Celestial Human Diagram

Teacher Xue continued, "Suppose you’re in a spiritual confrontation, and your opponent attacks you with a spiritual technique like the God-Shaking Hammer. The usual way to defend is to block it with your own condensed Heart Jade. This is a head-on collision, a very straightforward method of combat.

"However, this all-or-nothing approach leaves no room for retreat. It lacks finesse and is far too crude. To put it bluntly, it’s basically a life-or-death struggle.

"This is something you want to avoid.

"In a battle between Fighters, if conditions permit, you should always try to achieve the greatest result for the smallest cost.

"If your opponent’s fist is stronger and their power is greater, you have to find a way to evade them and play to your own strengths. The same principle applies to spiritual combat."

He clapped his hands, and a holographic screen materialized in the air. It displayed a three-dimensional diagram of a Fighter’s internal Mutated Organization. Pointing to the image, he said:

"A Fighter’s Mutated Organization is extremely sensitive to Spiritual Power. It’s an inherent characteristic. An untrained person will instinctively accept external Spiritual Power, leaving them susceptible to being influenced.

"But as long as your Mutated Organization remains under the command of your spiritual will, it won’t be easily disturbed and will repel any external spiritual presence.

"This, however, creates a problem. When another person’s Spiritual Power attacks, you’re back to the old method of a direct confrontation.

"The ’Hollow Seal’ I mentioned is how you can avoid this situation."

As he spoke, a light shimmered in his eyes again.

Chen Chuan knew he was once again transmitting the secret of the technique to him. He relaxed his mind, and the method for cultivating the technique flowed into his consciousness. He absorbed the information and instantly had an epiphany.

"If your Mutated Organization was originally a blank canvas that anyone could paint on, this technique helps you add your own signature.

"From now on, no matter what kind of spiritual presence leaves an impression, it won’t be able to interfere with the host. And you can erase that impression at any time.

"But this alone would only let you endure their attacks without any way to counter, leaving you passive. So, there’s another variation hidden within.

"Once you’ve trained your Mutated Organization to be resilient enough to resist external interference, when an opponent’s Spiritual Power strikes, you can empty yourself and let them in."

Teacher Xue held out one hand, palm open. "It’s like two armies in a standoff. You let the enemy walk right into your encirclement, and then..." He slammed his fist into his open palm with a loud SMACK. "...you follow their spiritual link to counterattack. If you combine that with the God-Shaking Hammer, the effect will be even greater."

Chen Chuan couldn’t help but nod at this.

Teacher Xue said, "Remember what I told you? In spiritual combat, when you and your opponent are evenly matched, striking first is crucial. You must attack first if you can. But if you’re careless and they get the jump on you, then you can use this technique.

"But I must remind you, this is just a method for dealing with Fighters. As you continue to improve, you’ll eventually face more formidable opponents. You might even encounter one of *those* entities from the other side."

His expression turned serious. "Their strength and mastery of Spiritual Power are on a completely different level from ordinary people. It’s possible for them to bypass your will and directly control your Mutated Organization.

"When we were first getting to know your situation, we learned that you had expelled an entity that infiltrated from the other side. When I heard that, I thought you were not only very skilled, but also very lucky.

"That’s because the one you encountered was likely an entity focused on physical possession. Those types often have to consider the limits of their host’s body and can’t use their full power. If you had run into one that specializes purely in spiritual suppression, it would have been extremely dangerous."

Chen Chuan considered this. ’Without my Second Self, the later stages of that battle would have been incredibly dangerous. Back then, Director Wu had told me that if things looked bad, I should forget the mission and just run. He was probably thinking of a situation like that.’

’But because I had my Second Self, I dared to risk it. If I had truly felt things were going south, I would have pulled out immediately.’

Teacher Xue said, "Practice these two techniques first. Then have Hong Fu run some combat drills with you. Once you’ve mastered them, I’ll teach you some other practical little tricks."

Chen Chuan said, "Thank you, Teacher."

Teacher Xue then took out a small box and placed it in front of him. "This is the Aromatic Medicine for your next stage of training. You can also buy it at Wuyi. It’s a bit more expensive, but you should still be able to afford it.

"But from now on, the Aromatic Medicines you need will get progressively more expensive. Some of them are nearly impossible to find in the outside world and can only be sourced from the Merging Land. You need to be prepared for that."

Chen Chuan was indeed mentally prepared for this. He had already consumed countless resources just to get to his current level of cultivation. And that was all based on the new era’s widely available and universal systems. As he progressed higher, the path would inevitably narrow.

Teacher Xue looked at him. "To be honest, I originally expected you to master the current stage’s material around May or June. If that were the case, I wouldn’t be pushing you. But given your current progress, I’m hoping you can master what I’ve taught you before April arrives."

