Stages

Chen Chuan smiled and gave Jiang Xin a meaningful look. When Jiang Xin first walked in, Chen Chuan's spirit and field had already enveloped him. He could clearly perceive that although Jiang Xin's displayed emotions were genuine, something else entirely lurked deep within him. This student was by no means as innocent and bashful as his appearance suggested. However, Chen Chuan paid it no mind. There were countless such people in the world. Whether to achieve some goal, win others' approval, or simply drape themselves in protective camouflage, they had no choice but to face the world behind a different mask. As things stood, he was merely a student with a few calculating thoughts—nothing more. Smiling, he said, "Student Jiang, since you purchased my course, I will see to it that you are taught well. Now, show me everything you have learned." "Yes, Teacher Chen." Jiang Xin took off his jacket, stepped into the center of the training floor, and began demonstrating what he knew. When Jiang Xin had entered, Chen Chuan had already noticed signs of at least three years of training. That indicated he had begun training in martial arts well before entering Wuyi Academy, and had boldly undertaken body conditioning and practice prior to that. Now, observing the jin Jiang Xin displayed, it was just as expected: his foundation was remarkably solid, he possessed a spiritual forte, and he already possessed the strength of the Second Limit. Even though he had broken into this limit a few dozen days ago at most, such progress was already astonishing. No wonder the branch Wuyi Academy had recommended him for the Main Academy; the instructors at Wuyi probably couldn't teach him much at all. It seemed that as the two worlds drew closer, more and more talented individuals were emerging. Having finished one round of demonstration, Jiang Xin halted. He looked at Chen Chuan with a hint of trepidation, his expression resembling that of a student seeking validation from a teacher and idol—yearning for praise yet terrified that his performance had fallen short. Chen Chuan smiled. "Again." "Yes, Teacher." And once he finished that demonstration, he heard Chen Chuan say, "Again." He had no choice but to perform it once more. When he finished, Chen Chuan said, "Keep going. Unless I tell you to stop, you don't stop." Jiang Xin complied. Round after round, he continued tirelessly, practicing without pause for an entire hour. He showed no trace of impatience. Every repetition was performed with utmost seriousness and every ounce of effort, without the slightest slack or carelessness. Before long, sweat poured down his body. Only then did Chen Chuan say, "You can stop." Jiang Xin finally rested. Chen Chuan asked, "Did you receive training before entering the academy?" "Mm, yes." Jiang Xin wiped the streaming sweat from his face with his arm, an embarrassed smile touching his lips. "An elder in my family taught me. He fought on the battlefield and said I had talent, so I studied under him from a young age." Chen Chuan smiled and looked at him. "The techniques and jin a person practices are taught by their master. Yet what different hearts, personalities, and minds bring forth is never quite the same. Martial arts can sometimes reflect a person's deepest essence." Jiang Xin slowly lowered his head, his bangs falling to cover his eyes. "Your fundamentals are good, and whoever taught you put great care into it. However, what you learned is incomplete. I can tell that there are higher, advanced techniques built upon what you know. "Yet your learning was interrupted at a certain stage, leaving you with no choice but to repeatedly drill on that foundation. This either means the person teaching you suddenly was no longer around, or that what you were taught inherently had flaws. "Judging by how smooth your earlier groundwork was and how reasonable the pacing seemed, your teacher was grooming you at a steady tempo. For things to turn out like this, something must have happened to your instructor." Jiang Xin remained standing with his head bowed, but hearing those words, his body seemed to tremble slightly. Chen Chuan had not only identified the overall outline of what he had learned, but every single deduction was spot-on. Chen Chuan smiled and said, "The jin stances and jin methods you learned before are relatively foundational. I can help complete the subsequent parts for you. It might not be a hundred percent identical to the original, but it won't be far off. If you acquire higher-level methods later on and feel my version doesn't fit, adjusting back won't be difficult." Jiang Xin stood in silence for a moment before bowing deeply to him. "Thank you, Teacher Chen." Chen Chuan gave an affirmative sound and began explaining how he should train from here on out. In truth, deducing the subsequent material was not difficult; the previous framework was already established, and having grasped the underlying train of thought, he merely needed to follow along it. These concepts had not surpassed the Third Limit, so they were by no means beyond his understanding. He found this lineage quite intriguing. It possessed some Wilderness faction techniques he had seen before, yet wasn't entirely the same—more like ancient techniques recombined with something new. Mmh... It was somewhat as though the original cultivation method had received guidance from an extraordinary master, bringing about novel changes and breakthroughs. Under his instruction, Jiang Xin ran through the completed jin methods and jin stances once again. When he first demonstrated his routine, his forms were wide, open, and forceful, brimming with