Celestial Human Diagram

Inside the Processing Bureau, a light screen displayed the current scene with Chen Chuan and Mishiro Ara.

The Bureau was paying close attention to their fight. Langtao Hall was famous overseas, and Mishiro Ara was also a renowned Fighter from the Outer Ocean. They believed he would be a formidable rival for Chen Chuan.

To ensure the two would not be disturbed and to prevent other powers from meddling, they had preemptively blocked all news of the duel and placed numerous hidden sentries in the area.

So far, besides the Processing Bureau, no one else knew that the two had arranged to fight here.

The square outside the Mo Temple was wide, and the flagstones underfoot felt solid. This was because the temple itself had produced Third Limit Fighters, and these stones were specially made.

Mishiro Ara looked at Chen Chuan before him. He slowly raised his hand to the hilt of the blade at his waist, his five fingers tightening as if he were about to draw. But after a moment, he suddenly let out a breath, released his grip, and then gave Chen Chuan a deep bow.

"My apologies!"

Chen Chuan asked in surprise, "Mr. Mishiro, what is the meaning of this?"

Mishiro Ara bowed once more. "I am sorry, Monarch Chen. I concede defeat!"

Chen Chuan was rather taken aback. He looked at his opponent and said slowly, "We have not yet crossed blades. How can Mr. Mishiro believe he has already lost?"

Mishiro Ara said with great seriousness, "There is no need to fight. The moment I first saw you today, Monarch Chen, I knew I was no match for you. I have lost this battle."

Chen Chuan said, "If that is what you say, Mr. Mishiro, then it seems there is no need for this fight."

Mishiro Ara said, "Ah, please forgive me for making a decision that disappoints you, Monarch Chen, but I did so for the sake of my own life. However..."

His voice grew louder as he suddenly drew the blade from his waist.

"But if this is merely a spar and not a battle to the death, I trust you will not take my life, Monarch Chen. In that case, I believe I can be an excellent training partner!"

Before the light screen, the people from the Processing Bureau looked at each other in dismay. They had been expecting a brutal fight, but they never imagined they would witness such a scene.

Someone frowned and said, "What’s with this Mishiro Ara? Is he trying to trick Captain Chen, make him lower his guard, and then strike when he’s not paying attention?"

"That’s certainly a possibility."

Most Fighters had dauntless personalities. Few would concede defeat before a single blow was struck. Besides, Mishiro Ara had traveled thousands of miles to find his opponent; would he truly be content to surrender without even a fight?

Anyone would suspect some kind of scheme was at play. Some couldn’t help but worry for Chen Chuan.

"Captain Chen, don’t fall for it!"

"Yeah, we need to warn him, quickly."

But others scoffed at the idea. How many powerful opponents had Captain Chen dealt with since joining the Processing Bureau? How could he possibly be deceived by such a petty trick? There was no need to worry about him.

Meanwhile, in the square, Chen Chuan said, "I have rarely met a Fighter like you, Mr. Mishiro."

Mishiro Ara said, "It is nothing. A wise man adapts to the circumstances."

He paused. "This has always been my philosophy on fighting. When a Fighter encounters a powerful opponent, one must know when to give up. One cannot, for a moment of pride, face an opponent one cannot possibly defeat.

My teacher despises me for this, believing I can never master our hall’s true Secret Transmission. My junior brother, Jian Chengsheng, was perhaps the one with the most potential, but he is now defeated and dead. If all the disciples capable of mastering the Secret Transmission are gone, and only I remain, then to whom can my teacher pass it on but me?

You see, even the strongest Secret Transmission, belief, or reputation is no match for simply staying alive a little longer."

Chen Chuan could feel that Mishiro Ara had completely opened up his spirit and Domain. His words were in perfect harmony with his spirit, which meant he was speaking from the heart, professing the very principles he lived by.

He thought for a moment, then looked at the man and said slowly, "It is not that you lack conviction, Mr. Mishiro. Rather, compared to those lofty and nebulous goals, you have chosen a more grounded path."

Mishiro Ara said with excitement, "You understand me, Monarch Chen!"

Chen Chuan looked at Mishiro Ara; the man was right. Although they couldn’t have a thoroughly satisfying battle, he was indeed an excellent training partner.

An opponent like this was extremely useful for honing one’s spirit. Hong Fu was better, but no matter how much her strength increased, she could never truly harm him. That was determined by the academy’s mechanics.

But if Mishiro Ara had a chance to injure him, would he hold back?

He raised the Snow Monarch Blade horizontally before him. With a light flick, he pushed the Sword Scabbard aside. "Then let us begin."

Mishiro Ara held his blade with both hands. He positioned the blade in front of him and slowly raised it, the sleeves on his arms sliding down to reveal biceps as solid as cast iron.

After a moment’s pause, he let out a fierce shout, his body suddenly crossing the space between them as he slashed down with his blade!

Chen Chuan brought the Snow Monarch Blade up to block, but before the two blades could touch, Mishiro Ara’s Sword Stance shifted fluidly, and he attacked Chen’s flank instead.

However, the Snow Monarch Blade changed just as quickly. Chen Chuan used his other hand to support the spine of the blade, twisting and pressing down to block his opponent’s path. Mishiro Ara’s Sword Stance wavered, and he leaped back to evade.