Chen Chuan looked up. "Before April? That’s only about ten days from now."

Teacher Xue said, "Correct. Ten days. That’s the time I’m giving you. Consider it a test. Can you do it?"

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "I can’t make any guarantees, but I will do my best."

Teacher Xue said meaningfully, "Some things can wait, but some things can’t. Ultimately, it’s your decision. I’m just reminding you that some opportunities only come once. If you miss them, you might never get another chance."

Chen Chuan’s mind raced for a moment before he said seriously, "I will take your reminder to heart, Teacher."

"That’s the spirit." Teacher Xue slapped his knee and stood up. "That’s all for today’s lesson. Oh, and one last thing: make good use of the advantages available to you. Don’t overthink it. Some things are best considered only when you’re capable enough. Alright, I’m off."

"Take care, Teacher."

Chen Chuan watched Teacher Xue leave. He then turned his gaze to the two potted green plants still sitting there. Teacher Xue had clearly left them for him. However, he hadn’t mentioned their name, what they were called, or how to care for them. ’I’ll have to look them up when I get back.’

He bent down, picked up one pot in each hand, and left the Training Ground. Back in his dorm, he placed them near the windowsill.

Taking a couple of steps back, he logged onto the Defense Department’s internal platform to look them up. ’Since they’re from the Merging Land, there should be information on them.’

Sure enough, he found the information after a short search.

The plant was called a ’Leaf-Hugging Cage’. Surprisingly, it was carnivorous, preying mainly on small creatures and insects. That certainly fit his impression of the Merging Land.

’That shouldn’t be too hard. The Wuyi Canteen has everything. I can just bring some scraps back with me each time.’

’They’re my training partners, after all. They deserve to be treated well.’

As he stared at the two pots, his thoughts returned to what Teacher Xue had said. He seemed to be implying that Chen Chuan needed to master these techniques quickly to avoid missing an opportunity.

Recalling what Senior Brother Cao had said during the day, and the sense of urgency surrounding Chen Bitong, it all seemed to indicate that something big was about to happen in Central City.

He had actually noticed it himself over the past several days. The number of airships and other vessels in Central City had been steadily increasing. Judging by the situation from all sides, it seemed everyone was preparing for something.

The Processing Bureau seemed quiet on the surface, but Ni Qianqian hadn’t had time to meet for a meal for several rest days in a row. Something was definitely going on behind the scenes.

It was just that he was on a different assignment now, so he wasn’t privy to the Bureau’s specific plans.

He thought for a moment. Counselor Pei had said he had something to discuss with him; it was very likely related to this. ’In that case, there’s no point in wild speculation. I’ll find out when we meet.’

Putting that aside, his thoughts turned to Chaoming. He logged onto the Secret Snake Sect’s platform and searched for methods to induce the growth of a Mutated Organization in a creature, but a thorough search came up empty.

After some thought, he contacted Zou Handan directly. He explained what he was looking for and asked if the Secret Snake Sect offered such a service.

Zou Handan replied, "Captain Chen, because this involves some of the Sect’s secrets, there are things I cannot answer directly. However, that Bird Lizard is a specimen we discarded. It would be very difficult for us to make any effective progress with it."

Chen Chuan read between the lines. The Secret Snake Sect likely did have research in this area, but a discarded, low-potential specimen like Chaoming held little to no research value for them.

However, he also knew that the Secret Snake Sect’s research focused primarily on serpentine creatures. Bird Lizards didn’t align with their research focus, which didn’t necessarily mean it was impossible.

Zou Handan then added, "However, if Captain Chen requires biological modification, that is something we can do. We have Implants designed specifically for living creatures."

Chen Chuan disagreed. Even if Chaoming couldn’t fight, there was no need to resort to that. "Never mind then," he said.

Zou Handan said, "Captain Chen, while the Secret Snake Sect can’t meet your needs in this area, other companies might be able to. I suggest you try Light Nest Company. Their research into creature Mutated Organizations is among the best in the country, and they have a branch here in Jibei Dao."

"Light Nest? Thank you."

Chen Chuan committed the name to memory. After thanking Zou Handan and ending the call, he looked up Light Nest Company. Based on the content on their platform, he saw that many people were interested in inducing Mutated Organizations in non-human life forms.

The wealthy, in particular, who didn’t fully trust Fighters, would often keep pets and even plants with Mutated Organizations to serve them.

These were typically for civilian applications. For military use, the undisputed leader was Compound Eye Company; few similar companies could compete. But in the domestic civilian market, Light Nest had the most in-depth research on avian and reptilian creatures.

He glanced at the pictures displayed on the site. There were all sorts of strange and bizarre creatures, along with some rather brutal images of testing and beast-fighting among enthusiast groups.

After browsing, he thought for a moment and sent them a message with his inquiry.

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