When the feed on the field screens stabilized, the observing factions could clearly see the scene on the wasteland. From the condition and appearance of the two combatants alone, it was immediately apparent who had claimed final victory.
Before the clash began, many had entertained the possibility of a one-sided outcome, but subconsciously most had assumed Long Xiang would be the stronger of the two. Who could have imagined that the reality would be the exact opposite?
Within the Municipal Council, the field screen froze on the spot where Chen Chuan and Long Xiang had just clashed.
Though the fight had lasted only a brief moment, the wasteland ground was devastated as far as the eye could see, as if subjected to a round of bombardment by high-yield artillery shells. The destructive power of martial artists was laid bare before their eyes, striking everyone who witnessed it with profound shock.
Silence gripped the hall for a time before confusion, panic, anger, and restless unease gradually spread through the room.
The municipal councilors had originally believed that as long as Long Xiang defeated Chen Chuan in combat and intimidated him, everything would turn out fine.
Yet now, far from stopping Chen Chuan, he had instead revealed that the obstacle before him was nothing more than an empty facade.
If he truly decided to move against them now, who could stop him?
Rely solely on an active conscious entity?
The Municipal Council's active conscious entity, "Web Guardian," was technically calibrated against Wuyi Academy's Hongfu and theoretically formidable. But how capable it truly was remained impossible to say without actual combat, leaving even the councilors themselves without confidence.
Moreover, such an entity served primarily as a deterrent—its symbolic presence outweighed practical utility. Its value was greatest before it was ever mobilized; once exposed, it ran the risk of losing the awe and dread it inspired.
And having witnessed Long Xiang's defeat, they were now even less inclined to deploy it, leaving it only as a final trump card.
The anxiety among those present reached an absolute peak. Some councilors openly began blaming those who had advocated using Long Xiang to test the waters. Had they known this would be the outcome, it would have been better not to make a move in the first place.
After a round of finger-pointing and fierce argument, they ultimately reached a consensus: they had to strengthen cooperation with the Consortium and nurture a new active conscious entity as quickly as possible.
Under the oppressive weight of Chen Chuan's presence, they felt that possessing two active conscious entities simultaneously was the bare minimum to afford even a shred of self-preservation.
Yet nurturing an active conscious entity was not something accomplished overnight. Depending on its intended function and form, cultivation typically took several years or even over a decade.
Of course, to establish combat capability quickly, the Consortium had provided an embryo supported by complete technology, bypassing the initial development stages entirely. Even so, it would likely still require one to two years.
Previously, their willingness to provide Chen Chuan with three years of cultivation resources had been meant not only to appease him, but also to buy time for this purpose. They had hoped that, even if solely for the sake of securing those supplies, he would think twice before striking. Anyone else might have even turned around to protect the council. Naturally, they didn't expect Chen Chuan to go that far; they merely hoped to weather this interim period.
After concluding this agenda item, Speaker Quan stepped outside alone. Leaning on his walking stick against the ground, he furrowed his brow in deep thought. The immediate crisis was nominally averted, but the trouble was far from over. It was easy to foresee that once matters in the Melded Lands concluded, Yao Zhiyi would return as well.
That would mean two martial artists.
The imbalance in top-tier martial power, compounded by this defeat, meant they would inevitably lose much of their previous sway when negotiating with the Government Affairs Hall. A contraction of their sphere of influence in the coming period was practically guaranteed.
Fortunately, all hope was not lost. Center City was home not only to the Refined Practice School, but also the Convergence faction.
He knew that certain members of the council adhered to the Convergence faction and had established numerous covert connections with them—some to the point where they could hardly be considered human anymore.
Yet up to now, he had harbored no intention of actively seeking out the Convergence faction. This was because the Convergence faction had likely been deeply involved in that past incident; if the Purist Faction reestablished its footing in Jibei Dao, the Convergence faction would hardly be able to sit idle.
As he was musing, he suddenly noticed an important communication signal coming through. Seeing who it was, he connected immediately. "Mr. Long?"
"Hahaha... Speaker Quan."
Judging by his voice alone, one could never tell this was the man who had just been battered so miserably.
"I presume you saw the outcome of the battle just now. I hope you will fulfill your promise as soon as possible and deliver the high-energy foodstuffs needed to replenish what was expended in this fight. It makes little difference if my portion is delayed a bit, but as for his... weigh that carefully yourselves."
Speaker Quan said, "Mr. Long, thank you for the reminder. I arranged for it immediately, and your share should arrive in a matter of minutes. However... might I venture to ask a question?"
"Ha... what do you wish to ask?"
