Minister He was completely unaffected by Commissioner Yuan's parting words. Maintaining a composed expression, he proceeded smoothly with the remaining agenda.
Once all matters had been addressed, he even joked that everyone should head home early since he wasn't covering their dinner, before formally adjourning the meeting.
Chen Chuan knew He Shugang's ease was no mere act; the man genuinely had no worries about his position.
Not only did he have political allies in the State Affairs Council, but within the Department of Security Affairs itself, both Huang Quji, a Cave Mystery View martial artist, and another Longevity View martial artist were openly his staunch backers.
Both men belonged to the Refined Practice School.
According to Ren Xinshan's deductions, Minister He himself was very likely aligned with the Convergence faction. In any key ministry or department, having multiple factions balance one another was standard operating procedure.
Conversely, Vice Minister Gu belonged to no faction at all, which meant that even if he did nothing whatsoever, the higher-ups would never let him step down.
For the time being, breaking this balance would be exceptionally difficult.
Exiting the conference hall, Chen Chuan's avatar returned to his office. There, it transformed into a streak of purple light, darted toward his true body seated at the desk, and swiftly merged back in.
Chen Chuan's expression remained tranquil. Bound by their mental link, he had witnessed everything through his avatar with absolute clarity.
At present, he had no intention of devoting his main focus to internal departmental squabbles.
There was only one year left until the Great Impact. When that time came, anyone who stood on the opposing side or dragged their feet would simply be crushed underfoot. When that day arrived, no one would bother slowly reasoning things out anymore.
He flipped through recent newspapers and periodicals, much of which was filled with debates revolving around his published article.
However, the single most critical piece of news lately was Hedong Dao joining Skyline.
In the eyes of outsiders who did not know the full picture, Chen Chuan's article was one of the direct catalysts behind Hedong Dao joining Skyline. At the same time, it gave the impression that Skyline's momentum was truly unstoppable.
He pondered the implications. If Anbei Dao followed suit and joined Skyline, it would undoubtedly deliver a massive shock to Zhongjing, creating momentum that could hardly be suppressed.
Consequently, Anbei Dao was bound to become the focal point where the Refined Practice School and the Convergence faction mounted their fiercest resistance. This might pose certain complications for the upcoming military operation in Anbei Dao. Still, since the Enterprising Faction had drafted this plan, they surely possessed ways to manage it, sparing him the need to fret over it.
All he needed to do was push himself to further elevate and refine his own strength before that military action commenced.
He rose and left the office, making his way to the private training hall allotted to him. There, he took out an aged booklet—another esoteric secret art given to him by the Purist Faction, titled "Flowing Gang Golden Flame."
This secret art was designed specifically to counter various types of Divine Visage and spirit qi. The Grand Radiant Light Forms excelled at illuminating forms and seizing them, and this technique paired seamlessly with it, offering a strong likelihood of dropping an enemy in a single blow under the right conditions.
He had already felt the residual mental imprint upon the booklet many times. Closing his eyes for a moment, he soon caused a golden mist to rise around his body.
This mist looked as if it were buffeted by violent winds, churning in fierce, rapid currents.
Yet it appeared to be nothing more than an intangible layer; none of the physical fixtures nearby caught in its radius suffered the slightest damage.
Chen Chuan then instructed Shenyu to generate a simulated scene. Within moments, his surroundings transformed into a sheer cliff covered in snow-capped mountains, a blanket of pure white everywhere he looked.
Yet wherever the golden gaseous flames flowed, the scenery instantly vanished, revealing the original training hall underneath—as though a gaping hole had been corroded straight through the simulated field.
Shenyu's alerts and error chimes sounded in his ears. Only after he drew the power back into himself and waited for a brief spell did the simulation return to normal.
He reflected quietly. That this secret technique could rupture and repel fields had been within his expectations, but how effective it would prove in actual combat still needed to be tested against powerful adversaries.
Furthermore, all the secret arts bestowed upon him by the Purist Faction shared a distinct quality: they could be cultivated indefinitely. The longer one trained in them and the deeper one's mastery grew, the more formidable their power became.
Take the two grand forms, for instance; the sheer destructive might they currently possessed had already far surpassed what he wielded when battling multiple Throne martial artists back then. He looked forward to testing these forces against even stronger opponents.
After practicing for several hours, a message from Ren Xinshan popped up on his boundary credential:
"Commissioner Chen, do you have a moment? There's someone you might want to meet."
Chen Chuan replied, "Alright, I'll be right over." He glanced at the time—it was already one in the morning. For Ren Xinshan to contact him at such an hour meant something urgent had likely come up.
Accordingly, he chose not to send his avatar this time. He rose directly and walked out of the training hall.
Minutes later, he stepped into Ren Xinshan's office. Aside from Ren Xinshan himself, a man in his thirties sat there, carrying a faint touch of cynicism on his face.
Ren Xinshan introduced, "This is Cheng Gao. On the surface, he's a member of the Nature faction in Norland. In reality, he's a vital intelligence operative dispatched abroad by our country."
