Chen Chuan returned to the dense forest and walked toward the fissure that had been smashed open earlier. Several of his belongings, including the Xuejun Saber, were still left on the other side and needed to be retrieved.
The world on the other side was fraught with danger and full of incomprehensible things. Had it not been for the light of the relic shining through, he wouldn't have felt comfortable leaving his things there.
Upon reaching the spot, he saw Chaoming perched atop his pack. After he had exited the fissure, the bird had cleverly brought everything out from the other side. Seeing him return, it held its head high and let out a chirp.
Chen Chuan smiled. Having Chaoming around certainly saved him a lot of trouble. He stroked its head, then picked up the Xuejun Saber resting beside the pack.
He hadn't been sure whether the Xuejun Saber could withstand that caliber of combat, so he hadn't drawn it.
However, seeing that Yao Zhiyi, Wan Yunshan, Wei Guochan, and the others all had personal weapons—and that Wan Yunshan had attempted to disarm his opponent right away—undoubtedly proved that weapons still played a role at this stage. Once he returned, he would have to find a way to enhance it further.
Mm, speaking of which, there was still an urgent matter he hadn't attended to.
He packed his things, locked the pack, and carried it out of the woods. He saw Yao Zhiyi standing off to the side, while Wan Yunshan squatted nearby, holding Wei Guochan's head and chattering endlessly at it.
Chen Chuan cast his gaze into the distance. Noticing this, Wan Yunshan asked warmly, "Junior brother, what are you looking for?"
Chen Chuan said, "I'm looking for Wei Guochan's spear."
Wan Yunshan said, "Then you've asked the right man." Pointing toward a ditch in the distance, he added, "There, it's buried over there, right at the bottom."
Chen Chuan looked over and walked briskly toward it. Most of the spear was buried under loose dirt, with only a small section showing. He reached down and pulled it out, gave it a shake, brushed away the sand and dirt with his hand, and finally blew gently on the white tassel, restoring it to its original color.
Everything else could be left behind, but this trophy had to be brought back.
Wan Yunshan blinked as he watched, seemingly realizing something.
Could the oath this junior brother took when breaking through the limit have something to do with the opponent's weapon? Did defeating an opponent require seizing their weapon?
That was certainly rare—or was it merely for collection?
He couldn't figure it out right away, but he didn't dwell on it. Such things were personal secrets; some people didn't care if others knew, while others would do everything in their power to conceal them.
Still, he reflected, for this junior brother to possess such formidable combat strength, the oath he made was bound to be extraordinary. It might even carry some significant vulnerability that others could exploit, so it was best not to pry.
Chen Chuan took out a cloth, wiped down the spear once more, and walked back with it in hand.
Yao Zhiyi said, "All settled? Why don't you ride back on my airship?"
Chen Chuan agreed, then added, "Principal, I originally came here to support my colleagues searching for relics ahead. Now that the matter is concluded, they are still stranded out there, and there are many troops of the former imperial house around. It might not be easy for them to return. I was wondering if we could pick them up before heading back?"
Hearing this, Yao Zhiyi took on a solemn expression. "Of course! Anyone sent here to secure relics must be the elite and finest of our Great Shun! Do you know where they are right now?"
Chen Chuan replied, "I made arrangements with them, so I can roughly estimate their current position. They also carry transceivers with them, so it shouldn't be difficult to locate them."
"That works. My airship has a radio station. Let's get aboard first."
By now, the airship had positioned itself directly above the three of them. Shortly after, three tow cables descended from above. After grabbing hold of them, the three were lifted upward. With a light exertive push, each landed firmly on the large observation deck at the bow.
Yet the moment they stepped aboard, a call rang out nearby: "Strike up the music!"
The military band that had been waiting on deck immediately commenced playing. Drums and horns surged with celebratory energy, performing an impassioned anthem reminiscent of ten thousand galloping steeds, a bloody struggle on the battlefield, returning after a hundred battles, and a general's triumphant victory.
Wan Yunshan's expression turned slightly subtle.
Yao Zhiyi, on the other hand, was beaming, his face radiant with pride.
Chen Chuan smiled and said, "Principal Yao, this piece is truly invigorating."
Yao Zhiyi laughed heartily. "Isn't that right? How could the comings and goings of our kind be without music to heighten the grandeur!" After listening for a moment, his expression turned serious. "Business first."
He led Chen Chuan to the airship's communications room, where several telegraph operators handled incoming and outgoing transmissions. He instructed one of them, "Send a wire to the rear immediately. Tell them to execute the plan as scheduled."
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, another operator inquired about Chen Chuan's requirements and began transmitting. Before long, a signal was received. Once decoded, it was confirmed to be a reply from Captain Hai and his team, reporting that they had already rendezvoused with Xu Chan, were currently safe and sound, and were working on their return.
Chen Chuan had the operator inquire about their current coordinates. After receiving the reply, he cross-referenced their position with the map and found that Xu Chan's group was roughly half an hour away. Upon consulting Yao Zhiyi, the airship immediately adjusted course and steered in their direction.
