Turbulence

Gales swept across the cliff in steady gusts. Occasionally, sea birds beat their wings overhead, while the waves churned below in an endless, surging roar. Talu's voice rang clear atop the cliff. Recounting the history of her martial arts gym—even the part about its decline—her expression remained high-spirited, as if none of it weighed on her mind. "Actually, long before the duel, our Danliu School's fissure had already been lost for decades. Certain esoteric arts unique to our style can only be mastered within the fissure, so that predecessor's objective in the duel was to defeat the Blade Master of Anyao Arena, seize their gym, and merge the two schools into one. "His motives were far from pure. "Afterward, when Anyao Arena learned that our fissure had vanished, they made no further moves. Perhaps in their eyes, it was simply no longer worth the trouble. "In recent years, however, things have changed. With the anomalies surfacing inside the fissure, disciples from Anyao Arena have been spotted nearby. Uncle Gan believes they might be planning something." Talu spoke with utter frankness. "I dedicate myself solely to training martial arts, so I don't really understand these matters. But I trust Uncle Gan. When he was young, he studied abroad and served as an assistant to a state affairs advisor. His insights have always been sharp. "He told me Anyao Arena likely had designs the moment they noticed the signs, but they held back earlier because Ferris Wheel Company was still around. Even if they had moved, the spoils might have been snatched away under pressure from Ferris Wheel Company through the influence of Fenglin Arena and Langtao Arena. "Neither of those two would ever want to see Anyao Arena grow stronger and upset the balance of power, so Anyao might have ended up with nothing in the end. "Right now, however, there is an open window. Ferris Wheel Company has just collapsed. Great Shun's Ocean Exploration Group and Canglong Company are currently expelling the Linakes Federation's forces, seizing the assets left behind by Ferris Wheel Company, and tightening their grip over the island nations. They will be watching the Blade Masters of the three great arenas closely to keep them from acting rashly. "Yet for Anyao Arena, this is an opportunity. The forces capable of restraining them are tied down, and their head disciple of this generation, Hiroshi Nokane, possesses exceptional strength. Uncle Gan says he is very likely to seize this chance to probe our true situation. If he discovers anything, he won't hesitate to strike." She looked toward Chen Chuan and said solemnly, "I'm telling you this, Mr. Chen, so you know that entering the fissure to cultivate might bring you trouble as well. I have to make this clear to you." Chen Chuan nodded. "Thank you for letting me know, Talu." In truth, when Mr. Zhuan had sent him here, he had mentioned that the situation surrounding this fissure was complicated and might not last long. That made sense. No matter who ultimately gained control of this region, they would not allow the fissure to remain in the Danliu School's hands. As for the Purist Faction stationing a martial artist here to guard it, that was not strictly compliant with the rules. The various nations and corporations tacitly tolerated fissures that had been passed down uninterrupted from the old era, but they would not permit outsiders to step in and occupy them. Otherwise, anyone could do the same. He glanced down at the surging waves beneath his feet and said to Talu, "Since I've come here to cultivate, warding off external interference is also part of my training. Not to mention, we are both members of the Purist Faction. If anything happens, I will face it by your side." Talu broke into a bright, hearty smile. "Thank you, comrade!" She pointed downward. "The fissure lies deep under the sea, around four hundred meters down. Even a third limit fighter wouldn't be able to find it without knowing its exact location. "However, cultivating might cause larger disturbances on your part, Mr. Chen, so you can familiarize yourself with the environment first. Once you begin training, it's best to enter at nightfall each day and emerge before dawn." Chen Chuan nodded. He had seen the reality clearly since arriving. Although the Danliu School had ostensibly dedicated the fissure to the Purist Faction, they still handled most of the day-to-day management themselves. This was likely because their secret techniques required the fissure to be mastered. In other words, the Danliu School remained more than half the master of this place, so their counsel naturally had to be respected. Having explained everything, Talu said, "Mr. Chen, follow me." With that, she took several strides forward and leapt off the cliff. Plummeting like a white streak, she cleared a distance of at least sixty or seventy meters before entering the seawater below with a soft splash. Chen Chuan glanced down, sprang forward as well, stretched out his body in midair, adjusted his posture, and dove headfirst into the sea. With a muffled thud, he sliced into the water. Using the momentum of his descent to dive deeper, he soon caught sight of Talu's figure ahead and drew up beside her. Having previously undergone underwater training under He Xiaoxing, he switched naturally to skin breathing the moment he entered the deep. At first, Talu looked back at him frequently, but as they descended and she saw not the slightest discomfort from him—in fact, he appeared thoroughly at home in the water—she was