Back inside the residence, Chen Chuan changed into casual clothes and returned to the training hall. Picking up the manual he hadn't finished earlier, he continued flipping through its pages.
Because a senior had left a spiritual imprint within, the figures sketched in plain black ink accurately conveyed the intended essence.
After reading through to the end, he closed the booklet, shut his eyes to let the insights settle, and committed everything to memory.
With his physical metamorphosis still incomplete, he could not yet practice the Grand Firmament Forms. Fortunately, the Grand Radiant Light Forms primarily focused on mental cultivation, so he could begin by attempting those.
There was also the Heaven and Earth Furnace breathing method, an advanced technique derived from the furnace breathing method. Since it matched both great combat forms, it had to be used during practice as well.
Chen Chuan began recalling the Grand Radiant Light Forms from memory.
The Grand Radiant Light Forms likewise consisted of twelve postures, each named after the ancient celestial Twelve Stations.
After reviewing them in his mind, he stepped into the center of the hall and adopted the first stance.
On the surface, it resembled a standard rooted stance, but it actually used mental power to drive the body—with the spirit as the master and the physical form as the subordinate. In contrast, the Grand Firmament Forms used the body as the master to guide the spirit. Only by cultivating both together could one achieve a truly consummate art.
In actual practice, however, the sheer difficulty and lack of familiarity made it necessary to train them separately at the beginning, so starting with one set was the right choice.
As he assumed the posture, he began channeling the Heaven and Earth Furnace breathing method.
From his conversation with Mr. Zhuan, he had learned that Zhao Zhenye likely never acquired this technique. That man had only mastered the third limit's furnace breathing method, meaning the breathing technique he used today was probably derived from the original furnace breathing through his own research.
Still, martial artists at the Fourth Limit each walked their own path. Once Chen Chuan thoroughly mastered these methods, he would certainly innovate on top of them in the future to make them better suited to himself.
As he channeled his mental strength and breathing method, he immediately felt a slight throbbing pressure in his forehead, accompanied by a burning sensation in his mind. His energy began to deplete rapidly and continuously, yet at that very moment, his spirit grew extraordinarily active and elevated.
This seemed to stir the fire of spirituality within him, causing it to emanate outward on its own. For a moment, a platinum radiance rippled and flashed around his body, brightly illuminating the entire training hall.
Perhaps because he was still unfamiliar with the technique, his mind struggled to maintain full stability, causing the light to flicker and waver erratically.
The Grand Radiant Light Forms were divided into dynamic and static forms. One first assumed the static stance and transitioned to the dynamic movements only after adapting. Yet maintaining the posture alone already drained a massive amount of mental and physical energy; once he began moving, the consumption would undoubtedly be far more severe.
This drain scaled entirely with one's own constitution. Having a deep foundation did not mean the expenditure was any lighter; nearly everyone faced the exact same challenge. But he considered this a good thing, as only such rigor could achieve the purpose of tempering him.
After holding the stance for over an hour, he felt a rare sense of mental exhaustion.
According to the information passed down to him, cultivating either the Grand Firmament Forms, the Grand Radiant Light Forms, or the furnace breathing method required absorbing large amounts of high-energy nutrients, supported by corresponding medicinal supplements.
He would naturally have to find a way to obtain these things on his own.
Though he had none on hand right now, he had merely been testing the waters today, and he was not without alternative means of recovery.
Stepping to the side, he drew the Xuejun Saber and slashed open a slender fissure. A dazzling light instantly poured out from within.
He sat cross-legged before it and began attempting to absorb energy from the other side.
Pairing the furnace breathing method with the Grand Radiant Light Forms produced an excellent training effect, but it fell short if the sole objective was restoring the mind. From his own practical experience, absorbing energy from beyond via the Taibai Contemplation was the most suitable approach.
As he continuously cycled the method, his depleted mental strength gradually recovered.
*Hm?*
He sensed something unusual.
Absorbing energy from the outside inevitably brought along impurities with a potent corruptive influence, which his second self usually bore for him.
Because the second self was still gradually recovering, he had kept his absorption sessions brief lately. Yet when he checked just now, he discovered that the second self had drawn slightly closer to his original self.
He had not fought anyone over the past few days. For this to happen... had the Grand Radiant Light Forms deepened the resonance between his second self and his true self?
Considering the sheer exhaustion and intense mental focus required just now, it had truly been no different from battling a powerful opponent; in fact, sparring with an ordinary adversary would not have achieved such an effect. It was no wonder there had been a response.
This gave him yet another reason to practice these esoteric traditions.
However...
He looked down at the floor beneath his feet. The area where he had stood was sunken and cracked for several meters around, turned entirely into a patch of ashen white.
Though the flooring was specially reinforced, the outward release of his fire of spirituality had naturally wrecked it. In fact, had he not noticed in time and consciously reined it in, the force might have pierced clean through the floor slab.
