As Jing Lin flew through the air, he raised one hand to the side of his face while extending the other straight forward.

As the distance between them closed rapidly, his outstretched hand, which at first seemed to be some distance from Chen Chuan, suddenly shot forward. The muscles in his arm rippled, and it abruptly extended, reaching right for Chen Chuan’s throat.

But just then, Chen Chuan flickered forward, dodging the hand by a hair’s breadth. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Jing Lin, his timing and rhythm impeccable.

A smug smile appeared on Jing Lin’s face. As Chen Chuan closed in, his mouth suddenly split open with a sickening tear, the gash stretching all the way to his ears. Revealing the sharp teeth within, he lunged forward to bite Chen Chuan.

But the moment he moved, a fist carrying immense force slammed into his abdomen. An explosive burst of Power surged into his body.

Jing Lin let out a choked grunt. The force of the blow arched his back, flinging his arms and legs forward. Even his long, snake-like tongue shot out of his mouth.

Chen Chuan raised a hand, grabbed his head, and flicked it aside in disgust. Jing Lin went flying sideways, crashing to the ground and rolling several times before coming to a stop. He lay sprawled on his side in a twisted posture, eyes rolled back and mouth agape, completely unconscious.

Chen Chuan gave him a casual glance before looking forward again. From start to finish, his attention had never truly been on Jing Lin, and he hadn’t bothered to listen to whatever the man was saying. His focus remained fixed on the car farther back. He knew the person inside was the real threat today.

Tan Wang sat in the car, watching. ’When I went back for my Implant reconstruction surgery, I brought Jing Lin along for a few upgrades. They were all low-grade, obsolete Implants, and not particularly compatible with him, but his combat effectiveness was still much higher than before.’

’I was hoping Jing Lin could take care of Chen Chuan so I wouldn’t have to get my hands dirty. Even if he failed, it would at least be a good show. But I didn’t expect him to be finished in a single exchange. It seems the data in those files wasn’t exaggerated after all.’

’Looks like I’ll have to handle this myself.’

’In the end, he’s just a Fighter who hasn’t even broken through to the next level.’

He pushed the door open and stepped out of the car. After adjusting his imported suit, he shut the door and slowly walked toward Chen Chuan.

When he was close, he stopped. He glanced at the fallen Jing Lin, then stroked his chin and said with a hint of displeasure, "You broke my toy. You’ll have to compensate me, won’t you?"

Chen Chuan looked at him and said calmly, "Teacher Tan, I know why you’re here."

"Oh... so you know."

Tan Wang suddenly found the situation dull. "Why did you have to say it out loud? That’s no fun at all. You could have lived a little longer, you know."

Chen Chuan plunged his blade into the ground, then began unbuttoning his collar. "Actually, Teacher Tan," he said, "I’m very happy to see you today."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Tan Wang grew curious. He found Chen Chuan’s behavior interesting, so he didn’t mind playing along. "And why is that?"

Chen Chuan finished unbuttoning his jacket, shrugged it off, and tossed it aside. He then reached out and gripped the hilt of his blade. The tips of his hair and his shirt collar fluttered in the wind as he spoke slowly, "Because you’re important enough. You’re an indispensable piece of the puzzle."

At that moment, dark clouds churned overhead, plunging the world into twilight. The wind picked up, sending countless leaves and reeds dancing through the air. A bolt of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, followed by a low RUMBLE of thunder that seemed to roll right past the two men.

Tan Wang’s narrow eyes narrowed further. He seemed to dislike Chen Chuan’s current tone.

’But it was strange. Normally, no matter how his prey reacted, he never felt annoyance—only curiosity and amusement. It was never like this.’

He glanced at the sky, blaming his mood on the weather.

He stuck his hands in his pockets. "It’s about to rain, and I’d rather not get my new suit wet. So, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask you to die quickly."

As he finished speaking, he leaned forward. With his first step, the world around him seemed to slow down—the swirling reeds, the wind-tossed branches, even the fine droplets of moisture in the air.

Once a Fighter reaches the Third Limit, their reaction speed and physical coordination far surpass their previous capabilities. To them, the movements of any Fighter below this limit appear to be in slow motion; it’s impossible for such opponents to keep up with their speed.

Furthermore, he had integrated Implants into his body. Most Fighters only enhance a specific part of their Mutated Organization, which inevitably creates weaknesses, like a crippled giant.

But with Implants, many of these shortcomings could be overcome, granting more comprehensive abilities. This allowed him to withstand greater strain and maintain his peak state for much longer.

When facing Chen Chuan, his mentality was that of a cat playing with a mouse.

As he arrived before Chen Chuan, he saw that his opponent was seemingly frozen in place. A mocking expression crossed his face as he reached out to grab him.

