Walking out of the outpost fortress, Chen Chuan noticed that the surrounding vegetation had grown noticeably denser, as if they had suddenly entered a deep forest.
Normally, within three to five kilometers of an outpost, all plant life was cleared away. Reaction outposts armed with machine guns were erected, with the perimeter crisscrossed by trenches and barbed wire.
That way, neither native creatures nor remnants of the former imperial house could draw near easily, and it also kept the base at a relatively safe distance from anomalies at night.
However, what lay before him was a simulated construct. Resources certainly wouldn't be squandered on recreating a complete Confluence; it was likely just demonstrating a localized area.
Thus, after walking only a few dozen paces, he and Chen Bitong arrived at the edge of a lake. Amid the thick mist, an enormous creature loomed vaguely, shifting about.
As the two of them drew closer, Chen Chuan got a clear look at what the thing actually was.
The beast stood over three meters tall, with thick, sturdy legs, an elongated neck, and a long tail. Its spine arched into a rounded dome, and its back was coated in thick, grayish skin that covered its body like a hard carapace. Tangles of algae-like fronds hung from its edges, infested with crawling parasites.
Rings of carapace encased its slender neck. It had tiny eyes, and two protruding bony hammers jutted from the sides of its head. At the tip of its tail was a barbed conical head. As it strode forward, its head and tail swung in rhythmic unison, keeping its balance.
Chen Bitong said, "This is a ring-necked armored rhino. They dwell near water and are fiercely territorial. If we need to fetch water or establish a camp in the wilderness, outside of small streams, whenever we approach a body of water, we'll encounter them more often than not.
"The creatures of the Confluence naturally grow mutated tissue from birth. Only mutated tissue can support such colossal bodies, granting them agile movements and explosive power.
"Though they cannot cultivate jin through training like we do, they still possess instinctive ways of applying force. Combined with their massive size, firearms lacking sufficient stopping power simply cannot bring them down.
"The tail is the strongest part of its body and holds the highest density of mutated tissue. A single strike from that tail will essentially smash a person to pulp.
"Heavy firepower is the best answer against such creatures. But in actual clearance operations, conditions in the Confluence are complex, and heavy armaments can't always be brought into position immediately. Furthermore, its bodily tissue has tangible value, so sending in fighters to handle it is the most practical option.
"Some believe that because our regular weapons aren't suited to the task, we need oversized ones."
As he spoke, a polearm cleaver appeared in his hands. It featured a broad blade and a thick spine, measuring over four meters from tip to pommel.
Chen Chuan examined it. The weapon looked somewhat exaggerated, but with their physique and strength, swinging it was effortless.
Aside from standard firearms, perhaps only a weapon like this could inflict devastating damage on such large creatures. Yet its shortcomings were just as plain to see.
Chen Bitong casually tossed the cleaver to the ground and added, "As you've probably realized, Captain Chen, carrying such a thing is inconvenient, and it only hinders our agility.
"Moreover, when facing different large beasts, no single weapon can solve every problem. Rather than hauling this around, we would be better off bringing high-powered firearms.
"However, in the absence of such gear, we need to rely on a unique form of jin."
He said in a deep voice, "This is different from jin directed at human targets, which typically calls for finer, more subtle variations. Jin used against massive species, on the other hand, needs to be much more fierce, packing far greater power.
"Captain Chen, watch closely."
Having said that, he walked forward at a measured pace. The neck-armored rhino seemed completely oblivious. Yet the instant he closed in, the creature jerked its head violently toward him, and the bony prominence at the edge of its skull slammed down. The movement was extraordinarily abrupt, devoid of any telegraphing—it was right in front of him in the blink of an eye.
Chen Bitong raised both hands and planted them squarely against the bony hammer. The ground beneath his feet instantly caved into a large pit, plowing backward into a trench about half a meter deep.
Yet the rhino's head had also been halted in its tracks. In that instant, he sprang forward and drove a fist into the junction between its head and neck. Shifting his body sideways, his punches rained down along the creature's long neck, continuing all the way down toward its torso.
Then he drew a deep breath. Clenching his fingers, with his index knuckle protruding slightly, he punched upward at an angle right into the center of its chest. The jin behind this strike was exceptionally powerful—his entire forearm sank straight into the flesh.
The neck-armored rhino's head had already been swaying after the barrage to its neck, its footing unsteady. Now, upon receiving this devastating blow, it froze rigid.
Moments later, the colossal beast—roughly five meters in body length and nearly twenty meters from head to tail—lost all physical support. With a thunderous boom, it crashed heavily onto its side.
