From the information Elder Yu had provided, Chen Chuan could already clearly realize that obtaining these external resources would not be easy. If it were merely a contest of raw strength, things would actually be simpler. Instead, this involved ideological clashes, political maneuvering, and struggles between one faction and another.
Yet when all was said and done, it still came down to power not being strong enough.
He could feel plainly that as his realm steadily climbed, certain locks could no longer be called locks, and certain bindings could no longer bind him.
And so he had to keep moving upward until nothing could restrain him.
Elder Yu looked at him. Having walked this path himself, he knew what thoughts and intentions most juniors would harbor upon learning all of this.
In a heavy voice, he said, "If you do not wish to be subjected to others' control, it means you must seek these things out yourself. But that is no easy task.
"Take 'sites' for instance. Such things are scattered all across the world on the opposite side, but they are only the most primitive and crude independent fields. In theory, the best approach is to find a suitable one and carve out a 'site' entirely on your own. Because you would accomplish the entire process by yourself, it would be the one most closely attuned to you.
"However, this would inevitably consume vast amounts of time and mental energy. No one knows how long it would take.
"Those ancient faiths and old dynasties that boast long lineages had their sites carved out and refined by preceding generations over time.
"Take the Tianji Sect, where you visited. Even though I have never been there, they undoubtedly possess a site uniquely attuned to themselves. Only then can the lineage of the Celestial Master be handed down without interruption.
"Yet that was established through hundreds or even thousands of years of expansion and maintenance, with no small amount of participation from upper-level powers. Compared to that, the strength of a single individual is far too meager.
"The human world is built upon cooperation and division of labor. Doing these things alone is simply too inefficient; only by relying on the strength of a collective can one achieve twice the result with half the effort.
"Of course, if time is sufficient and you are confident enough in your own abilities, there is no harm in searching slowly on your own.
"Once a Xuanji martial artist walking the Visage of Man attains the Dongxuan View level, so long as their own mind remains unshaken, they will hardly be eroded or mutated easily. Provided you keep yourself safe, you should theoretically be able to find a compatible site or whatever you desire.
"Yet now that the Great Impact draws near, you may not have that luxury of time."
Chen Chuan nodded slowly.
Elder Yu watched him and said, "Fellow Chen, although I am rather reluctant to mention it, there is one thing I must still tell you. In truth, these three external conditions are not strictly mandatory.
"Under certain specific circumstances, possessing just one external condition may suffice to break through the tier threshold and embrace upper-level power.
"However, listing these three external conditions is not without reason. It concerns a Xuanji martial artist's very foundation, the unfolding of their might, the realization of their potential, and the ultimate height they can reach in the future.
"Therefore, it depends on your determination, and how far and high you intend to go.
"Sometimes, the choice is not even yours to make. Even the faintest wisp of upper-level power is still upper-level power, towering above the mundane world—at the very least granting the capacity to survive when the Great Impact arrives.
"The path of advancement relies not only on one's will, but also on personal fortune. Making trade-offs early on might not be a bad alternative."
Chen Chuan could tell that Elder Yu was offering this counsel from the perspective of a senior within the faction looking out for a younger member.
Yet some options only guaranteed a baseline and were not what one truly desired.
He shifted his thoughts. The Great Impact was imminent, depriving many of the room to choose at leisure. As for what he should do, the information he currently possessed was still limited.
He would weigh the matter carefully after returning.
For now, there were still questions he needed answered.
He raised his head and said, "Elder Yu, may I ask: regarding the advancement of the Skyline project, where does the faction's primary opinion lie?"
Elder Yu replied, "Naturally with promoting the Skyline. If the Skyline can connect the central cities across the world or cover the globe, then when the Great Impact arrives, we can promptly reinforce any side.
"The world's power can be concentrated wherever a weakness appears at any time. My view aligns with the others; even those young fellows in the faction with dissenting opinions are actively pushing for this."
"I understand," Chen Chuan said. Pausing for a moment, he added, "Elder Yu, I will do what I ought to do."
Elder Yu nodded. "Go on, then. I await the day you reach the upper level and stand with us against the fiends from beyond." At that moment, light flashed across his body, and an orb of radiance drifted down. "This thing is of no further use to me. You may find some use for it."
Chen Chuan caught it, cupped his hands in salute to Elder Yu, and then turned back to retrace his steps.
After a dozen paces, the light behind him swiftly faded away. Accompanied by another subtle stir in his spirit, he felt himself step out of that fissure-like space.
What greeted his eyes once more were the white interior walls of the Pivot Pillar. He walked outward, emerging several minutes later.
He glanced at the display on his boundary credential. Despite exchanging so many words with Elder Yu, only three seconds had elapsed, as though everything had taken place purely within the mind.
Yet he knew it was not that simple. Sensing something, he cast a glance backward.
The colossal Pivot Pillar had vanished without a trace.
It was as if it had merely been a field simulation.
Footsteps sounded from a distance. Turning his gaze, he saw Mr. Zhuan walking over.
