Chapter 637: Advancing Skill
Chapter 637: Advancing Skill
Taru's staff strike was wide and slow, an obvious and friendly invitation to engage, easily avoidable in a formal combat setting.
However, Chen Chuan did not choose to dodge. He could tell that despite it being just an invitation, the force within was seamlessly connected, flowing exceptionally well, far better than what she had displayed during their previous sparring sessions.
So, he stepped forward, blocking the staff with the back of his blade. Taru let out a shout, withdrawing and thrusting the staff, but he deflected it again with a swing of his sword.
The air was filled with a terrifying, scalp-tingling roar as staff shadows attacked from all directions.
As Chen Chuan blocked, he noticed that Taru's physical strength hadn't increased much, but the force she exerted had significantly changed. This time, it wasn't the double-layered force; instead, it was a continuous, overlapping force, like an unending stream of water.
Having experienced Solitary Stream Pavilion's techniques, he quickly identified this as their signature double-layered force. The difference was the addition of the staff's trembling power, creating a connection between the two layers, resulting in an endless stream of force.
This connecting technique, he judged, must have been inspired by Dawnlight Pavilion's secret teachings.
It wasn't just a simple addition of staff force; both Dawnlight and Solitary Stream Pavilions' forces were designed to target transformed organisms. With this layering of forces, they could significantly impact and damage their opponents' transformed organisms.
The staff played a crucial role; with a transformed weapon in hand, Taru's combat power had qualitatively improved.
If this were a life-or-death battle, the most convenient countermeasure would be to clash forces, using a higher-level heart force to disperse the incoming force directly.
But since Taru had requested a friendly spar, responding with technique was the most appropriate approach.
He immediately shifted to the Iron Body Technique, allowing the incoming force to resonate with his transformed organism, causing it to feel numb and swollen, unable to concentrate. Apparently, it could also target the Iron Body.
He realized that if the Iron Body Technique was used only defensively, it might hold up for a short time, but over a prolonged period, the defense might be overwhelmed by the force. He couldn't help but silently praise the brilliance of this force.
Given his current restrained state, he had to take the initiative and suppress her offense to interrupt her force. So, he didn't stay put to block.
With a swift lift of his sword, he allowed his shoulder to be struck by the staff, using the simplest Iron Body Technique to block the attack. He advanced at a similar speed to Taru, swinging his sword to slash at her.
As he stepped forward, Taru, having adjusted her breathing, took a step back, maintaining the same distance.
Then, holding the front of the staff, she switched hands, causing the staff to tilt to one side. It seemed she was about to perform a blocking and poking move. But when the sword approached, she suddenly shouted, pressing down with her front hand and raising her back hand, striking the exposed end of the staff against the blade.
There was a crack, and the sword instantly broke, with one end flying away.
This was Solitary Stream Pavilion's signature double-layered blade-breaking force, specifically designed to counter Dawnlight Pavilion's sword techniques. In that instant, the force concentrated at the end of the staff, and with a light tap, the weapon was shattered.
Without her sword, Taru couldn't utilize most of her skills.
This technique was undoubtedly appropriate against Dawnlight Pavilion, but Chen Chuan wasn't relying on his sword skills. He wasn't affected at all; as the front part of the sword flew away, he took advantage of the moment Taru exerted force to close in, using the broken blade as a short sword to continue stabbing at her.
Once the staff was within close range, it became almost useless. However, at that moment, Taru made another change; with a forceful jerk of her hands, the staff snapped in half with a loud crack, transforming into two short staffs. With a quick twist of her wrists, she blocked the broken blade, then thrust both staffs forward.
As Chen Chuan dodged and retreated, she spun, swinging the two short staffs in an up-and-down motion. They whistled through the air, smashing, poking, chopping, and striking from various angles.
Chen Chuan matched her strength and speed, blocking over a dozen attacks. Then, he noticed that as the force unfolded, the power in the staffs seemed to increase.
It wasn't that her physical strength had grown, but her force application had become more sophisticated, and her strikes were more reasonable. It was also possible that certain transformed organisms had slightly increased and grown.
However, even as he suppressed his strength, his combat experience couldn't be ignored. Soon, he seized upon a brief breathing gap, perhaps due to an unadjusted rhythm in her attacks or some flaws in the combination of the two pavilions' forces.
In any case, it was a flaw.
He believed that Taru's intention in sparring with him was not only to better master the force but also to have him help identify flaws in her offense. So, without hesitation, he took advantage of this gap, slashing the staff with his sword, opening half of her defense, and switching from defense to offense. He stepped forward, relentlessly swinging his sword to chop and slash.
