After exchanging a few words, Teacher Bai waited for Chen Chuan to put his coat back on, then walked back with him, asking, "Trainee Chen, are you still heading to the arena tournament to watch the matches later?"
Chen Chuan shook his head. "I'm not really in the mood anymore."
"True enough. You don't need to watch those anyway."
Teacher Bai smiled and said, "Then head on back. If you're interested later on, you can come to my class. Free of charge, of course. I wouldn't presume to teach you much, but perhaps I can offer a little inspiration."
Chen Chuan said earnestly, "Then thank you, Teacher Bai."
Teacher Bai's eyes held genuine appreciation. Truth be told, he was not a combat-oriented fighter. Wei Wusheng possessed formidable combat prowess; had Bai stepped up, he basically stood no chance of winning, and managing to hold out without defeat would have been the best he could hope for.
Yet Chen Chuan had genuinely hammered Wei Wusheng to death with his bare fists—not to mention Chen Chuan possessing such strength and achieving such a record at such a young age.
Even so, Chen Chuan remained understated and modest, which was extraordinarily rare. In all fairness, had he possessed that kind of capability back in his day, he would have been swaggering about long ago.
As for now, the more he knew, the less he could bring himself to boast.
With a touch of wistfulness, he said, "Student Chen, see you later then."
Chen Chuan nodded and parted ways with Teacher Bai. Once Teacher Bai had gone, Chen Chuan thought for a moment, walked off to the side alone, and picked up Wei Wusheng's hammer. This was his trophy, and he needed to take it back with him.
Though it counted as physical evidence, the crimes Wei Wusheng had committed hardly lacked a single hammer to prove.
The Disposal Bureau personnel saw it, but said nothing. Furthermore, upon learning he was heading back, they specially arranged a car for him.
The bureau's higher-ups were extremely pleased with Chen Chuan's performance and were already considering how to commend and reward him.
After all, Chen Chuan was in every respect a reserve enforcer of the Disposal Bureau. His slaying of Wei Wusheng, displayed clearly before the citizens of Center City from start to finish, had virtually redeemed the bureau's earlier negative reputation in a single stroke.
Of course, more importantly, Chen Chuan was already a—
Especially for someone with a background in the state system who had stepped into this limit before even reaching twenty, anyone could see that his prospects were limitless, and he could go anywhere he pleased.
To exaggerate slightly, countless people would be clamoring for him; they absolutely had to find every way to grant him rewards and treatment, and they had to be generous, because only in doing so could they prove that Chen Chuan had put an end to Wei Wusheng under the Disposal Bureau's arrangements.
After getting into the car, Chen Chuan headed back toward the academy. He noticed many new voice messages on his boundary credential. Opening one of them, Wu Bei's excited, thrilled voice came through: "Brother Chen, incredible! Absolutely incredible! You know, at that moment, I almost wanted to punch myself a few times..."
This had been a rare occasion for Wu Bei to witness—
After listening, Chen Chuan opened another one and found a message from Pan Xiaode: "Student Chen, did we already clash once before? I only..."
Following that were messages from acquaintances and contacts he had added, and even Zou Handan had left one, mentioning that the Secret Snake Cult had—
Right at that moment, he suddenly noticed a large sum of money deposited into his account.
At the same time, he found a message from Tan Zhi:
"Student Chen, this bounty is for you. Since you killed Wei Wusheng, the bounty team unanimously decided to wire the money to you. And... the last time we ran into Wei Wusheng, it was you who saved us, wasn't it, Student Chen?"
Chen Chuan sent back a reply: "Student Tan, at the time I was merely saving myself."
A moment later, Tan Zhi replied: "Regardless, thank you, Student Chen."
Meanwhile, as Chen Chuan made his way back, the footage of him hammering Wei Wusheng to death did not end with the cessation of the venue's broadcast. It had been recorded, continuing to spread through various channels, its impact steadily rippling outward.
Inside a certain outpost, An Cheng stared blankly, having watched the entire process. He couldn't quite say what he felt. Chen Chuan had become—
Right then, a call chime sounded on his boundary credential. He glanced at it and connected. "Sun Rao?"
Sun Rao's voice came through. "You saw it too?"
"I did," An Cheng replied.
Sun Rao said, "Don't dwell on it. Some people are just destined to be different."
