Celestial Human Diagram

When Chen Chuan got downstairs, he saw an ordinary-looking sedan approaching. As it drew near, the back door opened to reveal Counselor Pei, who nodded in greeting.

Chen Chuan returned the greeting and got in. The door closed, and the car headed for the elevated highway.

Counselor Pei took out his briefcase and handed him a file.

"This is the latest information on Chen Bitong. The location for his training class has been decided. It’s currently in an internal trial phase, so only people with an invitation can go. It won’t start training students from the general public until next month.

Captain Chen, if you’re free, you should probably go and show your face there tomorrow. Besides you, there should be other relevant individuals in attendance. These people could be helpful in getting you closer to Chen Bitong. If possible, try your best to build a good rapport with them. Also..."

He then handed Chen Chuan a few tickets.

"There’s a play at the end of this month. It’s confirmed that Chen Bitong will be going to the theater. A lot of political figures will be there, so you should go too, Captain Chen."

Chen Chuan took them and saw that it was indeed the same theater Tan Zhi had mentioned. He had already accepted Tan Zhi’s invitation, but having a few extra tickets wouldn’t hurt. He put them away and said, "I’ll be there."

Counselor Pei smiled. "Captain Chen, it’s just as I’ve said before: you don’t need to take any initiative. Just get into their circle and build a good rapport with Chen Bitong. However, if he shows any abnormal behavior, please inform us immediately.

If they invite you to join their organization, like last time, just ignore them."

Chen Chuan asked, "Hypothetically, to gain their trust, wouldn’t it be easier to get accepted if I feigned joining?"

Counselor Pei shook his head. "Joining involves a strict set of procedures. Regardless of whether your intentions are real or fake, once you’re in, you can never wash away the stain. It’s best to keep your distance."

Chen Chuan nodded slightly, showing that he understood.

The sedan made a loop on the highway before dropping him back at Wuyi.

After returning to his dorm, Chen Chuan reviewed the file from Counselor Pei until he had a clear picture of the situation. He then browsed the fringe channels for a while before going to bed.

The next morning, he rose as usual, went through his daily training routine, and didn’t head out until after nine o’clock.

The training class was also located in Wuding District, but it was close to the Weiguang District of Central City. The drive took him half an Hour to get there.

It was clear that Chen Bitong had deep connections. The training class was in a fifty-story conference and office building, with the top ten floors allocated to him for training use.

The weather was beautiful. The building’s dark blue glass curtain wall clearly reflected the tower across the street. But among the many skyscrapers, only this one had its holographic displays turned off. There was no blare of advertisements either, making it stand out immediately.

He straightened his cuffs and walked inside. At the security checkpoint, he took out his Name Card and waved it. A voice emanated from the Realm Token: "Identity confirmed. Hello, Captain Chen. The training class is currently open for internal access only. If you wish to observe or learn more, please proceed to the Training Ground on the forty-second floor."

Chen Chuan got in the elevator and went up to the forty-second floor. He walked through the front lobby and a corridor, then entered the Training Ground on the south side, its main doors wide open to the outside.

Perhaps because the class hadn’t officially opened yet, or because he was early, the Training Ground was empty aside from the necessary equipment and a single teenager. The boy was striking at the joints and vital points of a Puppet. His feet were constantly moving, shifting positions, and from time to time, he would let out a sharp Call as he exhaled.

The boy was about fourteen or fifteen years old. Despite his youth, he had clearly already begun his formal training, which was a year or two earlier than most people. However, those with the right aptitude and a solid foundation from childhood could start a bit sooner.

Seeing no one else around, and noticing the boy wasn’t practicing any secret techniques, Chen Chuan walked over to watch. He could tell at a glance that while the boy was diligent, his approach was completely wrong.

He said, "Your technique is wrong."

The boy’s movements faltered.

Chen Chuan continued, "You’re training to cultivate Capturing Force. But given your physique and the distribution of your Mutated Tendons and Ligaments, you’re actually better suited for Freehand Force."

The boy ignored him. After a brief pause, he resumed his training.

When the boy didn’t listen, Chen Chuan just smiled slightly. He didn’t press the issue and was about to look around elsewhere, but just as he turned, the boy’s voice called out from behind him.

"Really?"

Chen Chuan turned back. The boy was looking at him doubtfully. "Are you here to train with him, too?"

Chen Chuan said, "You mean Teacher Chen? Yes, he was the one who invited me."

"But I’ve never seen you before."

"Yes," Chen Chuan said. "This is my first time here."

The boy studied him for a few moments, then asked hesitantly, "What should I be doing, then?"

Chen Chuan glanced aside and walked over to another Puppet, one that was similar in build to himself. He reached out, yanked it toward him, and then drove a fist straight into its chest, caving it in. He immediately followed up with a whip kick, and one of the Puppet’s arms snapped and broke away.

