Not long after Chen Chuan concluded his call, Ren Xinshan transmitted the dossier over.
With Kaiyang handling the processing, there was no need to worry about any data leaks.
After reviewing the documents for a time, Chen Chuan found the situation was indeed as Ren Xinshan had described: these materials alone were not enough to unseat He Shugang.
On the surface, this appeared to target He Shugang alone, but in reality, it struck at the interests of his backers—the Refined Practice School, the Convergence faction, and several other interest groups tied into the affair.
Backed by those forces and shielded from above by advisors, his position was exceptionally secure.
Yet now, Chen Chuan intended to shake it up.
Before doing so, he needed to resolve the matter of Huang Quji. As long as this man remained within the ministry—even if only as an avatar—he would likely help He Shugang stabilize the department from the inside.
To reassign him, even if the move could not be made entirely without trace, it still had to be reasonable and appropriate.
Right now, a suitable opportunity was at hand.
According to intelligence Chen Chuan had gathered, the situation on the southern front was far from optimistic. Though the personnel dispatched to deal with the matter had halted the anomaly from Chirgata at the border, they still had found no way to eliminate it.
If possible, the state still wished to convert it into a weapon of its own, but an initial attempt had seemingly ended in failure.
Chirgata appeared to have caught wind of Great Shun's intentions. Originally, when they saw the anomaly move into Great Shun territory of its own accord, they had gloated over Great Shun's misfortune.
Yet once they saw Great Shun attempting to turn the thing into its own weapon, they became displeased, feeling as though Great Shun had snatched away something that rightfully belonged to them. To that end, they dispatched numerous spies and covert operatives to carry out sabotage.
On the political front, they whipped up public opinion, asserting that the anomaly was Chirgata's property, that Great Shun possessed no authority to handle it, and demanding its return.
Great Shun had always maintained an exceptionally unyielding posture in foreign affairs and had no intention of indulging them. After issuing an initial response on the international stage, it mounted substantive counterstrikes. Beyond purging the covert saboteurs who had slipped across the border, it likewise dispatched operatives to intervene and sow disruption within Chirgata itself.
*Since you've already accused me of doing so, wouldn't it make your words go to waste if I didn't actually do it?*
This required someone of substantial weight.
Under these circumstances, having Huang Quji make a trip to the southern front was an ideal fit.
With this in mind, Chen Chuan immediately contacted Fan Zhentong. The military needed to submit the request first so the Department of Security Affairs could properly evaluate it, and it would also require some coordination and maneuvering from within the faction.
As for the exact execution, he planned to have Kaiyang draft an action proposal based on available conditions after he met with the faction leadership.
Having sorted through his thoughts, he set them aside, sat back down, and continued purging the aberrant qi from within the celestial abode according to the technique.
Back in the convergence zone, he had estimated that spending three to four hours a day would allow him to revert it into a celestial seed by roughly late January.
Yet after arriving here, he found progress moving at a remarkable pace—most likely because the spatial field provided by the Supreme Advisory Council exerted an intense repulsion toward aberrant qi, which unexpectedly worked to his advantage.
Calculated this way, if he maintained about ten hours a day, he could complete it in roughly two to three days.
Given that, he decided not to leave at all. With Kaiyang present, he could still maintain external communications and receive immediate notice should anyone come looking for him.
After two consecutive days of seated meditation, the aberrant qi within the space was finally purged in its entirety, returning the whole celestial abode to a state of pristine purity.
Chen Chuan felt instantly refreshed, and he could at last attempt the final step of this stage.
First, he extended his spirit outward, attempting to sense the presence of the opposite world. Then, he projected his field outward, seeking contact with the field of this external presence. Through the contact between both sides, the barrier separating them would gradually be worn away.
When seeking an opposing field, one required an existence that remained relatively constant and unchanging, so he chose "Hunjing" without hesitation; it was the ideal subject for resonance.
Perhaps because his field and spirit were sufficiently powerful and resilient, the attempt proved far easier than anticipated.
After only a short while of surging breath, this spatial domain stirred like churning dense fog. At first, it rolled sluggishly and reluctantly, but soon gathered momentum. As the frequency steadily accelerated, the force field stabilizing the space was shaken.
After a dozen more breaths, the field collapsed completely. When the dense fog enveloping the area dispersed, the original surroundings before Chen Chuan vanished entirely, and he found himself standing within the opposite world.
His spirit swiftly discerned a distinct presence among the intricate fields, and just as other fields reached out to seize it, he made contact first.
The next instant, a wisp of vapor formed entirely of pure, limpid light appeared in his grasp. Something flickered and bounded within its core, yet never broke free from the mist.
This was the celestial seed.
Once the object rested in his hand, the masters of those other fields seemed to lose their quarry and drifted away one after another.
Chen Chuan put it away. When he formally established his own sanctuary in the future, this celestial seed would serve as infused nourishment. However, a single seed was not enough; he would find ways to capture more.
Drawing the Xuejun Saber, he turned the blade, instantly tearing open a fissure. He stepped through, returning to his room, and with another turn of the long blade, wiped the fissure away.
