After an entire night of combing through the records, the team members finally uncovered some useful leads, compiling them and delivering them directly to Commissioner Cao.
One team member reported, "The records explicitly state that back when Master Hongfa traveled to the Outer Ocean to spread his teachings, he entrusted a precious treasure to the Gong royal family for safekeeping.
"The records didn't clearly specify what it was, but rumor has it the object could swallow filth and purge poisons. There's a very high probability it is 'Wanruoshi.' This matches the accounts we found in the maritime travel logs.
"However, during the Turmoil of the Chen Pavilion, a massive fire broke out in the Gong family's estate, incinerating more than two centuries of amassed treasures and extensive archives. Many rebelling warriors also looted the royal treasury and fled overseas with the spoils. As a result, there's no telling whether the item still exists today."
Commissioner Cao flipped through all the compiled accounts and asked, "Are there no records of the 'World-Crossing Disc'?"
The agent shook his head. "Not a shred of documentation."
"Then keep searching," Commissioner Cao instructed.
The agent nodded in assent.
Commissioner Cao turned around and looked up at the elevated statue of Master Hongfa. Eight hundred years ago, the Chan Sect had suffered defeat in its struggle against the Xuan Sect. The three Venerable Protectors of the Chan Sect had fled east, west, and south, each carrying two sacred treasures of the sect. Master Hongfa was one of those three, and the items he took were Wanruoshi and the World-Crossing Disc.
Wanruoshi was of secondary concern; though precious in its own right, its importance was comparatively minor. Their primary target this time was the World-Crossing Disc!
Rumors claimed Master Hongfa had ultimately crossed to the other side of the fissure, but it was improbable that he had taken the disc with him, as the object was entirely useless in the world beyond.
Just then, a voice called out behind him. "Commissioner."
Commissioner Cao turned back to see a man dressed in the uniform of an Anyao Arena disciple being led forward. The man appeared haggard and weary, but upon seeing Cao, he forced himself to stand straight. "Commissioner."
Commissioner Cao regarded him for a moment before asking, "How exactly did Old Shen die?"
The Anyao Arena disciple cast his eyes down dejectedly. "I already passed word to him that disciples within Anyao Arena who favored the Linax Federation were plotting an attack against him. I told him to leave immediately, but he refused. He said this was for the best—that only his death would give our side a direct pretext to strike Anyao Arena, leaving the Linax Federation without any viable excuse to intervene.
"I couldn't sway him. The commissioner knows full well that the death of his entire family was tied to the Linax Federation; he had been nursing that burning grudge for a long time." Drawing a sharp breath, he added, "That very night, Old Shen was murdered."
Commissioner Cao fell silent for a long moment, then removed his hat.
Behind him, the team members removed their caps as well, their expressions solemn. Over the years, they had encountered situations like this time and again. Any one of them might meet the same end someday; almost all of them had long since prepared themselves.
"Bring Old Shen's remains back. As for the rest, proceed according to protocol."
"Yes, Commissioner."
The search across the island pressed onward. By noon, a new lead surfaced. Someone brought over a painting—a portrait of Master Hongfa executed by the second-generation arena master when Hongfa departed back then. It had hung inside a secret room within the hall dedicated to the ancestral masters, meticulously preserved without any damage, looking as fresh as if it had just been painted.
Commissioner Cao had two team members assist him in slowly unrolling the scroll. Depicted within was a handsome young Chan practitioner with long hair. He carried a slightly curved cane adorned with a string of glazed-bead lanterns, walking barefoot toward a swath of radiant light.
The expression, garments, and minute details were captured with exquisite precision, faithfully rendering even the slightly faded, threadbare patches on his laundered old robe.
Cao studied the cane for a few moments and quickly recognized it as the Guaiting cane-saber bestowed upon the Chan Sect by the previous imperial dynasty. Aside from that single weapon, the monk carried nothing else upon his person.
The painting itself seemed ordinary, yet it was sufficient proof that Master Hongfa had indeed left behind the World-Crossing Disc, for that artifact had to be housed in a specialized vessel; one could not simply stow it anywhere at will.
Cao lifted his head and ordered, "The item is very likely still on this island. Keep searching—do not miss a single corner!"
***
Meanwhile, a day later, Chen Chuan's airship arrived over Gaoshi Island. Looking down from above, the scenery was truly splendid. The architecture, rich with Outer Ocean character, was refined and distinctive, boasting elegant, rhythmic rooflines. Amidst pines, chrysanthemums, and flowing springs, stone bridges and residences were faintly visible. Scarlet-blossom trees blanketed the entire island, their petals scattering over damp earth and stone paths, presenting a picturesque view at virtually every step.
The liaison had arranged lodging for him in an elevated royal residence. When the Gong family departed back then, they had left all their caretakers behind; they now focused solely on managing their home island, relinquishing everything else.
Although the Great Shun government knew they still harbored their own petty calculations, it had made no deliberate move against them. Keeping that nominal banner intact remained exceptionally useful for the time being.
