Stage

Chen Bitong also looked toward Chen Chuan. Meeting the bright gaze in the young man's eyes, he said slowly, "The simplest way to prove oneself, first of all, can be through medicine." As he spoke, both Chen Bitongs produced a vial. It was a transparent glass tube. The substance inside looked like loose, crystalline granules of a blue-green hue, but with the slightest shake, they fluttered and danced about, dazzling the eyes. "This is inhibiting powder. If you join a Pioneer Team, every person is issued this substance. This drug effectively grounds a person on the material plane, but it exerts an impact on the spirit. "After taking this medicine, your senses will feel dulled as a result, and for one to three hours, you won't be able to channel your spiritual power. If taken in excess, there are many side effects, such as exhaustion, lethargy, and mental sluggishness. "For an ordinary fighter, losing part of their combat capability might be an inconvenience, but it doesn't affect their survival. For an Imprinter, however, this is completely intolerable. "Because they are entities aligned toward the spiritual realm, once bound by something like this, they lose all ability to resist. "They will resist it adamantly." Saying so, the Chen Bitong currently speaking uncorked the vial, tilted his neck back, and downed the powder, whereas the newly emerged duplicate froze mid-motion, refusing to proceed no matter what. Chen Bitong said, "If one refuses to swallow it, then there is a problem." As he said this, the other Chen Bitong shot him a cold glare—his gaze turning utterly frigid—before vanishing the very next instant. "Relying on medicine is only one method. But there is a way to prevent this scenario most of the time." Chen Bitong said to Chen Chuan, "You are currently undergoing spiritual training, so you must remember: the simplest method is to condense your convictions and fortify your heart jade. "When your heart jade is fortified to a certain degree, unless you willingly allow it or give up yourself, you will not be easily infected or assimilated by an Imprinter. "The resolute and persistent power of pure heart jade can be sensed by others. Even if an Imprinter usurps a consciousness, it cannot replicate that." Chen Chuan pondered for a moment and nodded. "Furthermore..." Chen Bitong gave a grave reminder: "Once a problem is detected, you must find a way to resolve it. More than seventy percent of those infected by an Imprinter cannot be saved. Therefore, under such circumstances—especially in the wilderness—do not waste time thinking about how to save them, because neither you nor your teammates can afford that risk. "An infected person possesses all information and plans concerning you and your teammates. Even if an Imprinter is purged in time on rare occasions, there is no guarantee that changes haven't taken root in their psyche. If you don't make up your mind quickly, you will only end up dragging yourself down with them. Captain Chen, you must keep this firmly in mind." Chen Chuan responded with equal gravity, "Teacher Chen, I have committed it to memory." Chen Bitong nodded. "Now, I will let you experience the difference between a normal person and someone infected by an Imprinter. Because it completely inherits the original person's physique and memories, coupled with spiritual augmentation, it naturally exerts even greater power than before." Chen Chuan sensed something at that moment. Looking to the side, he saw Yu Lie emerge, wearing an unruly, arrogant sneer on his face. From the look of things, however, this was a complete simulation—because after the beating Chen Chuan had given him, Yu Lie would never dare put on that kind of face in front of him again. Chen Bitong said, "You fought him just now. The one standing before you now is a simulation of him under the invasion of an Imprinter. You can test him out and see if you can tell the difference between the two." Chen Chuan raised a brow and walked forward. This Yu Lie appeared to have fully inherited the original's temperament and style, and likely lacked the memory of their recent battle; showing no dread of him whatsoever, before Chen Chuan even drew near, Yu Lie charged straight at him. Chen Chuan adopted the same tactic he had used moments ago, intending to let his opponent seize him first before countering. Yet he immediately sensed that this time was indeed different. Yu Lie seemed to have sensed something. Though skilled in seizing jin, he actively avoided Chen Chuan, choosing to circle on the periphery rather than close in. Left with no choice, Chen Chuan had to alter his strategy and take the offensive. The outcome was still beyond doubt: in less than half a minute, Yu Lie was knocked to the ground. However, if asked about the difference between the two... From the side, Chen Bitong asked, "Did you notice?" Chen Chuan nodded and said with certainty, "Every single time, he saw through my combat intentions a step ahead." Every time he made a move, his opponent seemed to anticipate his action in advance. After several attempts, Chen Chuan abandoned tactical maneuvering and simply overwhelmed him with superior strength and speed to knock him down. Chen Bitong said, "Even if a fighter embarks on the path of spiritual cultivation and condenses their intent, they will still inadvertently leak bits of information. "Entities like Imprinters, which latch onto the spirit, are exceptionally sensitive to this. It is easily picked up by them, and when combined with the fighter's own experience and conditioning, they can predict your next move. "To counter such entities, aside from the method you used just now, you must strengthen your spiritual cultivation