Atlas of Heaven and Man

A cloud of dust billowed outwards from the shattered wall, followed by a series of rapid impacts that quickly shifted elsewhere, only to leap back to the other side in a mere instant.

Guo and Liang, the two students, strained to make out the scene. Even without the large clouds of dust obscuring their view, they still couldn't clearly see the two figures' movements. They could only barely discern the intensity of the battle through the sounds, and a sense of shock couldn't help but arise in their hearts. Was that Chen fellow really a student like them?

For a fleeting moment, they wondered if they had missed a class.

Through the earlier exchanges, Chen Chuan knew he couldn't allow Teacher Jiang to launch a full-blown offensive, as the latter's speed seemed to increase with each attack.

Having barely managed to interrupt one attack by using the stone wall as a barrier, he wouldn't give her another chance. He needed to suppress or, at the very least, entangle Teacher Jiang head-on, limiting her ability to exploit her own advantages.

Relying on his senses, which were gradually approaching the third limit, Chen Chuan discovered from Teacher Jiang's breathing rhythm and movement trajectory that her every attack, flash, and shift wasn't just to prevent her opponent from pinpointing her position, but was also her way of generating force.

She needed a certain rhythmic movement to drive her strength, so that the power of her sword could be maximized.

That strike she landed on him before the formal fight even began wasn't without purpose. It was meant to make him think that her casual strikes possessed immense power. In reality, that strike had also undergone a brief moment of movement and build-up, but all of this was concealed within her seemingly relaxed and loose steps.

This was a form of tactical deception, forcing him to adopt a conservative strategy, which was precisely what she wanted to see.

Teacher Zheng often told him that in battle, one should guide and control the opponent, not be controlled by the opponent. And Teacher Jiang had been trying to guide and control him from the very beginning.

Having realized this, what he needed to do was to prevent Teacher Jiang from fully accumulating power during her movements. Therefore, this time, he seized the opportunity, using offense as defense after rushing forward, closely entangling the opponent and disrupting her rhythm. This way, the power she could channel would be relatively limited.

Of course, this wasn't to say that this power was no longer lethal, only that it had been relatively weakened. With the ebb and flow of power, he could accumulate advantages through continuous attacks, thereby releasing more power and speed.

The assistant teacher stared intently at the scene. He was very surprised at this moment. He didn't expect Chen Chuan to actually be able to exchange blows with Teacher Jiang. Not only that, but he had found a counter-strategy so quickly. But that was all there was to it, because the drug had a time limit. Perhaps three minutes? Or five minutes?

If the time was longer, the second-limit body wouldn't be able to withstand it no matter what, and he was destined to not be able to win this battle. He was just afraid that he would refuse to admit defeat and stubbornly hold on, which would be bad.

So he was prepared, and if he saw something was wrong, he would go down to rescue him at any time.

Teacher Jiang was wielding the rapier at this moment, calmly parrying Chen Chuan's offensive. Chen Chuan had indeed found the correct approach, constantly interrupting and disrupting his direction of movement, preventing him from building up the sword momentum.

But that probably wasn't enough.

He was not only capable of accumulating power during movement, but also through the wielding of the weapon itself. Although the changes in the force on Chen Chuan's blade had caused him some trouble, preventing him from accumulating power continuously and quickly, it was only a matter of prolonging the time, and would not change the outcome much.

Under continuous attacks, Chen Chuan's state also improved, and his gradually sharpened senses allowed him to perceive that Teacher Jiang's aura was sinking again, and the power was becoming restrained and stable, as if the bowstring was tightening little by little.

This showed that even in such a high-paced battle, it was still difficult to completely suppress his ability to accumulate power, but his strategy was not just limited to this.

Before Teacher Jiang could continue, the heteromorphic tissue on his body, which had always retained a portion of its power, suddenly mobilized. With a sudden burst, the blade flashed, a frontal chop coming straight at her.

This was very different from the previous rhythm. Teacher Jiang was very clear about the switch between the two sets of heteromorphic tissues, but this time she really didn't expect it.

Relying on her excellent coordination, she turned her rapier and blocked it in time, but this turn was not in her rhythm, and the previous accumulation of momentum naturally dissipated all at once.

She couldn't help but give Chen Chuan's move a very high score in her heart, especially since Chen Chuan's speed had increased this time, and the subsequent continuous attacks still maintained this rhythm. Now she couldn't let Chen Chuan continue to develop. So, after adjusting for a moment, she took the opportunity to point out a sword, aimed directly at Chen Chuan's shoulder, trying to contain his offensive.

However, Chen Chuan completely ignored this thrust. The slash towards Teacher Jiang showed no change. This slash seemed unreasonable. Clearly, he had seized the upper hand in momentum. Even if he took a sword strike, it wouldn't hinder him too much. On the contrary, letting the opponent's thrust come might result in a lose-lose situation, wasting a great opportunity.

