Ready to Depart

By midday, Chen Chuan had sorted through everything he needed to bring and packed it by category into a sturdy, half-man-high crate. For this journey into the convergence zone, he did not need to bring along any other personnel; going alone was enough. If he were merely carrying out an ordinary mission, squad members could be of great help. But this time, his opponents were elite fighters from the Combine and the Linax Federation. Every one of them possessed formidable combat prowess; fighters who had not reached that level could not take part in such battles at all, and would instead become liabilities. On his own, he had no such misgivings and could better unleash his full strength. That did not mean he was bringing no help whatsoever, however; this time, he decided to take Chaoming. An aerial vantage point was invaluable at all times, helping him detect enemy movements and hazards well in advance. Although the convergence zone lacked a macro field for communication, he could carry a small field creature. Maintaining a range of one or two thousand meters would be more than enough. Even without that, he could still communicate with Chaoming through his own field and spirit. In the central city, Chaoming had little opportunity for genuine tempering beyond letting its xenotissue grow naturally and performing certain specialized conditioning exercises. The growth of xenotissue depended firstly on the environment and secondly on opponents. Only with sufficient external stimulation could its inherent potential be forced to the surface. The convergence zone was undeniably a suitable proving ground. Although the creatures there were exceedingly ferocious, with Chen Chuan present they could face them together, making it a perfect opportunity to train Chaoming on the side. There was only one problem: the convergence zone carried a certain contamination, causing fighters' somatic tissues to undergo self-activation shifts. For now, it appeared this contamination also exerted a degree of influence on non-native organisms, even if not quite as severe as on humans. The garrison typically overcame this condition with pharmaceuticals. While prolonged use could build resistance, most of the creatures brought inside were treated as expendables that rarely lasted long enough to develop tolerance, so no one paid it much mind. Applied to Chaoming, however, it could not be handled so casually. Chen Chuan pondered the matter. If ordinary fighters chose not to take medication, they had to rely on specific breathing techniques to resist the contamination. Animals typically lacked the conscious judgment and will to resist autonomously. It was possible if one invested enough effort to train them, but under normal circumstances, nobody bothered unless the creature was exceptionally rare or useful. Chaoming, however, was different from common beasts. Its intelligence was notably high, a trait demonstrated early in its rearing; it grasped concepts readily, which meant it might well be capable of mastering such a technique. Having made up his mind, Chen Chuan logged onto the Defense Department platform and retrieved several breathing techniques from the database. After comparing them, he identified the crucial elements and tailor-made a set of breathing methods specifically suited to Chaoming's traits. With little time remaining, he chose to use a spiritual imprint to etch the breathing method directly into Chaoming's consciousness, while simultaneously permeating it with jin force to help the creature familiarize itself with the rhythm. Under the coordination of his jin force, Chaoming developed an initial physical muscle memory in less than thirty minutes. Once he withdrew his hands, it was already able to cycle through the breathing technique on its own; all that remained was continuous practice. Chen Chuan nodded. It would now come down to whether Chaoming could adapt once they reached the convergence zone. If it could not, it would take the medication first and then be escorted back. With this matter settled, he ate a few tubes of nutritional paste, then walked over to sit cross-legged and examine the material Mr. Zhuan had passed to him via the spiritual imprint. After reviewing it in broad strokes, he found that it was indeed as Mr. Zhuan had said: the method of entering the Fourth Limit was not difficult in itself; the main challenge lay in the preliminary preparations and the foundation laid beforehand. In addition, it required the coordination of certain medicines. And the box Mr. Zhuan had given him contained the very medicines needed for the advancement. Such medicines were exceedingly difficult to obtain. Though not completely monopolized by the upper echelon like pure substance, they were virtually impossible to buy on the open market. Anyone in need had to submit an application upward, and those without affiliation to an influential faction would inevitably undergo rigorous screening and repeated interrogation by higher-ups—after all, the channels of upward mobility were tightly controlled. Fortunately, after joining the Purist Faction, that obstacle had ceased to exist. All of these medicines were procured through internal faction channels and allocated to him directly by headquarters, sparing him the trouble of finding them himself. Thus, a barrier that might otherwise have stalled him had been resolved before he even had to worry about it. Such was the advantage of joining a martial school—though naturally, this applied specifically to the Purist Faction, as every faction operated under different rules. On the other hand, the purpose of the green mandarin Teacher Xue had given him remained unclear; its exact effect could not be discerned. However, Teacher Xue had told him to eat it when he felt the time was right, so it surely