Book 3, Chapter 279: As My Mind Wants

The screen inside the Resolution Department showed Chen Chuan and Sancheng Huang.

The Resolution Department paid close attention to the duel, because Fierce Wave School was famous, and so was Sancheng Huang. They believed he was a powerful enemy.

In order to make sure no one bothered them and no organization would interfere from the shadows, they had sealed off all information about the duel and set up hidden guards in the area.

No one aside from the Resolution Department knew that duel was about to happen.

The square in front of the temple was spacious, and the tiles under the feet felt firm. This was because the temple had produced Third Limit martial artists before, so the tiles had been custom-made.

Sancheng Huang stared at Chen Chuan for a while, then slowly brought his hand up, put it on the saber hilt, and gripped it tightly as if he was about to draw it out, but after a moment, he exhaled and let go before bowing deeply to Chen Chuan. “Please forgive me!”

Surprised, Chen Chuan asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Chen, but I admit defeat!” Sancheng Huang bowed again.

Dumbfounded, Chen Chuan stared at him. “But we haven’t even fought yet. Why do you think you’ve lost?”

“There’s no need for us to fight. From the moment I saw you, I knew that I’m not a match for you. I’ve lost,” Sancheng Huang replied with utmost seriousness.

“If that’s what you’re claiming, then there’s no need for the duel anymore,” Chen Chuan said.

“Please forgive me for doing this and disappointing you. I want to stay alive.”

Then, Sancheng Huang raised his voice and drew his saber. “But if it’s just a spar and not a fight to the death, I’m sure that you won’t kill me. I believe that I could be a good sparring partner!”

The Resolution Department members gave each other confused looks. They had thought that this was going to be a violent fight, so they weren’t expecting this to happen.

One of them frowned and asked, “What’s going on with Sancheng Huang? Is he trying to trick Captain Chen so that he can kill him when his guard is down?”

“That’s a possibility.”

Most martial artists were the type to keep marching forward no matter what, and few would admit defeat before a fight even began. Besides, Sancheng Huang had traveled across the ocean to look for Chen Chuan. How could he be willing to admit defeat before the fight even happened?

Anyone would think that he had some kind of ulterior motive, so they began to worry for Chen Chuan.

“Don’t fall for it, Captain Chen...”

“That’s right! We need to warn Captain Chen!”

Others scoffed at this. Chen Chuan had defeated plenty of powerful opponents from the moment he joined the Resolution Department. He wouldn’t fall for such a cheap trick. There was no need for them to be worried about him.

“I seldom meet martial artists like you, Mr. Sancheng,” Chen Chuan said.

“It’s nothing special. I’ve always believed it wise to know when to fold. If a martial artist runs into a powerful opponent, they should know when to give up instead of facing someone they can’t defeat due to bravado,” Sancheng Huang replied. After a brief pause, he continued, “My master scoffs at me because of this and believes that I will never be able to master the true legacy of the school. Jiancheng Sheng had the most potential, but he’s already died. If all the other disciples who can master the legacy die as well, then I’ll be the only one left. Who else will my master teach the legacy to aside from me then?

“As you can see, no matter how strong your legacy, belief, and reputation are, they can’t compare to staying alive.”

Chen Chuan could sense that Sancheng Huang was telling the truth. When he spoke, he had released his mind and biofield, and both were in perfect harmony. This showed that it was indeed his belief, and he was being honest.

After some careful consideration, he said slowly, “It’s not that you don’t have a strong belief, but instead of some vague, distant goals, you’ve chosen to walk down a practical path.”

“You understand me! I’m glad!” Sancheng Huang said excitedly.

As Chen Chuan watched Sancheng Huang, he realized that the man was right. Even though they wouldn’t be able to fight to their hearts’ content, Sancheng Huang was going to be a

great

sparring partner.

An opponent like Sancheng Huang would be great to polish his mind. While Hongfu was even better, she was unable to hurt him no matter how strong she became. This was a rule set by the university.

But if Sancheng Huang had the chance to hurt him, would he show mercy?

Chen Chuan lifted the Frost King Saber and positioned it horizontally in front of him before flinging the sheath to the side. “Let’s begin.”

Sancheng Huang raised his saber with both hands and positioned it in front of him. His sleeves slid down his arms to reveal firm forearms.

After a moment’s pause, he shouted and crossed the space between them to deliver a slash.

Chen Chuan pushed his saber up to parry it, but before their weapons could clash, Sancheng Huang changed the trajectory of his slash and had it swinging in from his side.

Chen Chuan also changed the trajectory of the Frost King Saber. He used his other hand to push against the back of the saber to turn it around and push it down, effectively blocking Sancheng Huang’s path. Sancheng Huang shifted his saber and jumped back.

