Guidance

After leaving Mount Motie, Chen Chuan drove toward the downtown area. A fierce wind had picked up outside, sending leaves and flower petals swirling through the air, and the temperature seemed to plunge all at once. Yet he found the chill quite comfortable. Gripping the steering wheel, he replayed his recent conversation with Senior Cao. The imperial house of the old era had been overthrown, and the old era itself seemed buried, yet many of its remnants undeniably exerted a profound influence on the present day, proving nearly impossible to cast off cleanly. This was true not only internally, but from the outside as well. The old-era remnants in the Confluence maintained numerous ties with corporations across the world; otherwise, they could never have mounted military resistance against the garrison base. Great Shun faced this reality, and other nations undoubtedly grappled with the same dilemma. Before the arrival of the Great Collision, the most national governments could do was suppress internal discord as much as possible, preventing violent upheavals that might trigger unforeseen catastrophes. During this transitional window, various factions and organizations would do everything in their power to build up their own strength. For an individual, such a wildly shifting world was both a crisis and an opportunity. What Chen Chuan needed to do was make full use of this time to push himself upward and seize even greater power. Upon returning to the academy, he handled some routine matters and waited patiently for the start of Wuyi's new semester. Three days passed quickly. On the morning of February 1st, just before nine o'clock, he followed the instructions on the platform and arrived at a training room on the seventieth floor to wait. Yet he waited until ten o'clock, and still no one appeared. Chen Chuan felt no impatience. He silently circulated his breathing technique. Without him realizing it, quite a bit of time slipped by. Just as noon approached, the sound of footsteps came from behind him. Chen Chuan stood and turned to look. A man dressed in grey-blue training robes walked in. The man appeared to be in his forties, with deep, weathered eyes and a small mustache over his upper lip—a mature, handsome middle-aged man with a faintly decadent air. At first glance, he gave off a casual, unpretentious impression, as if he were entirely easygoing. Yet Chen Chuan knew this man was anything but simple. He could not sense the man's field at all. Mashiba Masaru, whom he had fought recently, was the most proficient opponent he had encountered in wielding a field, yet Chen Chuan had still clearly perceived its existence. This man was obviously on a far higher level. This had to be the instructor assigned to guide him. After entering, the middle-aged man rubbed his head and spoke as he walked over: "Apologies, apologies, truly sorry! Trainee Chen, I'm late. You've been waiting long, haven't you?" Chen Chuan said, "What the teacher has to instruct is well worth a student's wait." The middle-aged man sighed. "Your teacher didn't do it on purpose! This is my first time visiting Jibei Circuit Center City, and the sights here made me lose track of time." Chen Chuan asked, "Isn't the place where you live a Center City as well, Teacher?" The middle-aged man waved a hand. "Different, completely different. Every Center City is distinct, just as every person is unique. Even two people who look identical have entirely different hearts..." He cleared his throat. "I'm rambling. We've wasted quite a bit of time already, so I won't hold you up any further, Trainee Chen. A formal introduction: my surname is Xue, Xue Shou." As he stated his name, a faint glint flickered in his eyes. Moments earlier, he had seemed entirely casual and harmless, but in that instant, a surging aura emanated from his frame. Chen Chuan bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Teacher Xue." Teacher Xue bowed in return. "Greetings, Student Chen." Straightening up, he said, "I reviewed some of your past combat records and evaluations. Your foundation is undoubtedly well polished, meeting all the requirements for this instruction, so we can skip the preliminaries. Next comes the formal teaching." He sat down cross-legged. "Trainee Chen, please have a seat." Chen Chuan sat down as instructed. Inside the spacious training hall, the two sat facing each other. Sunlight fell across the polished, warm-toned floorboards, casting clear reflections of their two figures. Teacher Xue said, "Trainee Chen, before we begin, I want to ask: is there anything in particular you wish to pursue?" He gestured with his hand. "A goal of sorts. Big or small, feel free to speak." Without hesitation, Chen Chuan answered candidly, "My introductory combat instructor once asked me a similar question. My answer was: 'Body unbound, will unfettered.' My conviction has never changed." "Oh... 