The armored staff car drove outward, followed along the way by numerous security escort vehicles, while lead cars cleared the road ahead. Before long, they arrived at a large park near Wuding District.
Chen Chuan instructed the security escorts to wait outside, and he and Xu Chan got out of the car and walked into the park together.
Even though it was already night, the park was brightly lit. At this hour, Wuding District was in full bustle, with people coming and going and vendors lining the paths with barbecue grills and food stalls. Not far away, a small athletic court was visible with spectator bleachers outside. Under the bright lights, many youths were playing ball while others cheered and shouted encouragement.
Chen Chuan was very fond of such an atmosphere. Glancing over there, he spoke as he walked, "Old Xu, I heard upon my return that there was some trouble along this communication line in Jibei Dao over the past few days. It's thanks to you and our colleagues that the situation was kept under control."
Xu Chan replied, "Section Chief, it was nothing. Compared to before, we all have far more drive in our work now."
Chen Chuan gave an affirmative hum and asked, "Did you read my report?"
Xu Chan nodded. "I did."
Chen Chuan walked a few paces to the side, approached the spectator bleachers, and sat down there together with Xu Chan.
Watching the youths on the court—barely younger than himself—battling back and forth, he said, "This time, I can confirm that I have slain Zhao Zhenye. However, I have a feeling that matters might not be over yet, as this man may have been colluding with certain things from the other side."
"Things from the other side?"
Xu Chan's expression instantly turned solemn. Whether as an Investigation Supervisor or as a member of the Purist Faction, he had to take entities from the other side seriously, for those were the true threat.
Chen Chuan said, "Remember the things we ran into down in the Lower City? I have a feeling that what we encountered this time might be connected to what we saw back then."
Xu Chan watched a youth leap into the air across the court, driving the ball into the hoop with full force to a burst of cheers. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Section Chief, where should our focus lie moving forward?"
Chen Chuan said, "It is enough for each department to perform its own duties properly. Our recent operations haven't been without effect. Barring unforeseen circumstances, I suspect these things won't appear easily for some time.
"However, if my guess holds true, this affair clearly won't end so easily. We should make good use of this period to make ourselves as strong as possible."
He paused. "I plan to leave Center City and cultivate in the Melded Lands for a time, striving to advance further."
Xu Chan nodded, and looking at Chen Chuan, he couldn't help feeling a surge of heartfelt admiration.
Once a fighter reached a certain level, advancement became slower and slower, increasingly so the further one progressed. It was like a water bottle: as water was poured into it, once filled to the brim, it could hold no more. One then had to expand the bottle itself—a step that was exceptionally difficult, an inevitable limitation of being human, of being an individual entity.
Yet ever since he had gotten to know Chen Chuan, he had never seen him pause in his strides. This meant Chen Chuan was still far from hitting such a ceiling, still able to break through continuously forward, with no limit yet in sight.
He thought to himself that perhaps only someone like the section chief could hope to ascend to the realms existing at those higher levels.
Watching a new round of contest unfold on the court after the basket, Chen Chuan said, "Old Xu, your foundation is solid. If anyone in Center City can break through to the Fourth Limit, it has to be you. I hope you can reach that stage as soon as possible to prepare for potentially more perilous situations."
Xu Chan nodded silently. Back when Chen Chuan went to the Melded Lands, Chen Chuan had submitted an application on his behalf to headquarters.
Headquarters had originally dispatched someone prepared to assign him an evaluation mission, but following the elimination of that entity in the Lower City, he was credited with passing the mission directly. Pure substance had previously been delivered to him through a special transport channel, and he had been using it for his cultivation throughout these days.
In the past, he had reached the stage of spiritual perception purely by his own cultivation. Now, with pure substance enhancing his potential, what remained was simply the refining of his spiritual power.
In Chen Chuan's eyes, among most fighters he had seen in Jibei Dao Center City, Xu Chan possessed the greatest strength and potential—the person most likely to become the next martial artist.
It was just that Chen Chuan had walked this path himself and knew how perilous it was. Having great talent did not guarantee one could make it through. Fortunately, in this world, as long as one possessed sufficient resources, certain deficiencies could be remedied.
And conveniently, he currently possessed the means to do so.
After watching the game before them for a while longer, he stood up and said, "Old Xu, come with me. I have something to give you."
He led Xu Chan back out toward his staff car, popped open the trunk, retrieved a small metal case from inside, and handed it to him.
"There are two items inside that can help you enter a higher limit, and the instructions for their use are written within. Old Xu, when you feel you are nearing a breakthrough, remember to use them."
Inside lay the mutated tissue of the blue-winged flying serpent. This substance could increase a fighter's chances of breaking through to the Fourth Limit by more than half, at the cost of causing mutated tissue to grow rampantly; if one wasn't careful, the growth would go too far. Thus, he had also included a nine-aperture lotus seed to suppress the reaction.
