Instructor Wu looked at the long saber in Chen Chuan's hand. Under the light, cold glints spilled across the blade, conveying a pricking sensation against the skin that made his eyelids twitch slightly.
Yet he suddenly chuckled, his tone turning gentle once more. "Student Chen, I'll guide you properly. Don't worry, I'll take good care of your head."
The ceiling chandelier was still swaying, and his shadow, cast across the floor and walls, shifted with it, taking on an eerie, distorted look.
And at the exact moment the swaying began to stabilize, just as it was about to come to a stop, the light and shadows in the room seemed to flicker abruptly. Instructor Wu's figure shot forward violently.
Ever since drawing his saber, Chen Chuan had kept his eyes fixed ahead. Not only was the man before him an expert of the third limit, he was also an instructor from the Main Academy. Thus, from the moment Chen Chuan had set foot on this knoll, his Second Self had already merged with him.
Now, seeing the man rush toward him, Chen Chuan raised the blade slightly and blocked horizontally before him. Instructor Wu's fist slammed into the edge of the saber, two forces crashing together. An instant cracking sound rang out, and the floorboards beneath Chen Chuan shattered, yet he stood rooted firmly in place without budging. His shoulders and waist shifted subtly, as if preparing to pivot into a horizontal slash.
Instructor Wu let out a soft exclamation of surprise. With a sudden thrust of his knuckles, leveraging the residual momentum to push off, he snapped back to his original position, looking at Chen Chuan with faint astonishment.
He had intended for that strike to knock Chen Chuan down, but the student had actually matched his speed, parried the blow in time, and remained standing steadily.
He grinned. "Student Chen, so you're already close to the third limit. Your entrance assessment score wasn't your full strength after all, was it? No wonder you refused my offer. Seems I underestimated you. But this is even better. Your brain will definitely help me complete my plan."
Chen Chuan could sense that Instructor Wu was clearly a cut above the likes of Tan Wang and Luo Qi. The speed of that forward dash had nearly exceeded his ability to respond, and that might not even have been the man's fastest.
He promptly adjusted his state, releasing the emotional restraints he kept on himself. The mutated tissue throughout his body was suddenly unleashed, instantly turning extraordinarily active. A deluge of thoughts and chaotic emotions surged forward all at once, yet his mind remained calm, like a thick sheet of hard ice capping a roaring bonfire.
This time he didn't wait. Choosing to take the initiative, he gave a slight roll of his shoulders, and the long, slender blade of the Xuejun Saber cleaved through half the living room, sweeping horizontally forward!
Generally speaking, long weapons could not be wielded freely indoors. Under his strength and speed, however, furniture and walls were no different from thin paper. Moreover, whatever hindered him would hinder his opponent just as much.
Instructor Wu was a seasoned fighter. From that initial clash, he had already gauged Chen Chuan's approximate speed and power, preparing to launch a targeted offensive.
Yet Chen Chuan's strike was a notch faster than what he had displayed earlier, causing Wu's previously relaxed expression to change abruptly.
Seeing the tip of the blade already bearing down on his neck, ready to cleave his head off in the next breath, Wu's body dropped sharply downward—as though someone below had yanked him with immense force. In the process of sinking, the strength of the mutated tissue across his entire body contracted and gathered inward.
The moment the saber's gleam swept overhead, he stamped down hard. The floorboards beneath his feet shattered and flew apart, and the entire house seemed to shudder as his figure lunged toward Chen Chuan once more.
The timing of this charge was immaculate, catching Chen Chuan right at the transition point of his strength, when the saber could not be pulled back in time.
Seeing this, Chen Chuan released his right hand from the hilt, thrusting his elbow outward horizontally while stepping a foot back to drop his center of gravity.
With a dull thud, both of Instructor Wu's hands slammed against Chen Chuan's elbow. Under the violent impact, the shirt sleeves on both their arms ripped apart.
Yet the sheer force of the collision drove Chen Chuan backward. His feet instantly plowed a furrow through the floor, wood planks snapping and shattering continuously until, with a loud boom, his back burst through the outer wall. Both of them plunged out onto the open ground outside.
Riding the momentum, Instructor Wu pressed in close, evidently intending to drag him into close-quarters infighting.
Chen Chuan knew that falling into an infight would be disastrous for him. Not only would it negate the advantage of his long saber, but he could also end up suppressed by Instructor Wu.
At that moment, the hand holding the Xuejun Saber remained stationary as a whole, but his wrist snapped violently inward. As the mutated tissue in his wrist contracted and tightened, the spine of the saber whipped diagonally around toward Instructor Wu's back like a lash.
Sensing something amiss, Instructor Wu deflected off Chen Chuan's elbow, executing a sideways flip to spring away into the distance.
Only then did the airborne wooden splinters come clattering down. One piece landed between them. Illuminated by the light spilling from inside the house, it was revealed to be the Molan Company advertisement poster, now snapped cleanly in two.
A breeze blew from outside, repeatedly lifting a torn corner of the poster, making it flap with sharp smacks.
Instructor Wu stared at Chen Chuan. The casual demeanor from earlier was gone, his gaze flickering with uncertainty.
