A deep investigation?
Chen Chuan knew that if anyone else said this, it might just be lip service, but Skarson genuinely intended to follow through.
However, the Federation's situation was not so easily sorted out. In truth, the more orderly a place was, the easier it was to organize an investigation; conversely, where information flowed poorly and order was chaotic, the time and cost of an investigation grew exponentially.
Of course, that was not the most critical problem. Even if issues were uncovered, how would you correct them? Taking over Center City was merely a joke; for a nation like the Federation, it was completely impossible.
"Mr. Skarson, are you certain you want to do this?"
Skarson said with a solemn expression, "I will definitely uncover a result."
Chen Chuan looked at him. "How do you intend to do it?"
Skarson said in a deep voice, "The Investigation Delegation prefers not to resort to force, but if necessary, I will use it. If force also proves useless and the Federation refuses to make amends, then we will have no choice but to invoke international treaties, convene an international conference, and invite countries worldwide to intervene in the investigation."
Chen Chuan asked once more, "Are you sure?"
"I am sure."
Chen Chuan did not look favorably on this course of action. Having nations around the world intervene worked against smaller countries, but against small countries, such a move was never even needed—they could never withstand the pressure of the Investigation Delegation in the first place.
For major powers, however, the International Investigation Delegation had always avoided such confrontations. In return, the major powers tacitly permitted the Delegation to hold this authority. Both sides maintained a tacit understanding, careful not to break it.
Once they officially declared such an intervention, however, it would mean going head-to-head. Either the Federation would be forced to bow its head, or the Delegation would be forced to back down. If it were the latter, the Delegation's prestige would plummet, and achieving anything in the future would become virtually impossible. It was a reckless gamble.
Chen Chuan pondered for a moment. "Mr. Skarson, I don't think you need to rush into a decision. You could wait a bit."
Skarson looked at him.
Chen Chuan said, "Our Great Shun visiting delegation is right here. We are actual victims and eyewitnesses. We can issue a joint statement to apply pressure on the Federation without resorting to the step of international intervention. Besides, things like this don't just happen now; they will happen in the future as well. You know better than I do what consequences an all-or-nothing gamble would bring. With the Delegation present, the nations of the world still face some constraint. If it is gone, the consequences will be far graver—something you surely understand better than I."
Skarson fell silent for a moment. He said in a heavy voice, "Center City is a node of the Ring of the World; no vulnerabilities can be allowed here. If we do not correct what is before our eyes, there is no point in speaking of the future. However..."
He looked up and said, "Mr. Chen, thank you for your counsel. Your proposal is not without merit. Uncompromising confrontation is a last resort. We should do our best to act through reasonable measures so as to avoid squandering our own strength."
With that, he extended his hand. "Mr. Chen, thank you. I must go now; many matters await my attention."
Chen Chuan also reached out to shake his hand, saying, "Mr. Skarson, as we are directly involved in this matter, please contact us if anything arises. We can provide assistance. And take care."
Skarson looked at him, nodded, and departed.
After he left, Chen Chuan contacted Gao Ming. "Gao Ming, I'll have Yuan Qiuyuan and the others escort you into the city. Go meet Delegation Head Xie on my behalf; there's something that needs to be coordinated with him."
Gao Ming said, "Go ahead, Cousin."
Chen Chuan explained a few instructions. Then he walked to the window and looked out. Several people were holding signs, mostly covered in curses, mockery, and demands to expel the Great Shun people. A few even tried to force their way into the hotel, only to be quickly driven back by warning shots.
One person, failing to run fast enough, was struck down by the perimeter wall. Evidently equipped with implant armor, he didn't die immediately and crawled groaning on the ground. Even so, the crowd outside refused to disperse; this was likely orchestrated by someone.
Luo Kaiyuan, Feng Xiaoqi, and others led personnel guarding the perimeter to prevent anyone from breaching the lines and forcing their way in.
Still, the hotel's security was sound. In truth, firing warning shots was a relatively gentle measure—it was practically protective—because releasing even a single combat organism would have slaughtered everyone out there.
Chen Chuan drew back his gaze, brewed a cup of tea, and returned to his seat. After a night of cultivation, the growth of his mutated tissue had brought him a slight improvement. He then took out the jade plaque.
The content inside had been blurry before, but viewing it again, he could see it clearly now.
Reading closely, he saw that the cultivator of the Visage of the Divine believed the cultivation of the Cave Mystery View primarily centered on the character 'living'—living qi, living blood, a living body, and even a living spirit. The key lay in finding an internal point of balance; once found, one could achieve a breakthrough in both body and spirit together.
