Around three in the afternoon, Talu returned from Luowang Island.
Seeing her return safe and sound, unaccompanied, and not appearing to have been reprimanded in the slightest, Uncle Gan let out a massive sigh of relief.
Chen Chuan felt this was completely expected.
The Danliu School usually kept to its secluded corner and posed virtually no threat. Neither Canglong nor the Ocean Exploration Group would resort to heavy-handed measures against it right off the bat, nor was there any need to.
Winning over a third limit fighter would turn her into an asset, whereas choosing confrontation would only drive up their own costs. Moreover, if word got out, other fighting schools would fear for their own survival, creating a mess far harder to clean up.
Once Talu returned to the shack and drank the water offered by a disciple, Uncle Gan inquired about the situation with great concern.
Wiping her mouth, Talu replied, "They only asked me to re-register the school. They also want strict caps on our numbers, and if a third limit fighter emerges, we must report it immediately. On top of that, they require us to train a cohort of students for them each year. Aside from paying the necessary tuition, they'll provide us with subsidies and support."
Uncle Gan considered this. Training students for outsiders wasn't necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it offered a chance to earn some money.
They didn't hoard the Danliu School's secret arts like priceless treasures, but he worried that over time, those corporations would exert ever greater influence over the school until they couldn't even make their own decisions.
Talu added, "They said this isn't just for our Danliu School. They're going to do the same to all the other fighting schools, including the Three Great Arenas."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Uncle Gan actually felt it was good news.
If everyone was subject to restrictions, the Three Great Arenas would certainly face far tighter controls than they did. Especially the Anyao Arena—it would be much harder for them to pull any stunts in the future.
Chen Chuan's thoughts stirred. If this rule was implemented across the board, the Three Great Arenas would undoubtedly be hit the hardest.
And that was inevitable, as the Three Great Arenas were all entangled with the Ferris Wheel Company to varying degrees.
Fenglin Arena in particular had maintained the closest ties with Ferris Wheel over the years, receiving substantial resources and amassing the largest roster of disciples among the three.
Now that Ferris Wheel was gone, the Three Great Arenas were bound to face relentless targeting and suppression from the two incoming corporations.
Talu continued, "They also said they plan to build a power plant on the island and provide technicians and experts. They offered to help us pave roads, open schools, set up windbreaks, provide agricultural techniques, and so on. In any case, it's quite a lot of things. None of it is entirely free, though—they said they could offer low-interest and interest-free loans. I couldn't make heads or tails of it, so I brought all the paperwork back."
She gave a nod, and a disciple accompanying her promptly pulled a thick stack of documents from a satchel.
Uncle Gan took them solemnly. Flipping through them briefly, he sighed and said, "We might not need these, but the villagers down below certainly do."
He thought for a moment, putting the documents away for now to review at leisure later. Then he asked with concern, "Talu, did they... try to ask about the fissure?"
He worried that all of this was mere pretense, with their true objective being the fissure. Anomalies in the surrounding waters were glaringly obvious; once the Ocean Exploration Group arrived, even a superficial investigation would reveal the local conditions.
This was a fissure, after all. There was no way such massive corporations would simply let it sit untouched.
Talu shook her head. "No."
Uncle Gan breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Still, now that Talu has obtained the secret arts within the fissure, once Mr. Chen finishes his current use, we should avoid opening it unless absolutely necessary. That way, they won't be able to find it."
Chen Chuan made no comment on this. Strictly speaking, the fissure now belonged to the Purist Faction. Whatever was to be done with it, the faction would surely have its own arrangements.
Seeing that Talu had returned unscathed, he exchanged a few words of greeting with the two of them before heading to the lotus pedestal to meditate.
The days that followed passed in tranquil calm, undisturbed by anyone. In the blink of an eye, August 20th arrived.
Chen Chuan withdrew from his cultivation, checked his wristwatch, and rose to his feet. Before him, the sprawling branches slowly folded inward, and the light sealed shut.
Today was the final day of his planned training, and he intended to begin his return journey today.
He probed his own spiritual power. After such an extended period of devoted cultivation, his spirit was significantly elevated compared to before, marking immense progress.
However, he still fell short of complete culmination—a physical foundation as formidable as his naturally afforded an even higher ceiling for his spirit.
While this was a boon, it likewise meant he would need to invest even more resources and time into his cultivation.
Thus, after returning, he would need to seek other methods to foster further growth.
A fissure, was it...?
Pondering this, he already had a few ideas brewing.
Still, that was for later; for now, it was time to depart.
Taking up the Xuejun Saber and picking up his waterproof bag, he stepped out of the fissure and swam upward through the luminescent seawater.
Once back on the cliff ledge, he made a gesture. Chaoming let out a crisp cry from the sky and swooped down beside him.
