Chapter 124: Overwhelming Force
Chapter 124: Overwhelming Force
Within just a breath or two, Duma's body was covered in crisscrossing crimson veins, all formed by taut muscles. Even his bones seemed to have abnormal protrusions, and his entire body appeared several centimeters taller.
When he lowered his crossed arms, the crowd was startled.
Duma's face was also covered in chaotic crimson veins, and his tensed muscles pulled his lips and eyebrows upward, revealing the outline of his teeth beneath the taut skin, making him look particularly hideous and evil. With his hair tie having come loose during the previous fight, his hair now spread out, making him resemble a monster.
Those watching from the buildings on both sides of the street were terrified, trembling at the sight of what they believed to be a monster. The Makar students stared in shock, most of them unsure of what was happening, but someone like Nali's eyes revealed a hint of heaviness.
Upon seeing Duma's strange transformation, Chen Chuan's expression turned serious. He recalled that Cheng Zitong had once mentioned something similar.
It seemed that when a warrior reached their second limit, they could stimulate the rapid growth of mutated tissue through breathing and medication, temporarily enhancing their strength.
However, this was no different from draining one's vitality, and in such a state, the mutated tissue growth was uncontrollable, inevitably robbing the body of its original functions.
One could say that after doing this, without timely relief, it would essentially be a countdown to death.
This opponent seemed even more formidable than before, and he appeared to have no intention of leaving any room for retreat.
Chen Chuan guessed that perhaps because today's events needed a resolution, Duma had made such a choice.
Since that was the case, he would oblige.
He reached out to unbutton his uniform, undressing to reveal a white shirt underneath, then tossed his outer garment aside.
Duma waited for him to undress, even though he knew that with every passing second, his life was slipping away. Still, he respected his opponent, perhaps the last one he would face in his life.
Once Chen Chuan was fully prepared, Duma let out a deep, muffled roar from his throat and chest. The ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked, and in an instant, he appeared before Chen Chuan. He grabbed Chen Chuan's shoulders with both hands and lifted him off the ground, then slammed him forcefully into the ground.
Chen Chuan felt his opponent rush towards him, surpassing his reaction speed. But in that moment of being seized, he channeled his chi power, causing the mutated tissue within his body to expand and resist the penetration of the opponent's force. Unexpectedly, the anticipated force never came, and the opponent merely used a common takedown technique favored by many warriors.
Chen Chuan immediately inhaled, tightening the mutated tissue within his body to protect his various body parts. As he was slammed to the ground, the impact shattered the earth, sending debris flying, and a shallow pit formed beneath him.
Duma didn't stop there; he lifted Chen Chuan again and slammed him to one side. But Chen Chuan hooked his foot around Duma's calf, preventing him from pulling away. Chen Chuan looked up, meeting Duma's calm gaze, then spun in place and with a powerful motion, flung Duma far away!
In mid-air, Chen Chuan retracted his limbs, curling his body into a tight ball, causing the mutated tissue to tense as well. In the next moment, he collided with the nearby residential building, creating a loud boom as he shattered a section of the wall.
"Chen Chuan!"
Luo Kaiyuan couldn't help but feel anxious. He clenched his fists, preparing to charge towards Duma, but a Makar student stepped forward to block his path. With a swift motion, Luo Kaiyuan grabbed the student, twisted his wrist, and forced him to kneel. Kicking him aside, he took a step forward, only to be blocked by another Makar student.
However, at that moment, Chen Chuan pushed against the wall behind him, effortlessly standing up as if nothing had happened. He brushed off the dust from his chest and once again stepped onto the street.
Everyone was astonished to see that he seemed completely unharmed, their faces filled with disbelief. Guan Xinyin was equally amazed, her eyes fixed on him for a long while.
Chen Chuan looked up at Duma and noticed that his breathing had become rapid, and his eyes were bloodshot. Although he had been overpowered by Duma, he hadn't suffered any chi power attacks, leading Chen Chuan to make a judgment.
Despite the mutated tissue significantly enhancing Duma's strength and speed, the human body was a delicate structure, especially when it came to the refined chi techniques honed through years of practice. These techniques could become unusable if a single aspect was compromised, as was the case with Fang Dawei, who couldn't utilize chi power after his body modification.
Therefore, Chen Chuan deduced that even though Duma's physical qualities had improved, his body hadn't yet adapted to the changes. It was unlikely that he could smoothly execute his familiar chi techniques, so he could only resort to relying on his physical advantages in combat.
This wasn't necessarily a problem, as the principle of 'force overcomes ten techniques' meant that as long as one's strength was great enough, they could defeat an opponent without the use of chi power. However, the prerequisite was to actually knock the opponent down. It was evident that this abnormal state placed a significant burden on Duma, and to force him to continue exerting himself would only increase his exhaustion.
Chen Chuan flexed his wrist and calmly said, "It seems this lesson isn't over yet, Teacher Duma."
Duma roared and leaped forward.
This time, Chen Chuan was prepared for his speed and intentionally positioned himself a bit further away. As soon as Duma made his move, Chen Chuan sidestepped, causing Duma to crash into the spot where Chen Chuan had been, shattering the ground beneath him. Duma's momentum carried him forward for a short distance, indicating that he had yet to gain full control over his enhanced strength.
Just as Chen Chuan thought he had avoided the attack, Duma reached out and grabbed Chen Chuan's arm, pulling him back.