'Body unbound, will unfettered,' is it? That is no easy feat." Teacher Xue looked at him meaningfully. "In today's world, rules are everywhere, and constraints bind every corner. But having a clear goal is good; it saves me a great deal of trouble. Tell me, has anyone ever mentioned to you that the third limit is actually the boundary of what the human body can achieve?" Chen Chuan nodded. "I have heard of this." Seeing that he already knew, Teacher Xue nodded with satisfaction. "Then the principle is quite simple, Student Chen. No matter how thoroughly you temper your physical body, no matter how flawless it becomes, you cannot rely on it alone to step into a higher realm. To break through to the next stage, the key lies..." He pressed two fingers together and pointed to the space between his brows, adding emphasis to his tone: "In the mind. More precisely, in the application of mental force centered upon the changeless mind." His tone turned solemn. "When the cultivation of the body reaches its end, or when the limits of mortal flesh prevent you from breaking through the barrier, we must use the mind as the starting point to drive our entire being upward. "What you trained in the past was mostly your body. Though your mind advanced alongside it, you never applied any techniques to temper it." He raised his hand and opened his fingers wide. "An ordinary fighter's mind is scattered, lacking cohesive force. Yet when encountering danger, it focuses instinctively." With that, he snapped his hand shut into a tight fist. "A life-or-death crisis forces a fighter's mind to gather spontaneously, but this is fleeting and forced. Once that tension fades, it becomes even more diffuse and feeble than before. "Much like an untrained muscle, it might burst with sufficient power for a brief moment, but afterward, it can scarcely be used at all, requiring a period of rest and recovery before it functions again. "Therefore, our first step is to focus and fortify your mind." Chen Chuan listened intently. He said, "Please guide me, Teacher." Xue Shou continued, "Third limit fighters often speak of 'nurturing and tempering the changeless mind.' These are not casual words. The crux lies in those two key actions: 'nurture' and 'temper.' "Your daily training up to now has been 'nurturing,' not 'tempering.' Nurturing also has its own specialized method, which I will teach you later. Right now, our focus is 'tempering.' Only when it is properly tempered can you bring out the power of the mind instead of letting it scatter away into nothingness. "The first step of 'tempering' lies in identifying the most persistent, unshakeable goal in your heart. Outside of life-and-death crises, only such conviction can focus your mind, giving it an anchor, like roots digging deep into the soil. "That is precisely why I asked about your goal. Whatever that goal may be, whether good or bad, you must walk along it without wavering. "If you doubt yourself along the way or abandon this path, then I can only say you are unfit to walk it, and you had best give up early. "Make sure this is truly what you desire deep down. It cannot merely be lip service; you must truly understand yourself and put it into practice." Chen Chuan nodded. This brought to mind what Wei Wusheng had said about 'heart's intent'—that acting in accordance with one's heart allowed the 'heart' to grant greater returns. He wondered if this was the same principle. Noticing his momentary contemplation, Teacher Xue said, "Trainee Chen, do you have a question? If there is any doubt, speak up. I can explain." Chen Chuan thought it over and briefly described the matter concerning Wei Wusheng. After hearing the account, Teacher Xue rubbed his chin. "I've seen your fight with Wei Wusheng. While his method also counts as mental cultivation, it is fundamentally a different matter. "What Wei Wusheng cultivated was likely a method for training military officers from the old-era martial canons, perhaps mingled with cultist techniques, but the core essence should be the same. That method aims to draw upon others' strengths to compensate for one's own weaknesses, used precisely because a person lacks talent in a certain area. "That heart's intent does count as mental training, but its primary purpose is to subdue another force that has been integrated. It is a sound method, but how shall I put it... the foundation you currently possess is precisely what he hoped to attain only after complete integration." He added meaningfully, "He is searching for the door through which he might pass, whereas you are already standing before that door. Do you understand now?" Chen Chuan understood at last. He said slowly, "He sought to patch his flaws in order to reach greater heights." Xue Shou slapped his knee. "Exactly. Not everyone can walk this path. For so many fighters, the third limit is their ceiling. If they cannot break through that limit, they cannot even find the door, let alone consider the next step. "Now, back to our topic. I see you keep your field tightly restrained; you must have learned field techniques, yes?" Chen Chuan nodded. "Good, that saves another step." Teacher Xue looked even more satisfied. Possessing the prerequisites meant there was no need to spend extra effort laying the groundwork. "A field is the expression of bodily information, but altering that field is precisely one way mental force is applied. Through this, we can directly observe changes in your mental state. Wait here a moment." He rose and walked out. A short while later, he returned carrying a bowl of medicinal liquid and placed it before Chen Chuan. "This is not for drinking. Sense it carefully with your field." Chen Chuan extended his senses and was slightly surprised. He could actually detect a faint field emanating from the liquid, and beneath his probing, a subtle ripple stirred across its surface. Teacher Xue said, "You felt it, didn't you? That's right. This substance is actually alive, and it is exceptionally sensitive to any external field or gaze." His smile vanished, replaced by a solemn expression. "Trainee Chen, the first thing you must do is gather your myriad scattered mental thoughts into one, fully restrained. I need you to look at this bowl of medicinal liquid until you no longer stir any ripples in it. I will give you only one hour." He made a gesture. "Begin now."