Chen Chuan found the terms acceptable. It was not because of the compensation offered by the Municipal Council; while cultivation resources were indeed vital, they could be obtained elsewhere.
What truly mattered to him was Long Xiang's willingness to fight.
Having once again returned to its origin, his second self needed an adversary to grow anew, and opponents of sufficient caliber were hard to come by.
Everything Principal Yao had explained and all the information he had gathered afterward indicated that martial artists generally avoided unnecessary battles, as their stored energy was meant primarily for cultivation and desperate struggles for survival.
When a dispute arose between martial artists, even the victor rarely emerged completely unscathed. Barring fundamental, irreconcilable differences, resorting to combat was almost always the final option.
Long Xiang's willingness to spar was likely driven by the need to give his school an answer, combined with the Municipal Council's readiness to compensate for the battle.
Looking across at him, Chen Chuan said, "Then so be it."
Seeing him agree, Long Xiang's stern countenance softened slightly, though his expression soon turned solemn once more. "The National Boulevard is no place for an exchange. How about we step out into the open terrain?"
Chen Chuan had no objection. The two departed the boulevard and walked out into the adjacent wilderness.
Beyond the boulevard by the checkpoint stretched an open expanse. Because people frequently attempted to bypass inspections to enter Center City, numerous patrol cars normally circled outside the cordon.
Today, however, not a single patrol car was in sight. Even the armed marauders who typically roved the wasteland seemed to have vanished into thin air. High in the sky, several airships could be seen patrolling, though they maintained a considerable distance for now.
One airship, however, moved directly overhead, hovering two to three kilometers above the ground. Even that height was not entirely safe, but the various factions within Center City needed to observe the situation. As this spot lay right at the outer edge of Center City's field, where the coverage had grown extremely faint, the airship was indispensable for relaying field signals. No matter the danger, it had to remain in position.
After walking roughly two kilometers from the road, Chen Chuan and Long Xiang exchanged glances, nodded in mutual acknowledgment, and walked in opposite directions. After separating by more than a hundred meters, they turned to face one another. Since this was merely a spar, neither drew any weapons.
Long Xiang unbuttoned his coat and combed his fingers back through his hair from his forehead. A glimmer flickered in his dark eyes, and a faint radiance emanated from his body. The glow soon shifted into a deep azure, swaying and fluttering like flames, driving the surrounding dust outward in expanding rings.
Chen Chuan was still dressed in his Disposal Bureau uniform. Almost simultaneously, a faint shimmer appeared around him, yet within moments it coalesced into a dense, platinum-white vapor that billowed upward. He stood cloaked in jade-white mist, fine grains of sand levitating around him in unison.
This sight was relayed into Center City through the airship's amplified field. At this very moment, the Government Affairs Hall watched intently, and the Municipal Council observed with bated breath. Through this duel, they needed to ascertain precisely how dangerous this man truly was.
The Consortium and the Linakes Federation were monitoring the scene just as closely. Even Prabhakar, the other martial artist from Linakes, was observing the contest through the field coverage of Bainiao District.
Chen Chuan and Long Xiang stood in confrontation. Though neither had made a move, their biological fields had already expanded outward. Soon, the perimeters collided, webbed fractures forming at every point of contact.
Such a spectacle filled those who had never witnessed a battle between martial artists with awe. What astonished those with an eye for the craft was that Chen Chuan had broken through the limit only recently, yet during the clash of fields, the invisible barrier around him appeared far more stable and occupied a broader territory.
The Consortium's liaison, currently aboard Prabhakar's airship, bowed with a hand to his chest after witnessing this. "Master, does it appear that Supervisor Chen holds the upper hand?"
Prabhakar replied, "A biological field is the fundamental manifestation of a person's life force. Measured strictly by that, Supervisor Chen indeed surpasses his opponent.
"However, a biological field can be expanded and stimulated at will, though at the expense of life energy. At times, to seize momentum or gain the initiative, one might consciously exert more of it. It is difficult to judge true supremacy merely from outward appearances; the exact balance of strength is known only to the combatants themselves.
"From what can be seen, I can confirm that Supervisor Chen's foundation is remarkably solid, whereas Mr. Long has no intention of competing on that front. Barring any surprises, Mr. Long should be the one to strike first."
On the field of battle, the clash between the two fields persisted for a short while, with Chen Chuan clearly holding the advantage. His field began pressing steadily toward the opposite side.