youthful vigor and liveliness. Now, however, an undercurrent of secrecy and elusive cunning crept in—like a beast preparing to hunt, concealing its breath and hostility before springing, poised to deliver a fatal strike at any moment. Yet throughout the process, he consistently avoided meeting Chen Chuan's gaze, like a growing young beast averting its eyes to avoid provoking the majesty of the apex predator beside it. Chen Chuan instructed him from the side for over an hour. Seeing that he had begun panting and observing that his mutated tissue had grown fatigued, he called out, "Let's call it a day." Jiang Xin came to a stop. He turned around, sweat dripping from his cheeks onto the floor, and looked up, once again wearing that bright, boyish smile characteristic of his earlier demeanor. "Teacher Chen, thank you for your guidance." Chen Chuan smiled. "Student Jiang, you may leave." "Thank you, Teacher Chen." Jiang Xin bowed courteously, picked up his discarded jacket, and walked out of the training ground. Once outside, he let out a long breath. Feeling the cold sweat on his back and the involuntary tremors running through his limbs, he muttered to himself, "Teacher Chen... is truly terrifying." He extended his hand, savoring what he had gained today, and a look of delight surfaced on his face. But no sooner had the corners of his mouth curved upward than he forced them back down. He pulled his jacket on neatly, buttoned it up one by one, readjusted his expression to that bashful demeanor, and walked toward the exit. Chen Chuan had taught another student. Completing the cultivation method this time brought an even deeper sense of fulfillment than instructing Fan and Kong, noticeably advancing his second self by another step. In high spirits, he left the classroom and returned to his faculty apartment. He had some nutrition paste, refilled Chaoming's food and water, then went upstairs and sat down. Taking a bottle of pure substance, he drank it down along with his good mood. His assimilation of pure substance was becoming faster and faster, and not much was left to begin with. As evening approached, the remainder was completely exhausted. At that moment, he felt as though he had been reborn. If his spirit had previously resembled a bottomless deep pool, that pool now seemed entirely transformed into flowing brilliance, utterly pure and lucid both inside and out. With the continuous intake of pure substance, the ceiling of his personal potential had expanded once again. Even so, he could keenly sense the physical ceiling of his body; he was already close to reaching it. Yet when it came to his spiritual power, there remained room for growth. Henceforth, all his focus would lie on this side, pushing it to completion with everything he had. Several days passed in the blink of an eye, arriving at the first rest day of September. Chen Chuan took a private car to the Shutianxia Hotel. A few days earlier, he had agreed to reunite here with his old friends and former classmates who had arrived in Center City. Stepping into the private lounge area, he found Wei Chang'an and his team, along with Luo Kaiyuan, Feng Xiaoqi, Wu Han, Wei Dong, and the rest of his former classmates, already gathered and engaged in animated conversation. Of their original team, only Lin Xiaodi—who was still studying—and Senior Brother Ren, who had other plans, were absent. Seeing him enter, they rose one after another to greet him before heading over to the dining table together. While ordering, Ding Liao said to Wei Dong, "Brother Wei, aside from Brother Chen, you're the only one among us with citizen status, right?" "Yep," Wei Dong said, immediately taking out his citizen card. Looking at it, many of those present couldn't help feeling envious. Only after arriving here did they realize just how inconvenient it was without citizen status. Most public areas were off-limits, public facilities were difficult to use, and they couldn't even board trams on major thoroughfares, restricted instead to aging, rundown trams. If they drove themselves, they faced inspections by city security along the way. If caught without citizen status, they would be fined and saddled with a violation record. Chen Chuan smiled and tapped his boundary credential. Soon, a form popped up on their boundary credentials. "Everyone, please fill this out." Feng Xiaoqi looked at what was displayed and said excitedly, "Is this the Disposal Bureau spot you mentioned, Classmate Chen?" Chen Chuan said, "Yes. This quota can substitute for citizen status to a certain extent. You will be able to use public facilities, enter and exit public places, and avoid being questioned. However, it's only temporary and valid only while you are carrying out missions I assign." "Even temporary is great!" Ding Liao said. "I've had more than enough lately. Without citizen status, those commission companies look down their noses at us. If Brother Wu hadn't shown us the ropes, we'd probably still be wandering around looking for a place to stay." Cai Si echoed the sentiment. Although Chen Chuan had told them about the situation in Center City before, experiencing it firsthand left a far deeper impression. Yet even so, the commission fees they earned far exceeded what they could get in Yangzhi City. Staying here for a single year yielded more than five or even ten years back in Yangzhi. After coming to Center City, not one of them had any thought of leaving. After everyone carefully filled out the form and sent it back to Chen Chuan, he confirmed them. A chime sounded, indicating that every one of them had officially become temporary hirees of the Disposal Bureau.