Chapter 673 24: Broken Blade

Chen Chuan had already guessed the man's identity. Only the top disciple of Anyao Hall could possess such an aura and Spiritual Cultivation. His gaze shifted to Nakagami Hiroshi's waist, where a long and a short blade were tucked. He nodded, looked up, and said, "Pure Sect, Chen Chuan."

"Pure Sect..."

Nakagami Hiroshi felt like he had heard that name somewhere, but he didn't dwell on it. He couldn't be bothered. No matter who stood in his way today, nothing would stop him from seizing the Rift.

Just then, a commotion came from behind them as the Anyao Hall disciples filed in. When they saw him, they were both shocked and bewildered.

They could still see a trace of Nakagami Hiroshi's former self, yet he also bore a resemblance to their master's usual appearance, especially in his bearing. If they had only seen his back, they would have almost mistaken him for their master.

Shigen Hachi looked at Chen Chuan, then walked up and said in a low voice, "Senior Brother, should we..."

He instinctively felt that Chen Chuan would be difficult to deal with. Anyone trusted by the Single Stream Hall had to be a formidable opponent. However, they were inside the Rift with no one else around. There was no need for rules; they could just swarm him.

Nakagami Hiroshi ignored him, his eyes fixed on Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan met Nakagami Hiroshi's gaze and spoke calmly, "I hope you'll be a worthy opponent. In that case, let's get the irrelevant people out of the way first."

As he finished speaking, a light flashed in his eyes. At the same time, a tyrannical Spiritual Power emanated from him.

Shigen Hachi's head immediately swam. Behind him came the sound of bodies thudding to the ground one after another. In an instant, every one of the Anyao Hall disciples had lost consciousness and collapsed.

He and a few of his peers grew dizzy and unsteady, forcing them to their knees. The world spun around him, and for a moment, he couldn't even stand, let alone fight. He was horrified. 'This kind of Spiritual Power...'

Nakagami Hiroshi stood firm at the front. He faced the brunt of the Spiritual Power's impact but didn't move an inch. Not only that, the Spiritual Power within his own body surged back toward Chen Chuan, as if trying to overwhelm him in one fell swoop.

Chen Chuan was completely unfazed. He had anticipated this kind of counterattack when he released his Spiritual Power and had already prepared the "Hollow Seal" to meet it.

To his surprise, though his opponent's Spiritual Power was immense, it wasn't focused. It couldn't even break through his outer spiritual defenses. Recalling what Elder Gan had said about spiritual possession, he understood.

When Nakagami Hiroshi saw that he was also unaffected, he showed a trace of surprise and annoyance. He quickly abandoned the attempt and cracked a grin. "Strong Spiritual Power, but I don't like these soft-handed contests."

He reached for the handle of the Long Blade at his waist and slowly drew it. At the same time, his eyes turned blood-red, as if his pupils had vanished.

Chen Chuan stood his ground. He didn't draw his blade. The Snow Monarch Blade hadn't fully awakened yet and couldn't completely bear or channel his Heart Force. Besides, he'd had many new ideas recently and saw this as the perfect opportunity to test them.

As for Nakagami Hiroshi, his blade was now completely unsheathed. He raised it high, then slowly lowered it toward Chen Chuan. But just an instant before it was level, he vanished.

The next moment, he appeared abruptly in front of Chen Chuan, the gleaming edge of his blade slashing down!

Chen Chuan watched the reflection on the blade's tip. He could even feel the vibrations from his opponent's step through the ground beneath him. In the instant before the blade reached his forehead, he raised a hand, blocking the edge with the side of his palm. The Power from the blade surged into him.

His feet sank slightly, but this space was entirely composed of some kind of biological entity and was incredibly resilient. The spot that bore the force didn't crack or show any sign of damage.

Nakagami Hiroshi seemed astonished that his strike had been blocked, and with a bare hand at that. But one slash was followed by another and another, each one faster than the last, until they created a continuous, piercing whistle as they cut through the air. The surrounding space echoed and vibrated in response.

Yet every single one of his attacks was blocked with pinpoint accuracy by Chen Chuan, who used only his arms to parry. Such a fierce Sword Force slashed against him but left him completely unscathed.

Where there is offense, there must be defense. While Chen Chuan had been pondering offensive Heart Force, he had also considered the problem of defense. He realized that if the Circulation Technique mimicked Horizontal Training Strength, it could also be combined with Spiritual Power to simulate Heart Force.

This would make his defensive strength far greater than before. Just like now, he was blocking everything with a simulated Horizontal Training Strength without even using his Second Self.

Moreover, under the barrage of slashes, insights that had eluded him during his usual practice began to surface in his mind. Through constant adjustments, his Power was quietly undergoing a transformation amid the offense and defense.

Although Nakagami Hiroshi saw that Chen Chuan blocked every slash, he had no intention of stopping.

The reasoning was simple. Blocking with bare hands must consume more stamina and energy than wielding a blade, and it allowed for no mistakes. Furthermore, Chen Chuan's reach was shorter than his blade, making it impossible for him to effectively counterattack while under assault. Continuing the fight this way was advantageous to him, so there was no need to change his strategy.

Besides, he was also adapting to his own power.

