Refinement

As Chen Chuan was on his way back to Yangzhi City, a luxury car driven out from Center City arrived in Yangzhi City and pulled up in front of the Municipal Administration's executive building. Three people stepped out of the vehicle. One of them, wearing sunglasses, looked up at the administrative building ahead—its architecture stuck in the style of several decades ago—with an expression of unmistakable disdain. After looking for a moment, the three walked toward the building. In the Civil Administrator's office, Zhu Xian was handling official business when his secretary entered and whispered a few words in his ear. Frowning, he asked, "Is that confirmed?" The secretary nodded. "They are carrying a credential letter from Councilor Shao of the Center City Council." With that, he drew out the letter and set it on the desk. Zhu Xian pondered for a moment, capped the fountain pen in his hand, leaned back in his chair, and asked, "They aren't here to cause trouble, are they?" "Only three people came," the secretary said. "They don't seem like they're looking for trouble." Zhu Xian looked at the credential letter. He did not touch it, but told the secretary to step out first. Then he reached over, picked up a standalone telephone on the desk, and dialed a number. After a long wait, the call went through. He immediately stood up and said in a humble tone, "Sir, it's me." An aged voice came from the other end: "Ah, Little Zhu. What is it, run into a difficult matter?" Zhu Xian said, "Teacher, there is something I'm unsure about, and I would like to seek your guidance. It goes like this..." Ten-odd minutes later, the secretary was called back in. Zhu Xian instructed him, "Have our people cooperate with them and assign someone specifically to accompany them. If they want to go out, see that they are properly protected." The secretary asked, "Administrator, should I notify the constabulary?" Zhu Xian thought for a moment and shook his head. "No need. Just use the Municipal Administration's security guards." The secretary nodded and went out to make arrangements. Around eleven at noon, Chen Chuan returned to Yangzhi City. Late the previous night, headquarters had already sent a reply, taking over the matter so there was no further need to worry about any complications or reversals. Just then, the telegraph operator said, "Supervisor, a telegram from the bureau." With that, he handed over a decrypted telegram. Chen Chuan took it and glanced over it. At first, he wondered if something had come up at the bureau, but looking closer, he found that it was actually the Municipal Administration looking for him, under the name of Civil Administrator Zhu Xian. Because he couldn't be reached yesterday, they had relayed the message through the Disposal Bureau. After some thought, he had the car turn toward the Municipal Administration in the southern part of the city. Around noon, at twelve o'clock, he arrived at the Municipal Administration. When he got out of the car, Zhu Xian's secretary came over in person to welcome him and explained, "People from Center City have come looking for you, Supervisor, carrying a credential letter from a certain councilor. As for the specifics, it's not our place to ask too much." Chen Chuan caught his implication: the visitors had powerful backing, so Civil Administrator Zhu had no choice but to do his best to cooperate. *People from Center City...* *Who would be looking for him at a time like this?* He followed the secretary into a spacious reception room. Civil Administrator Zhu was conversing with three people dressed in imported formal attire, and the atmosphere appeared quite harmonious. Seeing him enter, Zhu smiled and stood up. "Supervisor Chen is here." Turning to Chen Chuan, he said, "Supervisor Chen, these three gentlemen have something quite important to discuss with you. I still have official business to attend to, so I won't disturb you further. Please, talk among yourselves." With that, he smiled, excused himself to the others, and departed. Once he had left, one of the three stood up and extended a hand. "Greetings, Supervisor Chen. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ji Xinmin, an officer of the Refinement School, and these two are my colleagues in the school." The two behind him both nodded toward him. Chen Chuan's heart stirred slightly as he shook hands. "The Refinement School?" He could tell that all three of them were third-limit fighters. Especially this Ji Xinmin before him—he had clearly cultivated mental strength, and his prowess was not to be underestimated. Ji Xinmin smiled and said, "Yes, the Refinement School. Ah, I wonder if Supervisor Chen has heard of us?" Chen Chuan said, "No, though I have encountered several martial schools in the past." "Then it seems Supervisor Chen does not know much about us." Ji Xinmin released his grip and smiled. "Why don't we sit down and talk at leisure?" Chen Chuan nodded and took a seat to the side. Ji Xinmin returned to his seat as well. Maintaining a courteous smile, he said: "Supervisor Chen, while our Refinement School is indeed a martial arts school, it is quite unlike those common civilian schools you might be familiar with. To join us, one must at least be an elite serving in a managerial capacity in government departments or major corporations, just like you, Supervisor Chen." He added meaningfully, "The primary condition for entering our school is holding a certain post and status. Furthermore, our Refinement School spans every corner of Great Shun; every Center City, and even the Capital, has our members." Pausing briefly, he continued, "We have learned of some of your past deeds, Supervisor Chen, as well as the achievements you have made. A high-ranking figure in our school holds you in high regard. After some discussion, it