Chen Chuan immediately realized that Mishiro Ara was desperately trying to avoid contact with the Snow Monarch Blade. He instantly took advantage of this and pressed forward with several consecutive slashes.

Mishiro Ara could only evade. Because his own blade was rendered almost useless, he was put in an extremely passive position. After just a few exchanges, the Snow Monarch Blade was resting on his neck.

Holding the Long Blade, Chen Chuan asked, "Mr. Mishiro, why do you only evade?"

Mishiro Ara said helplessly, "Because just now, the god within my heart warned me not to let my blade touch yours under any circumstances. Doing so would only lead to a faster defeat, so I could only retreat."

"The god within your heart?"

Mishiro Ara said, "My junior brother, Jian Chengsheng, had only cultivated to the state of ’The god knows what I do not.’ But I have already reached the state of ’As I know God.’ Before even engaging an enemy, I can instantly determine victory or defeat and discern what actions are impossible. I follow this intuition, which is why I was so passive.

My reason for conceding defeat was also in accordance with this intuition."

Chen Chuan pondered this. Mishiro Ara’s Spiritual Sensing was indeed quite profound. If his blade clashed with the Snow Monarch Blade, it was very likely to be damaged.

Since this was a spar and not a fight to the death, it was natural to be concerned about certain things.

At this, he withdrew his blade, reached out to turn off his Realm Token, and then looked up to ask, "Mr. Mishiro, being able to determine beforehand what is possible and what is not—is this the Secret Transmission of your Langtao Hall?"

Mishiro Ara nodded. "This is indeed the heritage of our Langtao Hall. However, the Dharma Gate varies from person to person, so what is sensed and known is not necessarily the same for everyone.

As I understand it, some people in this world are born with innate spiritual strengths. As soon as they embark on the path of Spiritual Cultivation and receive a little guidance, they can awaken some kind of special Spiritual Ability.

For example, my senior brother, Henetsu Yoshima, could sense an opponent’s location from a great distance as soon as he began his training. No matter where the opponent went, they could not escape him.

And some people can even know of danger in advance and take measures to avoid it. If I had such an ability, I probably would never have challenged you in the first place, Monarch Chen."

Chen Chuan nodded slightly. It seemed the Iron Demon was also one of these people.

He could sense danger in advance and evade it in time. Half of the reason he had made such a great name for himself and could always escape encirclements was due to this Spiritual Ability.

"But my teacher always emphasized that we should not chase after these things, because as one’s cultivation deepens over time, one’s own unique talents will slowly be awakened."

Mishiro Ara looked a little ashamed as he said this. "Unfortunately, I have yet to master my own."

Chen Chuan smiled. "I believe you will master it sooner or later, Mr. Mishiro." With Mishiro Ara’s philosophy of prioritizing survival, he was destined to live longer than others. As long as one could stay alive, there was always hope.

Then, a thought struck him, and an interesting question came to mind. He asked, "According to what you say, Mr. Mishiro, if you sense that you can win, does that mean you will definitely be able to defeat your opponent?"

Mishiro Ara answered seriously, "At the very least, such a firm conviction in one’s heart is not baseless. You must know that the spirit can become a tangible force."

Chen Chuan thought about it and couldn’t help but nod.

He could already vaguely sense that, setting aside spiritual techniques, once the spirit reached a certain level, it could nourish the physical body, allowing one to strike more accurately, more quickly, and with greater strength.

Perhaps when one’s spirit was high enough, one could even accomplish things that once seemed impossible.

He said, "I remember Jian Chengsheng’s final slash against me had the power to injure from a distance."

Mishiro Ara was suddenly taken aback. "A slash from a distance? That means he used the ’God of the Blade.’"

He sighed with emotion. "I had thought my junior brother would need several more years of training to use that move in actual combat. It seems his progress was very fast."

He had only heard that Jian Chengsheng was defeated by Chen Chuan, but he didn’t know the specific details of their battle. Looking back now, he realized he had underestimated both of them.

Chen Chuan, however, considered that the power Jian Chengsheng had displayed that day might not have been entirely his own. The High Heaven Jade Core had likely played a part.

He asked again, "Can you execute that slash, Mr. Mishiro?"

Mishiro Ara said with great frankness, "I can use it, but I will not. This is because my teacher’s Essence Blood and Mutated Organization are hidden within the blade.

I am filled with fear for my teacher, not just respect and admiration like some of my peers. Because of this, my spirit might actively reject it. If I forced myself to use it, I don’t know what problems might arise. Even if I could pull it off, it would likely be impure."

He thought for a moment. "Perhaps I would use it in a life-or-death crisis. But until that moment comes, I don’t know what I would choose. Perhaps I would simply accept death with composure."

Chen Chuan said, "Your Spiritual Cultivation is more profound than your junior brother’s, Mr. Mishiro. But if you only evade, then today’s spar seems rather pointless."

Mishiro Ara’s expression turned solemn. "I have a few other shallow techniques. If you wish to see them, Monarch Chen, I can demonstrate them, if only to thank you for your mercy just now."

Chen Chuan raised his blade again and said slowly, "That is precisely what I wish to see."

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