Changes

After the call ended, Chen Chuan recalled the platform's reviews for this instructor. While not particularly glowing, they weren't terribly low either—just fairly ordinary. He opened the materials sent over to take a look. It was a skill called "Void Training." According to the introduction, it was cultivated through a combination of several specific static stances along with internal and external stimulation via medicinal compounds. There seemed to be nothing remarkable about this at first glance. Most martial arts were grounded in such fundamentals. Yet a note followed below: as long as one mastered this skill, learning any future combat techniques would yield twice the results with half the effort. The materials contained more than mere exposition; they also provided a sample static stance, inviting prospective students to try it out for themselves. Chen Chuan examined it. It was an exceptionally bizarre posture—one foot placed behind the other, the torso bent downward and backward before straining forward to the limit, while both arms twisted upward alongside the body. To put it simply, the entire person appeared twisted into a spiral. It looked like nothing a normal human body could achieve. He looked further into the theory behind the skill, which proved somewhat intriguing. According to Instructor Wu, practicing this Void Training technique stimulated one's nervous system and brain, thereby spurring the growth of mutated tissue in those areas. This allowed a fighter at the Second Limit to experience some of the advantages of the third limit and accelerate their learning speed accordingly. Upon reading that, his interest evaporated entirely. What he needed was a solid foundation and comprehensive progression, not a reckless leap like pulling up seedlings to make them grow. Even if this did not strictly count as prematurely overdrawing his future, it was not what he sought. Still, even if he had no need for such a skill, others might. If it were truly that effective, there was no reason for its ratings to be so mediocre. He did a quick search and immediately understood. Instructor Wu's so-called three hundred-plus students were not all students of Wuyi Academy. Just as many martial arts dojos in Yangzhi City took on pupils, the same held true in Center City, where countless people trained in combat techniques. However, Xuan Palace Building primarily trained its internal students, offering only standardized, cookie-cutter courses to outsiders—aimed mostly at corporate security personnel and the upper-middle class. The lower-class demand for combat techniques was absorbed by these private dojos. Aside from those two avenues, there was private coaching. People with a modest amount of wealth paid combat instructors for private tutoring or small-group training. Many of Instructor Wu's students came from these channels. While there were plenty of reviews from them, their weight was simply incomparable to that of Wuyi students; the more reviews he accumulated from them, the more his standing was dragged down. Recommended students would never consider learning the same techniques as people from the bottom rungs. They had far more and far better options. Indeed, it was difficult for most ordinary people to achieve anything substantial. After all, the vast majority had not received rigorous training since childhood and could almost never cultivate mutated tissue. These people were also pragmatic. Usually, after studying for a few years, they chose to undergo surgery for a second- or third-hand implant, thereby gaining basic combat capability. There was no alternative. An ordinary person's ceiling was fixed right there; no matter how hard they worked, they could never defeat someone equipped with implants. Years of bitter training could not match someone simply taking a single dose of medicine. After weighing the matter, Chen Chuan sent a polite reply to Instructor Wu, stating that he had considered it carefully and felt the skill was not suitable for him, thanking the instructor for his time. After leaving the message, he stepped out. Guided by his boundary credential, he found a telegraph station within the building and dispatched a telegram to He Xiaoxing, asking whether the Furnace Breathing Technique had matching applications and, if so, whether he might learn them. Returning to his dorm, he picked up the upper jawbone from his desk and sat down on the cushion. Placing the bone beside him, he rested a hand upon it and began practicing the Furnace Breathing Technique. The artifact required direct physical contact to produce its invasive effect. While this made cultivation slightly inconvenient, he found it preferable. He had not forgotten that the object also interfered with boundary credentials, likely disrupting the biological field. If that influence leaked outward, he might not have been allowed to bring it into the academy at all. Meanwhile, in a narrow, dimly lit room with tightly drawn curtains, Instructor Wu lay motionless on a sofa. When a reply appeared on his boundary credential, he immediately sat up to read it. But upon finishing, his expression twisted into a ferocious scowl. "You refuse? You actually refuse?!" Yet right after that suppressed, low growl, his expression swiftly returned to calm. Without a shred of emotion, he murmured, "You shouldn't have refused me." Toward evening, having finished his day's cultivation, Chen Chuan washed up and began browsing the news. What made Center City superior to Yangzhi City was that one didn't need to rely on the radio. With just a boundary credential, one could see events unfolding across Center City, even if public news was usually