Celestial Human Diagram

After Chen Bitong stabbed the second Duty Samurai to death, he didn’t stop, quickly simulating a third one. The result was no different from the previous two times; he still raised his Long Spear, advanced, and killed it with a single thrust.

It was as if the Duty Samurai was completely helpless before him.

Chen Chuan, watching from behind, saw it very clearly. The man hadn’t used any supernatural power. The key was the instant he thrust the spear, he used his own Spiritual Power to strike the opponent’s spirit.

This caused a momentary lag in the opponent’s transitioning consciousness. The stronger will failed to smoothly take control, while the original will was still trying to command the body. But due to the handover process and the body’s own metamorphosis, its movements were slightly delayed.

And just that tiny delay was all Chen Bitong needed to easily find an opening to exploit.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a particularly advanced technique. Rather, it was a skill born from the experience of long-term combat and observation, which could only be executed with a solid foundation.

Sometimes, even if you know the theory, you can’t pull it off without masterful skill and a stable mind to back it up.

The spear thrust looked effortless, but it was backed by a foundation honed through countless hours of practice.

Chen Bitong stopped. He struck the butt of his Long Spear on the ground, turned, and said, "Captain Chen, you’ve already grasped the basics of spiritual cultivation. It shouldn’t be difficult for you to do this. You can try it yourself."

As he spoke, the three Duty Samurai corpses on the ground vanished. Lighting the fire earlier had just been a demonstration of how to dispose of them. Since that was no longer necessary, they could simply be erased.

Chen Chuan did indeed want to try. He raised his Snow Monarch Blade and looked at the newly appeared Duty Samurai.

When Chen Bitong used the Spiritual Shock, Chen Chuan had used his Domain to carefully perceive it. Since it was a demonstration for his benefit, the process had been displayed very clearly.

He already knew what to do.

But the key was putting it into practice.

He stepped forward. This time, his opponent gave him no chance to seize the initiative and began its metamorphosis immediately. He instantly swung his blade and charged, emulating Chen Bitong by projecting his Spiritual Power to strike his foe.

But it was his first time attempting this, and his timing was off by just a fraction. That slight error allowed the opponent to raise its blade to block a split-second faster. As a result, it still seized the initiative, and it took him three moves to finally slay it.

While still an improvement, it wasn’t the result he was aiming for.

He stood in place, reviewing his last attack. ’The Spiritual Power I muster has to strike at that exact instant,’ he realized. ’It can’t be too early or too late. Too early, and the opponent has time to adjust. Too late, and I’ll miss the window of opportunity.’

Chen Bitong said, "Captain Chen, I told you I was giving you ten minutes. You have a little over nine minutes left."

Chen Chuan regulated his breathing and nodded.

Over the next few moments, he continuously engaged the Duty Samurai as they appeared, successfully slaying each one. Every time a body fell, it would immediately vanish, only for a new one to be simulated in its place.

His efficiency was high; even if he couldn’t achieve his goal on the first try, he could almost always finish his opponent in the first exchange. So, after about two minutes, he finally grasped the timing. He thrust his blade into the enemy’s faceplate. With a jolt of Sword Force, its head instantly shattered within the helmet.

He then stood still, holding his striking pose to quietly savor the sensation. After a moment, once the memory of the action was fully ingrained in his mind and body, he finally withdrew his blade.

Chen Bitong stopped the simulations. He walked over and said, "Well done, Captain Chen.

We can use the Domain’s resources to train repeatedly, allowing us to master techniques in a short amount of time. This is an advantage the remnants of the old era can’t match. They may have similar methods, but they lack our versatility.

However, we can’t underestimate them. They have advantages that are difficult for us to match.

They have control over numerous Lost Objects collected during the old era. They also have dealings with certain entities from the other side, which grants them access to special powers. We should be confident when facing them, but never blindly arrogant."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "But Teacher Chen, it seems these simulation resources we’re using aren’t exactly easy to come by."

Chen Bitong replied, "That’s why they’re only provided to the true elite. You are more efficient and improve faster. Giving them to ordinary people would just be a waste."

He looked ahead. "Let’s continue." With that, he led the way forward.

Chen Chuan glanced at him and followed.

The two of them passed through the ruined garrison and arrived at the rear. Chen Bitong suddenly stopped and turned his head. "You go first this time."

Chen Chuan walked ahead, but after only a few steps, he seemed to have disturbed something. Cracked pits opened up in the ground around him, and one by one, Rot Worms began to emerge.

