When Chen Chuan drew his saber once again, his movement suddenly halted. He remembered an academy rule: students were strictly forbidden from bringing field interferers or anomalous disturbance items into public areas.
Field interferers were almost always specialized biological entities and colonies, while urban legends, esoteric rituals, and field interferers alike were all classified under anomalous disturbances.
He had no idea what this thing was. Although the academy treated dormitories as private student spaces, if the interference grew too severe, staff would certainly intervene. The last thing he wanted was to lose evaluation points over this.
So after a moment's consideration, he chose not to draw the saber any further. He decided to follow Instructor Zheng and learn the forms first, then find an isolated place afterward to see what this thing really was.
An hour later, a voice sounded by his ear: "Instructional simulation concluded. If you wish to extend the session, please raise your personal evaluation score."
The figure before him flickered and vanished, and the training room returned to its previous state.
Chen Chuan reflected on the experience. Instructor Zheng's saber technique was very intriguing—it was a style that mobilized both mutated tissue and breathing techniques simply through practicing its forms.
It must have incorporated various jin stances to achieve such an effect through the saber forms alone. Purely in terms of martial cultivation, it was countless times more sophisticated than the Heavy Cleave Saber Technique. However, the latter was built for practical combat, whereas this one leaned more toward self-cultivation and conditioning.
Still, wherever there was a cultivation method, there was bound to be a combat application. He found himself looking forward to continuing his lessons with Instructor Zheng.
He stepped out of the private training room and glanced at his Second Self. Following the battle with Xiong Jianyi, he sensed that not only had the Second Self's overlap time increased, but its strength had also closed the gap toward his own a bit faster.
Combat was indeed the most direct way to strengthen the resonance between him and his Second Self. Now that he had accepted the Disposal Bureau's support and training, such opportunities would surely not be lacking in the days ahead.
Once outside, he tidied up briefly, picked up the Xuejun Saber, and walked out of the dormitory. Leaving the Xuan Palace Building behind, he thought about it and decided to take a tram out to the desolate area where Instructor Wu had once lived. Hardly anyone came here, and there were no tall buildings around, so no one would be able to watch him.
He walked over to a collapsed building. This time, without hesitation, he drew the Xuejun Saber in one swift motion. At the same instant, intense signs of blurring manifested across his body.
He held the saber horizontally before him and looked at it; there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary.
Except...
He reached out with his other hand, resting his fingers on the saber's spine, then gripped and slowly pulled outward. From what had seemed like empty space, wisps of crystalline threads emerged. As the substance emerged, it drifted apart, expanding across the entire ground where he stood before spreading further outward.
It resembled soft silk threads yet also drifting white mist. As it billowed, it possessed the graceful beauty of rolling clouds, yet at the same time, the encroachment grew far more intense.
He could feel the Second Self's overlap time dwindling at a rapid pace, comparable to being within arm's reach of those tricky urban legends.
What was this thing?
It didn't seem like an urban legend, yet it carried an unmistakable encroaching effect. He was certain that without special containment methods, if this substance were ever leaked, ordinary people nearby wouldn't survive long at all.
In just this short span, the white wisps of mist had drifted upward and were visibly spreading further out. The encroachment intensified as well, and under this interference, his boundary credential stopped functioning entirely.
He knew he couldn't let it run wild any longer. Just as he was wondering how to draw it back in, the Xuejun Saber seemed to sense his intent and gave a slight shudder. All the wisps and strands of white mist retreated into the blade once more. In mere moments, they had completely disappeared, and the blurring around him faded away to nothing.
Chen Chuan glanced at the Xuejun Saber. The streak of red along the spine seemed to be flowing at this moment. He deduced that this substance had likely merged into the saber after piercing Xiong Jianyi's body, and now the two appeared to have fused into one.
He had no idea what it was, but he could sense that it seemed to be a good thing for the Xuejun Saber.
He had been trying to strengthen the connection between them all along, and now that bond felt distinctly tighter. Evidently, the mutated tissue within the blade had been stimulated and had grown.
He pondered it. This matter was clearly tied to Xiong Jianyi, but judging by how eager the Gong family had been to shoot Xiong Jianyi dead, they were likely involved as well.
More likely, all of the Gong family's actions this time had revolved around this very thing. It was bound to be extraordinarily important. If so, this affair might not be over yet.
Yet whatever it was, now that it was in his hands, there was no reason to give it back.
Sheathing the Xuejun Saber, he turned and left the area.
This time, he didn't return to the Xuan Palace Building. Since he was already out, he decided to visit the instructor recommended by Ni Xixi.
He had previously looked up the address. The instructor taught at Mount Motie, one of Center City's famous upscale luxury districts and home to many high-ranking government officials, corporate executives, and cultural celebrities. For this teacher to live there, his status was clearly extraordinary.
He first reached out through the contact information provided by the instructor, speaking with someone who seemed to be a butler. The butler confirmed that he could come over right away, so Chen Chuan boarded a tram and headed straight for Mount Motie.
At that exact moment, in a certain Disposal Bureau outpost in Center City, a young man with long hair and colored contact lenses walked out of a building. Arriving at the plaza, he checked his surroundings, saw that no one was around to disturb him, and opened a communication link on his boundary credential.