Chen Chuan had been watching Tan Wang intently, but the man’s figure suddenly vanished from his sight. He didn’t panic. As another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, his Second Self, which had been standing to the side, abruptly disappeared, merging with him in that very instant!

His eyes locked onto Tan Wang’s figure once more. Seeing his opponent’s hand closing in, he spun, smoothly drawing his blade in a glittering arc of light!

The moment Chen Chuan’s gaze locked onto him, Tan Wang sensed something was wrong. His danger sense, honed over years of battle, made him react instantly, raising his arm.

CLANG! He blocked the slash with his bare arm. A look of shocked disbelief involuntarily crossed his face. Chen Chuan’s speed had suddenly skyrocketed.

Before he could process what had happened, the blade flashed again, coming at him in a flurry of slashes. He scrambled backward, using different parts of his body to block the onslaught.

A layer of dense scales had emerged on his cheeks and body. This was his scale Implant. After fusing with his own Mutated Organization, it worked in tandem with his Power and the highly resilient muscles beneath his skin to resist small-caliber firearms and all manner of bladed weapons.

He didn’t need an external weapon, because his body itself was a weapon.

After blocking a dozen or so slashes, he finally started to regain his footing. Parrying one more thrust, the muscles in his legs and back rippled. He launched himself backward in an arching, unconventional leap, instantly escaping the reach of the Sword Stance.

He flipped in mid-air and landed steadily a distance away.

He had escaped the Sword Stance, but the relentless assault had shredded his expensive imported suit into tattered strips. He himself was unharmed.

RUMBLE. With another clap of thunder, the long-brewing storm finally broke. A torrential downpour slammed into the earth with a deafening roar.

Chen Chuan held his Long Blade with one hand and rested the other on its spine, holding it diagonally before him. "Looks like you won’t need to change after all, Teacher Tan."

Tan Wang snorted and tore away the tattered remains of his suit, revealing a body completely covered in grayish-blue scales.

The muscles around his eye sockets rippled, and his pupils suddenly contracted into vertical slits.

These were his Mutated Serpent Eyes. They could dilate to absorb more light, heightening his visual acuity—perfect for combat in the deepening gloom.

Chen Chuan glanced at the scales covering Tan Wang’s body. ’I could feel it,’ he thought. ’When my blade struck, the force couldn’t connect properly. It was deflected by a supple Power. It’s not just the scales; he’s using Power to dissipate the impact.’

’As a higher-limit Fighter, it’s not surprising that Tan Wang has plenty of experience dealing with bladed weapons.’

’And I didn’t lose out in that exchange. Using Power to defend consumes stamina, and even someone at the Third Limit can’t keep it up forever. Forcing him to expend Power to block my normal slashes is a tactical victory.’

’After merging with my Second Self, I can maintain this combat state for a full eight Hours, as long as I don’t take a direct, heavy blow. But Tan Wang, even at the Third Limit... how long can he continuously channel his Power?’ 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Tan Wang stared at Chen Chuan for a moment, the casual air of a predator toying with its prey completely gone from his eyes. He was astonished. ’How can his speed keep up with mine? What kind of drug did he use?’

"Is it some new drug from Celestial Hundred Herbs?"

’That’s the most likely explanation. There aren’t any high-grade Implants outside Central City, but all sorts of unverified, illegal drugs are floating around. Sometimes they can produce unusual effects.’

’But if that’s the case, Chen Chuan has brought his reflexes and speed up to my level. My advantage of being able to completely dominate Fighters below my limit is gone.’

’But the good thing about drugs is that they wear off. When they do, all that will be left is an exhausted, broken body.’

’The human body is an integrated system. Chen Chuan has only reached the Second Limit at most; there’s no way he possesses the physical fortitude of the Third Limit. A forced enhancement from a drug doesn’t mean there’s no damage—it’s just being temporarily suppressed.’

’A drug like that could be useful. I can ask him where he got it when this is over. Maybe I can even turn a profit and make up for my losses today.’

As these thoughts ran through his mind, he slowly widened his stance. He stood his ground, making no move to attack. He would wait for the drug’s effects to wear off.

Chen Chuan had no intention of engaging in a standoff. He had to force Tan Wang to fight. He needed to maintain constant pressure, forcing his opponent to keep expending Power to defend, continuously draining his stamina. It was the only way to slowly increase his own chances of victory.

He stepped forward and delivered a diagonal slash, the blade cleaving a perfect arc through the curtain of rain.

In Tan Wang’s eyes, this move only confirmed his suspicions. He sneered and took a step back, his figure blurring and moving with incredible speed, as if he had vanished on the spot.

But as Chen Chuan took a step forward, his own figure seemed to vanish as well. A moment later, a rapid series of clashes and impacts echoed through the air.

...

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