Cheng Gao stood up, shook hands with Chen Chuan, and said with a smile, "Greetings, Commissioner Chen. I had the privilege of seeing you once at Hanquan Palace that day."
Chen Chuan returned the handshake as the man's dossier appeared on his boundary credential.
He was an operative affiliated with the Nature faction from within Great Shun, yet he was among the rare few in that circle who possessed genuine ideals. His return to the country this time was on behalf of certain interest groups in Norland, seeking to make contact with specific domestic factions.
After exchanging pleasantries, the three took their seats.
Cheng Gao said, "Aside from the commissions entrusted to me by Norland, my return to Great Shun this time is to resolve the problem of my own status.
"While in Norland, an operative from a covert department served as my contact. Regrettably, half a year has passed without him reaching out to me. I've exhausted every possible channel, but I haven't been able to establish contact."
His voice grew heavy. "I suspect he may have been compromised. Yet Norland showed no unusual reaction, nor did anyone come to arrest or turn me. Thus, he most likely took his own life before capture and destroyed his cranial implant, which kept any information from leaking out."
At this point, his tone sank slightly. "Because we operated on a single-line contact basis, I had no way of bypassing him to reach a higher authority. My original plan was to seize this trip back home to track down my handler.
"I tried every method my colleague had left me, but I still couldn't reach anyone.
"I have no idea what went wrong. Fearing that making a larger move would alert the wrong people, my only option was to turn to the Department of Security Affairs."
Ren Xinshan stated, "Cheng Gao holds another identity as a secret special operative of our Department of Security Affairs. I personally signed his authorization back then, and the protocol he signed ensures his loyalty."
Cheng Gao looked up at that moment and said earnestly, "I want to point out that a protocol cannot fully guarantee the truth of my words. In fact, I can't even entirely trust myself, so I am willing to undergo any and all security screenings."
Ren Xinshan said gravely, "Rest assured, I will not omit a single mandatory procedure."
Cheng Gao nodded. "That's reassuring to hear."
In Norland, high-ranking figures colluded far more frequently with entities on the other side. Even as a martial artist, he dared not place absolute faith in his own memories; such precautions were essential.
He added, "Aside from official intelligence, I brought another piece of news this time that our country might find of interest."
Ren Xinshan asked, "Regarding what?"
Cheng Gao replied, "A senior member of the Nature faction in Norland may have obtained a Heavenly Being secret diagram, and he is currently looking for a buyer."
Ren Xinshan's expression turned stern. "A Heavenly Being secret diagram? Where did it come from?"
"From the Earth Sea Grotto."
Ren Xinshan clearly knew of the place and immediately asked, "Is the senior you mentioned Glaesim?"
"Yes, that's him."
"He broke through the Earth Sea Grotto?"
"Only a portion of it."
Not knowing what they were referring to, Chen Chuan pulled up the department's internal archives.
A briefing on the subject instantly appeared on his screen.
The Earth Sea Grotto was a renowned ancient ruin riddling the earth with countless subterranean caverns, rumored to hold a path leading straight to the planet's core. Yet for reasons that remained elusive to this day, successive emperors of Western Yono had persistently attempted to seal these grottos—an effort that ceased only after the overthrow of the former imperial household.
Even more famous than the site itself was a martial artist named Glaesim, who had spent over a century attempting to excavate through this cavern.
His fixation originated from a poignant legend:
It was said that a gardener, whenever he tended the flowers and trees for the noble who employed him, would linger beside a statue of a young maiden, confiding his troubles and thoughts to her. After teaching himself letters and poetry, he never failed to read beside the statue, day after day, without ever missing a beat.
Perhaps his devotion moved the divine. One day as he passed by, a witch stood waiting, claiming she could grant his deepest desire. In return, he had to provide three things: the flower he deemed the most beautiful, a bowl of his own blood, and the sacrifice of one specific memory, which he would forget entirely.
The gardener agreed without hesitation.
The following day, the maiden's statue came to life, but the gardener completely forgot everything he had ever done for her in the past.
From that point onward, the tale chronicled their emotional entanglements until they finally came together.
However, when the noble learned that the statue had transformed into a living woman, he naturally regarded her as his personal property and saw the gardener as nothing more than a despicable thief.
Pursued relentlessly by the noble's men, the couple had no choice but to flee. They turned to the witch once more, and she pointed them toward the Earth Sea Grotto, where the two ultimately vanished into the subterranean depths.
Cheng Gao said, "That legend is widely known throughout the Achalaka region. That Nature faction elder grew up hearing it from childhood, and his home happened to sit right beside the Earth Sea Grotto.
"Consequently, he was utterly convinced the tale was true and became obsessed with it. He spent his entire life trying to prove its reality, hoping to find the couple who had fled within—even if it meant recovering only their skeletal remains—and unravel the mystery behind the maiden statue.
"To that end, he poured over a century into continuous exploration. While he never discovered their remains, he did unearth an item suspected to be a Heavenly Being secret diagram. Yet he himself has no interest whatsoever in the diagram, nor does he intend to turn it over to Norland. He simply wants to sell it in exchange for certain items he needs."
Chapter 1382