Breach

Chen Chuan lowered his center of gravity and raised his saber with both hands to block. Blade and axe collided once more. Under the mutual shockwave of their clashing forces, both men shuddered simultaneously, and swirling snow and dust scattered in every direction. Chang Kuanghai looked even more thrilled. Harnessing the force of the collision, he hoisted the long axe high once again. Gripping the pommel with one hand and the lower shaft with the other, his entire body surged upward with full power. After a momentary pause, he exerted strength in both arms and brought the weapon down in a thunderous overhead cleave! Chen Chuan's gaze deepened. He had seen a similar move used by Wei Wusheng, only one of them wielded a warhammer, while the other swung a massive axe. He had no intention of retreating. Activating the mutated tissue within his body, he briefly gathered momentum, then spun and slashed his saber. The two bright gleams collided. With a deafening boom, the air around them seemed to detonate like a bomb, kicking up great billows of smoke and dust that rolled outward. Inside the Defense Department command center, most eyes were fixed on this duel. This split sub-body was the most critical objective right now, in some sense even more important than the standoff outside the city. The sheer weight and direct ferocity of their clashes left everyone with pounding hearts, their blood surging with adrenaline. In particular, they had just seen the overwhelming might of Chang Kuanghai swinging his long axe—a single sweeping blow could have sent a fully loaded armored vehicle flying. Yet Chen Chuan had blocked it without budging an inch. And looking at them now... the two were actually evenly matched?! Through those three parries, Chen Chuan could feel that this man's strength was nearly on par with his own true physique. Combined with the weapon in hand, that slight disparity was practically negligible. Moreover, his opponent's spirit was equally robust and resilient, unshakable and unyielding. It was the first time he had faced an adversary like this. Without hesitation, he released another measure of restraint on his mutated tissue, granting himself a slight edge in physical power. Chang Kuanghai's fighting style leaned toward aggressive initiative. Seeing this downward chop parried once more, he engaged his lower back, twisted both hands on the axe shaft, and unleashed a diagonal cleave toward Chen Chuan. Facing this strike, Chen Chuan appeared to maintain his previous combat posture, holding his blade horizontally. But this time, he did not meet force with force. The instant of contact, he suddenly stepped back, channeling the axe's momentum sideways to deflect it off course. Although his technique had been unpolished at the beginning, his long tenure at the academy had changed that. Aside from his later focus on training spiritual power, he had sparred almost daily with Hongfu during his earlier days. While his technique might not be hailed as masterful, his application had become exceptionally fluid and seasoned. Executed without the slightest tell, the move caught his opponent completely off guard. However, his diversion did not completely throw the man off balance. The moment Chang Kuanghai sensed the shift in force, he instantly reined in his power. To unleash such tremendous force and yet retract it at will spoke volumes of his body's mastery over jin. Still, it was a fraction too slow. Seizing the opening, Chen Chuan twisted his saber around the axe shaft and swept outward. Even if this did not disarm the man, it would shove the weapon thoroughly aside. Naturally, Chang Kuanghai refused to let that happen. Exerting jin to pull back, the two weapons twisted and tilted against each other, grinding back and forth as their forces clashed anew. Yet he soon discovered that the strength Chen Chuan unleashed this time was greater than before, causing the axe head to drift slightly outward, forcing him to scramble to steady his stance. Chen Chuan stepped forward, flicking the tip of his saber upward as if to thrust the axe aside entirely. If this succeeded, he could slip right through the opening and breach the man's inner guard. Sensing that he had anticipated his opponent's intent, Chang Kuanghai let out a deep shout and pressed both hands down hard on the shaft, intending to pin down the long blade and shut the central opening. Given the strength Chen Chuan had just displayed, his muscles bulged instantly, his own power leaping a notch higher. A glint flickered in Chen Chuan's eyes. With a flick of his wrists, the saber that had been rising suddenly withdrew and circled around, pressing down against the back of the axe head and riding Chang Kuanghai's downward force to drive it down together! *Boom!* Under the combined force of both men, a massive crater smashed into the ground, and more than half the axe head sank directly into the earth. Chen Chuan instantly closed the distance, sliding his blade along the axe shaft. In a fraction of a second, he was right in front of Chang Kuanghai, raising his saber for a slash! Although unleashing his mutated tissue gave him superior physical strength, he had avoided a crude, direct clash, choosing instead to yield first. This was the principle of "using softness before hardness, bending before straightening." Seeing that it was too late to wrench the axe free, Chang Kuanghai acted decisively. Letting go of the massive axe, he crossed his forearms to block. The blade struck his arms, merely pressing slightly into the muscle without cutting through. Yet even if the blade could not bite into the flesh, the jin