Inside and Out

From early to mid-April, Chen Chuan spent all his time in his dormitory, pressing forward with his cultivation. He needed to become thoroughly familiar with and master the methods Teacher Xue had taught him as quickly as possible, hoping to reap greater rewards when the Heavenly Gate opened. Every day, he summoned Hongfu to help temper his spirit using the tempering method. Thanks to his formidable physical foundation and an abundant supply of resources, his spiritual power climbed steadily. His heart jade grew increasingly lucid and bright, no longer just a faint, glimmering dot as before, but gradually radiating a luminous brilliance. At the same time, he did not slacken in polishing his foundation. He kept Teacher Xue's admonition deeply in mind: nurturing and tempering carried equal weight. Spirit ultimately rested upon the physical frame; the stronger the body, the firmer the spirit. Only a rock-solid foundation could bear immense power. As his spirit progressed, he could faintly sense an indistinct barrier looming ahead. That was likely the limit of the human frame. Once a fighter reached that threshold, their flesh and spirit could advance no further. Turning back to patch every flaw and eliminate every weakness until nothing was lacking—that was what was known as polishing to perfection. Yet every individual was different. A person's individual perfection did not equate to humanity's theoretical true limit. Differences between individuals were vast; the gulf between two people could be wider than the gap between different species. His long-standing goal had been to reach and even surpass that limit, and he had been striving in that direction all along. If the power of his second self could merge back into his body at some future stage, that goal would no longer be an unreachable dream, but something attainable. He simply did not know what conditions were required for the second self to reintegrate. He could not help wondering whether it would happen only after he reached his personal limit. He felt that was likely. Only when his own growth halted and he hungered desperately to break through the path ahead would his resonance with the second self reach its peak. Whether that was true would become clear when the time came. While he sought daily progress, up on the seventy-second floor of the Xuangong Building, inside the office of the principal's assistant, Assistant Ling was coordinating various factions and making arrangements for Wuyi faculty and students who held no official posts. Wuyi had received an official letter from the Center City government requesting instructors and students to assist the authorities in maintaining order on the day of the Fumu's fission and reproduction. Within Center City, Wuyi Academy was a department possessing substantial armed personnel—arguably holding the highest concentration of elite fighters outside the Handling Bureau and the Defense Department. Wuyi's instructors were all third-limit fighters. Backed by the academy's abundant resources, most instructors surpassed fighters from the outside. Outfitted with proper gear and weapons, they formed a formidable deterrent. During past fission periods, Wuyi Academy had coordinated with the government to protect Center City on multiple occasions, making it something of an established custom. This time, however, the situation was different. Beyond the Fumu's reproduction, the breach in the Ring of the World posed an enormous hidden danger. "An event that doesn't happen once in decades—of course I must cooperate fully with the Center City government," Assistant Ling said over the boundary credential. A smile played across his lips. This development was extremely advantageous for what he planned to do next, serving as a splendid assist. "Are your arrangements in place over there? Good. Just proceed according to plan and don't change anything. It isn't time for us to take the stage yet; we need patience in this matter. "Mm, I'm keeping watch. Our objective can't be achieved by just the few of us. I'll scout more suitable people to bring in. "Wait. As I said, be patient." Once the call ended, he waved his hand, bringing up photos of notable faculty and students. He paused briefly when he reached Chen Chuan, smiled playfully, and moved on to the next. Back in the dormitory, after finishing his day's training, Chen Chuan rinsed off in the bathroom, came out, sat on the sofa with a hot drink, and contacted Supervisor Zhuang at Wing Blade Company. Half a month had passed. Busy with cultivation, he had only checked on Chaoming once every five or six days. A few more days had slipped by, and he wondered how things stood. "Mr. Chen, your pet's physiological indicators are all very stable. Its mutated tissue is growing in the direction you selected. "We need another two to three months of observation. As long as no aberrations or sluggishness appear in the mutated tissue, there won't be any further issues." Supervisor Zhuang smiled. "Barring any surprises, it will grow into a robust combat organism." Chen Chuan nodded. Two to three months meant the Fumu's reproductive period would be long over. It seemed Chaoming would not make it in time for this battle. Still, the opening of the Heavenly Gate would draw a chaotic mix of factions into a murky situation. There was no need to throw Chaoming into the fray before its combat form