Chapter 676 27: Harvest

The light on Chen Chuan's fist flickered for a moment before slowly dimming. This time, he had drawn upon the Spiritual Power purely on his own, without overlapping with his Second Self.

But he had used a clever trick to do it.

He had previously felt how to guide Spiritual Power, and he now had that experience to draw on. Combined with his own high level of spiritual strength and the fact that he was inside the Rift, he was able to channel the power from another world for a brief moment.

Although it only lasted for a moment, it was enough to decide the outcome of a battle.

His ability to do this proved his spiritual training over the past few days had been highly effective. He figured that if he continued cultivating this way, his spirit would grow more substantial over time, allowing him to stabilize this power.

The Spiritual Reflection Method he currently used was a Superior Cultivation Method from the Ancient National Church. He had also consumed a certain amount of Pure Essence. Moreover, thanks to his Second Self, he didn't have to worry about corruption while cultivating before the Rift, allowing him to absorb its quintessence without interruption. That was how he was able to maintain such rapid progress.

If even one of these conditions were missing, his progress would likely be several, or even dozens of times, slower. This highly efficient cultivation could continue for over a month. 'I have to make the most of it.'

He looked around. The pulverized flesh and blood, whether it had landed on the ground or splattered on the distant walls, was slowly disappearing, as if being absorbed by the creature beneath his feet.

The red mist that had filled the air just moments ago was now gradually thinning, and his vision was clearing up.

However, the life signs of the other Anyao Hall disciples lying on the ground, including the several Third Limit experts like Shigen Hachi, had all vanished.

In truth, the only one he had actually killed was Nakagami Hiroshi. Even the few who had been struck by his Soft Force shouldn't have died instantly, given the Life Force of a Third Limit Fighter.

This outcome was likely due to the Great Radiance Day technique being pushed to its absolute limit, causing their Mutated Organizations to completely necrose. Without the Mutated Organization, a Fighter's Life Force naturally couldn't be sustained.

'Great Radiance Day is indeed powerful. It's a Secret Transmission that directly targets the Mutated Organization, making it difficult for an average Fighter to resist. Even an evenly matched opponent would probably not last long without a way to counter it.'

But then again, Nakagami Hiroshi was only able to unleash such a powerful Secret Transmission mainly because of the spiritual power entrusted to him by his master, and he had also paid for it with his own life.

'The one who poured his Spiritual Power into him must have been Xiao Yuezai, the master of Anyao Hall. But no matter how formidable he is, his spirit couldn't possibly transmit information across the ocean. Only by returning alive could Nakagami Hiroshi have passed on what he saw.'

He guessed that the final plan for that attached spirit was to use Nakagami Hiroshi's final, life-force-fueled attack to kill him. That way, there would be no obstacle the next time they sent people to Single Stream Hall.

He then took a few steps forward and picked up the short blade Nakagami Hiroshi had left behind, intending to take it back for his collection. As for the shattered Long Blade, he decided to leave it. This one was enough.

'Anyao Hall must have a better collection, though. Hmm, Wind Forest Hall and Langtao Hall probably do too. I should go take a look if I get the chance in the future.'

He turned around and saw that the phantom was still there, repeatedly practicing some sort of Secret Transmission. With so many Anyao Hall disciples having fallen here, he figured their remains would be enough to sustain the phantom for some time.

He shook his head, walked over to his waterproof bag, untied it, and took out a fresh jacket to put on. After tidying himself up a bit, he exited the Rift and returned to the area above.

When he returned to the cliff platform, Elder Gan and Tarlu were waiting for him. Seeing him emerge, Elder Gan's face lit up with joy, but he noticed Chen Chuan had changed his clothes and asked tentatively, "Mr. Chen, are you alright?"

Chen Chuan said, "I'm fine." He then told the two of them, "The people from Anyao Hall have all been dealt with." 'Well, to be precise,' he thought, 'they were annihilated by Nakagami Hiroshi and me working together.'

Elder Gan had already suspected as much, but hearing Chen Chuan confirm it himself still left him stunned for a moment. Excitement then washed over his face, and the beard under his chin couldn't help but tremble.

Chen Chuan turned to Tarlu and said, "Tarlu, I think you should go down and take a look. There might be something there you want to see."

Elder Gan seemed to realize something and urged, "Tarlu, quickly, go on. I'll stay here."

Tarlu nodded. She and Chen Chuan returned below. As they entered the Rift, Chen Chuan discovered that all the bodies had completely vanished. A few weapons remained, but they were already half-submerged in the ground, and he could see them sinking little by little.

As soon as Tarlu entered, her attention was immediately captured by the Secret Transmission being demonstrated by the distant phantom. And now, there wasn't just one phantom but several, shifting and changing like smoke.

"This is... Anyao Hall's techniques... Great Radiance Day... Moonlight... Heart Practice... Revolving Sword Force..." She listed several of Anyao Hall's Secret Transmissions in a row, finally unable to hide her delighted surprise. "And... Mirror to the Void Self!"

