Chapter 179: The Limit
Chapter 179: The Limit
As Jing Lin hovered in the air, he raised one hand to the side of his face while the other extended straight forward.
With the rapidly closing distance, the outstretched hand seemed to be a fair distance from Chen Chuan, but suddenly, the arm muscles twitched, and unexpectedly, it grew longer, reaching directly in front of Chen Chuan's face, about to touch the latter's neck in the next moment.
However, at this moment, Chen Chuan's figure flashed forward, dodging the hand in the nick of time, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Jing Lin, his timing and rhythm were precisely calculated.
Jing Lin's face showed a trace of smugness. Taking advantage of Chen Chuan's proximity, he tore his mouth open with a swish, and the slit extended all the way to his ear, revealing sharp teeth within, and he bit towards Chen Chuan.
But this move was just the beginning, as a fist carrying immense power had already slammed into his abdomen, and a burst of explosive force followed, hitting his body.
Jing Lin grunted, his entire body arched backward from the impact, his hands and feet stretched forward, and even his long, snake-like tongue was forced out.
Chen Chuan raised his hand again, gripping his head and pushing it aside, and Jing Lin was flung sideways, landing on the ground and rolling a few times before coming to a stop in a twisted position, his eyes wide and mouth agape, having lost consciousness.
Chen Chuan merely glanced at him indifferently and turned his attention back to the front, where his focus had been all along—on the car behind him. He knew that the people in the car were the ones he needed to deal with today.
Tan Wang sat in the car, watching the front. This time, he was going back for a weight-reconstruction surgery, and Jing Lin, who had accompanied him, underwent some modifications with low-grade implants that were about to be disposed of and were not well-suited to his body. Nonetheless, compared to his previous combat abilities, there was no doubt that he had improved significantly.
Thinking that Jing Lin could handle Chen Chuan, Tan Wang believed he wouldn't need to take action himself. Even if Jing Lin failed, it would be like watching a play. But he hadn't expected him to be defeated in a single exchange. It seemed the information wasn't exaggerating after all.
Now, he had no choice but to take action himself.
No matter what, he was still a fighter who hadn't crossed the threshold.
He pushed the car door open, stepped out, straightened his imported formal wear, closed the door, and slowly approached Chen Chuan.
When he reached close proximity, he stopped and glanced at the fallen Jing Lin, rubbing his chin as if dissatisfied. "You hit him, and now he won't live a little longer. What a bore. If only you hadn't said that."
Chen Chuan turned to him, his voice calm. "Teacher Tan, I know why you're here."
"Oh... so you do."
Tan Wang suddenly found it uninteresting. "Why did you have to say that? It's so unexciting. You could've lived a little longer."
Chen Chuan planted his sword into the ground, unbuttoned his collar, and said, "I'm actually glad to see you today, Teacher Tan."
"Oh?"
Tan Wang was intrigued by his words. He found Chen Chuan's behavior interesting, so he didn't mind indulging him. "Why is that?"
Chen Chuan unbuttoned his shirt, took it off, and tossed it aside. Then, gripping the sword hilt, he spoke slowly as his hair and shirt collar fluttered in the wind. "Because you carry enough weight. You're an indispensable piece in the puzzle."
At this moment, dark clouds gathered overhead, casting the world into gloom, and the wind picked up. Countless leaves danced in the reed marsh, while in the sky, a flash of lightning streaked by, followed by a dull thunderclap that rolled over like it was passing by their sides.
Tan Wang's eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly displeased by Chen Chuan's tone.
But he also felt something amiss. Usually, no matter the prey's reaction, he would only find it novel and interesting, not disgusted like now.
He looked up at the sky, attributing it to the weather.
With his hands in his pockets, he said, "It's about to rain. I don't want my new clothes to get wet, so sorry, but you'll have to die quickly."
As he finished speaking, his body leaned forward, and as he stepped, the dancing leaves, the swirling branches, and the tiny water droplets around him seemed to slow down.
Upon reaching the third limit, a fighter's nerve response speed and coordination would far surpass their previous abilities. Fighters below this limit would appear to be in slow motion to them, and it was impossible to keep up with their movements and speed.
Furthermore, he had implants within his body, which most fighters only had in certain parts, leading to inevitable flaws, like a crippled giant. But with the implants, he could make up for many shortcomings, possessing more comprehensive abilities, allowing him to endure greater intensity and maintain this state for longer periods.
Facing Chen Chuan, he had more of a cat-playing-with-a-mouse mentality.
As he approached Chen Chuan's front, seeing the latter's seemingly immobile figure, he revealed a mocking expression and extended a hand towards the other's face.
Chen Chuan had been keeping a close eye on Tan Wang, but in the blink of an eye, the figure before him suddenly vanished. Despite this, he remained calm, and as another flash of lightning lit up the sky, his second self seemed to disappear, merging with him in that instant!
