Celestial Human Diagram

Chen Bitong also looked at Chen Chuan. Gazing at the latter’s bright eyes, he said slowly, "The simplest way to prove who you are is, first, with medicine."

As he spoke, both Chen Bitongs took out a tube.

It was a transparent glass tube. The contents looked like fine, crystalline granules of a cyan-green color. With a slight shake, they danced in the air, creating a dazzling display.

"This is Slow-acting Medicine Powder. If you join a Pioneer Team, everyone is issued some. This medicine effectively makes a person lean toward the material plane, but it affects their spiritual side.

"After taking this medicine, your senses will be dulled. For one to three Hours, you won’t be able to use your Spiritual Power. Taking too much also has many side effects, like exhaustion, listlessness, and low spirits.

"For a normal Fighter, this might reduce their combat effectiveness, but it doesn’t affect their ability to survive. For an Ink Monster, however, this is absolutely unacceptable.

"That’s because they are beings that exist more on the spiritual plane. Once they are restricted by this kind of substance, they lose their ability to resist.

"They will resist it at all costs."

As he said this, the Chen Bitong who was speaking to Chen Chuan uncorked the vial and, tilting his head back, poured the powder down his throat. The newly appeared one, however, froze mid-action, refusing to proceed.

Chen Bitong said, "If one is unwilling to swallow it, then there’s a problem."

As he uttered these words, the other Chen Bitong shot him an incomparably cold glare before vanishing.

"Relying on medicine is just one method. But there’s another way to avoid this situation most of the time."

Chen Bitong said to Chen Chuan, "You are currently undergoing Spiritual Cultivation, so you must remember this: the simplest method is to consolidate your conviction and fortify your Heart Jade.

"When your Heart Jade is fortified to a certain degree, unless you yourself are willing or you give up, you won’t be easily infected or assimilated by an Ink Monster.

"A pure Heart Jade—that resolute and unyielding power—can be sensed by others. It’s something an Ink Monster can’t replicate, even if it takes over a person’s consciousness."

Chen Chuan pondered this for a moment and nodded.

"Also..."

Chen Bitong gave a solemn reminder, "After discovering a problem, you must find a way to solve it. More than seventy percent of those infected by a Color Printer cannot be saved. So in that situation, especially in the wild, don’t even think about how to save them. Neither you nor your teammates can afford that risk.

"The infected person knows all of your and your teammates’ information and plans. Even if you manage to expel the Ink Monster in time, there’s no guarantee the person hasn’t undergone psychological changes. If you don’t make a decisive choice early on, you’ll only end up dragging yourself down with them. Captain Chen, you must remember this firmly."

Chen Chuan replied with equal gravity, "Teacher Chen, I will."

Chen Bitong nodded. "Now, I’m going to let you experience the difference between a normal person and one infected by an Ink Monster. Because it completely inherits the original person’s physique and memories, plus a spiritual enhancement, it will naturally display even greater Power than before."

Just then, Chen Chuan sensed something. He looked to the side and saw Yu Lie walk out, a wild, arrogant smile on his face.

’Though, given the situation, this must be a complete simulation,’ he thought. ’After the beating I gave him, he would never put on such an expression in front of me again.’

Chen Bitong said, "You just fought him. The one standing before you now is a simulation of him in a state of being invaded by a Color Printer. Go ahead and try, see if you can tell the difference between the two."

Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow and walked forward.

This version of Yu Lie seemed to have completely inherited the original’s temperament and style, and likely had no memory of their recent fight. He showed no wariness toward Chen Chuan at all, rushing forward before Chen Chuan could even get close.

Chen Chuan adopted the same strategy he had used before, planning to let his opponent grab him first and then counter. However, he immediately sensed that this time was indeed different.

Yu Lie seemed to have sensed something. Despite specializing in Capturing Force, he actively avoided Chen Chuan, choosing to circle on the periphery instead of closing in.

This forced Chen Chuan to change his strategy and initiate the attack himself. The outcome was once again without suspense; he knocked Yu Lie to the ground in less than half a minute.

But as for the difference between the two...

Chen Bitong asked from the side, "Did you notice it?"

Chen Chuan nodded and said with certainty, "He could discern my combat intentions a step ahead every time."

Every time he made a move, his opponent seemed to anticipate it. After a few exchanges, he gave up on winning through tactics and instead relied on his superior power and speed to take him down directly.

Chen Bitong explained, "Even when a Fighter embarks on the path of Spiritual Cultivation and consolidates their will, they still unconsciously give off certain information.

"And Color Printers, beings that cling to the spirit, are exceptionally sensitive to this. They can easily capture it, and combined with the Fighter’s own experience and qualities, they can predict your next move.