Chen Chuan didn't think so, because Teacher Jiang's power hadn't accumulated yet. If he didn't use his Second Self and they clashed, he might be injured, but the opponent would be injured even more severely.

Admittedly, the life force of a Third Limit fighter is strong, and perhaps nothing would happen in the end, but being struck by a student, or even ending in a lose-lose situation, was something the opponent could never accept.

Teacher Jiang certainly wouldn't allow this to happen. What a joke! He was the examiner. If he was injured by the examinee, wouldn't he lose face?

Even if he was fine, the mere fact that he was forced to injure the examinee would be laughed at by the other teachers. Therefore, he had no choice but to retract his momentum and parry again.

This change not only interrupted his original smooth accumulation of power but also further compressed the range of his weapon's movement.

At this moment, Teacher Jiang could only be forced to adopt a completely defensive posture. Although Chen Chuan seemed to have exploited some of his psychology just now, he didn't feel annoyed. Instead, he admired him even more.

Because a fighter should make good use of all factors that are beneficial to themselves. Since he noticed that the opponent was restrained by something, then of course, he should focus on that point and attack fiercely, targeting it repeatedly.

He would do the same if he were in Chen Chuan's shoes.

But admiration aside, if this continued, there would be no fight to be had.

It wasn't that he didn't have explosive techniques, but doing so against a student would be too embarrassing. Of course, he could also wait until Chen Chuan's medicine wore off, but that would be equally ridiculous. Wouldn't people say that he would have lost if the student's medicine hadn't worn off?

That wouldn't do.

He began to move around constantly, changing his position, and using the stone pillars to interfere with Chen Chuan's attack. But Chen Chuan was like glue, sticking to him from beginning to end.

As the two passed by, one huge stone pillar after another collapsed. The entire stone pillar forest was like a boiling pot, dust billowing, and the sound of tremors everywhere.

After a dozen or so breaths, the two came to a broken pillar that had already been destroyed and was leaning there. As Teacher Jiang moved away from the base, he gently brushed it.

Chen Chuan was about to follow, but the broken part above shattered and fell down.

This was something Teacher Jiang had anticipated. He didn't expect to block Chen Chuan with this, but as long as it hindered him slightly, he would have a chance to counterattack. Then he could naturally announce the end of the battle, thus saving face and maintaining the dignity of the teacher.

Chen Chuan also realized this. He didn't want to give up. Staring at the broken pillar that was about to become an obstacle, with the transmission of his will, the Second Self instantly merged with him. With a bang, he crashed out of the rubble, and at the same time, an extremely swift blade of light directly stabbed towards Teacher Jiang's chest!

Seeing his speed increase again, Teacher Jiang was shocked. At this moment, his skin seemed to turn red for an instant, and the speed of his backward retreat suddenly increased. At the same time, his wrist shook slightly, and the thin sword, like a snake, wrapped around the blade of the Snow Monarch Saber in circles. After retreating dozens of meters, the two stopped there.

He chuckled and said, "Student Chen, the assessment is over. Not bad, the teacher will give you a high score."

Chen Chuan looked at him and said, "Thank you, teacher." He slowly withdrew his strength, and the thin sword wrapped around the Snow Monarch Saber also sprang open section by section, restoring its original straight shape.

The assistant teacher's hanging heart finally relaxed. To be honest, the last moment looked really dangerous. He couldn't help but want to go up and stop it. Fortunately, both of them knew how to restrain themselves. He looked at Teacher Jiang with dissatisfaction. As a teacher, you have no sense of proportion. If the student is ignorant, aren't you supposed to be sensible?

Teacher Jiang then said, "Virtualization ends."

The surrounding scenery immediately disappeared. Whether it was the collapsed stone pillars or the dust on the ground, all disappeared. In front of them was still the empty stadium. The special floor was as clean as new, as if it could reflect people's shadows.

Chen Chuan walked over, picked up the scabbard, sheathed the Snow Monarch Saber, and then said to the two teachers, "Teachers, then I will leave first." After greeting them, he nodded to students Liang and Guo and left.

Watching him leave, Teacher Jiang raised his hand and touched the clothes on his chest. There was a faint puncture mark there, like the size of a needle's eye. The tip of the blade had already touched his skin. If it were a real battle, and the force was released, the result would be hard to say.

However, he still had a last resort, the Severing Struggle Force, which was not only to disarm but also enough to break the opponent's weapon with an explosion, or at least cut off the transmission of force. It was just that doing so would definitely make him the object of ridicule by other teachers.

He sighed in his heart, "The students these days are getting more and more powerful…" At this time, the assistant teacher's voice sounded: "What are you two still standing there for? Student Liang, come over and take the test again."

He thought for a while, um, retract what he just said…

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