When countless thoughts flashed through Chen Chuan's mind, Akhtava's dagger finally stabbed toward him.
Because his speed and strength were absolutely greater than his opponent's, and he had not been hindered in the slightest during the earlier clash of Spiritual Impacts, all he needed to do now was shift or turn the arm he was using to guard himself and block the strike with a thicker concentration of Spiritual Fire. That would have been enough to break the attack.
But he did not do so. Instead, he clenched his five fingers, and the muscles in his forearm instantly tightened. The dagger tip struck that thin layer of Spiritual Fire in an instant. It appeared to pierce through it, yet it could not advance even a fraction further.
That was because Chen Chuan had formed a second tough layer of Spiritual Fire within his arm. Even if the first layer was pierced, the layer behind it remained unbreakable.
Akhtava was neither surprised nor flustered when he noticed this. His attacks had always been highly layered. Seeing that his strike had failed, he immediately followed up with another move.
The tip of the dagger suddenly lit up, erupting with a Spiritual Impact in an instant. This time, he held tightly onto the dagger's hilt, and his entire body retreated with the force, abruptly pulling open the distance between them.
Taking advantage of that gap, he drew another breath, raised his free hand, and pointed forward. Another Spiritual Impact shot forth, a thin beam of light flashing toward Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan could tell at a glance that the main purpose of this attack was to obstruct and delay his enemy, buying himself an opportunity for another attack.
His opponent's combat philosophy was correct: maintain a smooth rhythm and seek to control the