The method proposed was for the cultivator to separate a portion of their mutated tissue and spirit. This separated portion had to be maintained by the power of the main body, though it was not a permanent separation.
This was not impossible, as the body of a cultivator in the realm of the Longevity View theoretically possessed the ability to commune with the layers of heaven to obtain power; keeping a small portion sustained in this manner posed no problem.
This portion would become an independent piece, constantly maintaining long-term vitality. When it could endure for a long time, it meant that the balance had been found.
Below the main text were various discussions and annotations. Judging from their linguistic habits, these martial artists hailed from all corners of the world, and there were even members of the Old Church among them.
Their ultimate consensus was that although no one had attempted this path before, it was theoretically feasible. What followed were specific cultivation methods, to which practitioners of various paths had contributed advice and insights.
It was evident that these people had held nothing back. For the sake of this technique, some had even contributed their own secret transmissions, ultimately perfecting the entire method.
Reading up to this point, Chen Chuan could not help but feel moved. The era of the Grand Alliance had indeed brought the whole world together for the first time. Although friction and discord had been unavoidable, among that generation, many had truly embraced genuine convictions.
Though the Grand Alliance had collapsed, its legacy continued to benefit the world.
After skimming the general overview, he began studying the cultivation path in earnest. First was refining a separable seed within the body, containing a portion of the cultivator's spirit and mutated tissue.
This separated spirit had to be exceptionally resilient so that it could autonomously receive energy from the layers of heaven and maintain its vitality through an uninterrupted supply.
Yet spirit could not exist out of thin air, so here it primarily attached to the mutated tissue. But mutated tissue was not an integrated whole and could not endure alone for long before unlocking the profound mystery, unless it received nutrients from the outside.
If so, it required the ability to act autonomously; and with a seed, it had to be planted. Thus, the simplest method was to lodge it into a host body and manipulate its movements.
This was why it had to be proposed by a cultivator of the Visage of the Divine—neither practitioners of the Visage of Man nor the Visage of the Aberrant would have conceived such an idea initially.
Chen Chuan read through the specific steps. A critical phase was differentiating and coalescing this mutated seed.
According to the text, this was an exceedingly difficult step: one needed to separate portions of mutated tissue from the internal organs, brain, bones, blood, and other areas, and fuse them into one. The execution demanded meticulous care.
He gave it a try following the instructions and found that this stage, repeatedly warned about as a hurdle, did not seem particularly difficult; he effortlessly separated out a 'seed.'
The main reason was not merely his own formidable strength, but rather that his body held a special mutated tissue resembling purple luminous qi. Formed within him only after lighting the purple lamp, it hovered between substance and void, bestowing immense vitality and energy upon him.
When coalescing the seed, a portion of this mutated tissue had likewise separated out, seemingly providing extra support to the seed itself. Yet this was merely the first step. Enduring longer was beneficial to cultivation, but not decisive; the crux lay in finding a point of balance.
Once the seed lodged itself in a host, if there was even the slightest discord between spirit and mutated tissue, the balance would tilt, causing the entire structure to collapse. Learning how to sustain it was precisely what he needed to discover. Once found, he would understand how to step across that threshold with body and spirit aligned.
After coalescing one seed, he refined a second, and then a third... until he had separated seven in one go. He felt he could have produced more, but for now, there was no need.
For those cultivators had added a note at the end stating that while attempts were theoretically limitless, it was best to succeed within a few tries. If one failed repeatedly, the spirit and mutated tissue would readily remember the pattern and grow slack, potentially closing off that path forever.
He had no intention of forcing the issue, for aside from luck, success depended upon one's personal cultivation achievements. The method described in the notes had been designed for someone virtually flawless in every aspect; if even he could not accomplish it, no one else could.
At this moment, he could sense that with the separation of the seven seeds, an infinitesimal portion of his power had diminished—like scooping a bowl of water from a pond, having no impact on his actual strength.
Opening his palm, the seven seeds hovered above his hand. These clusters of mutated tissue resembled rice-grain-sized globules of faint light, shrouded in a faint veil of purple luminous qi.
Theoretically, these seeds could attach to any living entity, even creatures of the Melded Lands, though a human body was likely best—preferably one without autonomous consciousness.
With a shift of his intent, the seeds shot out through various windows like streaks of flowing light, vanishing in an instant without the watchers outside noticing in the slightest.
Shrouded in purple qi, these seeds would persist for quite a while. Once settled, they could drift with the wind or current and even migrate on their own. Theoretically, without interference, if they still survived a month or two later, they could appear in any corner of the Federation or across the Ying Continent.
Chapter 1070