Tempering

Hearing Teacher Xue's solemn warning, Chen Chuan did not take it lightly. Focusing his mind, he completely settled his thoughts and intent. After two minutes, he opened his eyes and looked at Teacher Xue. Seeing the clear, radiant light in his eyes, Teacher Xue knew his spirit had been condensed and restrained to its limit. With a solemn expression, he said, "Trainee Chen, prepare yourself." As his words fell, a sudden burst of brilliance erupted from his eyes. Chen Chuan felt the surrounding scenery melt away and recede into the distance, as if he were sitting in the midst of nothingness, and even the very concept of his own existence seemed to be fading away. Yet unlike last time, a visualized cluster of heart jade was present there. It seemed to be the only light in this space, anchoring his existence. Right at that moment, a blazing brilliance flared ahead. An even more intense light seemed to tear through the void, barging in like a blazing sun and rapidly expanding outward, threatening to swallow that tiny speck of light in an instant. Under such pressure, Chen Chuan instinctively condensed his spirit into something firmer and tighter. In the next instant, his consciousness shuddered with a violent tremor, as if on the verge of being dissolved by the light. Yet he stubbornly guarded that single spark of self-awareness, maintaining his unyielding resolve and refusing to let it be displaced. He did not know how much time had passed before the bright light finally receded. His heart jade, originally a softly glowing orb, had shrunk to a speck no larger than a grain of rice. A moment later, however, it gradually diffused and steadily restored itself to its former state. After this round, it seemed slightly brighter than before. Yet before it could fully recover, that sun-like flare of radiance manifested once more, its momentum far more ferocious than the last. The degree of resilience from before seemed wholly inadequate to withstand it. Even so, Chen Chuan held his ground, unmoving and unshaken. He knew that the spirit relied on conviction. The more confident and resolute one was, the more concentrated it became; doubt and hesitation, by contrast, made it far harder to gather together. In a contest like this, if one showed even the slightest hint of retreat, what should have been impossible would become possible. Therefore, no matter what, he could not surrender. Even if it took every ounce of strength, he had to block it. He held no reservations and gave no thought to the consequences, knowing only that his unyielding, relentless will endured. After this clash, once the light ebbed, everything seemed to have ceased to exist. Yet that solitary spark of spiritual light stood firm and tenacious. Though diminished to near-imperceptibility, it slowly recovered until it was fully restored—and this time, it shone even brighter than before. Yet this was not the end. The moment it barely recovered, the great flame surged forward a third time. Such impacts played out repeatedly thereafter. Although Chen Chuan's heart jade seemed nearly eradicated after each blow, it managed every time to tenaciously regather itself from the faintest remnants. As time went on, it grew increasingly bright, translucent, solid, and firm. After an unknown number of repetitions, the brilliant light finally stopped appearing. The void dispersed, and everything around him returned to its previous state. He looked up to see bright sunlight streaming in from outside. Teacher Xue sat there with a faint smile on his face. Chen Chuan checked the time and found that not even a minute had passed, though it had felt like an eternity. Although his spirit had undergone repeated tempering, he felt neither tired nor weary. On the contrary, he was in excellent condition, feeling as if he had just emerged from deep meditation after a long and restorative rest. Teacher Xue said, "Any further, and it would start consuming your changeless mind. There's no need for that; it's enough that you understand how it works." He was quite satisfied with the test. In a tempering exercise like that, anyone whose will was slightly infirm would have fainted on the spot. Under such circumstances, there was no point in discussing technique; if one's inner resolve was not firm enough, no amount of training would help. He continued, "The tempering method includes two aspects: external tempering and internal tempering. What I just demonstrated to you was the external tempering method. Now, I will share with you an internal tempering technique. Feel it carefully." As he spoke, light once again spilled from his eyes. Chen Chuan quickly concentrated to sense it. Last time, their mental connection had required physical contact through holding arms, but this time, it was unnecessary. His spirit was far sturdier and more cohesive than before, capable of enduring and discerning the transmission of intent from the other party. As Teacher Xue concluded his demonstration, Chen Chuan also realized that this tempering method seemed to share a certain connection with the meditative cultivation for nourishment. When he voiced his question, Teacher Xue replied, "Your intuition is correct. In the old era, nourishing and tempering methods were not divided. The meditation methods I mentioned before originally included this component. "However, times progress. In terms of pure tempering methods, the various ancient techniques may not compare to modern ones, and could even be called backward. "You can practice the internal tempering method on your own. As for the external tempering method, while I can't partner with you every day, we have Hongfu at the academy. When you practice at Wuyi Academy normally, you can have Hongfu spar with you. "She can provide the most accurate and suitable coordination. An active conscious entity like her has been honed over seventy years through sparring and adaptation with generations of fighters among Wuyi