Discovery

A few minutes later, Chen Chuan opened his eyes, disengaging his spirit from the relic. A gleam flickered in his eyes for a moment before gradually subsiding. After superimposing his second self with his physical body, the strength he displayed had not quite reached a full doubling, but the surge in speed and power brought the most direct change. This time, he had slain that opponent—whom he had initially considered exceptionally dangerous—with utter ease. He raised the Xuejun Saber and felt a faint vibration humming through the blade. It had clearly reaped substantial benefits, proving that this path was indeed the right one. Yet it was equally fraught with peril; each entity he would have to face would be progressively stronger, and should he fail even once, the outcome would likely be mental exhaustion and death. Superimposing his second self certainly boosted his strength, but there was a ceiling to it, whereas the progression of the entities across the divide showed no visible limit yet. He had to gauge and balance the measure carefully. By his own estimate, if his current strength remained unchanged, he had perhaps three or four more chances. However, as his cultivation progressed, his spiritual power would continue to strengthen, so seeking new breakthroughs was by no means out of reach. Stepping back a few paces, he lifted the saber slightly and slashed downward. In an instant, a glimmering fissure appeared before him. Compared to before, rending open the fissure had become second nature, and the rift suspended there appeared remarkably stable. By now, he had gathered some experience: the fissure did not need to be very long, but being slightly wider was better, making it more convenient for cultivation. Its current dimensions happened to match him when seated. Of course, this also risked allowing more things from the other side to seep through. However, perhaps because the fissure was still relatively small and did not persist indefinitely, most of what appeared were the strange bugs he had encountered before, along with a few unrecognizable entities. Thus far, nothing had posed an overwhelming threat to him. Setting the Xuejun Saber down on the floor, he sat upright before the fissure and adjusted his breathing. Facing the buffeting air currents and light emanating from within the rift, he began using the Spiritual Illumination Reflection Method to channel the quintessence and temper his spirit. Originally, this fissure could only persist for about an hour, but through his efforts over this period, he had already extended it to nearly two hours. Soon, two hours passed, and the fissure stubbornly remained open. The Xuejun Saber had evidently received considerable nourishment this time, extending the duration by an additional twenty-odd minutes on top of what it had been before. He knew full well, however, that it would only become harder further along; even in the most ideal circumstances, it likely would not exceed four hours. Yet that was actually plenty. In truth, if it remained open any longer, the entities emerging from the other side might become far more troublesome and harder to deal with. Unlike school-controlled fissures where seniors stood guard, he had to resolve everything himself, which would only waste more time. As the fissure slowly vanished before his eyes, he rose to his feet. He felt his spirit turn exceptionally keen and sharp, while bizarre whispers and hallucinations once again welled up around him, though he suppressed them in the blink of an eye. This was the unavoidable byproduct of spiritual advancement. The spirit was anchored in the physical body. The growth of spiritual power was inextricably tied to the development of mutated tissue within the brain, which in turn drew from the body as an organic whole. Because he had previously laid an extraordinarily solid and robust foundation, he was able to sustain steady progress; otherwise, even with abundant resources, he would have stalled out. That foundation, far surpassing that of ordinary men, also granted him a remarkably high ceiling for his spiritual power—meaning he might encounter problems that predecessors had never faced. He was exceedingly mindful of this, and with his second self present, he could rely on it to shoulder bizarre phenomena never mentioned in historical records. Just as the fissure dwindled to a faint sliver, a soft knock came from outside the door. Looking over, he saw a slip of decoded paper telegram slide through the crack beneath the door. He walked over and picked it up. Glancing through it, the message indicated that Huang Weiyi was looking for him. It gave no specific reason, but he knew there had to be a lead regarding the investigation into Lianwei Heavy Control Company. Putting the telegram away, he tidied up his surroundings. Fortunately, no strange bugs had appeared this time, so there was little to clean up. A dozen minutes later, the airship banked, charting its course back toward Center City. Passing over the harbor, he glanced downward through the dissipating sea mist and spotted the Linax Federation warships anchored below—two Yuanshan-class battleships and a Xueyuan-class capital ship. Formidable fighters were likely aboard those vessels. As he looked down, he sensed several gazes directing their focus upward toward him. He looked around outside. Aside from his own airship, several other craft shuttled back and forth between Bainiao District and Center City, but he did not