Inside the villa, Chen Chuan was having a meal with his family. He had brought back quite a lot of fine ingredients from the Federation this time, many of which had come straight from Kawatua and the Throat of the Star Spirit.
Among them was premium golden wheat harvested from deep underground. The wheat rice prepared from it was soft, chewy, and wonderfully fragrant, allowing even ordinary people to absorb its nutrients.
In the past, this had been a delicacy reserved exclusively for the priests and kings of the First People. With every mouthful, a soothing warmth blossomed in everyone's belly.
It wasn't a rise in temperature, but a sensation of total ease throughout the body, as if their internal organs were being gently smoothed over by a pleasant warmth. Every pore seemed to open up, bringing an extraordinary sense of comfort from the inside out.
Ever since arriving in the central city, Nian Mo and Nian Lu had tasted all sorts of delicacies, yet today the meal smelled and tasted exceptionally delicious, as if their bodies were clamoring for these exact nutrients.
Nian Mo usually dreaded hot food, but right now he was eagerly gulping down steaming soup, his cheeks flushed red and sweat beading on his forehead.
Nian Lu's table manners were not as wild as Nian Mo's, but she had unwittingly consumed a great deal. In particular, she couldn't resist having a second bowl of the golden wheat rice after her first, feeling as though she could never get enough.
Chen Chuan glanced over at them and could clearly see slight amounts of mutated tissue taking root within his younger cousin brother and sister. This was the result of regularly consuming the high-grade ingredients he brought home.
However, this was nowhere near enough to turn them into fighters. At most, these mutated tissues would grant them longer lifespans and sturdier constitutions than ordinary people.
Lacking innate talent, their mutated tissues would not grow on their own. Maintaining them also required a sustained intake of high nourishment; after all, mutated tissue was essentially an additional organ system growing inside the body.
In fact, judging from the reports submitted by the Security Section over the past two years, the proportion of newborns exhibiting mutated tissues had been steadily rising, both in the central city and in fringe cities.
One conspicuous outcome of this trend was that the enrollment quotas for Wuyi Academies across the country were increasing every year.
If those with talent were not properly guided and channeled, the mutated tissue would end up consuming its host. Going forward, every facet of society would be affected by this shift, signaling the gradual emergence and establishment of an entirely new system.
And under the Skyline, both information exchange and resource allocation were far superior to the previous isolated central city model, meaning they could screen and nurture far more reserve talents in a centralized manner.
Among them, outstanding figures would inevitably rise, and more elite fighters would emerge—which was their ultimate foundation for confronting the Great Impact in the future.
As they were engrossed in their meal, the telephone suddenly rang. Few people knew the villa's phone number, so the caller was bound to be an acquaintance. Chen Chuan got up, walked over to pick up the receiver, exchanged a few words with the person on the other end, and finally hung up after agreeing.
Yu Wan asked, "Who was that?"
"Gao Ming," Chen Chuan replied.
He continued, "I originally wanted him to come over, sit for a while, and have a meal with us. But he said he has some affairs to handle and won't be joining us for dinner right now. He'll come visit you and Uncle in a couple of days."
This was fairly normal; Gao Ming wouldn't intrude on their family reunion.
Yu Wan said, "That boy Gao Ming... Is he going back to Yangzhi this time?"
"He said no."
Yu Wan sighed. "That boy Gao Ming, really... He hasn't been home for years, has he? He finally comes back from abroad, and then there's my cousin and her husband—they haven't gone back in a long time either. The whole family hardly feels like a family anymore."
Nian Fuli shook his head. "That's just how their family is."
Nian Mo looked up eagerly. "Cousin, can we have Chaoming take us to school?"
Chen Chuan smiled. "How about I take you tomorrow?"
Chaoming was a limit-breaking creature, after all. If it left his side, it would definitely be placed under surveillance, which meant his young cousins would be caught under that surveillance as well.
"Yes! Great!"
Both Nian Mo and Nian Lu raised their hands, their faces beaming with anticipation. Their cousin had never taken them to school before, and they wanted to show off to their classmates that they had such a tall, handsome older cousin.
Yu Wan remembered something. "Chan'er, that young lady from the Meng family sent over quite a few gifts during the New Year. They're all placed in the mail room outside your study."
Chen Chuan said, "All right, I understand."
As an enterprise supported by the Jibei Dao government, the Fusion Boundary Company was something he kept an eye on, and Meng Shu, as the company president, naturally made sure to maintain this relationship with her former classmate.
At present, Fusion Boundary was still expanding its overseas business, with Sancheng Huang continuing to serve as a security consultant there. With the Skyline connected, it meant the company could extend its operations even farther.
After finishing the meal, Nian Fuli and Aunt Yu took the two cousins out for a walk to aid their digestion.
Meanwhile, Chen Chuan made a call to Cheng Zitong to pay his respects and let him know he had returned to the country.
Ever since the reconciliation between Cheng Zitong and his father Cheng Zhou, Cheng Zitong had spent the holidays staying here in the central city. However, it was already September, so he had returned to Yangzhi.
