Opportunity

Teacher Xue continued, "Suppose you engage in a spiritual clash with someone, and the other party attacks you with a spiritual technique like the Spirit-Shaking Hammer. The usual way to defend is to use your condensed heart jade to block it. That's a head-on collision, an extremely rudimentary way of fighting. "However, this desperate approach essentially leaves no way out. It lacks technical finesse and is far too crude. Taken to an extreme, it practically becomes a matter of life or death—either you die or I do. "So you have to find a way to avoid that. "When fighters clash, if conditions permit, you should always strive to achieve the greatest result at the lowest cost. "If someone's fists are harder than yours and their strength is greater, you should look for ways to evade and play to your own strengths. The same principle applies to spiritual combat." He clapped his hands, and a simulated light screen appeared around them, displaying a three-dimensional rendering of a fighter's internal mutated tissue. Pointing to the image, he said: "A fighter's mutated tissue is extraordinarily sensitive to spirit; that is an inherent property of it. An untrained person will instinctively take in external spiritual power, leaving them vulnerable to its influence. "However, as long as your spiritually mutated tissue remains under the command of your own spiritual will, it won't be easily disrupted and will repel external spirit. "Yet this introduces another problem. When an opponent's spiritual power strikes, you fall back into that same old rut of a head-on clash. "The Empty Heart Seal I mentioned allows you to circumvent that." As he spoke, light rippled in his eyes once more. Chen Chuan knew the teacher was transmitting the knack to him again, so he relaxed his mind. Immediately, the training method for this technique entered his consciousness. As he processed and absorbed it, understanding dawned in his heart. "If your mutated tissue was previously a blank sheet of paper that anyone could draw on, then this technique helps you imprint your own mark upon it. "From then on, no matter what kind of spirit leaves a trace there, it cannot interfere with the core seat, and you can wipe away those traces whenever you wish. "Yet if that were all, you would still just be letting the enemy attack without any means of counterattacking, remaining purely passive. Therefore, there is another variation contained within it. "Once your mutated tissue has been tempered to possess enough resilience to resist external interference, then when the opponent's spiritual power attacks, you can first empty yourself and allow them in." Teacher Xue held out his hand, fingers spread wide. "Just like two opposing armies on the battlefield, you let the enemy march right into your encirclement, and then..." He slammed a fist into his palm with a sharp smack. "...you strike back along their spiritual connection! If you follow up with the Spirit-Shaking Hammer at that moment, it will yield even greater results." Hearing this, Chen Chuan couldn't help but nod. Teacher Xue said, "Remember what I said? When you're evenly matched with an opponent, taking the initiative in spiritual combat is crucial. If you can, you must attack first. But if someone catches you off guard and seizes the initiative, you can use this move. "I must remind you, however, that this is only a method for dealing with fighters. As long as you keep progressing, you are bound to face far more formidable foes in the future, and you might even run into those entities from the other side." His expression turned slightly graver. "Their spiritual power is on a scale and elevation that ordinary people simply cannot compare to. They are capable of bypassing your will entirely to seize control of your mutated tissue. "When I learned about your situation back then and heard you had driven off an entity that seeped over from the other side, I felt your strength was quite good, and your luck wasn't bad either. "That was because the one you encountered was likely an entity geared toward possessing a physical host. Entities like that often have to worry about the host body's tolerance and cannot exert their full power. If you ever run into an entity completely dedicated to spiritual suppression, it will be extraordinarily dangerous." Chen Chuan reflected on this. If not for the Second Self, the later stages of that battle truly would have been perilous. Back then, Bureau Chief Wu had told him that if things seemed dangerous, he shouldn't worry about the mission and should just run away first—likely out of this very consideration. Yet precisely because he had the Second Self, he dared to take that gamble. And if he truly felt something was wrong, he definitely would have retreated immediately. Teacher Xue said, "Start practicing these two techniques first, and then have Hongfu spar with you in simulated combat. Once you're proficient in using them, I'll teach you a few more handy little tricks." "Thank you, Teacher," Chen Chuan said. Teacher Xue took out a small box and placed it before him. "This is the aromatic medicine for your next stage. It can also be purchased at Wuyi. It's a bit more expensive, but you should be able to afford it. "It's just that the aromatic medicines you'll need going forward will become more and more expensive. Some are practically impossible to find out here and can only be obtained in the Confluence. You need to be prepared for that." Chen Chuan was indeed mentally prepared for this. Just training to his current level had consumed an immense amount of resources, and that was still based on the modern era's broad, universal framework. As one climbed higher, however, the path narrowed considerably. Teacher Xue looked at him. "Actually, I originally thought you wouldn't master the current stage's material until around May or June, in which case I wouldn't have pushed you. But given your current pace, I'd really like