Chapter 91 - 80: Realm-Breaking Cyan Lotus, Your Dual Blade Style is Pretty Good, but It’s Mine Now!

Chapter 91: Chapter 80: Realm-Breaking Cyan Lotus, Your Dual Blade Style is Pretty Good, but It’s Mine Now!

The reason the Jade-faced Saber Mantis was so astonished that Lu Chen could crack its Demon Blade arm with a single Sword Strike stemmed entirely from the Nine Nether Evil Objects’ power system, which was fundamentally different from that of Cultivators.

Unlike Cultivators, who grew stronger by absorbing Spiritual Power and comprehending heaven and earth, Nine Nether Evil Objects—and most of the Alien Race, for that matter—achieved greater power through physical mutation. This mutation allowed their life forms to undergo a profound transition, a process commonly understood as "evolution."

Therefore, the concepts of Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core did not actually exist among the Alien Race. Their method of measuring Power was simple: "unevolved," "first evolution," "second evolution," and so on. The only reason the Immortal Alliance also used terms like "Qi Cultivation" and "Foundation Establishment" to measure the Power Levels of the Alien Race was simply to make it easier for Cultivators to understand the threat level of these Evil Objects.

The Jade-faced Saber Mantis that Lu Chen currently faced was a "first evolution" entity. Similar to how a Cultivator experienced a qualitative leap in both the total amount and purity of their Spiritual Power when breaking through from Qi Cultivation to Foundation Establishment, every time a Nine Nether Evil Object completed an evolution, its physical attributes received a massive boost. Furthermore, certain parts of its body would mutate, forming a special organ akin to a Cultivator’s Lifebound Treasure.

For the Jade-faced Saber Mantis, the special organs born from its first evolution were its two arms. Although the Jade-faced Saber Mantis was a Nine Nether Evil Object renowned for its speed, its two Demon Blade arms alone—in terms of both sharpness and durability—were comparable to Magical Treasures that an average Cultivator had spent years refining.

Yet, during his very first strike, Lu Chen had accurately hit the weak point of its Demon Blade arm, directly leaving a distinct fracture on it. This was no less shocking than if Lu Chen had shattered a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s Lifebound Treasure in a single blow. How could the Jade-faced Saber Mantis not be astonished?

Staring at Lu Chen’s continuously rotating Lotus Pupils, the Jade-faced Saber Mantis felt deeply frustrated.

"I was careless. I shouldn’t have underestimated him just because he’s a Qi Refining cultivator of the Human Race," it thought. "There’s definitely something weird about this Human Race Cultivator’s eyes!"

At this thought, its killing intent toward Lu Chen grew even more intense. "No, I absolutely cannot allow a Human Race prodigy like him to grow! Otherwise, he will definitely become a major threat to our race!"

Having made up its mind, the Jade-faced Saber Mantis decisively got serious. Instead of getting entangled in prolonged combat, it relied on its terrifying speed to instantly pull back, creating a distance of three paces from Lu Chen. However, this retreat wasn’t out of fear; it was a tactical maneuver to reclaim the rhythm of the battle. In the eyes of the Jade-faced Saber Mantis, Lu Chen appeared to be the same type of fighter as itself—one who favored ending battles quickly. In this kind of matchup, whoever struck first would undoubtedly hold the absolute advantage.

In truth, if Lu Chen had a Cultivation higher than the Qi Cultivation Stage, it wouldn’t have been so easy for the Jade-faced Saber Mantis to retreat unscathed. Unfortunately, although Lu Chen possessed astonishing Sword Skill and that bizarre Pupil Skill, his physical fitness was quite average. He couldn’t even begin to compare to a first-evolution Nine Nether Evil Object like it.

Therefore, after opening up some distance, the wings on the back of the Jade-faced Saber Mantis flapped rapidly, whipping up a fierce gale around it. Then, the compound eyes on its triangular head locked dead onto Lu Chen, and its figure instantly vanished from the spot.

Almost at the exact same moment, as if possessing foreknowledge, Lu Chen suddenly spun around and slashed backward.

CLANG!

Lu Chen’s Magic Sword once again collided with the Jade-faced Saber Mantis’s Demon Blade, igniting a shower of sparks. But this time... it was Lu Chen who fell into a disadvantage.

The Jade-faced Saber Mantis’s subsequent attacks rained down like a violent storm, refusing to give Lu Chen a single moment to catch his breath. Its two Demon Blades attacked alternately, surging forward wave after wave like endless ocean tides. If it were anyone else, they would likely have been decapitated by the Jade-faced Saber Mantis long ago.

However, for Lu Chen, who possessed the Realm-Breaking Level Traceless Sword Technique, his raw drawing speed was almost on par with the mantis. Furthermore, relying on his incredibly high attainment in Swordsmanship, his technical prowess was more than just a cut above the Jade-faced Saber Mantis. This allowed him to expend less Spiritual Power while unleashing far more powerful attacks.

On one side was a Nine Nether Evil Object with a distinct physical advantage; on the other was a Human Race Cultivator with a clear technical advantage. What should have looked like a one-sided slaughter to outsiders had shockingly turned into an evenly matched duel in this short span of time!

Half a minute later, after exchanging hundreds of blows, the man and the Evil Object briefly separated. Yet neither seemed willing to give the other a chance to rest; with an unspoken mutual understanding, they crashed into each other again the exact instant they found their footing.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

This was a head-on collision between the Alien Race’s Saber Technique and the Cultivator’s Sword Skill. It was a pure contest to see which was faster—the saber or the sword. This wild battle, stripped of all flashy gimmicks and returned to its primal roots, not only made the two combatants feel like they had finally met their match but also left the Teachers and investigators watching from the conference room utterly dumbfounded.

"Is... is this really a Sword Skill that a Qi Cultivation Stage Sword Cultivator can possess? Just how has he been conducting his Cultivation?!" stammered a Third High School Teacher, so shocked by Lu Chen fighting the Jade-faced Saber Mantis to a standstill in such a short time that he could barely speak clearly.

And it wasn’t just him; everyone else around was similarly shocked beyond words by the spectacle.