But now, the Spell’s nine tiers had been combined and condensed into one. Its power solidified, and that new density allowed the armor to ignore the difference in power between the two fighters. Its energy could no longer be converted to the demonic element.
Shale was a bit shocked by this twist. He used his demonic powers a few times more, but try as he might, he was unable to change Han Sen’s element. He had realized that Han Sen had discovered a way to fight back against the demonic power he wielded.
“Han Sen is somehow holding off the demonic power. That is a bit unexpected,” Open Sky Elder said with raised eyebrows.
“Although the demonic powers no longer change him, he is still a half-deified going up against a deified. There is a large gulf in power. It will still be an incredibly difficult fight for Han Sen if he seeks victory,” Qiyu Elder said.
“Even so, as small as it may be, he stands a chance.” Open Sky Elder put all his hopes on Han Sen’s newfound opportunity.
Although Shale’s demonic power had lost much of its effectiveness, Han Sen was still suppressed by his opponent’s might. There was still a staggering difference in their power levels, and Han Sen’s geno arts had only been reinforced to a half-deified level. It still wasn’t going to be enough for Han Sen to fight a deified elite.
Under constant pressure from Shale, Han Sen had to keep changing his movements. He teleported and dodged, keeping Shale from landing a fatal blow.
Han Sen still didn’t have enough power to engage Shale directly. Every move Shale made carried dangerous strength, but Han Sen was managing to keep him from hitting his target.
Exquisite and Li Keer could feel the calmness in Han Sen’s heart. Every time they saw Han Sen on the brink of death, he would surprise them and turn out no worse for wear.
They were on the edge of their seats, and the rest of the audience was even more nervous.
Han Sen was walking a tightrope. If he wasn’t careful, he would fall into a bottomless abyss.
Although his situation looked perilous in the extreme, Han Sen was holding on. Beneath Shale’s oppression, he was able to avoid further injury.
“The cons of Shale being from a smaller race are finally coming to the surface.” Li Chun Qiu sighed in his heart.
Shale was very talented, and he could challenge all sorts of geno arts and perform miracles with his ordinary punching techniques. With his demonic powers, he could go against any deified elite at the same level.
But now, his demonic powers weren’t working. That meant the simplicity of his punching techniques might not cut it. No matter how good a driver someone might be, that skill would still only allow them to drive a car. Even the best driver in the world wouldn’t suddenly develop the ability to fly planes.
Shale’s punching skills were so simple. He could only use ordinary methods as he tried to win this fight. He didn’t have the power to simply end the fight in a moment. He definitely had an advantage, but he had been unable to take Han Sen down.
“If Shale could practice in Outer Sky for a few more years and learn many more top-class geno arts, with his power and talent, he could definitely defeat Han Sen,” Li Chun Qiu thought to himself. He went on to think, “This Han Sen is strong. Any ordinary half-deified would find themselves completely outmatched by Shale. They couldn’t fight him. Within a repetition or two, Shale would analyze their skills and break them. But Han Sen’s skills have been repeated many times, and yet Shale still cannot break them.”
Li Chun Qiu could sense everything that Shale was feeling. Although the fight had changed dramatically, Shale was still determined to do his best to crush Han Sen.
But Li Chun Qiu could see that there were many moments Shale was certain he would get Han Sen, but each time, he failed to lay a finger on his opponent.
Li Chun Qiu began analyzing Shale’s mind. He finally discovered why Shale was unable to break Han Sen’s skills.
Shale needed to see a geno art to see through his opponent’s flaws. And Han Sen’s use of geno arts was not flawless. There were too many flaws, to be exact.
When Shale tried to make use of these flaws, he soon learned that the flaws were traps deliberately laid by Han Sen. They didn’t do much harm to Han Sen’s use of a skill, but they were enough to trap his enemy and provide Han Sen with some breathing room.
Every technique had flaws. There was no such thing as an unbreakable geno art, but Han Sen hid the true flaws of his skills within artificial flaws. For every real flaw, there were nine ones to throw his enemy off course. He let Shale guess which flaw was the real one each time. But even after all this time, Shale had been unable to guess which flaw was the correct one.
“There are 50 paths to choose from, and there are 49 you can pick. Take away one, and it will become a fixed number and a variable. Imperfection is this world’s true perfection. Han Sen has learned the meaning behind what it means to take away one. This guy is so scary. When he grows up, he might end up better than the kids of the Very High.” Open Sky Elder stared at the battle with wide eyes.
“I have heard his self geno arts have required a lot of resources. Even with four years in the Very High, I don’t know if he will make it to deified. Even if he does become a primitive deified, who in this universe could provide him with enough resources to keep him going beyond that?” Qiyu Elder shook his head. He wasn’t very hopeful of Han Sen’s future.
“What a shame. If he was born as a Very High, he might have been another Li Chun Qiu. We would give him all the resources he required. He could have entered the Geno Hall for sure,” Open Sky Elder said.
“Don’t even think about it. You know Old Stubborn won’t let an outsider become a true child of ours,” Qiyu Elder said with a wry smile.
Upon hearing that, Open Sky Elder sighed and said, “Sometimes, I envy Zhang Xuan Dao of the Sky. At least he can do whatever he wants. We cannot do anything.”
Qiyu Elder’s face changed. “You can only say that here. Don’t let Old Stubborn hear you say something like that. You know there are harsh feelings still lingering about the Sky betraying our people.”
Open Sky Elder shook his head and said nothing. He continued to watch the fight between Han Sen and Shale unfold.
Shale’s punches were like demonic lions. Every punch looked as if it could swallow the sky and eat the sun. Han Sen was like a small boat surfing the crazy waves of the sky and the ground. But no matter how scary Shale’s fists were, he was still unable to defeat Han Sen.
A single kernel of corn on a big sea. Han Sen was that kernel, but he could float. It didn’t matter how much the sky and earth raged; they couldn’t take him down into the abyss.
Now, Han Sen’s mind was very clear. He used Under the Sky and God’s Wander. He kept casting from his hands, one after the other. Every knife seemed as if it flipped the sky and the earth.
He had practiced knives for so long. He had learned from the minds of many others, but now, it was Han Sen’s own will and mind that Shale was putting under pressure.
“The sky and the ground are the chessboard. I am one of the chess pieces, but as they move across the sky and the earth, the meaning of the chess pieces is increased. There are a thousand ways for them to be used, and you need a chess piece to follow a path. Without a chess piece, there is no path…” Han Sen’s heart suddenly opened up within him, and he spoke as if he was in a trance, “Under the Sky, I am the path. If I live, the path lives. If I die, then the path dies.”