Celestial Human Diagram

SHING! The Snow Monarch Blade was fully unsheathed, its body flashing with a cold, sharp glint under the gloomy sky.

Chen Chuan twirled the long blade, his steps steady as he walked forward.

Compared to two months ago, he had made more noticeable progress. In addition to beginning his Spiritual Power training, his all-important physical foundation had also improved significantly.

Furthermore, thanks to his time at the academy recently, he was able to spar with Hong Fu, which allowed the Power that had accumulated in his body to perfectly fuse with him.

Beyond all that, thanks to his continuous battles with strong opponents, the resonance between his Second Self and his own body had deepened, and he was gradually approaching the Third Limit.

At this moment, he was eager for a sufficiently powerful opponent, and this Duty Samurai was clearly a perfect fit.

As he drew near, the opponent leaped down from a high perch. Despite being fully clad in Armor, his landing made hardly any sound—a slight dip was all it took to disperse the force.

Chen Chuan could see clear signs of wear and tear on the man’s armor, along with marks from weapon clashes. All these details had been perfectly simulated.

However, he judged that this simulation likely wasn’t like Hong Fu’s, which allowed her to use a variety of Martial Arts on her own. Instead, it was probably reconstructed from Chen Bitong’s memories and experiences.

The Duty Samurai’s crimson eyes stared at him. He thrust the Long Spear in his hand into the ground and drew the Long Blade at his side, walking toward Chen Chuan with the clanging of his armored plates.

Chen Chuan advanced to meet him. But before he could even get close, the opponent’s figure suddenly blurred, appearing at his side in the blink of an eye. The Long Blade was already swinging toward him. Its speed didn’t seem particularly fast, yet it was so fluid and seamless that it felt impossible to dodge.

But he didn’t need to dodge.

He met the attack with a backhanded slash of his own blade. His opponent could have changed his move, but he was clearly very confident in his own strength based on his observation of Chen Chuan. So, not only did his Sword Stance remain unchanged, but it even accelerated slightly.

Chen Chuan’s gaze deepened. The instant their blades clashed, his Second Self merged with his body, and an immense Power was channeled into his blade, knocking the opponent’s weapon upward.

The Duty Samurai had intended to completely overwhelm Chen Chuan’s strength, but he had misjudged the Power in his blade. This single mistake threw off all the subsequent moves he had prepared.

Sensing something was wrong, he immediately tried to adjust to counter Chen Chuan’s potential follow-up attacks. Although his movements were fast, there was a brief disconnect from his original sequence, creating an opening.

And against an opponent of equal skill, such an opening was a glaring weakness.

Chen Chuan had created this opportunity intentionally, aiming to use this very gap to seize the advantage. He wasn’t about to give the Samurai a chance to recover. He immediately followed up with a swift, horizontal slash.

The Duty Samurai suddenly raised his elbow, using the Armor on his arm to block. This way, even if his entire arm were severed, he could still use the moment to stall for an instant.

In that single instant, he could readjust. At the same time, it would buy enough time for the Mutated Organization on his body to fully transform. Once the transformation was complete, his strength would skyrocket, granting him the Power to absolutely crush Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan saw his actions and intentions with perfect clarity. If he chose not to strike the arm and changed his attack instead, he would still have the initiative, but that brief transition would give his opponent an opportunity.

This went against his initial plan. The advantage he had fought to seize at the very beginning would not yield its desired result. So, with a flash in his eyes, he maintained his original Sword Stance.

However, when the blade fell upon the opponent’s raised arm, it didn’t have the expected cutting effect. Instead, as a surge of Power flowed into it, it produced a powerful, concussive push.

As their forces collided, the Duty Samurai was involuntarily thrown backward.

He instantly realized the situation was dire. With his blade knocked away earlier, his front was wide open. To avoid being cut down in one blow, he had no choice but to block with his arm. And to ensure the block could delay the blade, the Mutated Organization on his arm was tensed completely, with Power and a portion of his Essence Blood gathered there.

Chen Chuan had exploited this. It caused a momentary shift in the Samurai’s center of gravity. He knew he was now completely on the defensive. His only hope was to complete the transformation in time.

But Chen Chuan gave him no such chance. Because he had seized the initiative and hadn’t changed his attack, he was destined to be one step ahead in rhythm. His third strike flashed like lightning, and the opponent’s head flew into the air.

The blade’s momentum didn’t stop there. It swung back, cutting the man in half at the waist. The Duty Samurai fell to the ground in three pieces.

Chen Chuan then spun his Long Blade, took several quick steps forward, and stomped on the severed head. CRACK! He crushed the head and the Activated brain tissue within.

