Pfft!
With a soft sound, Chu Xun's claws easily tore through the surface of the white brick, then continued to sink deeper. However, to his surprise, the deeper he went, the harder the brick became, and in the end, despite his full strength, he could only sink his palm halfway into the brick before he couldn't go any further.
"This..." Feeling the hardness from his fingertips, Chu Xun knew he'd reached his limit. He furrowed his brow slightly and withdrew his hand.
At the same time, a strange result appeared on the display screen beside the destruction testing machine—H2!
"H2? What does this mean?" Seeing the result of his test, Chu Xun was momentarily confused.
"Good, you didn't disappoint me after all!" At that moment, Chu Kuangren suddenly slapped Chu Xun heavily on the shoulder and said with satisfaction, "H2 means that your full-strength destruction capability is enough to harm an ordinary second-level mutated creature! In your age group, that is already outstanding!"
"Really?" Hearing Chu Kuangren's praise for the first time, Chu Xun felt a wave of joy in his heart.
"I have to say, your ability is impressive, especially in terms of strength and destructive power. You're one of the best I've seen among young abilities users," Chu Kuangren nodded, then his expression grew serious. "But unfortunately, it seems you've never had formal training, so you can't unleash your true power. In my opinion, you're currently only tapping into about 20% of your full potential!"
"20%?" Upon hearing Chu Kuangren's words, Chu Xun froze. He could hardly believe that he was only using 20% of his actual strength.
That seemed a bit too exaggerated, didn't it?
"Don't believe it?" Seeing the disbelief on Chu Xun's face, Chu Kuangren suddenly laughed. "Kid, I know you're training for the student assessment in half a month. I guarantee that if you train with me, you'll achieve great results in the assessment. You might even have a real chance at becoming the top scorer!"
"Alright!" Chu Kuangren's words struck a chord with Chu Xun. He immediately nodded, his face serious, and said, "As long as I can win the top spot in the student assessment, no matter how hard or tiring it is, I won't give up!"
"Haha, I love your enthusiasm!" Seeing Chu Xun's determination, Chu Kuangren seemed to be infected by his energy. He laughed heartily and then suddenly looked at Chu Xun, baring his white teeth in a mischievous grin, saying, "The thing I'm best at is combat training, so let's start with that. You and I, one-on-one, right now!"
"What? I have to fight you?" Staring at the fierce-looking Chu Kuangren, Chu Xun was stunned.
Honestly, Chu Xun never imagined that Chu Kuangren would jump straight into such a "cruel" hands-on combat lesson. In his mind, a teacher would usually first teach you how to stand, how to punch, step by step, building up techniques. Only when you're ready would they challenge you to a one-on-one fight.
But now, Chu Kuangren was rewriting the script!
"Scared?" Seeing the hesitation on Chu Xun's face, Chu Kuangren suddenly asked.
"It's not that I'm scared, it's just that I know my limits." Chu Xun frowned slightly and replied, "With my current strength, fighting you would be like asking for trouble!"
"Knowing your limits? Ha, that's just a cover for fear and weakness." Chu Kuangren shook his head, his expression suddenly turning serious. "Do you know what's most important for us, as powerful ability users?"
"Abilities and techniques?" Chu Xun thought for a moment before answering. "Abilities give us strength, and techniques allow us to make full use of that strength."
"Wrong. The most important thing for us is courage!" Chu Kuangren shook his head and gave an answer that left Chu Xun shocked.
"Courage?" Chu Xun was momentarily taken aback.
"First, remember this: we're not just ability users, we're warriors!" Chu Kuangren's face grew even more serious as he locked eyes with Chu Xun. His voice dropped to a low tone. "A warrior is a shield against the enemy and a sword to pierce them. We're destined to fight on the front lines, taking the most damage and facing the greatest danger. Only those who are brave enough can stay calm in the face of danger, deal with it, and then overcome enemies who seem more powerful than us."
At this point, Chu Kuangren suddenly gazed into Chu Xun's eyes and reminded him, "Remember one thing: 'The brave will win when the road is narrow.' As a warrior, you should never lose the courage to fight!"
