Whoosh! Wu Yuan barely vaulted a hundred meters when he abruptly sensed a terrifying force bearing down on him, aiming for the kill.
Swish! He made a sweeping cut with the long saber!
Boom! A cataclysmic collision ensued, sending shockwaves rippling in every direction. Wu Yuan was thrown back dozens of meters, his feet carving two deep trenches in the ground as he landed. Only then was the force of the staff blow finally mitigated.
Through their previous exchanges, Wu Yuan had come to understand that going head-to-head with Grandmaster Chen Luo was near impossible!
In terms of strength, Wu Yuan could consistently muster around 480,000 catties.
But Grandmaster Chen Luo? According to Wu Yuan's estimates from their recent clash, Chen Luo could exert about 650,000 catties of force, and the raw strength of his one-arm punch could deal approximately 210,000 catties. There was a significant disparity between them.
He had superior martial skills, allowing him to integrate with his surroundings, reducing air resistance significantly. This made his saber strikes faster and more menacing. However, having just entered the stage of Environmental Mastery, his control would inevitably waver amidst high-speed movements and intense combat.
On the other hand, unlike his previous adversaries, Grandmaster Chen Luo's every move was nearly flawless, clearly attaining the level of Environmental Mastery as well.
In summary, Wu Yuan's slight advantage in martial skills couldn't compensate for the gap in strength. Moreover, the discrepancy in their physical attributes affected not just their strength but also their speed, endurance, and various other facets of combat power.
But the most critical disadvantage Wu Yuan faced was his weapon!
When I exert my full strength, I'm starting to feel the limits of this divine saber. A third-grade divine weapon is not suitable for battling a Grandmaster.
Third-grade divine weapons were typically wielded by Savant experts. A Grandmaster could unleash 600,000 catties of power at least and their primary weapons and inner armor were generally second grade. In fact, many Grandmasters possessed first-grade divine weapons which significantly boosted their strength.
Where two combatants possessed equal combat power, the advantage of a stronger weapon could not be overlooked. Grandmaster Chen Luo wielded a renowned weapon recorded in the World Land Rankings. It was a second-grade divine weapon, the Greenflame Staff. Once swung, its blows were as explosive as a blast of fire and thunder, and Wu Yuan was currently experiencing its might firsthand.
Haha! So even a Grandmaster needs to employ secret arts to catch up with me? A thought arose in Wu Yuan's mind and he began laughing loudly. "Chen Luo, I wonder how many times you can protect him."
He appeared to be making casual conversation, yet his legs bulked up even further, and he shot forward at a speed that broke the sound barrier.
"Scram!" Chen Luo's face turned pale as his figure blurred to catch up, blocking Wu Yuan with his staff. In terms of burst speed, he was faster than Wu Yuan.
Whether it was Chen Luo or Wu Yuan, their maximum sprint speed could exceed the speed of sound, but it required a buildup of momentum. In an instantaneous burst of speed, Wu Yuan could nearly reach 300 meters per second, while Chen Luo approached the speed of sound.
Of course, both of them were employing secret arts, forcibly exerting power through the high-frequency resonance of their musculoskeletal system, allowing them to forcibly achieve heightened speed. However, maintaining this state over an extended period was challenging.
"Die!" Chen Luo gripped his staff with one hand, pressing in for a close attack. His staff silhouette towered over Wu Yuan like an unstoppable torrential wave.
The staff was a heavy weapon, shorter than a spear yet more agile; longer than a sword yet blunter and heavier. It dealt immense force whether swung, smashed, jabbed, or cleaved.
Moreover, one wouldn't dare block an attack from a Grandmaster lightly.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Wu Yuan parried with his saber, his footsteps as swift as lightning, yet he was forced to retreat.
Wu Yuan's saber was shorter. To win, he needed to engage in close-quarters combat.
However, Chen Luo's staff was too heavy; so heavy that Wu Yuan did not dare to withstand it directly. He could only retreat continuously to disperse the force!
At the same time, Wu Yuan was constantly drawing on the blood-red mist to minimize his body’s fatigue, ensuring he could endure a prolonged battle.
Is this the power of a Grandmaster? Wu Yuan's eyes burned with fervor, unable to hide his shock. Stronger than I expected!
