The next day, despite going to bed late, Chen Chuan still woke at his usual ti. It didn’t affect him much. He just used his Breathing Technique a few tis to guide his energy and quickly brought himself to peak condition.
Starting today, he planned to temporarily set aside his Saber Technique practice at the training hall. Instead, he would follow He Xiaoxing’s guidance to correct his body’s shortcomings, as this was the foundation of everything.
Only once the foundation was repaired and reinforced could a proper structure be built upon it.
He trained quietly in his dorm for over twenty days, correcting his previous weaknesses and oversights one by one.
Besides his own efforts, Cheng Zitong also ca over to check on him and discuss his training issues. As an instructor, Cheng Zitong’s experience was far greater than his. Even if he couldn’t imdiately identify a problem, he could offer valuable reference points once the issue was known.
Over these past few days, Chen Chuan felt he had made great gains. Although he had no way to make a precise comparison, he could sense that he was a cut above his forr self.
The most direct evidence was that his Mutated Organization had grown stronger after nearly a month of training. It could now clearly withstand more damage and generate more power.
He walked over to his desk, picked up a notebook, and began flipping through it.
It had been mailed ten days after his eting with He Xiaoxing. There was no return address, but according to Cheng Zitong, He Xiaoxing must have already reached a new location.
The moderately thick notebook was filled with notes on what he needed to pay attention to in his future training. Not a single sentence was wasted; it was all practical, valuable information.
Take the Breathing thod of Qi Breathing for self-examination, for example. The notebook listed nurous special techniques, each one tailored to a different situation.
Many people used the Breathing thod of Qi Breathing, and it certainly contained the accumulated experience of many predecessors. However, figuring out which technique was useful in a specific situation was a matter of either finding it yourself or having a teacher tell you. He Xiaoxing’s thods were clearly an effective prescription.
Before he started checking himself with these thods, he hadn’t even realized he had so many problems. With the help of the techniques in the notebook, he identified each of his flaws one by one.
Cheng Zitong had told him that the First Limit was known in the old days as "Reinforced Bridge and Fra Beam." But when broken down, it was actually two distinct stages.
The first stage focused on strengthening the Mutated Tendons and Ligants. The second stage involved having the established network of Mutated Tendons and Ligants continue to perate the bones, eventually even altering so of the bones and muscles themselves.
The skeleton provides the support for many Force Technique movents, and different Force Techniques require different bones to be reinforced. However, his Force Technique was destined to strengthen his entire skeleton, a process that would likely take much longer.
He wasn’t worried about that, however. In truth, others had far less ti available for training than he did.
Most training required a recovery period, forcing people to train intermittently and for short durations each day. Furthermore, those who used drugs for stimulation needed ti to slowly condition their bodies.
But he didn’t. Any damage could be shouldered by his Second Self. As long as the Second Self could bear the burden, he could continue training indefinitely. In an extre case, he could even cut down on sleep, though that wasn’t necessary for now.
Just then, he heard distant clamor and cheers drifting in through his window. The Class B student tournants were currently underway, set to continue from the last third of the month until the end of the year. The actual semifinals and finals, however, would only begin after the New Year.
Of course, these were all for Class B students; A-class students didn’t participate in such public competitions. If the skills of Class B students leaned toward conventional sports, then what A-class students learned was pure martial prowess.
Wei Chang’an hadn’t been wrong. The path of an A-class student was designed to produce Law Enforcers. From his conversations with Cheng Zitong, however, he got the sense that these students also served so other purpose for the Upper Layer. ’It’s just that my current status is too low to have access to that level.’
’This brought to mind the "Unlimited Defense Certificate." He noted that one of its functions was to participate in law enforcent when the country required it. It was very likely that obtaining this certificate would open a channel to the Upper Layer.’
’Whether for the certificate’s inherent benefits or the potential upward mobility it offered, I’m determined to get my hands on it.’
After that day, he had looked into it further. The certificate was actually divided into three classes: A, B, and C. The A Certificate was a lifelong permit, but that was out of reach. It was granted directly by the state, not earned through an exam. When the Upper Layer decided to bestow one, the "test" was rely a formality.
As for the B Certificate, as long as one t the requirents, they could apply and take the test at any ti. It was valid for ten years, after which it had to be renewed by retaking the test. The difficulty was relatively high.
The C Certificate was less difficult to obtain and was tested for every two years, but it was only valid for two years. Furthermore, if an individual failed to obtain a B Certificate on two consecutive attempts, every subsequent test would incur an exorbitant examination fee, which would increase with each additional attempt.
’This ans that if the scions of powerful families want to hold a permit, they either have to earn a B Certificate or repeatedly pay up for a C Certificate. If a family has multiple mbers holding C Certificates, the investnt would be colossal. It seems like a form of backdoor tax.’
