Rectifying Mutations

A chime came from the boundary credential. Chen Chuan was surprised to see that two more students had already purchased his course. That fast? Had it even been three minutes? Still, he knew that some well-off students simply bought courses from every available instructor, intending to screen for the one best suited to them. One couldn't call it useless. Even if an instructor was highly skilled, it didn't necessarily mean they could help every student improve; only by finding the path that truly fit oneself could one achieve the best results. He checked the names of the students who had purchased his lessons and found, to his surprise, that they were two familiar faces. What was more, both of them were free right now. In that case... He tapped his boundary credential. "Hongfu, I need a training room, thirty minutes from now." Before long, Hongfu's voice sounded: "Supervisor Chen, the students have received the notification and confirmed. The room assigned to you is Training Ground 4 on the 82nd floor. The session will begin at nine-thirty." Chen Chuan said, "Understood, Hongfu. Thank you." There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Hongfu's tone softened, shifting from its usual flat cadence to something slightly more human. "You are welcome." Chen Chuan returned to his dormitory, put his newly delivered instructor credentials and uniform in order, and then headed out. Taking the elevator, he arrived ahead of time at the spacious, brightly lit training ground. For some reason, Teacher Xue suddenly crossed his mind. Perhaps it was because Teacher Xue's teaching ability had been exceptionally outstanding. Yes, that had to be it. He first looked through the files for Fan and Kong, then reviewed their past recordings and potential evaluation tests. Before long, he had a clear picture in mind. In less than twenty minutes, Fan Cheng and Kong Yao walked in from outside. They saw Chen Chuan standing with his back to them before the expansive, wide-paneled window of the training hall. For reasons they couldn't explain, the sight of that tall, upright back caused a sudden wave of tension to rise in their chests. There was none of the awkwardness or misplaced familiarity they had worried about beforehand; instead, they naturally fell into the mindset of students. Chen Chuan turned around. "Student Fan, Student Kong. Hello." "Hello, Teacher Chen," the two of them hurried to bow. Chen Chuan said, "I've reviewed your records. Over the past semester, you've sought out no fewer than twelve instructors and trained under seven of them. Each time, you made slight progress, only to quickly stall out. That's why you're looking for a way to break through, isn't it?" "Yes, that's right," Fan Cheng said. "We've been trying to find an instructor who suits us, but we've never managed to find one, so..." Gathering his resolve, he added, "So we wanted to try our luck with you, Teacher Chen." Chen Chuan nodded. "Show me what you've learned." Fan Cheng and Kong Yao exchanged a glance. Nearly every instructor had asked them to do the exact same thing, so they were already well practiced. The two stepped apart to face each other and immediately began a set of sparring exchanges. Chen Chuan's spirit and field expanded at once, enveloping both of them in an instant. Every movement, every breath, and every subtle shift of their mutated tissue was observed by him with absolute clarity. A field could reveal a person's internal condition almost completely, while spiritual power allowed him to clearly sense their present mood and mental state. Under such abilities, their circumstances were virtually transparent to him. In this moment, his grasp of their physical conditions was even deeper than their own. Of course, this applied only to fighters below his limit. Against fighters at the same level who knew even a little about field techniques, their internal details would remain sealed off, making specific information exceedingly difficult to detect. He watched for a short while, then said, "All right, that's enough. Stop." Hearing him, the two halted, both feeling somewhat uneasy. Chen Chuan said, "I have a rough idea of where the crux lies. Your problem isn't a lack of talent—rather, it's that your talent is actually quite good." Fan Cheng and Kong Yao both started. Good talent? Ever since entering the academy, they had struggled every step of the way, repeatedly doubting themselves. They had never heard an instructor praise their talent before. Chen Chuan said, "Your talent lies in the high adaptability of your mutated tissue. You can pick up practically any technique immediately. Because of that, your initial progress is often faster than others. But delving deep into a technique requires sufficient patience and painstaking refinement." Fan Cheng scratched his head, speaking in distress, "We tried to stick with it, but our progress was just too slow. Not only was it nothing like the beginning, but the more we practiced, the further behind we fell." "That's right," Kong Yao added. "Instead, whenever we picked a new course to study, we made rapid progress, and it even complemented what we had learned before." Chen Chuan said, "That's because your mutated tissue covers a wide area, but it's broad rather than strong—dispersed and thin. Consequently, when dealing with elementary techniques, you adapt very well. But when it comes to digging deep into a single point, especially through dedicated refinement, you only mobilize a fraction of your mutated tissue, effectively abandoning the rest. "Others, meanwhile, can train the mutated tissue across their entire bodies toward a single direction. Compared to that, how could you possibly outperform them? The more you train, the further you fall behind. "Conversely, by learning a wide variety of different techniques, you mobilize the mutated tissue throughout your whole body, which serves as an indirect stimulus for its growth. That's why you managed to keep progressing. However, if this issue isn't corrected early on by subjecting your mutated tissue to unified, holistic conditioning, then once your growth phase passes, you will have almost no chance of correcting it on your own." Fan Cheng and Kong Yao stood frozen. It was