Celestial Human Diagram

Chen Chuan poured all his power and speed into this attack. No matter how refined a technique, it had its limits. Enough pressure could break through anything.

The ground cracked, and in almost the same instant, he appeared before Jian Chengsheng, slashing down with his blade.

Jian Chengsheng moved the moment Chen Chuan launched his attack. Before the Sword Stance could reach its peak, he strode forward and raised his own blade, parrying the Snow Monarch Blade with a CLANG.

But waves of Power surged from the Snow Monarch Blade, and the Mutated Organization within his body began to neutralize the force. The veins beneath his skin bulged.

But that strike wasn’t the end of it.

The first slash was blocked, and a second one immediately followed.

As he unleashed this slash, Chen Chuan simultaneously released the restraints on his Mutated Organization, and his power and speed instantly soared to a new level.

Jian Chengsheng’s Spiritual Sensing flared. He spun around, using his entire body’s strength to raise his blade with both hands. CLANG. He blocked it again.

But Chen Chuan’s third slash immediately followed. This time, he activated the Furnace Breathing Method. A scorching aura emanated from him, and the power of his Sword Stance rose yet again.

Jian Chengsheng’s expression was incredibly grim. A faint light glimmered in his eyes—a sign that his spirit was focused to its absolute limit. Guided by his inner self, he passively triggered Langtao Hall’s Secret Transmission: a Breathing Technique for unlocking one’s latent potential.

The Essence Blood pooled in his heart instantly surged through his body, filling every corner. With a great roar, CLANG, he parried the third slash as well. But a CRACK sounded beneath his feet as the solid road fractured, and his entire body sank several inches.

But Chen Chuan’s assault wasn’t over. As his hands shifted on the hilt, the Esoteric Ritual on his skin flared to life. The ritual’s markings rapidly faded as they infused the blade with an even greater power, which erupted in an instant. He used the momentum to spin and deliver a horizontal slash.

This slash surpassed all previous limits in both power and speed. For an instant, it sounded like raging thunder.

Jian Chengsheng didn’t retreat an inch. Instead, his gaze became preternaturally calm, filled with an unyielding, unbreakable resolve. Guided by his highly focused spirit, he squeezed out and mobilized every last bit of power from his body’s Mutated Organization. The fusion of his blood and breath created a rushing sound, like the roar of a surging tide.

In that instant, time seemed to slow. As he watched the Snow Monarch Blade slowly bear down on him, it was as if he were shouldering an immense burden. The blade in his hands pushed forward, inch by painstaking inch.

The next moment, their Weapons clashed.

BOOM! This collision wasn’t like the clash of Weapons, but like two shockwaves slamming into one another.

Jian Chengsheng’s sleeves exploded, and he was thrown backward. The blade in his hand was knocked high into the air, its steel vibrating violently. Blood seeped from his arms, and similar signs appeared on other parts of his body—the result of his Mutated Organization absorbing more power than it could handle.

But even then, his eyes were filled with tenacious resolve as he tried, bit by bit, to gather his scattered power.

Langtao Hall’s Swordsmanship focused on building momentum. On the offense, it was like waves crashing one after another. On the defense, it was like an undercurrent, gathering and condensing its power without releasing it.

Different enemies required different methods. He was currently using the Stacking Void Stance, a purely defensive posture designed to withstand and accumulate power through wave after wave of blocks, culminating in a single, decisive counter-slash to win.

The only condition was that he could not be broken mid-sequence. It demanded immense resilience, not just physically, but spiritually as well.

’As long as a single slash doesn’t kill me, I can keep going.’

Chen Chuan, however, was largely unaffected by the impact of his own strike.

While Jian Chengsheng had been able to counter the first three slashes with tremors of his own Power and deflections, the fourth block was purely defensive. It had put almost no pressure on Chen Chuan at all. He didn’t hesitate. With his opponent’s weapon knocked aside and his guard wide open, Chen Chuan stepped forward and swept his blade up in a reverse-grip slash.

Jian Chengsheng’s Mutated Organization hadn’t recovered. He couldn’t muster enough power to block, or even twist his body to dodge. It seemed he would be cut down in the very next instant.

But spurred by the brush with death, the blade that had been knocked skyward bloomed with a faint glimmer of light. A stream of pure essence poured from it back into his body, and a new power surged from nowhere within him.

He gripped the hilt with both hands and brought the blade crashing down, meeting Chen Chuan’s upward-sweeping Snow Monarch Blade. The instant their Weapons made contact, another thunderous roar erupted. Visible shockwaves radiated outward from the two men, sending out expanding rings of dust.

As their power clashed, both men were locked in a stalemate.

But just then, a strange phenomenon occurred. Jian Chengsheng’s topknot had already been shaken loose in the exchange, but now his hair seemed to grow longer, as if stimulated by some force. His muscles bulged, and even more shockingly, his entire frame grew taller. His once-loose training uniform now seemed to fit him perfectly.