After packing his things, he found Talu and Uncle Gan. "The two of you, it's time for me to go."
Since he had mentioned this a couple of days prior, both were well prepared.
Uncle Gan smiled warmly. "Mr. Chen, you've helped our Danliu School so much this time. Talu and I talked it over and wanted to give you a few gifts to express our gratitude. There isn't much of real value on the island, but we do have some local specialties."
He brought out a sealed tin jar, patted it, and said, "Back when Master Hongfa made his journey across the eastern sea, he carried nothing but a volume of scriptures and a single bamboo staff. The bamboo staff was later planted on this island, and from it sprouted a bamboo grove. Every year, it bears bamboo fruit known as 'Kaiwu fruit.' This bamboo fruit carries a chance of enhancing one's potential, and anyone can consume it regardless of age. However, while it works for some, it has no effect on others. If you feel nothing the first time you take it, repeated consumption won't do anything either. This jar contains all that ripened this year, and we'd like to give it to you, Mr. Chen."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan recognized that this was indeed a rare treasure. He nodded. "All right, then I shall gladly accept it."
With a smile, Uncle Gan took a set of clothing from a nearby disciple.
"This training suit was woven using traditional methods from the silk of sea cotton worms gathered from the ocean. Every generation of our school's masters and forebears wore clothes like this. It offers great protection and breathability. While it can't compare to modern garments woven from biomaterials, it's far more comfortable to wear. Please keep it as a memento, Mr. Chen."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Thank you."
"And this..."
Uncle Gan brought out an elongated cloth bundle and unwrapped it before him. Inside lay a long bone with ridged, prickly spurs lining its edges, resembling some creature's spine.
"An elder of our school once slew a colossal sea monster that had emerged from the fissure. When its belly was cut open, they discovered this object. We spent a long time trying to understand its purpose. Eventually, we realized that anyone who has cultivated spiritual power can use it to battle that sea monster within their dreams and gain combat experience from the ordeal. Supposedly, according to the corporations, objects like this are called 'relics'..."
"A relic..."
Chen Chuan's heart stirred slightly. He was well aware of relics—both the corporations and the government went to great lengths to collect them, and much of corporate technological development was allegedly tied to such artifacts. He hadn't expected the Danliu School to gift him one.
If sold to the government or a corporation, it would command a staggering price.
He said, "Sir, Talu, this gift is far too precious."
Uncle Gan said earnestly, "Mr. Chen, we know its worth, but we never had any intention of selling it. To us, it has always been a commemorative keepsake and a training aid. And since you helped us recover those secret arts, Mr. Chen, this item is no longer of much use to us."
Talu added, "Indeed. Both Master and I used it a few times, but gained very little from it. Keeping it here serves no purpose. Mr. Chen, we truly have little else to show our gratitude, so please accept it."
Chen Chuan considered it briefly before nodding. "Thank you both. If this island ever faces any trouble or difficulties in the future, please don't hesitate to let me know."
Talu beamed. "That's a promise, comrade!"
Chen Chuan nodded.
After bidding farewell to the two of them, he descended the mountain. As he walked down, students he had coached repeatedly came up to offer him various items from their homes.
When he arrived, he had carried only a simple suitcase; when leaving, he held a bundle stuffed to the brim.
At the pier, he posed for a group photo with everyone, then boarded the ferry under their watchful farewells.
When he had arrived, it was by sailboat, but now he boarded a small motor ferry—a vessel gifted to them by the Ocean Exploration Group to facilitate transit between the islands.
The boat had been free of charge, though they had to purchase the algae oil themselves. Fortunately, the Danliu School had its own land and plantations, so they could easily afford that much.
Once the vessel left the shore, Chen Chuan stood in the open cabin and looked back at Talu, Uncle Gan, and the disciples gathered on the dock. They waved goodbye unceasingly; a few shorter kids, worried he wouldn't spot them, hopped up and down where they stood.
He couldn't help but smile, raising a hand to wave back at them.
Chaoming circled overhead several times, swooping especially near the youths and children, before finally catching up to the ferry.
Only when Feiguang Island gradually dwindled in the distance did Chen Chuan sit down.
The ferry sped swiftly on its return journey. The trip out had taken him an entire morning, but now, in less than two hours, Luowang Island was already in sight.
As they passed the stretch of sea where a fifty-thousand reward had been offered to salvage a ring, he noticed that not a single boat remained.
He asked the ferry crew and learned that the Ocean Exploration Group had dispersed those boats a few days ago, revealing that the couple who supposedly dropped the ring were con artists; the ring wasn't worth anything and the supposed reward was completely fake, so no one came searching anymore.
He thought to himself that while the ring might have been fake, the underlying motive of searching for something was certainly real. In the span of a single thought, the pier of Luowang Island emerged ahead.
Chapter 637