Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 292 - 24: A Reminder

Chen Chuan looked at the almost contorted face, his own eyes exceptionally calm. At that very moment, their free hands slammed violently against each other.

He was Emitting Force without a shred of hesitation, but Teacher Wu was not. Teacher Wu had to suppress the turning blade while also diverting some of his strength to counter Chen Chuan’s Power. The advantage he had just fought for instantly became a disadvantage.

As the two clashed, BANG! A shockwave of dust and dirt erupted from beneath their feet, and both of their bodies sank down slightly.

Before the aftershock of the collision had faded, Teacher Wu suddenly relaxed his abdominal muscles. He used the force to sink down and twist, simultaneously flicking the hand holding the blade outward. He allowed the edge to slice halfway across his own abdomen as it slid free, then retreated to the side with an unchanged expression, breaking the deadlock.

Although it had carved a large gash, the moment he pulled away, the Mutated Organization in the wound squirmed rapidly, sealing the injury. Only a trickle of blood escaped before it stopped.

Once a Fighter reached the Third Limit and their brain had mutated to a certain degree, they could accelerate the growth of their body’s Mutated Organization, rapidly closing wounds and repairing injuries. Given enough time, he could recover completely.

Chen Chuan had sensed his attempt to break free, but Teacher Wu’s instantaneous movement was incredibly fast. He must have used that explosive technique again.

His timing was particularly perfect, borrowing Chen Chuan’s momentum at the exact instant he unleashed his full power. Without knowing he would choose such a method to escape, it would have been difficult to restrain him even on a second try.

But escaping just like that wouldn’t be so easy!

The existence of his Second Self allowed him to endure the Power his opponent had blasted into his body, so he wasn’t stopped in his tracks. In that moment, he flicked his wrist, instantly twisting the saber’s tip to face forward. His body turned sideways at the same time, his hands gripping the hilt together. With his feet staggered, he stomped on the ground and shot forward, thrusting straight for Teacher Wu’s throat!

Teacher Wu’s pupils contracted sharply. According to his calculations, this retreat should have been enough to get clear before Chen Chuan could strike again, but he had misjudged once more. It was too late to change his direction of force.

Seeing the saber tip about to press against his throat, he suddenly sucked in a breath. The Mutated Organization inside him pulled in unison, yanking his body backward into an arch to evade the thrust, and he somersaulted away.

But this exertion tore open the wound that had just closed. Blood flowed from his waist all the way down to his ankle. His expression remained unchanged. After his feet hit the ground, he crouched low, assuming a posture to charge again.

Chen Chuan shifted his blade and took a small step back, widening the distance between them.

Teacher Wu supported himself with one hand on the ground, his body half-crouched. He stared at Chen Chuan, his gaze filled with astonishment. He realized there were many things about Chen Chuan he couldn’t comprehend. But the more this was the case, the more he wanted to study Chen Chuan’s brain.

His eyes narrowed. Without waiting for Chen Chuan to advance, he suddenly started running to the latter’s side. Chen Chuan’s gaze tracked him, his body turning to follow.

But right at that moment, RIP! The constant wind, combined with the gust stirred up by Teacher Wu’s running, finally lifted the large advertisement banner, blocking the view between them. This made Chen Chuan’s movements pause for a fraction of a second.

In that single instant, Teacher Wu rolled and snatched a key from a shattered wall panel where it had been hanging.

It was an antique-style key, a tarnished bronze color with a wide bow and a long shaft. He quickly looped his fingers through the bow, gripping the key’s shaft tightly.

SHIIING! The advertisement banner was torn apart by a flash of the blade. The saber light descended upon his head, but this time he didn’t retreat. Instead, he met it head-on. CLANG! He had actually parried the slash with the key.

Chen Chuan wasn’t fazed. He continued to slash with his blade, unleashing a dozen more strikes in quick succession. Yet Teacher Wu stood his ground, not retreating an inch. Using the key’s shaft and bit to parry and deflect, he blocked every single blade flash aimed at him.

It was impossible to tell what material the key was made of; not even the Snow Monarch Blade could cut through it. However, the real reason was that Teacher Wu masterfully used his Power to deflect a portion of the force from the blade with every strike. Each block was perfectly accurate, not off by a hair’s breadth. Because their attacks and parries were so fast, the sounds of impact blurred into a continuous, single line of collisions.

Chen Chuan’s eyes were fixed on Teacher Wu. This series of parries demonstrated an extremely powerful sense of overall coordination. The Power from his fingers alone couldn’t have withstood the force of the slashes; he must have been coordinating his entire body’s strength through his Mutated Organization.

This man’s visual acuity, judgment, coordination, and level of Power application far surpassed any opponent he had faced before. Neither Tan Wang nor Luo Qi could have stood their ground and blocked more than a dozen of his slashes without moving.

He knew Teacher Wu was waiting for a gap in his Emitting Force. With his opponent’s skill, he could launch a counterattack the very instant Chen Chuan’s breath and rhythm faltered.

