At the Purist Faction headquarters, inside a certain meeting hall, Commissioner Yu arrived once again. Before long, the illusory projections of others materialized one after another—the exact same individuals who had appeared before.
Relying on a relic housed within this place, he could communicate with faction martial artists who were away from headquarters. However, its usage was strictly limited each year, yet in just a few short days, he was already using it for the second time.
Efficiency was evidently paramount within the Purist Faction, devoid of tedious pleasantries. Upon arrival, Commissioner Yu cut straight to the point: "That gentleman has already headed over to Elder Yu."
"Can it be delayed?"
"Impossible. This time, Elder Yu asked to see him by name."
Even through the hazy mental projections, one could tell that the martial artists present had grown solemn.
For they all knew that while the internal reformation of the past had appeared to start from the faction's lower and middle ranks, both the Conservative Faction and the Reformist Faction actually had the authorization and backing of upper-tier powers.
Standing behind the Reformist Faction had been Elder Yu.
In truth, the upper-tier powers each championed different ideals. Elder Yu himself was a pure humanist; in the eyes of the Conservatives, he was considered among the most conservative of all.
Hence, he was vehemently opposed to drawing bloodlines from secret diagrams, viewing it as a violation of the Purist Faction's core foundation.
Ever since the Purist Faction's doctrine was conceived and established back in the old era, they had continually tried to advance the great feat of conquering the fiends from beyond through the mortal human body alone. It was just that this path had never yet succeeded.
As Commissioner Yu and his peers saw it, Elder Yu had backed the Reformist Faction back then simply out of opposition to the secret diagram bloodlines. Fortunately, due to certain reasons, these upper-tier powers did not directly interfere in concrete faction affairs; the true executors remained the faction's middle and upper echelons. Thus, after the Reformists failed, Elder Yu made no further moves.
Meanwhile, their group had managed to implement certain changes—such as no longer barring talent recruited from outside the faction, while maintaining limited trust, offering a degree of resources and cultivation techniques, though requiring solid meritorious service first.
Yet this was merely a way to placate faction members. Their primary hope was still pinned on that individual who possessed the secret diagram bloodline.
They did not do this out of folly, but because past experience and word from upper-tier powers showed that once someone possessing a secret diagram bloodline broke through to upper-tier power, the might they exhibited was far greater, vastly eclipsing that of a pure mortal martial artist. Most crucially, they possessed immense potential to break through even further.
That point alone made them worthy of all-out backing.
They had assumed the plan could proceed steadily, yet Chen Chuan's arrival had introduced uncertain variables to the situation.
One of them looked up and spoke: "Once he meets with Elder Yu, it won't be long before a reformer who is far more powerful and commands even greater momentum emerges."
The gathering fell silent for a moment.
Though Chen Chuan had not stated any stance, they could already foresee how things would develop.
The starkest contrast lay in the fact that Mr. Guan had possessed only martial might and suffered from personal flaws in his temperament. Chen Chuan was entirely different. He was originally a career official in the Great Shun government, having risen through the ranks purely on merit and capability, rich in political and tactical struggle. More critically, even in terms of martial prowess, he surpassed Mr. Guan.
At this point, someone spoke up to ask, "Can those resources be secured in advance?"
"We are already speeding up our push, but it is hard to say at this stage."
"Actually, we could find a way to—"
Someone immediately cut in, "Our enemies are not our comrades within the faction. Our opponents are the other factions and the entities from beyond. If we fall into infighting first, even if we barely achieve our goal, we will only tear our own strength apart. Competing within the bounds of the rules is the soundest approach. Besides, we were indeed the first to submit the application, so we are in the right on this matter. There is no reason to let a latecomer take it."
Another person hesitated before speaking, "Actually, I feel that with Commissioner Chen's dazzling record, perhaps he really can do it?"
He had scrutinized the recordings of Chen Chuan. Though they had never interacted in person, based on his own experience and keen mental sensitivity, he felt Chen Chuan was completely unlike any martial artist he had ever seen before.
This led him to wonder whether Chen Chuan might truly blaze the path they had once deemed impassable.
After all, no matter what, Chen Chuan's achievements were an undeniable reality. If he were the one to attain upper-tier power, could he not replicate his past glories just the same?
At heart, he and several others secretly hoped such a person would appear. Turning to support secret diagram bloodlines had merely been because the original path had reached a dead end.
"Impossible!"
Someone immediately refuted him, saying in a heavy voice, "Mortal power has its limits! Countless predecessors have already proven this. Besides, we have prepared for so long and fought so hard for this opportunity. Are we supposed to just throw it away for no reason now?"
Silence fell over the group once more.
