Chapter 165: Bursting with Energy, Terrifying Beyond Belief!-Mass Job Change: My Skills Are All Forbidden Spells with a Ten Thousand Times Boost(By the banks of the Ruoshui River, the wine cups drift along the gentle current.)

"Lin Han, never think that just because you have reached the Gold rank, you are invincible under the heavens. There are far too many powerful beings in this world capable of ending a Gold-rank expert; you are nothing more than a drop in the ocean. Today shall be the day this rising star falls!"

The man in black sneered, a sudden surge of terrifying aura erupting from his body.

"As expected, a Diamond-rank powerhouse," Lin Han said calmly, showing no trace of surprise. He then added, "When did I ever say I was invincible? You alone are more than enough to deal with."

"Hah! What an arrogant, ignorant child, knowing nothing of the immensity of heaven and earth. Don't think that having some brute strength allows you to leap two whole tiers to defeat me. You haven't the faintest idea what the Diamond rank truly represents!"

"I have once fought evenly against the Ruler realm. Do you honestly believe you possess such capability?"

"Just that?" Lin Han chuckled softly. If this fellow knew that he had once fought a Supreme-realm entity to the death, wouldn't he drop to his knees on the spot and beg for mercy from his ancestor?

Even so, Lin Han did not grow complacent; he approached every adversary with utmost caution.

He was not yet familiar with this opponent's techniques. Being a Diamond-rank expert, fighting right here beside the dormitory buildings would inevitably result in collateral damage.

It was unwise. Better to find a desolate place first!

With this thought, Lin Han stepped back and sprinted madly in the opposite direction!

"Realizing you're afraid now? Too late! You have successfully provoked my wrath!" The man in black sneered, lunging forward in a single bound to pursue Lin Han relentlessly.

Activating his Eye of Providence to survey the entire academy grounds, Lin Han finally selected an uninhabited patch of forest. To prevent the pursuer from losing track of him, Lin Han even deliberately modulated his speed.

Before long, Lin Han led him deep into the forest and slowly came to a halt.

"Run! Why aren't you running anymore?" The man in black smiled sinisterly, radiating an unsettling aura. "Looks like you've picked out your own graveyard."

"Indeed, I did prepare a graveyard—it just happens to be prepared for you."

Lin Han smiled faintly. Without further concealment, he directly unleashed a punch!

Startled, the man in black instantly morphed into a phantom, dodging the blow before retaliating with a lethal slash of his blade!

The piercing strike fully sobered Lin Han, clearing away the last remnants of alcohol. Now completely recovered, he ducked beneath the blade to evade it, then drove a fist straight into his opponent's abdomen.

With a thunderous boom!

The man in black shattered several large trees before slowly coming to a stop, staring at Lin Han in utter disbelief. "Why is your strength so monstrous?"

"None of your business."

Lin Han did not hesitate; he had no intention of giving this fellow breathing room. He needed to end the battle at the earliest possible moment, lest complications arise from delay!

Scrambling back to his feet, the shadowy figure once again morphed into a phantom. Yet Lin Han's punch passed straight through his body as if he were made of air!

"Lin Han, as long as I wish it, you will never be able to touch me."

Lin Han spun around and threw another punch, but the result was identical. It was as though the figure before him was merely a projection; whenever he struck, his fist simply phased through the man's form.

Instantly, Lin Han widened the distance between them.

Why couldn't he hit him?

Yet just moments ago, both previous strikes had landed securely!

There had to be something he was still missing; this fellow was indeed bizarre!

Recalling the sequence of the earlier combat, Lin Han pieced the clues together.

The first time he struck the man was when the assailant attacked him first, and he countered by shattering the fellow's arm. The second time was also the instant the man launched an offensive, allowing Lin Han to dodge and strike back.

Connecting the two instances, an idea formed in Lin Han's mind, though it required validation.

Provocatively, Lin Han taunted, "Is hiding all you can do? I'm standing right here. Let's see if you have the ability to kill me."

"Killing you is as easy as turning over a hand!"

Sneering, the shadow clutched his dagger with his remaining left hand and lunged at Lin Han with blinding speed. At that very second, Lin Han pushed his speed to its absolute limit!

In the blink of an eye, Lin Han closed the distance and threw a punch straight at the man in black!

Caught completely off guard, the man in black took the full force of the blow squarely on the shoulder, accompanied by the distinct cracking of bone.

"So that's how it is," Lin Han realized with sudden enlightenment. "When I attack you, if you haven't initiated an offensive yourself, you enter that ghostly, intangible state. But the moment we both attack simultaneously, your physical form solidifies."

"This way, you cannot phase through my attacks. As long as my speed surpasses yours and my strength exceeds yours, your defeat is only a matter of time."

Having figured out the mechanism behind the ability, Lin Han relaxed visibly.

"How could you..." Though only a pair of eyes was visible, Lin Han found his answer within them.

It seemed his deduction was spot on!

Yet Lin Han also considered: if the opponent were far stronger—reaching the Supreme realm, or even the Saint tier—wouldn't this technique render them truly invincible?

Therefore, this move must have other vulnerabilities. It certainly did!

Since the technique allowed him to pass through physical matter, it had to rely on a specific skill, and all skills inevitably consumed spiritual energy.

With this realization, Lin Han immediately pressed the attack. This was the prime opportunity to use this fellow as a test subject!

Only by understanding this could he hope to fight other powerful members of this cult in the future. Otherwise, if he couldn't even lay a hand on them, what good would having Supreme-realm strength be?

"Why is this brat so difficult to deal with?" The shadow had yet to realize the gravity of his situation, entirely unaware that he was now being treated as a guinea pig.

By the time he snapped back to reality, Lin Han was already bearing down on him once more.

Reverting instantly to his phantom form, the man in black allowed Lin Han's flurry of blows to pass harmlessly through his body, offering no counterattack whatsoever.

He had expected Lin Han to back off after failing to land a hit, but Lin Han kept punching with relentless frenzy, driving fist after fist directly into his spectral form!

What on earth is this fellow trying to do?

Panic gripped the man in black for the very first time. Lin Han's speed and endurance far exceeded anything he could have imagined. He recalled fighting a Diamond-rank warrior in the past, and even that person wasn't nearly this inexhaustible.

Was this kid really only at the Gold rank?

Clinging tenaciously to his target, Lin Han noticed the shift. He's weakening...

He is weakening!

Compared to his earlier state, the spiritual energy surging within the man in black was plummeting rapidly; he was reaching his limit!

Just as expected, any skill came at the cost of consuming energy!

The evil cultists were no exception!