If Xu Chan could break through with this, Chen Chuan would gain an even more powerful and completely trustworthy aide.
Xu Chan fell silent for a moment before extending his hands to receive it. Finally, wearing a solemn expression, he bowed to him and said with utter gravity, "Section Chief, I will not fail your expectations."
Chen Chuan hummed in acknowledgment and said, "As for cultivation methods, you can submit a report to headquarters. Once it is approved, I will provide a copy directly from my end. I will leave to cultivate after the New Year. For the branch, while I'm away, discuss and resolve matters with Old Chang and Sister Gao. If there's something you can't resolve, you can go outside the city to consult Mr. Zhuan."
"Branch Chief, I will take it to heart."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Let's head back."
He and Xu Chan returned to the vehicles and parted ways there. Leaving Wuding District, he drove all the way back to the Golden Maple Court villa district in Weiguang District.
When he returned home, he saw that his aunt, Yu Wan, had not gone to sleep yet and was waiting there keeping soup warm. A warm feeling welled up in his heart. He drank the soup before her and chatted with her for a while before returning to his room.
After taking a bath and coming out, he suddenly felt as though something was missing. Thinking about it, he realized he hadn't managed to obtain any spoils of war this time.
A pity.
Still, there would be opportunities in the future.
He took a walk around the collection room, came out, and picked up a pen to circle a few dates on the calendar. After the New Year holidays, he would return to the hunting grounds of the Melded Lands to make an all-out push for the realm of the Longevity View. Before that, several matters had to be arranged in advance.
Having thought it over, he did not practice any further that night, but went straight to bed and fell into a deep sleep before long.
The next day, after waking up, Chen Chuan went first to the Defense Department. By noon, he drove straight toward the southern industrial zone.
At the renovated warehouse area, Mr. Zhuan and Mask Gentleman had already returned ahead of him. Over the past few days, Mr. Zhuan's injuries had mostly healed.
For this battle and his injuries, Jibei Dao Center City had fully compensated him for his nutritional loss. With the old imperial family's forces repelled and the two center cities connected, resources belonging to the Outer Ocean had begun to circulate and be utilized effectively. Aside from Chen Chuan, supplying two more martial artists would be more than sufficient, and even more resources would be developed in the future.
Seeing Chen Chuan walk in, Mask Gentleman was the first to greet him. "Good day, Commissioner Chen."
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "Good day, Mr. Tang." Then he said to Mr. Zhuan, "Good day, Mr. Zhuan."
Mr. Zhuan appeared in good spirits. He said, "Commissioner Chen, regarding that battle, I saw the general report you sent me. However, I would like to ask you more about the circumstances at the time. Of course, if it touches upon personal matters, you may choose not to answer."
Chen Chuan said, "I also happen to have a few things I would like to ask both Mr. Zhuan and Mr. Tang."
Mask Gentleman had not yet been fully repaired, leaving only a quarter fragment clinging to Mr. Zhuan's face. He piped up eagerly, "Oh, why so polite? Sit, sit, sit. Sit down and let's talk."
Chen Chuan walked forward, pulled over a metal chair, and sat down before Mr. Zhuan.
"What would you two gentlemen like to ask?"
"Me first, me first!" Mask Gentleman called out twice. "Commissioner Chen, have you attained the realm of the Longevity View?"
As he asked this, Mr. Zhuan also looked over, seemingly harboring some anticipation.
Chen Chuan shook his head.
Hearing this reply, Zhuan and Tang felt slightly disappointed, yet at the same time breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that things still remained within the bounds of their understanding.
Mask Gentleman said, "Old Zhuan, I'm done asking. Your turn."
Mr. Zhuan thought for a moment and asked, "Commissioner Chen, have you... mastered both the Grand Radiant Light Forms and... the Grand Firmament Forms?"
This time, Chen Chuan gave a clear answer. "Yes."
Mr. Zhuan's heart jolted, and the mask likewise expressed immense shock. Though both had anticipated it, hearing his personal confirmation still provoked an intense emotional reaction. Yet this answer was exceedingly reasonable; otherwise, how could he have clashed with Zhao Zhenye? He likely would have been defeated in a single encounter.
Yet their questioning ended there, without prying any further. Their desire to know this was not to pry into secrets, but rather to confirm the combat strength Chen Chuan currently possessed. As Chen Chuan's mentors, this was relatively important to them.
Mr. Zhuan said, "Commissioner Chen, we have asked what we wanted to ask. What would you like to ask?"
Chen Chuan pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "Gentlemen, after integrating both forms, I felt a power. Ultimately, it was by relying on that very power that I was able to successfully defeat Zhao Zhenye."
Hearing him say this, both Mr. Zhuan and the mask shuddered. The former said in utter disbelief, "You... you actually brought it forth?"
Chapter 1002