Chapter 496 - 488: Then, What About 4?

The surprise on his face vanished. Only now did Mu Chen truly understand the purpose of the Shadow Chaos Dance. The four figures were just like the Power of thunder and lightning he'd released—they were all markers. As long as Shan Tianyu willed it, he could instantly swap places with any one of them. However, for Mu Chen, who possessed the Ice Extreme Demon Pupils, any Secret Technique classified as an Illusion Technique was completely useless against him!

'Above!'

"Wind Spirit Skill, Sky Soaring Sword Slash!"

Just as Mu Chen expected, Shan Tianyu immediately unleashed a Wind Spirit Technique. He raised his sword blade over his head and swung. But to everyone's surprise, despite attacking from above, he didn't swing down—he swung up!

"Position Shifting!"

SWOOSH! Mu Chen felt the killing intent from above vanish, replaced by a sharp, tearing sensation from below! A Wind Blade, entangled with hurricane-force winds, shot straight toward Mu Chen's back!

In that split second, Shan Tianyu's true body had swapped from his position above to right behind Mu Chen! This completely contradicted Mu Chen's expectation of an attack from above. The shift from high to low was so sudden that it was already too late to react!

'I got him!'

BOOM!!

A thunderous explosion erupted. A dense ice mist instantly materialized, shrouding Mu Chen's figure and completely obscuring him from view. The Sky Soaring Sword Slash had undoubtedly landed, but no one knew if it had actually hit Mu Chen.

Fortunately, Shan Tianyu's Combat Skills were all augmented by his Wind Attribute. The wind quickly dispersed the ice mist, revealing the scene that had been hidden within.

"How can this be!?"

His pupils constricted. Shan Tianyu stared in disbelief at Mu Chen's location. A massive spike of ice, like a suit of armor, had completely encased Mu Chen's body. His Sky Soaring Sword Slash had merely left a long, narrow gash on the icy shield, while Mu Chen himself was completely unscathed!

"Surprised?"

Mu Chen turned his head slightly, a sinister smile playing on his lips as he murmured, 'Before my eyes, none of your tricks can escape.'

The Blue Wings swung, shattering the ice peak. In a flash, Mu Chen's figure vanished, using Instantaneous Step once more. Shan Tianyu reacted instantly, bringing his Fei Green Gentleman's Sword into a defensive position. But as he did, he slowly closed his eyes. His lips moved, and a gentle breeze began to stir. 'If I can't see him, then I won't use my eyes. If I can't hear him, I won't use my ears!' As a Wind Attribute Martial Artist, he could sense the flow of the wind and use it to detect Mu Chen's movements!

"Wind Rises in the Celestial Barrier…"

He murmured the name of his technique. Though arrogant, Shan Tianyu's Combat Awareness was undeniably superb. He was using his specialty to create a way to counter Mu Chen's Furious Thunder Force.

CRACKLE!

The faint crackle of lightning split the air. Shan Tianyu's instincts screamed as the wind before him suddenly shifted. He swept his Fei Green Gentleman's Sword sideways, and it met Mu Chen's Red-Refined Blue Wings with a resounding CLANG!

"Hm?"

A flicker of doubt crossed Mu Chen's mind. He had considered that Shan Tianyu might find a way to counter his Instantaneous Flash Thunder, but he never expected it to be so fast.

"Out of tricks, are we? Now it's my turn!"

ZAP!

Space rippled, and Shan Tianyu's figure vanished. Not to be outdone, Mu Chen activated his Instantaneous Step, pursuing the spatial distortions left in Shan Tianyu's wake. In the next moment, the clang of weapons clashing echoed from every direction!

In a heartbeat, their combat style had shifted from long-range Primordial Power barrages to intense, head-on clashes. To the spectators below, it looked like a perfectly even match.

Fire Flame, Bingling, Thunder Light, and Wind Blade—the manifestations of four different attributes—collided endlessly. Each time the two fighters met in the air, their Attribute Powers would erupt into terrifying Primordial Power shockwaves. As the speed and frequency of their clashes increased, these shockwaves filled the entire sky, creating a breathtaking spectacle.

At the same time, the number of spectators below grew again. This time, however, it wasn't students, but instructors and directors from every level! Wang Miaoling was, shockingly, among them!

"Is this fight… a squabble between some guys from the Fourth Level?"

Not knowing the situation, she subconsciously asked a First Level student next to her. The answer she received was an excited outburst from the student.

"Director! No! It's a freshman from the First Level fighting Shan Tianyu from the Fourth Level! He's... he's amazing! He's truly amazing!!"

At this point, the student was too excited to contain himself, but his words left Wang Miaoling utterly confused. 'A First Level freshman fighting Shan Tianyu from the Fourth Level? Isn't he just asking for a beating?'

"Not at all!" The First Level student who had just answered her frowned and immediately retorted, "That freshman is incredibly strong! He's fighting Shan Tianyu to a standstill, and he even had a huge advantage early on!"

"Huh?!"

This time, in a rare show of patience, Wang Miaoling didn't get angry at the student's retort. Instead, she asked in confusion, "Fighting to a standstill? And he even had an advantage? Is this freshman's Martial Artist Realm at the Venerable Realm?"