Everything he knew about Grandmasters was merely speculation based on his own abilities and the books he had read. Only through actual combat could he understand how strong a Grandmaster really was.
Wu Yuan did not really want to fight Chen Luo. After all, entering a life-and-death battle without absolute confidence was extremely risky. But if an opponent wanted to fight him, Wu Yuan was not afraid.
Something's off! How can his saber technique and footwork be so fast? Chen Luo’s alarm grew as the fight went on. He's clearly not that strong. Logically speaking, under my relentless assault, even an expert like Li Zi would have been crushed to death by my staff!
Li Zi, already at the pinnacle of the Human Rankings, was a mere opportunity away from entering the Grandmaster level. In Chen Luo's estimation, even if Wu Yuan was more powerful than Li Zi, there were limits to that power.
By right, Wu Yuan should either be dead or severely injured by now. However, not only did Wu Yuan not take any injuries, his attacks grew more ferocious as the battle wore on. He seemed to be retreating step by step, but he was actually perfectly deflecting all of Chen Luo's attacks.
It was simply unbelievable! He was evidently weaker, yet barely at a disadvantage. This could only mean one thing.
This Shadow Blade's martial skills are superior to mine. Coming to this realization, Chen Luo shelved his pride.
Before, he had a feeling that Wu Yuan’s martial skills had reached a high level, but couldn’t be certain what level it had reached. Now, the more he observed and perceived his opponent's movements, the more wary he grew.
The Harmony of Man and Nature is divided into three levels: Perception, Integration, and Unity. Most Grandmasters only reach the Perception level. Meanwhile, this Shadow Blade has definitely reached the Integration level.
There's no doubt! Chen Luo was finally certain. Those blade rays were silent and scarcely stirred the air, a telltale sign that one had reached the Integration level.
At this level, one's body was perfectly integrated into the environment. Be it air, water, or any other battlefield environment, one would experience no resistance from the environment, allowing one to unleash their power to the fullest extent. On the other hand, the opponent would still be affected by the environment. Though exerting the same amount of power, the force ultimately unleashed by each combatant would be vastly different.
Chen Luo was at the Perception level, currently striving toward the Integration level. Therefore, he quickly identified Wu Yuan's stage of martial skill.
Who is this Shadow Blade? Which old fogey is he? Or is he a genius who popped out of nowhere? A myriad of thoughts raced through Chen Luo's mind in an instant. Names flashed by, one after another, but none of them matched. Well, if nothing came to mind, then it was best to forget about it.
No matter who you are, you will die today. Chen Luo's gaze was icy cold. Your martial skills are superior to mine, but only to a certain extent.
My physical constitution is much stronger than yours; my strength, speed, stamina, and endurance are all far superior. I refuse to believe that I can't crush you to death. This was the confidence derived from a powerful body.
Clang! Clang! Both sides fought with all their might, clashing time and again. One attacked, his staff whistling and sweeping, relentless as a tsunami, as if to completely submerge the opponent! One defended, his battle saber heavy and unsophisticated, blade rays forming an impenetrable defense, leaving no opening for the opponent to exploit.
"Is this a Grandmaster-level duel?"
"A battle between Grandmasters?" The red-robed Li Zi, Ninth Prince Jin Rensu, and the weakest black-robed Nan Wei watched the battle with gaping mouths.
Both Chen Luo and Wu Yuan displayed horrifying power. Wherever they passed, sand and stones flew, huge rocks were shattered, numerous cracks appeared on the ground, and even the towering trees on the riverbank toppled. Nothing could stop them. The speed these two experts were clashing surpassed the speed of sound.
This is a Grandmaster! Ninth Prince Jin Rensu stared intently. Is this the limit of the human body?
Li Zi also looked on, filled with longing. He had trained for decades, only a hair's breadth away from reaching the level of a Grandmaster, but this final step was like an insurmountable chasm.
A battle of this caliber? Nan Wei trembled with fear. As a first-rate Adept, he was usually the receiver of praise and adulation.
Yet at this moment, he could hardly make out Wu Yuan and Chen Luo’s movements, only feeling the terrifying aftershocks of their battle.
A single shockwave from their battle could swiftly extinguish his life.