Celestial Human Diagram

After driving back to the academy, Chen Chuan immediately logged onto the platform to look up the teacher, but he couldn’t find any specific information about them.

The details were not much different from what was shown in the message.

’From the looks of it, this person probably isn’t a teacher from Jibei Dao Central City. Considering the Supreme Headquarters sends a batch of instructors over at the beginning of almost every semester, could this teacher... be from the Supreme Headquarters?’

’That’s highly likely.’

’Previously, there was always a fee for any instruction, a course to be purchased. But there was no mention of that this time. Either they don’t charge fees, like other instructors from the Supreme Headquarters, or there’s some other arrangement.’

Right now, besides not knowing how to break through to the Fourth Limit, there were actually a few other things he needed to brush up on.

For instance, when he fought, he still mainly relied on his superior physical conditioning. While this was a valid path, he seemed to be lacking many of the specific cultivation and application techniques for the Third Limit. The only one he could use was the Furnace Breathing Method.

But there were clearly more secrets to it than just that. Take Jian Chengsheng, whom he had encountered the day before yesterday. The man’s methods of directly attacking the spirit and his sudden physical expansion were obviously techniques that utilized Essence Blood and Divine Constant.

Jian Chengsheng’s raw strength wasn’t a match for his, but with those two abilities, he had been able to trade blows. ’This kind of thing is absolutely crucial.’

’I hope to make up for that this time.’

’In any case, I’ll find out in a few days.’

After taking the elevator to his dorm, he washed up, changed into loose, comfortable clothes, and went to his training room. He took a special medication and entered a state of deep Meditation.

The night passed quickly.

At daybreak, he opened his eyes to the first light of dawn outside his window. Seeing him awake, Chaoming let out a high, excited cry.

He stood up and went to give Chaoming some fresh food and water.

At the same time, he thought, ’Cultivating here at the academy just feels like it’s missing something compared to the Merging Land.’

’The Merging Land might be more dangerous, but the improvements feel a bit stronger. This is probably because the medication itself is designed to draw one’s spirit closer to that world.’

’If you ignore the drawbacks and incursions, the Merging Land is undoubtedly closer to that other side, so it’s no surprise there’s a difference. But for others, or for most people, it’s definitely not safe to base their cultivation in the Merging Land. That’s why they have to return to Central City.’

’Thinking about it that way, the Fighters in the cities behind the Merging Land, especially those at the Third Limit who aren’t allowed into Central City most of the time... I wonder how they cultivate. Regardless, unless they are exceptionally talented and strong-willed, it must be incredibly difficult for them to advance.’

Just then, a message appeared on his Realm Token. It was from Su Wei, a team member he had recruited at the end of last year. He sent his greetings and asked if there were any tasks for him.

Chen Chuan replied that there were no missions at the moment and told him to remain on standby.

The next main task was to get close to Chen Bitong. He probably wouldn’t be going to the Merging Land for a while. Currently, Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque were still home for the new year and hadn’t returned. Once they were back in Central City, he could gather everyone for a meeting.

After replying, he changed his clothes and prepared to go out. Since the new year holidays were coming to an end, he decided to visit his familiar teachers and friends, and bring them some local specialties from Yangzhi as gifts.

After leaving, he successively visited Teacher Jiang, Teacher Bai, and Teacher Zheng, among others. He also made a trip to Wubei’s place, bringing him some assorted snacks from Yangzhi. After leaving Wubei’s home, he contacted Motie Mountain, preparing to visit Senior Brother Cao.

After confirming he was there, Chen Chuan drove to Motie Mountain. He parked in the open space out front and, upon reaching the manor gate, saw Uncle Ding waiting to greet him.

"Captain Chen, the young master is waiting for you in the courtyard. Please follow me."

Chen Chuan nodded. "Thank you for your trouble." Seeing him, Chen Chuan involuntarily thought of the Iron Demon. The two certainly had many similarities. If Uncle Ding were thirty years younger, he might look exactly like that. It was very likely they were related in some way.

Upon entering the courtyard, he saw Senior Brother Cao, dressed in a moon-white robe, waiting for him under a plum tree. He walked up, greeted him, and said, "I’ve brought some tea and pastries from Yangzhi this time. The pastries were made by my family, so I’m not sure if they’ll be to your taste, Senior Brother."

Cao Guiqi smiled. "In that case, I’ll have to try them. Please, have a seat."

Chen Chuan sat down and said, "Last time I passed by, I had intended to visit you, Senior Brother Cao, but I saw the front was full of cars, so I didn’t come in."

Cao Guiqi shook his head. "They were just some people I’d rather not see, but ties that are hard to sever. Let’s not talk about them." He looked at Chen Chuan. "Junior Brother, you’ve been to the Merging Land?"

Chen Chuan nodded. "I made a trip before the holidays and only came back right before the year’s end. Then I rushed home for the new year and just got back to Central City in the last couple of days."

He then told Senior Brother Cao about some of his experiences in the Merging Land, though he omitted the specific details of his mission, as it involved confidential information.

He also didn’t mention the resemblance between Uncle Ding and the Iron Demon.

From small details, he could roughly guess at Senior Brother Cao’s background. It was possible that Uncle Ding and the Iron Demon shared some kind of kinship, but in the current Dashun Republic, this was a somewhat taboo subject. Bringing it up would only make everyone uncomfortable.

