Chapter 171: The Perilous Domain
Chapter 171: The Perilous Domain
Chen Chuan, though unable to see clearly, could sense from the changes in the water flow that it was likely a large, elongated object.
With a swift movement of his waist, he twisted his body within a brief moment, raising his hand to deflect an incredibly hard and fast object, diverting its trajectory.
But being underwater, he had no stable footing, and the force carried by the object also propelled him, forcing him to flip his body to dissipate the power.
Through the touch of his hand, he realized he had encountered the hardhead carp he had eaten earlier, but of a much larger size, at least over a meter in length, by his estimation.
This wasn't surprising, as Chang Ba had caught this fish nearby, indicating a high concentration of such fish in this area.
And it seemed there were far too many of them.
Soon, he noticed through the water flow that one after another, these hardhead carps were continuously surging forward, each carrying immense power, like blunt arrows. If their heads were sharper, they might rival real crossbow bolts.
At this point, it was impossible to fully block them with his hands; he could only protect his head and face. Using the alienating organization within his muscles, he would contract inward upon contact and then repel them, or divert their force by shifting his body.
However, this meant that some of the alienating organizations couldn't participate in internal breathing, especially during intense movements, undoubtedly increasing his energy expenditure. In a short while, he felt more exhausted than after swimming a full circle.
But these fish weren't intentionally attacking him; he had merely crossed their path. The first one he encountered was likely the leader, with the rest of the school following its lead.
He just needed to find a way out of this area to avoid the school.
He carefully sensed the water flow changes and moved towards areas where the current wasn't as intense.
He proceeded with caution, remembering Chang Ba's warning about the occasional hardhead carps with exceptionally sharp heads hidden within the school. If one of them suddenly struck, it could potentially pierce right through its prey.
Following the correct path, he managed to escape from the school's route. Instead of rushing, he took the opportunity to adjust his internal breathing and recover slightly.
Once the water flow calmed, he swam forward again.
But not long after, new trouble emerged.
He encountered another type of fish, the piranha, as Chang Ba had called them. These were annoying, small but incredibly agile, darting from the sides and back to bite him.
Fortunately, his dive suit, a product of Central City's technology, prevented any bites, and whenever he felt their presence, the muscles in that area would tense, repelling them.
Initially, he thought he could avoid this school of piranhas like he had the hardhead carps, but soon realized it was wishful thinking. These fish seemed fixated on him, showing no signs of stopping, and more were gathering around him.
He acted decisively, immediately expelling the toxins that hadn't been metabolized from his body through his skin. This proved effective, as most of the piranhas avoided him, though some still approached.
Considering this, he contemplated eating more of these fish before his next dive.
Taking advantage of the ongoing toxin expulsion, he quickly swam away.
In truth, after understanding these fishes' attack methods, he believed he could defeat them with his bare hands. But doing so would only exhaust him without any practical benefits, and there were other fish in the water. Avoiding them was the best course of action.
Given the complexity of the situation, he slowed down, and that's when the problem arose.
As he swam through a section of the water, he suddenly felt something wrap around him. It was incredibly stealthy, blending with the water flow, making it undetectable until it was already on his body.
He could tell it was something like a long, tough water plant with serrated edges. If he struggled too forcefully, it might tear his flesh.
Once entangled, it slowly tightened, and more of them started wrapping around him.
The situation was critical; if he couldn't escape quickly, he might never get out.
Tugging was useless due to their resilience; even with his limbs fully extended, he might not be able to break free, and his strength was limited underwater.
He faced this crisis calmly, and under the influence of internal breathing, his body gradually inflated. The alienating organizations in his leg muscles, waist, and arms slowly tightened, stretching and expanding.
When he reached his limit, he exhaled forcefully, simultaneously contracting his body inward. In that instant, the muscles in all his limbs contracted sharply! A gap appeared between him and the entangled water plants, and he seized the opportunity, quickly freeing his limbs from the coils. He grabbed the water plant around his waist, tightened his abdomen, and lifted his body upwards, freeing himself from the entanglement.
Without hesitation, he kicked off, propelling himself forward rapidly, leaving behind a trail of disturbed water. The entangled plants tightened further but missed, and after a while, they loosened and swayed back.