Immediately, Chen Chuan sensed that Sancheng Huang was doing his best to avoid touching the Frost King Saber and used this to deliver a few slashes.

Yet Sancheng Huang kept avoiding him and practically never used his saber, which forced him into an incredibly passive position. After just a few slashes, Chen Chuan put his saber against Sancheng Huang’s neck.

“Why do you keep running away, Mr. Sancheng?” Chen Chuan asked.

“Because the voice in my mind has told me that I can’t touch your saber. I’ll lose even faster that way, so I could only dodge,” Sancheng Huang answered in resignation.

“The voice in your mind?”

“My junior brother had reached the state where the mind is the only one that knows what the heart truly wants, but I’ve reached the state of being able to move as my mind wants. Before I face off against an enemy, I can instantly tell whether I can win or not. I can also figure out what I’m not supposed to do. This voice is what put me in such a passive state.

“I also admitted defeat earlier because my mind told me to.”

Chen Chuan pondered over this. There was some level of skill involved in Sancheng Huang’s ability to detect danger with his mind. It was true that his saber might break if he used it to block the Frost King Saber.

Since this was just a spar and not a fight to the death, it was only natural that he would put more care into certain things.

Chen Chuan pulled his saber back from Sancheng Huang’s neck and turned off his Realm Pass. Then, he asked, “Mr. Sancheng, is the ability to figure out what you should or should not do part of the teachings of your school?”

Sancheng Huang nodded. “It is indeed one of the teachings of my school, but it differs from person to person. What we sense is not the same.

“Based on what I know, some people are naturally gifted when it comes to the mind. The moment they begin mental training, they only need a bit of guidance before they gain special mental abilities.

“Bianyue Yizhen, my senior brother, is able to sense his opponents from far away, and he could do that soon after he joined the school. No matter where his opponent goes, they can’t run away from him.

“Some people are also able to sense danger before it arrives and avoid it. If I could do that, I would not have set up the duel.”

Chen Chuan nodded. The Iron Monster was that sort of person.

He had been able to detect danger ahead of time and avoid it. Part of the reason why he had been able to gain such fame and always get out of encirclements was because of this ability.

“But my master has always stressed for us to not chase after such things, because as we continue training, we’ll slowly gain our own unique ability. It’s a pity that I haven’t gotten one yet,” Sancheng Huang sounded quite regretful about it.

Chen Chuan laughed. “I believe that you’ll learn one sooner or later.”

With Sancheng Huang’s principle of surviving at any cost, he was bound to live longer than anyone else, and as long as he remained alive, he would have hope of picking up a unique ability.

Then, Chen Chuan changed tracks and asked something that caught his interest. “According to what you said, if you think you can win, you will definitely be able to win against your opponent?”

“If you have a firm belief that it’s going to happen, it won’t just be a vague possibility. You must understand that your thoughts can turn into substantial power,” Sancheng Huang answered seriously.

Chen Chuan considered it before nodding.

Setting aside mental techniques, he could already sense that once he trained his mind to a certain degree, it could be used to replenish the body. It would make him attack faster, with more strength, and more accuracy.

Perhaps once his mind got strong enough, he could even do things that he normally couldn’t.

“The last slash Jiancheng Sheng delivered came from a distance,” he pointed out.

Sancheng Huang was quite surprised and lamented, “A remote slash? Then, he used the Mind of the Blade. I thought that he would need a few more years to use this attack in a real fight. Looks like he had improved quickly.”

He had only heard about Jiancheng Sheng’s defeat, but never got the details. From the looks of it, he had underestimated

both

of them.

Meanwhile, Chen Chuan was thinking about how Jiancheng Sheng hadn’t relied entirely on his own strength that day. The Skyhigh Jade’s jade cores should have played a part in it.

“Can you do it?” he asked.

“I can, but I won’t, because the attack uses the blood essence and mutated tissue hidden in my saber,” Sancheng Huang answered honestly.

“I respect and fear my master, unlike my other peers, who only respect and admire him. That’s why it might make my mind instinctively reject this attack. If I force it, something might happen. But even if I did it willingly, it wouldn’t be authentic.

“Perhaps if I were in a life-and-death situation, but there’s no telling what sort of choice I’d make in such a situation. Maybe I’d just accept my death with open arms.”

“Your mental is stronger than your junior brother’s, but if you keep running away, the sparring session today will be meaningless,” Chen Chuan pointed out.

Sancheng Huang’s expression turned stern. “I have some simple techniques I haven’t used yet. If you want to see them, I can show them as thanks for you sparing my life.”

Chen Chuan lifted his saber and said, “That’s what I wanted to hear.”