’If that’s the case,’ he thought, ’then it’s time to use the Furnace Breathing Method.’

Because he was facing a Third Limit Fighter this time, he had already taken a potential-enhancing drug before coming here.

This was originally a precaution. If things went wrong and Teacher Wu’s strength exceeded his expectations, he could use it to retreat in time. But as the battle progressed, he had gotten a measure of his opponent’s abilities. There was no need to hold back any longer.

He now called upon his Mutated Organization, using internal respiration to maintain the power and stance of his blade. At the same time, he took a deep breath, and his body suddenly became searing hot.

This strange development immediately put Teacher Wu on alert. He no longer stayed put, instead retreating rapidly. However, he had only taken half a step back when he felt the ground in front of him explode. A figure shot forward, and a flash of saber light followed.

Teacher Wu’s eyes flew wide open. The speed of this slash had suddenly increased by a huge margin. His mutated brain was now desperately stimulating his body, pushing its functions to mobilize faster.

Just as the blade’s light was about to cut into his body, he finally managed to raise the key into position.

But with the Furnace Breathing Method now active, Chen Chuan wasn’t just faster; his strength was also far beyond what it was before. The key could have deflected the blow, but under this strike, his deflection was insufficient. SHINK! Half the key was sheared off. The blade flashed again, and a second slash followed immediately.

Teacher Wu’s eyes bulged, and the veins on his neck popped out. He had no choice but to stimulate his Mutated Organization again, increasing his speed and strength to parry the slash with the remaining half of the key.

Chen Chuan just kept swinging his saber. His Saber Techniques were not much different from before, but even the simplest moves, when backed by superior speed and power, were no longer so easily blocked.

After parrying just a few more times, Teacher Wu was clearly struggling. In fact, he could no longer clearly see the path of the blade’s light; he was relying entirely on his own skills and experience to defend.

He was forced to retreat. The two figures flickered and moved continuously. Everywhere they passed, craters exploded in the ground, and blades of grass were swept into the air. As the fierce wind swept past, their constant movement gradually took them off the small hill and down into the ruins below.

This was a conscious choice by Teacher Wu. Every parry now required him to use his explosive technique, constantly stimulating his body’s Mutated Organization. This placed an immense burden on him. Not only did his brain feel like it was swelling, but the wound on his waist could no longer be contained and had burst open again. This forced him to try and use the terrain to hinder his enemy.

He finally retreated into the ruins of a collapsed house. With a casual slap, he sent an entire broken section of a concrete wall flying toward Chen Chuan. The next moment, the concrete wall exploded, and the scattered fragments flew back.

Teacher Wu tried to dodge but suddenly felt something was wrong. He tilted his head, and a stone grazed his cheek. Although he dodged it, the pause made his movements half a beat too slow. He suddenly felt a lightness in his shoulder—an arm had been severed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blade flash again and quickly blocked outwards with the key.

SHHIIING! The Snow Monarch Blade sliced halfway through his neck. But because the key blocked it, the blade failed to take his head off in one clean motion.

Chen Chuan looked up and saw Teacher Wu looking back at him. But unlike his ferocious expression from before, his gaze had become gentle again, as if holding a kind of relieved acceptance.

He said slowly, "Teacher Wu, thank you for the lesson."

He grasped the hilt with both hands, spun his body, and SHING! The remaining half of Teacher Wu’s neck was severed. The head flew off, rolling a few times on the ground before coming to a stop. His body remained standing for a moment before toppling to the side.

He let out a long breath, plumes of white steam rising upwards. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he heard a voice from behind him.

"Chen..."

Chen Chuan turned around and saw that it was Teacher Wu’s severed head that was speaking. The sound was produced by the Mutated Organization manipulating his oral muscles, so it sounded hoarse and strange.

He knew that the Life Force of someone at this limit was tenacious. As long as the brain wasn’t dead, he wouldn’t die immediately. So he stopped and said, "Teacher Wu, is there anything else you want to say?"

Teacher Wu’s mouth, pulled by the Mutated Organization, moved as he spoke, "Chen, I’m sorry. I did some terrible things. This is the end I deserve."

"All of my things are at Number 47, Liuyu Street. The password is..."

He recited a string of numbers for the password, then continued, "Next to the generator in my house, there’s a large canister of algae oil. Put me there and burn me with the house. That way, no trace will be left. Also, be careful of Yuan Binshu... Be careful of Ling..." At this point, his voice stopped, and then he fell completely silent.

Chen Chuan watched for a moment, then opened his Realm Token and asked, "Brother Wu, did he send any messages out before?"

Wubei quickly replied, "He seemed to be composing a message earlier. I was about to intercept it, but it looks like he canceled it himself."

Chen Chuan looked at the severed head and said, "I see. Thanks, Brother Wu." He walked over, picked up the head, and said, "Let’s go home, Teacher Wu." Then he walked back toward the two-story building.

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