had its purpose. After all, the spiritual cultivation method he practiced had been taught by Teacher Xue, and there might well be something unique about it. As he was planning his subsequent cultivation, a notification chime sounded from the boundary credential beside his ear. Checking it, he saw a message from the Defense Department confirming his scheduled departure time: five o'clock tomorrow morning. He nodded. The timing suited him well. He still did not know how Captain Xu and the others were faring; the sooner he entered the convergence zone, the better. He glanced at the time; it was just past one in the afternoon. He had already arranged affairs at the bureau in advance, made proper dispositions for each squad member, and Fusion Boundary had no issues at present. As for the Lianwei Heavy Control Company case, he had also given instructions: proceed according to standard procedures for now and ignore outside distractions, leaving specific decisions until his return. Still, there was no telling how long he would be in the convergence zone this time, and once deep inside, outside communication would be impossible. He needed to touch base with those close to him first. Standing up, he first contacted Gao Ming to inform him that he would be away on a mission, so that if his aunt's family called, Gao Ming could field questions about the situation. Once that was settled, he stepped out of the training room, freshened up, changed his clothes, left the house, and drove toward Weiguang District. Arriving at the military family compound on Bishu Avenue, he drove through as the gate guards saluted, proceeding all the way to the lawn he had visited previously. Chen Xiaojin was training hard. Following the guidance from last time, his progress was plain to see. It was obvious he had practiced diligently without the slightest slackening. In particular, his physical conditioning had noticeably improved. This was not the sort of enhancement gained from ordinary training; the Enlightenment Seed was evidently taking effect. After Chen Chuan distributed the Enlightenment Seeds, so far only Lu Fang, Wei Dong, and Luo Kaiyuan had shown clear returns, while the others had gained little discernible benefit. Now, it seemed Chen Xiaojin could be counted among them. Chen Xiaojin caught sight of Chen Chuan stepping out of the car. Looking overjoyed at once, he ran over and bowed respectfully. "Teacher Chen." Chen Chuan noticed he was considerably livelier than before—likely because seeing his own progress had bolstered his confidence. In truth, Chen Chuan could tell that although Xiaojin had always been determined, deep down he harbored feelings of inferiority. He felt he fell short of his older brother and sister and that his father, Chen Bitong, had been disappointed in him, driving him to train relentlessly to prove himself. Yet talent was talent—an innate quality that could not be made up for solely by acquired effort. Now, however, things were different. The Enlightenment Seed had elevated his potential. While a gap still remained between him and his siblings, it was no longer insurmountable. With that ruthless tenacity he turned upon himself, it would be enough to carry him far. Chen Chuan said, "I saw just now that you have been practicing according to my instructions. Starting now, you can increase your repetitions to eighty times a day. If you feel no discomfort, you may increase that to a hundred times a day after ten days. We will discuss what comes next after I return." For some reason, Chen Xiaojin could not help asking, "Teacher Chen, are you going to the convergence zone?" Chen Chuan glanced at him and nodded. "I will be back as soon as I can. Do not wander outside during this time; stay here and continue your training." Chen Xiaojin nodded vigorously and said solemnly, "Teacher Chen, I'll wait for you to come back." Chen Chuan gave an affirmative hum. After staying a little longer, he drove away, exiting the military family compound and taking a detour toward Shenwei District, pulling up in front of the martial arts gym where Lu Fang was. He came because Lu Fang had previously messaged him, saying that his xenotissue growth had been remarkably pronounced lately, and his combat skills were advancing at an unprecedented pace. Asking if this was the effect of the Enlightenment Seed, Lu Fang had sought his opinion. Chen Chuan had been unable to say for certain before seeing him. Once inside, he observed Lu Fang with his spirit field, then said, "Senior Lu, if I am not mistaken, your body is taking strides toward the Third Limit." Hearing this, Lu Fang could not help freezing for a moment. Although reaching the Third Limit had always been his goal, he had not closely monitored his own progress. To receive such an answer stirred complex emotions within him, a mix of excitement and poignant wistfulness. Chen Chuan, however, found nothing surprising about it. In terms of both ability and natural talent, Lu Fang was the finest of their graduating class; otherwise, he could never have become the vice president of the Fenxin Society. Had he been given the opportunity to enter the Main Academy back then and secured adequate resources, he might well have reached the Third Limit already. Reaching the Third Limit, however, required specific methods—ideally through the self-circulation of breathing and jin force. Back then, Chen Chuan's own method had been taught to him by Cao Guixi. From his current vantage point, looking back, he had developed many insights of his own. In particular, possessing spiritual power enabled him to accomplish things previously impossible. He considered for a moment, then said, "Senior Lu, relax and don't overthink it. I need to make a trip away soon. Once the time is ripe, I'll tell you how to break through this limit." …… ……