Invitation

Assistant Ling greeted Chen Chuan with a smile, then gestured toward a glass cup sitting on the table to the side. The liquid inside gleamed with the radiance of rosy clouds, seemingly drifting in slow, swirling currents. "This is a new beverage obtained from the Confluence, called 'Colored Nebula.' It's also beneficial for nourishing the spirit. Personally, I'm quite fond of it. Supervisor Chen, why don't you have a taste and give me your thoughts?" Chen Chuan walked over, rested the Xuejun Saber in his hand against the side, picked up the glass, and took a sip. With his Second Self present, he was not worried about whether there might be anything wrong with it. But the drink itself was indeed completely normal. Upon swallowing it, he felt as if he were meditating before Master Hongfa's lotus pedestal; his spirit was soothed and nourished as if being repaired, imparting a satisfying sense of delight. He set down the glass. "Purely as a drink, it is indeed very good." Assistant Ling said, "With the advancement of technology, we are able to taste and enjoy more things. Yet at the same time, people at the bottom might never encounter such things in their entire lives. "Then again, what the people higher up enjoy—do we have any idea either? The way they look at us is probably no different from how we look at the lower classes." At this point, he turned sideways and made an inviting gesture toward the interior for Chen Chuan. "Supervisor Chen, after you." Chen Chuan glanced ahead. Beneath his feet lay a spiral wooden walkway that seemed to lead toward the upper canopy of the tree shade. However, he knew that the scenery here was a mix of real and fake, virtual and actual; without peeling away the field, it was very difficult to distinguish clearly. He nodded, picked up the Xuejun Saber once more, and walked over. Once he stepped forward, Assistant Ling walked alongside him deeper into the sky garden, speaking as they went: "The past few days, Supervisor Chen was busy and couldn't visit us. It truly was a pity. We had an exchange with Dome Sword Academy. On the student side, we lost far too much. Although we barely pulled back a few rounds relying on the teachers' performances, the truth is we exerted everything we had. On the surface it looked like a draw, but in reality, we lost." Chen Chuan said, "From the information I received, although the visiting students were all from Dome Sword Academy, they were actually selected from academies across various federal states—each and every one an elite. There's nothing to regret about losing." Assistant Ling smiled and said, "Indeed. However, I believe that if Supervisor Chen had been here, whether as a student or as a teacher, no one from Dome Sword Academy could have beaten you." Chen Chuan said, "Different roles carry different responsibilities. I can only do well what is most needed right now." "Of course." Assistant Ling expressed his understanding. "What you are doing right now, Supervisor Chen, is far more important than fighting over temporary victory or defeat. Still, I believe that with your capabilities, Supervisor Chen, you could actually achieve much more." By then, the two had reached the top of the spiral walkway. From here, it looked to be about twenty meters above the ground—a broad platform that could accommodate over a dozen people. Particularly notable were the metal cables hanging down around the platform, suspended in midair like chandeliers. Aside from this platform, a dozen or so similar platforms could be seen nearby, though earlier they had been obscured by the lush branches and difficult to make out clearly. Chen Chuan looked around and saw nothing unusual. Turning back, he asked, "So, Assistant Ling, what did you intend to show me? I have a great deal to attend to. I think we had better keep it brief." Assistant Ling smiled faintly. "Then I shall speak candidly. Ever since our last conversation, I have wanted to discuss this matter with you, Supervisor Chen. Regrettably, the opportunity had not yet ripened. But now the timing is ideal." "Now?" Chen Chuan said. "What is so special about now?" Assistant Ling chuckled without answering directly. Instead, he said, "Last time, I recall Supervisor Chen asking me what I possessed. Now, I shall show it to you. Once you have seen it, perhaps you will understand." With that, he snapped his fingers. The surrounding scenery transformed instantly. All the vibrant flowers and plants, the flowing streams, and the colorful birds flitting about vanished at once, replaced by an endless expanse of green wilderness. A long white river was embedded into the earth, and in the distance, the faint silhouettes of mountain ranges seemed to fade into the sky. Under the layered richness of colors, it possessed an indescribable sense of grandeur. Yet all of this paled beside one thing—in fact, at first glance, one's gaze could only be drawn to it. At the center of the grasslands stood a colossal tree, visually estimated to be over thirty meters tall. Its root system bulged from the ground, extending outward densely like a spiderweb and bonding tightly with the earth. Its trunk was thick and towering, standing like a colossus as if capable of holding up the entire sky. The canopy resembled a colossal green cloud draping over the trunk. Within it, countless twisted, spiraling boughs could be seen, intricately tangled. Wherever they curled and converged, there were countless clusters of light twinkling like morning stars. The tree was also enveloped in a layer of milky-white mist, which drifted