After Chen Chuan, Ren Xinshan, and the others stepped out of the car, they walked up the broad stone steps before the main hall of the Administration Council. Their steady, forceful footfalls echoed with each step.
Several state affairs personnel were coming and going here; upon seeing them, they paused of their own accord, watching respectfully and waiting until they had passed before resuming their way.
When they arrived before Tianyuantang, Great Shun's national emblem could be seen hanging dead center above the entrance, while two rows of imposing armed guards stood rigidly at attention along both sides of the walkway.
The place was permeated with a solemn, profound aura of authority, inspiring an instinctive sense of awe in anyone who set foot here.
Secretary Pei stood right behind the two men. Even though he had accompanied Ren Xinshan here many times, he still could not help feeling a flicker of nervousness and reverence.
After standing there for a moment, Chen Chuan and Ren Xinshan passed through the security checkpoint and entered through the main doors. Arriving in the outer hall, an attendant immediately came forward to lead the way.
The three crossed the spacious, brightly lit reception hall and walked eastward along a corridor decorated with various calligraphy scrolls, paintings, and ornaments.
At this point, Chen Chuan noticed a framed piece of calligraphy inscribed with four bold characters: "Tianyuan as Orthodox."
Seeing where he was looking, Ren Xinshan remarked, "That was brushed by Zhen Yong, a renowned minister of the Sheng Dynasty. Legend has it he was exceptionally skilled at reading atmospheric signs and divining cosmic portents.
"Since antiquity, Chiqiu has been considered the center of the world, and the palaces and temples of past dynasties were all built atop it. When Tianyuantang was established, in order to make a break with the old era, an alternate site was chosen for its construction.
"Yet during construction, a stone stele engraved with those four characters was unearthed. Many regarded it as an auspicious omen. This is a replica; the authentic stele is currently kept in the Dachen Palace Museum."
Chen Chuan looked at it for another few moments. It seemed many ancient relics were preserved within the Dachen Palace Museum. Since arriving in Zhongjing, he had spent most of his time cultivating and had visited very few places; if time permitted, he could pay a visit there.
As they spoke, the three reached the end of the corridor. The attendant pressed the elevator button for them. Once they entered in turn, the lift took them straight up to the sixth floor.
Stepping out, they found another carpeted corridor. Rounding a carved stone landscape screen bearing the inscription "The Way of Governance Accords with the People," they arrived at the reception room for this meeting.
The staff at the entrance inspected their identification cards and had an active conscious entity verify their fields before saluting and allowing them through.
Chen Chuan stepped inside and saw a hall with a circular layout. The carpet was clean and dignified, the lighting soft. Everything grew considerably quieter all at once, enveloped in a solemn atmosphere.
Guards and plainly dressed female attendants stood flanking the seating area.
Vice Chairman Jin was standing at the far end. He looked to be in his sixties and well-preserved, bearing the subtle marks of regular physical exercise. His hair was neatly slicked back, and he wore black-rimmed glasses, presenting an imposing figure. Yet when he spoke, his tone was quite gentle. "Vice Minister Ren, Commissioner Chen. Good day."
The two stepped forward and shook hands with him in turn. When Vice Chairman Jin shook hands with Chen Chuan, he took a careful look at him, smiled in greeting, and said, "Please, have a seat, both of you."
The three of them took their respective seats.
Vice Chairman Jin said, "The reason we invited Commissioner Chen here today is to consult you and gain a clearer understanding of a few matters. It is merely a routine inquiry, nothing beyond that."
The secretary standing beside him added, "Commissioner Chen, our conversation will be fully recorded, and you will be asked to review the transcript before we conclude."
Vice Chairman Jin smiled. "If Commissioner Chen finds no issue with this, shall we begin our discussion?"
Chen Chuan had no objections and nodded. "Certainly."
Vice Chairman Jin said, "I have read the two articles you wrote, Commissioner Chen. Your stance is clear, well-reasoned, and deeply insightful. What's more, you have put your ideas into practice through concrete action.
"Regarding the battle in the Anbei Dao convergence zone, I have already seen the report submitted to us. However, as the primary combatant involved, there are certain details I need to confirm with you directly."
The secretary immediately took out a report and handed it to Chen Chuan with both hands.
Chen Chuan took it and scanned the pages. Looking up, he said, "It is largely accurate, aside from some minor oversights in the combat section. Still, that is likely because they couldn't see the specific details clearly, which left the description somewhat vague."
Vice Chairman Jin nodded slowly. The disparity between martial artists could be immense—at times even greater than the gulf between an ordinary human and a martial artist. In his position, he naturally understood this.
He said, "Commissioner Chen, in your articles, you linked the matters of Skyline and the Former Imperial House together, expressing your views with great clarity.
"In that case, I would like to ask: do you believe the conditions are ripe for us to launch an offensive against the Former Imperial House?"
The moment this question was asked, everyone present held their breath, clearly aware of its enormous weight.
Chen Chuan replied, "Forgive my candor, but in my personal opinion, they are not."
"Oh?"
Vice Chairman Jin was slightly surprised by this answer. However, it was not hard to deduce that Chen Chuan had more to say, so he refrained from jumping in.