Cheng Zitong also informed him that the new student intake at Wuyi Academy had increased by another third compared to previous years. The academy had initially intended to invite him to attend the opening ceremony to inspire the junior students, but since the date had already passed, they had no choice but to let it drop.
After a moment's thought, Chen Chuan said, "Master, let's make it next year then. Next year, your student will attend the opening ceremony."
"That depends on whether it's convenient for you, Xiao Chuan. I was merely passing along a message; you don't need to take it too much to heart."
Chen Chuan gave a faint smile. "All right, Master. Oh, and I brought back some local specialties from Yingzhou while in the Federation and had them sent over to your place."
"Good, Xiao Chuan. Let's leave it at that for now. I have a meeting shortly. Now that Yangzhi's Skyline is connected, next time you contact me, just use my boundary credential number."
Chen Chuan agreed, exchanged a couple more parting remarks, and hung up. Instead of replacing the receiver on the cradle, however, he dialed another number toward Mount Motie.
Once again, Uncle Ding answered the phone, so Chen Chuan inquired about Senior Cao's recent situation.
Uncle Ding said, "Section Chief Chen, the young master has been fascinated by several ancient game records lately and isn't receiving outside guests. He even custom-ordered an active conscious entity specifically to play chess with him, keeping himself quite content."
Pausing briefly, he added, "The young master asked me to convey to Section Chief Chen that all is well with him, and there is nothing requiring special concern."
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "I brought back some gifts from my trip to the Federation. I will have someone deliver them to the estate shortly."
"Understood. On behalf of the young master, I thank Section Chief Chen."
Chen Chuan set down the receiver. At this sensitive juncture, it was indeed inadvisable to meet with him. He himself had nothing to fear, but doing so could implicate Cao Guixi.
In particular, the delegation from the former imperial household was currently in the capital. Given Cao Guixi's status, some interested parties within the former imperial household or the government might exploit the connection to make a fuss.
Senior Cao's choice to stay behind closed doors and refuse outside visitors was actually the wisest course of action under the circumstances.
Pondering for a moment, Chen Chuan stood up, walked to the French window, tapped his boundary credential, and contacted the branch.
Before long, the line connected, and Chang Dong's voice came through, greeting him warmly.
Chen Chuan inquired about the branch's situation over the past year. Chang Dong replied, "Minister, don't worry. The branch's development is right on track. I've brought in a few promising prospects, but they aren't official members yet; they still await your review and signature upon your return. But there's no rush. You just got back, Minister, so rest up and spend time with your family. If anything comes up on my end, I'll report it to you right away."
Chen Chuan said, "All right. I'll drop by the branch in a few days."
He had confidence in Chang Dong's competence. Furthermore, as Chen Chuan had previously reviewed, most forces from other factions such as the Refinement and Fusion factions had pulled out of Jibei Dao over the past year, leaving behind only a handful of outposts to barely maintain a presence.
This was because the overall environment had turned against them in recent years. After the Municipal Council was rendered practically defunct, Qi Weizhao had spent the past year purging a substantial number of problematic civil officials.
Meanwhile, the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau and the Disposal Bureau subjected the operations of mega-corporations and rival factions to continuous, intense scrutiny. Both politically and financially, it had become virtually impossible for the branches of those two factions to regain their former glory. This, in turn, allowed the Purist Faction's Jibei Dao branch to develop unhindered.
Afterward, Chen Chuan exchanged calls with a few other acquaintances, classmates, and friends before returning to his room to watch several newly released immersive documentaries.
On his first day back home, he did nothing demanding, wanting only to unwind and relax.
After resting at home for the night, he tidied up early the next morning, preparing to make a trip to Wuyi Academy.
Before returning, he had received a telegram from Lu Fang: Chen Xiaojin had successfully passed the entrance exams for Wuyi Academy this year.
He had once left Chen Xiaojin a message that if the boy gained admission to Wuyi before his return, he would accept him as a student. Now, it was time to fulfill that promise.
Before heading out, he extracted that memory sheath from his external implant and slipped it into his pocket. This was the item Tao Huiya's female assistant had handed him prior to his departure.
However, the covert department had not come looking for him yet, nor had he taken the initiative to contact them, intending to hand it over whenever they approached him.
This time, he did not take his dedicated vehicle, instead picking an inconspicuous car from the garage and driving out.
Ten minutes later, the car pulled up and stopped in front of Wuyi Academy's gate.
Chen Chuan stepped out and glanced up at the Xuangong Building towering before him. He still remembered seeing Hongfu standing atop it the very first time he arrived, but now there was no trace of human presence to be seen up there.
As if sensing his nostalgia, the red scarf on his saber hilt fluttered gently.
With a faint smile, he walked into the building.
Because he shielded his presence with his spirit, no one along the way could see him except Hongfu, who merely verified his identity and made no sound throughout his passage.
Checking through his boundary credential, he quickly located the training room Chen Xiaojin was currently in. The displayed records also showed that since entering Wuyi, Chen Xiaojin had not sought out a mentor yet.
Taking the elevator all the way up to the training room on the seventieth floor, he had just stepped out when the rapid, dense thud of kicks slamming against a target dummy reached his ears.
Chapter 1343