Technique

After returning to the Xuan Palace Building from Mount Motie, Chen Chuan thought things through carefully. What Cao Guixi had shared with him gave him a clearer picture of the insider situation. According to this senior alumnus, the third limit was originally the boundary of the human body, but the collision between the two worlds had opened a path ahead. The arrival of crisis brought opportunity with it as well. Speaking for himself, he naturally intended to pursue this path and keep advancing. Yet as matters stood, cultivation resources could only be obtained through the government and the corporations. Having only that single avenue was far too narrow and restrictive. In fact, he could sense that Cao Guixi had seemed to deliberately avoid something during their conversation. Most likely, there were matters not suited to be disclosed to him. He understood this; broad and far-reaching secrets were bound to be involved. At the same time, however, it indicated that it wasn't truly a dead end—rather, the path was just difficult to take. At this moment, he could not help but think of He Xiaoxing. That teacher did not operate in Center City, so how did he secure his usual cultivation resources? He guessed that He Xiaoxing might have joined an organization possessing a fissure—most likely the Purist Faction. Judging by Instructor Wen's circumstances, the Purist Faction was certainly anything but simple. That seemed to be another path, one he might try to get in touch with. But he knew well that no request came without a price. For now, the situation remained unclear, and he had yet to participate in any mobilization to defend the Ring of the World. There was no need to rush; he should at least wait until word came back from Gao Ming. He needed to cross-reference information from multiple sides before deciding how to proceed. However... A thought suddenly struck him. Leaving the living room, he walked outside the training room, opened the cabinet placed there, and took out an object. It was a glass vial containing a liquid that gave off flecks of fluorescence. He had obtained this item from Youxing back then. It had been stored together with those cultivation medicines, but when he checked later, neither the open market nor Wuyi's internal network had anything matching it, leaving him unable to identify what it actually was. Yet now he couldn't help wondering: could this be one of those special medicines? The possibility was quite high. Youxing had been no ordinary character. As a third-limit fighter, he not only possessed resonator technology and an independent resonance nest, but had also been capable of utilizing urban legends. Thinking back now, the man truly had been a formidable talent. Possessing all of that could not have relied on him alone; there was no way he hadn't had backing behind him. Recalling what he had seen on the light screen displayed by the resonance nest that day, Chen Chuan had reason to suspect it might have been a fissure formed by the collision of the two worlds. If so, then the object in his hand was very likely what he suspected. As for whether it was or not, he could try ingesting it; even if it wasn't, it wouldn't be a problem. With his Second Self to bear any harm, he had little reason to worry. Still, he did not try it immediately. He had reached the third limit only about a month ago, and his mutated tissue was still in a phase of rapid growth after crossing the threshold. That momentum showed no signs of slowing down yet. Only when it plateaued would he consider using such medicines, which would take at least a month or two. So he put the vial back. He returned to the training room, preparing to practice his field techniques. Not long after he began, Gao Ming's call came through: "Cousin, I've already talked things over with Convergence Boundary. The meeting is set for this rest day at the Shu Tianxia Hotel." Chen Chuan said, "Thanks for your trouble, Gao Ming." Just after he ended that call, his boundary credential indicated that someone on the Disposal Bureau platform was trying to contact him. He connected, and a youthful voice spoke up: "Enforcement Officer Chen, I am Chai Mi, liaison for the Disposal Bureau's Special Operations Enforcement Team. I am assigned to coordinate with you. You can just call me Xiao Chai." When Chen Chuan became an official enforcement officer, he had learned about the team's structure through the internal platform. There was no hierarchy of superiors and subordinates within it; it was an organization specifically established for third-limit fighters. Every member had their own armored vehicle and a dedicated liaison. The liaison handled information management and communication; whenever anything came up, the bureau would reach out through the liaison. Chen Chuan responded, "Hello, Liaison Chai. Has something come up with the bureau?" Chai Mi said, "Here's the situation: the bureau is currently tracking the Viper Organization. They are suspected of trafficking Grade B contraband. Due to a shortage of personnel for the cleanup, the bureau hasn't conducted an encirclement and suppression operation yet. Seeing that you have no active assignments, Enforcement Officer Chen, the bureau requires your participation." A series of dossiers and images immediately appeared on Chen Chuan's boundary credential regarding the Viper Organization. It was a faction made up of extremists who had broken away from the Secret Snake Cult. Initially formed out of dissatisfaction with the Secret Snake Cult's commercialization, they established their own sect, but by now it had little to do with religion, having degenerated completely into a semi-mercenary criminal organization. Because its upper echelons consisted