Since Chen Chuan had agreed, the matter was settled. Cheng Shang gestured toward the cup of tea before him. "Try some."
Chen Chuan had noticed it earlier: the tea was clear and luminous, with the color of amber. He picked it up and took a sip, and a warm, smooth texture instantly flooded his mouth.
Swallowing it down, he immediately felt a pleasant warmth spread through his body. A lingering, sweet aftertaste remained between his teeth and cheeks without fading, invigorating his spirit.
Cheng Shang also picked up his cup, took a sip, and said slowly, "If you find it to your liking, you can take a packet back later. It will help nourish and warm your body."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan felt as though the older man was hinting at his frequent consumption of medicine. He didn't offer an explanation, simply saying, "Then this junior won't refuse your kindness." Turning to Ni Xixi, he asked, "Sister Ni, when is this exchange match scheduled?"
Ni Xixi said, "The tentative date is set for your next rest day, and it will take up a full day of your time. Of course, we won't be inviting just you—we'll be finding many students to spar with them. But those will be scheduled separately and won't conflict with your match. When the time comes, I'll pick you up."
Chen Chuan said, "Alright, I'll be waiting."
Ni Xixi added, "Brother Chen, I have to give you a heads-up beforehand. Don't look down on them just because they're not from the academy faction. Their fundamentals are rock-solid. Everything the academy teaches, they study too—and then some."
Cheng Shang said, "Times have changed. Young people nowadays are growing more formidable by the day. Even I have to admit that our generation wasn't as good as them at their age.
"In truth, each generation ought to surpass the one before. When we were young, we didn't have so many resources, and we had to worry about other things. Now, all they need to do is focus wholeheartedly on training in combat. Surpassing what we were back then is only as it should be.
"Yet our generation went through trials and setbacks they have never experienced. Although we didn't wish to face them and endured them only out of necessity, looking back now, those hardships are also our wealth. Perhaps it's just my old-fashioned thinking, but I believe these youngsters still need to be forged through hardship before they can truly become someone.
"So this time, you don't need to spare my face. Bring out your real capabilities and give them a taste of hardship. If you want their information, I can give it to you. Only by beating them can we make them see themselves clearly; otherwise, they'll suffer catastrophic losses in the future."
Ni Xixi said, "Old Master, is it really fine to set up your juniors like this?"
Cheng Shang said sluggishly, "If I set them up, they still have a chance to recover. If outsiders set them up, they might lose their lives in a single stroke."
Chen Chuan said, "Elder Cheng, I won't underestimate any opponent, but I'll decline their information. Otherwise, this wouldn't be an exchange—it would be a staged performance." Having information versus not having it were two entirely different things; making targeted preparations in advance would grant far too great an advantage.
Seeing that he refused, Cheng Shang did not press him. He said leisurely, "Young man, this is merely a sparring match, so it won't be possible to let you take medication during it. Don't underestimate your opponents either; those juniors truly are outstanding. And..."
He turned his gaze toward Chen Chuan. "Find a way to enter the third limit as early as possible. Only then will you clearly see what path you ought to take."
With that, he slowly set the tea lid back in place.
Ni Xixi stood up. "Brother Chen, we should get going."
Chen Chuan rose and said, "Elder Cheng, I'll take my leave."
Cheng Shang waved a hand.
Chen Chuan bowed slightly to him, then departed with Ni Xixi.
After the two walked away, a middle-aged man walked over and cast a few glances in the direction Chen Chuan had departed. "Martial Uncle, was that young man just now the disciple Senior Brother Cheng is always praising?"
Cheng Shang said, "That's him. A student, not a disciple."
The middle-aged man smiled. "Senior Brother Cheng insists he's teaching a student, but with how much he values him, isn't he practically a disciple?"
Cheng Shang said, "Does that matter? You lot should be thinking about how to win."
The middle-aged man looked at Cheng Shang in surprise. "Martial Uncle, you think that highly of that young man? I was watching him earlier too. Judging by the rhythm of his body movements, maybe he ranks in the upper-middle tier? But to say he could beat Liu Yin and the others—isn't that stretching it a bit?"
Cheng Shang said, "True. Liu Yin and the others have been taught combat hands-on since childhood. They have rock-solid foundations, and every step of their growth has been cultivated with abundant resources. This young man can't match that.
"However, the difference is that this young man fought his way up through genuine life-and-death slaughter. How many times have Liu Yin and the rest actually fought out in the world? Does getting into scrapes with gang members count as fighting? That young man fought for his life every step of the way. Back down, fail once, and you die. Do Liu Yin and the others possess that resolve to seek survival in the jaws of death?"
The middle-aged man's smile faded slightly. Thoughtfully, he said, "Old Master, since your evaluation of this young man is so high, it seems I should go back and remind them to be more careful."
Cheng Shang shook his head. "Saying it now is useless. They won't listen. Only after a beating will the impression truly stick."
***
Meanwhile, Ni Xixi drove Chen Chuan all the way back to the Xuan Palace Building. After returning to his dormitory, he brought out the precious paste he had obtained from Cao Guixi.