Chen Chuan now understood that swimming too fast or too slow was not an option here. So, he maintained a steady speed while also being vigilant and observant of his surroundings.
As he continued, he encountered various fish, but he managed to evade or shake them off. After a while, he finally found the first marker.
Although the situation was much worse than before, it couldn't be generalized.
He felt that this part of the training was more about testing his ability to handle complex environments, and the skills and abilities he had learned could be put to use here.
After a while, a narrow abyss pit appeared beside him, which made him cautious. As expected, when he approached, a turbulent current surged forward.
Since he was prepared, he tried to stick to the nearby wall, but as soon as he got there, he sensed something amiss. The alienating organization within his body stirred, and he performed a sideways roll underwater. In the moment he avoided the danger, it seemed like something had suddenly closed, and the resulting water pressure even pushed him away, indicating its immense strength.
He waited for a while, and the thing remained still. Although he couldn't see it, he sensed that it was similar to a mollusk, lying in wait for prey. It was truly an unexpected threat.
Chen Chuan stopped here for a moment. According to his estimation, he was not far from the one-hour mark, and it was time to find a way out.
He contemplated whether to continue forward or retreat to his original position.
The situation ahead was unclear, and the path behind was the one he had just traveled, which seemed easier. But he had come here for training and enhancement, and if he sought an easy way out, there was no point in coming down here in the first place. So, without hesitation, he decided to move forward.
Even if he encountered something particularly dangerous, with his Second Self, he could handle most of the risks.
About ten minutes later, while searching for an exit, he found the second marker, but there was no rope behind it, obviously cut by something.
He didn't need to hold the marker; he just had to touch it to know the number. Even if he didn't know, it didn't matter. He was here to improve himself, not to report to anyone, and deceiving himself was pointless.
He judged the direction of the water flow and swam towards it. After a short while, he turned past a narrow spot and saw the light shining down from above. He swam towards it with increased speed.
At this moment, he noticed many piranhas swimming around. Without waiting for them to approach, he clapped his hands, and as he surged forward, over a dozen piranhas were swept onto the surface. Finally, with a powerful leap, he broke through the water's surface. As he did so, he heard Chang Ba's voice beside him, "Chen Chuan, you're out."
The abyss pit Chen Chuan was in was relatively large. He swam to the shore, climbed out, wiped his face, and looked up at the dazzling sunlight, letting out a long breath. Despite the short duration of his dive, he had encountered numerous dangerous situations, all of which were new to him.
Moreover, the area Chen Chuan had just swum through was only a part of the underground waters, and there were likely more complex situations he had yet to encounter.
As soon as Chang Ba saw Chen Chuan emerge, he quickly collected the fish that had been swept to the surface, placing them one by one into a lead bucket. "They're really fat," he said, clicking his tongue. He stood up and gave Chen Chuan a thumbs-up, "Chen Chuan, you're amazing! You lasted nearly an hour down there."
Although Chen Chuan hadn't touched many markers, being able to swim through this underground water for an hour and successfully emerge was already an impressive feat.
Before this, some familiar young fighters had attempted the same, but they had all gone down with safety ropes and couldn't last long. When they came out, they were all reluctant to try again.
He Xiaoxing spoke up, "I won't set a limit for you in this stage. You set your own goals, and how far you go is up to you."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment. Before going down, he believed that with his previous achievements, even if time was limited, he should be able to navigate the underground waters smoothly. But after experiencing the challenges below, he felt he still had room for improvement.
Although he had managed to come out safely this time, it didn't guarantee success every time. While the Second Self significantly increased his chances of survival, it went against his initial intention of strengthening himself. It would be better to consolidate his foundation first and return to test his progress later.
Chen Chuan looked up and said, "Teacher He, I want to continue with the previous training and further enhance myself."
He Xiaoxing replied, "Once the foundation is solid, building upon it becomes easier. Since it's your choice, follow through with it."
Chen Chuan acknowledged and turned to look at Chang Ba, who was cheerfully carrying several fish. "Little Chang, it seems like I'll be troubling you for a while longer."
Chang Ba said, "No problem. If you come here again, catch a few more fish for me as a thank you. Besides, I'm waiting to treat you for free. Miss this opportunity, and you might not get another."
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "Then it shouldn't take too long..."
(End of Chapter)
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