filtered to a degree. Wu Bei, however, had given him an edge channel that allowed him to see what was happening in every corner of the city, broadening his horizons considerably. While browsing, a contact icon suddenly flickered. It depicted a swaying willow tree, with a scholar seated on a riverbank facing the water, a bundle of scrolls unfurled on the desk before him. It was Instructor Wu. After a brief thought, Chen Chuan accepted the call and asked, "Instructor Wu? How may I help you?" Instructor Wu's slightly deep voice came through. "Student Chen, I'd like to speak with you regarding your studies." Chen Chuan replied candidly, "Instructor Wu, thank you for your regard. However, I have my own plans and don't need to learn the skill you recommended for the time being. Thank you, sir." "No, that's not why I'm calling," Instructor Wu said. "I simply want to speak with you in person. There are some matters you ought to know." In an earnest tone, he added, "I promise, regardless of the outcome, I will never bother you again. Student Chen, would that be acceptable?" Chen Chuan considered it. "Right now?" "If it's convenient for you, you can come to the Jinwei Beverage Shop southeast of Xuan Palace Building. I'll wait for you there." Chen Chuan located the place on his boundary credential. It was less than a kilometer from the academy and wouldn't take long to reach. He answered, "All right. I'll be there shortly." Changing his clothes, he left his room, took the elevator down, and followed the navigation to the shop. At this hour, there weren't many patrons. A quick glance revealed a man seated at a table, looking straight at him. The man appeared just shy of forty, with a faint melancholy in his eyes and deep furrow lines across his forehead. His clothes were neat and tidy, though the cut seemed somewhat dated compared to those around him. Judging by his expression, he appeared quite mild-mannered. As Chen Chuan walked over, Instructor Wu rose to his feet and offered a handshake, smiling. "Hello, Student Chen. Please, have a seat. The hot local drinks here are quite good; I come often. You should try one." In person, his voice possessed an even warmer, magnetic quality than over the boundary credential, pleasing to the ear. Chen Chuan shook his hand, exchanged pleasantries, and sat down. After a few brief words, he asked, "Instructor Wu, what matter did you wish to advise me on?" Instructor Wu chuckled. "Student Chen, it seems you are someone who values efficiency. Then I won't waste your time." His expression grew serious. "Student Chen, how much do you know about the Main Academy? Did you know that over the past few years, Wuyi Academy has been altering its internal management methods?" "Altering its internal management methods?" Instructor Wu nodded. "It seems you didn't know. To put it simply, three years ago, after Vice Principal Tan took office, he began actively pushing for this in response to several legacy issues in the academy. Currently, he is trying to cultivate star students and actively encouraging students to enter arena tournaments organized by the academy." Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow. "Arena tournaments? Would the students agree to that?" Most students at the Main Academy were recommended students with pedigree and wealth. Furthermore, those who gained entry were invariably Class A graduates from the branch academies, groomed to be administrators and law enforcers. Why would they ever step onto a stage to fight for public amusement? Instructor Wu said, "Naturally, the original students wouldn't. So about three years ago, Vice Principal Tan selected a group of talented and gifted students from major martial arts dojos, recognized them as Wuyi's external students, and had them compete in the arena combat tournaments organized and promoted by various academies." Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "I recall that arena tournaments already exist nationwide. That's the path for many Class B students from the branch academies. This doesn't seem all that unusual." Instructor Wu shook his head. "It's different. Those are outside Center City and hold almost no influence here. What makes these arena tournaments unique is..." He paused, then spoke slowly: "Every student who participates is fitted beforehand with implants manufactured by major corporations. Consequently, this has earned the backing of those corporations, and the citizens have welcomed it enthusiastically." Hearing this, Chen Chuan understood immediately. Arena combat between implant fighters set this apart from the tournaments outside Center City, making it immensely appealing to the common public. Moreover, this not only served as advertising for the corporations' products, but also used the students' bodies to test those products. Once this trend gained momentum, tournaments elsewhere would likely start incorporating implants as well. That was undoubtedly an outcome the corporations would love to see. After considering the implications, he asked, "Why are you telling me this, Instructor Wu?" Since this involved external students, it seemed to have nothing to do with him. Instructor Wu said solemnly, "I'm telling you this because it might very well affect you." Chen Chuan's brow arched. "Affect me?" Instructor Wu looked at him and spoke deliberately: "You must realize that you are one of the few commoner students to appear in recent years, rather than a recommended student. Yet you are a formal student of the Main Academy, with no background behind you. If you were outfitted with implants and sent into the arena, wouldn't you draw far more attention than those half-baked outsiders?"