Celestial Human Diagram

Chen Bitong looked at him and said, "You’re very perceptive. Your feeling isn’t wrong, but you don’t need to consider the subsequent changes here right now. You’ll understand in the future."

He walked over and tapped the Realm Token a few times. "This displays the internal damage you and I just inflicted on the Ring-necked Rhinoceros. Take a look."

Chen Chuan looked at the Realm Token, which now showed two diagrams. In both, the heart and its surrounding Mutated Organization had been precisely shattered. However, a comparison showed that the damage he had caused was far more extensive.

With a flicker of his Heart Thought, he understood. It wasn’t that Chen Bitong couldn’t inflict greater damage. He simply knew the creature’s structure better than Chen Chuan did, so his Power was perfectly calibrated—just enough to kill it, and not an ounce more wasted.

’That’s a very useful skill,’ Chen Chuan thought. ’Especially in the wild. Conserving stamina is crucial, and every bit of energy saved could be the difference between life and death.’

Chen Bitong said, "Do you understand?"

Chen Chuan said, "I understand. The threshold."

Chen Bitong said in a low voice, "Humans and beasts alike all have their own thresholds. If you can operate right at that threshold, you can avoid a great deal of unnecessary loss and trouble. Exceed it, and you will pay an unnecessary price."

Chen Chuan glanced at him.

Chen Bitong continued to stare straight ahead. "The tissues of this Ring-necked Rhinoceros are highly valuable, and there are standing purchase orders for them back in the city. If you can maintain a certain level of integrity when you kill them, the returns are substantial."

He said, "Captain Chen, if you can master techniques for dealing with the various creatures of the Merging Land, many agencies and research institutes will be eager to have you—especially the Pioneer Team. You should try to join if you get the chance."

’The Pioneer Team...’

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. He remembered one of the instructors at the garrison mentioning it.

Unlike the regular garrison troops, the Pioneer Team was composed of exceptional Fighters, making them the elite of the elite. Their missions sometimes involved eliminating hostile infiltrators, but other times they ventured deep into the heartlands of the Merging Land to face unknown creatures. They could even be sent into the territory of the Old Imperial Family to conduct reconnaissance.

Despite shouldering the most arduous missions, their compensation was far beyond that of a regular soldier. Not only were promotions faster, but the supply of special medicines provided to them was never delayed.

Chen Bitong said, "The higher-ups provide the Pioneer Team with all sorts of benefits. They also teach skills that you’re not allowed to learn elsewhere. You’ll face adversaries unlike any you’ve ever encountered. I was a member once, and the experience was invaluable for my growth and accumulation of knowledge.

But don’t underestimate the dangers of the Merging Land. A creature like the Ring-necked Rhinoceros is considered small here.

You might be able to handle a medium-sized creature, but the truly massive ones are beyond what ordinary weapons or Fighters can deal with. It’s difficult to even injure them."

Just as he was speaking, the sky suddenly began to dim.

Chen Bitong said, "In the Merging Land, daytime leans toward the material plane, while nighttime leans more toward the spiritual. During the day, we can move about freely, and most of what we encounter falls within our realm of understanding, solvable by conventional means. But at night, all sorts of anomalies emerge, and normal methods are insufficient."

Chen Chuan asked, "Teacher Chen, are you able to move freely in the Merging Land at night?"

Chen Bitong shook his head. "Even I cannot do that at present."

Chen Chuan pondered for a moment before asking, "The remnants of the Old Imperial Family can traverse the night by some means—the Iron Demons are an example. I heard it has something to do with faith?"

Chen Bitong said, "That’s because after they entered the Merging Land, they had to become part of it to survive. This was unavoidable, whether they wanted to or not.

The National Church of the old era was already inextricably linked with these entities. So their alliance wasn’t sudden; it has deep roots.

I heard you once used an Esoteric Ritual to spend a night in the wilds of the Merging Land, which is how you successfully hunted down that Iron Demon. Esoteric Rituals are indeed useful, but they have many drawbacks and aren’t efficient enough.

Now, I will teach you a method to defend yourself by using your spirit and consuming Divine Constant. It will allow you to survive the nights in the Merging Land."

As he spoke, he tapped the Realm Token, transferring some information to Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan looked at it. It was an Observation Method. It required him to view a specific pattern and construct the shape in his Spiritual World. Once constructed, he could perform the observation when needed to keep his spirit in a certain state.

Chen Bitong walked over to a large tree.

"These green-barked trees are the most common type in the Merging Land. If you ever find yourself unable to get back and have to spend the night in the wild, you can stay here and use the Observation Method.

