Cast Bait Draws Movement

What was unloaded from the airship was that yaogui's weapon. Because the hammer itself was quite massive and troublesome to carry around, Chen Chuan had temporarily left it at the fort after retrieving it from the dense forest, then asked the garrison to transport it back together later. Loading this thing onto the airship had taken genuine effort; they had even dispatched two third-limit fighters for the task. Yet the two hadn't worked for nothing. Both would receive a handsome reward from Chen Chuan, though that was hardly the main point—what truly mattered was that this gave them a chance to step into the view of Chen Chuan, a military consultant and martial artist. Back at the base, the fighters in the garrison had competed fiercely just to secure the spot. As the hammer was lowered, the squad members on the lawn caught sight of it. Exclamations broke out one after another. Could a human truly wield such a weapon? In an instant, they crowded forward to take a closer look. Yuan Qiuyuan stepped forward and circled the hammer, which stood at least half as tall as a man. "Good grief, the weapons the Captain collects are getting more outrageous by the day. Who knows what else he'll collect next... Ow..." Before he could finish, Qin Qingque nudged him with an elbow. Realizing his slip, he immediately shut his mouth. This was one of the Captain's rare personal hobbies. He had heard from his family before that this might be related to some special circumstance unique to martial artists—definitely not something to joke about lightly. Chen Chuan glanced at the giant hammer resting on the ground, feeling deeply satisfied. His haul from the Melded Lands was finally complete. He signed the delivery receipt sent to his boundary credential. The deliveryman offered him a crisp salute and took the lift platform back up. Chen Chuan looked toward the giant hammer. Rather than stepping up to lift it by hand, he released his outward force field. The giant hammer floated steadily off the lift platform, drifting alongside him as he walked toward the villa. The squad members had seen him levitate cups and platters before, but those were nothing compared to this colossal hammer. Moreover, Chen Chuan had his hands tucked into his trouser pockets, walking with an effortless stride without the slightest strain. In that moment, they gained a profound understanding of what a martial artist truly was. Chen Chuan led the giant hammer into the villa. Fortunately, the collection room was spacious enough. This residence had been built specifically for a martial artist in the first place, and it had later been remodeled to his specifications, so not only was there room to fit it, but the doorway was wide enough to bring it inside. After opening the door to the collection room, he set it gently down onto the mat prepared beforehand. Then he walked to the side, picked up the long mace, inserted it into the hollow section of the handle, and twisted it until it locked into place with a sharp click. Stepping back two paces, he inspected it, nodding with great satisfaction. Now it was complete. He wandered around the room for a few turns, picking up several weapons to handle and examine before setting them back down. Only after quite some time did he emerge and head downstairs. The squad members could all tell he was in high spirits. Each of them thought to themselves that on future missions, they ought to keep an eye out for any weapons worth collecting. Once the meal was finished, Chen Chuan briefly mentioned that there might be missions coming up soon and told everyone to be prepared. Afterward, he returned to his upstairs office, opened his boundary credential, and had Andun retrieve a file from the Disposal Bureau. Inside were several investigative reports regarding Green Source Ecology. Xu Chan had previously been responsible for keeping tabs on them. With the help of some acquaintances in the Lower City, he had achieved some initial results, but digging deeper had run into substantial obstacles. The company operated with extreme caution. The moment trouble arose, they immediately severed ties and threw out a scapegoat to take the fall. During one of Xu Chan's operations, he had actually caught a crucial lead, yet they had still managed to slip away, not hesitating to sacrifice a senior executive to do so. Furthermore, this corporation had little entanglement with the Municipal Council, at most making scattered political donations without any specific target. He browsed through the company's current business operations. In the past, its primary products had been biochemical filters, non-toxic insecticides, and agricultural fertilizers. Presently, its best-selling items were insect-repelling flowers and pest repellents. Especially after Fumu's split and multiplication, Center City's environment had gradually mutated, yet business for this company had only boomed. And while explicit proof was lacking, it was virtually certain that Green Source Ecology backed the Plague Gang, which conducted all manner of illicit experiments in the Lower City. That gang also held dominion over the deepest reaches of the Lower City. He had considered previously that if that entity were hiding down there, it would require a suitable hiding place. The most suspicious suspect was the Plague Gang. If so, Green Source Ecology was likely entangled in it as well—or, thinking bolder still, Green Source Ecology had been a participant from the very start. This was no groundless paranoia, but an event of immense probability. It was impossible for those mega-corporations to have no contact with entities from the other side, especially given the presence of the Convergence faction; it was practically unavoidable. Looking at Green Source Ecology's logo on the light screen—a green leaf shaped like a slanted, upturned eye—his gaze grew profound. In this Operation Ebb Tide, he intended to sweep away as much of this filth as possible. A few days later, on June twentieth—a mid-month rest day—patrol cars suddenly flooded the streets