Gao Xinjian shook his head. "When Xinwen did what he did, he should have been prepared for this outcome. Even leaving aside my younger sister's matter, he targeted you, and you targeted him in return—that was only natural and justified. I will not pursue this matter any further."
Chen Chuan said, "Mr. Gao, I must make something clear beforehand: I have no blood relation whatsoever to Ms. Gao Yuling."
Gao Xinjian nodded. "I know, I know."
He paused, then said, "Mr. Chen, I have something I would like to give you. I think it might be of use to you."
Gao Yueying promptly bent down, retrieved an item from a chest, and placed it upon the desk.
Chen Chuan glanced at it. It was a jar crafted from black jade, sealed with a ritual talisman. His spiritual senses were blocked from penetrating inside, leaving him unable to see what it held, yet he could sense it was something extraordinary.
Gao Xinjian said, "Inside is the flesh and blood of Xiang Boqing—the only piece of his flesh left outside. Originally kept in the company's safekeeping, even if his physical form were utterly destroyed out in the world, he could still be regenerated through the company's nourishment. Now, I hand it over to you to dispose of as you see fit, Mr. Chen."
Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Gao, you're handing him over to me?" This was a martial artist of the Dongxuan View—Progenitor Company was simply giving him up just like that?
Gao Xinjian said slowly, "As an outsider, he had no business meddling in the Gao clan's internal affairs. What he did crossed the line."
Chen Chuan took a look. In truth, whether Xiang Boqing was thoroughly eliminated did not matter much to him; having defeated him once, he could defeat him a second time. However, this item seemed capable of helping him test a hypothesis.
With that thought in mind, he took the jar. "Very well. Then my thanks to you, Mr. Gao."
Gao Xinjian replied, "No need for thanks. It was Xinwen's fault for bringing so much pain and trouble upon you, Mr. Chen. It is only right that our Gao clan offers compensation. If you have any other needs or requests, Mr. Chen, feel free to speak."
Chen Chuan said, "There are a few things I would like to ask you, Mr. Gao. As you mentioned earlier, are there many people who have obtained bloodlines derived from the secret diagram?"
Gao Xinjian answered, "Quite a few such bloodlines were handed down back then. Coupled with the breakthroughs during the Grand Alliance era, various nations, ancient families, mega-corporations, and prominent martial arts schools possess inheritors of such bloodlines today. In this modern era dominated by nations and mega-corps, these people are their true trump cards—the decisive weapons meant to be wielded once entities from the world on the other side arrive."
At this point, he looked at Chen Chuan and said, "That is why this group of people is able to secure ample resources.
"It is an inevitable choice.
"To any institutional organization, only lifeforms possessing such potential have higher ceilings, make investments worthwhile, and carry relatively lower risks. Thus, they are more than willing to concentrate their resources on these individuals.
"Those who lack such conditions will always be an afterthought. This is the rule by which today's world operates, because they need these people to confront the world on the other side, and a consensus has formed among the upper echelons of nations worldwide.
"Yet this has also led the higher-ups of nations to focus solely on them while neglecting everyone else. In truth, there are bound to be exceptional talents among the rest, and those who grow up in the later stages might not necessarily fall short.
"However, investing in individuals with innate bloodlines appears the safest path with the least political risk; even if it fails, one's personal prestige remains undamaged. Given that, the choice is obvious.
"Only here in corporations, due to differing management models from governments, would an alternative possibility ever be entertained."
Listening to this, Chen Chuan suddenly thought of the Purist Faction. According to Mr. Zhuan and Mr. Mask, the faction's backing for certain members was far greater than what he had received. This might very well be the reason why.
As one of the five major factions, the Purist Faction likely had such candidates. If the faction groomed them directly, it would naturally funnel resources toward them, leaving seemingly inadequate support for other members.
In truth, under circumstances where resources were not exceptionally abundant, such a choice was beyond reproach.
He even suspected that Mr. Zhuan and Mr. Mask might not know such individuals existed within the faction.
From the looks of it, without reaching a certain status and level of strength, one could hardly learn about the Diagram of the Celestial Being or bloodline inheritors.
He nodded and said, "Mr. Gao, thank you for telling me all this." With that, he stood up. "My purpose in coming here has been fulfilled. It is time for me to take my leave."
Gao Xinjian slowly stood as well. "Very well, Mr. Chen. Until we meet again if the opportunity arises. Yueying, please see Mr. Chen out on my behalf."
Chen Chuan gave a slight nod in courtesy, then turned and walked out.
After watching him leave, Gao Xinjian walked over to the side and gazed alone at the pictures and text posted on the wall. Though this was hardly the first time he had looked at them, he remained deeply absorbed.
After a while, Gao Yueying returned from outside and said, "Sir, he has departed."
"Good."
With his back to her, Gao Xinjian said, "If he does not reach out to us first in the future, we should not take the initiative either. He has his own path; it is better not to interfere for now."