After a moment, the call connected, and an aloof voice came through: "An Cheng, what is it?"
An Cheng said, "Have you heard? That newcomer passed his very first joint assignment."
"He passed? So what?"
"Nothing much. It's just that the bureau seems to hold him in high regard. I'm only giving you a heads-up that there's another competitor in the mix."
"Do you know his background?"
The corners of An Cheng's mouth curled up, and he sent over some public information he had gathered about Chen Chuan.
After looking it over, a surprised voice came back: "A commoner student?"
An Cheng cautioned, "Don't underestimate him. Securing a slot into Center City with that background is no simple feat—not simple at all."
The voice on the other end replied, "I don't need you to remind me. Of course I won't underestimate him. The Disposal Bureau doesn't make mistakes; otherwise, what would that make us? Besides, in Center City, how much weight does our original status and background really carry? How different is that from being a commoner?"
An Cheng said, "Then we're on the same page. You know as well as I do that while the resources provided by the Disposal Bureau appear equal on paper, certain opportunities go to one person at the expense of others. And whoever takes more... gets to take even more."
"You're not telling me all this for nothing. Speak up—what do you want to do?"
"Here's what I'm thinking: we share intelligence. You've been in the Disposal Bureau for a while now, so I'm sure you know a few people, right? When an opportunity arises, we take the initiative and snatch it up first. Then the two of us can decide how to split it, so our competition doesn't end up benefiting someone else.
"First, we freeze him out. What do you say?"
The person on the other end didn't reply immediately, seemingly considering it. Only after a moment did he say, "Fine."
There were only so many opportunities. If they took them, there would be fewer left for Chen Chuan. Regardless of capability, so long as they remained at the forefront getting things done and performing well, the higher-ups would get used to relying on them. That alone would accomplish their goal of quietly sidelining and suppressing him.
An Cheng smiled. This was fair competition. If that student had the means, he was free to compete with them too.
Though they had arrived half a semester earlier and seemingly held an unfair head start, where in this world was there real fairness? There were only invisible dividing lines. If you couldn't cross them, you were trapped forever within your original circle.
He had come to Center City from a regional city, leaping out of his old circle. Now, to climb into higher circles, he had to use every available ounce of leverage to claw his way up.
Anyone who stood in his way had to be edged out.
The other voice spoke up then: "But haven't you forgotten one thing?"
An Cheng asked, "Forgotten what?"
"No matter how hard we work, only upon reaching the third limit will we earn the Disposal Bureau's genuine regard, doubling their investment of resources and granting us far more opportunities. But if he reaches the third limit ahead of us, everything we do will be in vain."
An Cheng chuckled. "Don't worry about that. I asked around through internal channels, and his evaluated potential isn't high. We don't know the exact figure, but the fact that they even mentioned it tells us enough.
"Besides... we arrived half a semester ahead of him. If he still outstrips us despite that, we might as well not overthink it and just surrender neatly while we can."
Hearing the subtle mockery in his words, the other person merely dropped a parting remark: "I hope you stay this confident." Then the communication ended.
After riding the tram for over an hour, Chen Chuan finally arrived at the Mount Motie district. Stepping out of the station, he could see luxury estates and high-rises dotting the distant slopes, blending modern and classical aesthetics with surprising harmony. Not only was the greenery far more lush than in other areas, but even the lighting effects were tastefully understated.
Various colorful blossoms lined the roadsides, and the air was remarkably crisp and clean. Everything in sight—from the pristine streets to the layout of storefronts, buildings, and public facilities—was aesthetically pleasing and soothing to take in.
Having learned of his arrival, the instructor sent a private car to pick him up. Bypassing layers of security checkpoints, the car carried him straight to a lakeside manor and escorted him to a classical-style parlor to wait.
Before long, a handsome young man under thirty walked in. He wore a traditional lanshan robe, his hair bound in a topknot secured with a sapphire-blue ribbon. His demeanor was cool and aloof, like a high-born scholar stepping out from an ancient era.
From the rhythm of the man's movements, Chen Chuan could tell he was an exceptionally accomplished fighter, though certain aspects seemed subtly uncoordinated.
The young man looked directly at him and said, "What, surprised?"
Chen Chuan could sense that while the man appeared lukewarm on the surface, he was actually quite sensitive. So he spoke plainly: "Indeed. I assumed the instructor would be an older gentleman. I didn't expect you to be so young."
The young man's expression softened slightly. "Though I am not that much older than you, you need not worry that I cannot teach you—unless you don't put your heart into learning, or you simply lack the talent."
Just then, Chen Chuan saw a message pop up on his boundary credential. Glancing at it, he found a brief dossier on the man before him.
His name was Cao Guixi, only twenty-six years old—indeed not much older than him. But since the Disposal Bureau had recommended him to guide Chen Chuan into the third limit, Cao Guixi himself had to be at least at that level.
"Sit."
Cao Guixi gestured for him to take a seat. Once Chen Chuan sat down, Cao Guixi took the opposite seat and said evenly, "I, too, graduated from the Main Academy. You may call me Senior Brother. I once owed the Disposal Bureau a favor, so when they recommended you to come study under me, I agreed.
"I will assist you in reaching the third limit. Beyond that, I have no connection to you, so there is no need to treat me as a master."
Chapter 262