But he wasn’t finished. He drove his knee into the Puppet’s abdomen, causing it to double over. With an upward palm strike—CRACK!—the Puppet’s head snapped back. Finally, he reached out, grabbed its face, and with a light squeeze, the entire head exploded with a loud POP, shattering into pieces.

He flexed his fingers, letting the dust inside trickle to the floor. Turning back to the wide-eyed boy, he said, "You just need to master these few moves. That’s enough."

The boy was stunned for a moment before his eyes lit up with excitement.

He knew these Puppets were specially made to be incredibly tough and extremely heavy. Normally, no matter what he did, he couldn’t put so much as a scratch on them. Yet Chen Chuan had reduced one to this state with just a few casual moves. That kind of destructive power was more persuasive than any lecture.

He was also eager to try it himself.

Chen Chuan stepped aside, encouraging him. "Give it a try."

The boy stepped up to his original Puppet and tried to copy Chen Chuan’s movements. At first, he had to stop and recall the sequence, but he got the hang of it after a few attempts.

As he threw a punch, a natural shout escaped his lips. BANG! The heavy Puppet actually wobbled.

He froze, then his face lit up with excitement. Before, no matter how hard he tried, he could never make the Puppet budge an inch. Now, it was different. He immediately began practicing the sequence of strikes again.

’The boy has a good foundation and a decent memory,’ Chen Chuan thought. ’He learns quickly.’ Of course, the few moves he had demonstrated weren’t difficult to memorize. Any more, and it would have been much harder for the boy to perform them so easily.

Besides, he hadn’t just thrown simple punches; he had clearly demonstrated some of the key points for generating power with the Mutated Organization.

He wouldn’t have been able to do this before, but after embarking on the path of Spiritual Cultivation, he could make precise adjustments to even the most minute parts of his body.

This provided a huge advantage in combat, allowing him to generate far stronger and more refined Power.

In the middle of the floor, the boy was now striking with excitement. The Puppet wobbled much more than before. This was because his proper power generation was engaging more of his Mutated Organization.

After striking continuously for two minutes, the boy finally stepped back, panting. He looked at his own body in confusion. He could usually train for ten, even twenty minutes without feeling tired, but today, fatigue washed over him after just a short while.

Chen Chuan spoke from the side. "The Mutated Tendons and Ligaments in your body are still very undeveloped. Because of your improper technique, they weren’t engaged when you attacked. You were mostly using the strength of your regular muscles and bones. Just now, however, they were engaged. So it’s not your body that’s tired, but your Mutated Tendons and Ligaments.

Once they’ve rested, they’ll become stronger and better adapted to your current power generation. You can use some medicine to speed up recovery, or if you can afford it, find a specialist to help you with recovery massages."

The boy’s expression was intent; he had clearly taken the advice to heart. He looked up and asked, "If..." He hesitated. "If I stop practicing Capture, how should I train from now on?"

Chen Chuan replied, "The simplest method is to first learn a set of the Great Scattering Hand. The goal isn’t to increase your combat power, but to realign the Mutated Tendons and Ligaments that have been skewed by your Capture training. Once they’re corrected, you can try the Orthodox Scattering Hand. After your tendons and ligaments have adapted and grown stronger, you can begin cultivating a Force Technique."

The boy said with heartfelt sincerity, "Thank you."

No one had ever explained this to him before. He had just been piecing his training together from books and whatever fragmented knowledge he could find, but he never knew how to connect it all into a clear path forward.

"It was nothing," Chen Chuan said. "Just a few words."

Just then, he heard the elevator doors open, followed by voices and the shuffling of many footsteps. It was clear that a group of people was heading their way.

He looked over and saw more than a dozen people trickling in. A few wore military uniforms, but the majority were in casual attire.

The newcomers noticed Chen Chuan as they entered. A burly man among them sized him up for a moment, exchanged a few words with the person beside him, and nodded before walking over. "Captain Chen?" he asked.

"That’s me," Chen Chuan replied.

The boy glanced up at him, committing the title to memory.

The burly man stopped in front of Chen Chuan. Standing over seven feet tall, he exuded a faint sense of pressure. "Captain Chen," he said, "I’m Ding Vein. I’m currently serving in the Merging Land, leading a small squad. Of course, I haven’t climbed the ranks as quickly as you."

He grinned. "Captain Chen, I’ve heard about your record. You’re the one who took down the Iron Demon, right? To be honest, I was reassigned to a defensive mission back then. Otherwise, I would’ve been the one to face it."

"Is that so," Chen Chuan said flatly.

Ding Vein stared at him intently. "I only have ten days of leave in Central City, and I just wanted to learn a thing or two from Teacher Chen. But now that I’ve met you, I’d like to have a friendly spar. It’s not about winning or losing. I just want to see for myself how powerful the person who defeated the Iron Demon and earned an invitation from Teacher Chen really is."

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