Chen Chuan walked over and saw that the area struck by Chen Bitong's fist was completely caved in and pulverized into mush. According to the anatomical diagram displayed on his boundary credential, that spot corresponded to the creature's heart; the entire surrounding area must have been completely shattered.
Chen Bitong said, "Because creatures of this kind instinctively tense their mutated tissue when sensing an incoming attack, we must first strike its head and neck. That disrupts its bodily coordination, preventing it from marshaling enough mutated tissue to defend itself.
"Once that happens, as long as we drive enough jin into the exact spot, we can kill it in a single strike. In execution, your thinking must remain clear and your movements decisive and swift, without the slightest hesitation."
After explaining this, he looked over. "Captain Chen, did you see the sequence clearly?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "I saw it clearly."
Chen Bitong wasted no words. "Give it a try."
As he spoke, the carcass beneath their feet vanished, and another ring-necked armored rhino materialized by the lake.
Chen Chuan looked over. Chen Bitong hadn't explained the minute details of how to do it; he had simply demonstrated the process. If you could understand it, you understood; if not, there would be no further hand-holding.
This was how elites were taught. The fundamentals were assumed to be second nature; without those prerequisites, one simply wasn't qualified to pursue advanced training.
Thanks to his field and spirit power, he had already caught every movement and key point of force exertion in Chen Bitong's demonstration.
The assault actually comprised two components. The first was an exquisite defensive neutralizing technique that could fully block and dissipate the force behind the rhino's head-hammer strike.
He could tell this technique would also prove exceedingly useful for withstanding high-impact blows in general. Learning just this made the trip well worth it.
The second part was the generation of force.
To achieve greater explosive power, one needed a longer buildup, drawing more oxygen into the body through deep breathing. This move wasn't suited for dealing with ordinary fighters, as the destructive power was excessive, the preparatory time was too long, and it tended to compromise one's agility.
However, massive creatures generally moved far less swiftly, granting ample room to build up force.
He stepped toward the creature along the same angle Chen Bitong had used. This time, however, the rhino swung its body around and whipped its long tail straight at him.
Seeing this, he dodged aside at once and glanced up, noticing the rhino staring intently down at him.
The attack had to begin at the head—that was crucial. If the beast refused to bring its head forward, the technique couldn't even get off the ground.
It seemed there was an art to the approach as well.
He thought back. Chen Bitong's pace had been slightly slower than his own. That was probably the threshold: once your speed exceeded that boundary, the beast perceived a greater threat, prompting it to strike with its tail instead of headbutting.
So that was it. The solution was simple. He immediately retreated into the distance. Once he was out of the creature's line of sight, it indeed lost interest in him.
Chen Chuan promptly adjusted his field and began approaching slowly once more.
Though Chen Bitong said nothing, the approval in his eyes was clear recognition of Chen Chuan's response.
An ordinary fighter wouldn't have noticed this detail, or even if they had, they would have stubbornly tried to force their way through rather than take a step back.
While the battlefield certainly needed warriors who could charge forward aggressively, he preferred people who used their heads to solve problems instead of rushing in hot-headed.
Great Shun's understanding of the Confluence was still quite limited; brute force alone couldn't resolve every challenge.
As Chen Chuan drew close this time, just as expected, the creature failed to recognize him as the same person. As he neared, its head swept down with violent force.
Replicating Chen Bitong's motion, Chen Chuan planted both hands against it. A fierce impact tore into his body, the immense force threatening to burst him apart.
Yet his mind remained impeccably calm. Following the rhythm and breathing he had observed, he mobilized the mutated tissue in his body, forcing the violent kinetic force to a dead halt.
Following that brief stall, he lunged forward, hammering punches into the exact spots Chen Bitong had targeted. Reaching the torso, he drew a long, deep breath. The mutated tissue throughout his frame engaged in a specific force-channeling sequence. Once the momentum peaked, he blasted a fist straight into the location of the heart!
Thanks to the extensive coverage of his mutated tissue and his deep mastery of loose-hands jin, channeling the blow went smoothly. The moment the explosive jin surged through his arm, he knew he had succeeded.
Moments later, the massive form collapsed before him with a resounding crash.
Chen Chuan pulled back his fist. Setting aside the boosts from Furnace Breathing and the Second Self, this was the strongest barehanded strike he had ever unleashed.
Yet when the strike landed, he felt a subtle sensation that something was missing, as if...
Noticing his expression, Chen Bitong asked, "Captain Chen, do you have a question?"
Chen Chuan turned around and said, "I feel as if that strike had something left unfinished."
……
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Chapter 492