Invitation

On the first day of the third month, Chen Chuan arrived at Instructor Zheng's residence early in the morning. Today he was going to learn offense, entering the most critical training phase of the entire curriculum. After teacher and student met, Instructor Zheng followed his usual custom, first instructing him in the various offensive jin techniques used when executing blade forms. Once Chen Chuan gained an initial grasp, Instructor Zheng reminded him: "Offensive jin differs from defensive jin, but the mutated tissues mobilized complement those used before. Possessing both is the only way to achieve completeness, so remember not to neglect your previous defensive drills during this phase." Having swiftly finished his instructions, he led Chen Chuan into the familiar training yard, pulled down a long saber resembling the Xuejun Saber from the rack, and tossed it to him. Taking hold of it, Chen Chuan found it immensely heavy in his hands and immediately realized it was a heavy saber. He looked up to see Zheng Tongtong holding a similar blade. Instructor Zheng said, "Now, you are on the offense. You may only use the force-channeling techniques I just taught you, and find a way to force Tongtong back from where she stands." Zheng Tongtong swung the saber in her hand with effortless ease. Under her thick, sturdy arm, it was as if she were brandishing a stalk of straw. "Junior, come at me with everything you've got." Chen Chuan understood: it was time to switch roles between offense and defense. This was actually a good opportunity to see how Zheng Tongtong defended. Rotating his wrist, he said, "Senior Zheng, get ready." He knew both father and daughter were straightforward people, so as soon as he spoke, he stepped forward. Using the method Instructor Zheng had just taught him, he mobilized his mutated tissues to channel jin, bringing his saber down in an overhead cleave right toward Zheng Tongtong! Yet when this heavy, powerful slash descended, it only produced a faint clink of contact. The two sabers clearly collided, yet it felt as if he had struck nothing at all; where that force had vanished, he could not tell. Zheng Tongtong held an utterly relaxed posture, giving no sign of how much jin she had exerted. Yet with such a casual block, she completely dispersed all of his force. Even the ground beneath her feet showed no indentation. She seemed to have genuinely used the mutated tissues throughout her entire body to absorb and share the full brunt of the force, letting not a single shred leak outside. Chen Chuan drew in a breath, made an adjustment, and slowly raised his saber. To break through a defense, he had to increase the efficiency of his jin circulation, thereby unleashing greater power in a single instant. Just as during his prior defensive training, he had to experience it through offense, repeatedly pondering the techniques of channeling and transforming jin to break through the barrier before him. Offense seemed easier than defense, but in reality, it tested a fighter far more. However, there was one advantage: offense was always proactive. When to strike and how to strike were entirely in his own hands. This time, he raised both hands, lifting the long saber high. Mutated tissues throughout his body were mobilized strand by strand, thread by thread. Once he felt no more could be layered on, he stepped forward into a bow stance and cleaved down heavily! Zheng Tongtong raised her saber to parry. With a loud clang, she stood firm as an unmovable counterweight. Her wrists did not wobble in the slightest as she caught his saber, swallowing every bit of the surging force that followed. Chen Chuan could clearly sense that this was far from Zheng Tongtong's limit. Her robust body still seemed capable of bearing far more force, and his strike had not yet forced her to bring out all her techniques. Yet he knew in his heart that Zheng Tongtong could actually utilize far fewer mutated tissues than he could. To push just that amount to such a degree, casually diffusing his offense—that very efficiency and adaptability in employing mutated tissues was precisely what he needed to learn. So rather than feeling discouraged, his spirits were lifted. Through Zheng Tongtong's execution, he saw an even better way to apply defensive techniques; while practicing offense, he also gained insight into defense. It was practically a double harvest. Again! He stepped back a few paces, spun around, and slashed horizontally. Zheng Tongtong held the hilt with one hand, braced the spine of the blade with the other, and shoved forward. With a clang, she firmly parried it once more. With this strike, leveraging his momentum combined with the weight of the blade itself, Chen Chuan exerted tremendous force. Yet relying purely on her robust bones and muscles coordinated with mutated tissues, Zheng Tongtong absorbed the impact completely, leaving virtually no residual force lingering on the blade. Next, Chen Chuan tried various slashes. As the efficiency of his force-channeling techniques improved, not only did the speed of his moves increase, but the power behind every swing also showed marked gains. Yet no matter how much progress he made, Senior Zheng remained like a sponge, continually absorbing and neutralizing his jin, preventing him from bringing the blade's full force to bear. Three full days passed without him making any real breakthrough. Yet he was not dispirited. He could genuinely feel his improvement, and the effects of the radiant light irradiation were gradually showing as well, steadily bolstering the strength of his muscles and bones. Especially toward the end, he noticed Zheng Tongtong was no longer parrying rigidly in place as she had at first. Instead, she had adopted the same method he had used before, proactively intercepting his slashes before the blade could fully descend. That indicated he was inching closer to her defensive limits. Over the following days, his strikes became less continuous and hurried. Instead, he would often deliberate and gather himself before unleashing a blow, and only from that foundation did he gradually ramp up the tempo of his attacks. By the seventh day, as he slashed out, a wavelike tremor suddenly ran through Zheng Tongtong's blade, forcing her back half a step. She couldn't help giving him a thumbs-up, genuinely happy for him: "Junior, splendidly done!" Chen Chuan held the saber and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Senior. You went easy on me." It truly