"The brave will win when the road is narrow?" After hearing Chu Kuangren's words, Chu Xun pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
He had never lacked courage; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to fight to the death with his enemies in the past!
Since they were going to fight, so be it. If he got hurt, that was nothing; after all, he had died once before—was he really afraid of getting injured?
"Alright, let's go!" Taking a deep breath, Chu Xun's eyes suddenly sharpened. He slightly spread his arms, and his sharp claws shot out like daggers, aiming at Chu Kuangren.
He wouldn't dare be careless in a fight with such a powerful opponent!
"Haha, I knew you weren't a coward!" Seeing the fiery look in Chu Xun's eyes, Chu Kuangren laughed heartily. He nodded and said, "Alright, I won't bully you. I'll suppress my strength and speed to your level, so you'll lose with dignity."
Crack! Crack! Crack!
As soon as his words finished, a series of bone-cracking sounds came from Chu Kuangren's body. Then, an astonishing scene occurred. Chu Kuangren's body began to twist rapidly and shrink. Even his bulging muscles deflated like air being let out of a balloon.
After a few seconds, a "shrunk" version of Chu Kuangren appeared before Chu Xun. Although he was still taller and more muscular than Chu Xun, his height of 1.8 meters now seemed much smaller compared to before.
"Whoa, is this guy some kind of Transformer?" Seeing this, Chu Xun's pupils contracted in shock.
"Don't be surprised, this is just basic muscle control." Chu Kuangren waved his hand and said, "Alright, now we can fight seriously. Come at me!"
"Okay!" Hearing Chu Kuangren's words, Chu Xun didn't hesitate or make excuses. He immediately shouted and kicked off the ground. His body shot forward like a leopard, his right hand transforming into a claw and reaching for Chu Kuangren.
Thanks to his Alien gene, Chu Xun's claws were as sharp as second-tier alloy weapons. If he didn't use them, it would be a waste!
With the terrifying power of his Ant gene driving him, Chu Xun's attacks now packed nearly two tons of force. As the saying goes, the greater the strength, the faster the speed. At this moment, his right claw shot forward like lightning, accompanied by a sharp tearing sound, reaching Chu Kuangren in the blink of an eye. A fraction of an inch more, and it would have torn the skin from Chu Kuangren's face.
Chu Xun didn't hold back; if Chu Kuangren couldn't handle this, he wouldn't be fit to be a combat instructor.
"Heh, straightforward, huh? Such a childish attack." Facing the sharp claws aimed directly at his face, Chu Kuangren even found time to laugh. At the same time, his left hand shot up like lightning and struck Chu Xun's elbow.
Instantly, Chu Xun felt as if the power in his right arm was cut off. It softened slightly, and he couldn't advance another inch!
However, Chu Xun, being no stranger to battle, quickly reacted. He lifted his right leg, preparing to kick Chu Kuangren.
"Your center of gravity is too high. You'll lose your balance!" Chu Kuangren seemed to have predicted the move, and before Chu Xun could even begin his kick, Chu Kuangren's foot struck.
To Chu Xun's disbelief, instead of kicking him in the torso, Chu Kuangren's kick landed precisely on his raised foot.
Suddenly, Chu Xun felt a sharp pain in the sole of his foot, followed by a surge of power. While the strength wasn't too great, it caused his balance to collapse. He staggered and fell backward.
Thud!
With a dull thud, Chu Xun crashed heavily to the ground, and Chu Kuangren sighed helplessly, "Your foundation is too poor. Don't even talk about matching my strength. Even if my strength is much lower than yours right now, I could still easily defeat you. If I wanted to kill you, it'd be even easier."
"Please teach me more, Instructor. I'll learn with all my heart!" Chu Xun, who had only fallen due to losing his balance and wasn't injured, immediately got up. His face was flushed with embarrassment for his performance.
Chu Kuangren was right. Chu Xun could feel it clearly—although Chu Kuangren's two attacks used minimal force, less than half of Chu Xun's strength, he had still easily knocked Chu Xun down. The gap in combat