Academy's faculty and students. Even if active conscious entities from other companies possess combat power, none can compare to conscious entities like Hongfu in this regard. "Unless..." He paused, choosing not to finish that thought, and instead said, "You have reached the third limit now. If you have the time, I suggest you test for a teaching post. With your talents, the academy is unlikely to turn you down, and the resources accessible to students are quite different from those available to instructors. "The academy is merely a platform; you should make full use of every resource it offers. Moreover, holding a teaching position allows you to build connections by mentoring students, and you can earn teaching fees on the side." Chen Chuan said, "This student still has shortcomings in many areas." Teacher Xue chuckled. "You're too modest. You are a third-limit fighter, more than capable of teaching students. Even if you don't teach anything at all, simply sparring with them would be more than enough. "Of course, this is merely my suggestion. Taking the exams for a teaching post requires time and effort, and it really is a bit early for you right now. Spending more time focusing on your cultivation is perfectly fine as well." Chen Chuan nodded. "Thank you for the guidance, Teacher. I will consider it." "Now then, there is one more thing I need to mention." Teacher Xue sat up straighter. "I need to caution you that while cultivating mental power is a path to advancement, mental power is still an adjunct to the self. You must know how to master it rather than letting it run wild according to your whims. "People who train their mental power over the long term often suffer an aftereffect: they project everything from the mental plane into reality, believing that whatever they can achieve mentally, they can certainly accomplish in reality, breeding a blind overconfidence. "And yet, these individuals possess exceptionally unyielding resolve, convinced that whatever they do is right. It is virtually impossible to persuade them, and such people easily veer toward extremes and run into trouble. "Yet it must be admitted that those who indulge themselves in this way grow at an astonishing speed, provided they manage to stay alive. "In the old era, there were indeed people who reached higher levels through this approach, but they often brought disaster wherever they went. Even today, sects dedicated to this path still exist. Thus, we generally need to find ways to prevent such an outcome." At this point, his casual expression vanished, replaced by grave seriousness. "I have a technique here known as the cleansing method. It may affect your cultivation speed, but it is far more stable, rendering your spirit milder and more grounded. I wonder if you are willing to learn it?" As he said this, his eyes were fixed on Chen Chuan. Without hesitation, Chen Chuan replied, "Please teach me, Teacher." Power outside one's control was not truly one's own power. He would rather take a steadier path than trade reckless indulgence for rapid advancement. Seeing Chen Chuan's decisive attitude—far from perfunctory—Teacher Xue relaxed visibly. "Very well. Now I will teach you the cleansing method." *** Meanwhile, at Ferris Wheel Company headquarters. Inside the security hall, Deputy Head of Security Song Zicheng wore sunglasses as he watched the scene displayed on the light screen. On screen was a team of personnel from the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau, dressed in overalls with ritual patterns painted across their faces. Accompanied by company staff, they were inspecting various areas, and leading the team was none other than the newly appointed Deputy Director of the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau, Lei Guangcheng. Although this man was on their company's purge list, it was obvious they could not make a move under present circumstances. After a long time, a voice came through his boundary credential: "Supervisor Song, the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau people are preparing to leave. However, they said that to ensure our company hasn't been infiltrated by cults, an inspection team needs to be stationed here." "Understood." Song Zicheng knew full well this was Bureau Director Lei's retaliation for the earlier ambush. He coldly watched Bureau Director Lei's figure heading outward on the light screen. These people truly were enemies of the company. Fortunately, the elimination of other targets was proceeding very smoothly; by now, more than half of the company's prospective future threats had already been purged. He had profound faith in Wu Qi's judgments. It was precisely by relying on the analyses and countermeasures provided by Wu Qi to purge various enemies in advance that Ferris Wheel Company had been able to grow into its present scale in such a short span of time. Just then, another voice came over the boundary credential: "Supervisor, people from the Disposal Bureau are here. They said they need to question us regarding the daytime attack." Song Zicheng said, "Have the PR and solicitor teams handle them first." He knew this was the fallout from failing to eliminate the target smoothly. In the past, they had encountered similar difficulties, but in the end, they had always overcome and resolved them. Moreover, he knew higher-ups had not abandoned the plan; it was just that current conditions were unfavorable for operations, leaving them no choice but to wait a little longer. However, just because they couldn't act on this matter didn't mean they couldn't pursue others. He connected to an encrypted channel using his boundary credential. "Are you ready?" After a brief pause, a distinctly voice-altered reply came from the other end: "Our personnel have reached the perimeter of the 'Lianwei Heavy Control' freight warehouse. Everything is in place. Awaiting orders for the next step." Song Zicheng said coldly, "Then make your move."