Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 330 - 61: Finishing Blow

Chen Chuan could sense that although You Xing’s breathing was relatively steady, it was slightly uneven. For a Fighter to be in this state meant his injuries were more severe than they appeared; it was highly likely his internal Mutated Organization was also damaged.

Based on his experience, the injury was sustained no more than half an hour ago. Yet, there were no signs of a fight here. If the man didn’t have a penchant for self-harm, then this was most likely related to a Weird Tale.

It seemed his successful resistance was the cause of this person’s current predicament.

But now, he could help this man put an end to all that.

He looked at the Long Staff pointed at him, then thrust the Snow Monarch Blade into the ground. Gripping the hilt, he walked forward, and with a scraping sound, slowly drew the blade free.

Before Chen Chuan’s blade was fully unsheathed, You Xing kicked off with his supporting leg. His body surged forward, and with a push from his rear hand, he sent the staff shooting out, its tip stabbing abruptly toward Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan brought his blade around, holding it horizontally in front of him. CLANG! He instantly felt a ferocious force pressing against him. The layered Power it carried penetrated his body, traveling up the blade and along his arm, making him feel as if he were being pinned in place, unable to mobilize himself.

If not for the Force Dissipation Techniques he had mastered, which he instinctively used to neutralize the force with his Mutated Organization, this single blow would have likely knocked the blade from his hand—and that was without even having to use his Second Self.

’A technique-based opponent?’

He couldn’t help but recall Teacher Zheng’s words. This was the type of opponent Teacher Zheng hated most, and that if you encountered one, you should kill them as quickly as possible.

You Xing, on the other hand, held the end of the staff with one hand, steadily maintaining his forward thrust. He spoke in a hoarse voice, "As expected, you’ve taken a drug."

That was just a test. Without a drug, a Fighter below the Third Limit wouldn’t have a chance of keeping up with his previous move; he could have killed them with a single thrust of his staff.

Although the effects of such drugs usually don’t last long, and it seemed he could just wait for it to wear off to win easily, he didn’t dare to delay right now.

Since his opponent had come alone, he must have made preparations. Perhaps reinforcements would arrive later. Moreover, this location was clearly compromised. He needed to kill this person as quickly as possible so he could retreat sooner.

Chen Chuan stared ahead. ’Although Teacher Zheng’s advice is correct, I don’t have his level of skill. Besides, this is a rare opponent. I should use this person to hone my Saber Technique.’

’Before, the heightened state created by merging with my Second Self was time-limited. But now, my main body can reach this state on its own, and my Second Self can withstand all sorts of harm, so I don’t need to rush for a result.’

’After all, a good sparring partner is hard to find.’

With a slight exertion of his hand, the Snow Monarch Blade was fully drawn with a SHIING. He slowly raised the blade, pointing it forward.

Across a short distance, the tips of their two Weapons slowly drew near. Both men held their stances, maintaining even, deep breaths. And in the instant their weapons were about to touch, they both moved at once!

The two weapons collided with a CLANG. On You Xing’s side, the instant he used the Long Staff to knock the blade aside, the tip of the staff also deviated slightly outward.

At that moment, his upper arm remained still. He simply sank and then raised his center of gravity, twisting his wrist in tandem. A spinning force was drawn up from below, gathering layer by layer, before channeling into the Long Staff.

In that instant, the staff, which had been bent slightly outward, snapped violently straight. He then took half a step forward and thrust, all the power rapidly converging at the staff’s tip as he once again stabbed toward Chen Chuan’s head.

Chen Chuan dissipated the Shocking Force that had seeped into his blade from the collision. He raised his blade to block the staff’s path. Although he successfully parried the Long Staff, the force transmitted from it sent his blade trembling violently. A subtle power continuously bored into his body, and even as he tried to diminish it, he felt a prickly numbness.

The tip of the staff thrust past him, piercing the curtain of rain and emerging into the downpour behind him. The raindrops there seemed to explode outward, a testament to the power of the blow.

You Xing’s rear hand moved again, changing the thrust to a sweep that swung horizontally toward him. Chen Chuan ducked to dodge. He had intended to raise his blade for a close-range slash, but seeing the staff was already sweeping back, he retreated again. A gust of wind carrying a heavy hum swept past his cheek, even rustling the tips of his bangs.

He was now pressed up against the curtain of rain. He decided to retreat a few large steps, pulling back to the open ground outside the eaves.

You Xing seemed to follow in perfect rhythm, always keeping Chen Chuan just within reach of his staff’s tip. After You Xing exited the doorway, he advanced with quick steps and delivered another diagonal strike. This time, Chen Chuan seized the opening created by his opponent’s awkward swing through the doorway. He rushed forward, parrying the staff with his blade, attempting to break into the inner circle to unleash his Sword Stance.

The moment his Power met the Long Staff, the staff trembled, instantly neutralizing the Power. At the same time, it pressed down, pinning his raised blade. A sticky force seemed to cling to it, and Chen Chuan couldn’t immediately break free. His Long Blade was twisted twice by the staff before the Long Staff suddenly flicked outward.

Originally, after building up momentum with those two moves, the next release of Power should have been enough to send the Long Blade flying, even pulling Chen Chuan along with it. However, You Xing’s Mutated Organization was damaged, and his power generation was insufficient, preventing him from unleashing his full force.

Chen Chuan felt a powerful force transmit through his hands, as if someone had grabbed his blade and was violently yanking it to the side. He stomped his back foot, sank his center of gravity, and both of his Mutated Organizations simultaneously generated a sinking force. He forcefully stabilized the blade, his body not even swaying.

