Chapter 51: Dominant

Both individuals were wielding weapons. Xia Youhui still carried the towering and hefty shield, resembling a hedgehog with the ten-centimeter-long spikes.

"Here I come!"

Accompanied by a low growl, a majestic and heavy aura erupted from Xia Youhui. A faint earthy glow appeared on his skin as his entire person seemed to emanate a powerful presence.

Bang!

Xia Youhui thundered towards Chen Chu, and with each step, the ground trembled slightly. Onlookers could vaguely see the image of a colossal tortoise charging forward as he ran.

Instantly, Chen Chu became excited, feeling his blood start to boil.

Roar!

Accompanied by a faint elephant-like roar, a violent force erupted from within Chen Chu. Gripping the saber in both hands, he shot forward, instantly transforming into a blur.

His speed exceeded 40 meters per second, forcefully colliding with Xia Youhui almost immediately. The straight saber, carrying formidable strength, slashed against the shield.

Boom!

The air exploded, resonating like the grand tolling of a bell.

Chen Chu didn’t unleash his true power for this strike. It was just a regular outburst of strength. Yet, combined with the kinetic energy carried by his speed, the force of this slash was close to three thousand kilograms. As it struck the shield, sparks flew, and his vitality boiled.

However, Xia Youhui resembled a formidable Black Tortoise in his defense. His feet were firmly planted on the ground, as if rooted, exhibiting no movement or sway even when subjected to the forceful impact.

With the Black Tortoise Earthly Art, his true power connected with the earth beneath him... the cement floor. As long as he remained still, he could channel most of the impact force from opposing attacks into the ground through the fluctuations of his internal true power and the triangular shape he formed with his shield.

To shift him, Chen Chu's burst of power would need to be at least twice as potent. Otherwise, it would be impossible to move him even a bit.

Swoosh!

Chen Chu's figure flashed, appearing at Xia Youhui's side. His straight saber, held horizontally, made a sharp horizontal slash, tearing through the air. The blade's sharpness created an ear-piercing gust of wind due to the incredible speed.

Boom!

The ferocious strike was once again blocked by the thorned shield, creating an explosion of countless sparks, and unable to budge Xia Youhui in the slightest.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Chen Chu executed a series of slashes around Xia Youhui, but he swiftly turned, using the shield to block each one. From a distance, it appeared as if Chen Chu's blade was willingly offering itself to the shield, creating an eerie sight.

"I told you, I’m quite powerful now." With a triumphant laugh, Xia Youhui charged forward, keeping the shield in front of himself and enhancing his attack with a powerful rebounding force.

Shield and straight saber collided with a resounding crash. Chen Chu stood his ground, steadfast and immovable, blocking Xia Youhui with his blade in a two-handed grip.

"How is this possible? Your strength!" Xia Youhui expressed surprise.

Chen Chu, wearing a slight smile, nodded approvingly. "Well done. Your strength really has improved significantly after that breakthrough, both in defense and power. I guess it’s time for me to take this seriously."

As he spoke, Chen Chu's true power erupted, causing his muscles to suddenly swell under the stimulation. A ferocious energy surged into the sky, and he resembled an enraged giant elephant.

Boom!

Strengthened by true power, Chen Chu gripped his saber with both hands and unleashed a full-force slash. The air in front of the blade emitted red sparks as it was heated by the rapid speed.

Bang!

A muffled roar exploded as the blade and shield clashed. Xia Youhui felt an overwhelming force like a landslide and a tsunami. He involuntarily took a few steps back, each one causing a slight tremor from the amount of force being diverted into the ground with his art.

Boom!

Without giving Xia Youhui a chance to react, Chen Chu took a step forward, also causing the ground to tremble. Amidst the roaring winds, he once again slashed the shield across its middle with tremendous force, pushing Xia Youhui back several more steps with overpowering strength.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Step by step, Chen Chu wielded his saber with unparalleled ferocity, forcing Xia Youhui to continuously retreat. The faint earthy glow on Xia Youhui's body flickered, growing darker with each impact. Xia Youhui's arms were becoming numb, and his face wore an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

Chen Chu's energy was incredibly fierce. With seventeen consecutive slashes, he had forced Xia Youhui completely back by thirty meters, stopping only when he got close to the wall.