It seemed he would need to find another location.
Furthermore, lacking the medicines needed for cultivation, he could only call it a day.
As for obtaining the medicines, he would first submit a request to the Municipal Council. Since they had agreed to sponsor his cultivation, they naturally had to honor their word.
Medicines for the initial stages of practice were easy enough to find, but once he advanced further and required exceedingly rare ingredients, he would have to look through other channels.
Lost in thought, he switched on his boundary credential, which had been turned off during his training. Moments later, a signal came through. Seeing that the caller was Secretary Qiao Yang, he accepted the connection.
Once connected, Qiao Yang offered a polite greeting before informing him that the Defense Department and the Government Affairs Hall had received his earlier notice about heading out to sea and raised no objections. The Ocean Exploration Group had been arranged to send an airship to pick him up. The earliest departure could be tomorrow morning, and the exact time was up to him.
Chen Chuan considered it. Prolonged delays might invite unforeseen complications, and the matter needed to be settled promptly, so he replied that tomorrow morning would be fine.
Qiao Yang assured him that the arrangements would be made immediately.
With the schedule set, Chen Chuan did not resume training and instead continued his preparations for the journey. He would take Chaoming along as usual. As for the Xuejun Saber, he decided to bring it as well after some thought; since the mutated tissue within required another metamorphosis, keeping it close at hand was best.
He also packed some gear from his previous trip into the Confluence. Such items weighed next to nothing to him anyway and might prove useful.
His only slight regret was that this was merely a spar, meaning he probably wouldn't be acquiring any collectibles.
Early the next morning, he boarded an armored vehicle sent to escort him toward the port in Jiyang District. The streets were virtually devoid of traffic along the way. This was not meant to protect him, but to prevent accidents and unnecessary conflicts between him and others—it was actually a measure to protect everyone else.
Upon arriving at the port, he saw a massive airship docked at the mooring tower. The surrounding area had long since been cleared by troops and security personnel.
A capable-looking man in uniform, roughly fifty years old, stood at the very front. When Chen Chuan stepped out of the vehicle, the man stepped forward, offered a salute, and said solemnly, "Greetings, Mr. Chen! I am Feng Wu, captain of the Ocean Exploration Group's airship *Lightchaser*. I will be in charge of your voyage to and from the sea!"
Behind the captain stood a security chief whose expression was somewhat unnatural. As a combatant standing before a martial artist like Chen Chuan, even without any deliberate hostility directed at him, the mutated tissue throughout his body grew intensely agitated, urging him to get away.
Chen Chuan nodded in acknowledgment to the two men and boarded the airship. Aside from him, there were no other passengers.
The airship had been built to the specifications reserved for martial artists. Split across three decks, it was fully equipped with training grounds, dining provisions, and entertainment facilities.
Furthermore, having somehow learned of his fondness for movies, the crew had stored a vast collection of domestic and foreign films within the vessel's field creatures. Several foreign films had already been properly dubbed and translated, offering various versions to choose from.
In addition to these, the two companies had specially procured a documentary about a martial artist for him.
Chen Chuan was indeed interested in it. Once the airship was airborne, he went straight to the screening room and had an orderly set it up.
The documentary primarily recounted the experiences of a martial artist from the Linax Federation.
This martial artist was a native-born citizen of the Linax Federation. Yet after achieving the status of martial artist, he came to believe that the First Folk had suffered gross injustice in the past. Consequently, he traveled alone to the last remaining sacred land of the First Folk, underwent an initiation ritual within, drank their ancestral blood, and became one of them.
From then on, he campaigned tirelessly on behalf of the First Folk, fighting for the rights of the surviving tribes across the Federation.
After obtaining his personal consent, a visiting newspaper filmed this documentary about him. It was said that he unreservedly showcased several unique combat techniques and shared some of his own insights and experiences.
Chen Chuan watched closely. This man's cultivation path appeared to follow the Visage of the Aberrant. Though not explicitly stated, one could tell he likely modeled himself after a deity of the First Folk.
Moreover, the man claimed he had been trying to reclaim all the heritage that originally belonged to the First Folk from the Federation, vowing to spend his entire life recovering what the Federation had stolen from them.
Logically, the Linax Federation would never tolerate such an individual. Yet judging from the translation and the newspaper that conducted the interview, he had very likely received backing from Great Shun.
Evidently, Great Shun and the Linax Federation were constantly undermining each other.
The first half of the documentary mainly detailed his mental journey, his actions, and his reasoning. Chen Chuan did not know whether the man had abruptly switched allegiances because of what he had renounced or embraced, nor was that his concern. But out of respect for a fellow martial artist, he watched patiently until the second half, where the martial content he cared about most finally unfolded.
***
Chapter 803