Yan's fist was about to reach Chen Tian's head. Chen Tian threw out his fists, and the two collided. Yan's expression revealed anger. Did Chen Tian look down on him? As a swordsman, he wasn't using his sword in this duel, clearly telling his opponent he wasn't worthy of him drawing his blade. Yan, unable to suppress his temper, increased the strength in his fists. Yan's fists met Chen Tian's with a thunderous roar, a wave of energy sweeping outwards. Dust kicked up from the surroundings, forming a smokescreen. Sounds continued to emanate from within the smokescreen – the clashing of fists.
Within the smokescreen, Yan was utterly shocked. Chen Tian was actually evenly matched with him in a fistfight. Chen Tian was a swordsman class player, and swordsmen were supposed to have very low physical stats. For Chen Tian's physique to be on par with his, a class that relied on physical strength, was unbelievable. Had this guy put all his points into constitution?
That didn't seem right either! A swordsman's primary attack was their sword. The higher their weapon mastery, the greater the damage dealt by their weapon. If he had invested everything into constitution, Chen Tian's longsword damage would be like scratching an itch. Yet, the damage he dealt against the Lingyun Swordsman earlier wasn't like scratching an itch. Yan pondered this as he traded blows with Chen Tian. Seeing Yan's distraction, Chen Tian increased his strength by several folds. Yan's fists were pushed back continuously, and finally, Chen Tian's double-fisted blow repelled Yan. Yan stopped his retreat by placing his palms on the ground.
Yan looked at Chen Tian and suddenly thought of something. He then asked, "Using your second profession so soon?"
Yan had only one thought: Chen Tian was using his second profession. A feature of the game Epoch of Time was that a player could possess two professions. Once a certain level was reached, these two professions could fuse to create a new one. However, that level was far beyond what newcomers like them could achieve and required time. The reason Epoch of Time was so popular was its many unique features, such as self-created skills, profession fusion, and diverse professions.
Chen Tian didn't reply. He was fine with the other party thinking that way; it would prevent suspicion. Chen Tian was merely using his own physical strength. Yan's profession was that of a pugilist, excelling in strength and physical resilience. Chen Tian was using his in-game character's strength, but it was important not to forget that Chen Tian had received many constitution rewards, and even his own stats surpassed those of ordinary players. Chen Tian simply wanted to gauge the opponent's strength.
During the fight, Chen Tian noticed an evil spirit energy devouring Yan from within, and Yan showed no intention of resisting. It seemed he had completely become a lackey of the evil spirits. Chen Tian's expression instantly turned cold. The evil spirits could not be allowed to remain, and even traitors would not be spared. Chen Tian was utterly disappointed in the evil spirits. As Chen Tian took a step forward, he appeared before Yan in a flash. He threw a punch, and Yan, unable to react, was sent flying.
Yan couldn't see Chen Tian's movements. Chen Tian was too fast, too fast to track. His physical strength was comparable to Yan's, but why was his speed also so monstrous? Epoch of Time did have such players, but they were all veteran players. How could a newcomer like him crush him? The thought made Yan's heart ache. Chen Tian's attacks became more ferocious. Yan saw an opening and delivered a sidekick with both legs. Chen Tian blocked with his arms, spreading them apart to deflect Yan's legs. Chen Tian's fist aimed for Yan's head. Yan still possessed combat experience; facing Chen Tian's assault, his arms met Chen Tian's fists, and he retreated a few steps.
Chen Tian pressed his advantage. Such a traitor had no right to exist. He charged forward, sensing Chen Tian's killing intent. Yan knew Chen Tian intended to finish him. He didn't want to die; the only way to survive was to eliminate Chen Tian. This battle was a matter of life and death.
Yan's body trembled as immense power surged from within him, his skin hardening like steel. His body became like an unshakeable iron mountain. He unleashed his created skill, Iron Mountain Force, which enhanced his physique, increasing his body's strength by three hundred to six hundred times. His entire being became an unmovable iron mountain with greatly increased defense. Yan's body was enveloped in silver light. Chen Tian changed his fist into a palm and struck out. A giant palm phantom flew into Yan's sight.
