Improvement

While Chen Chuan was speaking with Cai Si, Old Wu walked over and said to Cai Si, "Old Si, we got the details. The woman who attacked you was one of Scarface's people. "We sent that letter earlier to keep them at ease, but they were still suspicious, so they sent her out to keep an eye on the surroundings. "While she was scouting around, she seemed to have spotted our men heading upstairs. At first, she tried to call and warn Scarface and his crew, but we had already cut the phone lines. So she could only cause a scene to try and draw their attention. Fortunately, Brother Wei acted decisively and we moved fast, so she didn't get her way." Cai Si thought back to what had happened and felt a lingering dread. "That really was a close call. If Scarface had slipped away early..." Trailing off, he glanced at Chen Chuan and chuckled. "No, with Junior Chen here, he wouldn't have escaped either way." Old Wu looked at Chen Chuan and silently agreed. Chen Chuan shook his head. "Brother Si, without everyone's help, I wouldn't have been able to stop him." This was both true and untrue. He had pulled off such a smooth preemptive assault because he had already observed Scarface for some time. If a fighter could grasp information about an opponent in advance, they could employ targeted methods. If he knew nothing about his foe, he might have had to endure a grueling struggle before figuring out their style. Still, with the Second Self, he possessed a far higher margin for error than others, meaning his odds of winning were still very high. On Wei Chang'an's side, after settling various matters, he immediately came back over to find Chen Chuan and said, "Junior, I originally wanted to treat you to another meal, but there's a lot of aftermath to handle—especially interrogating them quickly to track down Fang Dawei's gang. I probably won't have the time today, so we'll have to wait until we get concrete results." Chen Chuan smiled. "Go ahead and take care of your business first, Brother Wei. You can owe me the meal." Wei Chang'an nodded. "I might have to call on you again for the follow-up." Chen Chuan said, "Just give me a call when the time comes, Brother Wei." Wei Chang'an called Cai Si over, tossed him the car keys, and said, "Old Si, Old Wu can hold the fort here. Take my car and drive Junior back." Cai Si caught the keys cleanly. "Understood." Chen Chuan said, "There's no need, Brother Wei. You're busy here. I can get back on my own." Wei Chang'an placed a firm hand on Chen Chuan's shoulder, shook his head, and said solemnly, "Listen to Brother Wei on this one." With that, he clapped him on the shoulder. After everything that had occurred, he no longer viewed Chen Chuan as a junior who needed taking care of. Instead, he saw him as an equal partner—and given the martial prowess Chen Chuan had displayed, his status might even be slightly higher. Seeing his insistence, Chen Chuan did not make a fuss. He nodded. "All right." Cai Si immediately headed to the parking spot, drove the car to the cleared intersection, picked up Chen Chuan, and drove toward the academy. The capture operation had begun at ten o'clock. By the time Chen Chuan returned, it was not even noon. After parting ways with Cai Si, he stepped out of the vehicle and walked to the public telephone outside the dormitories. He first placed a call to Cheng Zitong, reporting that the matter had ended smoothly and that he had safely returned. With people coming and going all around him, it was inconvenient to say much, so he briefly outlined the situation and hung up. Since it happened to be mealtime, he went to the dining hall for lunch before returning to his dorm. After defeating Scarface, he could feel that the duration his Second Self overlapped with him had increased. Exactly how much longer it lasted remained to be seen. He had not yet returned his uncle's watch that he had borrowed from his aunt, so he timed himself using the watch. Testing it out, he found that it had extended by at least five minutes. That meant the total overlap duration should now exceed twenty minutes. If it were merely a bout between two fighters, this amount of time was more than sufficient. However, the situations he would face in the future might be far more complex; he might even encounter multiple battles in a single day. If the Second Self could no longer assist him, his combat capability would drop sharply, which could cost him his life. For him, this duration was still far from enough, and he needed to keep pushing himself. Moreover, this experience made him realize the importance of a weapons license. If nothing else, having a handy weapon would have spared him a great deal of trouble. Yet the authorities imposed strict regulations on weapons, and the restrictions were even harsher on Wuyi's members. Among the people present at the scene, Wei Chang'an was the only one who possessed a weapons license. The others were either skirting the boundaries of the rules or lacked sufficient martial strength, rendering any weapon useless in their hands. Without mastering the jin technique, even wielding a blade posed almost no threat to someone like Scarface, who was virtually immune to gunfire. Of course, there were those who secretly carried weapons—after all, the authorities did not have the means