Chen Chuan thought it over. At his current level, remaining in Jibei Dao was indeed no longer appropriate. The state would certainly make other arrangements for him. Moreover, advancing the development of Skyline was the top priority going forward; the political maneuverings were concentrated primarily at the upper levels, and this upheaval involved virtually the entire Eastern Continent. Zhongjing was indeed the place where he could best exert his power.
So he said, "I have no objection."
Hearing this, Zhao Qilan felt considerably relieved.
He found Chen Chuan unexpectedly easy to deal with. If Chen Chuan had raised objections, they would have had to reconsider everything carefully, and all their preparations would have had to start over from scratch.
That would have entailed far greater political costs and time, and in the end they still might not achieve the desired outcome, which would only leave both sides disgruntled.
This was truly the best outcome.
Yet he also knew this was because the arrangements did not conflict with Chen Chuan's own goals, and because Chen Chuan possessed sufficient strength, he cared little for minor specifics.
"Commissioner Chen, if you have any requests for the headquarters or any personal requirements, please feel free to tell me directly. Once I return, I will report them straight to the Council of Counselors and the President."
Chen Chuan said, "I need guidance for my subsequent cultivation, as well as a share of cultivation resources provided by the faction."
Zhao Qilan carefully jotted this down. Seeing that he had no other requests, he said to Chen Chuan, "Section Chief Chen, please rest assured. Whatever the outcome, I will give you a definitive answer within half a month."
Chen Chuan said, "Alright, thank you for your trouble."
Zhao Qilan hurriedly offered polite pleasantries. After exchanging a few more words, he said, "There are still many faction affairs awaiting my attention, so I must take my leave for now. If Commissioner Chen wishes to tour the headquarters, I can assign personnel to assist."
Chen Chuan said, "That won't be necessary. With Senior Zhuan and Senior Tang accompanying me, that should be plenty."
Zhao Qilan said, "Very well, then." He stood up, extended his hand, and shook Chen Chuan's hand once more. "It was a pleasure speaking with you, Commissioner Chen. I personally have the utmost admiration for your heroic feat in defending the Ring of the World."
Having said that, a series of chimes sounded on his boundary credential. He apologized, replied with a few quick messages, and then transmitted an information packet to Chen Chuan.
"This is the headquarters' internal access program. With this, most areas of the headquarters will be open to you, Commissioner Chen. And given your rank, using internal facilities is entirely free of charge."
Chen Chuan glanced at it and said, "I've received it."
"Well then, Commissioner Chen, if there is nothing else you wish to ask, I will take my leave."
Chen Chuan said, "Please, Vice President Zhao, do what you must."
Zhao Qilan nodded with a smile and bid farewell before walking off with hurried steps. It was clear he truly had his hands full with business.
Chen Chuan did not mind this at all. The Purist Faction handled matters decisively—either something worked or it didn't. What he disliked most was bureaucratic stalling or attitudes that offered no definitive answer.
Stepping out of the reception room, he contacted Mr. Zhuan. Before long, Mr. Zhuan and his companion arrived.
Mr. Mask asked, "All done talking?"
Chen Chuan said, "Vice President Zhao has already left. I'll have to trouble the two of you to show me around headquarters."
Mr. Zhuan gave a nod of agreement.
Mr. Mask remarked, "Vice President Zhao has so much on his plate. You could call him the chief steward of our Purist Faction; he handles most of the day-to-day affairs. I heard from Mr. Guan that if he didn't have to manage all this administrative work, he might have reached the Mystic Profundity View long ago."
Chen Chuan sensed something different. Zhao Qilan's biological field had clearly hit a certain ceiling.
His spirit power far exceeded that of ordinary Mystic Profundity View martial artists. For martial artists below his realm, as long as he had come into contact with them, he could roughly discern their current condition.
Thus, Zhao Qilan had probably realized he could advance no further, and so chose this path—very pragmatic, and very rational.
Mr. Zhuan said at this moment, "Let's first take a look at the gorge defensive line. That's the most vital component of headquarters."
Chen Chuan tapped his boundary credential, and a map of the headquarters with key markings for various zones appeared before him.
The most conspicuous among them were the military fortresses and defensive installations distributed around the gorge.
Emerging from the pivot column, Mr. Zhuan beckoned him onto a mid-sized sightseeing cable car.
The vehicle was fully equipped, featuring a washroom, changing room, simple bunks, and provisions of tea and food. One could stay inside for an entire day without needing to step off.
Mr. Zhuan said, "Liepi Gorge stretches for over a thousand kilometers, with numerous settlements and cities scattered along both sides. We have constructed extensive fortifications around the canyon. Once the Great Impact arrives, this place will be the foremost frontline of the clash. The faction has long prepared numerous contingencies and is determined to seal this breach."
Chen Chuan gave an acknowledging murmur. A location harboring an immortality fissure that was virtually impossible to seal could become a massive flashpoint. Even if the Ring of the World could screen out a portion of the threat, it could never hold everything back completely.
Mr. Mask remarked, "Mr. Zhuan Sheng was actually one of the primary participants and architects of these contingencies and plans."