This time, he had only used three strikes. An opponent whose strength was comparable to the Iron Demon, or perhaps even a level higher, was slain on the spot. The entire process was clean and decisive, with no wasted motion.

The difference wasn’t just due to his progress over the past two months, but also because he used his Second Self to make his opponent misjudge him. After losing the initial exchange, the opponent was doomed to a passive role.

This is how battles between experts go. A single error in judgment can lead to a completely different outcome.

In truth, because this Duty Samurai never managed to complete his transformation, the strength he displayed didn’t even match the Power the Iron Demon had shown in its final stage.

Chen Bitong, who had witnessed the entire fight from behind, commented, "Well done."

Chen Chuan walked back. "Teacher Chen, how long did it take you to deal with this person back then?"

"That was ten years ago," Chen Bitong said. "I hadn’t reached my current level back then. I remember it taking half an Hour. I was using my past self to measure you, and it seems I still underestimated you, Captain Chen."

He then looked ahead and walked over. He took a small oil canister from his coat, poured it over the Duty Samurai’s body, and then lit it with a lighter. The Samurai’s corpse immediately burst into a raging fire.

"People like this have a high potential for Activation in their bodies. Besides the head, it’s best to dispose of the body as well. Burning it with oil is the simplest way."

He gestured with the small canister in his hand. "You can get these oil canisters from the quartermaster. They’re originally for starting fires in the wild. One can lasts for several days. You can bring one along on future missions; they’re very convenient for disposal."

Chen Chuan nodded. Such small pieces of knowledge were very useful. He would be leading a team in the Merging Zone eventually, and understanding these things was part of being responsible for his teammates.

Chen Bitong spoke again. "Captain Chen. In that last fight, do you think you could have killed him in an even shorter time if you had improved your methods?"

Chen Chuan considered it. ’If I unleashed all my Power in an instant, perhaps. But if I used the Furnace Breathing Method right from the start, I would lose the element of surprise. The opponent might also immediately undergo the Activation transformation. So it’s hard to say for sure.’

He answered frankly, "I can’t be sure."

Chen Bitong said, "You showed weakness to the enemy, then attacked and killed him in an instant before he could complete his transformation. That was the correct approach.

"But you can only do it once. The remnants of the Old Imperial Family have excellent information channels, as well as moles hidden within our ranks. Once they’ve confirmed how dangerous you are, similar opponents will immediately transform the moment they see you.

"And since you killed the Iron Demon, their people definitely won’t give you another chance the next time they identify you. However, there is still a way to achieve it."

Chen Chuan immediately asked for guidance, "Please enlighten me, Teacher Chen."

Chen Bitong said, "First, you must understand that the thing parasitizing these people’s bodies has its own consciousness. It’s just that, thanks to the technology of the Old Imperial Family’s remnants, it normally remains dormant, with the Duty Samurai’s own will in control.

"But when the Activation transformation is complete, the parasite becomes the dominant consciousness. Although they are a symbiont, during the transformation, the two consciousnesses transfer and hand over control. This mental transition, however, has a gap. Even a perfectly fused mind needs a moment to adjust.

"This gap is your opportunity.

"We only need to clash with it on a spiritual level. Just a momentary distraction is enough to make its body and mind fall out of sync. You don’t need any advanced Spiritual Techniques for this, nor do you need to completely overwhelm it. A small collision will do, but your timing must be precise.

"Watch carefully."

He tapped the Realm Token by his ear, and another Duty Samurai appeared opposite him, identical to the last one. Chen Bitong then walked forward and casually pulled the previous Duty Samurai’s Long Spear from the ground.

Perhaps because he projected an extremely strong pressure from the very start, the newly appeared Duty Samurai began its transformation almost immediately. The Mutated Organization erupted from its body, filling the gaps in its Armor.

Chen Bitong waited for the transformation to complete before striding forward. Once he was at an appropriate distance, he thrust the spear.

The Duty Samurai also raised its Long Spear to block. But at that moment, it seemed to sense something was wrong, and its movement slowed by a fraction of a second. It then tried to dodge by twisting its body away.

But Chen Bitong seemed to know exactly which way it would turn. The spearhead shifted and, with a sudden jab, pierced its face. The Power was unleashed, and its head exploded with a BANG inside its helmet.

After killing the Duty Samurai with a single spear thrust, he showed no signs of stopping. He glanced to the side, where another identical Duty Samurai was walking out.

He once again allowed it to transform, then walked up and thrust his spear in the same manner.

It was the exact same motion as before, yet the Duty Samurai was still unable to mount much of a defense. With a SQUELCH, the spear easily pierced through its Covered Face Armor. Following the sound of something bursting, the helmet rolled to the ground, spilling out a mess of mangled flesh and shattered bone.

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