Book 3, Chapter 33: Foreign Object

Midway through drawing his saber again, Chen Chuan stopped once more, because he remembered something: The university forbade students from bringing any item that could cause domain interference or generate disturbances into public spaces.

Such items were basically all unique organisms and collective entities. Supernatural beings, rituals, and the rest were all classified as abnormal objects generating disturbances.

Chen Chuan didn’t know what the thing was. Even though the dorm rooms were considered students’ private spaces, the university management was still going to step in if the interference ended up being significant. Chen Chuan didn’t want to have his assessment points deducted because of it.

Hence, after some thinking, he didn’t draw his saber again. Instead, he decided to first study Mr. Zheng’s technique, then once the session was over, he could go somewhere else and figure out what the object was.

An hour later, Hongfu announced, “This is the end of the demonstration. If you would like to extend your time, please increase your assessment points.”

The hologram flickered and disappeared. Then, the training room went back to normal.

Chen Chuan recalled the lesson. Mr. Zheng’s saber technique was quite interesting. He could activate his mutated tissue and breathing technique just by using the saber techniques.

There had to be multiple stances included in this saber technique because of such an effect. From a training perspective, this was much more advanced than the Heavy Slash Force, though the latter was a saber technique made for combat, while this one was made with the focus on training.

However, if there was a way to use it during training, then there had to be a way to use it in combat too. Chen Chuan began looking forward to learning under Mr. Zheng.

He walked out of his training room and cast a glance at his second self. After the fight with Xiongjian Yi, he could sense that the overlap time with his second self had increased, and his second self was also catching up to him in terms of strength much faster than before.

Combat remained the most direct way for him to resonate with his second self. Since he had accepted the Resolution Department’s offer to support and train him, he was sure that he was going to have more of such opportunities.

Chen Chuan cleaned himself up a little before leaving his room with the Frost King Saber and exiting the Arcane Palace. After some consideration, he got onto the tram and headed straight to the rural area where Wu Ruo once lived. The place was practically deserted and had no tall buildings around it, so no one could see him.

After entering a collapsed building, Chen Chuan drew the Frost King Saber without hesitation. Right away, his second self began blurring out intensely.

Chen Chuan positioned the saber horizontally before himself and checked it, but found nothing abnormal.

However...

He put his hand on the back of the blade and moved it slowly. Crystalline threads showed up. They slowly spread out until they covered the entire blade. But that was not enough for them. They tried to expand outward.

The threads were like silk threads, but also like drifting white mist. After floating around for a while, they began giving off the aesthetics of clouds. At the same time, the attack on his second self became even stronger.

Chen Chuan could sense his overlap time with his second self dropping as quickly as when he was in close contact with the powerful supernatural beings.

What was going on?

It didn’t seem like a supernatural being, but it was also clearly attacking him continuously. Chen Chuan was certain that if no special way to bind it was used and it leaked out, normal people around him wouldn’t be able to survive for long.

In just a while, the white threads floated up and tried drifting away. The attacks were getting stronger by the second. Due to the interference, Chen Chuan couldn’t even use his Realm Pass anymore.

He couldn’t let this continue. Just as he was thinking about how to contain the threads, the Frost King Saber sensed his intention and trembled. Then, all the white threads returned to the saber. In just a short while, there was no trace of them left, and his second self stopped blurring out.

Chen Chuan checked the Frost King Saber. The red line on the back of the blade looked like crimson water, and he believed that the threads had merged into his saber after he pierced Xiongjian Yi’s body.

He didn’t know what the threads were, but he could sense that they were good for the saber.

He had been trying to strengthen his connection with the saber, and he could tell that this helped. Clearly, the mutated tissue in his saber had grown after receiving some sort of stimulation.

Also, while it was clear that the threads had something to do with Xiongjian Yi, based on how quickly the Gong family had shot the man, they might be involved too.

It was likely that all of the Gong family’s actions were tied to the threads, which meant that they were really important. If that were the case, the case might not be over.

No matter what, since the threads had come to him, there was no reason for him to return them to the Gong family.

Chen Chuan resheathed the saber and left.

He didn’t return to the Arcane Palace. Since he had come out, he decided to visit the teacher Ni Qianqian had recommended to him.

Before going, he checked the address and found that the man was located at Motie Mountain, one of the high-end residential areas in Central City. Most high-ranking government officials, senior company executives, and cultural icons lived there. This meant that he was someone with a high status.

Chen Chuan called the teacher using the number Ni Qianqian had given him, though the one who answered the phone sounded like the butler. The man stated that he could go over now, so Chen Chuan hopped onto the tram and headed to Motie Mountain.

***

A long-haired young man with colored contacts walked out of one of the Resolution Department’s stations in Central City. When he arrived on the square, he looked around. Upon finding that no one was present to bother him, he contacted someone through his Realm Pass.

A moment passed before the other person answered, and he asked coldly, “What is it, An Cheng?”

“Did you hear? That new guy cleared his first operation,” An Cheng said.

“Did he? So?”

“Nothing. But the department seems to value him a lot. I’m just reminding you that we have another competitor now.”

“Do you know his background?”

