Celestial Human Diagram

After ending the call with Counselor Pei, Chen Chuan poured himself a drink and returned to the sofa, replaying today’s battle in his mind.

The actress wasn’t actually weak. In fact, bolstered by the abnormality, her frontal assault was nearly unstoppable.

However, he had managed to win so quickly not just because he understood the abnormality, but also with the help of his Spiritual Power. It allowed him to rapidly combine past experience with on-the-spot judgment to grasp the crux of the matter.

’Spiritual Power is more helpful than I imagined,’ he thought, ’and that’s even before I’ve learned any specific methods for using it. I’m really looking forward to what comes next.’

But for now, he needed to master what he had already learned.

Over the next few days, he continued to patiently hone his foundation.

His mornings were dedicated to the Refining Method, while his afternoons were for cultivating Essence Blood and Divine Constant, along with some necessary exercises to maintain his condition. At night, he used the Breathing Technique in place of sleep, and he took a special medication every two or three days.

On March fifth, a notification from Counselor Pei suddenly appeared on his Realm Token.

After receiving it, he got ready, left the house, and drove to the same office building that housed the training program. He took the elevator straight up.

Stepping into the training hall, he saw that there were more people this time—about fifty or sixty of them. Most were young, and many were the same young military officers he had seen before.

Including him, there were about five Third Limit Fighters.

Two of them looked very experienced, but the other two lacked the sharp aura of a Fighter, appearing reserved instead.

’It’s likely,’ he mused, ’that these two didn’t come up through orthodox combat training. They probably reached this level by being taught by private instructors within their families.’

After all, it was possible with enough talent, ample resources, and a skilled teacher.

The training equipment he had seen last time had been moved aside. In its place were rows of soft cushions, slightly raised off the floor, allowing one to sit cross-legged or with their legs down. In front of each cushion was a low table bearing a cast-bronze Incense Burner.

"Captain Chen," someone called out to him from behind.

Chen Chuan turned to see it was Ding Vein. He acknowledged him and walked over. Ding Vein came up, shook his hand, and said happily, "Captain Chen, I knew you’d be invited today."

Then he added with regret, "Unfortunately, I only have a ten-day leave. I have to go back in three days, so I can only get three days of instruction at most. I’m treating you all to a meal before I go. You have to be there."

Chen Chuan said, "Just tell me when. I’ll definitely be there."

As they spoke, he glanced over and saw Fang Zhixin talking with a young military officer. He didn’t see Xiaojin this time, though.

After a few minutes of conversation, he sensed something and looked toward the front. Everyone else had fallen silent as Chen Bitong emerged from a room in the back.

"Teacher Chen," the crowd greeted him respectfully.

Chen Bitong nodded in acknowledgment. He walked to the front of the hall and addressed the crowd, "Since almost everyone is here, let’s begin. Third Limit Fighters, stay." He turned to Fang Zhixin and said, "Zhixin, take the rest to the next room."

Fang Zhixin nodded. "Yes, Teacher." He then led the non-Third Limit Fighters to the adjoining room. Once they were gone, Chen Bitong said to Chen Chuan and the others, "Everyone, please be seated."

The group dispersed, each choosing a spot. Chen Chuan also went to a nearby cushion and sat down.

After everyone was settled, Chen Bitong said, "You are the first members of this training program. If anyone falls behind or ends up at the bottom, I will replace you immediately with someone more suitable."

He then looked at the few Third Limit Fighters, including Chen Chuan. "Most of you have your own instructors who have taught you how to cultivate your Fighting Skill. They inevitably know you and your specific progress better than I do, so I won’t meddle in those matters."

"What I will primarily teach you is how to fight the large creatures of the Merging Land, how to engage the remnants of the Old Imperial Family, and how to deal with those entities from the other side."

He said, "Through my efforts over the past few days, I have obtained a permit from the City Government. Here in the Weiguang District, we can connect directly to the Fumu, allowing us to mobilize the greatest possible simulation resources."

As he spoke, the surrounding scenery began to change. The training hall dissolved away, the sky grew dim, and snowflakes started to drift down. Even the temperature dropped noticeably.

Chen Chuan realized this was a near-perfect recreation of the Merging Land; at least, he couldn’t tell the difference.

And...

He saw a new line appear on his Realm Token, which would allow him to monitor the Activation Index.

’Is it possible for a simulation to generate Activation too?’ he wondered.

Chen Bitong stood before them, his background now a vast, open wilderness. He said, "No active or inactive consciousness body can compare to the Fumu. It is the most powerful being in Central City, a vital node of the World Ring. Certain things simulated here will be virtually indistinguishable from their real-world counterparts."