His gaze once again locked onto Tan Wang, and he watched as the other's hand gradually approached. With a swift spin, he drew his blade, creating a shimmering flash of light.
Tan Wang, sensing something amiss, relied on his well-honed danger perception and reacted swiftly, raising his hand.
A metallic clang echoed as he blocked the blade with his arm, and a look of surprise flickered across his face. Chen Chuan's speed had suddenly increased.
Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, the blade flashed again, slashing towards him repeatedly. He hastily retreated, blocking the attacks with various parts of his body.
As he did so, one could see scales covering his cheeks and body, the result of his implanted scale armor. After merging with his altered tissue, the scales worked in tandem with his highly flexible muscles beneath the skin, enabling him to withstand small-caliber firearms and various bladed weapons.
He needed no additional weapons, for he himself was a weapon.
After blocking over a dozen slashes, he gradually regained his composure from the initial onslaught. Following another blocked thrust, his leg and back muscles twitched, and he suddenly leaped backward, adopting an unconventional posture as he tumbled away, instantly escaping the reach of the blade.
Landing behind, he flipped in mid-air and stood firm once more.
Although he had evaded the blade's range, the relentless slashes had reduced his imported formal wear to tattered strips, even though he himself remained unharmed.
Thunder rumbled, and the long-anticipated torrential rain finally began to fall, quickly covering the ground with a dense patter.
Chen Chuan held the long blade in one hand and rested the other on the blade's spine, angling it forward as he spoke, "It seems Teacher Tan won't need to change clothes."
Tan Wang let out a snort, tearing off the tattered remnants of his clothing, revealing a body covered in grayish-green scales.
In the version of the book, the number 619181 is mentioned, but it is unclear what this refers to.
At this moment, the muscles around his eye sockets twitched, and his eyes abruptly transformed into vertical pupils.
These were his altered serpentine pupils, which, by expanding the pupil's range, could capture more light, enhancing his visual acuity—a trait particularly useful in dimly lit environments like this.
Chen Chuan glanced at his own scales, recalling how his blade had been deflected earlier. The force of his strikes seemed to slide off due to a flexible, resilient power, suggesting that besides the scales' inherent defense, there was also a power that dissipated the impact.
As a higher-tier martial artist, Tan Wang should possess extensive experience in dealing with bladed weapons, so this ability was not entirely unexpected.
During their brief exchange, Chen Chuan had not been at a disadvantage. Dissipating force with power also consumed energy, and even a third-tier martial artist could not sustain it indefinitely. Chen Chuan had forced Tan Wang to use power to block his ordinary strikes, which, tactically speaking, was a gain for him.
After merging with his second self, as long as he didn't suffer a severe impact, Chen Chuan could maintain a combat state for eight hours. But how long could Tan Wang, even as a third-tier martial artist, continuously exert power?
Tan Wang stared at Chen Chuan for a moment, his initial playful demeanor towards his prey now replaced by astonishment. He was surprised that Chen Chuan's speed could match his own, suspecting that Chen Chuan had used some kind of drug.
"Is it a new drug from 'Celestial Herbs'?"
This was the most likely explanation, as the outskirts of Central City lacked advanced implants but were known for circulating various unverified prohibited drugs, which occasionally produced unique effects.
If this were the case, Chen Chuan would have essentially elevated his speed and agility to a level almost on par with Tan Wang's. This would negate Chen Chuan's previous advantage of overwhelming lower-tier martial artists.
Fortunately, most drugs had a time limit, and once the effects wore off, the user would be left in an even more exhausted, or even debilitated, state.
Chen Chuan, at most, had only reached the second tier, and it was impossible for him to possess the physical strength of a third-tier martial artist. Being forcibly enhanced by drugs did not mean there was no damage; it was merely suppressed temporarily.
This drug could still be useful, and he might be able to recoup some of his losses by inquiring about it later.
These thoughts swirled in his mind as he slowly widened his stance, standing still without initiating an attack. He was waiting for the drug's effects to wear off.
Chen Chuan did not choose to confront Tan Wang directly. Instead, he intended to force Tan Wang to engage in combat by maintaining constant pressure on him, compelling him to continuously use power to block, gradually depleting his energy, and thus incrementally increasing Chen Chuan's odds of victory.
Taking a step forward, Chen Chuan executed a diagonal slash, and his blade cleaved through the heavy rain, creating a perfect arc of water.
However, this move confirmed Tan Wang's suspicions, and he scoffed, taking a quick step back, his figure blurring as he rapidly retreated, seemingly vanishing into thin air.
In response, Chen Chuan also took a step forward, and his figure seemed to disappear as well. A series of clashing sounds reverberated through the air.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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