An Cheng was somewhat surprised and asked in bewilderment, "Are you consoling me?"
"No, I'm just telling you to accept reality."
An Cheng's mouth twitched, but deep down, he felt that this was more like him.
Sun Rao added, "Recognizing it early isn't a bad thing. The bureau will likely arrange an official position for Trainee Chen, and they might recruit another newcomer from the academy to fill his spot. Don't let yourself get surpassed by a newcomer again."
An Cheng sneered. "Me, surpassed by a newcomer?"
Yet after ending the call, he suddenly felt uneasy.
Talent was something that defied all reason. Though he had spoken tough in front of Sun Rao, if another person like Chen Chuan came along, he really would start doubting himself.
Center City, somewhere in the Lower District.
Inside a two-story structure built from scrap metal and crude boards, Lu Ke was wiping down training gear beneath an old lamp.
Right then, an irregularly shaped projection screen outside the window suddenly lit up.
His attention drawn, he carried his rag over to the window and pulled the curtain aside slightly.
As residents of the Lower District, even if some possessed boundary credentials, it remained impossible to receive news directly from Center City through regular channels, as Center City maintained a field block over underground locations.
Yet this did not mean the Lower District was entirely cut off from the Upper District. Important information would still be routed down by resonators through specialized technical means.
Many of these resonators served gangs and organizations in the Lower District, but some selflessly shared what they saw with the Lower District's residents.
These individuals called themselves the Lamplighters. Ironically, no one up in Center City bothered with their activities, yet they were frequently hunted by fellow resonators belonging to Lower District gangs and groups.
The screen before him was likely the work of such a person.
Lu Ke had initially only been curious; he wasn't particularly interested in the affairs of Center City up above. But once he saw the specifics displayed in the footage and recognized the figure within, he grew excited all at once. "Master, it's Brother Chen! It's Brother Chen!"
A tapping sound echoed outside the room, and Yu Gang walked in leaning on a crutch. One of his legs had been replaced by an implanted limb, but the other leg was still missing. Likewise, he had only one arm, while his other sleeve hung empty.
He came to the window, watched the scene playing on the screen, and murmured with emotion, "It is him."
Lu Ke said excitedly, "Senior Sister never believes me when I say how incredible Brother Chen is. Now she can't say I've been bragging!"
Watching the footage as Chen Chuan casually deflected a flying sedan, and observing the exaggerated speed and destructive force throughout the brawl, he asked blankly, "Master, Brother Chen's destructive power... has he entered—"
Yu Gang said in a deep voice, "He has."
Lu Ke pressed his boundary credential. "I've got to show this to Senior Sister." With that, he set down what he was holding and dashed downstairs with hurried thumps.
After the car dropped Chen Chuan back at the academy, he first returned to his dormitory to wash up and change into clean clothes. He decided to pay a visit to Mount Motie later.
Because even having achieved—
Half an hour later, he headed out once more, driving the Jiade car to the Cao family estate.
Uncle Ding's attitude toward him this time was a world apart from before. If previously he had treated him like an ordinary guest, maintaining only basic etiquette with a subtle touch of distance, this time he was exceedingly respectful, his manner distinctly warmer.
Once inside, Chen Chuan met with Cao Guixi and was invited to take a seat. The latter instructed Uncle Ding to brew tea, then remarked, "I watched your fight just now. To have only just entered—"
Chen Chuan said, "Senior, although I have entered this limit, even more questions have arisen in my mind. I also wanted to ask for your guidance on how to walk the path ahead."
Cao Guixi replied, "No rush. We have time today, so we can take it slowly. You broke through using the old method—"
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "One of my teachers once explained that, in the terminology of the old era—"
Cao Guixi nodded. "Well said. That teacher of yours clearly understands the old methods. And upon reaching—"
He said in a grave voice, "When fighters reach this level, the gifted among them can see what ordinary people cannot see, hear what ordinary people cannot hear, and perceive what ordinary people cannot perceive.
"And some of those things often overturn past perceptions, which was why ordinary people in the past viewed them as individuals who communed with gods and spirits. This is also why many fighters in the old days became entangled with esoteric cults and sinister factions."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan's heart stirred slightly. He suddenly recalled the bizarre visions he had witnessed earlier—evidently, that was what they were.
Chapter 345