Yan didn't dodge Chen Tian's palm strike, standing his ground. The palm hit Yan's body, causing an explosion. Yan emerged from the blast unharmed. Chen Tian's expression became grim. This guy's defensive capabilities had increased terrifyingly. That palm strike, given Yan's previous physical strength, should have been unbearable. Now, with his defense greatly boosted, Chen Tian needed to exert more power.
"Kid, since I've used my ultimate skill, you might as well accept your fate."
Yan stomped his foot, and the ground beneath him shattered. His power amplified, and the ground within a dozen meters turned into a deep pit. Yan's speed skyrocketed, turning into a streak of light that shot towards Chen Tian. Chen Tian could feel that Yan's all-around stats had improved considerably.
In Chen Tian's eyes, Yan's speed was only slightly faster than before. Coupled with Chen Tian's accumulated combat experience, even with his eyes closed, Yan would be no match for him. Chen Tian was merely toying with him. Chen Tian had discovered something interesting.
Facing Yan's fist, Yan's fist was wrapped in power, which condensed into a gauntlet-like armor. The power in his fist instantly increased severalfold. The force of this punch could now threaten Chen Tian's body. Chen Tian dared not be careless; his fists gathered ice and fire power, which fused perfectly. Chen Tian saw the presence of evil spirit power on Yan's fist. If the opponent intended to trick him, Chen Tian wouldn't hold back.
Chen Tian's ice and fire fusion turned his fists into red and blue lights. As he swung his fists, the collision was earth-shattering. The entire arena collapsed, the ground breaking apart. Chen Tian and Yan were forced out. The onlookers outside the snow cave watched in stunned silence.
What had they just witnessed? A newcomer had forced an veteran player back and even fought him to a draw. Were newcomers this monstrous now?
Yan stood before Chen Tian. The broken map signified a draw. Neither Yan nor Chen Tian was willing to let the other go, and they faced each other outside the snow cave. The players watching retreated, moving away from the area. What was going on? Such a battle could instantly kill lower-level players, and they didn't want to die or lose experience.
Furthermore, they couldn't understand why the two had become so enraged. Where did that intense killing intent in their eyes come from? Did they have a deep-seated hatred for each other?
They truly couldn't comprehend what these two were thinking.
However, it wasn't their concern. If Yan was willing to fight, they were happy about it, as it would allow them to gauge this newcomer's full strength and devise countermeasures. Chen Tian had shocked them immensely.
A newcomer with two consecutive victories, both against veteran players. Although these veteran players had only been playing for a little over a year, a newcomer achieving such a record was enough to make him famous.
In Epoch of Time, combat relied on level and stats. Chen Tian didn't need to rely on Chen Tian's combat skills and experience to make up for the gap. Chen Tian had once said that no matter how powerful a force was, without proper control, it was ultimately not power.
What was the use of high-level stats if you couldn't utilize that strength, ultimately failing to unleash even half of its potential?
Chen Tian had been refining his control over power as he gained it. Only when power control was in place did it truly become his own.
Uncontrolled, immense power would ultimately destroy its wielder.
Chen Tian and Yan collided repeatedly. Evil spirit energy slowly began to manifest on Yan's body. Chen Tian saw this, realizing that with this progression, Yan would eventually transform into an evil spirit.
Chen Tian distanced himself. Yan was now enraged and only knew how to attack, swinging his fists. A phantom of black wings materialized behind him. Chen Tian's expression turned serious. He brought his hands together, then spread them apart, and a barrier rapidly expanded from Chen Tian's body, separating the players. They were prevented from entering Chen Tian's vicinity.
The barrier isolated the players for thousands of meters. It could be said that no one could enter the area within a thousand-meter radius of the snow cave.
Chen Tian had done this to protect the other players. The burst of evil spirit energy could corrupt players with weak willpower into puppets, and Chen Tian did not want to see that happen.
"Alas, what a shame. So much experience, all gone."
Chen Tian sighed. He had originally planned to duel each of these hundreds of players. Who knew there would be lackeys of the evil spirits among them? In the subsequent battles, Chen Tian couldn't hide his strength. Once his full power was revealed, no player would dare challenge him. Chen Tian was heartbroken!
All that experience, lost.
After the previous