Chen Chuan pondered it. This esoteric transmission was very intriguing, and it could play a substantial role in actual combat.
Generally speaking, if a martial artist's mutated tissue was damaged, it could quickly grow back. Yet no matter how fast the recovery, the process still took time, and that interval was an opportunity to seize victory.
Therefore, if one mastered this esoteric transmission, even without deep cultivation, one could reap considerable benefits when engaging an enemy.
And if mastered thoroughly, a single strike would inflict tremendous destruction upon an opponent's mutated tissue. If combined further with the Grand Radiant Light Forms and Grand Firmament Forms, the unleashed might would definitely be a force to be reckoned with.
In truth, as long as a fighter learned it, they could develop different applications depending on the depth of their mastery.
This was an esoteric martial transmission around which an entire combat system could be built.
Many complementary techniques immediately sprang to mind. Lately, he had been pondering ways to achieve single-strike victories; incorporating this esoteric transmission was undoubtedly a beneficial addition.
His interest piqued, he continued reading the specific cultivation method. Though it contained many stances and moves, the emphasis lay in coordinating the mind and breathing.
Every session of cultivation and physical movement required adjusting to a special breathing rhythm, using the mind to both restrain and stimulate the mutated tissue.
In his view, thanks to his foundation of having mastered the Two Great Stances, many aspects did not seem difficult. After some thought, he felt confident he could achieve an initial mastery within ten to fifteen days, even without rushing.
In that case, there was no rush; he could take his time reading and pondering it later.
For now, his priority was the true core content recorded in this booklet—the cultivation method following the Longevity View.
As his thoughts turned to this, under his mental perception, the corresponding text emerged on the pages of the book.
This realm was called the "Mystic Profundity View"!
If the realm of the Longevity View enabled a martial artist to remain perpetually at their peak and prevented their abilities from regressing, then reaching this realm meant building upon that foundation, fully awakening the martial artist's already extraordinarily potent vitality, and undergoing a brand-new metamorphosis from inside out, thereby reaching a state where their True Form would never be lost.
Yuwen Yuanqi had presumably attained this realm in the past. His body had been tempered to the point where external disasters could not breach it and ten thousand blades could not wound it. Even if severed into multiple pieces, every severed part retained tremendous vitality, and once reconnected in one place, even after decades, could instantly be restored to wholeness.
The front of the booklet had stated that a martial artist's self-existence was the foundation of all things. Once they entered the Mystic Profundity View, the intensity of their existence in the world would reach an unprecedented level, and neither their body nor their self-cognition could be easily influenced or distorted.
However, depending on the cultivator's path, there was a major divergence. The Visage of the Divine naturally prioritized the spirit, while the Visage of the Aberrant prioritized the body. Each practitioner needed only to focus on their respective domain; the remaining aspects were not unnecessary, but required little effort.
Practitioners of the Visage of the Human, however, had to balance both. One could see that Yuwen Yuanqi had been no exception. Even though his physical body could reassemble itself, his spirit had been worn away, leaving him as nothing more than an empty shell unable to muster much strength.
There was no way around it. The Visage of the Human demanded that body and spirit advance side by side. Consequently, for those walking this path, the gap between the ceiling and floor was extraordinarily wide. Blindly burying one's head in cultivation might bring someone to a certain level, but without adequate talent and natural gifts, one could never reach the highest tier.
After reading through the primary cultivation process along with the key points and difficulties, Chen Chuan reviewed what was required for the practice. Once he understood it, he had a clear general idea of how to proceed.
All in all, achieving this realm presented substantial difficulty—not only due to the obstacles one might encounter during cultivation, but also because of the need for highly specialized cultivation resources.
And since his foundation was far deeper than that of ordinary martial artists, the hurdles he would face and the resources he would require would likely be even greater.
Regardless of the difficulty, if he wished to continue climbing, he had to find ways to overcome them.
He considered the matter and felt he could try looking for techniques and resources through the Fang Song Commission Company. In addition, he could wait for word back from Mr. Zhuan to see what headquarters could support him with before searching for whatever remained.
Having thought through this, he put it out of his mind for now. Packing away the booklet and the other items, he brewed a cup of a hot beverage and took out an idle book to flip through.
The next day, word came from the Martial Artists Council that the team handling the restraining agreement had arrived, inviting him to meet at the Jujiao Building in Weiguang District.
So he took a car to the building. After entering, he rode the elevator directly up to the fiftieth floor. Through the transparent glass enclosure of the lift, he could see office workers hurrying back and forth on every floor.
Previously, he had paid little attention to this building. Only after becoming the section chief of security did he learn that this was the Martial Artists Council's dedicated office location in Jibei Dao.
