Chapter 596 - 326: Heart Force

Arcs of electricity flickered within the Rift, which had now grown by nearly half. Surging gusts of air rushed out from within, sweeping the surrounding streaks of crimson rain into the sky.

Chen Chuan and Chen Bitong stood at opposite ends of the Rift, facing one another. The surging air currents whipped at their military greatcoats and hair, and the light from the chasm bathed most of their bodies and faces in its flickering brilliance.

Watching from a distance as the two took their stances again, Fang Zhixin couldn’t help but feel a flicker of worry for Chen Bitong.

Even before mastering that Power Technique, Chen Chuan had already been incredibly intimidating. The way his Spiritual Power had just enveloped the battlefield and thrown the enemies’ Spiritual Consciousness into chaos had left Fang Zhixin profoundly shaken.

’Now that he possesses such a powerful technique, can Teacher really stop him?’

Even Yu Lie, who was off to the side, felt the same way.

Logically, Chen Bitong was the one who needed to be taken down as quickly as possible, and Chen Chuan was the one Yu Lie was supposed to be supporting. Yet at this moment, it was as if he’d forgotten his own role, instinctively feeling nervous for Chen Bitong.

Chen Chuan looked at the figure opposite him and said, "Then, Teacher Chen, I ask for your guidance."

As he spoke, he clenched his fist, pushed off his feet, and charged forward first. With an explosive BOOM, his figure shot across dozens of meters in an instant as he threw a punch.

Chen Bitong did not dodge. As the flagstones beneath him shattered, he also leaned forward and charged, meeting the punch with a palm strike!

This time, neither of them used their full Power. However, before fist and palm even made contact, their overflowing Power collided first. A series of concussive blasts erupted from the air between them, spreading outward in ripples.

The scene was almost identical to when Chen Bitong had fought Old Hu.

Neither of them allowed their attacks to land. After a brief stalemate, they clashed again, and once more only their Power collided, producing a dull, booming crash in the air.

While holding his stance, Chen Bitong looked up at him and said:

"This technique, we usually call ’Heart Force.’ The kind of Heart Force you cultivate, and the effects it can achieve, depends on the types of Power you have learned and what you yourself desire."

"There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all Heart Force. The only Power that is truly suitable for you is one that aligns with your own mindset and tactical style."

Chen Chuan could feel it firsthand. Chen Bitong’s Heart Force had a distinct characteristic: it could penetrate various parts of an enemy’s body and cause internal damage. While not exceptionally potent in a direct frontal assault, it was an inexplicably perfect match for his elusive and swift offensive style.

He, on the other hand, used the Circulation Technique, whose strength lay in its ability to simulate all sorts of Power transformations. The Power he was now releasing naturally incorporated the Cloud-Breaking Hand techniques Instructor Wen had taught him. As a result, every strike carried the force to shatter clouds and tear the sky, and its generation was even smoother under the effects of the Furnace Breathing Method.

But the potential of the Circulation Technique was clearly far from exhausted.

And all of this could only be truly understood through practical combat experience.

With that thought, he resumed his relentless assault on Chen Bitong, who continuously blocked and parried.

However, Chen Chuan was already stronger than him, and now he had also mastered Heart Force. Every punch he threw unleashed astonishing momentum, and he quickly gained the upper hand.

Thus, after only a few more exchanges, he stopped trying to block head-on. As Chen Chuan threw another punch, Chen Bitong left an afterimage behind and slipped into the Rift.

Chen Chuan immediately spread out his Spiritual Power, attempting to sense his opponent’s location.

Just then, Chen Bitong’s voice echoed from all around.

"Pinpointing a target with your spirit also requires skill. If you simply use Spiritual Sensing and then have to confirm with your physical senses, you create a delay. By the time you move to the location, the opportunity is lost. Those two made that very mistake."

"But when your Spiritual Power is strong enough, your surroundings will appear in your mind like a web. You will perceive any tremor or touch anywhere on it. You just need to focus, instantly follow that spiritual feedback to the source instead of confirming with your senses, and then you’ll find your target."

Hearing this, Chen Chuan immediately reined in his physical senses and elevated his spiritual awareness.

The prerequisite for this was possessing a sufficiently dense reserve of Spiritual Power. And after merging with his Second Self, he already had more than enough of a foundation.

As he deepened his perception, a point distinctly different from its surroundings appeared in his mind. Though it was moving rapidly and remained difficult to pinpoint, his physical senses were no longer deceived by the afterimages.

He spun around, and with a BANG, his arm blocked Chen Bitong’s incoming punch. The reverberating force sent him stumbling back, and Chen Bitong was forced to retreat into the Rift. At the same time, his voice drifted out:

"Just... like... that..."

He attacked from a new position with every word he spoke, and Chen Chuan accurately blocked him every time. With each clash, his spiritual tracking seemed to grow a fraction sharper, until the point he could sense in his mind became ever clearer.

