At noon on June 25, at the Douyi Hotel.
Chen Chuan had arranged a meal here with a gathering of old acquaintances and classmates. Wei Chang'an and his team, Feng Xiaoqi, Luo Kaiyuan, Senior Brother Ren, Lin Xiaodi, and the others had all arrived.
Though he hadn't seen them for quite a while, they had kept in touch over the phone, and after a few words of catching up, the atmosphere quickly grew lively. Before long, dishes were brought out one after another.
Feng Xiaoqi picked up his chopsticks and said to Luo Kaiyuan beside him, "Doesn't it feel like something's missing without Senior Wu and Wei Dong around this time?"
Luo Kaiyuan agreed. Whenever those two were around in the past, eating always felt exceptionally satisfying. An eager glint showed in his eyes. "Wei Dong has been studying at Wuyi for so long now; I wonder how much stronger he's gotten compared to before."
Feng Xiaoqi muttered softly, "Probably left us in the dust..."
The three of them had been roughly on par with each other in the past, but Wei Dong excelled in external conditioning and could always hold out to the very end. His potential had indeed been higher, which was why he managed to stand out and ultimately test into Center City Wuyi.
And once in Center City, with access to greater resources, his growth was bound to be rapid.
Luo Kaiyuan took on a very serious expression. "Xiaoqi, once we get to Center City, we have to catch up quickly."
Feng Xiaoqi nodded repeatedly.
If there had been no hope of climbing higher, that would be one thing. But among their class, aside from Chen Chuan, they were the most outstanding students. The academy instructors all believed they had the potential to reach higher limits, and they themselves had never given up, training relentlessly.
Yet for them as they were now, Yangzhi could offer too little. In a peripheral city, rarely could anyone break through to the third limit purely on their own; only by reaching Center City could they find the path forward.
Across from them, Wei Chang'an was chatting with Chen Chuan.
"Last time you advised us not to head to Center City just yet, Junior Brother, so we held off. It actually gave us time to settle all our remaining loose ends. How are things there now?"
Chen Chuan said, "It was resolved a few days ago."
Cai Si chimed in from the side, "Junior Brother, what on earth happened? Could even Center City not handle it?"
The others looked over as well, equally curious about the matter.
Those who had never been to Center City always viewed it through a rose-tinted lens. Even though they had heard Chen Chuan describe many things about it, they truly couldn't fathom what kind of incident could affect the entire Center City.
Chen Chuan said, "According to the official account, the Linakes Federation conducted illicit biological experiments at sea in the past, causing massive bio-swarms to surge into Center City. Some mercenary groups took advantage of the chaos to stir up trouble, also suspected of being incited from behind by the Linakes Federation, forcing the entire city into several days of martial law.
"Center City was also rigorously screening outsiders during that time. Anyone suspicious would be detained immediately under temporary regulations, so going there then wasn't a good choice."
Understanding dawned on everyone, though they exchanged glances right after. Chen Chuan's phrasing—"according to the official account"—clearly implied there was more beneath the surface. Yet they also understood that whether Chen Chuan knew the details or not, such matters weren't suitable to pry into.
Cai Si asked, "So it's fine now?"
Chen Chuan said, "Things are back to normal now. There's nothing in the way of going to Center City."
"Great!" Wei Chang'an slapped the table and boomed, "Then we'll get ready and set off for Center City in a few days!"
Chen Chuan nodded gently. Everyone seated here was a seed of promise; only by entering Center City would they find the fertile soil to grow. As that other world drew closer and closer to this one, every force worth nurturing was precious.
Gao Ming had suggested that he support those coming from Yangzhi as much as possible, and he agreed with that. However, he would soon be setting off for the Outer Ocean, so specific arrangements would have to wait until his return.
After the meal, he finalized ways to keep in touch with everyone going forward, parted ways with them, and returned home.
Once in his room, he took out a map of the Outer Ocean brought from Center City and began studying it.
According to the information Mr. Zhuan had passed to him, the fissure was located at a place called Feiguang Island. By normal sailing schedules, it would take roughly seven to ten days to get there.
It was now late June, so setting aside some extra time spent in transit, he would have a month to cultivate.
Airships were faster nowadays, but they were heavily affected by weather and air currents. Moreover, after checking, he found there was no fixed flight route there, requiring a transfer halfway through. Thus, he ultimately decided to travel there by ferry.
Two days ago, he had already instructed his orderly to book the ticket. The departure date was set for the twenty-eighth, three days from now.
Originally, when his younger aunt heard he had three months of leave, she mentioned that if he had time, he should visit his eldest aunt.