The Council wielded immense influence, and the martial artist community could hardly escape their administration. Yet their day-to-day operations were extremely low-profile; when there was no direct contact, one could barely feel their existence. Bureau Director Lei had once disclosed that even the experts at the General Administration of Esoteric Cults might not match the proficiency of the Martial Artists Council's esoteric ritual masters.
The elevator stopped at the fiftieth floor and the doors slid open. As he stepped out, the guards standing at attention on either side snapped to a salute. A female guide dressed in professional business attire and high heels was already waiting for him. Seeing him emerge, she bowed, gestured respectfully, and led him into the main hall ahead.
Chen Chuan glanced around as he entered. Over a dozen people were standing around, with the white-haired Qu Miao positioned in the center.
He could tell that everyone who had arrived this time was an acquaintance he had met before, including the masked figures. Even without intentionally peering at their true faces, he could confirm their identities from their presence and posture alone.
And in the hearts of these people, a subtle sensation arose at this moment, an intuition that he had already recognized them.
Their eyes fixed on Chen Chuan. This was a martial artist of the Longevity View realm—a figure of immense weight even across the entire martial artist system of Great Shun. Moreover, being only in his early twenties proved that his potential was boundless; perhaps in the future, one would see him seated in a high office in the capital.
Qu Miao looked at Chen Chuan. It had barely been two years since they had last come here. He was still the same person, yet both his status and standing were now worlds apart.
His attitude toward Chen Chuan was noticeably more respectful. Stepping forward, he bowed slightly and said, "Greetings, Section Chief Chen. You are likely already aware of the details, so we won't take up much of your time. Would it be convenient for you to carry out the signing ritual now?"
Chen Chuan said, "Now is fine."
Qu Miao immediately signaled to the side. Two figures clad in black robes and masks, each holding one end of a scroll, bore the massive piece over and brought it before Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan glanced at them. Both were a head and a half shorter than him, so the scroll hung right at chest level before him. Reaching out to take it, he found it noticeably heavier than the one he had handled last time; no wonder it took two people to carry.
This also signified that the esoteric ritual materials used within were extraordinary.
Carrying it aside, he laid the scroll upon the long metal table in the room and slowly unrolled it. Only when it was stretched across nearly the full ten-meter length of the table did he reach the end. Aside from the clauses and provisions of the agreement, the scroll was covered with complex esoteric ritual diagrams.
He read through the index of provisions and found it mostly unchanged from what he had seen last time, except that the scope of restrictions had been significantly loosened.
Seeing nothing of concern, he picked up the writing brush from the desk, dipped it in ink, and signed his name. And the moment he lifted the brush, he realized that the previous binding placed upon him had weakened considerably in an instant, while subtle changes seemed to take place within him.
Probing gently, his heart stirred. This was—
He discovered that his resistance to corruption from the world across had increased. And he could tell quite clearly that this was a permanent enhancement.
Did the benefits include this?
He thought it over and felt that wasn't it. Rather, this gain seemed to be a slight compensation for one's shortcomings. It was simply that his mind and body had already surpassed certain thresholds, leaving virtually no room for ordinary enhancement, so the surplus had been channeled into this area.
Though his resistance to corruption was already stronger than most, complete immunity was impossible. This time, it had received a slight boost.
Judging by the overall ritual, however, the later stages yielded progressively greater returns. In that case, he was rather looking forward to what lay ahead.
At this moment, he set the brush aside and took a few steps back. Qu Miao stepped forward to inspect the signature. Satisfied that everything was in order, he rolled the scroll back up, had his men carry it away, and turned back to Chen Chuan, saying politely:
"Section Chief Chen, based on your accomplishments over the past two years, the Martial Artists Council conducted an evaluation and determined that you could have advanced two tiers under the agreement. However, regulations stipulate a minimum of two years between promotions. Thus, no matter how great your merits, there is no way to bypass this timeline. These are the rules established long ago, and we hope you understand.
"Of course, we will not overlook your contributions. When the time comes to sign the next agreement, we will take all of them into consideration."
Chen Chuan was well aware of this. It had been clearly stated in the agreement from the beginning: regardless of how outstanding one's achievements were, advancing multiple tiers at once was prohibited. Naturally, exceptions existed—the Supreme Advisory Council held the authority to grant waivers.
Yet that was reserved for extraordinary circumstances.
Nonetheless, from the other man's words, even if he did nothing at all from here on, he would be able to advance another tier in his security agreement two years later.
He said, "Thank you, Mr. Qu."
Qu Miao replied, "You're most welcome. Does Section Chief Chen have any other questions?"
Chen Chuan indicated he had none. After shaking hands and bidding him farewell, he walked out of the hall. Leaving the building, he looked up at the blue sky and white clouds drifting overhead.
On his way over, word had reached him from the Government Affairs Department that the capital might confer a new official rank or title upon him. The bureaucratic process was slow, however, and it might not finalize until September or October. That suited him just fine—it could wait until he returned from his trip.
Chapter 1045