Seeing his field compressed backward, its fractures multiplying and creeping closer to himself, Long Xiang did not stubbornly maintain the standoff. He surged forward of his own accord.
As surging offensive jin flooded his entire frame, the fields on both sides cracked and shattered in an instant. Cloaked in blue flame, he struck like a falling meteor, leaving whorls of turbulent air in his wake and carving a billowing furrow of dust across the ground.
Though it was a straightforward charge, it generated a terrifying momentum that struck awe into every spectator barely able to track the movement.
Chen Chuan watched him approach. His gaze remained calm, devoid of wasted motion. With one foot forward and the other back, his torso angled slightly and his center of gravity lowered, his hands curved into relaxed grips.
Just as his opponent reached him, poised to slam into him with that crushing forward momentum, Chen Chuan's rear fist snapped shut. He twisted his torso violently. The punch struck after but landed first, slipping through the shadows of Long Xiang's unreleased strikes to appear directly before his face.
Long Xiang's heart leaped. He had not anticipated Chen Chuan's punch to be so swift. At this critical juncture, he only had time to angle his body slightly and bring his other hand up to parry. Clearly, he had not committed all his power at the outset and had remained prepared to shift techniques, allowing him to adjust in the nick of time.
What he had anticipated even less was the immense, unyielding force carried by the blow. The arm he brought up to block failed to deflect it in the slightest. The fist slammed squarely into his cheek, platinum-white radiance colliding head-on with blue flames.
Time seemed to freeze for an instant. Long Xiang's figure and the blue glow vanished in a flash. Almost simultaneously, a massive plume of dust erupted hundreds of meters away, followed a beat later by a thunderous boom rolling through the air.
All the onlookers saw the field screen shudder violently. The figures and the scenery displayed grew fractured and distorted, degenerating into stuttering, mottled patches of color. They could barely make out from the two blazing glows that one remained in place, while the other seemed to have vanished entirely.
This was caused by the overflowing field energies from the clash dispersing the ambient field. Had the airship overhead not deployed an amplified field, the screen would have dissolved into an illegible blur long ago.
With vital interests on the line, the Municipal Council was frantic to know the current state of affairs and ordered their subordinates to adjust the field, to little avail. Only when the shockwaves subsided slightly were they able to discern the scene. What met their eyes filled them with utter shock.
Standing calmly where he had been was Chen Chuan, while Long Xiang was nowhere to be seen, having apparently taken the worst of the exchange. The expressions of the council members shifted dramatically.
After blasting Long Xiang away with a single punch, Chen Chuan glanced toward the distant cloud of dust without pursuing.
This was not a life-and-death struggle, and the man had been courteous throughout. There was no need to drive him into a corner.
Moreover, he wanted to see what Long Xiang could do, curious how the man would counter him after tasting his strength and speed.
From within the distant dust came Long Xiang's hearty laughter. At first it sounded arrogant, but Chen Chuan knew it was merely his prelude to speaking.
Sure enough, Long Xiang's characteristically deep voice followed: "In the Old Dynasty, martial officers who reached our limit were mostly bestowed titles to signify their majesty. In the Old State Religion, there was another tradition: depending on personal potential and the path walked, they were conferred talismanic titles named after the mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and legendary deities of the lakes and seas.
"Supervisor Chen, the path I tread is the Visage of the Aberrant. In those times, I would have been named a River God of some domain, having cultivated by contemplating the Flood Dragon God Visage!"
As he spoke, the figure within the dust began to expand upward, growing from a normal man's height to well over four meters.
As the dust was pushed aside by his renewed biological field, Long Xiang strode into view. His outermost layer of clothing had completely torn away, leaving only his close-fitting protective suit made of biological materials clinging to his frame.
His body had swelled, his limbs thick, remarkably burly and robust. Ridges resembling scales emerged beneath the surface of his skin, tucked under the flesh.
His facial features had not altered significantly, but trailing secondary horns emerged from the crown of his skull, sweeping backward. Yet none of this appeared grotesque at first glance; surrounded by the drifting radiance and his towering physique, he looked remarkably imposing.
Looking toward Chen Chuan, he slammed his fists together. A sharp clang rang out, like the striking of metal. Then he let out a low rumble of laughter that rolled across the expanse like thunder, and continued:
"It is said that continuing down this path may truly allow one to attain the Flood Dragon Visage. Supervisor Chen, you likely have yet to choose your own path, have you? Take heed—my temper is rather foul in this state, and at times I cannot control myself. You had best be on your guard."
Chapter 786