Chen Chuan said, "The timing for attacking the Former Imperial House will never truly be ripe at any point."
He paused briefly. "After concluding my visit to the Federation this time, I spent some additional time with the Tianji Sect.
"In the sacred texts of the Tianji Sect, I saw numerous records concerning the gods of the old era. Many of those ancient gods are likely residing within the Former Imperial House, venerated by them.
"Throughout history, fallen dynasties have retreated into the convergence zones. And while earlier dynasties could be ousted and extinguished by later ones, the cultural continuity of our East Continent has never been broken. The gods enshrined from antiquity down to the present day may not have dwindled in number; in fact, they may have only grown more numerous.
"I examined some records and archives in the Ministry, as well as past operational plans. From them, it is clear that we currently do not know precisely how many gods support the Former Imperial House, nor do we know how many of them have colluded with entities from the other side.
"What can be determined, however, is that even if their overall power is inferior to ours, our past estimates have been far too conservative."
He looked toward Vice Chairman Jin. "That means eradicating the Former Imperial House will require mobilizing greater strength, and the forces originally earmarked for a decisive battle against them may prove insufficient.
"From the perspective of national defense, in order to ensure that nothing goes wrong along the Ring of the World and on all other fronts, assembling a sufficient number of high-tier martial artists will undoubtedly take time. Even if everything proceeds smoothly, it could easily take half a year to a year.
"Yet I believe the best window of opportunity may only be these few months before us. If we do not seize the moment to crush the Former Imperial House now, we may never have another chance this favorable.
"As Vice Chairman Jin is surely aware, we have roughly one year left before the Great Impact arrives. When that happens, no one knows where the first impact point will fall.
"If it happens within Great Shun, the matter of the Former Imperial House will be nearly impossible to resolve cleanly, and it will leave us caught between enemies on both fronts."
Vice Chairman Jin listened with rapt attention. He remarked with a sigh, "You are quite right, Commissioner Chen. The world is in dynamic flux. Under the impending pressure of the Great Impact, our strength is growing, but our enemies have not stagnated either—they too are growing stronger. We will never be able to attain an ideal state of readiness.
"Since we have already secured a certain baseline of conditions for an offensive on our side, if we do not seize it, the opportunity may never come again."
His expression turned grave. "Then, Commissioner Chen, if you were dispatched to hold Xianglan Pass, could you defend it?"
To this question, Chen Chuan gave a clear and definite answer.
"If I am allowed to go in person right now, I believe I can hold it. But if there is a delay of several days, it will be hard to say.
"Capturing Xianglan Pass happened just last night. However, if the Former Imperial House responds quickly and decisively enough, they could strike back within a single day."
Vice Chairman Jin remained silent. He glanced at his secretary, who took the cue and ventured to ask, "Commissioner Chen, pardon me for asking, but the pass doesn't seem to impose much restriction on martial artists of your level. Even if it were taken, couldn't we simply take it back?"
Chen Chuan glanced at him and said, "We could, certainly. But we must consider that the Former Imperial House is very likely to employ ritual methods to compensate for their deficits. Retaking it would then demand an additional price. Even without factoring in political fallout and other considerations, it would simply not be worth it.
"Furthermore, I anticipate that the Former Imperial House will likely deploy a substantial portion of their forces to retake the pass. Yet once it is retaken, the participating commanders and generals may not remain stationed there. That would rob us of the chance to wipe out this effective force in one stroke.
"Rather than dealing with them piecemeal later, it is far better to resolve it in one blow and diminish the difficulty of the war ahead."
His voice was clear and forceful. Everyone present could feel the formidable confidence emanating from his words.
Vice Chairman Jin nodded. He made a slight gesture, and the secretary immediately handed the notebook of records to Chen Chuan.
"Commissioner Chen, please take a look and see if there are any issues."
Chen Chuan took it and flipped through the pages. "There are no issues," he said, handing it back to the secretary.
Vice Chairman Jin then stood up and extended his hand to Chen Chuan. "Thank you, Commissioner Chen. Those are all the questions we wished to consult you on. Thank you for coming here to answer our queries."
Chen Chuan stood up as well and shook his hand. "Don't mention it, Vice Chairman Jin. As a commissioner of the Ministry of National Security, this is my duty."
The gravity faded from Vice Chairman Jin's face, replaced by a smile. Taking a sealed pouch from the secretary, he handed it to Chen Chuan. "Commissioner Chen, this item was entrusted to us to deliver to you. Please keep it safe."
Chen Chuan offered his thanks and accepted it.
Vice Chairman Jin had a demanding schedule, so after exchanging a few brief pleasantries, they took their leave.
Vice Chairman Jin returned to his office, took the transcript of the recent conversation, checked it over, signed his name upon it, and said, "I am going to see the Chief Administrator."
Back in the car, Chen Chuan took the sealed pouch and opened it. Inside were several items, among which was a letter.
He took it out and checked the signature; the letter had been sent by Meteora, head of the International Investigation Delegation.
At that moment, a subtle stir ran through his heart—for the instant he held it in his hands, he suddenly felt a spiritual tremor.
This sensation... was just like a certain higher-tier power he had encountered before.
Chapter 1394