"To deal with this kind of entity, aside from the method you just used, you must do your best to strengthen your spiritual Cultivation. When operating in the Merging Land, those without a resilient spirit can only perform defensive duties in the rear. But if you want to seize the strategic initiative, you must always strike out, not just passively defend."

Chen Chuan mentally agreed. It was just like the Fighter’s philosophy: defense was for protecting yourself while seeking an opportunity to counterattack. Without counterattacking, you could only ever take a beating, posing no threat to the enemy.

’I’ll need to step up my Spiritual Cultivation when I get back,’ he thought to himself.

Seeing that Chen Chuan had grasped the point, Chen Bitong didn’t elaborate further. "Let’s continue," he said.

Chen Chuan nodded and followed.

For the next two weeks or so, he went to the training class every day. He learned something new almost daily, and these were often things that could be used in the next training session to handle various complex situations.

He knew this must be the culmination of Chen Bitong’s two decades of experience, but cramming all this knowledge into his students so quickly made him feel that the man was in too much of a hurry.

During this time, any trainee who couldn’t keep up with the pace was mercilessly cut.

But for someone like Chen Chuan, who had been receiving personal guidance from the very beginning and still hadn’t been eliminated after nearly half a month, it was a very rare sight.

Even the garrison personnel stationed above had noticed his situation and submitted reports to the Defense Department.

Counselor Pei received these reports as well. After some thought, he used his Realm Token to contact Specialist Liang. "Specialist," he said, "it seems Chen Bitong holds Captain Chen in high regard. This confirms our initial assessment was correct. I just don’t know what the higher-ups plan to do with Chen Bitong next."

Specialist Liang replied, "The previous matter hasn’t been fully investigated yet. The official word from above is to let Chen Bitong continue his leave here. However, some have raised dissenting opinions, believing it’s unwise for him to remain in Central City for too long."

Counselor Pei was taken aback. "Is it... because of that incident?"

Specialist Liang said grimly, "One small problem can affect the entire situation. That breach still hasn’t been sealed. Many things can no longer proceed according to the established plan, so they have to be moved up."

"Isn’t that a bit rushed?"

"Something slipped through before. If it hadn’t been so aggressive, we might not have discovered it so quickly. Can we be sure it was the only one? That could lead to unforeseeable changes. Only if this matter is resolved smoothly can we rest easy. The original plan may no longer be viable."

Counselor Pei thought for a moment. "Then, do we need to inform Captain Chen about this?"

Specialist Liang said, "Find some time to mention it to him. At his rank, he can know about this, and he *should* know. Besides... it’s hard to say what will happen when the time comes."

"I understand."

After ending the call, Counselor Pei’s expression grew grim. He glanced out the window, where rows of Airships were moored at their anchors.

Lately, more and more Airships and vessels had been gathering in Central City, all in preparation for that event.

The situation was different this time. Because of the breach, unexpected developments were highly likely.

’Still, these are matters for the higher-ups to worry about.’

He turned, took out a radio, and began transmitting a report on the recent situation. After he finished, he sent a message to Chen Chuan over a secure channel, asking to meet whenever it was convenient for him.

Chen Chuan had just returned to his dormitory from the training class. After receiving the message, he thought for a moment. Tomorrow happened to be his day off, so he set the meeting for then.

He checked the date. It was already mid-March. Wei Chang’an and the others were supposed to have arrived around this time, but he’d learned from a recent call that they were delayed. Dealing with some final matters for their commission company was more complex than expected, and they had taken on some last-minute jobs due to personal connections, so they couldn’t leave just yet.

As for Luo Kaiyuan and Feng Xiaochi, they felt that since they were a team, it would be better to come together to look out for one another. Therefore, their arrival in Central City would likely be postponed until April or May.

’A slight delay is fine,’ he thought. His own schedule had been very tight recently, and it wouldn’t be easy to make proper arrangements for so many people.

He then took a moment to sense within himself. A ball of Heart Jade was emitting a lustrous glow in his Spiritual World.

It was clearly much more solid and radiant than it had been last month.

Normally, progress in Spiritual Cultivation is relatively slow in the beginning. However, he had Hong Fu to assist and spar with him every day for the Refining Method he had mastered.

Furthermore, the High Heaven Jade Core Fragment he had obtained before was a great aid to his Cultivation, especially in helping his Spiritual Power recover. This was what had allowed his Cultivation speed to increase so significantly.

By now, the Aromatic Medicine Teacher Xue had given him was gradually losing its effect. This meant he had already adapted to his current level of Cultivation and could advance to the next stage.

So, he immediately tapped his Lower Realm Token and tried to contact Teacher Xue.

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