Celestial Human Diagram

Inside the bar, as everyone was chatting, a sound chimed from all their Realm Tokens. The individual scores were out.

Chen Chuan glanced at his. The scoring was out of ten, though he didn’t know the specific criteria. His score was a nine. Looking at the others, some seemed pleased, some breathed a sigh of relief, and some were clearly annoyed.

The young officer called Old Yan sighed with regret after seeing his score. It seemed his self-assessment had been accurate. He raised his glass. "Everyone, the scores are out. Here’s to hoping we all have a smooth journey ahead."

Just as he was about to drink, his companion grabbed his arm. "Hold on, Old Yan," he said with a sly grin. "Why not tell us your score?"

Old Yan replied helplessly, "It’s not very moral to rub salt in the wound."

A few people at the table chuckled, and the atmosphere relaxed a little.

"But seriously, Old Yan," the man pressed, "tell us what problems you ran into. It’ll help us avoid them in the future." He patted Old Yan’s shoulder. "We’re not asking for nothing. This meal is on us. And from now on, whenever one of us sees you, we’ll each treat you to a meal. How about it?"

As he spoke, he glanced at everyone else at the table.

Ding Vein and the others loudly agreed, and Chen Chuan had no objection.

Old Yan thought for a moment, then said with a wry smile, "It’s mainly the Activation Index. I have a hard time keeping it under control."

He sighed. "It was about five years ago. I had just become a Third Limit Fighter and had just arrived at the Merging Land when I was assigned to a six-man squad for a mission in the wilderness."

"The mission went smoothly, and we were about to head back. Someone was even coming to escort us, so everyone was relaxed. We were all laughing and joking around when one of my teammates told a joke. None of us could stop laughing. And then... I saw it..."

He paused. "I saw a white tentacle emerge from the ear of the teammate across from me. It was twitching, almost as if it were happy, too."

A chill ran down the spines of everyone at the table.

"We all noticed it at the same time. My mind just went blank. The next thing I knew, I heard a gunshot. Our captain had blown the guy’s head off, right in front of us. Bits of him splattered all over our faces."

He said in a low voice, "We had no idea when his Activation started. We’d been paying attention on the way back, so it must have happened in that short span of time."

"In fact, if the captain hadn’t shot him, the rest of us might have ended up just like him."

He then took a large gulp of his drink, set the glass down, and continued, "After I got back, I had nightmares for months straight. I started checking my Activation Index every few minutes, panicking at the slightest increase."

"I know that with the medication and the Breathing Technique, I should be fine. But even so, I can’t stop myself from checking it constantly. The second the number rises, I become incredibly anxious."

"Just now, in the simulated environment, I was so focused on my index that... well, the more I worried about it, the harder it was to control. I couldn’t properly execute most of what Teacher Chen demonstrated..."

The other two men looked at him with sympathy and tried to comfort him, saying that as long as one practiced the Breathing Technique and carried the medication, there usually wasn’t a problem.

Hearing this, Chen Chuan thought, ’It seems Chen Bitong hasn’t taught them the technique for stabilizing one’s mental frequency. But then again, he probably customizes his teaching for each individual.’

Ding Vein, on the other hand, wasn’t too concerned. He had a natural talent for this; his index was always the slowest to rise. He thought, ’If I ever get taken over, I won’t need anyone to do me the favor of putting a bullet in me. It’s no big deal.’

At that moment, one of the other trainees changed the subject. "From what Teacher Chen said earlier," he asked, "are our scores being sent to the Defense Department?"

"I know about that," Ding Vein said. "Since I’m only here for three days, I’m not afraid to ask around. I just used my Realm Token to ask Fang Zhixin. The scores are mainly for selecting people for the Pioneer Team. You all shouldn’t worry too much. It won’t affect anything else for you. Otherwise, your evaluation would go down just for attending a training course, so what would be the damn point of even coming?"

Hearing this, the others felt a bit relieved, but their expressions soon turned to ones of longing.

Only the elite of the elite were selected for the Pioneer Team. The work was incredibly dangerous, and they had the highest turnover rate of any unit. Still, it was a great honor and an impressive entry on one’s service record.

Anyone who served with them and managed to survive was promoted far faster than their peers.

Take Chen Bitong himself, for example. He was once a member of the Pioneer Team. It was said that some of his old comrades-in-arms now held extremely high-ranking positions.

Ding Vein turned to look at Chen Chuan. "Captain Chen," he said, "you’re the strongest one here. I think you have the best shot at joining the Pioneer Team."

Old Yan and the other two men looked over, all of them agreeing with the sentiment.

They had seen with their own eyes how Chen Chuan had defeated Ding Vein almost instantly. They were thoroughly convinced of his skill. If anyone among them could join the Pioneer Team, it had to be Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan had heard Chen Bitong suggest this before, but for the moment, he had no such intention.

His own squad had just been formed, and he didn’t feel his techniques were polished enough yet. More importantly, he was currently in a period of rapid growth. A tour with the Pioneer Team could last an indeterminate amount of time, which would only hinder his training.

