As numerous thoughts flashed through Chen Chuan's mind in an instant, Akhtawa's dagger finally thrust forward. Because Chen Chuan's speed and strength were decisively superior, and because the earlier clash of spiritual impacts had not hindered or delayed him in the least, he merely needed to twist or angle his guarding arm slightly and meet the strike with a denser portion of his fire of spirituality to break it.
Yet he did not do so. Instead, he clenched his fist. The muscles of his forearm instantly tightened. In that very breath, the dagger's tip struck the thin outer layer of the fire of spirituality. It appeared to puncture it, yet it could not penetrate a fraction of an inch deeper.
This was because Chen Chuan had formed a second, far tougher layer of the fire of spirituality beneath the surface of his arm. Even if the first layer was pierced, the defense behind it remained unshakeable.
Akhtawa showed no surprise or panic upon realizing this. His offensive style had always been richly layered. Seeing his attack fail, he immediately produced a follow-up move.
The tip of the dagger abruptly shone with brilliant light, erupting into a burst of spiritual impact in an instant. This time, he gripped the pommel tightly and used the recoil to throw himself backward, instantly opening up distance between them.
Catching his breath during that split-second interval, he raised his free hand and thrust a finger forward. Astonishingly, he released yet another spiritual impact. In a flash, a slender beam of light shot straight at Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan could tell at a single glance that this impact was meant primarily to interrupt and delay the enemy, buying time for the next attack.
His opponent's combat philosophy was sound: maintain fluid rhythm and strive to control the adversary rather than fretting over the success or failure of any single move.
Moreover, such offensives rarely relied on just one contingency; for example, at a crucial juncture, he might throw a dagger to force another delay.
Or perhaps...
Chen Chuan glanced once more at the belt wrapped around Akhtawa's waist. At least five similar daggers were sheathed there, which meant the man could launch at least five more attacks like the one just now.
A spiritual impact consumed an immense amount of energy. Even a Longevity View martial artist could not sustain their condition after rapid, continuous bursts, so this was very likely the upper limit of his single-burst capacity.
One could not rule out the possibility that Akhtawa was displaying this intentionally to mislead him, but that was unlikely. If five consecutive attempts still failed to bring down an opponent, the most sensible course of action would be to flee, not drag out the fight.
In virtually the blink of an eye, Chen Chuan had pieced together the bulk of his opponent's combat traits and techniques. This was not merely due to his superior strength, but also because his discerning eye—honed by battles against martial artists of extraordinary caliber—was unmatched among his peers.
Right on cue, Akhtawa hurled the dagger in his hand at him. Nor did he throw just one; one after another, in rapid succession, he flung every single dagger from his waist.
Chen Chuan considered this a wise decision. Recognizing his opponent's power, Akhtawa knew a single dagger would hardly serve as a deterrent, so he threw them all at once.
From the look of it, the spiritual impact discharged through the daggers was very likely an inherent function of the weapons themselves, which served to buy him a moment to catch his breath and regroup.
Though thoughts raced through Chen Chuan's mind, they did not hinder his movements. He continued to deflect them with a single hand. Every time a flying dagger struck, another stream of the fire of spirituality swiftly surged in from surrounding areas to replenish whatever gaps had been blasted open on the surface.
Under the relentless barrage, the collisions between the fires of spirituality inevitably caused burst after burst of radiance to bloom in the space before them. Furthermore, the daggers appeared to contain some specially prepared substance, sending up thick plumes of peculiar smoke that obscured both of their sightlines.
Just as the smoke billowed up, there came a resounding boom. A figure burst through from behind the haze, hurtling toward him with a ferocious punch, blazing fiercely with the fire of spirituality.
Chen Chuan's eyes flickered slightly. Almost instantly, he sensed something was amiss; there was a flaw in this figure. Ducking low without hesitation, he slipped beneath a flash of light that swept across from behind his back.
By now, he could see clearly: the charging figure was merely a paper-effigy-like construct coated in the fire of spirituality. In the strange smoke, it created the illusion of the man himself charging forward. Because it aligned so neatly with the habitual logic of combat, an opponent would easily overlook minor flaws and inconsistencies.
Meanwhile, the real Akhtawa had used the commotion to slip behind him, launching a completely silent strike.
It was plain to see that this sequence incorporated subtle psychological warfare and a variety of clever tricks.
Now Chen Chuan finally understood why the Federation had always found this man so difficult to pin down. An abundant reservoir of the fire of spirituality, a diverse arsenal of techniques, and flawlessly executed tactics meant that even a martial artist stronger than him would likely struggle to deal with him.
Seeing Chen Chuan successfully evade his ambush, Akhtawa knew he had no chance of victory left. Not only had he exhausted many of his best tactics, but given the man's judgment and reaction speed, none of his subsequent attacks were likely to work either.