upon it could penetrate. A surging burst of power slammed inward. But the muscles along Chang Kuanghai's arms rippled, dispersing the penetrating force without causing any significant damage to his body. Chen Chuan had anticipated as much. Having seized the initiative, he executed three consecutive slashes in an instant, each carrying a different type of jin and transitioning with extraordinary fluidity. Chang Kuanghai blocked all three blows with his forearms, cleanly dispersing the invading force each time, his feet planted like solid roots, not yielding half a step. At this point in the battle, a flash of light suddenly erupted within the fissure beside them, followed by the sound of countless fluttering wings. Hundreds, even thousands of sharp-beaked birds came swarming out. These birds had razor-sharp beaks and teeth, crimson eyes, and hooked talons. The moment they emerged, they rushed madly outward—and the two fighters happened to stand directly in their path. Yet neither man seemed affected in the slightest, continuing to exchange blows. The turbulent drafts and concussive jin radiating from their clash shattered large swaths of the birds approaching them, raining dead creatures down like hail. Chang Kuanghai suddenly clapped a hand outward, and birds approaching from both flanks burst midair, splattering a wave of blood toward Chen Chuan. Chen Chuan was entirely unmoved. The blood was repelled instantly the moment it neared his skin. Without letting the opening slip, he raised his saber and lunged forward, stabbing directly into the man's collarbone. He had infused this thrust with drilling jin; even against a practitioner of external conditioning, it should have punched straight through. Yet after penetrating smoothly at first, the blade met a tough, resilient obstruction that grew increasingly difficult to pierce. Realizing there was more to the man's external conditioning than met the eye, Chen Chuan decisively pulled the blade back. Seeing him withdraw, Chang Kuanghai clenched his fist. Rippling, wave-like tremors surged up from beneath his feet and converged at the front of his fist before he drove it forward in a vicious punch. Taking two steps back, Chen Chuan's breath turned scorching hot. He thrust his saber forward again, meeting the fist dead-on. Both men shuddered once more and were pushed back, dispersing the incoming jin. Chang Kuanghai glanced at his fist. A deep breach had been punctured into it, revealing knuckle bones as hard as jade beneath the peeled flesh. Yet in the blink of an eye, the surrounding flesh knit together, and by the time he lowered his hand, the wound had completely healed. Though these exchanges seemed complex, the offense and defense had unfolded at blinding speed over just a few seconds. The field transmission to the command center was so blurred that observers could only vaguely tell that neither combatant had gained a decisive advantage in this round. Chen Chuan squared his long saber and stared at Chang Kuanghai. It was clear this man relied on no flashy tricks—only remarkable strength, speed, and an indestructible body, honed to the utmost purity. His spirit was similarly reserved and unyielding, utterly refined. While his spiritual power did not actively strike out, it remained incomparably solid, just like his external conditioning. Each of Chen Chuan's recent attacks had carried the impact of the Spirit-Shaking Hammer, yet the man had absorbed every strike without being shaken in the least. This kind of combat style was extraordinarily difficult for ordinary fighters to deal with; if you couldn't overpower him, you couldn't, and no amount of effort would bridge that gap. Still, that did not mean he was entirely devoid of flaws. Chen Chuan had noticed earlier that although the man blocked the blade with bare arms, he remained very attentive to protecting his face, and he deliberately kept his joints from contacting the blade. After all, while those areas might withstand an ordinary person's assault, facing someone of comparable strength demanded vigilance. Those were openings that could be exploited. As the two stared each other down, another disturbance rippled through the distant fissure. Another flock of flying creatures surged out, and with a resounding boom, the entire rift abruptly doubled in size, meaning even larger entities could now pass through. Neither man looked toward it, but both remained on guard. Moments later, their expressions shifted slightly. Both had noticed that their spirits had grown even more active than before. Chen Chuan felt it most distinctly. Guided by the Spiritual Luminosity Reflection Technique, the volume and absorption rate of the quintessence he drew in were far greater than before. Turning the thought over in his mind, he began to understand. As the fissure stabilized, it naturally became the primary conduit for material and spiritual exchange between the two worlds. And since quintessence was part of that opposing world, it naturally seeped through in vast quantities. Standing so close to it, the two of them were essentially the first beneficiaries. Although there were still widespread fissures over in Jiyang District, those were situated along the periphery of Center City and led primarily toward the Confluence—a convergence zone between the two worlds rather than a direct pathway to the other world itself. Thus, this location was the closest conduit of all. This was unquestionably a boon. But both men understood that rather than sharing such a prize between the two of them, it was far better enjoyed alone. Slowly, they raised their eyes and locked gazes once more.