spot the airship carrying that Linax Federation martial artist. That individual was probably stationed on one of the closer outlying islands. Having reentered the field, he put his boundary credential back on and contacted Huang Weiyi. An answer came almost immediately from the other end: "Supervisor Chen, Huang sends his regards." Chen Chuan asked, "Mr. Huang, do you have news?" "Yes, Supervisor Chen. Old Huang wouldn't dare disturb you without good reason, would he?" Having learned from their previous call that Chen Chuan was not one for pointless pleasantries, Huang Weiyi cut straight to the chase. "It's like this: following your instructions, Supervisor Chen, we found three suspicious individuals at the border between Hongsheng and Shenwei Districts. They closely match your description. The location is here..." As he spoke, he transmitted the coordinates. Chen Chuan looked it over. The place was actually not very far from Lu Fang's martial arts school—about five or six kilometers to the northwest. This area was another settlement populated by non-citizens. Geographically, it sat right in the heart of several settlements. Furthermore, recalling the layout from memory, there should be an entrance leading down to the Lower District within several hundred meters, making entry and escape exceptionally convenient. After reviewing it, he asked, "Did you find only this one location?" Huang Weiyi said hurriedly, "For now, we've only spotted the suspicious individuals you described in this one spot. We're still tracking other areas, but not daring to hold up your business, Supervisor Chen, I rushed to inform you the moment we had a lead." Chen Chuan figured Lianwei Heavy Control would probably not gather all the personnel they had dispatched in a single place. Still, Huang Weiyi's ability to uncover their presence in such a short time showed he was undeniably capable. Chen Chuan said, "Anything else?" Huang Weiyi said, "Yes, we also have several pictures for you to examine, Supervisor Chen." With that, he sent over a dozen images in quick succession. Chen Chuan examined them. The first showed a man with sinister, brooding eyes, glancing sideways out of a window. Most of his face was concealed behind a curtain, yet one could still discern gaunt features, hints of a powerful physique, and the distinctive aura unique to fighters. The second picture featured a different man. He was stocky with thick, burly limbs, wearing a thick, specialized protective vest. Certain metal buckles and straps bore a matte finish—a detail alone proving these were no Lower District denizens, but people of significant backing. The third was yet another person—a woman with an immensely muscular build, broader and bulkier than the previous two men and at least a head taller. She wore her hair in a bristly buzz cut; only her skeletal structure hinted at female traits. The remaining dozen pictures captured these individuals pacing about. From these alone, he could roughly deduce their movement rhythms and fighting specialties. He asked, "How did you obtain these images?" He could tell the postures depicted came from different times of day. Ordinary people could never conduct surveillance on such targets; lingering eyes would immediately trigger their alertness, let alone prolonged observation. Huang Weiyi hastened to explain: "Old Huang has a brother working under him who can imprint everything within his line of sight across a three-kilometer range into his mind in a single glance. "Every detail he observes is etched into his memory. Being skilled in drawing, he can reproduce what he remembers almost like a photograph, accurate down to the smallest detail. "More than that, for any person he sees, he can reconstruct several seconds of their movements before and after that moment in his mind, and sketch them onto paper." Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. This was clearly an extraordinary psychic talent. He glanced at the pictures again; some of them were likely reconstructions. Such things could not be faked. Especially in the finer details, the distinct rhythmic movement unique to fighters was impossible to fabricate casually. Applied to reconnaissance, such an ability was immensely valuable. He asked, "Are you still watching them?" "Yes, we're still keeping an eye on them." Chen Chuan said calmly, "Keep watching them, then. They've likely already noticed you. If you suddenly look away, they might assume you're preparing to make a move." "They've noticed us?" Huang Weiyi gave an involuntary start. Chen Chuan said, "Those are no ordinary people." If these individuals also possessed spiritual power, then even from great distances, repeated observation would trigger an intuitive perception. "This..." A sudden chill seized Huang Weiyi's heart, and cold sweat broke out across his brow. The possibility of exposure had never even crossed his mind, yet Chen Chuan had no reason to deceive him on this matter. He was well aware that those targeted by the Disposal Bureau were never ordinary, as evidenced by the drawings. Moreover, he had personally visited the vicinity earlier. Had those people suddenly burst out and attacked... Chen Chuan's tone remained calm. "No need to panic. Proceed as normal. The fact that they haven't moved against you likely means they're verifying where the surveillance originates, or they simply don't consider you a threat. Whichever it is, you just need to maintain your current routine. I will be right over."