Four days passed in the blink of an eye.
Chen Chuan stood alone before the tent, gazing into the distance while Chaoming circled overhead in the sky.
The insect quicksand showed no sign of abating, still churning and surging across the earth in an endless expanse. Yet thanks to the massive creature beneath them serving as a protective bulwark, they were able to rest safely atop it.
The beast did not remain in place, however; it kept up a steady movement. Its gait was rhythmic and coordinated, and as the segments of its underside crawled in unison, it imparted a sensation of fluid, wavelike motion.
As far as he could tell, it was currently heading roughly back along the path he had taken here.
From what he knew, the insect quicksand lasted six or seven days at most, meaning they would break free of this environment in two to three days at the latest.
In truth, he did not mind lingering here for another few days. Shielded by the relic's rosy glow, he had spent the past four days intensifying his cultivation around the clock, leaving most external matters to Xu Chan and the others.
After several days of single-minded practice, he could feel his spiritual power making substantial strides, until he seemed mere inches from reaching true perfection at the pinnacle.
Just as he was thinking this, his heart gave a sudden, faint jolt. He could not resist glancing up in a certain direction, inexplicably sensing some form of danger there.
That place...
Perhaps due to the unconscious, intense focus of his mind, before he could observe anything further, he caught a strange stir from within the tent behind him—as if something in there was making its presence known.
His interest piqued, he immediately pushed aside the tent flap, returned inside, and looked toward one of the travel bags hanging there. Walking over, he felt around for a moment and drew out a fruit resembling a green mandarin.
This was what Xue Shou had given him before he entered the Confluence.
He had never known what it was; Xue Shou had merely told him to eat it whenever the time felt right.
The right time?
After a moment's thought, he peeled the "green mandarin" and ate it segment by segment, peel and flesh alike. At first he felt nothing unusual, but once he swallowed the entire fruit, he suddenly felt his spirit stirred, as though his condition had instantly become exceptionally sharp.
He promptly crossed over and sat down upon the carpet, slipping into a serene, comfortable sensation somewhat reminiscent of sitting on the stone lotus pedestal on Feiguang Island.
After a long while, an awareness struck him. He opened his eyes, only to find Xue Shou sitting a short distance across from him, smiling at him just as he had during their lessons.
"Teacher Xue?"
Yet Chen Chuan immediately realized that although the Teacher Xue before him appeared vivid, he cast no shadow on the ground and possessed neither warmth nor physical substance. It was merely a projection existing within his own mind.
Xue Shou smiled faintly. "This little green fruit can nourish your spiritual power, cleanse the impurities and taints accumulated in your spirit while absorbing extraterrestrial quintessence, and repair and nurture both your mind and body, smoothing the path for your cultivation ahead.
"It also contains a wisp of my own spirit. If my spirit sensed in advance that the moment had arrived, or..." He reached out and tapped Chen Chuan over the heart, "...if some premonition or warning arose in your spirit, it would prompt you to consume it."
"A premonition... a warning?"
Chen Chuan could not help but nod. At that moment earlier, he had indeed felt a subtle sense of danger, though he could not put his finger on what it was.
Xue Shou glanced toward the relic placed on a nearby rack. "Judging by how you look, you must have already secured the relic?"
Chen Chuan replied, "Yes. We are currently besieged by the insect quicksand, and I intend to take it back once the sands recede. However, this relic is unlike anything I've known before—it continuously radiates a rosy glow, making it exceptionally conspicuous."
"Naturally it is conspicuous," Xue Shou said with a smile. "Because we were the ones who placed it here in the first place."
"What?"
Chen Chuan could not help looking at him, taken entirely by surprise. He glanced at the relic again, and considering who Xue Shou meant by "we," he caught on quickly. "It's bait?"
Xue Shou nodded, giving an affirmative answer. "Indeed. It is bait."
Chen Chuan's gaze shifted slightly. For someone of Xue Shou's caliber, this bait was certainly not meant for the Consortium or the Linax Federation's delegation.
He looked up and asked, "Teacher Xue, who is the target...?"
Xue Shou rose from the ground and walked over to the tent entrance. Looking out, he said, "Our target is Wei Guochan, the General of State Subjugation stationed by the former imperial house in the Jibei Dao Confluence.
"A third-class relic appearing deep within the Confluence, right near the edge of the former imperial house's sphere of influence—there was no way they would let it go. And if their subordinates repeatedly failed to secure it, this General of State Subjugation, who has faced us for all these years, would very likely step in personally."
Chen Chuan stood up as well and asked, "Would he not be wary of the martial artist stationed on our side?"
Xue Shou said, "In the past, we had only one martial artist in the Jibei Dao Confluence—your principal, Yao Zhiyi. He has spent years safeguarding our base, with virtually no record of taking the initiative to attack. Even if he did leave the station, acting alone, he would pose little threat to Wei Guochan.