Even so, he did not give up completely. Having missed with his strike, he instantly channeled all of his fire of spirituality into the fingertips of his other hand. Bringing two fingers together, he thrust them forward.
This strike would unleash an exceptionally fierce spiritual impact at point-blank range.
He knew full well that this move could never hurt Chen Chuan, yet he wanted to know just how far he could push himself before a powerhouse of this caliber.
Chen Chuan clearly sensed his intention, so he chose not to evade. Instead, he pivoted on the spot, pushed a palm forward, and pressed it squarely against the incoming fingertips.
The fierce spiritual impact erupted the moment they made contact. Yet in that fleeting flash, it was instantly pressed down and smothered. It failed to produce any tremendous commotion, vanishing as though a feeble flicker of flame had been snuffed out by a breath of wind.
Akhtawa's chest heaved violently, clearly exhausted from the tremendous exertion. He looked at Chen Chuan with deep admiration.
He had seen everything clearly just now: the other man had used no flashy moves, merely employing his own fire of spirituality to forcefully extinguish the spiritual impact. That was the most convincing display of mastery imaginable.
Though ostensibly in the same realm, the other man had casually neutralized his full-power burst. The gulf between them was far wider than he had initially assumed.
He could not help but recall something the old priest had told him. Could the person before him belong to that very echelon?
After a moment, he gradually steadied his breathing, looked up at Chen Chuan, and asked with utmost sincerity:
"Mr. Chen, could you tell me... does the power you used just now compare to what you unleash when fighting a Throne martial artist?"
Chen Chuan answered candidly, "Far from it."
Akhtawa said in a heavy voice, "So even at the peak of my strength, if I were to fight one of them, I wouldn't even be able to trade a single blow?"
"That is correct," Chen Chuan gave him a definitive answer.
He added, "If your physique and spirit aren't on the same level as theirs, you won't even be able to stand your ground in front of them. If you possess a defensive relic, you might manage it, but that would be meaningless."
Akhtawa nodded solemnly in understanding. If one had to rely on tools and relics just to stand firm before such figures, it proved the gap between them was not something mere skill could bridge.
"I understand."
He had never encountered a Throne martial artist before, only hearing rumors about them, unable to tell fact from fiction. Now that he had received definitive confirmation from Chen Chuan, all his illusions vanished. His only thought now was to stay as far away from such individuals as possible.
If such a figure ever appeared before him in the future, his only recourse would be to rely on the power of Ikus.
Cupping his hands, he bowed to Chen Chuan in the etiquette of Great Shun and said, "Mr. Chen, thank you for your guidance."
Chen Chuan said, "Think nothing of it. It was merely a spar, a chance to learn from each other. In fact, I have a few questions for you as well, Mr. Akhtawa."
Akhtawa said at once, "Please, Mr. Chen, ask whatever you wish. I will hold nothing back."
Chen Chuan first asked about the daggers. "Your daggers seem capable of storing your own fire of spirituality?"
Akhtawa replied, "Yes. They were crafted from materials grown within my body after I consumed certain seeds gifted by the old priest through special rituals. They are, in essence, a part of my own body."
With that, an apologetic expression crossed his face. "I used up all those seeds back then, and I don't have a single one left."
Chen Chuan smiled and shook his head. "I don't need such things; I was merely curious about them."
Akhtawa believed him. Limited by the seeds, the amount of the fire of spirituality the daggers could store was actually quite modest. With the strength Chen Chuan had displayed, he would likely have no use for such items anyway.
Chen Chuan asked again, "Earlier, I saw you unleash spiritual impacts in rapid succession without the slightest hesitation or delay. Did you modify your mutated tissue yourself?"
Akhtawa said solemnly, "Yes. I managed to cultivate mutated tissue exceptionally suited to that manner of attack, pairing it with medicine to sustain it permanently. This allows my body to store an ample reserve of the fire of spirituality and release it when needed. I paid no small price for it, however."
Chen Chuan nodded. Conditioning one's body to grow mutated tissue tailored specifically to one's tactics had its drawbacks, but once fully developed, the resulting combat power was not to be underestimated.
Yet for martial artists at the Longevity View realm, the coverage of mutated tissue was generally comprehensive, differing only in degree of strength. Doing what Akhtawa had done was equivalent to giving up certain avenues of growth in favor of an extreme path.
It offered clear benefits for now, but the future was hard to predict; such trade-offs were up to each individual to weigh.
Chen Chuan reflected that he would never take such a route. Only all-around supremacy was true power, the kind that unlocked far greater possibilities. That said, Akhtawa's mastery in modulating the intensity of the fire of spirituality relied purely on skill, and that was something well worth drawing upon.
Chapter 1281