Limits

Chen Bitong looked at him and said, "You're very sharp. Your instincts aren't wrong, but you don't need to consider the subsequent changes here for now. You'll understand later." He walked over and tapped his boundary credential a few times. "This is a display of the internal damage you and I just inflicted on the ring-necked rhino. Take a look." Chen Chuan looked at the boundary credential. On it were two schematic diagrams. What they had in common was that the heart and surrounding mutated tissue had both been precisely shattered. In comparison, however, the area of destruction he had caused was far larger. With a turn of thought, he realized this wasn't because Chen Bitong was incapable of inflicting greater damage. Rather, Chen Bitong understood the creature's structure better than he did, exerting just the right amount of force to reach the threshold needed to kill the creature without wasting an ounce of effort. This was extremely useful. Especially in the wilderness, maintaining stamina was vital; every fraction of strength conserved could save a life. Chen Bitong said, "You understand?" Chen Chuan said, "I understand. Limits." Chen Bitong said in a deep voice, "Both humans and creatures have their own limits. If you keep things balanced just right, you can avoid a great deal of unnecessary loss and trouble. Once you exceed that limit, you must pay an unnecessary price." Chen Chuan glanced at him. Chen Bitong continued to look ahead. "The tissues on this ring-necked rhino are highly valuable, and there is substantial demand from the rear. If you can preserve a certain degree of integrity while clearing them, the returns are substantial." He added, "Captain Chen, if you can master the methods for dealing with various Confluence creatures, various organizations and research institutes will welcome you with open arms. Especially the Confluence pioneer team—if you have the opportunity, you should try to join." "The pioneer team..." Chen Chuan thought back briefly; he recalled an instructor at the garrison mentioning it in passing. Unlike the regular garrison, the pioneer team was drawn from outstanding fighters across the ranks, considered the elite among elites. Sometimes they were tasked with purging infiltrations by hostile elements, while at other times they ventured deep into the Confluence's interior to face unknown creatures, and might even be dispatched into the territory of the former imperial house to gather intelligence. Although they undertook the most arduous missions, their compensation was far beyond what regular garrison troops received. Not only were promotions much faster, but there was never any delay in supplying them with special medicines. Chen Bitong said, "The higher-ups provide the pioneer team with all kinds of advantages. Subjects not permitted to be taught outside are shared within the pioneer team, and you will face opponents unlike any you've ever encountered. I once belonged to it, and that experience provided me with a wealth of knowledge and assistance. "Still, don't underestimate the dangers of the Confluence because of that. Something like a ring-necked rhino is considered only a small creature in the Confluence. "Medium-sized creatures can perhaps be managed with effort, but true large-scale creatures cannot be handled by ordinary weapons or fighters. It's difficult even to inflict damage upon them." As he spoke, the sky suddenly grew dim. Chen Bitong said, "Daytime in the Confluence leans more toward the material side, whereas nighttime leans more toward the spiritual. During the day, we can move about freely, and most of what we encounter falls within our realm of understanding, solvable through conventional means. But in the dark of night, anomalies rise one after another, and normal methods are insufficient." Chen Chuan asked, "Can Teacher Chen move about freely in the Confluence at night?" Chen Bitong shook his head. "At present, not even I can do that." Chen Chuan pondered for a moment, then asked, "Remnants of the former imperial house rely on certain methods to traverse the night, like Iron Demon. I hear it seems to be related to faith?" Chen Bitong said, "Because in order to survive after entering the Confluence, they inevitably had to become part of it. Whether they were willing or not, it was unavoidable. "The old era's state religion already had countless tangled ties with these entities, so they didn't connect out of nowhere; there was a deep-rooted history. "I heard you used an esoteric ritual to spend a night in the wilderness of the Confluence and successfully hunted down Iron Demon. Esoteric rituals are indeed useful, but they have many drawbacks and aren't efficient enough. "Now I will teach you a method to defend yourself using your spirit and by consuming changeless mind, allowing you to survive through the Confluence night." With that, he tapped his boundary credential and transferred some information over. Chen Chuan checked it. It was a form visualization method. It required viewing a specific pattern and constructing the image within one's spiritual world. Once successfully formed, visualizing it when needed allowed one's spirit to be maintained in a particular state. Chen Bitong stepped to the side, walking up to a large tree. "This greenbark tree is the most common kind in the Confluence. If you can't make it back in the Confluence and must spend the night in the wilderness, you can stay near one of these and use the form visualization method. "This method reduces and lowers your