The Field

Seeing that Instructor Jiang got straight to the point right away, Chen Chuan did not waste time on polite pleasantries either. Stepping forward, he directly released his gathered and restrained focus, and his field naturally unfolded. Instructor Jiang sensed it immediately. "Trainee Chen," he said, "back when you took the assessment, what I heard from you was balance. There were no rises or falls, no ripples. You were like a smooth, rounded stone without edges, where not a single crack could be found. That indicated balance in all aspects of your abilities, as well as rationality and composure in your emotions. "However..." The relaxed ease in his expression gradually tightened. "Now, you are still just as calm, but you are like a bottomless lake, as if you could drag someone down and drown them at any moment. A field like this is truly a bit..." He paused, looking at Chen Chuan, and sighed. "...a bit frightening." As Jiang spoke, Chen Chuan also sensed something from him. This was likely a field Instructor Jiang had released intentionally, and from it, Chen Chuan detected an aura of active tension. If he had to describe the feeling, it was like a conductor standing on a stage, ready at any second to burst forth with radiant passion and vitality. But if asked to be more specific—such as identifying the 'balance' the instructor had mentioned—he could not perceive it. Instructor Jiang spread his hands toward the spacious training hall and smiled. "You should have felt it. When you perceive others, others will perceive you as well. "Even though your information is detected by the other party at such times, you also grasp a portion of information about them. Regardless of how much you glean, however, you must first ensure that you do not reveal too much of yourself, which means finding ways to make limited adjustments. "How to conceal yourself and mislead others is precisely what you need to learn and master right now." Chen Chuan nodded. "Please guide me, Instructor." Instructor Jiang paced a couple of steps in place and said, "Trainee Chen, the primary component of a biological field is formed by the information diffused by mutated tissue. You should be able to sense this. But if you let them express themselves freely, they will naturally reveal the most essential, purest parts—the truest information. "Yet as long as you can utilize and guide them properly, having them produce the voice and field you desire, you can achieve your goal. "For example, if you restrain the information of some mutated tissue while maintaining the emission from another part, you achieve the goal of partial disclosure. If partial information is tuned well, making others believe what they encounter is the whole picture, then you have accomplished the goal of misleading your opponent. "Through prolonged accumulation and evolution, fighters have worked out many established templates and routines regarding where to hold back and where to stay active." He tapped his boundary credential, and a set of data was immediately transmitted over. "These are a few of the most basic templates. You need to master these first before considering more complex variations." Chen Chuan looked at the files displayed on the light screen. There were three methods for altering one's field by regulating mutated tissue, and the variations of other templates were merely derivatives of these three foundational ones. After reading through them, he found they were not difficult at all. Because such templates were useful to the vast majority of fighters, it meant the amount of mutated tissue requiring mobilization was not large. Meanwhile, his own mutated tissue covered an exceptionally broad area, and every time he fought, an enormous amount was called upon. Furthermore, he had recently been practicing application techniques for the Furnace Breathing Technique, whose scope and depth of complexity vastly exceeded the variations listed here. Consequently, there was virtually no difficulty in this for him. Thus, after glancing through them and experimenting briefly, he had already mastered them; what remained was simply familiarizing himself and reinforcing his memory. Instructor Jiang had been monitoring his biological field all along. Detecting the orderly shifts emerging one after another across his body, he said, "Well, mastered them so quickly? Given your talent, that is to be expected. Let us move on to the next part. "Once you have grasped the basics and understand the fundamentals, you will know what the other party is doing. At the very least, you won't be completely in the dark. However, to quickly analyze and understand an opponent's field information, you still need certain techniques and experience." At this point, he slowly spread his arms. "First, feel this carefully." Chen Chuan tried sensing his field and found that it had shifted drastically, completely different from the impression it gave earlier. If he had been facing an impassioned conductor just moments ago, he was now looking at a low-profile player in the back row—unremarkable, yet never falling off beat, executing everything required in an unadorned, rigid manner, rigid to the point of near numbness and dullness. "Which of the two, earlier or now, do you think is my real field?" Instructor Jiang asked with a smile. Chen Chuan differentiated them carefully. He felt this had to be connected to what Instructor Jiang had just taught. While he could not delve deeply to perceive every detail, he could compare and discern from a broad, general perspective. After a moment, he said, "It seems neither is, yet both are." Instructor Jiang snapped his fingers and said approvingly, "Very close. You are quite sharp to have caught the crux of it. In both fields, only a portion was genuine, while the