of third-limit fighters, it had always been on the Disposal Bureau's radar, though there had never been enough hands to deal with it. By now, he had come to understand that the Disposal Bureau actually had substantial combat strength at its disposal, but most personnel were assigned to protect high-ranking government officials or guard critical urban nodes against even more extreme contingencies. Incidents like Wei Wusheng's, which did not involve any Center City corporations or political dignitaries, were classified as public security incidents below Level Three. Only limited resources could be deployed to suppress him, which was why he had succeeded repeatedly. This demonstrated that whoever backed Wei Wusheng knew precisely where the line was drawn. The Viper Organization, on the other hand, had already met the threshold for a Level Three public security incident. In terms of priority, it was a target against which operations had to be launched immediately as soon as enough personnel were assembled. Having reviewed the dossier, Chen Chuan replied, "Liaison Chai, let me know when it's time to act." Chai Mi said, "Understood. Once the operational plan and timeline are finalized, I will notify you immediately, Enforcement Officer Chen, and dispatch a car to pick you up." After ending the communication, Chen Chuan refocused on the matter at hand and continued his training. Through repeated practice, he grew increasingly adept with the three field templates Instructor Jiang had given him. In just two days, he could alter his field on a whim, anytime and anywhere. Since these templates were relatively simple, he could make the imitation nearly indistinguishable from reality. This was enough to deal with fighters who paid little heed to field manipulation, but truthfully, could such fighters really pose a threat to him? Instructor Jiang had said that among truly powerful third-limit fighters, not a single one was crippled in any aspect. They had to be exceptionally skilled in field variations as well. The opponents he should prepare for were fighters of that caliber. Thus, he still had a long way to go. Once he had mastered these field templates, he still needed to hone his discernment and perception. So he utilized his simulation allocation and summoned Hongfu to assist in his training. Hongfu was able to simulate various field effects per his instructions, ranging from weak to strong. After reaching the third limit, his simulation allocation had increased to eight hours a day, so in another two days, he had familiarized himself with and mastered these skills. By this point, feeling he had learned just about all he could from his current exercises, he went back to Instructor Jiang to ask how to proceed with his training. Instructor Jiang first tested his results. Finding his mastery exceptionally polished, he suggested: "Trainee Chen, you can try mastering some templates with more complex variations now. "I'll give you access to a platform where you can purchase templates, or you can adjust and construct them yourself. Ultimately, the objective is to deceive your opponent and conceal yourself. "Beyond this, there isn't much more I can teach you, as this relies heavily on accumulating experience. But I can share some personal insights with you." Chen Chuan said, "Please go ahead, Instructor Jiang." Instructor Jiang said, "A field contains an immense amount of information: emotions, willpower, physical condition, the activity level of mutated tissue, and so forth. "With greater application and exposure, you can use this not only to read your opponent, but also to discern and compare their strengths and weaknesses against your own, thereby correcting and refining your own path." After saying this, he smiled faintly and added, "Aside from all that, let me share the single most powerful technique in a clash of fields." Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. Was there really such a thing as a 'most powerful' technique in this? In his experience, there was no such thing as an all-powerful fighting technique—only what was most suitable. He did not believe any single technique could solve every problem. Instructor Jiang spoke slowly, however: "The most powerful technique in a clash of fields is this: even when you lay your information bare, what the opponent sees is not a flaw, but an insurmountable despair. "The blow this deals an enemy in combat is beyond compare. That deep, visceral impact can drive an opponent into mental despair, shatter their confidence, or even strip them of the courage to face you." He looked at Chen Chuan. "Once you become strong enough, your field requires no concealment at all—you can unleash it without restraint." Chen Chuan pondered this for a moment and nodded. Instructor Jiang was right. On the surface, it sounded crude and overbearing, but it truly did qualify as a technique. Strength and weakness were relative, established through comparison; one first had to clearly gauge the opponent before putting it into practice. This required one's own field manipulation to reach a certain caliber first. Otherwise, it would just be blind exertion, exposing one's foundation to the enemy for nothing. If one truly attained such a level, many who were inferior in strength would not even require a physical strike—one's field alone could mentally dismantle their will to fight. He offered his sincere thanks. "Thank you, Instructor Jiang. I find this technique very helpful." Seeing that he grasped the concept, Instructor Jiang felt gratified and said, "As long as it's useful to you. Aside from these points, there isn't much more advice I can give. When you gain new insights in the future, don't forget to exchange notes with me." "Certainly."