Recall

Inside a training hall somewhere in Hongsheng District, Su Wei was bare-chested, repeatedly striking a training dummy. Every blow he delivered engaged muscles across his entire body, sending sweat spraying outward. The strikes appeared immensely powerful, yet every time they landed, they left no damage whatsoever on the surface of the dummy. This demanded exceptionally meticulous control over the release of jin. Ever since arriving in Center City, he had remained on standby, yet he drew a stipend every month without fail. The amount was not vast, but it was plenty to sustain him in Center City. To receive pay without having to work was something he had never dared imagine in the past. Aside from necessary living expenses and training supplies, he sent all the remaining money to the families of former teammates who had been crippled or killed. To his eyes, Center City was practically a paradise for cultivation. Not only could he find fighting forums, but he also didn't have to constantly worry about his activation index, let alone watch his back against hostile foes harboring unending malice toward him. Of course, that was not because public security in Center City was so flawless, but rather because as a third limit fighter, ordinary people posed no real threat to him. Moreover, whatever dangers Center City had paled in comparison to the Confluence. On nights in the Confluence, everyone could only huddle within the settlement cities, and no one dared venture beyond the walls, whereas here he could step outside anytime, anywhere. As he trained with his head down, his boundary credential suddenly chimed. He stopped immediately, glanced at it, and answered, "Captain?" Chen Chuan's voice came through. "Team Member Su, I need to see you." Su Wei's expression turned solemn at once. "Where should I meet you?" A location promptly appeared on his boundary credential. "Meet me here." Su Wei checked it. The spot was also within Hongsheng District, and the meeting time was set before eleven o'clock—a little over an hour from now, not far from where he was. "I'll head over immediately," he said. Ending the call, he rinsed off quickly, changed into clean clothes, and headed out to catch a tram. In about twenty minutes, he arrived at the marked location. Upon arrival, he found that it was a long-abandoned commercial district. There were none of the familiar dazzling neon lights here—only graffiti-covered walls, overgrown weeds, a scattering of vagrants and muttering eccentrics wandering about, and the occasional stray cat or dog darting past. As he was looking around, a voice sounded through his boundary credential: "Team Member Su, over here." Su Wei looked in the direction indicated by his boundary credential. It was an unfinished high-rise abandoned halfway through construction, clearly having weathered many years. Walking across the gravel-strewn ground, he entered the building, glanced upward, and made his way up the bare concrete staircase to the rooftop. Chen Chuan was waiting there. He said, "Team Member Su, Center City is under tight surveillance lately. Every move is being watched. Beyond official authorities, the major corporations are keeping a close eye on fighters as well. It's more convenient to talk here." Su Wei wasn't a native of Center City, so he was not particularly sensitive to its political climate, but just from hearing those words, he could tell something major was brewing. He thought back; recently, City Patrol had indeed been coming up to inspect his apartment building frequently. He recalled that things hadn't been like that when he first arrived in Center City. He said gravely, "Captain, whatever needs doing, give the order." Chen Chuan did not get straight to business. Instead, he looked at him and said, "Speaking of which, since recruiting you to the team, I haven't tested your skills yet. Today, I'd like to see what you can do." "Understood!" Su Wei gave a firm nod, his expression earnest. Although Chen Chuan was younger than him, that day Chen Chuan had deduced the converging numbers of his foes and their combat methods solely through a boundary credential; his strength was beyond question. Furthermore, upon arriving here, Chen Chuan carried an aura of pressure that could not be ignored, causing Su Wei's body to tense involuntarily and unmistakably signaling that Chen Chuan's level was well above his own. This rooftop was fairly spacious, and with no one else in the building, he could fight without holding back. He stepped back a short distance and observed Chen Chuan. Seeing no intention to attack first, Su Wei pushed off with his foot and surged forward. The floor trembled violently, cracks bursting outward across the concrete beneath his feet. Reaching striking range, he drove a fist straight in. Chen Chuan stood motionless, merely raising an arm to block, catching the fist dead-on. At this moment, Su Wei was suspended in midair. The instant contact was made, the jin held in reserve within his body erupted with explosive force. This was a two-stage jin strike. Such attack methods were widely circulated out in the world, yet few could execute them well, and he was among the finest at it. Of course, his goal was not to fell Chen Chuan in a single blow. The floor beneath them could never endure the combined force of two third limit fighters; under this impact, the ground Chen Chuan stood upon would inevitably shatter. If Chen Chuan lost his center of gravity, even if Su Wei couldn't outright defeat him, it would surely create an opening for a better tactical opportunity. Yet to his astonishment, Chen Chuan took the full brunt of the delivered force without swaying so much as an inch. Not only that, but the floor beneath his feet gave no reaction whatsoever. Su Wei realized at once that Chen Chuan's mutated tissue had smoothly neutralized the force and redirected