanted to participate in such a large-scale event anyway.
Tao Qingqing ran over, stopping beside Wen Wen. Her eyes held a trace of surprise. Wen Wen's prolonged absence had made her fear he had died inside the giant whale.
Wait, that might have been a good thing for her.
However, the Wen Wen who had just emerged seemed less fierce than the one who had entered the giant whale. It was better that he was alive.
Tao Qingqing, no longer as reserved as before, began chattering excitedly in Wen Wen’s ear, recounting events.
Listening to her, Wen Wen finally understood that he had been sitting in the Jianzhen Spring for a full month.
This made him somewhat relieved; it was good that it wasn't ten years.
The longest any of the other super-powered individuals had stayed in the giant whale's body was fifteen or sixteen days. Wen Wen was the longest.
Qiao Feiya had emerged from there more than ten days ago, her body radiating uncontrollable golden sword light. She had successfully crossed the bottleneck of the Upper Sequence, becoming a super-powered individual of the True Sequence realm.
Wen Wen wasn't surprised by this at all. Qiao Feiya's strength was already among the top tier of the Upper Sequence. Her accumulation was sufficient, and as long as she didn't make the wrong choices, crossing that threshold was almost inevitable.
Besides Qiao Feiya, a super-powered individual from the North American region and one from the Indian region had also successfully advanced. Over ten others had also gained considerable benefits.
Wen Wen felt a slight pang of emotion. His own strength was only at the Mid Sequence. If he had possessed the top-tier strength within the Upper Sequence like Qiao Feiya, he might have been able to break through to the True Sequence realm this time.
...
The one-eyed creature made of light and shadow, which had been situated in the hot spring room from which Wen Wen had departed, sat quietly on the ground, its enormous single eye closed.
For the next three years, no creature would enter this place. Only when new hot springs recovered their tranquility would this area be reopened.
However, it did not notice that the surface of the Jianzhen Spring, from which Wen Wen had just departed, suddenly smoothed out like a mirror at an extremely rapid pace.
A figure clad in black robes stood on the silver mirror surface where the two Wen Wens had fought, a hint of anticipation in his gaze.
"This is indeed an interesting place. Can it allow me to relive my life as well..."
He closed his eyes, his thoughts seeming to drift back to countless years ago, to the moment of his birth...
A few seconds later, the entire room began to tremble, emitting creaking sounds of being unable to bear the strain.
The one-eyed creature abruptly stood up, a trace of anger and panic in its demeanor. This anomaly was something that had never occurred here before.
The black-robed person opened his eyes and let out a wry, helpless chuckle.
"Can't even find solace by relying on an illusory place? Hahaha..."
"Alas..."
The Jianzhen Spring once again returned to its tranquil state, as if nothing had happened.