completely reassured. Anyone capable of joining the Purist Faction was no ordinary fighter. The few comrades she had hosted before had all been remarkably formidable, so she considered Chen Chuan's performance only natural. Just as Chen Chuan and Talu plunged into the sea, a fishing boat pulled up beside a small reef islet near Feiguang Island, and several men with the features of the First People came ashore. Though dressed similarly to the local indigenous residents, their physiques were excessively burly and fierce, carrying an indelible stench of blood. This squad was none other than the Turbulence Action Squad from the Linakes Federation. Back when Ferris Wheel Company still stood, the outer ocean islands teemed with mercenary groups and special squads dispatched by the Linakes Federation. They were tasked with sabotaging Canglong Company's and Ocean Exploration Group's ports and infrastructure, as well as assassinating corporate executives and key personnel. Shielded by Ferris Wheel Company, they had often wreaked tremendous havoc. But with the company's collapse, they suddenly found their operating environment turning hostile. Canglong Company and Ocean Exploration Group had begun freeing up resources to root them out, while the informants and gangs that once assisted them had turned against them. Almost overnight, the tables had turned. This had forced them to withdraw from the major cities and take refuge on remote islands. One of the men pulled out a map, glanced toward Feiguang Island ahead, and asked, "Is this the place?" Another took a look. "Yeah, that's it. This is the island I came to scout with the expedition team last time." The Linakes Federation had sent expedition teams and technical personnel across the outer ocean islands, establishing biological research facilities of varying sizes. Last year, they had discovered that the waters around Luowang Island—especially near Feiguang Island—harbored species vastly different from those elsewhere. Ever since antiquity, legends of sea monsters had abounded, and unexplained tremors shook the seabed from time to time. Most importantly, this place had once been the heritage site of a martial arts gym. With these factors combined, they suspected a fissure lay beneath the waves. A fissure held tremendous value, let alone one likely passed down as a stable fissure from the old era. Yet due to various complications, the search plan had remained purely on paper. Once they lost Ferris Wheel Company as their pillar of support, bringing it to fruition had become utterly impossible. However, when the Turbulence Squad caught wind of this information, they treated it as an invaluable treasure. The benefits a fissure offered a fighter went without saying. Moreover, within a fissure explored across generations, the entities on the other side were very likely already accustomed to coexisting with humans. If they could seize it, it would raise everyone's strength by an entire tier at the very least. Captain Utiko turned to face his squad and said, "Right now, Canglong Company and Ocean Exploration Group are hunting us down, yet the higher-ups ordered us to stay behind and carry out harassment and sabotage missions in the rear..." He let out a cold sneer. "From that moment on, we were abandoned. From here on out, we look out for ourselves." Every member showed expressions of agreement. As First People, they had never truly been trusted. Promotions were slow, and they were perpetually treated as cannon fodder. They had to carve out a way forward for themselves. This potential fissure presented an opportunity. If they could locate it, occupy the area, and gather other First People squads scattered elsewhere, it would be enough to build an independent force. Utiko continued, "I've already investigated thoroughly. There is a martial arts gym on the island called the Danliu School, though it declined long ago. The head is a third limit fighter who likely knows the true location of the fissure. All we have to do is capture her alive and pry the location from her mouth!" His expression turned ferocious as he painted a grand vision for them all. "If we take control of this place, once I become a martial artist, we can negotiate with any faction and force them to recognize our existence!" The squad members grew excited. This was by no means an impossible dream. Utiko was exceptionally strong; though in his forties, he possessed the greatest potential among their generation to become a martial artist. All he lacked was resources. Someone asked, "Captain, when do we strike?" "Yeah, when do we make our move?" Utiko said, "No rush. Every year in mid-to-late July, heavy gales batter this region for about ten days straight. When that happens, all communication and travel around the island will be cut off. Striking then will mask our tracks perfectly. "Until then, we conduct thorough reconnaissance and make all necessary preparations." One member looked puzzled. "Captain, she's only a third limit fighter. With you leading us and the rest of us backing you up, does she really warrant this much caution?" Utiko replied gravely, "A martial arts school that has endured for so many years will inevitably have deep entanglements. There are many residents on the island, far more than we can control. If even a single one slips through our fingers and word leaks out, it will bring us endless trouble. We only have one shot at this. "We need to hire a few people first to pose as tourists and scout out the island's situation before we finalize our plan of action."