Training Guidance

After ending his call with Counselor Pei, Chen Chuan poured himself a drink, sat back on the sofa, and reflected on today's battle. The actress had actually been quite formidable. Driven by the anomaly, her frontal assault had been virtually unstoppable. Yet the reason he had been able to secure a swift victory, besides his familiarity with anomalies, lay in the support of his spirit power. It allowed him to rapidly synthesize his past experience with real-time assessment on the spot, seizing upon the crux of the situation. The aid of spirit power was greater than he had anticipated—and that was before he had even learned any concrete methods to apply it. He looked forward to what he might learn next. For now, though, he had to thoroughly master what was already in his grasp. Over the next few days, he patiently continued polishing his foundation. Mornings were primarily for his tempering technique, while afternoons were devoted to cultivating his vital essence and changeless mind alongside essential conditioning to maintain his peak form. At night, he replaced sleep with the breathing technique, taking a dose of special medicine every two to three days. On March 5th, a notification from Counselor Pei suddenly popped up on his boundary credential. Upon receiving it, he made some quick preparations and headed out, driving to the office building where the training class had been held last time, and took the elevator up. Stepping into the hall, he found even more attendees than before—roughly fifty to sixty people. Most were young, and many were the young military officers he had seen last time. Counting himself, there were about five third limit fighters. Two of them clearly looked battle-hardened and experienced, while the other two lacked the sharp edge typical of fighters, carrying themselves with a restrained, aristocratic reserve instead. He pondered for a moment. These two had likely not come through orthodox combat training; rather, they had probably been tutored privately by instructors within their families to reach this level. After all, with sufficient talent, abundant resources, and an instructor adept at teaching, achieving such a level was entirely possible. In the middle of the hall, the training equipment from last time had been cleared away. In their place sat rows of cushions slightly elevated above the floor, allowing one either to sit cross-legged or rest their feet down. Before each cushion was a low table bearing a bronze incense burner. "Captain Chen," someone hailed him from behind. Chen Chuan looked back to see Ding Mai. Greeting him in return, he walked over. Ding Mai approached, shook his hand, and said happily, "Captain Chen, you were indeed invited today after all!" Then he added with a sigh of regret, "Too bad I only have ten days of leave. In three days, I have to report back, so I can only receive three days of instruction at most. I'm treating everyone to a meal before I go—you definitely have to come." Chen Chuan said, "Just name a time, and I'll be there." As they spoke, he glanced across the room. Fang Zhixin was talking with a young officer; Xiao Jin was nowhere to be seen this time. After a few minutes of conversation, Chen Chuan sensed something and looked toward the front. The chatter across the room died down as Chen Bitong walked out from a room at the back. "Master Chen." Everyone bowed or saluted, offering their greetings. Chen Bitong nodded in response. Reaching the front of the hall, he looked over the crowd and said, "Now that most of you have arrived, let us begin. Third limit fighters will stay behind." He turned to Fang Zhixin. "Zhixin, take the rest next door." Fang Zhixin nodded. "Understood, Master." With that, he led the non-third-limit fighters toward the adjoining room. Once they had departed, Chen Bitong said to Chen Chuan and the others, "Please, take a seat." The group dispersed, each choosing a spot. Chen Chuan walked over to a nearby cushion and sat down. Once everyone was settled, Chen Bitong said, "You are the first cohort of this training class. If anyone falls behind or ranks at the bottom, I will replace them without delay to make room for someone more suitable." He turned his gaze to the third limit fighters, including Chen Chuan. "Most of you have your own personal instructors guiding your combat art training. They undoubtedly understand you far better than I do and know your exact progress, so I will not meddle in those matters. "What I will primarily teach you is how to fight the large creatures of the Confluence, how to engage remnants of the former imperial house, and how to deal with the entities from the other side." He continued, "Through my efforts over the past few days, I secured authorization from the municipal government. Here in Weiguang District, we can connect directly to Fumu, mobilizing the maximum simulation resources." As he spoke, the surrounding scenery began to shift. The training hall dissolved away, the sky turned somber and dark, and snowflakes drifted through the air. Even the temperature plummeted noticeably. Chen Chuan found that this environment was practically a recreation of the Confluence; at least, he could detect no difference. Furthermore... He noticed an extra bar had appeared on his boundary credential display, allowing him to monitor his activation index. Did that mean a simulation could also induce activation? Chen Bitong stood ahead, his background