it elsewhere—a remarkably sophisticated technique. Seeing the strike fail, before he even touched the ground, he snapped out a midair kick that linked seamlessly with the preceding punch, displaying superb physical coordination. Chen Chuan swatted outward with a hand, deflecting the kick once more. Su Wei finally landed, only to charge back in without hesitation, unleashing a fierce, relentless offensive. Chen Chuan made no move to attack proactively. Standing rooted to the spot, he neutralized the barrage with just a single hand. Su Wei grew increasingly astonished as the fight wore on, and deeply impressed. To achieve such a feat proved that Chen Chuan far outmatched him in both speed and power, which was why he could handle the onslaught with such ease. After pressing forward for dozens more exchanges, Su Wei realized continuing like this was pointless. He backed off and said, "Captain, that's as far as my bare hands go. I'm going to draw a weapon." Chen Chuan nodded. "Go ahead, Team Member Su. Use whatever you like." Su Wei drew a dagger from behind his waist. In truth, the weapons he excelled at were dual short spears, but lacking a weapons license, he couldn't walk around the streets carrying such conspicuous arms, so he hadn't brought them today. Still, a dagger served just as well. He adjusted his stance briefly, then lunged forward with a sharp thrust of the blade. Chen Chuan did not simply let the dagger strike at him. This time, he brought both hands to bear, intercepting and parrying the blade. No longer purely defensive, each time he flawlessly blocked the dagger, he emitted a jolt of jin that penetrated back into Su Wei's body. Buffeted by the reverberating jin, Su Wei's offense was severely constrained. His maneuvers could not flow together at all, reducing the threat he posed to near nothing. Recognizing that he couldn't clash head-on, he shifted styles at once. His attack patterns turned deceitful, incorporating feints laden with lethal intent, yet not a single one succeeded. Though Chen Chuan had not deliberately engaged his spiritual power, his field naturally radiated outward, clearly registering every ripple within it. Thus, no matter how Su Wei disguised his feints, they played out in plain view, failing without exception. Faced with such an impasse, Su Wei did not give up. He leaped backward and stomped down hard. A fissure raced across the floor toward where Chen Chuan stood, and the concrete collapsed downward. Seeing this, Chen Chuan leaped back. Yet the moment he was airborne, Su Wei hurled the dagger in his hand. Using the momentum from his hard stomp, Su Wei vaulted upward, flipped in midair, and threw a second, previously unused dagger. The second dagger flew so fast it actually arrived before the first! Chen Chuan saw that this dagger was blazingly fast and possessed tremendous penetrative force. While he could have tanked it directly, this was only a spar, and there was no need for that. He twisted his torso and sidestepped to let it pass. Yet just as he made this move, the trailing dagger suddenly accelerated forward! Oh? Chen Chuan saw it immediately: two-stage jin had been infused into the weapon, forming a combination technique that intertwined feint and reality in staggered sequence. What was more, a shadow flashed from behind as Su Wei lunged in almost right behind the dagger, snapping a kick toward him. Still midair, Chen Chuan looked placidly as the dagger drifted closer, as if in the very next instant the blade would pierce between his brows. Su Wei felt a sudden shock. The kick he had aimed at Chen Chuan swung abruptly upward instead, kicking the dagger aside with a sharp crack. Yet in his hasty exertion, his balance collapsed, and with no footing beneath him, he began plunging downward. Right then, a hand reached down from above, clamping onto his wrist with a firm smack and suspending him in midair. Below, a deafening crash echoed as several floors collapsed one after another, leaving a massive gaping hole underneath. He looked up. Chen Chuan stood atop the rooftop parapet, looking down at him, before giving a light pull that hoisted him back up. Su Wei rode the momentum to leap up, landing beside Chen Chuan. Reflecting on it, he sighed. "Seems my last move was superfluous. You probably didn't need my help, Captain." Chen Chuan smiled. "It was just an instinctual reaction on your part, Team Member Su." Chen Chuan now had a general grasp of Su Wei's capabilities. Compared to Qin Qingque and Yuan Qiuyuan, Su Wei's fundamentals weren't quite as polished—likely a consequence of the harsh environment of the Confluence—but he possessed immense combat experience. If it came down to a true life-and-death struggle, neither of the other two would necessarily be able to overcome him. After all, he was someone who had grown up in the Confluence; those who couldn't cut it had been weeded out long ago. What was noteworthy, setting aside that last instinctual reaction, was that even when Chen Chuan stood motionless, Su Wei never once tried circling behind him to attack his back. For one, Su Wei likely knew it would be futile; for another, it was simply his nature. Yet that rigid code was likely reserved for teammates; Chen Chuan was certain he wouldn't be so stubborn when facing enemies. Now he had a clearer understanding of this teammate: a man with principles, yet not incapable of adaptability. Looking past the rooftop toward the distant city districts, Chen Chuan said, "Team Member Su, Center City will be facing some turbulent situations soon. We could be called into action at any moment, and when that time comes, I'll need your full cooperation." Having done nothing for so long, Su Wei had felt ungrounded and uneasy. Hearing an order at last, his heart settled completely. He raised his hand in a slightly stiff salute and said gravely, "Yes, Captain!"