An Cheng smiled and sent Chen Chuan’s public information to him.

Once the person read it, he asked in surprise, “A civilian student?”

“Don’t underestimate him. If he managed to get recommended to Central City despite being a civilian student, he’s not as simple as he looks,” An Cheng cautioned him.

“I don’t need you telling me that. Of course I won’t underestimate him. The Resolution Department doesn’t make misjudgments. Otherwise, what would we be? Besides, our original statuses aren’t that useful in Central City. We’re no different from civilian students here,” the person said.

“As long as you’re aware, that’s enough. You know that while the Resolution Department might look like they’re distributing resources equally, if some people get a bit more, the others don’t get anything. Someone who gets a lot in the beginning... could get even more later on,” An Cheng pointed out.

“You’re telling me these things because you have a plan, don’t you? What do you intend to do?”

“Here’s my plan. Let’s share information. I’m sure that you already know a couple of people after being in the Resolution Department for so long. If you have a chance, be more proactive. If any opportunities arise, let’s grab them. Then, we’ll decide how to distribute them among ourselves. We don’t want to fight among ourselves and end up letting someone else benefit.

“Let’s first squeeze him out of the competition. What do you think?”

The other person fell silent, seemingly in thought. After a while, he said, “Sure.”

There was a limited amount of opportunities. If they took more of them, then Chen Chuan would have less. Forget about whether they were capable or not. If he and An Cheng kept carrying out the operations and doing them well, the higher-ups would get used to them being the ones sent out. In time, they would achieve their goal of ostracizing and suppressing Chen Chuan behind the shadows.

An Cheng laughed. This was fair competition. If Chen Chuan could do it, he was welcome to fight them for the opportunities to show off.

They had arrived half a semester earlier and appeared to have the initiative, which made things unfair, but fairness was just a myth. It had invisible boundaries. If they couldn’t cross those boundaries, they would end up trapped within their circles.

An Cheng had managed to escape from his circle by coming to Central City. Now, he wanted to climb to a circle higher up the social ladder, and he was ready to use everything at his disposal to get up there.

As for those in his way, he would get rid of them.

“Didn’t you forget something, though?” the other person asked.

“What is it?” An Cheng asked back.

“No matter how hard we try, the Resolution Department will only give true importance to those who reach the Third Limit. They’re the ones who received all the resources and opportunities. If he reaches the Third Limit before us, all that we’ve done will be for nothing.”

An Cheng laughed at that. “Don’t worry. I heard through the grapevine that he doesn’t have a lot of potential. Even though I don’t know the exact number, the existence of such rumors already tells a lot.

“Besides, we came here half a semester earlier than he did. If he manages to outperform us, then we should just forget it and admit defeat.”

When the person heard his subtle mockery, he said, “I hope you’ll get to remain this confident.”

Then, he ended the call.

***

Chen Chuan sat in the tram for more than an hour before he reached Motie Mountain. When he stepped out, he saw manors and tall buildings in the distance. The buildings were all made with a harmonious mix of modern and traditional styles. The area, too, had much more greenery compared to the other districts, while the light ribbons were much more subtle and soft.

All sorts of flowers were planted by the side of the road, and the air was refreshing. Everything he saw, regardless of whether it was the clean streets, the shop lots by the side, or the layout of the public facilities, adhered to the principle of aesthetics, making the whole place pleasing to the eye.

Upon learning that he was coming over, the teacher sent a car to pick him up. They skipped through layers of inspections and went straight to a manor by a lake. Then, Chen Chuan was brought into a classically decorated living room to wait.

Soon, a handsome man, who didn’t even seem to be in his thirties, came in. He wore a traditional scholar’s robe with his hair tied into a bun and pinned with a sapphire hair tie. He gave off a cold, aloof demeanor, which made him look like an aristocratic scholar who had traveled from the past to the modern times.

Based on his movements, Chen Chuan could tell that he was a powerful martial artist, though there were certain parts about him that didn’t seem to be coordinating well with the rest of his body.

The young man turned to him and asked, “Are you surprised?”

Chen Chuan could tell that while the young man appeared aloof, he was actually really sensitive, so he answered frankly, “Yes. I thought that you’d be someone old. I wasn’t expecting you to be so young, Sir.”

The young man’s expression eased somewhat, and he said, “While I’m not that much older than you are, you don’t have to worry about me not being able to teach you. Unless, of course, you refuse to put your heart and soul into learning or are simply not talented.”

Chen Chuan received a notification on his Realm Pass. He checked it and found that it was a brief description about the young man.

His name was Cao Guiqi, and he was only twenty-six years old. Just as he said, he wasn’t that much older than Chen Chuan, but if the Resolution Department had recommended him to help Chen Chuan reach the Third Limit, then he had to be at least at that level.

“Sit.” Cao Guiqi motioned for him to take a seat before sitting down himself.

Then, he said calmly, “I graduated from the main campus, so you can refer to me as Senior Cao. I owe the Resolution Department a favor, which is why I agreed to teach you.

“I’ll help you reach the Third Limit, and that’s the extent of my relationship with you. You don’t have to treat me as your teacher.”