Chen Chuan immediately noticed that Duma's arms and fingers had grown longer since their previous encounter, but he had deliberately maintained his previous state before their renewed clash, successfully creating a tactical deception. This misjudgment led Chen Chuan to react swiftly, lifting his leg and pressing it against Duma's chest and abdomen, preventing him from pulling him closer.
Duma tried to pull Chen Chuan closer twice but failed, so he punched towards his head. Chen Chuan calmly blocked the punch with his hand, constantly dodging to the side. Despite the powerful punch, Chen Chuan managed to deflect most of the attacks with minimal effort. Even the few strikes that landed on him caused no significant harm.
Duma threw over a dozen punches, but Chen Chuan remained unaffected. Instead, Duma's breathing became more rapid. He abandoned his assault and grabbed Chen Chuan with both hands, lifting him up before slamming him back down to the ground.
However, Chen Chuan quickly extended his leg, hooking it around Duma's head and bringing them both down. Duma ended up in a half-kneeling position on the ground, still holding onto Chen Chuan. He pushed himself up, lifting Chen Chuan and slamming him back down onto the ground. The pavement beneath Chen Chuan cracked under the impact.
Duma pushed himself up again, attempting the same move, but Chen Chuan released his leg, freeing himself from Duma's neck. The mutated tissue within Chen Chuan's body pushed, and his legs suddenly exerted force at close range, his toes snapping against Duma's side neck.
Despite Duma's increased resistance to impact, the blow caused his grip to loosen. Chen Chuan quickly broke free of his grasp, spun out from under him, and pulled Duma's arm, causing him to lose balance. Simultaneously, Chen Chuan clenched his other fist and slammed it into Duma's face.
Duma involuntarily tilted his head back, feeling dizzy. As he tried to struggle, a force spun him around, and Chen Chuan executed a shoulder throw, slamming Duma onto the ground. The ground beneath them instantly cracked like a spider web.
As the mutated tissue increased, it not only caused pain and drained his vitality but also significantly enhanced his physical resilience. This throw had little effect on him.
Chen Chuan had intended to use a chokehold, but as the mutation deepened, he noticed that Duma's bone structure seemed to have changed. Realizing that techniques effective against normal individuals might not work, Chen Chuan abandoned the idea. Taking advantage of Duma's face-down position, Chen Chuan kicked his head. Duma instinctively lifted his hand to block the kick, but his five fingers suddenly twisted backward, gripping Chen Chuan's calf. He then forcefully threw Chen Chuan away!
Chen Chuan flew and rolled a few times on the ground before pushing himself up, once again unharmed.
He looked at Duma, who was not far away, panting heavily. Duma's entire body seemed to have shrunk compared to before, and his skin, which had felt taut earlier, now appeared more relaxed.
This confirmed that the strategy of intense combat was effective in rapidly depleting vitality.
Chen Chuan's body sank slightly, and without waiting for Duma to attack, he charged forward. Duma, seeing him approach, took a deep breath and rushed towards him. However, Chen Chuan effortlessly dodged his punch and delivered a powerful blow to Duma's abdomen. With his other hand, Chen Chuan pushed, sending a surge of force while simultaneously slapping Duma's face.
Duma countered by raising his arm to block, and Chen Chuan responded by thrusting his knee upwards. Duma quickly lifted his knee to protect himself, and as they collided, Chen Chuan maintained his knee-lift stance while Duma retreated several steps.
Chen Chuan slowly lowered his leg, noticing that Duma's strength was waning, and his reactions were becoming slower. This indicated that the growth of mutated tissue within his body had peaked, and as his vitality gradually diminished, his physical abilities were declining.
Observing Duma's labored breathing, Chen Chuan said, "Teacher Duma, you can stop now."
Duma roared and charged towards Chen Chuan. However, Chen Chuan kicked out, hitting Duma squarely and causing him to stumble to the side, almost falling to the ground.
The surrounding Makar students exclaimed in surprise, "Teacher!"
Duma struggled to stand upright, taking a deep breath. The crimson-red muscle fibers across his body deepened in color, and without a sound, he charged forward. The force of his movement caused the pavement behind his feet to shatter.
Chen Chuan ducked, avoiding the grab from above, and pushed forward, hoisting Duma onto his shoulder. He then forcefully threw Duma to the ground, the impact causing the ground beneath the crowd to tremble.
Duma struggled to stand again, but as he rose halfway, Chen Chuan punched him in the face, sending him back down. Despite this, Duma attempted to get up once more, only to be knocked down by another punch.
The Makar students nearby could no longer bear to watch, and they tried to intervene to help. However, they were stopped and restrained by the increasing number of Wu Yi students who had arrived.
Everyone watched silently as Chen Chuan repeatedly punched Duma, preventing him from getting up.
After another failed attempt to rise, Duma finally lay still, no longer moving. At this moment, his entire body was shrunken, leaving only a layer of skin covering his skeletal frame. Steam rose from his body, seemingly evaporating the moisture within him.
In a hoarse voice, Duma said, "Student, do you see the veins coursing through my body? That is the true record of Vein Pulse Studies, passed down through generations."
Chen Chuan glanced at him and said, "Perhaps it would have been better to openly state this in the classroom."
Duma murmured, "Yes, but we don't have time. The Resonance of the World is intensifying, and the Makarans must secure a place for themselves to gain the power to keep up with the era..." His voice trailed off, and he fell silent.
Chen Chuan looked up at the blinding sunlight shining down from above, took a deep breath, and walked towards the group of students waiting quietly nearby.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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