After chatting for a while, he said, "Senior Brother, I have something here. I can’t tell what it is, and I was wondering if you might recognize it."

"Did you bring it with you?" Cao Guiqi asked.

Chen Chuan then took the scattered jade fragments from his pocket and placed them on the small table.

Cao Guiqi recognized it with just a single glance. He said with great certainty, "This is the Jade Core from a shattered High Heaven Jade."

"High Heaven Jade?"

Cao Guiqi nodded. "A Sacred Object of the Overseas High Heaven Sect." He gazed into the distance as if recalling something. "It’s said that back when the Old Imperial Family was in power, the Gong Royal Family would present these jades as tribute every year."

He then frowned slightly. "The Last Emperor had a Princess Consort Yuan, who was herself one of the Foreigners. The Last Emperor built the Liuyu Palace for her, and it was filled with lamps made from High Heaven Jade. Below them, a Hot Pool was constructed. Every night, the water and jade would reflect each other, creating a dazzling, brilliant scene like the Milky Way, making one feel as if they were in a celestial paradise. For this reason, the Last Emperor often went boating and amused himself with the Princess Consort Yuan in the palace.

"Between the years of tribute and what Princess Consort Yuan collected herself, there were probably no fewer than a thousand pieces of High Heaven Jade in the Liuyu Palace. But during the Renzi Palace incident, it’s said that the princess consort burned them all in a great fire."

"But when the ruins were cleared, no remains were found—neither her body nor these beautiful jades. The hundred court ladies in the palace also vanished. So, some later speculated that the Princess Consort Yuan likely used a Rift within the Imperial Family’s grounds to enter the Merging Land."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. The Renzi Palace incident was a famous historical event, even mentioned in textbooks. The story went that the Last Emperor was gravely ill, and the Empress had no legitimate son. So, she summoned the Vassal Princes to bring their troops to the capital and execute the Demon Consort and her conspirators.

This triggered a seventeen-year-long conflict among the Royal Family. The infighting severely depleted the Old Imperial Family’s vitality, setting the stage for the Imperial Family’s eventual overthrow.

Cao Guiqi said, "Because of the Imperial Family’s constant demands back then, the High Heaven Jade was supposedly mined to exhaustion long ago. The Gao Tian Sect might still have a small amount now, but High Heaven Jade with a Jade Core is a one-in-a-hundred find, making it even rarer."

Chen Chuan said, "I feel like this Broken Jade has some kind of effect that bolsters the spirit and nurtures the Divine Constant."

Cao Guiqi said, "It does indeed have that function. If High Heaven Jade is used to make lamps, the radiance from the Jade Core provides nourishment day and night, allowing one’s spirit to ascend to an outer realm, as if entering a celestial paradise.

He said gravely, "The old National Church would compound it with another medicine to create a pure fragrance. When lit at a critical moment, it is potent enough to focus the mind and initiate a breakthrough. This is helpful for surpassing the body’s limits."

A thought occurred to Chen Chuan, and he said, "I got this from a disciple of Langtao Hall. It was embedded in the pommel of his blade, presumably to bolster his own spirit. But if this thing is so precious, it seems like that’s a rather crude way to use it. Do the Foreigners not understand the proper methods?"

Cao Guiqi shook his head. "It’s because the other ingredient is difficult to obtain. If you can’t get it, you can’t create the Aromatic Medicine, so it won’t have that effect.

"Moreover, with today’s technological advancements, there are substitutes available. Although their effects can’t compare to the original Aromatic Medicine, they are much easier to acquire, so there’s no need to chase after this anymore.

"However..."

He looked at Chen Chuan. "Since it has come into your hands, Junior Brother, you might as well make use of it. I happen to know where to find the other ingredient for the Compound Medicine. Once I’ve located it, I’ll let you know."

Chen Chuan immediately thanked him. "Thank you, Senior Brother."

After that, they didn’t speak of the matter again, turning to other topics instead. Chen Chuan stayed until nearly noon before taking his leave.

While they had been talking, Uncle Ding had been silently brewing and pouring tea nearby. After Chen Chuan left, he stepped forward and said, "Young Master, that Compound Medicine is not easy to find these days. It’s possible only *that person* has it."

Cao Guiqi said, "Just take a Wind Lamp Flower from the garden—one of the ones he likes—and trade it for the medicine."

Uncle Ding reminded him, "But Young Master, there’s only one Wind Lamp Flower left in the garden."

"It’s just a thing," Cao Guiqi said, unconcerned. "If it’s gone, I can plant more. His medicine is useless to him without the High Heaven Jade."

Uncle Ding said, "But for the past few years, that person has been traveling the world, promoting his restoration strategy. If you send someone to see him at a time like this, Young Master, it will inevitably lead to talk that is unfavorable to you..."

Cao Guiqi glanced at him and said slowly, "With so many people visiting the other day, wouldn’t that cause talk as well?" He picked up his tea. "When you’re caught in the game, it’s not so easy to break free. It’s better to do something meaningful."

Uncle Ding seemed to contemplate this, then bowed. "Young Master, I understand."

Cao Guiqi shook his head. That wasn’t what he meant, but what Uncle Ding chose to think was his own business. He didn’t try to correct him.

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