Chapter Seven: Adapting to Power

At that moment, a woman who looked exactly like Irena also set a plate of fragrant delicacies on the table.
“Please enjoy, dear guest.”
Chu Fan nodded and began to eat.
The manager, Irena, returned to her seat inside the shop.
When Chu Fan finished his meal and stood up to leave,
“Please come again.”
Irena offered a sweet smile and spoke in a melodious voice.
If not for the occasional sound of conversation from other patrons—if the atmosphere had been quieter—Chu Fan would have rated this establishment very highly.
Chu Fan started down the main avenue and soon arrived at a crossroads, above which a screen indicated four directions and categories.
“Life-and-death platform, training area, custom enhancement zone, trading district.”
Chu Fan already had a clear goal: before entering the next derived world, he would first adapt to the power within his body, then see if there was anything worth purchasing.
So, after glancing upward, he headed straight toward the training area. Equipment was important, but mastering his own strength was even more so.
As Chu Fan walked along the avenue, nearly everyone he passed turned to look, most with either surprise or schadenfreude in their eyes.
Chu Fan considered the reason—it was likely due to his clothes.
The list of exchangeable outfits was familiar to many, so his attire was highly recognizable, which made sense.
He entered the training grounds, seeing a series of enclosed, square platforms.
Some were pitch black, others fully visible.
Chu Fan found an unused training area.
[Simulation Training Ground, Basic Mode: Terrain and environment can be modified. Targets can be stationary or mobile; movement speed multiplier adjustable. Fifty Destiny Coins per hour.]
[Simulation Training Ground, Intermediate Mode: Combat puppets with rudimentary intelligence appear. Weapons and attack styles can be set for the puppets. One hundred Destiny Coins per hour.]
[Simulation Training Ground, Advanced Intelligence Mode: Combat puppets with superior intelligence and extensive battle experience. Five hundred Destiny Coins per hour. This is the highest mode on the first floor.]
[Kind reminder: In the simulation training ground, if health drops below twenty percent, training will be cancelled and the user automatically transported back to their private room. Training fees are non-refundable.]
[Kind reminder: Regardless of mode, basic weapons will appear during training, though users may also bring their own.]
Chu Fan was surprised by the breadth of functions this facility offered.

Furthermore, by tiers, the functions of the training ground would likely expand in the future.
This place allowed users to gain experience facing enemies they struggled with or were even vulnerable to.
However, long-term use would consume large amounts of Destiny Coins.
If seriously injured, not only was the fee non-refundable, but the automatic transport back to the private room certainly didn’t include free healing.
Treatment was available, but at the cost of Destiny Coins.
If one’s coin reserves weren’t enough for full recovery, intermediate and advanced modes were not to be used lightly.
Chu Fan still had 6,270 Destiny Coins; intermediate mode was affordable.
But this time, he only wanted to adapt to his own strength, so he unhesitatingly chose the basic training ground.
After activating basic mode and deducting fifty Destiny Coins,
Chu Fan’s surroundings changed, transforming into a platform about two hundred meters wide, with a vast array of weapons and water bottles lined up behind him, presumably for hydration.
Some options appeared before him:
Whether the target was stationary or moving, target size and shape, total number of targets on the field, movement speed multiplier.
Chu Fan thought for a moment and chose humanoid moving targets, for if he could accurately strike a human form, larger monsters would naturally be within his reach as well.
He had only fought people before—hardly battle experience—so he needed to start from the basics.
Thus, humanoid targets, one in number, moving at standard speed.
As Chu Fan confirmed his choices, a humanoid mannequin with four limbs appeared fifty meters away.
Its eyes glowed red, then it retreated backward.
Its speed wasn’t slow, but before Chu Fan, it moved like a tortoise.
Chu Fan noticed the array of weapons behind him, but chose not to use them. Instead, he stepped forward, launching himself explosively.
With his surge, the ground resounded with a bang, leaving a footprint.
In just three seconds, Chu Fan crossed a hundred meters, closing in on the mannequin.
He had intended to shatter its head with a punch, but his speed was so overwhelming he couldn’t control his body, crashing straight into the puppet.
The mannequin was sent flying, slamming into the dark walls and shattering into pieces.
Chu Fan’s forward momentum hadn’t ceased; as he was about to hit the wall, he activated Elementalization, transforming into a mass of fire and crashing into it.

The flames exploded against the wall, Chu Fan’s body reconstituted, and his momentum finally halted.
“...”
Chu Fan was stunned by his speed and strength.
He knew his body had undergone a profound transformation after inheriting those powers, but hadn’t expected it to be this formidable.
Yet, this explosive speed convinced him to prioritize mastering the strength of his flesh, so he summoned another mannequin and resumed his training and adaptation.
※※※※※※
Unbeknownst to him, twelve hours had passed. Sweat droplets were scattered all over the platform.
Footprints covered the field, while a white figure chased a mannequin moving at fifty meters per second—four times faster than at the start.
The white figure’s speed couldn’t keep up, but suddenly surged.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Twenty mannequins shifting positions at high speed met the ghostlike white figure, each struck precisely in the chest, head, or neck.
The white figure stopped, panting, wiping sweat from his brow, and exhaled deeply, canceling [Origin of Fusion].
Aside from brief rests to drink water when his stamina was depleted, Chu Fan had never stopped training.
He never wanted to experience the regret he felt when, entering the world of Jujutsu Kaisen for the first time, he faced the demon woman and was powerless.
Now, Chu Fan had mastered the ability to activate [Origin of Fusion] during battle and instantly adapt to the surge of strength.
He deeply sensed the terror of this awakening skill.
When all five basic attributes increased by five points, the enhancement to the human body in that instant was astonishing.
Though he didn’t yet know what the next derived world would be, Chu Fan felt that as long as its world level wasn’t too high, his proficiency with the Origin of Fusion would give him at least some ability to protect himself—provided he didn’t court death.
Three hours before entering the next derived world, Destiny Paradise would reveal the information.
“Only eight hours of training left... I wonder if it’s still possible to practice flame techniques and adapt to Elementalization now.”
Chu Fan went to the edge of the platform, grabbed a free bottle of water, drank deeply, and glanced at the time in his task interface, murmuring to himself.