the first time anyone had ever evaluated them like this. Thinking back on their past experiences, it made tremendous sense, and the more they thought about it, the more convinced they became. Kong Yao said with a hint of grievance, "But no instructor ever told us this before." Fan Cheng nodded repeatedly. Before Chen Chuan, no instructor had ever laid it out so clearly. Chen Chuan thought to himself that it wasn't necessarily that other instructors failed to see the issue. Fan Cheng and Kong Yao had undergone potential assessments and physical examinations, after all; the instructors must have seen the reports. It was simply that they likely couldn't solve it. Most instructors specialized in only a single type of jin. In such circumstances, beyond teaching what they themselves practiced, they had few options, though even that offered a bit of utility. Moreover, many instructors only cared that their students met the passing criteria; as long as there were visible results in the short term, how far a student could ultimately go wasn't their concern. Thus, he didn't answer her complaint directly, instead saying, "In this situation, what you need is holistic correction and integrated training of your mutated tissue, rather than rushing to practice any specific jin or techniques. "However, this will take time—at least one to two months. I can help you, but if you agree, you will need to practice solely according to the method I teach during this period and drop all your other courses. "If you can do that, you may stay. If not, I will spend these two sessions giving you some useful pointers on technique." Fan Cheng and Kong Yao couldn't help hesitating. Following Chen Chuan meant they would fall two months behind the other students. After two months, would they still be able to catch up? Would they still be able to pass the upcoming assessment? Chen Chuan didn't rush them, merely standing there in silence, waiting for their decision. Fan Cheng and Kong Yao conferred over their boundary credentials. Finally, Fan Cheng gritted his teeth and said, "Teacher Chen, we've decided to learn from you." They made this choice not only because Chen Chuan had pinpointed their core problem at a glance, but also because their current progress had grown increasingly negligible. If they continued like this, they were bound to fall behind their peers anyway, so they might as well take the gamble. Seeing that they had decided, Chen Chuan tapped his boundary credential. A course prompt appeared on both of their devices. Without further hesitation, adopting an all-or-nothing mindset, they booked two months of his lessons. Chen Chuan called the two of them over, pointed out several areas on their bodies, and instructed them on how to regulate their breathing according to his directions. At the same time, he demonstrated several jin stance postures. Then he had them practice using his method. The two immediately threw themselves into the exercises with utmost seriousness. After just over half an hour, their bodies and limbs felt intensely sore and numb, bordering on unbearable. Yet after a brief rest, an invigorating sense of thorough clarity surged through them. They could clearly feel that the mutated tissue throughout their entire bodies was engaged—something they had never experienced before. Their eyes lit up, and they looked at each other in pleasant surprise. It really seemed to work! The jin stances and breathing patterns Chen Chuan taught were tailored specifically to their individual characteristics. He practiced the Zhouyuan Jin technique, which allowed him to project himself into, imitate, and comprehend the flow and variations of any mutated tissue or form of jin, thereby knowing precisely how to adjust and correct them. Ordinary instructors, however, could only teach based on their own fixed past experiences. But people differed from one another; a single experience could not be uniformly applied to everyone. Teaching that way only produced mediocre individuals whose personal strengths and unique traits were smoothed away. These two were currently only at the Second Limit. In his view, their mutated tissue's growth was still at a shallow stage, so there was still time to set things right. With appropriate adjustments and training, they could get onto the proper path. Having felt the benefits, Fan Cheng and Kong Yao resumed practicing on their own without needing further prompting. At first, Chen Chuan had to help correct their form, but after several repetitions, they grew familiar with the routine. Chen Chuan said, "That's all for today's lesson. Pay attention to your medicinal regimen after you return. Given the resilience of your mutated tissue, train for at most three hours a day. Spend the rest of your time resting so your mutated tissue can recover. "Once the soreness and numbness completely subside, come see me again. If there is anything you don't understand in the meantime, or if you run into difficulties, you can message me." "Thank you, Teacher!" Fan Cheng and Kong Yao bowed to him with sincere gratitude. At this moment, they no longer viewed the young man before them as a former peer, but regarded him entirely as a teacher worthy of respect. After they left, Chen Chuan pondered for a moment. He realized that with the foundation of the Zhouyuan Jin technique, his spiritual field, and other capabilities, teaching wasn't actually all that difficult. Particularly for these Second Limit students, he felt that even with someone of modest talent, he could help them find a suitable path. Of course, talent dictated the upper ceiling; even with abundant resources, he could at most help someone reach their own natural limit. Still, being able to do that was already quite good. He suddenly realized that teaching offered a genuine sense of enjoyment. Seeing those who were originally flawed or lagging behind grow under his guidance brought a distinct feeling of accomplishment. Hm? Just then, he noticed that the overlap between his Second Self and his physical body had actually deepened a fraction. Was it due to the resonance of self-satisfaction and pleasure? A thought struck him. Perhaps his old friends and classmates were also in need of detailed guidance right about now. ... ...