Because his eldest aunt's family lived far away and the entire household served in the military, traveling back and forth was very inconvenient. In the past, they could only send gifts during holidays, and looking at things now, he could only find an opportunity another time when he was free.
Beyond cultivating at the fissure, he had plenty of other things to do.
To break through to a higher boundary, beyond the hard requirements of spirit and flesh, his own jin techniques also needed to keep pace.
He needed to make full use of this period to deeply study his jin and forge his own unique Mind Jin.
Because this required combining spiritual power, it wasn't something outsiders could teach; one could only achieve it through one's own tempering.
Having rested for some time now, the next two months would be a period of self-cultivation.
Three days later, he took Chaoming along, bade farewell to his aunt's family, and boarded his dedicated vehicle. After a drive of more than ten hours, he arrived once again at Yuanwang Port.
Since this voyage was primarily for personal cultivation and publicly framed as traveling for vacation, he didn't intend to bring the escort personnel from the car with him. Upon reaching the port, he dismissed them to return to the Disposal Bureau and await orders.
It was precisely nine in the morning. Under the bright sunlight, with Chaoming by his side, he carried a suitcase containing his personal belongings and walked toward the boarding gangway.
He had booked a first-class cabin this time, granting him priority boarding privileges.
After he showed his ticket, the security personnel stepped aside at once. Ship staff helped unhook the barrier rope, and a dedicated attendant came forward to carry his suitcase and guide him to his cabin.
Nowadays, most cruise liner operations on the Outer Ocean were under Canglong Company and Ocean Exploration Group. However, due to restrictions imposed by the Great Shun government, other cruise lines still had room to survive, and the ticket he booked this time intentionally avoided those two companies.
His identity was rather sensitive, and those two companies would surely take notice immediately, which would make his movements inconvenient.
Once inside his suite, he looked around quite satisfied. It had a private living area complete with a sitting room, dining area, and kitchenette. Outside was a private observation deck with dedicated service staff, along with a training room exclusively for his own use.
The ship also had a public training hall that was much larger, occupying nearly an entire deck, where betting matches on shipboard fighting bouts were held at night, but he had zero interest in that.
After unpacking, he changed his clothes and headed first into the training room for his daily practice. At noon, he went to the restaurant for a meal, then returned to continue.
When evening arrived, the cruise ship finally departed, slicing through deep blue waves beneath the glow of the sunset clouds and heading out toward the Outer Ocean.
Over the next several days, apart from daily training and contemplating Mind Jin, Chen Chuan completely relaxed. In his leisure time, he admired the sea scenery, savored fine food, and watched the ship's various entertainment programs.
Eight days later, the cruise ship arrived at the port of Luowang Island.
Luowang Island was a renowned resort island. The locals worshipped a goddess named Ahena, who was said to have created the life in the surrounding waters and kept sea monsters attempting to breach the surface suppressed day and night.
The locals held grand sacrificial rituals every month, though with the rise of tourism, these had now largely turned into song and dance performances.
Feiguang Island, where Chen Chuan was headed, was not too far away, but there was no direct route, requiring him to look for a ferry to take him there.
After disembarking, he inquired around and learned that traveling there would take about half a day. Because it was a volcanic island with few residents and frequent earthquakes in recent years, very few people ever went there. Only the islanders came over once every half a month to purchase supplies. The person he asked told him he might be able to head over when the islanders made their next visit.
However, only three days had passed since their last supply run, so if he had to wait, it might take around ten days—far too long.
He thought it over. There were bound to be people here who could take him, but unfamiliar with the place and people, he went straight to the port town's constable, paid him a sum of money, and asked him to find someone on the island to take him across.
Having received the money, the constable patted his chest and gave his word, saying he could have it arranged within three days.
With that being the case, Chen Chuan simply found an inn to stay at in the meantime.
As a tourist island, Luowang Island was quite beautiful. It was now July, and gorgeous hibiscus flowers bloomed everywhere across the island. Tourists dotted the white sandy beaches, while white sails speckled the azure waters.
The island also boasted distinct, flavorful cuisine, such as raw fish marinated in coconut milk and lime juice, charcoal-grilled prawns and pork, and fresh tropical fruit. He sampled everything he could, and picked up some local handicrafts along the way, intending to keep a few as souvenirs and bring the rest back as gifts.
He hadn't brought much on this trip: aside from the Xuejun Saber and a change of clothes, he had only brought a few gold drafts from the Wansheng Financial Group. Even on this island, there was a Wansheng Financial Group redemption point, so he didn't need to worry about expenses.
After two days of waiting, word came from the constable saying he had found a suitable person to take him to Feiguang Island.
Chapter 621