Mr. Mask said, "Commissioner Chen, you met with Elder Yu? Did it go smoothly?"
"I met him," Chen Chuan replied. "It went well enough."
"That's good to hear." Mr. Mask did not pry into what they had discussed, asking instead, "Commissioner Chen, are there other places you wish to visit?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "Since I have come to the headquarters, I might as well see the places I haven't visited yet."
From the looks of it, he likely would not return to the headquarters for a long time once he went back. And once the Great Impact arrived, this headquarters could very well become the front line of collisions and conflict. It was wise to familiarize himself with it while he had the chance.
The three of them boarded the cable car again. Chen Chuan deliberately toured the headquarters' training grounds and, by virtue of his authority, directly requested a set of their training module frameworks.
He intended to test them out at the branch. These training patterns were secondary; the main factor was resource investment. Provided they didn't train a massive crowd all at once and focused only on cultivating a select few elites, the Jibei Dao branch could undoubtedly support it.
However, only the front half of the canyon was open for visits that day, so he stayed the night and ate dinner at the headquarters' dining hall.
He judged the flavor of the meal to be passable, but its nutritional value was surprisingly high. This indicated that the preparers prioritized function over taste—wholly fitting for their efficiency-first ethos.
During his night at headquarters, Mr. Zhuan and Mr. Mask specially filled him in on the specifics regarding the conservative faction.
Chen Chuan had already guessed most of the conservative faction's thinking. Although Elder Yu had not stated it explicitly, piecing together the information from the Tianji Sect with Elder Yu's hints made it clear: the Purist Faction was almost certainly backing an inheritor of a secret-diagram bloodline.
Elder Yu evidently disliked this, but circumstances dictated action. Some things had to be done for the greater good, whether one liked them or not.
Presumably, some within the faction now viewed Chen Chuan as a latecomer rival. He cared little for what those conservatives thought.
Nor would he restrict his vision solely to the faction. Based on past experience, the resources he required to advance would likely be astronomical, forcing him to seek out additional avenues from the outside world.
The next day, he visited the esoteric ritual containment area at the canyon's end to see whether those beings held the rare materials he needed.
These entities were held individually inside field cages woven from upper-level mental force, allowing outsiders to observe them without suffering corruption or attack.
After looking them over, the result came as no surprise: only one or two elicited the faintest reaction from his spirit visage.
And those two were already among the higher-ranking captured fiends. As for the rest, they were utterly useless to him.
These beings had been sought out and certified by the Purist Faction's predecessors as the most suitable "rare materials" for Dongxuan View martial artists, yet they still failed to meet his requirements. This indirectly proved that in essence, he was already distinct from conventional Dongxuan View martial artists of the past.
It meant he would have to venture to the opposite side to seek out far mightier beings to fulfill his needs.
After casting a few more glances at them, he turned and left without looking back. He lingered at the headquarters for a few more days, toured the remaining areas, and then prepared for his departure.
The following day, Mr. Zhuan and Mr. Mask personally saw him onto an airship. Watching the vessel pull away from the mooring tower, Mr. Mask remarked:
"If Commissioner Chen's achievements are recognized, a promotion upon his return is guaranteed. It would be best if the faction pushed with all its might to get him into the Supreme Security Advisory Council. Even as an alternate member, he would have some standing to participate in discussions at the highest decision-making level."
Mr. Zhuan said, "I have no doubt about that."
Even the conservative faction would welcome advancing a member into the Supreme Advisory Council.
Political backing would not be an issue; competition would mainly arise over internal resource allocation.
Mask said, "Commissioner Chen has met Elder Yu, so he surely has plans of his own. I think we should just assist him where we can from now on."
After chattering to himself for a few moments, he noticed Mr. Zhuan had gone silent and found it odd.
"Old Zhuan, what are you looking at?"
Mr. Zhuan was holding a photograph in his hand.
Mr. Mask leaned over. "Hey, isn't that the little girl from the village we passed when we went to resolve that strange tale last time? Are those her parents behind her? Why are they sitting on the roof? What's with that weird smile?
"Wait, that's not right! Old Zhuan, where did you get this photo? I don't remember you taking one."
Mr. Zhuan said in a heavy voice, "I didn't."
"Huh?"
Mr. Zhuan said slowly, "This photograph suddenly appeared in my pocket."
Mr. Mask froze. Even wearing his mask, a chill seemed to prickle through his mind.
"This..."
Strange tales were utterly unreasonable like that. With the Great Impact drawing near, he felt that some strange tales were even more troublesome than entities from the opposite side. Sometimes he would rather face those beings than deal with these bizarre occurrences.
Mr. Zhuan asked, "Have you noticed that strange tales inside Center City seem to be declining, while those outside are multiplying?"
"Are they?"
Mr. Zhuan turned and walked off.
"Where are you going?"
"I need to use the database to check the data on strange tales across various regions."
"Oh, checking the data? Hey, Old Zhuan—this way! Over this way!"
Chapter 1353