In the dense forest, following Xue Shou's guidance, Chen Chuan carefully drew the esoteric ritual onto the coat.
Unlike what he had previously learned from Bureau Director Lei, the pattern of this ritual was far more archaic.
As for the difference between the two, the previous esoteric rituals offered various templates to reference; whatever effect one wished to achieve, one merely needed to copy the corresponding template. Thus, once introduced to the basics, one could readily invoke and apply them.
This one, however, was different. With each stroke, there were no overly rigid restrictions, but there was a prerequisite: one had to understand what it signified. Without that comprehension, no matter how many esoteric materials were applied or how precisely and beautifully it was drawn, it would never produce its intended effect.
Therefore, as Chen Chuan drew, Xue Shou repeatedly explained the vital principles he needed to grasp.
Yet by the same token, having learned all this, he felt his understanding of esoteric rituals—or at least the part relevant to what was before him—deepen significantly.
He understood in his heart that in the past, such esoteric lore was likely among the more secretive teachings of the State Religion, completely inaccessible to anyone who was not a true inheritor of its orthodox teachings.
Xue Shou spoke up then: "There's no need to take what I say too seriously. In this world, as long as an objective can be achieved, there are all kinds of ways to do it. One shouldn't be rigidly bound to fixed rules. What is widely used today is naturally suited to the present era and fits the vast majority of people.
"Things from the past had high thresholds and were difficult to disseminate, doomed to remain in the hands of a select few. That is actually not a good thing. Secret techniques and traditions that might not have changed for decades or centuries in the past can now see turnover every few years in the new era. Where the present seems to fall short, it will sooner or later catch up and surpass the old ways. It is only a matter of time.
"Mm, that stroke is good. Now, this next stroke should go like this—more rounded and yielding. As the brush moves and gathers at the point, there must be the intent of guarding vital areas. It's like bringing up your arms to protect your head in combat, yet a guard must never be rigid; there must be room to shift and strike..."
Under his guidance, Chen Chuan held that intent in mind and swiftly moved his brush, drawing a circle. The line was graceful and fluid, the end of the curve seemingly closed yet unclosed, sealed yet unsealed.
Xue Shou voiced his approval: "A fine stroke. Mm... you can add one more stroke on the outside..."
Chen Chuan made another stroke without hesitation.
Xue Shou nodded. The greatest taboo in laying down such a ritual was doubt and second-guessing. A firm will behind every stroke was fundamental. If you doubted even yourself, how could you expect the ritual to work?
Just then, as if something occurred to him, he asked, "By the way, you should know that when breaking through the limit, you must either give up one of your strengths or embrace something you detest. Have you decided?"
Chen Chuan said, "I have made up my mind."
What he envisioned, however, was to merge with his Second Self and shatter that boundary with sheer, absolute power—in which case he would not need to relinquish or embrace anything.
Teacher Xue said, "Good, as long as you've decided. There can be no hesitation here, nor should you entertain second thoughts once you reach the threshold, or disaster will follow. As for the rest, so long as your method is sound, these steps shouldn't pose much trouble for someone who has come as far as you. In short: if you can pass, you pass; if you can't, you won't."
Chen Chuan nodded; this was almost identical to what Mr. Zhuan had said. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Teacher Xue, since every martial artist has something they must give up or endure, what about that General Wei?"
Xue Shou said, "Ah, that. Based on the intelligence gathered previously, we judge that this Wei Guochan most likely cannot speak more than a certain number of words a day.
"We have eyes in the former imperial house, and they noticed he speaks with extreme brevity every day. They even compiled statistics: over all these years, during his interactions with outsiders, the longest speech he has ever uttered never exceeded a hundred words.
"His past record isn't hard to find. He was once an eloquent orator, possessed of a tongue that could talk the dead back to life. But ever since he became a martial artist, he has grown taciturn. So we believe that this must be what he gave up.
"Still, the greater the sacrifice, the greater the return."
At that, he chuckled and added, "Of course, this is only speculation. Flaws or personal preferences can easily be exploited, so martial artists sometimes deliberately disguise or conceal them to mislead others. After all, besides being a martial artist, he is also a general, so he wouldn't let such things be easily discerned. But whether it's true or not, it doesn't diminish his combat prowess.
"Besides, I don't think that can really be called a flaw. For instance, some people, after achieving the state, constantly seek others out to talk and chatter without ceasing—now that is a true headache."
As he spoke, he seemed to recall someone or something, and he couldn't help rubbing between his brows.
Chen Chuan understood at once. He asked further, "Then what about Principal Yao?"
"Principal Yao?"
Xue Shou suddenly gave a faint smile. "You will find out soon enough."