Commissioner Yu spoke up: "I support Commissioner Hong's view. Limited resources must be used where they matter most. Judging by the circumstances of various schools and national governments, the capabilities of secret diagram bloodline possessors have already been proven. To abandon what has been verified in favor of something uncertain—I don't think we need to be so idealistic."
Someone sighed softly, while another said, "Fine. Then let us do our best to advance the original plan as quickly as possible."
***
Meanwhile, Chen Chuan had entered the Pivot Pillar. Once inside, he found it completely empty, devoid of any furnishings, with nothing but clean, smooth white walls.
The ambient light was gentle. As he walked across the floor without intentionally muffling his movements, the sound of his footsteps echoed crisply, reverberating off the surrounding walls.
The internal space of the Pivot Pillar was ultimately finite. As he reached the center, he felt as though he had stepped into a fissure; at any rate, he was no longer standing in his original position, and the surrounding light dimmed abruptly.
His gaze shifted slightly. After standing still for a moment, he continued forward. Suddenly, he spotted a colossal entity ahead, seemingly peering out from the ground, staring straight at him, radiating a mental wave brimming with malice.
Ignoring it completely, he kept walking. The entity turned its head, tracking him with its gaze. After several dozen steps, a speck of light appeared ahead, growing steadily brighter as his mental focus settled on it.
Soon, he saw a young man sitting there. Because the light was confined to a small area, he appeared to be seated upon an isolated island surrounded by an abyss of darkness.
The man was remarkably gigantic; even while seated, he stood twenty-seven or twenty-eight meters tall, his black hair cascading down like a waterfall all the way to the ground.
The skin of his face was smooth and tender, and his eyes held a sense of innocence, resembling those of a newborn.
Despite his colossal stature, he inspired neither fear nor oppression, but rather an aura of life's grandeur. Beside him stood a bulbous object, seemingly some kind of mutated plant, with faint, flickering flames dancing within it like a lamp.
Upon seeing Chen Chuan, he spoke: "Comrade Chen, I am Yu Dingjiang. They all call me Elder Yu."
Though his face was young, his voice was ancient, sounding like that of an elderly man at the twilight of his years, resonating directly into Chen Chuan's mind.
Chen Chuan looked upward. This was not his first time confronting an upper-tier power, but this person gave an impression distinct from Celestial Master Lu. With his current ability, he could not gauge who was stronger.
He simply lowered the Xuejun Saber, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Elder Yu."
Elder Yu's dark, innocent eyes gazed upon him with a hint of curiosity and scrutiny.
"Your field is quite unique, exceedingly pure. The light upon you is exceptionally brilliant—the brightest among all the Dongxuan View martial artists I have ever seen. I imagine that if you attain upper-tier power, it might shine hundreds or thousands of times brighter than it does now.
"Hmm, there is no scent of those things on you either. You reached this stage purely through your own strength.
"Truly incredible."
Chen Chuan could tell that although Elder Yu said this, he had not conducted any invasive scrutiny, as no signs of blurring had appeared on his second self.
He looked up and asked, "Did Elder Yu suspect I was something else?"
Elder Yu answered candidly, "Before you arrived, I did consider that possibility. Your combat achievements are so dazzling that they surpass the limits of normal mortals. Having walked this path myself, I know intimately how difficult it is to achieve what you have. I wondered if you might be an overlooked scion of a bloodline.
"Yet having met you in person, I no longer think so. Comrade Chen, you truly are extraordinarily pure. You are not one of them. Had you appeared twenty years earlier, perhaps everything would have been different."
Chen Chuan said earnestly, "It is not too late now."
Elder Yu seemed to appreciate his candor. He said, "What I was referring to was not the faction's internal affairs, but—"
He slowly raised his head to gaze upward. "Had you arrived twenty years earlier, you might already be fighting side by side with me now. Who knows how many fiends from beyond we could have slain?"
Chen Chuan looked at him and repeated firmly, "It is not too late now."
Elder Yu looked at him in surprise, then burst into hearty laughter.
"When Guan Dan came to me back then seeking my support, I merely told him he could try. For I knew that while he had great drive, he was far too emotional. When doing things, he charged forward blindly, but at the slightest setback or frustration, he would blame himself, constantly brood, and desperately hunt for flaws within himself.
"As a combatant, he was qualified, but he was unsuited to be a leader, a paragon, or a guide. In truth, I never expected him to achieve a genuine revolution. I merely believed that once the overarching momentum was set in motion, even if the trailblazer fell, successors would inevitably emerge. I have been waiting all along, and now—"
His gaze fixed upon Chen Chuan. "At last, the wait is over."
Chapter 1351