as much as possible. Navigating the Confluence without a resilient spirit means you will forever be relegated to rear-guard defensive duties. But if you wish to seize the strategic initiative, you must always be capable of striking out rather than merely defending." Chen Chuan agreed with this assessment. Just like the philosophy of a fighter, defense was meant to protect oneself while seeking an opportunity to counterattack; if one never struck back, one would only ever take beatings without posing any threat to the enemy. He mused to himself that after returning, he needed to step up his spiritual cultivation. Seeing that Chen Chuan had grasped the concept, Chen Bitong refrained from elaborating further and said, "Let's continue." Chen Chuan nodded and followed along. Over the following half-month and more, he went to the training class every day. Almost every day he learned something new—things that might be put to use in the very next training session, capable of dealing with all manner of complex situations. He knew this was likely the culmination of Chen Bitong's more than twenty years of experience. Yet stuffing all of it into the trainees at such a rapid pace gave the distinct impression that the man was being overly hurried. During these days, the moment any trainee failed to keep up with the pace, they were ruthlessly eliminated. Yet someone like Chen Chuan, who had received personal guidance from the very beginning and had lasted for nearly half a month without being washed out, was extraordinarily rare. Even the garrison personnel above noticed his situation and submitted intelligence reports to the Defense Department. Counselor Pei also received these reports. After some thought, he contacted Commissioner Liang via his boundary credential and said, "Commissioner, it seems Chen Bitong holds Captain Chen in very high regard. This proves our initial hunch was correct. I just wonder how the higher-ups plan to arrange things for Chen Bitong moving forward." Commissioner Liang said, "The prior matter hasn't been cleared up yet. The higher-ups' intention was to have Chen Bitong remain here on leave, but some people have raised differing opinions, arguing that it's inappropriate for him to stay in Center City for too long." Counselor Pei was taken aback. "Is it... because of that matter?" Commissioner Liang said in a heavy voice, "Tug a single hair and the whole body moves. That breach hasn't been plugged to this day, and many things can no longer proceed according to the established schedule. The only choice is to move them forward." "Isn't that a bit hasty?" "Something slipped through earlier. If it hadn't been overly aggressive, it might not have been discovered so quickly. But can anyone guarantee there was only that one? That could bring about unforeseen variables. If this matter passes smoothly, then all will be well, but the original plan may no longer be viable." Counselor Pei thought for a moment and asked, "Does Captain Chen need to be briefed on this?" Commissioner Liang said, "Find an opportunity to mention it to him. At his clearance level, he can be informed of this, and he should be. Besides... what will happen when the time comes is hard to say right now." "Understood." After ending the call, Counselor Pei's expression turned solemn. He glanced out the window, where airships were moored at docking berths. Lately, more and more airships and steamships had been gathering in Center City, all making preparations for that matter. The situation this time was different. Because a breach had opened, unexpected developments were highly likely to occur. Still, that was for the higher-ups to worry about. Turning around, he took out the radio set and began transmitting to send up the recent updates. Once that was done, he used an encrypted channel to send Chen Chuan a message, asking to meet whenever it was convenient for him. Chen Chuan had just returned to his dormitory from the training class. Upon receiving the message, he considered it; tomorrow happened to be a rest day, so he scheduled the meeting for tomorrow. He checked the date. It was already mid-March. Originally, Wei Chang'an and the others were supposed to arrive around this time. However, a recent phone call revealed that wrapping up loose ends at the agency was complicated, and due to personal favors, several urgent commissions had come up, preventing them from leaving immediately. As for Luo Kaiyuan, Feng Xiaoqi, and the rest, they felt that since they were a team, coming over together would allow them to look out for one another, so their arrival in Center City might be postponed until April or May. He felt that arriving a bit later was fine too. His own schedule had been quite packed recently, and settling so many people in would not have been easy. At this moment, he checked within himself. A sphere of heart jade was radiating a lustrous glow within his spiritual world. Compared to last month, it was noticeably more solid and luminous. Under normal circumstances, progress in spiritual cultivation was relatively slow at the beginning. But with the tempering method he practiced, Hongfu assisted as his sparring partner every single day. Moreover, the Gaotian jade core fragment he had obtained earlier served as an excellent aid, proving especially helpful in spiritual recovery. That was what had allowed his cultivation speed to accelerate considerably. By now, the medicinal incense Teacher Xue had provided was gradually losing its efficacy on him. This indicated that he had already adapted to his current level of cultivation and was ready to enter the next stage. Therefore, he tapped his boundary credential at once to try and contact Teacher Xue.