own presence, bringing your spirit and even your aura into alignment with these trees to help you evade anomalies. However, this method isn't a hundred percent reliable, so the best approach is still to avoid remaining in the wilderness. "Don't get too close to these trees, either. Someone once thought himself clever, hollowed out a cavity in the trunk, and crawled inside. The next day, they found he had already become part of the tree." He offered a firm warning: "During the day, these trees don't undergo such changes. But once daylight fades and the material side is weakened, they lean toward the non-material side. You never know what changes might occur, so by no means should you be careless." Chen Chuan nodded. "Teacher Chen, I understand." Chen Bitong added, "Even in a simulation, you should try to avoid simulating large areas of nighttime, or uncontrollable situations may arise. Fumu won't be affected, but the people utilizing the resources might be. A small scale is fine, though. You can give it a try first." Chen Chuan agreed. He walked over to the greenbark tree, sat cross-legged, and began visualizing the pattern according to the instructions on the boundary credential. Before long, Chen Bitong's voice rang out: "Time's up." Chen Chuan opened his eyes and found himself still sitting on the soft mat, as if he had never moved at all. The other fighters, including Ding Mai, were all in their respective spots as well. He glanced at the time and saw that exactly two hours had passed since the start. Although it had only been two hours, Chen Bitong had provided virtually non-stop instruction throughout, packed with rich content that made Chen Chuan feel he had learned a great deal. Chen Bitong stood before them, waiting until each of them had gathered their wits before speaking. "Your scores will be sent to your boundary credentials shortly. Those who fail don't need to return tomorrow. "Those who pass may continue coming here if you have the time, but if you fail to keep up one day, you will still be filtered out. "Opportunities must be reserved for those best suited. I hope you understand." Chen Chuan reflected on this. All of Center City was built atop Fumu, and most of the field resources were monopolized by the municipal government and major corporations. Sparing two hours of resources every day for them was truly no easy feat; Chen Bitong had surely fought hard for it, so it was no wonder he maintained such strict standards. Seeing that everyone showed expressions of understanding, Chen Bitong said, "Since you all understand, you may leave now." Everyone stood up from their seats, bowed to him, and walked out of the training hall. As soon as they reached the outside, Ding Mai came over and said to Chen Chuan, "Captain Chen, why don't the few of us get together?" Saying this, he glanced at the others. "What do you say, gentlemen?" The others readily nodded. Although they hailed from different places, they were now classmates in the same training course. Deepening their acquaintance might allow them to help one another out in the future. Chen Chuan had no objections either, and went down to the bar on a lower floor with them. After everyone ordered drinks and sat down, Ding Mai raised his glass and took a huge gulp before speaking. "I learned more today than I did in the past several years. You can truly learn a lot following Teacher Chen. "Unfortunately, I only have three days. What a shame." Everyone nodded in profound agreement. However, a young officer fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "I'm afraid I'll have to head back tomorrow." Ding Mai looked surprised. "Lao Yan, you?" Lao Yan shook his head. "I didn't perform well today. I overthought things, and the more I thought, the less control I had. It just shows I still have many shortcomings. Although the scores haven't come out yet, given Teacher Chen's strict requirements, I doubt mine will be high. I need to go back and keep honing myself." He raised his glass. "Everyone, I'll take this chance to bid you all goodbye. I won't be coming tomorrow." He had seemed a bit downcast at first, but speaking it aloud seemed to bring him relief, and he smiled. "I hope you guys don't end up eliminated like me." Those present offered him a few words of comfort, clinked glasses with him, and drank together. While Chen Chuan was drinking with the group, an avatar suddenly flashed on his boundary credential—an image of a little ant crawling with all its might. He knew at a glance that Xiao Jin was contacting him, so he answered the call. "Xiao Jin?" Chen Xiaojin's voice came through, asking tentatively, "Captain Chen, do you have a moment?" Chen Chuan said, "I'm in the building where the training class is held. Do you have a question for me?" Chen Xiaojin gave an emphatic hum of agreement. He said, "Captain Chen, I want to learn jin. I'd like to ask what I should do." Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "You started training earlier than most, so this stage is quite suitable. However, jin relates to your future path. How much do you know about it? Does Teacher Chen know?" Chen Xiaojin said, "He doesn't care about me." Chen Chuan didn't answer immediately. He reflected for a brief moment before asking, "Where are you right now?" Hearing him ask, Chen Xiaojin was visibly energized, his voice rising unconsciously. "Captain Chen, I'm in the activity room on the twelfth floor." Chen Chuan said, "I'm in the bar right now. I'll take the elevator down in a bit. Wait for me there."