Inside his room, Chen Chuan used his active conscious entity to examine and analyze several books left behind by Emperor Wenguang, attempting to find clues regarding "sites."
What could be confirmed for now was that such places truly existed, and likely in more than one location.
Even though most members of the former imperial household walked the Visage of the Divine or the Aberrant Visage, a small minority still cultivated the Visage of Man—Prince Yong, for instance.
Prince Yong's very existence proved that the former imperial household still possessed similar sites.
Yet even if one were found, it remained to be seen whether it was compatible with him.
Elder She had once told him that for a fighter walking the Visage of Man, the ideal path was to locate a suitable airspace and forge a "site" entirely on one's own. Although doing so would consume vast amounts of time and mental energy, it would be the one most attuned to oneself.
After witnessing the "Heaven Beyond Self" established by the Duanchen Sect, he had also seen the sheer heights such an airspace could achieve.
However, he walked the Visage of Man. If his goal was purely to make a breakthrough, all those embellishments and flashy trappings were completely unnecessary.
It would be best if he could enter an existing "site" to see it firsthand before deciding on his course of action.
He checked the time. Today was the twenty-fifth; the recommendation list for the Supreme Security Advisory Group would be submitted today, after which the final inductees would be decided.
Joining the advisory group would certainly be fine, but missing out would not bother him either.
He would simply proceed at his own pace.
Meanwhile, after the combat command headquarters received his message and confirmed the news, a pervasive sense of joy washed through every rank from top to bottom.
The eradication of Prince Yi marked the capture or demise of every legitimate heir to the former imperial household. The fallen dynasty was now truly a fallen dynasty in every sense.
Even though remnants of regional factions had yet to be stamped out, eliminating them was merely a matter of time.
This lingering affliction that had plagued them for nearly a century would soon cease to exist, and they had accomplished the unfinished enterprise of their forebears.
At the high-level conference convened once again that afternoon, applause rang out without end as the news was announced.
As Ren Xinshan clapped, he reflected that the next step would be the requisition and absorption of the convergence zone.
Everyone seated in this room surely understood that the Great Impact would likely arrive next year. In a more pressing scenario, it might even descend in the first half of the year. They had to accelerate the pace of integrating the convergence zone and convert it into national strength and combat power as swiftly as possible.
After the meeting adjourned, although the combat command headquarters had not yet been disbanded, the primary tasks no longer required so many senior officials to gather in one place. Unless necessary, the heads of various departments no longer had to remain in the government offices.
After handling a few remaining matters, another night passed. Ren Xinshan and Vice Minister Guo stepped out of Tianyuantang.
Standing atop the steps, the two felt the biting wind against their faces and watched the bright red morning sun slowly rising into the sky, falling into a momentary reverie.
Vice Minister Guo suddenly remarked, "A bit of a pity, isn't it?"
"What's a pity?" Ren Xinshan turned his head.
Vice Minister Guo rubbed his hands together, lightly stamped his feet, exhaled a breath of white mist, and said, "If only it had been three years earlier—no, even two years earlier. We would have had much more time to prepare."
Ren Xinshan said, "Until the very end, who can ever make up their mind?"
"Indeed," Vice Minister Guo said, shaking his head. "With tasks handed down by the departments, plenty of people drag their feet until the final deadline. If they weren't forced into a corner with no other way out, it would be terribly difficult to take the leap."
"Let's go."
Ren Xinshan walked down the steps. "There's far more business ahead. Time to get busy."
An orderly stepped forward to hand Vice Minister Guo a pair of gloves, but he waved them off, thrust his hands into the pockets of his overcoat, and walked down after him.
"Yes, plenty to keep us busy again."
At that moment, on the west side of the Tianyuantang Administration Court, in Danquan Hall.
Fan Zhentong stood dressed in his uniform atop pattern-etched blue flagstones. Peering beneath the eaves, he looked out across the covered veranda toward the clear expanse of the lake.
Even in winter, this place remained as warm as spring. Four-season blooms were planted all around, sending refreshing fragrances drifting through the air.
Footsteps sounded from behind.
The newcomer was a middle-aged man with a prominent nose, deep-set eyes, and a faintly mixed heritage, wearing the same advisory uniform.
It was Advisor Geng Bocheng, who hailed from the Refined Practice School.
He seemed to have come expressly to speak with Fan Zhentong. Approaching the edge of the veranda, he turned his head and said, "The nominations from each faction have already been submitted. All that remains now is our vote. Advisor Fan, you only recently became a formal advisor; this must be your first time voting, right?"
Fan Zhentong said, "You ask what you already know. Say whatever it is you came to say."
Geng Bocheng was not provoked by his blunt tone. Looking composed and unruffled, he said, "This time, I favor the candidate nominated by the Convergence faction. For no special reason other than the fact that he possesses a secret diagram bloodline."
Fan Zhentong said, "A secret diagram bloodline? In the confrontations with the former imperial household, Commander Chen has already killed two of them, one after the other."