Hearing him say this, Chen Chuan did not press further. By now, he had reached the final stroke of the ritual. With a twist of his wrist, he laid down a smooth, rounded stroke.
Once finished, he stepped back to inspect it. The pattern on the coat was remarkably flowing, not particularly neat or rigid, yet one could feel a distinctive resonance within it. Furthermore, unlike the patterns he had drawn in the past, a single glance told him exactly what effect it would produce and how long it would last, as though it were embedded directly into his perception.
He looked toward Xue Shou. "Teacher Xue, please take a look. Are there any flaws?"
Xue Shou looked it over and judged, "It'll do. For your first time wielding such a ritual, drawing it to this standard is already very good. The limitations of the materials prevent the ritual from reaching its highest potential, but it can only be used once anyway, so having drawn it like this is more than enough."
He glanced out past the trees. "If you push forward from here, you'll likely run into large detachments of the former imperial house's army and pre-positioned artillery emplacements. Still, whichever direction you take will be much the same; just take care to evade the artillery shells. If anything out of the ordinary occurs, I'll warn you. How to act will be up to your choice. If the situation becomes critical, activate the ritual immediately, and I will shield you."
Chen Chuan nodded. In truth, his Second Self was still just a sliver away from catching up to his primary self, and currently there seemed to be no suitable opponents left on the periphery. But that was not a major problem. If a martial artist arrived, such intense external stimulation would be enough to spur his Second Self to resonate with him and achieve unity with his self.
And if the martial artist deployed by the Defense Department and Principal Yao managed to intercept the General of State Subjugation without any other variables cropping up in the process, that would actually be fine as well.
He had already planned it out: when the time came, he could cleave open a fissure, cross into the other world, and use the external stimulation and danger there to achieve the final resonance, seizing the opportunity to break through the limit.
Either way, he had a countermeasure prepared.
At this point, he picked up the coat and draped it over himself. To guard against the omnipresent erosion of the Confluence, he covered it with a protective raincoat on the outside.
He then called out to Chaoming, bidding it follow from a distance behind without drawing too close. Mounting his horse, he gave a tug on the reins and galloped off in a chosen direction.
According to the map data provided by Chen Bitong, the Defense Department's station was located at the bottom of the map, while the unknown area he was currently in lay at the top, with the forces mobilized by the former imperial house likely deployed in between.
The Great Shun outpost at the edge of the unknown area sat on the left side of the map, right along his current path of advance. Previously, he had been heading straight for it, and indeed he was not far from it now—at most a short half-day's ride.
Yet at this moment, he made an abrupt, sharp turn, heading straight toward the distant station. In doing so, he virtually brushed past the outpost.
If he maintained his current speed in a straight line without encountering any obstruction, he could reach the defense station in about three days. But the people of the former imperial house would never let him pass so easily.
The imperial forces deployed around the Great Shun outpost had been lying in wait with an open net. However, based on the movement of the glow in the sky, they spotted this development and realized something was wrong. After a flurry of telegraph communications, their positions began to shift one after another.
First, the airships stationed here turned, moving in the direction of Chen Chuan's movement. Then, large contingents of cavalry escorting mule-drawn artillery units followed suit.
At the Great Shun forward outpost, they likewise saw that Chen Chuan had changed course, as the trajectory of the glow was unmistakable. Soon after, they watched the airships turn, and swarms of scout birds took flight toward the east. In the distant, concealed valleys, clouds of dust billowed up, revealing the troops that had been lying in ambush there.
One of the officers turned around in haste and said, "Colonel Xin, it seems our comrades who secured the relic don't intend to come to our outpost. In that case, there's no point in us staying here.
"Colonel, please don't say anything about us tying down the enemy forces here. The former imperial troops aren't paying any attention to us at all now—they're chasing straight after our comrades!"
Another officer added, "That's right, Major, there's no need for us to hold this position. Wouldn't it be better to move out and provide cover?"
Major Xin looked outside and said, "We cannot move yet."
The officers wanted to say more, but Major Xin raised a hand to cut them off, speaking calmly: "It is already afternoon. Night will fall in three or four hours. If we move out now, how far could we go? And what could we accomplish?"
The men immediately calmed down. Indeed, that was the reality. The reason the former imperial house held an absolute advantage in the Confluence was that they could ride freely across the open wilderness even at night, whereas Great Shun troops could not possibly engage them without fortified strongpoints. Venturing too far or having their retreat cut off would be nothing short of suicide.
Major Xin glanced at the glow and continued, "Wait until tomorrow. Their airships have departed, and tomorrow we will have airship reinforcements of our own. Once we link up, we'll find a way to attack them from the rear and pin down their forces. Also, dig up that batch of special weapons we buried. No need to hold them back anymore; use them all tomorrow."
……
Chapter 762