Inside the headquarters of the Purist Faction, Vice Chairman Zhu waited until Zhan Jiyue had left before picking up the telephone and dialing a number.
After a brief wait, the call went through.
"Chairman, it's me. Yes, I spoke with Old Zhan. Understood, I'll keep close watch on it. Please, go about your affairs, Chairman; you can leave things here to me. Yes, as soon as Advisor Chen responds, I'll inform you right away. Very well, understood."
Only after the other side hung up did he put down the receiver. Leaning back against the chair, he let out a soft breath.
Chen Chuan's appointment as an official member of the advisory group was, in his view, the best possible outcome.
Truth be told, voices within the faction had advocated backing the inheritor of the secret map bloodline to vie for that seat, but those voices had not been loud.
Chen Chuan's succession of past merits, combined with his prior track record in local administration, gave him immense advantages. There was no question that he was the most suitable choice for the advisory group.
Having become an official advisor, he would not lack resources in the slightest, meaning he would no longer have to rely solely on the faction's backing.
Meanwhile, the faction could pour all its resources into that secret map bloodline bearer, grooming them to become the pillar of the faction's future.
It was just that a few hitches had arisen when it came to elevating Chen Chuan. The faction had failed to pull it off, and the final recommendation slot had ended up in their opponents' hands. Turning the situation around had ultimately come down to Tianshu's direct appointment.
Strictly speaking, Chen Chuan had climbed up on his own merits, with little owing to the faction's efforts. Because of this, far from feeling indebted to the faction, he might even develop a rift with them.
Fortunately, Chen Chuan maintained good friendships with a few members of the faction, leaving room for reconciliation.
He could only hope Old Zhan would deliver the message properly.
After stepping out of headquarters, Zhan Jiyue looked up at the crisp, clear sky outside, still finding it somewhat unbelievable.
In the blink of an eye, Committee Member Chen had become Advisor Chen.
A sense of unreality lingered in his mind.
Chuckling ruefully to himself, he walked down the steps and got into his car. Tapping his boundary credential, he contacted Chen Chuan.
After waiting a moment, the connection went through, and Chen Chuan's voice came over the line: "Old Zhan?"
"It's me." Zhan Jiyue leaned forward a bit and said, "Advisor Chen, I just came out of headquarters and heard the news of your appointment. Congratulations!"
Chen Chuan's chuckle sounded. "You heard already? You're quite well-informed, Old Zhan."
Noticing that his tone was completely natural and no different from before, Zhan Jiyue nodded unconsciously. Adjusting his posture again, he said, "I just met with Vice Chairman Zhu. He told me... Well, there's a matter..."
Chen Chuan asked, "Did the faction have something to pass along?"
"Yes," Zhan Jiyue said. "Headquarters would like to meet with you to talk things through. Would that be convenient for you, Advisor Chen?"
Chen Chuan replied, "Certainly. I was already planning to meet with the faction's senior leadership anyway. How about this: I'm free over the next few days, so they can come here." With that, he sent a contact address over to Zhan Jiyue.
"They'll know how to reach me."
"Understood."
Having gotten the official business out of the way, Zhan Jiyue felt much more relaxed. He smiled and said, "Advisor Chen, remember that pinball game you demonstrated to me? I've been promoting it this whole time, and right now it's really caught on."
Chen Chuan remarked, "Oh? I haven't paid much attention to it lately, but I do think it's very suitable for martial artists."
"It really is!"
Zhan Jiyue said enthusiastically, "It's a wholesome sport that trains a martial artist's physique, mind, and teamwork, and matches can be held both in field space and reality. People have already organized a few small-scale tournaments, and the response has been fantastic. The Nature faction in particular has set up teams across all their branches and plans to hold an internal league in February. In my view, this activity could be expanded to all the various factions."
Back when Chen Chuan introduced the activity, he had simply believed it would benefit the martial artist community. However, occupied by his own affairs, he hadn't followed up on it. He had heard earlier that Zhan Jiyue had been privately promoting it all along, and it was clear now that Zhan had poured a great deal of effort into it.
After chatting a bit more with Zhan Jiyue on the subject, Chen Chuan said at last, "If I have time, I'll go watch a match. Old Zhan, when headquarters sends people over to meet with me in a few days, come along as well."
Zhan Jiyue's spirits lifted. "All right, absolutely!"
"Let's leave it at that, then."
After hanging up, Chen Chuan gave it some thought. He hadn't expected the faction to reach out so quickly. Still, that worked out fine; having the faction's cooperation would make certain upcoming tasks much more convenient.
For a long time, the Purist Faction had consistently projected its strength outward. There was nothing inherently wrong with such an approach; it aligned closely with their guiding philosophy and pursuits.
However, this resulted in very limited investment in local regions. The Purist Faction's solution had been to fast-track individuals of outstanding ability, assign a few capable assistants to them, and entrust them with heavy responsibilities. Consequently, their local branches often depended on just a handful of exceptional figures to hold things together.
When such individuals were capable, they could quickly establish a firm foothold. Far from needing resources drawn from headquarters, they could soon feed back into it. But the moment something went wrong with them, the local situation would instantly unravel.