Taru was unable to retract her short staff in time to block, and could only use a single staff to parry. But Chen Chuan, having understood her method of exerting force, combined with her aura, managed to intercept her at the nodes of her force exertion every time, preventing her from fully unleashing her power. This caused her to retreat half a step backward with each parry, and the once tightly integrated force gradually became slack.
After more than ten strikes, Chen Chuan felt that the opposing force had become severely inadequate. He suddenly thrust upward, and with a loud crack, half of the short staff flew away.
Chen Chuan could sense that at the last moment, Taru had given up. She leaned back to dodge the broken staff, then twisted her body and moved closer.
Chen Chuan controlled his force with ease, and as the blade descended, he immediately pressed it against her shoulder. However, Taru ignored the pressure and, taking advantage of her turn, drew the other short staff towards his ribs.
He reached out and slapped the staff away, finding it devoid of any force. Taru let out a shout as her free hand grabbed for his elbow.
The Solitary Stream Pavilion specialized in fist and foot combat, and their true expertise lay in free combat, but they also possessed some grappling techniques. This move, "Wound Return," was specifically designed to break through in critical moments.
However, due to the previous reason, this technique was effective against the Dawnlight Pavilion but failed to achieve the desired effect on Chen Chuan. He twisted and grabbed, not only blocking Taru's grip but also immediately capturing her wrist. The grappling force instantly entered her body, causing half of her body to go numb.
Before Taru could adjust, the broken blade was already pointed at her neck. Seeing this, she immediately abandoned her plans to continue.
Chen Chuan, noticing her relaxed body, released her and took a few steps back.
Taru stretched her numb half-body and, after straightening up, bowed deeply to him, saying solemnly, "Mr. Chen, thank you very much!"
Chen Chuan returned the gesture with a bow, saying, "You're welcome."
After straightening up, Taru showed no signs of disappointment from her defeat. Instead, her expression became extremely excited because during the previous fight, she had grasped many things that she might never have understood even with long contemplation on her own. Once she digested these insights, her strength would undoubtedly take a significant leap forward.
Chen Chuan also gained a lot from this encounter. Taru's display of force gave him much inspiration, especially when combined with his own staff force and personal force, which resulted in a doubling of his strength.
This made him realize that the force he had been cultivating should not be independent but should, to a certain extent, be able to integrate with the weapons he used. When borrowing the power of weapons, he should be able to exert even greater strength than with his fists and feet, thus maximizing the advantages of the weapons.
Hmm, after Snow Lady Sword awakens, I can delve deeper into this aspect.
This is the correct version, verified by the 1619 book, bar, and sight!
As it was still early, he didn't linger and left with Taru, who had gained great insights, returning to the island.
To express her gratitude for his help in repelling the Dawnlight Pavilion, Olive Elder specially arranged a bonfire party and prepared various delicacies from the island.
Chen Chuan was in no hurry and enjoyed the feast before returning to the rift to continue his cultivation.
Without any disturbances, he resumed his previous cultivation routine, accumulating spiritual power at night and relaxing his body in front of the Lotus Seat during the day while engaging in other forms of training.
Sometimes, he would also try to teach some of the Solitary Stream Pavilion disciples.
Having seen many of the pavilion's secret techniques, he could easily understand them with his broad knowledge. At a glance, he could discern the stage each disciple was at and identify their individual problems.
His guidance was highly effective, and more disciples sought his advice.
He didn't mind this at all, as there were only about twenty disciples in the Solitary Stream Pavilion, most of them children, and only three or four could receive his guidance.
Moreover, he had obtained the teacher's certificate from Wu Yi, and with access to resources, he was expected to teach some students. This was a good opportunity to get to know them.
After a few more days, the continuous strong winds on the island finally subsided.
When Chen Chuan returned to Cliff Mountain from the rift, he looked out and saw a clear blue sky and a calm sea with white sails dotting the surface. The grayish-white mist rising from the island continued to ascend into the sky.
It was already late July, and time was running out. By the end of the incident, Chen Chuan had to return by the end of August.
He turned to look at the platform and saw many disciples practicing under Olive Elder's guidance, but Taru was not among them. He thought for a moment and realized he hadn't seen her for several days.
This was unusual.
Chen Chuan approached Olive Elder and asked, "Elder Olive, where has Taru been these past few days?"
Olive Elder replied, "I was just about to tell you, Mr. Chen. The Ocean Expansion Group has arrived at Ro Wang Island, and they sent an invitation for Taru to discuss the continuation of the Martial Hall."
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(End of Chapter)
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