Chen Chuan also watched him intently. He had prepared thoroughly before coming. Instructor Wu's fighting techniques could be looked up through the school's boundary credential, and footage of his past fights was available, the most recent dating to the previous semester.
He had run through several mental rehearsals before coming. Under normal circumstances, that opening strike had a strong chance of landing. Yet Wu had dodged it—not with what appeared to be his standard speed, but something very much like an explosive burst technique.
That was only natural; after all, even an academy instructor wouldn't put his full capabilities on display and would surely hold trump cards in reserve.
However, during the counterattack after dodging the slash, Wu had clearly had an opening, yet he hadn't managed to capitalize on it. That indicated the explosive technique wasn't sustainable.
Instructor Wu glanced at the saber in Chen Chuan's hand and licked his dry lips. He was unarmed, which was a disadvantage. Originally, dealing with a Second Limit student he could crush at will didn't warrant a weapon. But now, Chen Chuan was exhibiting strength that was anything but normal.
Had he taken drugs?
Even if that were true, he was by no means an ordinary student. Since Chen Chuan wasn't his pupil, Wu lacked clearance to view his full file; otherwise, he could have understood the situation clearly.
At this juncture, the sensible strategy was to withdraw temporarily and take him down easily once the drug wore off.
Yet he couldn't do that. He had already exposed his true intentions; the moment he eased up his pressure, Chen Chuan might use his boundary credential to send word out.
Chen Chuan made a slight adjustment. Holding a weapon, he didn't need to hesitate. He stepped forward and swept another slash at Instructor Wu.
Instructor Wu dropped his center of gravity, repeatedly dodging and leaping back. After evading several slashes, his feet tapped the ground as he abruptly widened the distance between them. Looking at Chen Chuan, he smiled and said:
"Student Chen, no wonder your entrance assessment rated your technique so poorly. Though you possess both power and speed, you lack technical variety. It's very easy for a teacher to read you."
Chen Chuan remained completely unfazed. With the mutated tissue throughout his body fully active, their speeds were now on par. Even if his technique was lacking, the crux of the matter was that he held a weapon while his opponent was barehanded; the latter could not afford the slightest mistake.
Even against a simple, straightforward slash, Instructor Wu had to give his all to defend, bearing mental and physical strain far heavier than Chen Chuan's.
So while it might appear that Chen Chuan couldn't pin him down, as long as the fight dragged on and Wu's stamina drained away, the scales of victory would tip toward Chen Chuan. The one who needed to worry right now wasn't him, but his opponent.
He said with utmost sincerity, "Instructor Wu's evasion techniques are masterful. Your student has indeed learned a great deal."
Instructor Wu's cheek twitched. Although Chen Chuan's saber work had technical shortcomings, it was disciplined and sound, leaving no glaring openings. Under normal circumstances, finding a chance to counter was exceedingly difficult. That was why Wu had attempted to sow anxiety with words. Seeing that it had failed, he had no choice but to resort to something more aggressive.
Seeing the saber's gleam slash toward him once more, his eyes narrowed. He stepped back to dodge again, but this time, after a few paces, he suddenly pressed forward.
Chen Chuan had been guarding against a sudden inside thrust all along. With the saber being long enough, as long as he kept his opponent at a certain distance, the man posed no threat. Seeing Wu close in, Chen Chuan thrust the blade straight out. He didn't expect to achieve much with this move—it was merely meant to establish a threat and force his opponent to evade.
Unexpectedly, Instructor Wu charged forward heedless of danger, letting the long saber plunge clean through his abdomen without so much as flinching. Closing the distance instantly, he reached out with one hand to grab while thrusting two fingers of the other straight toward Chen Chuan's eyes.
Wu was decisive. Since fighting barehanded against a weapon was a disadvantage, he traded an injury for an upper hand. At this moment, if Chen Chuan refused to let go of the saber, Wu would face one hand with two at point-blank range; relying on his superior technique, he could subdue Chen Chuan in an instant and end the death match right then and there.
If Chen Chuan chose to abandon the saber and retreat, even if he managed to slip Wu's grasp, Wu would seize the weapon, reversing the disadvantage in a single stroke.
In this critical moment, Chen Chuan did not let go. He raised one hand to meet the grasping grip, and facing the fingers jabbing toward his eyes, he ducked his head and slammed it straight forward.
Wu's eyes narrowed. The fingers aimed at Chen Chuan's eyes curled into a fist, slamming hard against his forehead. He had intentionally held back some strength, needing Chen Chuan's brain intact without pulverizing the tissue inside, yet the blow was still more than enough to knock him unconscious.
To his shock and bewilderment, when the jin of that punch discharged, Chen Chuan seemed entirely unaffected. What was more, Chen Chuan capitalized on that momentary window to violently twist the long saber gripped in his hand!
Yet halfway through the twist, with a sharp snap, Instructor Wu clamped a hand around a section of the blade. At the same time, the mutated tissue and muscles in his abdomen tightened abruptly, arresting the blade from turning any further.
Chen Chuan raised his head, looking straight into an utterly savage face.
Chapter 252