Examples of both successes and failures abounded. It was an unavoidable compromise, yet already the best available choice under the circumstances.
Even so, he felt that with the Great Impact drawing near, they could no longer fixate solely on the outside world; they needed to turn their gaze inward as well. With so many internal issues, a purge and overhaul were imperative.
Since the Purist Faction had sought him out so quickly, the other factions were bound to be just as keen-scented. If any were truly colluding with outside forces, they might already be making preparations right now—either patching their own vulnerabilities or stirring up trouble for their rivals.
He pondered for a moment. He had initially intended to wait a few days, but now he decided against delaying any longer. He needed to make his will felt as soon as possible.
He spoke aloud, "Kaiyang, connect me with Vice Minister Ren Xinshan of the Department of Security Affairs."
"Understood, Advisor Chen."
Moments later, the boundary credential connected, and Ren Xinshan's voice came through: "Advisor Chen?"
Chen Chuan said, "Senior Ren, it's me. Is it convenient for you to speak right now?"
Ren Xinshan asked him to hold on. A moment later, he said, "Advisor Chen, go ahead. It's safe on my end."
Chen Chuan said, "Do you recall that matter from the previous meeting?"
Ren Xinshan considered it and said, "Advisor Chen, are you referring to Committee Member Yuan accusing Minister He?"
Chen Chuan said, "There is definitely something wrong with Minister He. At the time, Huang Quji tried to influence Committee Member Yuan, but he covered his tracks cleanly, so we couldn't get any leverage on him. Even if we had caught him red-handed, we couldn't have brought him down with just that. At his level, he isn't someone who can be unseated over minor issues. After all, to many people, him holding that position is far too important."
Ren Xinshan remarked, "Many people would rather not see such an outcome."
Chen Chuan said, "What they don't want to see happens to be exactly what we need to do."
Ren Xinshan replied in a low voice, "Over the years, I've gathered quite a bit of evidence and material. But relying solely on my efforts from below, without a push from above, we won't be able to shake him to his foundations."
Chen Chuan gave a slight nod. He had guessed as much. Having served as vice minister for so many years, Ren Xinshan was sure to have come prepared. Originally, Chen Chuan had thought of using technical means to trace and reconstruct past trails.
After all, with Kaiyang being so useful, it was only natural to make use of it. He knew there might be tacit unwritten rules among advisory group members—turning a blind eye to keep the peace and avoiding crossing lines to prevent fiercer conflicts. But as a newcomer, it was only natural that he wouldn't know or care about such conventions.
Besides, what time was it now? If you didn't make a move, the other side might strike first. Better to strike before they did.
He said, "I'll handle matters on the upper level. Vice Minister Ren, feel free to do whatever you need to do."
Ren Xinshan said, "If that's the case, I can give it a try. But the person I'm more concerned about is someone else."
A thought flashed through Chen Chuan's mind. "Huang Quji?"
"Yes," Ren Xinshan said gravely. "He is a Dongxuan View martial artist, and he's very close to He Shugang—political allies, essentially. If he insists on running interference, many things will be difficult to handle and could easily blow up. What's more, if he takes the brunt of it, it will be hard for us to deal with him, and more crucially, He Shugang might slip away clean."
Chen Chuan reflected for a moment and asked, "As I recall, isn't he mainly in charge of foreign affairs?"
"Correct. That falls under Huang Quji's purview. Ordinarily, however, he delegates most matters to certain committee members and administrators from other departments. Only when a national crisis or international dispute arises does he step forward to handle things in person."
Chen Chuan pondered this. "In that case, we only need to find a way to get him transferred out of the way."
Ren Xinshan didn't ask how he planned to transfer him away; if Chen Chuan said so, he surely had his methods.
He added, "Additionally, I've caught wind of rumors that some people want to promote me upward."
Chen Chuan said, "Looks like some people are getting anxious. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on that matter. Senior, send me the materials later, and I'll draft an operational coordination plan on my end first."
Ren Xinshan agreed. After a brief pause, he asked, "Advisor Chen, there's one more thing I want to ask." He hesitated slightly. "He Shugang is probably not your primary target. What do you intend to do after this?"
Chen Chuan said, "You're very sharp, Senior. Indeed, taking down He Shugang is merely the first step. What I want to deal with is the Ascending Ladder."
"The Ascending Ladder..." Ren Xinshan mused for a moment. "I've seen relevant materials, but I wasn't certain whether such an organization truly existed."
Chen Chuan said with absolute certainty, "The Ascending Ladder definitely exists. It is a malignant tumor lurking within Great Shun, and we must find a way to excise it. In the past, the department has turned a blind eye to it, deliberately steering clear of the matter. Therefore, I suspect there may be members of the organization right inside the department itself."
Ren Xinshan's voice turned solemn. "Huang Quji? Or He Shugang?"
Chen Chuan said, "Both are possible. Even if they aren't direct participants, they're almost certainly linked to it."
Ren Xinshan's tone grew even graver. "Understood. I will transmit the materials to you shortly, Advisor Chen."
Chen Chuan said, "Good. Over the next couple of days, I will be meeting with people from faction headquarters, so you don't need to worry about faction affairs either, Senior."
"Very well. I will await your word, Advisor Chen."
Chapter 1483