was decided that you are qualified to join us, which is why we were dispatched specifically to meet with you." One of the men behind him spoke up at this point: "In truth, there was some debate above regarding whether to admit you, Supervisor Chen. Because our Refinement School has always held strict standards for every new member, we were sent here first to conduct an evaluation of you before making a final determination." The other person added, "To take the Jibei Circuit Center City as an example, over the past three years, only a single person has joined us. We are not at liberty to disclose their name or position, but their merits established in the Confluence were not only every bit as great as yours, Supervisor Chen, but also solid and completely unpadded." Ji Xinmin waited for the two to finish before smiling and saying, "Opportunities like this are rare, Supervisor Chen. Your past achievements are prominent, and your record is sparkling. But you need to understand that the world has its own way of operating. Often, things written on paper are of no use; they cannot be converted into tangible benefits. "Yet our Refinement School possesses the ability to turn them into reality." At this point, he stopped speaking again and looked at Chen Chuan with a smile, allowing him time to reflect. He believed that through the information Chen Chuan gathered when entering and his introduction just now, Chen Chuan would surely grasp the weight behind his words. Chen Chuan now felt a distinct sense of déjà vu, as if he had encountered the Mutual Aid Society of the past. Although these people spoke politely and claimed they were offering him help, there was an unmistakable arrogance—a sense that they were bestowing an opportunity upon him. That patronizing air of charity almost spilled over. He raised his head and said, "I think I understand." Ji Xinmin smiled. "So, does Supervisor Chen have any interest in joining our school? Ah, to clarify, this is merely an inquiry. Joining us still requires a certain degree of evaluation." Chen Chuan replied to the three calmly, "If that is the sole reason you three came today, then I apologize, but I can give you a clear answer: I have not the slightest interest in joining your esteemed school." Hearing his refusal, Ji Xinmin was taken aback, yet he showed no displeasure. Instead, he smiled. "Mr. Chen, you may not know enough about our Refinement School yet. We fully understand. Our visit today was rather sudden. It does not matter..." He produced a calling card and placed it on the table. "Supervisor Chen, if you ever need our help in the future, please do not hesitate to speak up. We will find a way to assist you. You seem to have other business to attend to, Supervisor Chen, so we will not impose any further. We shall take our leave." He stood up and shook hands with Chen Chuan cordially. It appeared that despite being rejected to his face, there was no unpleasantness between them. Only after the three emerged outside did the smile on Ji Xinmin's face fade away. One of the men behind him wore an unsurprised look and sneered, "I told you earlier: he reached the position of Investigation Supervisor before even turning twenty, right when his pride and ambition are riding high. A young man like him will never realize how difficult the road ahead is until he tastes failure." Ji Xinmin said dismissively, "Yet someone above holds him in high regard, so we had to make this trip first, if only to give an account." "What do we do next?" Ji Xinmin said, "Since the higher-ups gave us this task, we naturally must complete it. But there is no need to rush. We'll make some arrangements once we're back, and he'll understand." It was not as if they had never encountered people unwilling to join them before. When dealing with such individuals, they had plenty of experience. They would leverage the Refinement School's vast network of connections to exert pressure from every direction. For example, the simplest method was maneuvering to transfer the target out of Jibei Circuit to another Center City. This stripped them away from their original connections. Afterward, they would assign them to an obscure, dead-end post, denying them any opportunities and withholding all cultivation resources. Most people would cave after enduring this for a while or facing a few calculated moves. Even if a few stubborn individuals held out, as time passed, they would simply fade into mediocrity, and there would be no further need to pay them any attention. Of course, if the person was a true talent, other schools might try to recruit them in the meantime. But that was precisely why they had come today. To avoid vicious competition, there was an unwritten agreement among schools: once someone was claimed by a particular school, other schools would not step in. And their background check had shown that Chen Chuan had no prior school background, nor had he ever joined any school. They could easily use their school's colossal network to manipulate and corner him. At this moment, one of them glanced around and said with disgust, "Let's get out of here quickly. I don't want to stay here for another second." Compared to Center City, Yangzhi City was backward in nearly every way, and the fact that Yangzhi City still preserved a large number of buildings from the Great Expansion period only deepened that impression. His words clearly found agreement with the other two. The three quickened their pace and soon departed. After the three left, Chen Chuan didn't spare a glance at the calling card left on the table, and walked out of the conference room. As soon as he stepped into the corridor, he saw Zhu Xian's secretary waiting there. Seeing him emerge, the secretary bowed politely and said, "Supervisor Chen, the Administrator requests your presence."