The Third Limit Fighter watching from behind revealed a fervent expression. He involuntarily took a step forward and whispered in awe,

"This is it... finding the divine within the blade!"

The men from the Ferris Wheel Company also saw the strange transformation in Jian Chengsheng and broke into expressions of joy, as if they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

They had hired Jian Chengsheng because of a famous Secret Technique that existed within Langtao Hall.

The masters of Langtao Hall could leave behind their own Mutated Organization and Essence Blood within a blade. When a disciple faced mortal danger, they could draw upon this power. However, this Secret Transmission was reserved only for the most prized disciples.

The Feng He Hall Master, also known as the Feng He Guardian, had personally admitted that Jian Chengsheng was his most prized disciple of this generation. This was his way of telling them that this disciple had also been entrusted with this Secret Technique.

Once a disciple was forced to use this technique, their strength would soar. Moreover, a state of ’divine premonition’ prevented any enemy from killing them before they could unleash this power.

The Third Limit Fighter was now exceptionally excited. Jian Chengsheng’s current appearance and aura reminded him of the one time he had seen the Feng He Hall Master, the Feng He Guardian.

’If Mr. Jian Cheng now has the power of the Feng He Hall Master, then he can definitely win!’

On the field, Chen Chuan also saw Jian Chengsheng’s appearance transform. But that wasn’t all. At the same time, his opponent’s Domain seemed to have been stimulated, no longer consciously restrained as before. It suddenly expanded, rising to a state so dense it left almost no gaps.

It felt just like when he had faced the Iron Demon. It wasn’t that their Domains were the same, but that their states—with both spirit and body at their absolute peak—were similar.

His gaze remained deep and calm. He was unfazed by this strange transformation. In fact, he had anticipated something like this. ’If he didn’t have some kind of trump card, he never would have appeared before me in the first place.’

Chen Chuan pushed outward with his power, and Jian Chengsheng used the force to retreat. Once at a distance, Jian Chengsheng stretched his body and slowly brought his blade back into position. Chen Chuan, in turn, gave his blade a light shake and recalibrated his own aura.

Just then, he felt something and glanced down at his blade. Waves of intent were emanating from it, conveying a desperate craving for his opponent’s weapon.

He raised an eyebrow. ’During our clashes just now, my blade struck his many times, but the thing inside the Snow Monarch Blade didn’t stir. It didn’t absorb anything like it did last time, so why is it acting up now?’

’Does this mean that all the changes in my opponent originated from his blade?’

The thought was fleeting, however. Dwelling on it was pointless. No matter how his opponent changed, he just needed to maintain his own rhythm.

Jian Chengsheng stared intently at Chen Chuan. He had originally thought he could face his opponent with his own strength, but reality had proven him wrong. He could not do it alone. Therefore, he had no choice but to rely on the power his master, the Feng He Guardian, had sealed within his blade.

’There’s no shame in this,’ he thought. ’Just as I believed before, a Fighter’s battle is about using every available advantage to secure victory.’

’Only the victor has the right to face praise or scorn. The loser is left with nothing.’

Langtao Hall preached ’spirit before body.’ He had always walked the path of Spiritual Cultivation, but his physical body—limited by his philosophy and age—had yet to reach its full potential. Now, stimulated by the Essence Blood, that weakness had been overcome.

And with the aid of the High Heaven Jade Core, his spirit was strong enough to control this new power without any discord. At this moment, both his body and spirit had reached a state bordering on their absolute limits.

Even so, he did not take the initiative to attack. The Stacking Void Method demanded that one either did not strike at all, or that one’s strike decided the outcome of the battle.

He calmed his mind, planted his feet slightly apart, and fixed his gaze on the figure before him, awaiting the next assault.

Meanwhile, in the rear, the leader of the Ferris Wheel Company’s assault team watched the scene unfold. He turned to the man who had brought Jian Chengsheng and asked, "Sir, should we make our move?"

The man thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, "It’s time."

They hadn’t been certain if Jian Chengsheng could truly keep Chen Chuan occupied. If he couldn’t, and they made their move, Chen Chuan would simply turn and deal with the men they sent out, which would be a pointless waste of personnel.

But now, it seemed Jian Chengsheng had proven he was capable. They no longer needed to hesitate. This was the perfect opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the rear. Not only could they eliminate their other target, but they might also be able to distract Chen Chuan.

With his nod, the team leader immediately sent a signal. The Third Limit Fighter at the front received it and instantly sprinted forward. He wasn’t alone. Another Third Limit Fighter, who had been hiding in the rear, also broke cover and charged toward the convoy carrying Director Lei and his people.

Chen Chuan couldn’t have missed the movement, but he merely spared it a glance before turning his attention back.

Even though there were two of them, Advisor Yao was no pushover. Third Limit Fighters possessed tenacious Life Force. Barring a massive disparity in power, one could hold on for a while by burning their Essence Blood and Divine Constant. ’I’ll finish this quickly,’ he resolved. His fingers tightened on the hilt as he once again faced his opponent.

...

...