The outcome left everyone present in disbelief. Some trainees who had arrived late and had not heard the rules could not help speaking up. "What's going on? How did Luo Hai lose because of a violation?"
"These were the rules agreed upon beforehand. Since his opponent only had the strength of an Elementary War God, Luo Hai was forbidden from using force-amplification techniques," explained a trainee who had watched the entire match.
"That's unfair!"
"Why should Luo Hai's strength be restricted?"
Several of Luo Hai's diehard fans spoke indignantly, dissatisfied with the result of the match.
That was right. Because of his outstanding performance lately, Luo Hai now had diehard fans in the Training Camp as well.
However, no one cared about the emotions of those few fans. Everyone gazed at Chen Yuan on the arena with reverence.
Whether Luo Hai's strength had been restricted or not, he was still a Peak War God. His punching force exceeded 500,000 kilograms.
Chen Yuan, on the other hand, was merely an Elementary War God. Even if he used force-amplification techniques, he could not possibly surpass Luo Hai in raw strength.
Yet despite such a massive disparity, Chen Yuan had not only perfectly evaded more than a hundred of Luo Hai's strikes, but had even calmly avoided the fatal blow Luo Hai unleashed after breaking the rules. That alone was enough to earn the solemn respect of every trainee present.
After all, among these elite trainees, the vast majority could not even withstand a single strike from Luo Hai when fighting opponents of the same level, let alone when they were weaker in strength. In their eyes, Chen Yuan's performance could only be described in four words.
Divine and unfathomable!
On the arena, Luo Hai finally came back to his senses. He looked at Chen Yuan with a complicated expression and could not help asking, "That movement technique just now... how did you do it?"
"Just consider it the result of my training over this period," Chen Yuan said with a smile. In truth, it had nothing to do with movement technique. It was the extraordinarily powerful perception granted by the Power of Mind that allowed him to predict Luo Hai's every move and evade with ease.
"Your rate of improvement is too outrageous. I feel that if we fought in Virtual Space, I might already be no match for you." Luo Hai shook his head with a sigh. "Is this what a true Earth genius is like? Your strength changes by the day."
"Give it a few more decades, and I honestly suspect you might even catch up to my eldest and second uncles."
Chen Yuan merely smiled without saying anything.
In reality, the person he wanted to chase was Luo Feng, Earth's true number one.
But there was no need to voice such a boast. Chen Yuan jokingly said, "Don't forget, when we first met, you lost three matches to me in a row."
He was reminding Luo Hai not to become discouraged just because he could not defeat someone. If they were talking about failure, Luo Hai had already failed on the first day.
"Right, you still haven't used your Illusion Technique!" Luo Hai suddenly remembered that and immediately felt much more relieved. A smile returned to his face. "It's too noisy here. Once we get back, let's enter Virtual Space and review the match. I need to properly study how to deal with you."
"I'll be ready anytime." Chen Yuan's lips curled upward.
The two of them ignored the crowd and left the Training Ground directly.
Time passed unnoticed, and soon it was deep into the night. The Training Ground, so lively during the day, was now completely empty.
Inside the Training Ground, on the arena where Chen Yuan and Luo Hai had fought earlier that day, a graceful figure repeatedly practiced a peculiar footwork technique.
"Something still feels off." Yu Qinglan stopped, her brows tightly furrowed.
"How strange. What kind of movement technique is this? It had been so exquisite when he used it during the day, so why does my imitation seem so mediocre?" Yu Qinglan murmured.
"It's simple, because that was not a movement technique at all. He merely predicted Luo Hai's movements and reacted accordingly." A man's voice suddenly sounded behind Yu Qinglan.
"Who's there?" Yu Qinglan turned around vigilantly. Only after seeing who it was did she relax. "So it's you, Junior Brother Chen Yuan. Why aren't you resting this late?"
"Senior Sister Yu, are you... training?" Chen Yuan walked over to Yu Qinglan and glanced down.
If he remembered correctly, the place where Yu Qinglan was standing now was exactly where he had stood during his fight with Luo Hai that day.
Hearing Chen Yuan's words, Yu Qinglan gave a faint smile. "Yes. After watching your battle with Luo Hai today, I thought your movement technique was very powerful, so I came here alone tonight to study it."
"I'm afraid it's more than just studying it, isn't it?" Chen Yuan lowered his gaze to the spot where Yu Qinglan stood, looking thoughtful. "This position is exactly the same, down to the slightest detail."
"Senior Sister Yu, what sort of practice requires even the standing position to be identical?"
The smile on Yu Qinglan's face stiffened. She followed Chen Yuan's gaze downward and realized he was looking at her feet. Instinctively, she took half a step back.
That retreat made Chen Yuan realize his gaze seemed somewhat impolite. He withdrew his eyes and coughed awkwardly.
That soft cough broke the subtle atmosphere between them. Yu Qinglan suddenly chuckled and decided to be honest with him. "Since you've noticed, Junior Brother Chen, I won't hide it from you."
"Actually, there is a reason I practice like this. It has something to do with a type of Conception I have comprehended," Yu Qinglan explained.
"Conception? I heard Luo Hai mention that you comprehended the Wind Artistic Conception." After thinking for a moment, Chen Yuan continued, "But as far as I know, the Wind Artistic Conception does not seem to possess this sort of ability."
"That is because even within the same Wind Artistic Conception, different branches of comprehension grant different abilities." At this point, Yu Qinglan glanced at Chen Yuan with some puzzlement. "Did Teacher Jiang Fang not teach you this basic knowledge?"
Chen Yuan shook his head, his tone helpless. "Teacher Jiang only taught me once, then she stopped wanting to come."
"You must have discouraged her." Yu Qinglan covered her mouth and laughed softly. "If I remember correctly, Teacher Jiang's force amplification is only 4.2 times."
"Since you don't know, I'll explain it briefly." Yu Qinglan's expression turned serious. "According to martial arts hall records, there are currently eight major attributes of Conception: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, and light."
"Each of these eight attributes has its own Conception. For example, both you and I have mastered the Wind Artistic Conception."
"However, Conception is only a broad classification. Beneath it, there are many different branches." Yu Qinglan looked at Chen Yuan. "For example, Junior Brother Chen Yuan, the Wind Artistic Conception you have comprehended should belong to the Agility and speed branches."
"Besides the branches you have mastered, the Wind Artistic Conception has other related branches, such as Violence, Echo, Disorder..."
After pausing, she continued, "And the 'existence' branch that I have comprehended."
"Existence?" Chen Yuan looked puzzled. He could understand the meanings of the branches Yu Qinglan had mentioned earlier.
For instance, Violence should be an image comprehended from violent winds in nature—gales, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
Echo might be related to wind transmitting sound through vibrations, while Disorder was even simpler, an image comprehended from chaotic winds.
But what kind of image was existence? Chen Yuan did not understand, so he looked at Yu Qinglan questioningly.
"The Wind of Existence that I have comprehended is very special." Yu Qinglan hesitated for a moment before revealing the truth to Chen Yuan. "Its ability allows me to perceive things that happened in the past through the wind, as though I were personally present."
"Its image comes from this: wind is everywhere. Even events from a thousand years ago will be remembered by the Flowing Wind and preserved to this day."
"There's actually such a branch?" Chen Yuan's eyes widened in shock.
What shocked him was that this branch of the Wind Artistic Conception was clearly related to time! It might even be the only branch of Conception connected to time.
Perhaps, if he wanted to use the Law of Wind as a springboard to comprehend the Law of Time in the future, this branch of Conception would be crucial!
The moment Chen Yuan heard the image behind the Wind of Existence, he silently made up his mind.
He had to learn it!
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