Seeing the telegram sent, Yao Zhiyi brought Chen Chuan and Wan Yunshan back to the main cabin. Once seated, he told his adjutant to bring out the tea leaves he had brought along.
The adjutant couldn't help stealing several glances at Chen Chuan. He had seen everything clearly from above earlier: Chen Chuan had single-handedly defeated Wei Guochan, proving himself to be another formidable martial artist—and an extraordinarily young one at that.
He knew full well that Yao Zhiyi and Wei Guochan had been evenly matched, neither able to best the other. For Chen Chuan to overcome Wei Guochan, did that mean...?
Lowering his gaze, he respectfully stepped forward to pour tea for everyone.
Yao Zhiyi said, "Now, within the former imperial house's army in Jibei Circuit, only Gai Shuhe remains. We'll head over right now, eliminate Gai Shuhe, and wrap this whole matter up."
Upon hearing this, Wan Yunshan's eyes lit up. "Go right now? Good, good, good..."
With the three of them, taking care of Gai Shuhe would be effortless. The news of Wei Guochan's death hadn't spread yet, which meant they could likely catch him off guard. If they eliminated Gai Shuhe as well, the former imperial house's hold over this section of the Jibei Circuit Confluence would completely collapse.
The Jibei Circuit Center City could swallow up this territory directly. And whenever Great Shun claimed ground, they would construct a staggering number of fortified military bastions upon it. Storming fortifications was precisely the former imperial house's weakness; so far, there had never been an instance where Great Shun took ground only to be driven back. Therefore, if they succeeded, this land could be permanently incorporated into Great Shun's territory.
He said excitedly, "Principal, then should we—"
Before he could finish, Yao Zhiyi picked up the teacup from the table, thrust it into his hand, and instructed, "Drink your tea."
"Oh, right..." With the old principal handing him tea in person, he couldn't refuse. Wan Yunshan hastily rose from his seat, accepted it, and gulped down several mouthfuls.
Chen Chuan's eyes flickered slightly. Gai Shuhe was likely Chen Bitong's old rival. Back then, Chen Bitong had walked off to confront him and vanished without a trace, leaving the outcome unknown. If they crossed paths with Gai Shuhe this time, he would have to find a way to get answers.
Principal Yao said, "Being able to bring down Wei Guochan this time, Supervisor Chen, is primarily your doing."
Chen Chuan replied, "I merely seized an opening. Had Zhao Zhenye not intervened, it wouldn't have been difficult for you and Senior Wan to bring him down. And if you two hadn't held Zhao Zhenye back, I wouldn't have accomplished it either."
After taking another sip of tea and hearing their exchange, Wan Yunshan hurriedly set down his cup. "Junior brother, to put on a performance like that right after stepping into the Fourth Limit—I've truly never seen anyone like you before. Tsk, tsk, truly incredible! This was originally supposed to be Principal Yao's and my job, but to think you ended up taking the head. Junior brother, you don't need to feel guilty, it's nothing. What's yours is yours; we'd never steal your credit. You have no idea, I—"
"Drink your tea!"
Yao Zhiyi remained expressionless as he shoved another cup freshly poured by the adjutant before Wan Yunshan, who quickly half-rose from his seat to take it.
Turning to Chen Chuan, Yao Zhiyi said, "Wei Guochan follows the path of the Guardian Divine General. Those six arms weren't just for show; each could deliver a different kind of jin. Who would have thought he would still fall to you despite that? From what I saw, the jin you used earlier was likely hard jin combined with iron body conditioning. Such a pure and focused path is indeed remarkably effective against Wei Guochan at this stage."
Wan Yunshan nodded repeatedly while sipping his tea.
He had observed earlier that Chen Chuan's battle with Wei Guochan was almost entirely a frontal clash. People who walked such an unyielding, fierce path possessed exceptionally pure wills, which inevitably granted immense power to their fire of spirituality. This had been abundantly clear from the shockwaves of that spiritual fire earlier.
In reality, Chen Chuan had only utilized the most fundamental jin of sanshou. The key was that he had merged the power of his second self before making his breakthrough, which had pushed him beyond what was theoretically possible even for a perfect human body.
This foundation, arguably unprecedented, endowed him with overwhelming power and speed the moment he stepped into this realm. As a result, even his most basic moves produced an extraordinarily astonishing display of force.
As for the specific transformations of his jin, he would need to sort through them later. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Principal Yao, you mentioned earlier that Wei Guochan followed the path of the 'Guardian Divine General'?"
Yao Zhiyi replied, "That's an old term. People of the former imperial house use it, and it's fairly accurate, so I refer to it that way as well." Having finished the tea in his hand, he set the empty cup down and said, "Xiao Wan, pour the tea."
"Right away!"
Wan Yunshan promptly stepped aside, picked up the teapot, and poured him a fresh cup.
Yao Zhiyi continued, "In the old terminology, our realm is called 'Bearing the Mysterious Mechanism.' The mysterious mechanism refers to the workings of profound mystery. And the essence of this realm comes down to six words: 'Preserve the True Form, Gather the Spiritual Visage'!"
Chapter 770