rest was altered deliberately. The only difference is that the former had fewer modifications, while the latter had more. "In my view, a field is like music. Through it, you can hear all sorts of wonderful melodies, and within those melodies, a great deal is revealed. Only naturally flowing music is pleasing and beautiful. "Artificially crafted ones, however, are awkward and stiff. Unless one's shaping of their own field has reached an extraordinarily high level, ordinary people can hardly eliminate this flaw. "So what you need to do is very simple: pay attention to the parts that flow naturally, discard the stiff and rigid ones, and then, based on your understanding, determine what type of enemy your opponent is." Here, he offered a reminder: "Your judgment must be swift and decisive. This requires repeated practice in daily training; there are no shortcuts. Ideally, you should find someone willing to cooperate with you—a good sparring partner. But I cannot help you with that. If you have enough simulation resources, I suggest you consult Hongfu directly." Chen Chuan nodded. Although Instructor Jiang was not responsible for sparring, providing guidance up to this point was already very generous. Relying on groping in the dark by himself, who knew how long it would take to grasp the crucial tricks. Instructor Jiang added, "Actually, when it comes to field techniques, very few fighters outside the state system care about this at all. Those who realize its importance and want to learn these techniques are already in the minority. "So if you don't wish to spend too much energy on this, mastering what I just told you is already enough. But if you want to explore further, I still have a bit of experience I can share. I can spare ten or twenty minutes a day. If there's anything you want to ask, feel free to come find me." Chen Chuan said, "Thank you, Instructor Jiang. This has been very useful to me." Instructor Jiang thrust his hands into his trouser pockets and smiled. "No need to be polite. It's just an exchange between equals. You're now also—" Chen Chuan said earnestly, "If you ever need any help, Instructor, please feel free to contact me as well." Instructor Jiang chuckled. "Then I won't hold back. Well, that's all for today." With that, he tapped his boundary credential and turned to walk out. "Plenty of students bought my classes before the semester started, and time's just about up. I have to go teach." Seeing him leave, Chen Chuan did not linger either. He took the elevator back to his dormitory. Instead of rushing to seek out Hongfu, he repeatedly practiced according to those three templates. His goal was to shift templates whenever and wherever the thought arose. He estimated it would take three to five days to become proficient, and only then would seeking out Hongfu yield twice the results with half the effort. The rest of the day was spent in repeated training, as well as honing the Furnace Breathing Technique and its application methods. When the time came and he stepped through the doors, an internal staff member guided him to a lounge and served him tea. Before long, the sound of high heels echoed down the corridor, followed by a beautiful woman in a white uniform walking in. She was around thirty years old, her hair styled in an updo, wearing a polite smile. Bowing slightly to him, she said, "Enforcement Officer Chen, thank you for waiting. Please follow me." Chen Chuan stood up and nodded. "Thank you." The woman smiled at him once more and led the way. Chen Chuan followed her out and down the corridor to the elevators. After stepping inside, the woman reached out a slender finger and pressed a button. The elevator descended all the way, stopping only when the indicator light showed the seventh basement level. The doors opened, and the woman stepped out first, turning sideways with a guiding gesture. "Enforcement Officer Chen, this way, please." Chen Chuan looked ahead. Outside the elevator was a long, deep corridor, its walls lined with light strips glowing a cold blue. It seemed the matter the Disposal Bureau wished to discuss was truly no small affair, seeing as they had gone out of their way to conduct it in an underground facility. Stepping out of the elevator, he followed the woman for about two minutes. Finally, she pushed open a set of double doors and entered a conference room with curved walls. The room was cavernous, though the perimeter was dim. Only the center was relatively bright, where a long, fixed metal table sat horizontally. The entire space was bathed in cool-toned light, and there was virtually no sound around them, making their footsteps distinctly clear as they approached. At that moment, Chen Chuan noticed a middle-aged man standing behind the metal table. Dressed in a crisp, sharp uniform and wearing dark sunglasses, he seemed to be waiting for them. The woman walked forward, stopped beside the man, and turned to Chen Chuan. "Enforcement Officer Chen, this is Commissioner Liang." Her introduction was simple; she made no mention of his specific post, full name, or department. Chen Chuan stepped forward and nodded in greeting. "Commissioner Liang." In an emotionless tone, Commissioner Liang said, "Enforcement Officer Chen, you were asked to come today so we could explain certain matters to you. "Any fighter cultivated through the state system, as long as they have reached..." The woman brought over a paper document, placed it in the center of the metal table, and slid it in front of Chen Chuan. Expressionless, Commissioner Liang said, "You have the right to refuse to know. If you choose not to accept, you may head back the way you came right now, and no one will ever trouble you over this matter in the future. If you choose to accept, then please sign your name here." ... ...