throughout Jibei Dao's Center City. It appeared they were searching for someone, instantly plunging the atmosphere into high tension. Only a few hours later did unofficial rumors begin to spread: Speaker Quan, who had been detained at the Disposal Bureau, was diagnosed with an extremely rare petrification disease, suspected to have been triggered by long-term consumption of a certain drug. With his condition critical and the Disposal Bureau lacking the facilities to resuscitate him, he was being transferred to an emergency care center. However, during the transfer, the armed convoy was ambushed by armed militants of unknown origin, which included several powerful fighters hired from the wanted list. They successfully snatched the prisoner away, but under the onslaught of arriving armed reinforcements, they failed to escape the city and ultimately retreated into the Lower City along a tunnel. A mere ten minutes after the incident occurred, Chen Chuan received the report sent by the Disposal Bureau. He gave only a simple reply: "Understood." After ending the call, he immediately issued orders to seal off all major intersections between the Upper and Lower Cities, requiring anyone passing through to undergo rigorous inspection. Next, he sent messages to several key teams instructing them to proceed according to plan. Once everything was arranged, he contacted the Government Affairs Department and dispatched a notification: "Operation Ebb Tide is officially underway." Even so, he knew results would not come so quickly. It required patience—just like waiting for all the dishes to be served before picking up one's chopsticks. Before this, he had been busy laying out the plan. During this waiting period, he could take the opportunity to attend to other matters—the most critical of which was his own cultivation. Transcending all hindrances, completely unconstrained—that was his ultimate pursuit. His immediate objective was to advance toward the realm of the Longevity View. Only upon reaching this realm would his condition never regress, allowing him to maintain peak form indefinitely so long as energy was not lacking, while simultaneously elevating his strength to an even higher plane. According to Guardian You's personal notes, he had attained this realm, and the yaogui he transformed into had left a remarkably deep impression on Chen Chuan. Even then, that monster probably wielded less than half the prowess of his prime. And after mastering the two Grand Forms, he was undeniably closer to this state. Having reached this stage, acquiring knowledge on the subject was naturally something Wuyi Academy could no longer provide; after all, the fighters cultivated there essentially stopped at the fourth limit. From what he understood, such materials could be obtained through the Martial Artist Council, which maintained relevant records on its public platform. At this moment, he logged into the platform and searched through it, only to realize he could not find what he needed here for the time being. To access these archives required at least a Tier 4 agreement, whereas he had signed his agreement less than a year ago. Upgrading an agreement level required a minimum term; according to theoretical minimums, it would take at least three years, unless he possessed a special authorization from the Supreme Advisory Panel. The state had indeed set up numerous barriers against advancing further in cultivation. This was understandable. Resources were limited, and the higher one climbed, the narrower the path became. If everyone pushed their way in, no one would get a share. Furthermore, multiple factions existed within the higher echelons, and none would pour resources into someone from an opposing faction, resulting in exceptionally strict evaluations. Moreover, under normal progression, it was impossible for someone at his stage to even consider the realm of the Longevity View. Solidifying his current state and advancing step by step would already be considered excellent. Thus, this avenue was temporarily closed to him. It seemed he would need to find another way. The Purist Faction...? Chen Chuan pondered for a moment, then shook his head. The Purist Faction had only just received the two Grand Forms not long ago. Obtaining more from them in a short span of time would hardly be easy. From his discussions with Mr. Zhuan, he knew that varying opinions existed within the Purist Faction as well. Ever since the incident with Zhao Zhenye, they had grown relatively cautious about many matters, especially the transmission of secret arts. Under the most optimistic scenario, even if the faction's senior leadership agreed, he would have to wait for quite a while. They would very likely send someone over to vet and evaluate him, which might invite a great deal of trouble. So that path was equally difficult in the near term. Yet aside from those two, another avenue remained. Namely, the Wansong Commission Agency. This firm billed itself as a commission agency offering private services for martial artists, capable of providing all kinds of information and items a martial artist might require. If so, they ought to have cultivation methods and essential knowledge as well. After weighing his options, he tapped the contact signal on his boundary credential. The call connected almost instantly, and that same gentle female voice came through: "Hello, Mr. Chen. Wansong Company at your service. How may we assist you today?" Chen Chuan got straight to the point: "I need stage-specific cultivation methods and secret arts for martial artists. Can your company provide them?" "Mr. Chen, the items you require are indeed among our company's service offerings. May I ask which stage of cultivation methods you are looking for?" Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow. "You can provide any stage?" The gentle female voice answered, "Mr. Chen, you can have complete confidence in our company's capabilities. We can provide mainstream cultivation methods, and we can also arrange an instructor to guide your practice." ...... ......