He just smiled. "We’ll see what happens."

"That’s true. It’s incredibly dangerous, even if you do get in. And it’s not like you can’t get promoted if you don’t join the Pioneer Team."

Just then, Old Yan seemed to recall something. "Have you all heard? I think Yu Lie is coming. When he gets here, it’s best if you don’t get into any conflicts with him. That guy is a real piece of work when he decides to stir up trouble."

"You mean that hothead?"

Everyone at the table looked pained and disgusted.

Ding Vein’s eyes widened. "How the hell is that guy coming? How did he pass the screening? I thought he’d caused so much trouble he was banned from participating in stuff like this."

"Someone in the higher-ups must like him."

"Heh, with Teacher Chen here, there’s no way he’d miss it. This was to be expected."

"Setting aside his character, his ability is undeniable," Old Yan said. He then added with a laugh, "In any case, I’ll probably be gone tomorrow, so you all just be careful."

Chen Chuan asked a few questions and learned that this Yu Lie was a fanatical admirer of Chen Bitong. Whenever and wherever Chen Bitong was teaching, Yu Lie was sure to follow.

However, the man was notorious in the military for his lack of discipline. He never committed any major infractions, but was constantly getting into minor trouble—a complete hothead. Because he was genuinely skilled and came from a good family, no one had been able to do anything about him.

Ding Vein said, "Captain Chen, you really need to watch out for him. The guy has no regard for the rules. Before, when he wanted to be an assistant, he went and made trouble for Fang Zhixin behind the scenes. If Fang Zhixin’s background hadn’t been solid, he would’ve been forced out. We all would have been miserable then. Now he’s coming again... who knows what stunts he’ll try to pull this time."

Chen Chuan smiled and nodded. "Thanks for the warning."

After staying for a little while longer, he saw people starting to dance and decided to leave. He made his way to the activity room downstairs, where Chen Xiaojin was training hard all by himself.

Seeing him enter, Chen Xiaojin’s eyes lit up, and he stopped his training. "Captain Chen."

Chen Chuan walked over to him, motioned for him to sit down, and then sat on a chair himself. "Xiaojin," he asked, "what was your original reason for learning the Fighting Skill?"

Chen Xiaojin froze for a second. He lowered his head in thought, then looked back up, clenched his fist, and said, "I want to prove to them that anything they can do, I, Chen Xiaojin, can do too."

His voice still had the characteristic crackle of a teenage boy’s, but it sounded exceptionally resolute.

Chen Chuan said, "And in your mind, what heights do you see yourself reaching?"

Chen Xiaojin thought for a moment. "The same as him..." he said. Then, filled with anticipation, he asked, "Captain Chen, do you think I can do it?"

Chen Chuan looked at him. "What I think doesn’t matter," he said. "What matters is what *you* think. If you have the unwavering will to walk the path, then no matter how far your goal may seem, you will always be inching closer to it."

Chen Xiaojin considered this, then declared loudly, "Then I want to be just like him! No, I’m going to surpass him!"

Chen Chuan said, "That’s easier said than done. It will require you to overcome countless obstacles. I hope you will hold that goal in your heart and do everything in your power to make it a reality."

Chen Xiaojin nodded emphatically.

Chen Chuan continued, "You need to learn how to use Power. While that’s suitable for your current stage, training in the Fighting Skill doesn’t end there. There’s much more involved, and it especially requires a great deal of resources."

"My mother left me a lot," Chen Xiaojin said. "I don’t lack for anything."

Chen Chuan nodded. "That solves half the problem, but there’s another issue. I can point you toward the necessary methods, but I can’t be by your side to guide you all the time. If you want to keep climbing, you need a teacher who can be responsible for instructing you whenever you need it."

"Furthermore, training alone is useless. If you train in a vacuum without sparring and exchanging knowledge with others, everything you learn will be hollow."

Chen Xiaojin’s expression fell. "But other than you, Captain Chen, no one is willing to teach me," he said, dejected.

"We can figure out a way to solve that," Chen Chuan said. "Do you have time to come out?"

"Yes," Chen Xiaojin replied. "There’s no one to mind me."

Chen Chuan stood up. "Alright. Get your things, change your clothes, and come with me."

"Okay!" Chen Xiaojin agreed excitedly and ran to the side to get his things.

Chen Chuan waited for him to get ready, then led him downstairs. He got behind the wheel of the Jade, and they drove away.

At almost the exact same moment, Fang Zhixin received a notification. He immediately ordered someone to tail them to ensure Xiaojin’s safety. Then, he leaned over and whispered to Chen Bitong, "Teacher, Captain Chen has taken Xiaojin and left."

Chen Bitong merely grunted in acknowledgment and showed no other reaction.

His gaze was currently fixed on the dozens of other trainees who had come for his instruction. These people did not have access to the Domain’s resources.

After all, they weren’t Third Limit Fighters.

However, these were all seeds. In the near future, some of them were bound to become Third Limit Fighters. He could help them make the correct judgments and avoid many missteps along the way.

His time was short. He needed to seize every available moment to cultivate those who were worth cultivating.

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