One was no more than half a meter away. Recalling Chen Bitong’s earlier actions, he reached out and pushed against one of its segmented limbs. The Rot Worm tilted sideways as if it would flip over, but then it scrambled with its legs and righted itself, stabilizing its body.

Chen Chuan considered for a moment, then pushed again, making it lose its balance once more. After trying a dozen or so times, he finally found the knack for it and successfully flipped the Rot Worm over.

Seeing his success, he left it and continued forward. From then on, he pushed over every Rot Worm he passed. His first few attempts were clumsy, but as his successes mounted, his movements grew increasingly fluid, looking very much like Chen Bitong’s demonstration from earlier.

Chen Bitong, watching from behind, nodded slightly. His reason for toppling the creatures on his way over had been intentional; it was to demonstrate the most energy-efficient method of handling them.

He wouldn’t teach the trainees specific fighting styles, but he would demonstrate things for them. Whether they could learn anything, and how much they could learn, was up to the trainees themselves.

Beyond the technique itself, this action was not without purpose. Once flipped, the Rot Worms were immobilized and could be collected after the battle. Their tissues are an excellent source of medicinal and biological materials.

The military garrison might only care about the outcome, but certain internal commercial institutions and research institutes prefer people who can bring them profit.

He then said, "That’s enough, Captain Chen. You’ve mastered the technique. But you must pay attention," he warned solemnly.

"Watch your Activation Index. While your brain tissue won’t actually undergo Activation here, if the index exceeds a certain limit, your score for this training will be very low."

Chen Chuan glanced down; the index read sixteen. Because this was also a simulated Domain, using his Second Self to shield himself from it might cause him to exit the scenario entirely. So, he hadn’t done so, which naturally caused his Activation Index to rise.

He immediately began using his Breathing Technique, trying to lower the value.

Chen Bitong said, "You’re currently engaged in spiritual cultivation, so I’ll tell you a way to better maintain your self-control." As he spoke, he tossed something to Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan caught it and took a look. It was a device resembling a weighing scale’s dial. Inside, a needle swayed back and forth relentlessly, and the face was divided into red, green, and yellow zones.

"The Domain and one’s spirit are highly active and constantly in flux, making them particularly susceptible to the corrupting influence of Activation. But as long as you can keep your Domain and spirit within the green or yellow range, you can effectively avoid this."

Chen Chuan tried it as instructed and found it was quite difficult, especially to maintain it constantly. So, he hung the device on a clasp on his belt, deciding to practice with it for the rest of the way.

Chen Bitong said, "You should familiarize yourself with this method as quickly as possible. Under these simulated conditions, this is the safest place you’ll ever have to train."

Chen Chuan nodded. ’Even though I have the Second Self to shield me, I don’t mind having another tool in my arsenal. Besides, I feel like there might be other techniques related to this.’

Just then, Chen Bitong suddenly looked up. "Many of our threats actually come from the sky."

Chen Chuan looked up to see gigantic, winged insects appearing in the sky. They resembled dragonflies, with enormous Compound Eyes, powerful, fuzzy thoraxes, and long, slender abdomens. There were a great many of them, and their shadows fell over the ground, accompanied by the loud buzzing of their beating wings.

The insects seemed to be after the overturned Rot Worms on the ground. They swooped down one by one, plunging their needle-like mouthparts directly into the Rot Worms’ bellies and injecting some kind of digestive fluid. Then, they inserted their tails into the bodies to lay eggs.

Chen Bitong said, "Rot Worms and certain other insects are the breeding grounds for these King Dragonflies. These giant dragonflies pose a significant threat to us as well.

"That’s why whenever we establish a garrison, our first priority after clearing ground-level threats is to eliminate these things. Sometimes we use special chemicals, other times we use baited cages to trap them.

"Right now they have food, so they won’t pay us much mind. But if you encounter them in the wild, you must be careful, especially if you run into a swarm of these giant flying insects. A single person can hardly fight them off. Even a Third Limit Fighter would be in grave danger and could only rely on speed and cover to escape as quickly as possible.

"Otherwise, once your stamina is depleted, all you can do is wait for death. That’s why garrisons are so important to us. Without a base to fall back on, it’s incredibly difficult to operate freely in undeveloped mountainous regions."

Looking at the dense swarm of giant insects, Chen Chuan completely agreed. ’Once these things gather in such numbers, it’s practically impossible for a single person to fight them,’ he thought. ’Unless you were strong enough to kill every last one.’

Chen Bitong glanced at his Realm Token. "We still have enough time. Captain Chen, given the strength and aptitude you’ve displayed, I’m going to increase the intensity of your training. Next, you will face something even more difficult. Prepare yourself."

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