Chen Chuan knew that this kind of Domain resource was extremely difficult to obtain. It seemed Chen Bitong’s contact with government officials, and even his close relationship with Chairman Quan, wasn’t purely for personal gain.

Chen Bitong continued, "I must warn you, this training carries a certain degree of risk. Some entities, even when simulated through a Biological Domain, can manifest for real. It might only be a part of them, not the whole, but if they do appear, they must be eliminated promptly and safely."

"If you find it too difficult or feel you can’t meet my requirements, you can quit early. There are other students waiting for these spots. You’d be making room for them."

The Fighters sitting below all wore serious expressions. Not one of them chose to withdraw.

Chen Bitong waited a moment before saying, "Since no one is quitting, we will begin now."

In what felt like a brief daze, Chen Chuan suddenly realized that everyone around him had vanished, except for Chen Bitong in front of him. He got up from the cushion.

Chen Bitong said to him, "I am currently using the Fumu’s Domain Power to connect to each of you individually. The me you see now is also a simulation of myself, nearly identical to the real me. This allows me to provide one-on-one instruction."

"Captain Chen, come with me now." With that, he turned and started walking in a specific direction.

Chen Chuan glanced around, then strode after him.

Chen Bitong spoke as he walked, "To facilitate the training, this simulation will recreate a scenario I experienced during a garrison defense battle. To conserve resources, it will primarily focus on manifesting enemies for you to confront."

"I will offer some guidance during the process, and I will grade your performance afterward."

"The graded report will serve as a crucial reference for the garrison’s Upper Layer. Future distributions of special medications and promotions in rank will all be evaluated based on this report."

Just then, the ground beside them suddenly cracked open. A massive bulge formed, and then a bug with huge mandibles crawled out. Its sharp forelimbs scrabbled constantly, heaving its body forward. Nearly transparent sacs were visible under its belly, while its body was encased in a tough, uneven, dark-gray shell.

A foul stench of soil and humus emanated from it.

Although they were only two or three meters away and the creature had emerged almost right next to them, Chen Bitong remained perfectly calm.

He said, "You should have learned about some of the creatures from the Merging Land at the garrison. This is a Rot Worm. Its proper name is ’Wei’s Earth Erosion Insect.’ In the Merging Land, they are the greatest threat to our garrisons."

"They can travel rapidly underground and secrete a highly specialized corrosive fluid. This fluid can eat through concrete, building materials, and metal in a short time. Swarms of Rot Worms can cause buildings to collapse and the ground to subside."

"But they have difficulty turning, and they have one huge weakness." As he spoke, he casually reached out and pushed, instantly flipping the two-meter-long bug onto its back.

"The sacs under its body are where it stores the corrosive fluid and incubates its larvae. So once it’s flipped over, its own instincts prevent it from righting itself."

Chen Chuan’s eyes flickered. He could tell that Chen Bitong had used an incredibly advanced technique. It involved a unique method of exerting force; with just a single point of contact, he had toppled the entire bug.

While they were talking, more and more bulging holes appeared in the ground, and a dense swarm of Rot Worms crawled out.

Chen Bitong seemed to pay them no mind, simply leading Chen Chuan forward. If any of the bugs got close, he would casually push it over, leaving a trail of over a hundred Rot Worms lying on their backs.

Before long, he stopped. A garrison fortress had appeared ahead of them.

"Captain Chen, your main target this time is over there."

Chen Chuan looked up and saw that the fortress gates were wide open, as if they had been severely damaged. Standing atop them was a figure clad in full Armor, wearing a metal faceplate, and holding a long spear.

It reminded him of the Iron Demon he had seen before.

"This is a remnant of the Old Imperial Family, an opponent I defeated once in a defense battle."

"This person used Old Imperial Family technology to undergo a targeted Activation. His military rank is higher than the Iron Demon you encountered; he is a Captain of the Imperial Guard, and his degree of Fusion is also higher. If the Iron Demon, based on your description, still had some discernible flaws, this person can already coordinate his body perfectly."

Chen Bitong looked at him. "Are you confident you can handle a target like this?"

Chen Chuan stared upward, his voice calm. "The Iron Demon was no match for me. Neither is this person."

Chen Bitong said, "Then I’ll give you ten minutes. Defeat him within ten minutes."

Chen Chuan replied, "I won’t need that long."

He thrust the Snow Monarch Blade into the ground, then gripped its hilt and walked forward. With a metallic scrape, he slowly drew the blade from its Sword Scabbard.

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