With this matter settled, he decided to take a brief respite. For the rest of the day, he planned no rigorous tasks, simply watching a few programs, taking a boat out to sea to clear his head, and checking on the progress of his weapon collection room.
The delegation from the Purist Faction headquarters arrived sooner than anticipated.
Four days after the call with Zhan Jiyue, Purist Faction Chairman Huang Zhengliang, Vice Chairman Zhu Yushan, Zhan Jiyue, and several others received clearance and entered the field space by car.
No other advisors took part this time, though they could be contacted if specific issues required discussion.
Once the car came to a stop before the residence, Huang Zhengliang stepped out.
As chairman of the Purist Faction, he was an authentic Visage of Man martial artist, which was an unspoken convention within the faction.
Much like the chairman of the Implant Faction, who—even if possessing no personal need for external implants—would still graft several external implants onto inconsequential areas as a badge of office to signal their affiliation.
Looking up at the luxurious estate before him, though this was not his first time visiting one of the faction's advisors, Huang Zhengliang could not help feeling a sense of wonder.
"How old is Advisor Chen? Not even twenty-five, right?"
Vice Chairman Zhu replied, "Twenty-three."
"Twenty-three..."
Huang Zhengliang nodded. That was about the same age as his youngest grandson. Yet the children in his own family lacked martial talent and could only take the path of transplanting mutated tissue. The comforting part was that they possessed decent intellects and pursued technical roles under the Implant Faction.
He likewise believed that if a civilization wished to ascend higher, it could not walk on one leg. Individual martial prowess was necessary, but technology was equally indispensable; only by walking on two legs could it avoid limping.
The interim manager of the residence walked down at this moment, ushering the group inside and leading them to the sitting room.
Chen Chuan stood waiting to receive them.
When Huang Zhengliang entered, he saw a massive creature lying beside Chen Chuan, resembling a blend of bird and lizard, its plumage vibrant and its gaze remarkably lively.
They were well aware that Chen Chuan possessed an overlimit creature by his side. Such a creature was exceedingly rare, as the nourishment consumed during its growth and following its breakthrough was no less than what it took to cultivate a martial artist.
Veteran martial artists had long spans of time to nurture such beasts. Chen Chuan was so young that his resources might scarcely have sufficed for himself, yet he had still managed to raise one—truly an extraordinary feat.
With these thoughts crossing his mind, Huang Zhengliang did not break stride. Walking up to Chen Chuan, he proactively extended both hands.
"Greetings, Advisor Chen. I am Huang Zhengliang. Waiting until now to visit you is truly a failing on my part as chairman."
Chen Chuan shook his hand and said, "Chairman Huang, you are too modest."
Vice Chairman Zhu stepped forward to shake his hand as well, followed by the rest of the delegation stepping up one by one to introduce themselves. Both Huang and Zhu noted that toward the others, Chen Chuan offered polite formalities; only when shaking hands with Zhan Jiyue did he reveal genuine warmth.
After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Chuan said, "Chairman Huang, Vice Chairman Zhu, Old Zhan, everyone, please be seated."
The guests took their seats throughout the spacious sitting room.
Huang Zhengliang said, "Advisor Chen, allow me first to congratulate you on your appointment to the Supreme Advisory Council. In the past, the faction did not show enough care and oversight toward your growth. As chairman, I cannot shirk responsibility, so allow me to offer my apologies today."
Chen Chuan replied, "Every school has circles of varying closeness. I was not raised within the faction from childhood, nor have I been with the Purist Faction for long; I understand the choices your leadership made. When I needed aid, seniors within the faction provided powerful support, for which I am deeply grateful."
An entire faction was typically composed of diverse individuals and could not be judged as a single entity. Figures like He Xiaoxing, Instructor Wen, Mr. Zhuan, and Mr. Mask had helped him tremendously, and he felt sincere gratitude toward them.
Yet viewing the Purist Faction as a whole, he naturally harbored no unearned affection. He bore it no ill will, nor did he feel particularly close to it, but its overarching principles aligned with his own, and as a member, he was willing to uphold them.
Huang Zhengliang naturally grasped his meaning. He said solemnly, "Advisor Chen, thank you for your understanding. I have reviewed your record; your conduct since joining has fully aligned with the faction's tenets. Yet whenever an organization grows vast, it inevitably turns bloated. Like a great vessel, it travels largely on momentum, making it exceedingly difficult to turn on short notice. Certain inequities and shortcomings are difficult even for me to correct, which brings me deep shame. However..."
He looked directly at Chen Chuan. "It is precisely because of this that we need someone like you, Advisor Chen, to guide and correct us, leading us forward."
Chen Chuan understood well that an advisor emerging from the five major schools could readily assert their will as long as they leaned on their own faction.
Regardless of its internal state, the Purist Faction had consistently adhered to its original ideals without straying from its course. Both sides shared the same stance: the faction needed him, and he needed the faction.
Cooperation served the interests of both.
Dispensing with the remaining pleasantries, Chen Chuan asked directly, "Chairman Huang, what does the faction need right now?"
Chapter 1484