He soon broke out of his passive defense and went on the offensive. Every time Chen Bitong’s figure emerged, Chen Chuan would spot it instantly and pursue him, launching an attack.

In truth, Nie Guanshan and Yang Shen couldn’t have done this even if they had known the secret. They lacked Chen Chuan’s coordination and reaction speed. They might have been able to catch Chen Bitong once or twice, but as soon as he started teleporting in rapid succession, they would have been unable to keep up.

After dodging several times in a row, Chen Bitong found it was becoming difficult to handle Chen Chuan’s pursuit under normal conditions. So, during another collision of Power, he used the force of the impact to leap backward, and his figure promptly vanished.

Within Chen Chuan’s Spiritual Sensing, that point of presence suddenly appeared high in the sky. He immediately looked up.

He saw Chen Bitong suspended in the air, his back to the crimson glow, assuming a powerful, coiling stance. A moment later, he plunged downward and threw a punch. The air shook as if with thunder—he had unleashed the Flying Dragon Fist Strength once more!

He had just used this technique to suppress three opponents by himself, and now its full force was directed at Chen Chuan alone.

Chen Chuan met it head-on, stepping forward with a punch of his own. As their Power collided, he felt layers upon layers of force pressing down on him, and his body faltered for an instant.

After that punch, Chen Bitong’s figure suddenly flickered into several copies. This time, he was in mid-air and no longer avoided a direct confrontation. His descending fists and feet made solid contact with Chen Chuan’s own, the Power behind them coming in one relentless wave after another, seemingly without end.

Chen Chuan could now feel that no matter how much Power he released, it never once made solid contact.

This was because the Flying Dragon Fist Strength possessed a unique technique. Whenever Chen Chuan released his Power, Chen Bitong could use its force to leap higher into the air, simultaneously neutralizing and dispelling the attack before striking down again.

Each time, however, Chen Chuan had to bear the full brunt of the Power from above. It became a one-sided affair where only Chen Bitong could hit him, while he was unable to harm his teacher at all.

This was precisely why Nie Guanshan and Yang Shen had been so anxious to change the situation earlier. They realized that even if they didn’t lose, they would never be able to defeat him. Now, Chen Chuan had to face this predicament alone.

But just because those two couldn’t do it didn’t mean he couldn’t.

After knocking his opponent back once more, he looked up. His Spiritual Power, enveloping the entire battlefield, scanned the area and instantly pinpointed Chen Bitong’s location.

This time, he didn’t remain on the ground. Using the force from the last impact, he crouched slightly, lowering his center of gravity. After gathering power for a moment, he launched himself into the sky. In an instant, he was airborne, throwing a punch that carried the force to shatter clouds, straight toward Chen Bitong’s position!

Chen Bitong was now at his highest point. Facing Chen Chuan’s attack, he neither dodged nor evaded. He leaned back, flipped in mid-air, and punched downward. As their Fist Forces met, the rain was blasted away in a visible ripple, and he performed another flip, using the momentum to launch himself even higher.

Chen Chuan’s ascent was halted, and he began to fall. But before he could drop far, Chen Bitong had already neutralized the Power in his punch. After reaching his apex, it was as if he leaped into the very light itself; with a flash, his figure suddenly vanished.

The next moment, he appeared at Chen Chuan’s side, striking at his back with his palm.

It was nearly impossible for Chen Chuan to exert force in mid-air, making him a vulnerable target. From any perspective, that leap had seemed like an irrational move.

’But that’s exactly what I wanted him to think,’ Chen Chuan realized. He knew that as long as Chen Bitong was in the air, his teacher held every advantage and was impossible to catch.

’But rather than trying to catch him, it was better to let him come to me.’

The palm struck him squarely, and Power surged into his body. But he had his Second Self absorb the impact. At the same time, his Mutated Organization twisted and contorted. He spun around in mid-air, and suddenly, they were face-to-face. Chen Chuan then thrust out both hands and grabbed for Chen Bitong!

Before his hands even made contact, a wave of Power had already penetrated Chen Bitong’s body from a distance.

Although he couldn’t use the Power of the Scattering Hand with his feet off the ground, he cultivated the Circulation Technique. Its defining characteristic was the ability to transform into or simulate other types of Power at will.

With this strike, he had unleashed Capturing Force!

And it wasn’t just ordinary Power; it was Capturing Force fused with his own Spiritual Power. The timing was perfect—it landed right after Chen Bitong threw his punch, before he had time to retreat into the Rift again. Caught by this Force, Chen Bitong’s entire body shuddered, and for a moment, he could not break free.

In the next instant, Chen Chuan’s hands shot out. With a solid THWACK, he seized Chen Bitong’s shoulders. Gripping him firmly, he pulled the man toward him, clasped his hands together, and instantly transformed his Power into Wrestling Takedown Force. With a twist of his waist and back, he flipped upside down in mid-air, dragging Chen Bitong down toward the ground with him!

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