to watch everyone—but during an official pursuit like this, nobody could bring them out in broad daylight. After a moment's thought, he walked into the bedroom, brought out the Xuejun Saber, and went to the outdoor public training grounds. Standing firmly in place, he held the scabbard level and nudged up slightly with his left thumb, revealing an inch of snow-bright blade. Then, applying force with the thumb joint, the entire blade shot forward. At the same time, he stepped forward, reached inward with his right hand, gripped the hilt, and swept it forward with the momentum. His rear foot stepped forward, both hands grasping the hilt to deliver a downward slash, followed by another shift of his stance as the tip lunged straight ahead! The gleaming blade glinted sharply beneath the lights. Twisting his waist, he spun around, drew the saber across his shoulder, retreated two paces, and then unleashed a succession of sweeps, chops, slashes, and thrusts. As this sequence unfolded, cold gleams flickered across the training grounds alongside the rush of blade-wind. Although he had not possessed the saber for long and Cheng Zitong had only taught him a few basic techniques, he practiced every day. Both saber techniques and fist forms ultimately relied on physical conditioning, so his execution was already swift and steady. The only thing he lacked was actual combat experience. There were several questions he wanted to ask Cheng Zitong, but his instructor had seemed rather busy lately, so he would have to wait. *** Meanwhile, inside a villa at North Peak Garden, Xiao Ran was sparring with a partner. After successfully starting his training, his progress over the past several days had been remarkably rapid. The sparring partner had originally been slightly superior to him, yet now the man was utterly helpless under his assault. In the end, a heavy kick to the abdomen sent the sparring partner crashing to the floor in agony. Xiao Ran curled his lip and remarked disdainfully, "Useless." He waved a hand, and a maid standing nearby, accustomed to the sight, immediately instructed the attendants to carry the man away. Xiao Ran walked over to an instructor. "Teacher Feng, how am I looking now?" This Teacher Feng had been hired at great expense. Unlike the instructors at the academy, he accompanied Xiao Ran around the clock, dedicated solely to guiding his training. Teacher Feng said, "Xiao Ran, your progress is very fast. In about sixty to seventy days, you should be able to begin practicing the jin technique." "That long?" Xiao Ran thought for a moment, then asked with keen interest, "There's a student at the academy who managed to defeat a dozen senior students using only a breathing technique before even learning the jin technique. What kind of level is that? Could I pull that off?" Teacher Feng pondered for a moment before saying, "The person you speak of must be a student endowed with natural talent. Those without talent cannot compare with those who have it." "Talent..." For once, Xiao Ran felt envious. Talent was innate; it could not be acquired through money or power. Teacher Feng consoled him, "There is no need to compare yourself to them. Commoners can only rely on their own bodies; they have nothing else. Yet whether it is talent or natural aptitude, it is ultimately limited. The road to climbing higher demands boundless resources, and you were born with all of them." "Still, I don't have that talent..." Xiao Ran remained somewhat fixated on it. Teacher Feng said, "It is not an insurmountable issue. There is a way for you to bridge the gap with those naturally talented individuals in a short amount of time." Xiao Ran's eyes lit up. "What way?" Teacher Feng answered, "Implants." "Implants?" Xiao Ran looked disappointed and scoffed, "My family's bodyguards have those installed. They're just so-so, and the restrictions are heavy. Besides, aren't they supposed to damage the body? I've always been told that my body is precious." Teacher Feng said, "The ones circulating on the market—whether military or civilian—are all outdated models, one or several generations behind. In Center City today, the side effects of high-end implants have long been minimized. Certain technologies achieve flawless compatibility with the human body. As long as you can afford the astronomical cost, you can easily offset over a decade of arduous training by top fighters." "Center City..." Xiao Ran wore a longing expression. Even for a scion of power and influence like him, gaining a foothold in Center City was no easy feat unless he secured a recommendation slot from the academy. Just then, he seemed to recall something and asked, "Didn't they say an instructor from Center City comes to the academy every year? It's been more than two months—why haven't they arrived yet?" Teacher Feng said slowly, "No, that person has actually already arrived. They are at the academy right now, overseeing a student's training." "Who? Who are they coaching?" Xiao Ran's eyes widened. Teacher Feng shook his head. "I do not know for now. However, the person they are instructing is likely one of the senior recommended students. As for whether a junior student could catch their eye, that depends on whether the student displays sufficient potential—and whether that person is in the mood."