In fact, the Disposal Bureau had previously mailed him a portion as well, so he had three portions in total.
He took out a box of precious paste and opened it. Inside lay two types of medicinal paste arranged side by side: one black, one green. According to the instructions, one needed to use the green paste first.
This paste could be absorbed by the body through direct oral ingestion or inhalation, and fighters who had mastered skin breathing techniques could also apply it directly to their skin to increase absorption efficiency.
He first mixed three spoonfuls into water and drank it down, then applied the remainder evenly across the surface of his skin.
At first, he couldn't feel much. But after a short while, working in concert with his breathing technique, the medicinal efficacy gradually began to take effect. He discovered that the precious paste entering his body behaved almost like a living creature, actively climbing onto the mutated tissues and forming a thin film adhering to their surfaces.
Because internal organs were relatively soft—unlike bones, muscles, and tendons, which generated force in daily activity—they generally could not be conditioned through simple, direct training methods. They could only be nourished by improving cardiopulmonary function and promoting blood circulation through effective exercise to provide more oxygen and nutrients, or strengthened through various breathing methods and unique jin postures that kneaded and massaged them.
However, such training reached only the surface. This type of precious paste could directly stimulate the internal organs and the mutated tissues upon them, making them urgently demand various nutrients and turning their previously passive growth into active growth.
Once this step was completed, one could consume the second type, the black paste, which contained sufficient nutrients for their development.
Furthermore, the green paste had another function: before the thin film vanished, it enhanced the toughness of the internal organs and their mutated tissues, allowing fighters to engage in beyond-limit training for a brief duration. It enabled them to employ semi-harmful breathing methods they usually wouldn't dare use, thereby deepening the stimulation of the internal organs and facilitating the subsequent absorption of the black paste.
To achieve this effect, once Chen Chuan guided the green paste into his body, he immediately began performing Orthodox Sanshou in place, releasing all restraints on his mutated tissues so that every part of them became active.
Although wave after wave of intense emotions surged into his heart, his movements while executing the forms remained completely steady. In fact, inspirations he normally wouldn't have thought of kept welling up.
By now, he had developed his own understanding of how to apply Orthodox Sanshou. At a casual glance, it seemed little different from the original Orthodox Sanshou, but in truth, the jin exertion and subtle nuances were entirely transformed.
This was only natural, as Orthodox Sanshou was like a foundational base; as his strength grew, he needed to build and expand upon it himself.
After slowly finishing ten sets of Orthodox Sanshou, heat surged through his entire body. Knowing that the medicinal efficacy had kicked in, he picked up the Xuejun Saber to drill saber techniques, putting as much force as possible into every movement, slashing and exerting power again and again.
The effects of a single portion lasted half a day to a full day, and would continuously nourish and strengthen the internal organs over a period of roughly ten days. He felt that combining this paste with radiant light irradiation would yield even better results.
However, ordinary people likely required several days to develop and recover from radiant light irradiation, so they could only choose to stagger the two. He figured he might try pairing them next time.
Additionally, the function of the green paste could visibly bolster combat effectiveness in battle. Yet even someone like Cao Guixi received only a small monthly allocation, showing just how rare it was.
He had also looked into the matter at the academy and found that similar medicines seemed to exist, but this year's quotas had already been allocated at the start of the year. Furthermore, a single dose cost over ten thousand yuan. Lacking the financial means to afford that, he could only seek solutions through the Disposal Bureau.
According to Ni Xixi, besides his own portion, he could obtain an additional one through internal competition. Since the opportunity existed, he had to strive for it as best he could.
From afternoon until evening, he continuously drilled his forms and jin, taking until past nine o'clock to completely assimilate the potent medicinal power. This meant he could undergo another session in ten days. Perhaps he could try scheduling the radiant light irradiation for that time. Although the Haijing Grounds didn't allow one to bring too many items inside, he could always take the medicine in advance.
At this point, he recalled what Cheng Shang had said to him earlier that day and couldn't help pondering: once he reached the third limit, what exactly would he come into contact with?
Regardless, that was something to consider later. For now, he needed to handle what lay before him. Though he needed to move as quickly as possible, he couldn't afford to rush recklessly. Walking steadily step-by-step was far sounder than sprinting in haste.
Having reflected on this, he left the training room, washed up, and went to sleep on schedule.
The next day, he returned to Instructor Zheng's place to resume training.
After the heavy saber came the light saber, which mainly involved forcing Zheng Tongtong back through speed. This time, it took him roughly three days as well to achieve it. Next was dual-wielding the light and heavy sabers, which proved rather difficult.
Zheng Tongtong relied on superb jin techniques to handle the two different blades. Merely getting used to wielding them took him two days, followed by another three days before he finally succeeded in forcing Zheng Tongtong back.
By the ninth day, Instructor Zheng did not have him switch weapons again, nor did he mention the next stage. Instead, he casually picked up a saber and stepped onto the training ground himself.
He said, "Student Chen, offense and defense aren't strictly separate. Now I'll teach you something new. To help you grasp and remember it, attack me with everything you've got right now, using whatever method you like."
Chapter 279