Inside the training facility, Teacher Xue and Chen Chuan sat facing each other. Outside the wide row of long windows beside them lay a gloomy sky.
Beneath a heavy veil of storm clouds and rain, countless raindrops pelted the windowpanes. Though the hall was well soundproofed, they could still hear faint, dense tapping sounds. Down below, fluctuating glows repeatedly bled into the cloud layers and reflected off the glass, flickering beside the two from time to time.
Teacher Xue's voice echoed through the spacious, empty facility.
"Back after overthrowing the old empire, the Great Shun government obtained many cultivation classics from the state religion and the former imperial house, collating and summarizing them.
"With the advent of the new era, technological advancement allowed them to compile, upon that foundation, a set of methods better suited to the present day, and they subsequently invested extensive resources into modifying and optimizing it.
"The method I am teaching you comes from that work.
"However, the circulation of this method is now prohibited, and many related records have been sealed or destroyed."
Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. "Prohibited?"
Teacher Xue said, "To be precise, this method was never truly circulated in the outside world to begin with. It was only taught privately within a limited circle, or even monopolized by certain people. Heh..."
He let out a derisive chuckle, then lightly patted his leg. "In any case, the reasons behind it are complicated. I won't go into details with you today; you'll come to understand in time.
"Since this method was suppressed and destroyed, it naturally has no official name anymore. For now, I'll refer to it by its old-era name: the method of 'Reflecting Spiritual Clarity.'
"There is an old saying: 'Washed clean of worldly haze, the spirit awakens; a single spark of the heart-lamp renders the jade crystal-clear. Illuminating others, oneself, and the boundless void, one looks back to behold the celestial emptiness, shedding the turbid form.'
"The doctrines of the former state religion held that the human spirit originates from the 'Void.' By anchoring the self while returning toward that 'Void,' one naturally achieves great transcendence.
"Yet that is merely theory. Whether one can truly realize the aspirations of the ancients, and how it actually turns out, no one knows. But I have always believed that so long as the flame is passed down without dying out, each generation will ultimately surpass the last. Perhaps one day, someone will reach that realm.
"Well, I will impart the specific technique to you first. Trainee Chen, prepare yourself."
Chen Chuan immediately focused his mind, held his breath, and replied, "Understood."
Teacher Xue sat motionless, yet light spilled from his eyes.
Chen Chuan felt key principles and techniques steadily reflecting into his mind and spirit. Only after a good while did he withdraw from the receptive state.
Probing through the contents, he discovered that besides the technique Teacher Xue had mentioned for sensing and absorbing essence, there was also a training method for expelling external contamination.
Teacher Xue waited until Chen Chuan had processed it for a moment before continuing, "As I've said, external contamination arrives together with essence. Some people pay no attention to rejecting external contamination and only greedily chase essence—which is precisely where problems arise most easily.
"Because at the very beginning, you cannot detect certain contaminations, yet they imperceptibly change you.
"Many people remain oblivious when something goes wrong within themselves, and later, the external contamination merges into one with them, indistinguishable from the self. By that point, there is no turning back."
His voice softened. "They might travel very far along the path, but by the end of their cultivation, what remains is an 'other self' that is no longer them. When that time comes, they might not even count as human anymore. And once they no longer view themselves as human, that leads to even more terrifying consequences."
With that, he shook his head and did not elaborate further, resuming his explanation of the method.
He said with a solemn expression, "Trainee Chen, if you wish to break through your current stage and advance to a higher limit, neither spirit nor body can be neglected; both must be honed to perfection.
"I won't say much about physical cultivation—just pay attention to it yourself. What I will mainly focus on is cultivating the spirit.
"Normally, it's impossible to push the spirit straight up in a single burst, because you must gradually wash away the impurities and filth within it. In the words of the old era, this is the acquired defilement accumulated from rolling about in the mortal world since birth, which must be refined away to return to innate purity.
"Usually, all a fighter can do is what you have been doing: hovering down below through round after round of tempering, gradually accumulating and nourishing.
"Yet once the Heavenly Gate opens and essence descends, if you can harvest enough of it to cleanse and temper your spirit, it can help you drastically shorten the time needed for spiritual cultivation."
Chen Chuan nodded in understanding.
Teacher Xue chuckled at this point, but added, "However, just doing that is still not enough, because times have changed.
"This method was actually best suited for an era without the Ring of the World. Now that the Ring of the World exists, relying on this method alone can give you a relatively stable cultivation environment, yet under its influence, your spirit cannot rise very high.
"You might not understand what I mean by that. Well, let's put it this way: while expanding the breadth of your spirit, you must also chase height.
"Because the deeper your spirit penetrates across the Heavenly Gate, the more essence you can theoretically obtain.
