When Chen Chuan posed the question, the masked figures exchanged glances, and another stepped forward.
He appeared quite advanced in years, speaking in a raspy, aged voice. "There are indeed methods capable of altering and subverting cognition. Certain esoteric teachings concerning higher spiritual forces, as well as specific esoteric rituals, can achieve this. In the past, people have exploited such loopholes.
"However, our ritual's constraints were established during the era of the Grand Alliance. After extensive patching and refinement, few such vulnerabilities remain.
"Yet extreme exceptions cannot be ruled out. Frankly speaking, if such a circumstance were to arise under ordinary conditions, I would welcome it. It would allow us to promptly mend those gaps rather than scramble for solutions when danger strikes."
Chen Chuan understood. The man was explicitly telling him that if he had a way to exploit a loophole, he was more than welcome to try; they practically encouraged it. Sacrificing the transgressions of an individual to eliminate flaws that could impact the majority was considered well worth the cost.
He could also sense that these people viewed matters from a vastly elevated vantage point. Even so, he immediately raised a sharper question:
"What if someone borrows the power of certain entities from the other side to suppress the ritual's effects?"
The masked elder answered slowly, "That can indeed be done. But suppressing such power requires a sustained expenditure of energy, not to mention channeling it across the Ring of the World. If an entity from the other side is willing to do so, it serves our purpose of depleting them. Furthermore, such actions usually leave traces, which only makes it easier for us to weed out those colluding with the other side."
Chen Chuan noted the word "usually," which meant methods of circumvention might still exist. That was only natural, however. Entities from the other world had clashed with the higher echelons of this realm for so long that some of them were bound to possess an understanding of their systems, making it unsurprising if vulnerabilities could be uncovered.
He pressed no further, saying, "That was all I wished to ask. Thank you for informing me."
"You are welcome."
The masked elder seemed about to step back, but after a moment of thought, he added, "I know you understand esoteric rituals, Mr. Chen. In that case, let me share something you will likely learn before long anyway."
Chen Chuan noticed that as the elder spoke, the other masked individuals turned their gazes toward him in unison. Clearly, what he was about to reveal was no trifling matter.
The masked elder continued in a measured tone, "The entire covenant—from Grade Seven up to Grade One—is itself a worldwide national esoteric ritual instituted during the Grand Alliance era. With each rise in grade, the constraints are reduced, and a measure of tangible benefits is granted to you.
"These benefits pertain directly to your cultivation and advancement to higher realms. When a martial artist ascends to a Grade One covenant, the rewards they reap are virtually immeasurable."
Chen Chuan's eyes shifted slightly as his thoughts raced. He instantly grasped the brilliance of this arrangement. If progressing through the covenant's ranks genuinely yielded corresponding benefits—benefits that even touched upon higher realms—then ambitious martial artists would scramble desperately to advance. They would willingly submit to the restraints and even proactively protect the integrity of the system.
The architects who had established this framework possessed remarkable foresight. Instead of relying on brute coercion to enforce compliance—which would inevitably breed unrest over time—they offered tangible rewards, drawing people to remain within the framework of their own volition.
Why, then, had this not been made public from the very start?
He reflected on the principle of balance in esoteric rituals and reasoned that maintaining such an immense system likely demanded additional costs. This might well require a portion of individuals who refused to abide by the covenant to serve as counterweights.
Of course, that was merely his personal supposition. A ritual of such an elevated caliber undoubtedly operated on an intricate mechanism of its own.
He gave the elder a nod of acknowledgment. "Thank you."
The masked elder nodded in return, said no more, and retreated to his former corner.
Seeing that their exchange had concluded, Can Miao spoke up again. "Mr. Chen, we must also inquire: what are your thoughts regarding your posting? Do you wish to be transferred out of Jibei Circuit, or will you remain here? As a holder of a Level Five covenant, the Supreme Security Advisory Council will take your personal wishes into account alongside practical circumstances, and we will accurately convey your requests upward."
Chen Chuan gave a decisive answer: "I intend to remain in Jibei Circuit for the time being."
Can Miao gestured for his assistant to record the response, then said, "In that case, our assignment here is complete." He rose from his seat and extended a hand across the table. "Mr. Chen, thank you for your cooperation."
Chen Chuan reached out and shook his hand. "Am I free to leave?"
"Yes."
Can Miao replied, "Mr. Chen, you may proceed at your leisure. Please do not forget our contact information, or you may reach out directly to me."
Chen Chuan nodded, offered his regards to everyone present, gathered the forms on the table, and walked out.
Watching him depart, Can Miao could sense that Chen Chuan was profoundly different from the others. It was not as though they had never signed covenants with martial artists before, but truthfully, a process as smooth as today's was exceptionally rare. Many martial artists underwent an immediate change of expression the moment they saw the extensive restrictions listed in the agreement.
It would usually require explaining every clause in detail or invoking the authority of the Supreme Security Advisory Council behind them to move things forward. Even then, stalemates occurred, necessitating overwhelming force to compel compliance—an unsightly outcome that boded ill for future relations.