Gao Yueying asked, "Do you believe he is the young miss's son, Sir?"
Gao Xinjian replied dismissively, "Whether he is or not, there will always be a way to prove it. Even if he isn't, treating him as such for now works fine—at least he won't view us as enemies anymore, will he?"
Gao Yueying said, "You think very highly of him, Sir?"
Gao Xinjian remarked, "If he achieved all this without the Gao bloodline, that makes him even more extraordinary. Only short-sighted fools treat bloodlines as everything and cling stubbornly to them, oblivious to the fact that it was precisely by abandoning the advantages of our bloodline that our Gao clan attained all we have today. When genuine gold stands before you, why chase after hollow illusions?"
After emerging from the research institute, Chen Chuan retraced his steps to the beach where the battle had taken place and retrieved his external implant.
Slipping his three weapons into the weapon slots of the implant, he slowly rose into the air. Chaoming swooped down from high above, circling around him.
He stroked Chaoming's head and cast another glance below. For Gao Xinjian to dare appear here before him alone, he was either merely a double, or possessed some protective power at his side—though Chen Chuan had felt nothing of the sort earlier.
Regardless, none of that mattered to him anymore; his objective in coming here was accomplished. As for this body's parents, Yu Zhen and Chen Qiyang, even he could not guarantee having enough strength to freely enter and exit the world on the other side. Only once he reached a higher realm and possessed sufficient power could he attempt to search for them.
Taking one last look toward the fissure, he turned and streaked into the distance as a ray of bright light. Chaoming let out a resonant cry and swiftly followed.
Before long, Chen Chuan was clear of the islands controlled by Progenitor Company. Instead of immediately returning to the Federation, however, he headed north. Guided by his implant's scans, he soon located an uninhabited islet.
Countless such islets dotted the vast ocean, far too many to tally, and this one was not recorded on any map. After touching down, he stood on a high mound and casually blasted open a large, downward-sloping tunnel from the side.
With a thought, he shed his external implant, took out the jade jar and some basic ritual materials, and gave Chaoming a brief instruction. The bird chirped in response and began circling high in the sky.
He walked into the hollow. Upon reaching the bottom, he took out the ritual materials and roughly laid out a ritual perimeter around him. Then, peeling off the ritual talisman sealing the jade jar, he opened the lid.
Directing his gaze inside, he saw a sliver of mutated tissue pulsing with an intense life aura. He could also detect a faint rhythm of spirit within it. The weak field it gave off was nearly identical to Xiang Boqing's, and the moment his gaze fell upon it, it began to writhe violently.
Chen Chuan pressed his spiritual power downward, instantly pinning it motionless. Instead of immediately destroying it, he intended to use it to test an idea of his.
With a thought, the Two Great Stances unfurled in an instant, shrouding the entire space and severing the spirit within this sliver of mutated tissue from the outside world.
At that moment, brilliant light seemed to gather in his eyes. Pushing the Two Great Stances to their utter limit, after a brief moment, a cluster of flame seemingly drawn from the void descended from the dazzling light, latching onto the mutated tissue and blazing fiercely.
It was none other than the Mystic Void Fire.
Chen Chuan gazed intently at the piece of mutated tissue. After having successfully summoned the Mystic Void Fire once before, he had felt its spark take root within his mind; as long as he willed it, he could call it forth again.
Moreover, he sensed that with the growth of his overall strength, the power of the Mystic Void Fire had magnified substantially, far surpassing what it had been back then.
Most importantly, not only could this fire break down hard and indestructible matter, but it also seemed capable of scorching spirit. If so, it might follow this thread of Xiang Boqing's spirit all the way into the Heavens and burn away every trace of his anchor.
That way, regardless of whether Xiang Boqing still had more mutated tissue stashed away elsewhere, without the spiritual link providing energy, those pieces would be nothing more than dead meat, impossible to regenerate from—at best reduced to the same state as Yuwen Yuanqi had been.
Yet he had never actually tested this before and did not know whether it would succeed; this was the perfect opportunity.
As seen through the celestial eye between his brows, the wisps of Mystic Void Fire clung to the thread of spirit as they burned the mutated tissue, drifting upward along its pathways and delving toward the depths of the Heavens.
His eyes glinted slightly. It seemed his intuition was spot-on.
No wonder Mr. Zhuan had warned him against revealing the existence of this flame lightly. The ability to directly eradicate spiritual power posed an immense threat to martial artists of both the Longevity View and the Dongxuan View. It seemed that before attaining sufficient power, he had to avoid exposing it whenever possible.
Once the mutated tissue and that thread of spirit had vanished completely, he withdrew the Two Great Stances and walked out of the cave.
Re-equipping the implant, he ascended into the sky and unleashed a spiritual impact, completely erasing the entire islet from top to bottom. Seeing not a shred of evidence left behind, he called out to Chaoming circling above, then flew toward the north of the Ying Continent.
Chapter 1264