Chen Chuan thought, ’Either don’t bother taking the test at all, or go for the B Certificate. The C Certificate is a waste of money, not to ntion its limited use for an individual. The short validity period ans that as soon as soone gets it, they’re probably already scrambling to profit from it or secure an escape route.’
’I can imagine the obstacles. If I want to avoid going down the sa path as Shen Zheng, I’ll need more than just martial strength. It’ll require a lot of work behind the scenes, leveraging every resource I can.’
’Fortunately, I still have enough ti to prepare. But martial strength is ultimately the top priority. I need to raise my First Limit to its absolute peak before considering anything else.’
After looking through the notebook for a while, he set it down and returned to his training.
Around noon, Cheng Zitong ca to the dorm to find him. "It’s almost the New Year," he said. "I was originally thinking you should focus on your own adjustnts and I’d find you a commissioned task next year. But soone just pulled so strings and ca to with a request."
"I’ve looked it over. As long as the person handling it is sensible, the mission isn’t actually very dangerous. So I brought it for you to consider. If you think you can do it, take it. If you’re too busy, I’ll turn it down for you."
Chen Chuan smiled. "Even if you hadn’t co to , Instructor, I was planning to find you. My training requires a lot of dicine, and I can’t just live off my savings."
Cheng Zitong chuckled. "It won’t co to that. The academy definitely won’t short you on this year’s scholarship. You were featured in the papers this sester, after all. Who else would they reward? Anyway, that’s practically a sure thing, so I won’t dwell on it. Since you’ve decided to accept, let’s talk about the mission."
He took a stack of files from his briefcase. "Take a look."
Chen Chuan took the file and flipped through a few pages, a look of surprise on his face. "So this stuff is real? I always thought it was just late-night horror stories or a gimmick cinemas ca up with."
Cheng Zitong smiled. "The stories get distorted and exaggerated as they spread, but there’s a grain of truth to them. If you take this mission, you’ll be able to witness it for yourself. I’ve only ever seen it once."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Instructor, I’m quite interested in this. I’ll go take a look today."
Cheng Zitong said, "Then be careful. Don’t let your guard down." With that, he stood up. "Things are busy at the end of the year, so I have to go. The contact’s Na Card is in the file. Call the manager yourself."
Chen Chuan agreed, then stood and saw Cheng Zitong out. He returned and read through the file once more from beginning to end to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. Then he took out the Na Card, went to the public phone outside, and dialed the number on it.
The call connected quickly. After a brief conversation, the person on the other end said they would send a car to pick him up. So, he went to the cafeteria for lunch, then returned to his room to wash up and change his clothes. Finally, he took the Snow Monarch Blade down from its rack.
After a mont’s thought, he went to his desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out the "Martial Halberd" pistol Cheng Zitong had given him a few days prior. He then took out a box of ammunition, loaded the bullets into the magazine one by one, and slid it into the pistol.
He didn’t put the gun in a holster, however, instead placing it directly into his shoulder bag. For him, the pistol was just a backup; his main combat strength ca from the Snow Monarch Blade.
Once he was ready, he left the dormitory building, saber in hand, and walked out the academy gates. A car was already parked in the square ahead. It honked as soon as he appeared.
He walked over. A car door opened and a man got out, bowing obsequiously. "Mr. Chen? Manager Huang sent to pick you up."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Thank you for coming."
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all. Please, get in."
Chen Chuan got in the car and fastened his seatbelt. The vehicle started up and headed toward South City.
Aside from the city center, South City was the most prosperous area in the entire tropolis, ho to more than half of Yangzhi City’s population. Most of the city’s wealthy were concentrated here, giving it a very different, far more affluent atmosphere than North City.
After about a twenty-minute drive, the car stopped at a place called the Lanxiang Cinema. Chen Chuan could see a massive advertisent on its facade: the headshot of a woman in heavy makeup, her eyes closed as she blew on a dandelion, its seeds scattering outward. It had a very artistic feel.
The cinema was quite large. The building wasn’t particularly tall, but judging by the main entrance alone, its facade stretched for at least three hundred ters.
The driver drove directly through the cinema’s arched gateway and parked in an internal lot. The door opened, and Chen Chuan stepped out, Snow Monarch Blade in hand. He straightened his clothes and surveyed his surroundings.
The pedestrians milling about inside the cinema couldn’t help but stare, their eyes wide, as they saw him. A few security guards also involuntarily focused their gazes on him, their expressions a mixture of tension, curiosity, and astonishnt.
They all knew that anyone who could walk around openly carrying a weapon like that had to be from Wuyi Academy and possess a Weapon Permit.
The driver, however, scurried out first. He puffed out his chest and announced, "This is Manager Huang’s guest! Make way, make way!" Then he gestured respectfully to Chen Chuan. "Mr. Chen, this way, please."
...
...
User Comments
0 comments from readers