This method reduces your presence, making you spiritually and atmospherically similar to these trees, which helps you evade anomalies. However, this method isn’t one hundred percent effective, so the best course of action is still to avoid being caught in the open at night.

But don’t get too close to these trees. Someone once thought he was clever, dug a hole in a trunk, and crawled inside. The next day, he was found to have become part of the tree."

He stressed, "The trees themselves don’t have this property during the day. But after daylight fades and the material plane weakens, they lean toward the non-material. You never know what changes might occur, so do not let your guard down."

Chen Chuan nodded. "Teacher Chen, I understand."

Chen Bitong then added, "Even when simulating, try to avoid simulating a large expanse of nighttime. Otherwise, uncontrollable situations can arise. The Fumu won’t be affected, but the people using its resources might be. A small-scale simulation is fine, though. You can try it now."

Chen Chuan agreed and went to the green-barked tree. He sat down cross-legged and, following the method from the Realm Token, began his visualization of the pattern.

After what felt like a short time, Chen Bitong’s voice rang out. "Time is up."

Chen Chuan opened his eyes to find himself still sitting on the soft cushion, as if he had never moved. The other Fighters, including Ding Vein, were also in their original spots.

He glanced at the time and saw that exactly two Hours had passed since they began.

Although only two Hours had passed, Chen Bitong had provided nearly continuous instruction during that time. The content was so dense that Chen Chuan felt he had truly learned a great deal.

Chen Bitong was now standing before them. He waited until they had all come to their senses before he spoke. "Your individual scores will be sent to your Realm Tokens shortly. Those who failed do not need to come tomorrow.

Those who passed may continue to come here, but if you fall behind, you will still be cut.

This opportunity must be reserved for the most suitable candidates. I hope you understand."

’The entire Central City is built upon the Fumu,’ Chen Chuan mused. ’Most of the Domain resources are used by the City Government and the major corporations. It must not have been easy to secure two Hours of resources for us each day. Chen Bitong must have fought hard for this, which explains the strict standards.’

Seeing the looks of understanding on their faces, Chen Bitong said, "Since you all understand, you are dismissed."

Everyone rose from their seats, bowed to him, and filed out of the training hall.

The moment they were outside, Ding Vein sidled up to Chen Chuan. "Captain Chen, how about the few of us get together?" he said, glancing at the others. "What do you all say?"

The others readily agreed.

Though they all came from different places, they were now in the same training program. A bond had formed between them, like classmates. They figured deepening their relationship now could lead to them helping one another out in the future.

Chen Chuan had no objection and went with them to a bar on one of the lower floors.

After they ordered their drinks and sat down, Ding Vein took a large gulp from his glass. "I learned more today than I have in the past few years," he said. "You really learn a lot from Teacher Chen.

Too bad I only have three days. It’s a real shame."

Everyone else deeply agreed. However, one young military officer was silent for a moment before sighing softly. "I’m afraid I’ll be heading back tomorrow."

Ding Vein looked surprised. "Old Yan, you?"

Old Yan shook his head. "I didn’t perform well today. I was overthinking it. The more I thought, the worse my control became. It shows I still have a lot of weaknesses. The scores aren’t out yet, but knowing Teacher Chen’s strict standards, mine won’t be high. I need to go back and keep honing my skills."

He raised his glass. "Everyone, I’m saying my goodbyes tonight. I won’t be here tomorrow."

He had been a bit downcast at first, but as he spoke the words, he seemed to find some relief. He managed a smile. "I hope none of you get eliminated like I did."

The others offered him a few words of comfort, clinked their glasses against his, and drained them in a single gulp.

As Chen Chuan was drinking with the others, an avatar suddenly began flashing on his Realm Token. It was a picture of a small ant striving to crawl forward. He knew at a glance it was Xiaojin trying to contact him, so he answered the call.

"Xiaojin?"

Chen Xiaojin’s voice came through. He asked tentatively, "Captain Chen, do you have a moment?"

Chen Chuan replied, "I’m in the same building as the training program. Do you have a question for me?"

Chen Xiaojin hummed emphatically in confirmation.

He said, "Captain Chen, I want to learn Power. I wanted to ask you how I should go about it."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "You started training earlier than others, so this is the right time for you. But Power will affect your entire future path. How much do you know about it? Does Teacher Chen know you want to learn?"

Chen Xiaojin said, "He doesn’t concern himself with me."

Chen Chuan didn’t answer right away. He thought for a moment before saying, "Where are you now?"

Hearing this, Chen Xiaojin’s spirits clearly lifted, and his voice rose unconsciously. "Captain Chen, I’m in the lounge on the twelfth floor."

Chen Chuan said, "I’m in the bar right now. I’ll take the elevator down in a moment. Wait for me there."

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