"No, that's not right." Wang Miaoling cut herself off, staring in astonishment at the chunks of ice, fireballs, and violet-gold thunder falling from the sky. She asked gravely, "You said this was a one-on-one duel, correct?"

The student didn't hesitate. "Yeah!"

"But there seem to be four Attributes raging in the sky: Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Ice! How could a fight between two students produce four different Attributes? Shan Tianyu's Attribute is Wind, so how do you explain the other three? Don't tell me… some student has three Attributes… it can't be…" As she spoke, Wang Miaoling's expression shifted from disdain to shock, and then from shock to utter disbelief. Her face a whirlwind of emotions, she murmured, "This freshman you're talking about… is his name Mu Chen?"

"Mu Chen!! You know him too, Director?! That's him! That's him!!" the student hurriedly replied, completely oblivious to Wang Miaoling's stunned expression.

'It really is that kid! So what Teacher Dilaka said was true—someone really can possess and freely wield three Elemental Power Attributes at once! But I remember him saying the Attributes were Wood, Fire, and Ice! Why is it now Ice, Thunder, and Fire, three of the most notoriously offensive Elemental Power Attributes?! And what First-Ring Martial Sect? This is clearly the battle power of a High-tier Emperor!'

"Could he have been hiding his true strength?!" She blurted out the question unconsciously, a common reaction to extreme shock.

"No, when I got here, I think I heard some upperclassmen say that Mu Chen's Martial Artist Realm was originally only at First-Ring Martial Sect. He reached the Eighth-Ring Martial Emperor realm through Broken Ring!"

"Broken Ring?! How is that possible?!"

Wang Miaoling immediately refuted it. Why? It was common knowledge that Broken Ring could only grant a boost of three rings at most. But in Mu Chen's case, he had clearly jumped more than ten realms. In all her years, it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

"Everyone saw it with their own eyes. There's nothing we can do if you don't believe it, Director!"

"…"

CRACK CRACK CRACK…

The sound of cracking ice echoed from the sky. Mu Chen's brow furrowed. He realized that Shan Tianyu's Combat Awareness was terrifyingly sharp. In just a dozen minutes, his opponent had already adapted to his rhythm and was now matching him blow for blow, not losing any ground. 'If I could just drag this out,' Mu Chen thought, 'I'm absolutely confident I could defeat him with the endless supply of Primordial Power from my nine Dantians!'

But he couldn't. His Eighth-Ring Martial Emperor Realm was the result of Broken Ring, and it only lasted for thirty minutes. From the start of the fight in the cafeteria until now, twenty-six minutes had already passed. He only had four minutes left. Unless he used *that* Secret Technique, he would be the one to lose. But if he unleashed that technique, not even he could control the consequences. He was ninety percent certain that if he used it, Shan Tianyu would die without a doubt.

'What should I do?!'

Gritting his teeth, he swung his sword and once again parried Shan Tianyu's fierce, swift slash. Mu Chen was torn, his mind a battlefield of conflict and indecision.

CLANG!!

Space shuddered as Mu Chen and Shan Tianyu clashed once more. This time, they didn't immediately separate. A confident grin spread across Shan Tianyu's slightly pale face. "Is this all you've got?" he shouted. "I don't know what kind of Secret Technique you're using to control three powerful offensive Attribute Elemental Powers, but from the looks of it, you've reached your limit!"

"So what if I have?"

A strange, synthetic timbre layered Mu Chen's words. He crossed his arms in a forward slash, sending Shan Tianyu stumbling backward. In terms of pure strength, with the explosive power of the Thunder Attribute and the boost from the Taotie Secret Technique, he had no reason to fear a Wind Attribute Martial Artist who specialized in being light and agile!

Forced back by Mu Chen's strike, Shan Tianyu gritted his teeth and charged in again. Their figures blurred as they re-engaged in a tangled melee. Mu Chen's brow tightened. He was growing tired of this stalemate, knowing full well that if it dragged on, he would be the one to lose.

"What's wrong? Scared?" Shan Tianyu taunted with a sneer. "Heh, if I'm not mistaken, the boost from your Broken Ring is about to hit the thirty-minute mark! When that happens, you'll revert to being a First-Ring Martial Sect… oh, no, that's not right! A Nine-Ring Martial King. You'll become a true ant! And my Primordial Power will definitely last until your little trick wears off!!"

It was as if victory were beckoning to him. For some reason, Mu Chen found Shan Tianyu's face incredibly punchable. And with those words, the last of Mu Chen's hesitation evaporated.

"Is that so? Is that your final conclusion?"

His sword blade slid along Shan Tianyu's Fei Green Gentleman's Sword. Using the momentum of the attack, he deflected the blow, and their locked figures broke apart once more.

Halting his forward momentum, Shan Tianyu turned around and laughed. "Am I wrong?"

"Heh heh…"

'Things have come to this,' Mu Chen thought. 'It's time to show him what true despair looks like. The fusion of two attributes can destroy a mountain. So… what about four?'