In another corner of the island, within a smaller manor, an impeccably groomed, bearded elder watched the wind chimes tinkling crisply beneath the eaves and gazed toward the rustic stone lanterns in the distance. He addressed his disciple, Chu An, who stood beside him:
"Gaoshi Island originally held a fissure. Although it has since closed, the island's flora, trees, and water have long been permeated by influences from the other side, undergoing a subtle mutation that exerts a gentle nourishing effect on practitioners. Combined with the natural environment, it yields twice the results with half the effort for fighters.
"Back in the day, many Grand Martial Generals of the royal Gong family cultivated here. You have already absorbed quite a bit of pure substance; at your current stage, you must focus intently on cultivating the mind."
Chu An asked, "Master, by Grand Martial Generals, do you mean martial artists?"
"Indeed," the elder replied. "Only upon reaching that limit does one possess sufficient weight and hold a voice in the world. It has been so from ancient times to the present day. Look at that estate over there—it sits vacant now, for only martial artists are permitted to reside within... hm?"
As he spoke, he suddenly noticed an airship mooring at that very building's anchoring tower. Though its full silhouette was obscured, someone had undoubtedly arrived.
Chu An followed his gaze and ventured tentatively, "Master, has... someone moved in?"
The elder took on a grave expression. "Yes. Anyone permitted to stay in that place must be a martial artist."
He scrutinized the vessel, paused in thought, and spoke with certainty: "That should be an airship belonging to the Ocean Exploration Group. Word has it that over the past few days, the Ocean Exploration Group and Canglong Company have been negotiating with the Blade Masters of the three great overseas arenas. Langtao Arena yielded under pressure from a Great Shun martial artist, while Anyao Arena's Blade Master refused and was consequently purged—both handled by the same man. The one who just arrived is very likely the martial artist responsible."
Hearing this, Chu An felt his heart thumping violently against his ribs, his breath catching in his throat.
There was a martial artist within his family's corporation. Even his father treated that individual with immense deference, and his exceptionally gifted older brother and sister bowed in greeting whenever they crossed paths. The few times Chu An had caught sight of that figure from afar, he had felt a profound, suffocating oppression. He understood all too well the 'weight' his master spoke of.
He stared toward the distant estate with undisguised envy. In this moment, an overwhelming thirst for power surged within him, tangled with a bitter, deep-seated resentment. According to the aptitude evaluation conducted at his birth, the third limit was his absolute ceiling. There was no possibility of advancing further, whereas his older brother and sister might still possess a chance.
It seemed his entire life had been set in stone the moment he was born.
At that instant, stirred by the turbulent emotions within his chest, something indistinct and illusory seemed to ripple across his face, and the corners of his mouth curled upward in a faint, eerie smirk.
The elder was looking off into the distance and failed to notice the fleeting change upon his disciple's face.
***
After disembarking from the airship, Chen Chuan first refreshed himself in a hot spring, then changed into fresh clothes and stepped out onto a spacious stone terrace. Looking down at the pale pink petals drifting across the hillside and the undulating ocean beyond, he felt a wave of ease wash over him.
It was not merely the scenery. From the moment he set foot on the island, he had sensed a unique field that made it remarkably easy to enter a state of deep concentration. It was no wonder the liaison had praised this place as ideal for cultivation.
Reportedly, the residence he occupied had once belonged to a Grand Martial General serving the Gong family. Everything had been constructed to the specifications required by a martial artist, utilizing solid, durable materials.
A brief test confirmed as much; only a place like this could accommodate his rigorous training.
Chen Chuan walked to the center of the terrace, which was arranged comfortably. Adjusting his breathing, he channeled the Heaven and Earth Furnace breathing technique, slowly assuming the posture of the Grand Radiant Light Forms amid deep, measured breaths.
Because this was no longer his first attempt, he maintained his focus for more than two hours of unbroken cultivation before gradually drawing in his stance and exhaling a plume of scalding breath.
Just as he prepared to head inside to rest and recover, his senses suddenly stirred. His steps halted, and he looked up into the sky, feeling as though something up there had been severed and sealed off.
*Was that... the gap in the Ring of the World closing?*
He recalled Principal Yao mentioning that the breach in the Ring of the World would likely be mended by early November. The timing aligned perfectly.
If that were the case, he wondered whether it would affect his cultivation.
Withdrawing his gaze, he strode briskly back into the living hall. He expanded his biological field to isolate the space from any prying eyes, then drew the Xuejun Saber and slashed cleanly through the air. As the blade sliced past, a dazzling brilliance instantly spilled from within the cut.
However, he could sense that after just a brief moment, the fissure began showing signs of gradually contracting. Where the fissure could previously remain open for an hour or two, it would now likely hold for only ten to twenty minutes at most. In that regard, the sealing of the Ring of the World's breach indeed posed some minor hindrance.
Still, it was of little consequence—at most requiring a bit more effort on his part. But...
Chen Chuan held the Xuejun Saber horizontally before him, running his fingers across the spine of the blade. Previously, he had assumed the Xuejun Saber could only cleave open fissures because of the breach in the Ring of the World. Yet even now, it could still achieve the same feat. It seemed that whatever had fused into the Xuejun Saber was far from ordinary.
Chapter 817