outward across the plains, wreathing and concealing most of the verdant trunk within. Assistant Ling turned around, his voice carrying an undercurrent of suppressed fanaticism: "Allow me to introduce it. This tree is called the 'True Form Tree.' It originates from the Confluence. Yet even in the Confluence, it is exceptionally hard to find—not because it is too rare to locate, but because it possesses the characteristic of symbiosis with other living beings, and often discards its sense of self before ever reaching true maturity. "However, once it succeeds in maturing, it can merge with and assimilate other biological entities, accepting them into itself as part of its whole. This is an extraordinarily unique field organism. It can be utterly humble, yet it can also be magnificent. "It will be our ladder, our ascending steps!" Chen Chuan gazed intently at the tree. At this moment, he suddenly remembered the area in Hongsheng District where Instructor Wu had once lived; Chang Dong had told him that beneath the ground there, a plant had once grown, only to disappear later. He asked, "It needs to wait until maturity? How many years has this tree been growing?" "A very long time. This tree has been growing for over thirty years." Chen Chuan nodded. Over thirty years—back then, Assistant Ling had not yet arrived in Jibei Circuit Center City, so the tree was likely not planted by him. However, Ling had previously made no secret of having a team behind him, and to accomplish something like this, one could imagine those people wielded no small amount of influence. He said, "Assistant Ling, is this what you rely upon? Perhaps it is imposing enough, perhaps it is unique, but how can it accomplish what you described?" Assistant Ling smiled. "That is because you have not yet seen its true essence, so you cannot comprehend it just yet... But what about like this...?" He made another gesture, and in an instant, the surrounding scenery shifted once more. Chen Chuan found that he and Assistant Ling were standing directly on a horizontal bough jutting from the colossal tree. Standing here, the thin mist was left behind, allowing him to clearly see several details. When he looked up, his gaze sharpened abruptly. From afar, those clusters of light between the foliage had twinkled like morning stars. But seeing them now, how were they clusters of light? They were clearly human brains, at least several hundred of them! They were encased in dense, crystalline white fibers, reflecting glittering specks of light under the luminous mist. Horrifyingly, those human brains still seemed to be squirming faintly, as though every single one was still alive. Assistant Ling said with a smile, "Supervisor Chen, there is no need to be surprised. They are indeed not dead—or rather, their original owners' consciousnesses remain intact. They merely relinquished their bodies temporarily and entrusted their consciousness inside here." Chen Chuan's eyes narrowed heavily. "Setting aside why you would do this—where did you obtain so many human brains, Assistant Ling?" Assistant Ling looked at him, seemingly surprised that this was the question he cared about first. Still, he patiently explained, "Some were purchased. As you know, the brains of fighters have always been vital experimental resources. "Others signed agreements during their lifetimes, donating them after death. And yet others came from students with lesser talent; we could not bear to see them walk a dead-end road with no bottom in sight, so we gave them a second life here." At this moment, Chen Chuan suddenly thought of the duel ring held by the academy, where bouts were fought with utter disregard for casualties. He looked upward. "Presumably, quite a few of these were once Wuyi students." Assistant Ling made no attempt to dodge the question. "Yes. But as I said, we did not abandon them. We merely placed them here and made them part of us. Here, they can continue to pursue their dreams." "Dreams?" "Yes, dreams." At this point, Assistant Ling's emotions grew fervent. "Do you know? Once the True Form Tree matures, it can create a field consciousness space. Within it, it can simulate a world nearly identical to the reality outside, allowing the consciousnesses that enter to move, act, and grow. "What limits us in reality is nothing more than resources. But imagine: in this simulated realm, all necessary resources can be provided without limit. Inherent talent can be compensated for through all manner of conditions. In theory, every single person here could train and enter the third limit, or even higher limits! Here, every fighter can fulfill their dreams and realize their aspirations." Chen Chuan looked at him. "Yet all of this is fake." "Yes, it is fake for now." Assistant Ling looked at Chen Chuan, a mysterious smile touching his lips. "Yet that doesn't mean it cannot transform into reality. It merely requires certain essential conditions, and those conditions are what we must create." He said earnestly, "Supervisor Chen, you need carry no moral burden for this. We are undertaking an endeavor driven by noble ideals. Imagine: when we blaze this path to the end, when all people benefit from it, what do the sacrifices along the way even matter?" He extended his hand in an invitation. "Supervisor Chen, so long as you are willing to join us, we can bring it to pass together—together, we can change this world." Chen Chuan stood there holding the Xuejun Saber. His eyes were deep and tranquil, not casting even a glance at Assistant Ling's outstretched hand. "I'm sorry. I refuse."