Mr. Zhuan fell silent for a moment.
Chen Chuan asked, "How many martial artists are stationed at headquarters?"
Mr. Zhuan said, "I don't have the clearance to know that, but I'd guess roughly four to six."
After Chen Chuan asked this question, a male voice sounded beside his ear: "Greetings, Commissioner Chen. I am 'Xiayu,' an active conscious entity of headquarters. I can answer your question. Currently, headquarters has one Mystic Profundity View martial artist stationed to guard the fissure at the bottom of the gorge, assisted by one Longevity View martial artist. In addition, four other martial artists are respectively responsible for logistics, resource allocation, defense, and perimeter security."
Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. "Only this many people?"
Generally speaking, even a single Center City had at least two martial artists assigned to guard it. As one of the Purist Faction's headquarters, and with a fissure breach far exceeding those of Center Cities, there were actually only six martial artists here. It might look like quite a few on the surface, but considering the vast expanse requiring defense, it would hardly be enough if trouble arose.
"Please rest assured. We have conducted various analyses and simulations; the current combat strength of our garrison meets the minimum required allocation and is sufficient for the headquarters' day-to-day maintenance. However, due to a severe shortage of high-level personnel within the faction, we frequently must dispatch personnel to support the Ring of the World. When fallen members cannot be replaced immediately, personnel can only be temporarily reassigned from headquarters, creating vulnerabilities in our defensive lines. We hope, Counselor Chen, that you might advise headquarters to minimize further reassignments from here."
Chen Chuan did not respond. He knew this problem was exceedingly difficult to solve.
Throughout history, the Purist Faction had always been the most proactive school in all of Great Shun when it came to opposing external entities, committing the greatest resources, and suffering the heaviest casualties as well. And casualties here did not refer merely to ordinary combat personnel, but included martial artists as well.
No wonder the school had been forced to pursue internal reform. If things continued like this in the long run, let alone guarding headquarters, the entire upper echelon of the school might be completely wiped out.
After the cable car traveled a short distance farther, Mr. Zhuan highlighted a location on the map and sent it to Chen Chuan. "Here is the headquarters' training base. Talented members from various branches are sometimes sent here for training, and a portion of the reserve members cultivated by headquarters are also stationed here."
Chen Chuan glanced over the overview, which contained detailed profiles of members sent from different branches for training. The members varied widely in age: the younger ones were only in their teens, while the older ones were in their thirties. Most were at the second to third limits, totaling roughly over a hundred people.
According to the evaluation reports, about a tenth of them had the potential to become martial artists within three to five years. At first glance, this seemed like a considerable number, but the report indicated that past training programs had never achieved such results; only with the Great Impact drawing near had the projected estimates risen. Prior to the organizational reforms, the number of top-tier martial artists within the Purist Faction had been steadily declining.
As for further details, Xiayu did not elaborate.
At that moment, Chen Chuan noticed a black dot at the training site, as well as a similar massive black cluster at the far end of the canyon, neither bearing any label. He asked, "What are those?"
Xiayu replied, "Over thousands of years, successive dynasties captured entities from the other side, some of which were imprisoned in designated sealing facilities within the gorge. We, too, have captured and imprisoned many entities from the other side, using them to temper the will and resolve of our members."
Chen Chuan pondered this. The method was indeed effective, but if a member failed to pass the test, their mind was prone to invasion and contamination. He guessed that such a training regimen was fraught with extreme danger.
Furthermore, he felt that keeping these entities imprisoned here remained an inherent risk factor. Perhaps the Purist Faction's leadership had special considerations in mind.
Given the vast scale of headquarters, it was impossible to see all the vital departments and settlements in a single day, so for now they merely selected a few essential divisions for a cursory tour and overview.
Mr. Mask said, "We can take our time visiting these places later, Commissioner Chen. Since Elder Yu wishes to see you this time, why don't we go meet him first?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "That works."
"Follow us, then," Mr. Mask said. The cable car veered toward the cliff edge, where they transferred to another cable car, arriving before the most majestic white pivot column at the heart of the gorge.
The moment Chen Chuan stepped off the cable car, Xiayu's voice sounded in his ear: "Welcome, Commissioner Chen. Elder Yu is awaiting you in the Grand Pivot Hall. I will guide your way; please follow the indicators."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan said to Mr. Zhuan, "Gentlemen, I'll head inside first."
Mr. Zhuan nodded, watching his back as he walked into the pivot column. Seeing him standing motionless, Mr. Mask asked, "Old Zhuan, what's on your mind?"
Mr. Zhuan said in a deep voice, "I suspect that what happened back then might not have been so simple."
"Which matter? Zhao Zhenye?"
"Yes. Ever since seeing Zhao Zhenye last time, I've had the feeling he was hiding something."
Mr. Mask thought for a moment and said, "There were indeed many inexplicable aspects to what happened back then. Now the only one who knows the truth is probably Zhao Zhenye. If we want to get to the bottom of it, we'll have to find a way to capture him."
Mr. Zhuan said, "He should be hiding with the former imperial household." He cast a glance toward the pivot column and said slowly, "We will catch him."
Chapter 1350