Can Miao also knew that some individuals were not genuinely dissatisfied; they simply used the occasion to display a fierce, unyielding demeanor so the council would hesitate before meddling with them in the future.
Yet Chen Chuan had done none of that. It was not that he lacked a temper, nor was he deficient in ability—his prior battle record and performance in Center City spoke for themselves. Throughout the entire process, he had remained utterly composed. One could only conclude that he operated on a completely different plane.
Chen Chuan exited the building and got into his dedicated car. Raising his hand, he gazed for a moment at the dark speck on the crook between his thumb and index finger. As his second self began to show signs of blurring into an ethereal state, the feeling of spiritual constriction diminished, and the spiritual imprint on his skin faintly faded.
The moment he ceased the technique, the sensation resurfaced, and the dark speck reemerged.
This proved that even esoteric rituals could be absorbed and endured by the second self.
However, his second self was still relatively weak compared to his primary body, meaning it could not substitute for long. That said, he had no intention of violating the covenant for now.
His ultimate objective was freedom of body and mind, untethered and unconstrained. Before reaching that final goal, he could tolerate necessary restrictions.
Even so, once he returned, enhancing the strength of his second self seemed imperative.
He said to the driver, "Drive."
The car started, slowly pulling out of the parking area, and left the Jujiao Building behind.
Meanwhile, the Municipal Council had been monitoring developments at the building with bated breath. When they received confirmation that the representatives from the National Fighters Council had signed the agreement with Chen Chuan, they finally breathed a collective sigh of relief.
As long as they did not actively provoke Chen Chuan, he would be bound by the covenant and should no longer take direct action against them.
And who, possessing full awareness of the situation, would willingly provoke a martial artist?
Yet while immediate worries were quelled, long-term concerns remained.
The legislative reforms previously pushed by the Government Affairs Hall were continuing to make headway. Lacking high-end power, the Municipal Council had been forced to compromise, allowing numerous statutes advantageous to the government to pass. This would place fundamental legal constraints upon them.
Should they violate these regulations in the future, the Government Affairs Hall could deploy armed force through legal, proper channels, leaving external factions with little justification or pretext to intervene.
Once Chen Chuan and Principal Yao received government authorization, they could act directly against them. The threat remained very real.
Thus, they still needed to complete the cultivation of an active conscious entity as quickly as possible. The active conscious entity embryo from the Corporate United Syndicate was currently en route and expected to arrive before the year's end.
Synthesized using a host of cutting-edge biotechnologies and pre-conditioned in advance, the embryo would require only one to two years of abundant resource investment to reach maturity. At that point, they would possess two active conscious entities, finally granting them a degree of security.
Yet even that felt insufficient. Merely matching the opposing side's strength offered little peace of mind; they had to draw in additional external support. To that end, another round of deliberations commenced.
Speaker Quan maintained a steady demeanor throughout. He knew there was no cause for haste just yet. What mattered most next was Chen Chuan's official appointment.
If the authorities transferred Chen Chuan elsewhere, they would have little left to worry about. But if he were not reassigned, the faction most on guard against him would undoubtedly be the Convergence faction.
At that moment, in a dimly lit room elsewhere, multiple displays flickered on a central field screen.
Some showed fragments of Chen Chuan's battle with Long Xiang, while others captured the moment machine gun fire penetrated Chen Chuan's field, or the scene of dense white vapor erupting from his form, replaying the footage repeatedly from various angles.
Security personnel stood stationed around the perimeter of the room. On a long sofa sat a burly, middle-aged man wearing dark sunglasses, his gaze fixed on the screen.
A slender figure approached in high heels. "Boss, the faction's assessment indicates that his foundation prior to limit-breaking was exceptionally solid, which allowed him to defeat Long Xiang head-on so soon after crossing the threshold.
"However, neither utilized weapons, and it was merely a brief sparring match. Excluding their dialogue, the actual combat lasted under a minute. Thus, the assessment also suggests Long Xiang may have deliberately held back."
The middle-aged man spoke up. "You mean Long Xiang wanted to keep him around? What benefit does that bring the Refinement School? If I recall correctly, Supervisor Chen's recent crackdown targeted their subordinate organization, the Gray Shell Agency, didn't it?"
The slender figure turned. She wore purple eyeshadow, and a pair of ocular implants was embedded near her temples. "Perhaps they believe leaving him be will cause trouble for us?"
The middle-aged man removed his sunglasses. In his eye sockets, there were no eyeballs—only billowing, outward-drifting wisps of black smoke.
"Then he succeeded. We truly cannot sit idly by. Had that man not belonged to the Purist Faction, we might have tolerated him for a time. But since he is a Purist, we cannot allow him to remain there.
"We have operated in Jibei Circuit for thirty years, and it is one of our faction's designated primary staging grounds. We will not permit such extraneous interference."
Chapter 798