Speaker Quan asked, "Mr. Long, may I ask if you gave your full effort in this battle?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end. After a brief laugh, a deep voice answered: "Are you asking whether I held back? Let me put it this way: fortunate it was that this fight wasn't a true duel to the death. Otherwise, I might already be lying dead out there.
"I understand how you think. You assumed that because I am a senior, my combat capability ought naturally to be stronger. In theory, perhaps, but the reality is far more complicated, and difficult to explain clearly to you.
"Well, that's enough talk. Send the goods over as quickly as possible."
With that, Mr. Long promptly terminated the call.
He took winning and losing relatively lightly. After becoming a Fourth Limit martial artist, so long as nothing went awry during cultivation, one was not slain midway by enemies, did not exhaust one's vital energy, and was not corrupted by external influences, lifespan almost never came to a natural end. At the very least, he had never heard of any martial artist dying of old age.
This afforded him ample time to improve himself.
Losing once was of little consequence; a spar like this actually helped pinpoint one's weaknesses, providing valuable experience for a formal battle next time. Yet that did not mean he enjoyed discussing it with others—especially right after losing a match before so many eyes.
Inwardly, he sighed. *The Purist Faction has gained quite a formidable talent.*
Yet as something crossed his mind, a meaningful smile crept across his lips. Going forward, those with the most to worry about would certainly not be the Refined Practice School. If nothing went awry, a good show was about to unfold.
Meanwhile, in another location, a Consortium liaison—under instructions from several Consortium representatives—was attempting to glean some information from the martial artist Prabhakar.
"Master, that Mr. Long probably didn't use all his strength this time, did he?"
Prabhakar gave a clear, definitive reply. "He did not."
The liaison breathed a sigh of relief. "In that case, if it were a true life-and-death struggle..."
Prabhakar smiled slightly. "You misunderstand. The fact that he failed to use his power was not because he chose not to, but because he was entirely unable to. Before he could deploy it, he was suppressed preemptively by that Supervisor Chen. In my view, even if the two fought again, the outcome would be no different."
The liaison was startled; he had never expected such an assessment. Pondering for a moment, he asked again, "If you had stepped forward at the time, Master, surely you could have made him back down...?"
Prabhakar did not answer the question directly. He merely shook his head with a faint smile. "Though Mr. Long lost this battle, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Once a cause is set in motion, the karmic fruit inevitably follows. This matter is already entangled in enough discord; why add myself to the turmoil?"
The liaison pondered for a moment and seemed to grasp the sentiment. Pressing a hand to his chest, he said, "Thank you for explaining, Master."
At the same moment, Chen Chuan was driving his Jiade car back toward the city, his mind turning over the path he would take going forward.
Both Wei Guochan and Long Xiang cultivated the Visage of the Aberrant. Their path leaned toward aligning with various external forms. Within the Fourth Limit, one needed to "Preserve the True Form, Gather the Spiritual Visage." If one failed to preserve it, that external form might very well become one's true self.
Just as Long Xiang had mentioned, he might lose control of his own emotions—which had evidently been the influence of that external visage. This perhaps was not due to inadequate cultivation, but an inevitable consequence of clinging to external forms. In the end, it was hard to say whether the true-formed self would be corrupted, mistaking the external form for the true form.
As for the Visage of the Divine, he had not yet encountered it in detail, but that path acknowledged only the self of the mind, not the self of the body; along that way, the physical vessel was not paramount. Yet in his understanding, only a complete self constituted the true self. Therefore, there was no need to hesitate: his path was bound to be the Visage of the Human.
How, then, could relying purely on the human body compare to cultivating those other two paths?
He had broken through upon an unprecedented foundation, allowing him to suppress opponents through sheer physical superiority. But what did others who walked this path rely upon?
As he was pondering, his boundary credential rang. Glancing at it, he accepted the connection. Gao Ming's voice came through: "Cousin, someone from the Municipal Council reached out to me.
"Regarding the battle compensation for you this time, they have already deposited the items with the Wansheng Consortium. Cousin, you can pick them up whenever you like.
"In addition, the Municipal Council will provide three years of cultivation resources, and they asked when you would like to sign the agreement. You can set a suitable time."
Chen Chuan said calmly, "Tell them there's no need to sign any agreement. Just tell them to remember to deliver."
This agreement was a unilateral concession by the Municipal Council. Even if he did not sign it, the council would still hand over whatever was owed. If they failed to deliver, he could come knocking at their door at any time. Moreover, Long Xiang himself had guaranteed it; the council would never dare renege.
He was well aware of their intentions. They simply wanted to tie him down with these resources so he wouldn't cause trouble for them in the meantime, buying themselves time to build up their strength. However, he also had much to learn right now. When the time came, it would simply be a matter of whose accumulated strength was greater.
Chapter 788