Chen Chuan watched Xiang Boqing draw ever closer and understood his intent. He was here to stop him, to deny him the chance to thoroughly kill the attacker from before.
He raised a hand, palm facing forward. Light suddenly flashed, unleashing a Spiritual Impact toward him.
Xiang Boqing was vastly experienced. A moment before it erupted, he dodged to the side, barely slowing his advance.
But then he sensed something was wrong. He swiftly flashed aside again as a Spiritual Impact shot past his flank, tearing open his outer field and shearing off a wisp of flame from the Spiritual Fire gathered over his body.
A two-stage Spiritual Impact...
He made his assessment inwardly, while his body continued surging forward. Yet another flash entered the corner of his eye, and a faint warning rose in his heart.
There's more?
Propelled by Spiritual Fire, he shifted sideways through the air. He was already quite close to Chen Chuan; another step forward would take him into the true inner circle. But after staring deeply at Chen Chuan, he did not press closer. Instead, he retreated outward against all expectations, no slower than when he had charged in.
He had rapidly analyzed the situation and determined that three stages of Spiritual Impact were not Chen Chuan's limit. He could also tell that each came faster than the last. As the distance closed, his reaction time would grow ever shorter. Continuing forward would be too risky; there was a high chance he would take a hit.
Though he had confidence in his own defenses, and damage to a Profound Cave Observation Fighter's body was no great concern, he had no desire to rashly place himself at a disadvantage.
Besides, his objective had been achieved. He had tied Chen Chuan down, leaving him no time