was fully established; keeping it here was fine. "Then please look after it carefully," Chen Chuan said. "I might be tied up recently and won't be able to visit often." Supervisor Zhuang chuckled. "We understand completely. Our clients' needs always come first—not to mention that you're using our internal protocol channel, Mr. Chen. Rest assured, no matter how the situation outside changes, we will do everything possible to guarantee our client's interests." "Thank you, then." After ending the call, Chen Chuan took another sip of his hot drink and gazed out the window into the distance. Over the past several days, whenever he took the special medicine, he paid close attention to the shifts in the spiritual field above. He had noticed that the black spots on the barrier surrounding Center City were multiplying, and the entire structure had grown exceedingly unstable. Though it could still hold for now, the fission period was drawing very close. He wondered whether the Center City government would try to delay it or take the initiative to push it forward. If it were up to him, he would certainly advance the timeline to prevent the various factions from making full preparations. But Center City was hard to predict; policy was decided by the council and the government, and they might not have the resolve to make such a bold move. After some thought, he tapped his boundary credential and logged onto the Fringe Channel. Having stayed indoors for days, most of his understanding of the outside world came from here. Over the past few days, the hottest topic on the platform was the influx of well-known foreign fighters into Center City, with users comparing and debating their strength. The Fringe Channel maintained covert ties with mercenary platforms, making some of its intelligence remarkably swift and reliable. Chen Chuan even suspected the authorities used the channel to gather information as well. Among the discussions, two figures generated the most buzz. Chen Chuan looked at the photo pinned at the very top. It showed a man with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail. He had a solid, muscular build, handsome features, and looked fairly young, currently posed in the stance of the renowned Cana fist. His name was Delacroix, hailing from the territory of the Albion Strait Alliance on the Western Continent. He was the master of a prominent private fighting gym and enjoyed international fame. Handsome, young, wealthy, and genuinely skilled, he drew a massive following. Public opinion below was split between praise and criticism, sparking fierce debate. Yet compared to him, the other man received entirely different treatment, facing almost universal condemnation. Chen Chuan noted the second man's prominent brow ridge, narrow forehead, hard jawline, and weathered face. At a glance, he looked like a native of the Ying Continent. Looking at the name and nationality below, he was Zomali from the Linax Federation. The name carried a strong flavor of the Ying Continent's First Peoples. Chen Chuan understood why the commenters mocked and criticized him so fiercely. The Linax Federation liked to select children from First Peoples descendants or mixed-blood lineages for training camps, brainwashing them from an early age into spies or fighters to turn against their former kin. Furthermore, because they closely resembled the people of Great Shun, the Linax Federation often sent them to Great Shun on missions, earning them a wretched reputation. According to the comments, Zomali had committed crimes in Great Shun in the past and was later pardoned and deported. Now he dared to swagger back in plain sight, even arrogantly posting on the platform to ask if everyone missed him. It was hardly surprising that the replies consisted mostly of curses. Chen Chuan observed that both of these men, as well as the other fighters featured on the platform, shared common traits: high profiles and formidable strength, making them prime magnets for public attention. He suspected these individuals were likely orchestrated by certain factions, placed in plain view as decoys to draw the Center City government's attention. Under normal circumstances, active and inactive conscious entities handled surveillance, rendering any number of newcomers harmless. But right now, the largest active conscious entity was on the verge of trouble, which might also disrupt the many inactive conscious entities tethered to it. That meant heavy manpower had to be deployed for surveillance. Yet human resources were ultimately limited; focusing on one area inevitably thinned defenses elsewhere. Although the Center City government strictly vetted every third-limit fighter entering the city, ordinary methods fell short under extraordinary circumstances. If Chen Chuan were in their shoes, he could easily hide outside the city or down in the lower districts before the Fumu's reproduction, waiting until the Heavenly Gate was about to open to slip in amid the chaos. Even if Center City imposed an early lockdown, he doubted it could fully keep them out. He pondered the thought. It seemed the situation they would face when the time came would be exceedingly complex. Still... Looking at the rows of photos and the fighters in their various stances, it was no wonder Teacher Xue had said he would not lack opponents. If the chance arose, he was eager to test himself against them.