"And if, while pushing your spirit to higher heights, you leave a trace of yourself there, then the next time you go there, you can use that trace to rapidly ascend back up, naturally reaping even greater returns.
"So while working with this method, you cannot simply focus on circulating the technique and staying static in place. At the same time, you need another method to propel your spirit."
At this, a sharp, resolute light flashed in Teacher Xue's eyes.
"And as fighters, we naturally use fighting to validate and fulfill ourselves."
He looked at Chen Chuan. "Trainee Chen, when the Heavenly Gate opens, fight with everything you have. Savor the joy of battle, pursue your objective, and thereby drive your spirit upward."
Smiling, he said, "You don't need to worry about finding opponents. When that day comes, you won't lack for them.
"After the Ring of the World was established and the dangers decreased, many fighters and organizations across various countries have continuously tried to breach the Heavenly Gate on their own to obtain a source of power. But that inevitably causes severe consequences, so governments and corporations across the world joined hands to seal off such attempts.
"Whenever Center City's field organism undergoes fission, it inevitably draws many fighters eager to advance.
"So when that day comes, numerous third-limit fighters who walk this path will surely enter Center City. They will try to seize this chance to gain more power, and many organizations and factions will scheme to achieve their own aims.
"Mind you, an opportunity where a rupture occurs in the Ring of the World while the field organism Fumu is undergoing fission might not come around once in decades. That is why I told you not to miss this chance."
At that moment, Chen Chuan suddenly remembered how Sancheng Huang had abruptly arrived here, claiming he came to challenge Chen Chuan, only to give up quickly and say he planned to stay for a while.
That had to be part of the reason.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Chuan said, "This student understands."
"However, you must be mindful of certain conditions when choosing your opponents."
Teacher Xue solemnly cautioned, "When a fighter raises their spirit to a certain level, they gain a degree of power that can interfere with physical matter. This is the outward expression of the heart jade shining through.
"At this point, one foot has already crossed over the threshold.
"Those fighters on the verge of breaking through the limit are right in this state. They have yet to undergo the final baptism and still carry a trace of mortal defilement, but such fighters are without question exceedingly powerful. If you encounter one, you must exercise extreme caution."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan felt a stir in his heart. Seen this way, Chen Bitong was likely someone who had attained this state. Nodding, he said, "Thank you for the warning, Teacher."
Teacher Xue acknowledged him and added, "There is one more thing to tell you. When you run this technique during the opening of the Heavenly Gate, your spirit will connect with the other side. The deeper that contact goes, the more your spirit will be tempered, thereby purifying it.
"Yet by the same token, as your spirit rises to a certain height, the dangers you face will increase correspondingly. You might be noticed by beings on the other side, so you must find ways to shield yourself."
With that, he took out an object and handed it over.
"Take this. It can protect you from contamination for a certain period of time. But remember: if this thing changes color, stop immediately. Otherwise, trouble can easily arise. Gauge it carefully yourself."
Chen Chuan accepted it. It looked like a bracelet strung with pieces of an unrecognizable material, somewhat resembling amber, each shaped like a teardrop.
"Thank you, Teacher," he said. Looking up, he asked, "May I ask, Teacher, roughly when will Fumu's fission occur?"
Teacher Xue said, "The exact time is hard to say—perhaps it hasn't even been pinned down yet. But as a fighter who has stepped onto the path of spiritual cultivation, you should be able to sense Fumu's tremors. You must have noticed them when taking special medicine, right?
"By the same token, when Fumu undergoes fission, its spirit will fluctuate beforehand. You can gauge the timing from its specific reactions; it will fall roughly within that window, give or take very little."
Chen Chuan thought to himself that he actually had not known.
Because when absorbing special medicine, he used the second self to shut out external disturbances. Still, now that Teacher Xue had mentioned it, he could test it once he returned.
Teacher Xue stood up from the floor and said in a relaxed tone, "Alright, I've said all I need to say. Let's end today's lesson here. If there's anything you don't understand, just contact me."
Chen Chuan stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Teacher."
Teacher Xue smiled, waved a hand at him, and took his leave.
Chen Chuan watched him depart, then stood gazing at the heavy rainclouds outside for a brief moment in thought before turning to leave. In the elevator back to the dormitory, his boundary credential suddenly flashed.
He glanced at it, and Yan Yi's voice came through: "Mr. Chen, the company recently received an official dispatch forwarded from the government. Because it concerns certain security matters, we'd like to invite you over to the company."
Chen Chuan's thoughts turned, guessing this likely had something to do with that impending event. He still held the post of security supervisor at Convergence Boundary Company, so he was responsible for certain company affairs as well. "Alright," he replied. "I'll come by the company shortly."
Chapter 518