Chen Chuan glanced in the direction she was looking. Tarlu had mentioned before that "Mirror to the Void Self" was the final realm one had to comprehend in Anyao Hall before breaking through to the Sword Sect. In Single Stream Hall, it went by the exact same name.

However, their two Secret Transmissions couldn't possibly be identical. This meant it was very likely a Cultivation Method that could be highly complementary to their own.

'This kind of Secret Transmission should be in the hands of disciples on the verge of breaking through their limits. Someone at Nakagami Hiroshi's level wouldn't necessarily have mastered it, and as a vessel for a spirit, there was no need for him to be the one to pass it down.'

'So, this probably didn't come from Nakagami Hiroshi, but from the spirit that was attached to him.'

Since it wasn't a Secret Transmission of Single Stream Hall, he watched with interest as well. After observing for a while, he realized it was likely a method for activating one's Spiritual Sense.

He had no need to watch it any further, as he had already reached that stage. Now, all he had to do was proceed step by step, following his own understanding.

So his attention quickly shifted to the Secret Transmissions of various Powers, especially how the phantoms demonstrated the way the Mutated Organization exerted and channeled them. Watching these would give him more to reference and consider for his future development of Heart Force.

After watching for a while, Tarlu suddenly sat down, as if she were trying to comprehend something. She remained seated like that for several hours.

It was past two in the afternoon when she finally stood up, looking invigorated. She performed a Single Stream Hall salute toward Chen Chuan and said, "Thank you, Mr. Chen."

Chen Chuan said, "There's no need for thanks. Did you find what you saw helpful, Tarlu?"

Tarlu nodded. "I know which path to take now, and I also know where I need to improve. But the benefits weren't as great as our predecessors claimed they would be."

Chen Chuan said, "Oh? Why is that?"

Tarlu thought for a moment and said, "Anyao Hall and Single Stream Hall are indeed from the same lineage. Many of their techniques can compensate for the shortcomings in our Power. But while I did gain some insights, I can't fuse the advantages of both types of Power into one. I can only continue down the original path of our Single Stream Hall.

"I think I roughly understand now why Master Hongfa split his successors into two branches. His complete Power was too difficult for any single disciple's talent to inherit."

She paused for a moment before adding, "Actually, our Single Stream Hall already has its own path to the Fist Sect. It's a complete path. There's no need to absorb too many other things."

Chen Chuan immediately understood what she meant. He said, "So, Master Hongfa didn't intentionally split his legacy into two branches. It was because no single disciple could inherit the complete Secret Transmission, so he had the two branches each cultivate a part of it, allowing both to forge their own paths?"

Tarlu said, "I believe that's the case."

Chen Chuan nodded. 'In that case,' he thought, 'it would take a disciple of extraordinary talent to truly fuse the Dharma Gates of both schools. But someone capable of that would likely find the teachings of a single branch sufficient. The Secret Transmissions of the other hall would, at most, offer some inspiration.'

He said, "Anyao Hall has suffered great losses this time. It's hard to say if they'll continue to send people over."

Tarlu shook her head. "I know a bit about Anyao Hall's situation. The hall shouldn't have more than five Third Limit Fighters. Their more famous disciples... hmm, they were probably all here. I don't think they'll be sending anyone else."

A thought occurred to Chen Chuan. 'In that case, Anyao Hall sent all their elites this time. If they want to try again, they'd have to send their Sword Sect Master himself.'

'But that's almost impossible. If he could have done that, he would have done so long ago.'

He had a vague feeling that these Fighting Masters rarely took action in the outside world for some reason. Whether it was due to government or corporate restrictions, or something else entirely, he didn't have to worry about it for the time being.

Just then, Tarlu said, "Mr. Chen, I would like to ask for your guidance once more. May I?"

She paused, then pointed to the phantom and said, "Not just by myself, but with this senior... I can let this senior's lingering image possess me. By fighting like that, I can better demonstrate the Secret Techniques of our Single Stream Hall."

"It can do that?" Chen Chuan was intrigued. He said readily, "Alright. If you think it's possible, Tarlu, then let's have another sparring match."

Seeing him agree, Tarlu raised the Long Staff in her hands and performed a salute. "Fellow practitioner, I am ready for your instruction." With that, she brandished her Long Staff. A phantom rose from beneath her feet and seemed to fuse with her.

Chen Chuan could see that their Domains had created a resonance, and Tarlu was standing at its focal point.

Chen Chuan watched, then reached out and snatched up a Long Blade that was stuck in the ground. This was a sparring match. His opponent was using a weapon, so he would use one as well as a sign of respect.

Although the Mutated Organization inside the blade wasn't his own, preventing him from perfectly channeling his Power, his own speed and strength would be more than enough.

Seeing that he was ready, Tarlu trotted forward a few steps, then suddenly spun, bringing her Long Staff crashing down from above!

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