Geng Bocheng smiled and shook his head. "Advisor Fan, when it comes to exploring and analyzing the secret diagrams, the former imperial household remains stuck in the methods of the past. They haven't even managed to assimilate new technologies from them; they simply do not comprehend how true power is acquired. The ways of the old era have long become obsolete. Besides, those people of the former imperial household ceased to be human long ago; how much could they possibly glean from the secret diagrams?"
Fan Zhentong understood what he meant. There might indeed be a difference between the two; under identical conditions, the secret diagram bloodline bearers from the modern factions might well be stronger than those of the former imperial household. Even so, he believed that superiority was limited.
Someone like Chen Chuan, on the other hand, belonged in a category of his own; in his presence, there was likely no difference between the two.
However, he did not bother arguing with Geng Bocheng. These people clung to their own perceptions and concepts, which would never shift over a few words.
Geng Bocheng went on, "The superiority of the secret diagram bloodline is beyond dispute. In the advisory group of the future, there will only be more and more individuals like him. That is the inevitable trend. They alone represent the future of the world; they alone can contend with the entities of the world across from us."
His tone suddenly turned solemn.
"Advisor Fan, I don't subscribe to the internal rhetoric of my faction. When it comes to standing against the things beyond the sky, my position is undeniably aligned with yours. I simply wish to see a demographic with greater growth potential holding the front line. Officer Chen has performed very well, but no matter how well he performs, he represents only himself. None of us knows how far he can truly go. Past experience tells us..."
A touch of melancholy entered his voice. "Man has limits."
Fan Zhentong remained expressionless. "Advisor Geng, if you have finished speaking, you may leave. I have matters to consider."
Geng Bocheng looked at him, nodded, and turned to walk away. But after a few paces, he looked back and said, "I will prove that our choice was correct."
With that, he quickened his pace and departed.
Fan Zhentong did not look back. Roughly ten minutes later, the voice of his active conscious entity sounded through his boundary credential:
"Advisor Fan, voting for the advisory group reserve member begins at 8:15. Please arrive at Danxin Hall ten minutes prior to the vote. Failure to arrive on time will be deemed an abstention."
Fan Zhentong checked the time. It was 7:45; it was about time.
He walked along the veranda, rounded a bend, and continued upward. Passing across a rainbow gallery spanning two high-rise buildings, he entered Danxin Hall.
Danxin Hall was an expansive spiral-shaped complex arranged around the green lake of Tianyuantang.
He stepped inside and, guided by his active conscious entity, walked beneath one of the pillars of light.
Before him stood a half-height pedestal where he would cast his vote once the appointed time arrived. Standing here, every advisor participating in the vote was shielded from one another; none could influence another in any way.
He pressed his hand against it, and the active conscious entity confirmed his identity and registered a welcome.
At the same time, a field screen materialized before him, presenting bust projections of three individuals.
They were Qiu Yanbo, nominated by the Nature Faction; Cen Xinwu, jointly nominated by the Convergence faction and the Refined Practice School; and Chen Chuan, nominated by the Purist Faction and the Implant Faction.
Beside their silhouettes appeared brief summaries of their records, kept minimal to prevent the leakage of sensitive intelligence.
Fan Zhentong looked them over. Judged purely by merit, even without factoring in the ongoing war to extinguish the fallen state, Chen Chuan was indisputably first.
While the other two possessed impressive records and distinguished achievements, they paled in comparison to Chen Chuan.
What was more, Chen Chuan had started from the lowest point among the three. He had genuinely advanced step by solid step to reach this station; that alone was more than enough to prove his worth.
Even by visible combat capability, Chen Chuan's performance was in a league of its own. The evaluation reports offered high assessments of the other two, but there were no concrete battle results to substantiate them.
Yet he understood that this decision went beyond individual merit; it was weighed and determined by the advisors' personal perspectives, naturally including their political alignments and stances.
At the exact same moment, all the members of the advisory group who entered Danxin Hall clearly saw the three candidates' records.
Among them, Chen Chuan was unmistakably the one who could not be overlooked.
Every advisor watched in silence. Long before stepping into this hall, they had already made up their minds.
Time swiftly arrived at 8:15. The active conscious entity notified the advisors that voting was now open; they were granted a five-minute voting window, during which no communication was permitted.
Without the slightest hesitation, Fan Zhentong cast his vote in support of Chen Chuan.
Many advisors made the same choice, mostly proponents of the progressive line.
Conversely, not a single advisor representing the Conservative faction chose Chen Chuan. Unwilling to grant the Progressive faction greater sway in this regard, they cast their votes for the candidate they endorsed instead.
Fan Zhentong waited for the tally. Barely two minutes later, the final results appeared on the field screen.
Qiu Yanbo was eliminated first, while Chen Chuan and Cen Xinwu were tied with the exact same number of votes. In accordance with regulations, a second round of voting would be held ten minutes later.
If the outcome remained undecided after two rounds, a five-member advisory panel would determine the final candidate.
Chapter 1459