to see you master what I've taught you before April arrives." Chen Chuan looked up. "Before April? That's only about ten days." "Yes, ten days. That is the timeframe I'm giving you—consider it a test. Can you do it?" Chen Chuan considered it for a moment, then said, "I can't make any absolute promises, but I will do my utmost." Teacher Xue said meaningfully, "Some things can wait, but others cannot. Still, this all comes down to your own choice. I'm merely giving you a heads-up. Certain opportunities come only once; miss it, and you might never encounter it again." Thoughts raced through Chen Chuan's mind. Then he said earnestly, "I will definitely keep your reminder in mind, Teacher." "That's the spirit." Teacher Xue slapped his knees and stood up. "Then that will be all for this lesson. Ah, one more thing: make good use of the advantageous conditions around you. Don't overthink things; there are matters best left until you have sufficient ability to handle them. All right, I'm heading out." "Take care, Teacher." Chen Chuan saw Teacher Xue off. Glancing around, he noticed the two potted plants were still sitting there, clearly left behind by Teacher Xue. However, Teacher Xue hadn't named them, so Chen Chuan didn't know what they were called or how to take care of them. He figured he would look them up once he got back. He bent down, picked up one pot in each hand, left the training grounds, and returned to his dorm room, setting them down near the windowsill. Taking two steps back, he logged onto the Defense Department's internal platform to search for information. Since they came from the Confluence, they ought to be cataloged. Sure enough, he found the entry before long. The green plant was called a "leaf-embracing cage." Surprisingly, it was carnivorous, mainly preying on small creatures and insects, which certainly fit his impression of the Confluence. Feeding it wouldn't be difficult. The Wuyi cafeteria had everything, so he could just bring some scraps up with him each time. After all, these could be considered his sparring partners, so their treatment naturally needed to be a bit better. Yet gazing at the two pots, he thought back to what Teacher Xue had said, which seemed to hint that he needed to master the techniques as soon as possible to avoid missing an opportunity. Connecting that to what Senior Cao had mentioned during the day, as well as the sense of urgency radiating from Chen Bitong, it seemed to foreshadow that something was about to happen in Center City. In fact, he had already noticed some time ago that the number of airships and warships in Center City was steadily rising. From all appearances, various factions seemed to be preparing for something. The Disposal Bureau appeared quiet on the surface, but Ni Xixi hadn't had time to come out for a meal across several consecutive rest days, which indicated that something was definitely brewing behind the scenes. It was just that he was currently assigned elsewhere, so he didn't know the bureau's specific arrangements. He considered the matter. Earlier, Counselor Pei had mentioned having something to discuss with him, which was very likely related to this. If that were the case, there was no need to make wild guesses; he would find out once they met. Setting that thought aside, he turned his attention to Chaoming. He logged onto the Secret Snake Cult's platform to see if there were any methods for inducing organisms to develop mutated tissue, but after searching around, he found nothing. After thinking it over, he contacted Zou Handan directly, explained his thoughts, and inquired whether the Secret Snake Cult provided such services. Zou Handan replied, "Because this touches on cult secrets, there are things I cannot explicitly answer for you, Captain Chen. However, this bird-lizard is an organism we culled from our program; it is very difficult for us to make any effective headway with it." Chen Chuan caught the unspoken implication: the Secret Snake Cult might indeed conduct research in this area, but a discarded specimen like Chaoming, deemed devoid of potential, held little value for further investigation. Still, he knew the Secret Snake Cult's research leaned heavily toward serpentine creatures. A bird-lizard likely didn't align with their focus, which didn't necessarily mean it was truly impossible. Zou Handan added, "However, if you require biological modification, Captain Chen, that is certainly possible. We have implants specifically designed for living creatures." Chen Chuan disagreed with that approach. Even if Chaoming couldn't fight, there was no need to subject it to that sort of thing. "Forget that, then," he said. Zou Handan said, "Captain Chen, while our Secret Snake Cult cannot meet your requirements in this regard, other companies might be able to. I suggest you look into the Light Nest Company. Their research into biological mutated tissue has consistently been among the country's best, and they have a branch right here in Jibei Circuit." "Light Nest? Thank you." Chen Chuan noted the name. After thanking Zou Handan and ending the call, he looked up the Light Nest Company. Browsing through their platform, he saw that many people were interested in stimulating mutated tissue in non-human organisms. Members of the wealthy class in particular did not fully trust fighters, so they often raised pets and plants equipped with mutated tissue to serve them. These were typically geared toward the civilian market. In the military sector, the undisputed leader was naturally the Compound Eye Company, with few peers able to compete against it. But on the domestic civilian market, the Light Nest Company had the deepest research into avian and reptilian creatures. He glanced at the cataloged images: bizarre creatures of every description, along with brutal scenes depicting testing and beast-fighting among hobbyist circles. After finishing his browse, he thought it over and sent an inquiry message.