"What he does not know is that a certain martial artist we previously dispatched to guard the Ring of the World has returned in secret. Along with Principal Yao, he will be responsible for intercepting and surrounding him to execute the kill.
"And to ensure nothing goes amiss, I will also enter the Confluence at an opportune moment to guard against unforeseen variables.
"With the Ring of the World still unrepaired, the former imperial house would never suspect that the martial artist stationed there would return early. After all, not even the Fumu's fission prompted anyone's return previously. And though I arrived in Center City this time, they will assume I came only to deal with the martial artist representing the Consortium who is staying in the city.
"In this battle, we will do everything in our power to surround and slay him. Once Wei Guochan falls, the former imperial house's army of over ten thousand men at the front will lose its pillar. We will launch an immediate counteroffensive and attempt to wipe out this force before reinforcements arrive from the former imperial house. If we succeed, it will mark a decisive breakthrough in the situation across the Jibei Dao Confluence."
Chen Chuan had never imagined such a grand design behind the scenes. The mere thought of a clash between multiple martial artists made his blood stir.
Just then, a question occurred to him, and he asked, "Teacher Xue, do the Jibei Dao Government Affairs Hall and Defense Department know about this?"
Xue Shou looked at him and said, "I know what you wish to ask. I can tell you plainly: because this matter involves numerous high-level secrets, no one on the Jibei Dao side—whether the Government Affairs Hall, Defense Department, Disposal Bureau, or State Administration Bureau—knew about this beforehand. They will receive formal notification only when we make our move.
"To ensure authenticity and feasibility in the opening phase, the higher-ups were fully prepared for every operative sent by Jibei Dao to contest the relic to be sacrificed.
"You must understand that the authorities do not weigh local losses; they consider how to trade a small loss for a larger gain. So long as the exchange ratio favors the whole, leadership will press forward.
"That is war."
He drew a breath and continued, "Yet I understand that among those marked for sacrifice might be your comrades and friends, so you may find this hard to accept. I can sympathize.
"When I learned that you had captured Han Fu, knowing you as I do, I knew your next move would inevitably be to enter the Confluence voluntarily to support them. In that case, the outcome would become unpredictable."
Chen Chuan recalled that when Xue Shou chose to meet him, it had been right after Supervisor Han's capture. "So that is why you gave me the green fruit, Teacher Xue?"
Xue Shou nodded. "It was the only thing I could do outside the plan. But it was contingent on your mind being strong enough to support the minimum threshold of my spiritual power. And now..." Looking at Chen Chuan, he smiled. "...you have attained it."
He turned his gaze outside again, toward the figures moving in and out of the tents opposite. "Those must be the comrades who entered the Confluence, yes? It seems you managed to reach them after all."
A smile of gratification touched his face, tinged with an undefinable wistfulness.
Chen Chuan looked outside. What Teacher Xue had said was ruthless, yet thoroughly realistic. High-level games and decisions were almost always accompanied by sacrifice. Most of the time, the upper echelons considered the overarching layout; they could not afford to concern themselves with specific individuals, nor could they realistically do so.
Ordinary people caught within the game could only be swept along by the surging tide, incapable of kicking up even the smallest ripple. Had he not come this time, Old Xu and the rest would certainly have been doomed to sacrifice.
And if sacrificing dozens of lives could secure an overarching strategic advantage, no leadership would refuse.
Unless an individual's personal might was great enough, their weight significant enough, to serve as a vital counterweight on the grand strategic scales.
Xue Shou turned back around. "That said, how were you originally planning to bring the relic back?"
Chen Chuan replied, "My original plan was to carry it alone and sprint back to the nearest station at top speed. Since the relic's glow allows one to operate at night, I would be able to conserve enough stamina to run non-stop day and night. If all went swiftly, I could return to base within two days and two nights.
"However, considering the glow shows no sign of fading and consistently indicates the heading, the former imperial house will likely coordinate an interception based on my crossing path."
Xue Shou said, "Your reasoning is sound. According to our prior deductions, no matter who obtained the relic, the former imperial house would inevitably mobilize troops. Breaking through in a single push would certainly prove difficult."
Chen Chuan nodded. A large military force was by no means easy to deal with. Once their target was pinned down, they could saturate the area with artillery fire, deploy airships to strafe with machine guns, and even unleash countless aberrant creatures to overwhelm them in a swarm.
Xue Shou said, "The higher-ups originally anticipated that it would fall into the hands of the Linax Federation or the Consortium, leaving them to punch their way out. With their strength, breaking through would not have been difficult, and Wei Guochan would have made his appearance then. But now..." He looked at Chen Chuan. "...it seems your group may have to face this situation instead."
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Chapter 750