was courtesy on her part, for Zheng Tongtong had likely not been using the blade best suited to her. Had she been using her familiar weapon, that slash definitely would not have forced her to budge so easily. In terms of technique, he still had a long way to go. Instructor Zheng said with satisfaction, "Knowing your own shortcomings is a good thing, but don't be overly modest either. How long have you been practicing? This performance is already quite good. Consider this stage passed. Next will be training with a light saber, followed by paired light and heavy sabers. "Going by your pace, you should have a basic grasp of it all by the end of this month. After that, we move into actual combat training—that's the real core. If you don't do well there, don't dream of passing my assessment. All right, go back and rest first. Come back in the middle of the month." Chen Chuan thanked Instructor Zheng and his daughter. If possible, he would have preferred to continue training uninterrupted, but both of them had their own affairs to attend to, and he could not afford to neglect his daily training either. In the blink of an eye, another rest day arrived. He called his aunt's household and Teacher Cheng respectively to give updates on his situation so they wouldn't worry. He also received a telegram from Gao Ming, saying that the matters at hand were mostly settled, the paperwork had gone through, and he was getting ready to head to Center City. It was just slightly later than the originally scheduled time; he would arrive around the end of the third month, and specific updates would be sent in advance. At noon, while he was looking through some of the academy's public combat materials, an incoming call arrived from Ni Xixi. Thinking it might be related to the Disposal Bureau, he connected. Ni Xixi's voice came through: "Brother Chen, are you at the academy building?" Chen Chuan said, "Yes. Is there another mission to carry out?" "Yes and no. Are you free? I'll take you somewhere. I'm heading over right now." Chen Chuan said, "I have time." "See you shortly, then." Chen Chuan took matters concerning the Disposal Bureau very seriously. After all, as his sponsor, the resources the Disposal Bureau provided could tangibly improve his strength. He tidied up briefly and headed downstairs. After waiting only a short while, he saw a red sports car sweep around the corner across from him. With a sharp drift, it slid to a halt right before him. Ni Xixi flipped up her purple goggles, tossed her long wavy hair, and called out, "Brother Chen, get in." Chen Chuan walked over, opened the passenger door, and sat inside. As soon as he clicked his seatbelt in place, the car shot forward. As she drove, Ni Xixi said, "Wei Wusheng really knows how to hide. Lately he's vanished without a trace. And about that case you were involved in before—remember those attackers?" Chen Chuan said, "I remember. It seemed the ringleader got away." Ni Xixi said, "That's the guy. We were tracking him, but then found out he escaped to the Lower District through the Moss Gang's channels. Someone in the bureau suggested sending you trainees down to track him, but I shot it down immediately. What a joke! The Lower District is a huge hornet's nest. Capable as you trainees are, you aren't ready for that level yet. "Still, even though I rejected that one, they might arrange another task for you soon. It's quite troublesome, so keep your guard up." Chen Chuan said, "Thank you for the warning, Sister Ni." "Mm. Now, about the other matter. Someone wants to see you today and specifically told me to come get you." "See me?" Chen Chuan thought it over and hit upon a possibility. The sports car didn't leave Wuding District. A few minutes later, it turned into the district's largest private botanical park. Parking outside, she signaled him, flashed her identification to the security guards at the entrance, and led him inside. Inside lay an immense lake, where people could be seen leisurely boating across the surface. At this moment, a spring breeze wafted past, gently swaying the willows along the shore. None of the dazzling, multicolored light and projections ubiquitous outside could be seen here, lending the place a clean serenity. Crossing an arched bridge and passing through a series of wooden walkways, they arrived at a pavilion. An ordinary-looking old man was instructing a child. When they drew near, he glanced back at Chen Chuan. "Young man, you're here." Chen Chuan said, "Elder Cheng." This old man was none other than Cheng Zitong's uncle, Cheng Shang. Chen Chuan had met him once before at the Tribunal in Yangzhi City and had exchanged a few words with him. Cheng Shang waved his hand to dismiss the child to play by himself, walked over to sit at the stone table in the center of the pavilion, and said, "You two young people, take a seat." Ni Xixi walked over to the side and sat down on a balustrade bench, while Chen Chuan offered his thanks and took a seat on the stone stool opposite Cheng Shang. Cheng Shang said, "Young man, back in Yangzhi City, Zitong praised you to no end in front of me. Ever since you arrived in Center City, I've kept an eye on you as well. From the looks of it, you've adapted quite well. The reason I called you here today is that an internal exchange tournament is taking place, and I wanted to ask whether you'd be willing to participate. Girl from the Ni family, explain it to him." Ni Xixi chimed in from the side, "Brother Chen, you probably know that besides Wuyi Academy, Center City also has traditional lineages that pass down their teachings?" Chen Chuan nodded to indicate he did. For instance, Teacher Cheng Zitong's senior martial brother—the disciples he taught were nominally Chen Chuan's classmates, yet Chen Chuan had never seen them from start to finish; at most, they were merely registered under Wuyi's name. Ni Xixi pointed a slender finger at herself and said, "Your Sister Ni here came out of that kind of background. But working behind closed doors gets you nowhere, so every year, disciples trained through traditional methods find ways to hold internal sparring exchanges with certain students from Wuyi Academy to test their strengths and weaknesses. "Since you're considered an acquaintance, Senior Cheng proposed including you this time. But we wouldn't ask anyone to work for nothing—there will be compensation. Brother Chen, what do you think?" Chen Chuan replied earnestly, "I would be more than glad to spar and improve alongside everyone."