having transformed into an open wilderness. "No active or non-active conscious entity can compare to Fumu," he said. "It is the most powerful organism in Center City, a critical node of the Ring of the World. Certain things simulated here bear virtually no difference from their real counterparts." Chen Chuan knew full well how difficult it was to access such field resources. It seemed Chen Bitong's interactions with government officials, and even his proximity to Speaker Quan, were not purely for personal gain. Chen Bitong continued, "I must warn you: this training carries genuine danger. Certain entities, even when merely simulated through a biological field, can still manifest for real. Though it may only be a fraction of the entity rather than the whole, once it appears, it must be eliminated promptly and safely. "If you find this too difficult or believe you cannot meet my standards, you may bow out early. There are other students waiting outside; you can vacate your spots for them." The fighters seated below looked solemn, yet not a single one chose to withdraw. After waiting a moment, Chen Bitong said, "Since no one is quitting, we will begin now." In what felt like the blink of an eye, Chen Chuan found that everyone around him had vanished, leaving only Chen Bitong ahead. He rose from his cushion. Chen Bitong said to him, "I am currently utilizing Fumu's field power to interface with each of you individually. The version of me you see right now is also a simulation, virtually identical to myself, allowing me to provide one-on-one guidance. "Captain Chen, follow me." With that, he turned and walked in one direction. Chen Chuan surveyed their surroundings and stepped forward to follow. As they walked, Chen Bitong explained, "To facilitate the training, I will simulate a scenario I once experienced during a defensive battle at an outpost. To minimize resource consumption, it will focus primarily on manifesting enemies, and you will engage them in combat. "During the process, I will offer guidance, and afterward, I will evaluate your performance. "This evaluation report will serve as an important reference for outpost command. Future distribution of special medicine, allocations, and rank promotions will all take this report into consideration." Just then, the ground beside them split open, forming a massive bulge. A creature with an enormous mouthpart crawled out, its razor-sharp forelimbs churning relentlessly as it shoved its body upward. Beneath its belly hung semi-transparent sacs, while its body was encased in a rugged, dark gray shell. At the same time, a foul stench of earth and rotting humus wafted forth. Though the creature had emerged barely two or three meters away—practically brushing against them—Chen Bitong remained utterly unperturbed. "You should have learned about some Confluence organisms at the outpost," he said. "This is a decay insect, formally named 'Wei's ground-eroding insect.' In the Confluence, they are the outposts' greatest menace. "They move swiftly underground and secrete a very peculiar corrosive fluid capable of eating through concrete, building materials, and metal in a short time. In swarms, decay insects can cause buildings to collapse and the ground to cave in. "However, they struggle to turn, and they possess a fatal weakness." As he spoke, he reached out and gave a casual shove; the creature, over two meters in length, was instantly flipped onto its back. "The sacs beneath its belly store corrosive fluid and incubate larvae. Once inverted, its instincts suppress its movement, making it unable to right itself." Chen Chuan's eyes shifted slightly. He could tell Chen Bitong had employed an exceptionally sophisticated technique with a unique application of force—touching just a single point, yet flipping the entire insect in one motion. As they spoke, mound after mound erupted from the earth, and a dense swarm of decay insects crawled forth. Chen Bitong seemed indifferent, leading Chen Chuan forward. Whenever an insect approached, a casual push sent it tumbling onto its back. Along their path, he left behind over a hundred decay insects overturned on the ground. Before long, he stopped. An outpost fortress appeared ahead. "Captain Chen, your primary target is up there." Chen Chuan looked up. The outpost's main gate stood wide open, appearing severely damaged. Atop the fortification stood a figure clad in full armor, wearing a metal faceplate and gripping a spear. It reminded him of the Iron Demon he had encountered before. "This is a remnant of the former imperial house, an opponent I once defeated during a defense battle. "This man underwent targeted activation using former imperial techniques. His military rank was higher than the Iron Demon you faced—he was a Commandant of the Guard, and his degree of integration is even greater. If the Iron Demon still had exploitable flaws based on your description, this man has already achieved flawless coordination of his body." Chen Bitong looked at him. "Are you confident facing an opponent like this?" Gazing upward, Chen Chuan replied calmly, "The Iron Demon was no match for me. Neither will this man be." Chen Bitong said, "Then I give you ten minutes. Defeat him within that time." Chen Chuan said, "It won't take that long." He planted the Xuejun Saber into the ground, gripped the hilt, and strode forward. Amid the rasp of grinding metal, he slowly drew the blade from its scabbard.