At that moment, the mist from the exploding raindrops caused by the initial staff thrust finally dispersed into the air. Cool droplets of water, carried by a gust of wind, fell upon the two men. The surrounding branches and the curtain of rain swayed with the breeze.

You Xing’s strike had spent its force. He drew back his hands, taking a moment to recover his breath.

Chen Chuan, however, ripped off his outer coat, revealing the black casual wear beneath. As the rain fell on him, faint wisps of white steam began to rise from the surface of his body. Under the light from the doorway, it looked as if he were shrouded in a layer of white light.

He held his blade in a reverse grip, supporting the spine with his other hand, and stared forward. ’This is exactly the kind of opponent I was hoping for. Through actual combat, I can experience and comprehend so much more.’

You Xing’s bloodshot eyes stared at him. With a Weird Tale watching from behind, he only wanted to end the fight quickly and resolve the imminent crisis. So, after a brief adjustment and without any nonsense, he charged forward a few steps, shifted his hands forward on the staff, brought it behind his back, and then spun violently. Using the rotational force, he swung the Long Staff out. The rain in front of him seemed to be sliced open by a sharp blade, creating a semicircular shockwave.

After Chen Chuan stepped back to evade, he saw that the range of his opponent’s attack had widened. He immediately took advantage of the Long Staff swinging to one side, blocking that direction with his blade as he leaped inward. The bricks under his feet exploded with a BOOM. Before the shattered pieces outside his body could even hit the ground, he swept them up with his momentum as he charged forward.

But You Xing simply placed his front hand on the staff’s body and, using his rear hand as a pivot, pressed down. The intentionally exposed rear section of the staff immediately levered up, accurately striking the tip of the blade. As he knocked the blade away, his front hand pressed down again. The staff spun with the motion and came smashing down toward him.

Redirected by the clever force, Chen Chuan’s blade was Involuntarily forced upward, leaving him wide open. However, he didn’t try to force it back down. Instead, he went with the momentum, raising his arm. Facing the incoming staff, he continued to step forward and flicked the hilt of his Long Blade upward, catching the descending staff with a CLANG.

In the instant of impact, a powerful force poured down from the staff, causing the ground where he stood to shatter over a large area. His feet were almost buried.

He didn’t use his Mutated Organization to absorb the full impact of this blow. He would do so in practice, but right now, he preferred to let his own bones and muscles bear the strain. This was because it left his Mutated Organization completely free to be mobilized.

’I’m no match for him in technique, but I can overwhelm him with pure power. This direct block is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for!’ He took a sharp breath, and his entire Mutated Organization surged, unleashing an incomparably tyrannical Power that exploded from the point of contact between the staff and blade.

You Xing immediately felt the change in Power. He normally could have dissipated it with the momentum, but the damage to his Mutated Organization prevented him from making such a timely and subtle adjustment. As a result, his staff was knocked upward, and the force carried within it drove him back two steps.

How could Chen Chuan let such an opportunity slip by? With his blade already raised high in both hands, he brought it down in a ferocious slash. As he stumbled backward, You Xing spun his staff and held it horizontally to block.

CLANG! The Power of the downward chop pressed down on him. His knees Involuntarily buckled, and his feet sank. Not only did they break through the floorboards, but his ankles were buried in the mud below, as if he had been nailed partway into the ground.

He instantly knew this was bad. Without the ability to move his body, the power of his staff techniques would be cut by more than half.

Chen Chuan’s goal was precisely to force him into a head-on clash. With You Xing now rooted in place, Chen Chuan immediately found the rhythm he had developed during his training.

While pressing down with the momentum, he dragged the blade back, then with a twist of his wrist, executed a reverse flick. You Xing’s eyes narrowed. He gripped his staff with both hands and hurriedly pushed to one side, intending to use the force of the block to push himself free. However, the force coming from the blade was surprisingly light, completely lacking the immense Power from before.

Because You Xing also possessed techniques for allocating and mobilizing his Mutated Organization, this misjudgment wasn’t enough to make him overcommit his Power. However, his existing injuries foiled his plan to escape. Just then, Chen Chuan brought his Sword Stance around again for another slash, forcing You Xing to raise his staff to block once more.

Chen Chuan delivered more than a dozen slashes in a row. Although You Xing was stuck in place and couldn’t move, he managed to block every single perilous strike. Relying on his solid fundamentals, he never made a mistake or left an opening in his defense.

Because the two were exchanging blows so quickly, their powerful movements stirred up a whistling airflow. The incoming rain was flung away before it could even touch them, and even the fragments of brick and wood from their impacts were swept outward. The light overhead swayed violently, as if an expanding vortex had formed with the two of them at its center.

But now, You Xing had reached his limit. Because he couldn’t move, he was unable to use many of his techniques. The power from Chen Chuan’s blade, however, was real and solid. Although he used his Mutated Organization to dissipate a portion of each impact, every blow drove him a little deeper into the ground. The mud was now almost up to his calves.

Furthermore, having lost the initiative, his injured Mutated Organization couldn’t recover its breath. So, when the twenty-first slash came, his strength failed him. The staff suddenly flew from one of his hands, swinging far away, and his chest was left wide open. A cold light flashed, and by the time he could see clearly again, the Long Blade had already pierced through his heart.

He looked up at Chen Chuan’s calm eyes, knowing what would happen next. A look of terror filled his eyes as he said, "Wait, hold on, I..."

Chen Chuan said apologetically, "Sorry to interrupt. Farewell." He placed his other hand on the spine of the blade, stepped back, and abruptly pulled the blade free. In a reverse motion, the edge swept back. With a SQUELCH, You Xing’s head flew off, rolled to the Raccoon Cat Stone Carving, bumped against it, and rolled back a little before finally coming to a stop.

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