As he relentlessly swung the Long Blade, the parasitic Spiritual Power in his body gradually shifted from diffuse to focused. Driven by a certain will, it began to merge with his Power.

After dozens of slashes, when he brought his blade down again, it carried a trace of a different kind of power.

Chen Chuan's eyes narrowed. The previous vicious slashes had relied purely on superior strength and speed, but this one actually contained a sliver of Heart Force, a power he was familiar with.

'Then, I'll meet it head-on.'

He twisted his shoulder and blocked with his elbow. BANG! The two forces collided instantly. A stream of power tried to bore into his body, but his simulated Horizontal Training Strength kept it at bay. A shockwave erupted at the point of contact, and the sleeve over his elbow exploded with a POP. He took half a step back with the momentum.

Nakagami Hiroshi was not unaffected either. The force of the Horizontal Training Heart Force jolted his blade, causing it to spring back. This created a brief pause in his previously fluid sequence of slashes, and he couldn't immediately follow up with his next attack.

A glint flashed in Chen Chuan's eyes. He instantly deduced that this man had never fought a Fighter who had mastered Heart Force. He had no experience with it, or else he never would have made such a mistake. At the very least, he would have been mentally prepared.

As he took that step back, he gathered his strength. Then, with another step forward, he threw a punch with a BOOM. Before the fist arrived, the Power surged forward through the air.

Nakagami Hiroshi's expression changed as he retreated, swinging his blade back in a horizontal slash that dispersed the incoming Power. Though his movements looked composed and sharp, Chen Chuan's switch from defense to offense had perfectly exploited the gap in his assault. He was completely unprepared to shift from attacking to defending and inevitably fell a beat behind in the rhythm of the fight.

After throwing the punch, Chen Chuan took advantage of Nakagami Hiroshi's pause to lunge forward, his hands forming a Capture stance as he reached for his opponent. Before his hands even made contact, a tingling Power, sharp enough to make one's skin crawl, faintly emanated from his fingertips.

Nakagami Hiroshi immediately sensed an intense threat. Under this pressure, the parasitic Spiritual Power in his body surged out once more.

In that instant, he executed the most appropriate and clever response. He tucked his elbow in, bringing the Long Blade up horizontally to block in front of him. At the same time, his other hand swept across his waist, employing a unique technique from Anyao Hall: the "Yang Transformation Stance."

The short blade tucked there pivoted on his fingers, its backward-facing tip now pointing forward. The Sword Scabbard shattered instantly. Under the cover of his other hand, he thrust the short blade upward from below, aiming for Chen Chuan's throat.

This move was a counterattack hidden within a defensive posture, subtle and treacherous. But there was more. A misty vapor appeared on the tip of the short blade, emanating a faint, unusually sharp aura.

When Chen Chuan sensed it, his spirit gave him a premonition: if he tried to block it head-on, his neck would be pierced through.

But he knew this was the influence of a Spiritual Power. Tarlu had previously told him about the characteristics of some of Anyao Hall's Fighting Skills, including the famous "Heart Practice" technique.

If he were to be swayed by this illusion and try to dodge, his own spirit would accept the outcome as inevitable. Then, even if the attack couldn't have originally succeeded, the next time it landed, it would become real through the spiritual resonance between them.

So he didn't dodge at all. He used a parting-style Capture Technique, pushing forward with both hands, one high and one low. One hand pressed down on the Long Blade while the other blocked the path of the short blade, and then he forcefully pushed them apart.

He pinned the short blade and pushed the Long Blade upward. After this maneuver, someone skilled in Capture would normally stick close to the Weapon and proceed to lock the opponent's neck, arm, or other body parts.

However, he didn't do that. Instead, he pressed forward again and executed a binding-style move from his Wrestling Takedown techniques. If this move connected, he could seize his opponent. But a simple Wrestling Takedown would require another burst of power to subdue the enemy, creating a gap that could allow them to escape.

Yet he exploited the seamless power conversion of the Circulation Technique. He had accumulated power while executing the parting-style Capture Technique, so the grappling move he now used could exert force directly. If he caught his opponent in this embrace, he could instantly crush the bones of their upper body and pulp them into a mangled mess.

They were clearly two different types of Power, yet he transitioned between them seamlessly, his movements fluid and adaptable.

A powerful sense of alarm flared in Nakagami Hiroshi's mind. Spurred by the Spiritual Power, an invisible force seemed to flood his body. As he stepped back, he twisted to the side and rear. He dragged the elevated Long Blade downward, positioning it vertically in front of him. At the same time, his lower hand suddenly reversed its grip on the short blade, pointing the tip outward.

It was a perfectly fitting response that blocked the Wrestling Takedown. However, while the man could dodge, the Weapon he used as cover could not. The next instant, Chen Chuan's hands clamped down on the blade. A burst of Power erupted from within. With the collision of two Heart Forces, there was a loud CRACK, and the Long Blade snapped in two.

Nakagami Hiroshi's pupils contracted. He seized the opportunity to retreat several steps, quickly putting distance between himself and Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan opened his fingers, letting the broken pieces of the Long Blade fall to the ground with a few CLANGS. He looked at Nakagami Hiroshi and said, "It seems you forgot to bring a good blade."

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