Watching the scene of the young and handsome boy attacking with a saber, Luo Fei's eyes sparkled with admiration from a distance.

Li Wenwen, on the other hand, had her mouth wide open in disbelief. Chen Chu only practiced low-level arts. Now that everyone was in the Second Heavenly Realm, wasn’t his strength supposed to be mediocre?

Is this considered mediocre? Xia Youhui’s absorbed that Colossal Beast’s Essence, and he’s stronger now than the other ordinary geniuses in every way, but he’s completely powerless here!

"Old Xia, do you want to continue?"

"No, no more." Xia Youhui shakily lowered his shield. As his true power dispersed, he felt aches throughout his entire body.

Phew! That was refreshing.

Chen Chu exhaled deeply, feeling a sense of relief. This was the first time since breaking through to the Second Heavenly Realm that he had unleashed his power in such a reckless and unrestrained fashion.

Among his classmates, only Xia Youhui could withstand such a domineering attack from him. Chen Chu’s speed and strength were such that he could cleave even a small car in two with a single slash.

The only reason he stopped when he did was because he had run out of energy. This was the largest downside of low-level arts—they couldn’t cultivate as much true power. Even now, after half a month of training, he could still only unleash his full power for a total of seventeen attacks, which wasn’t very much more stamina from the ten attacks he could do right after breaking through.

Xia Youhui, on the other hand, looked like he still had some true power left to use, and had only stopped because of being intimidated by Chen Chu’s ferocious aura. That didn’t necessarily mean that he was stronger; more that high-level arts had significant advantages in various aspects, such as the amplification and endurance of true power.

In a life-or-death battle, however, Chen Chu was confident that he could kill him within five strikes. In such a scenario, it would be more efficient to seize the opportunity when Xia Youhui had been forced back, and use his overwhelming strength and speed to launch a surprise attack from behind, rather than continuing the head-on confrontation.

Xia Youhui rubbed his shoulders, looking baffled. "Ah Chu, how is your strength so great? Didn't you just break through to the Second Heavenly Realm?"

"It’s probably because of the Dragon Elephant Art. My strength’s gotten much greater while practicing it. It looks like my power’s increased even more after the breakthrough," Chen Chu casually excused.

Xia Youhui didn't believe it. "Cut it out. My Black Tortoise Earthly Art focuses on both defense and strength. And I've also absorbed the Colossal Beast’s Essence, but I’m still not as strong as you."

Chen Chu shook his head. "I’m not really sure, either. The only thing I can think of is my compatibility with the Dragon Elephant Art."

Xia Youhui had nothing to say about this reason. It was certainly a versatile excuse; after all, just flipping through a book had allowed Luo Fei, who was only moderately talented, to catch up with his genius speed in cultivation.

To say nothing of that freak among the freshmen, the second-ranked Li Hao. He had a perfect compatibility with the high-level arts he practiced, and his strength was absurdly powerful. Even before breaking through to the Second Heavenly Realm, he was already using a several-hundred-kilogram iron rod as a weapon.

Thinking of this filled Xia Youhui with regret. "If I’d known you were so strong, I wouldn't have sparred with you. It’s gonna cost at least a few thousand to repair my shield this time."

Both of their weapons were made of F-grade alloy. Under Chen Chu's full-powered strikes, Xia Youhui's shield had suffered numerous deep scars and pockmarks; even some of the spikes had been cut off.

Similarly, Chen Chu's saber was also showing many notches on its surface, especially after so many battles. It would only be later, when they could envelop their weapons with true power, that such damage would be avoided.

Chen Chu’s eyes gleamed. “Old Xia, are you going to repair your weapon? That’s perfect, could you take mine for repair, too?”

“....Fine.” Even though he had gotten thoroughly suppressed just now, Xia Youhui agreed without any hesitation, knowing his best friend’s poor financial standing.