Celestial Human Diagram

Chen Chuan got back in his car and drove toward the Bureau.

Around one in the afternoon, he arrived at the Processing Bureau. After parking in front of the entrance, he walked into the office building as security guards on either side saluted him.

He found Ni Qianqian in her office. She handed him a document and said, "The Ferris Wheel Company originally attached a condition to your compensation. They demanded your personal guarantee that you wouldn’t take any hostile action against them in the future. We rejected it, of course."

Ni Qianqian folded her arms and sneered.

"You’re the victim, yet they want to place restrictions on you? That’s an absolute joke. If they’ve got the nerve, let them keep holding out. Let them continue fighting Lianwei Zhongyu and see who suffers the greater loss."

Chen Chuan glanced at the document, which outlined some issues with the payment terms. He looked up. "So, what’s their plan now?"

"After some negotiation, they’ve proposed paying in installments. That was probably their main goal all along. As for why..."

Ni Qianqian scoffed. "The Ferris Wheel Company probably thinks that as long as you want to get the subsequent payments, you won’t move against them."

Chen Chuan placed the document back on the desk. "Let’s put the compensation money aside for now. I want to hear the Ferris Wheel Company’s official explanation. Why did they attack me? Do they have a concrete reason?"

Ni Qianqian said, "According to them, that woman you killed on the road while escorting Meng Shu back to Central City—the one called Sister Huan—was the trusted partner and assistant of a certain senior executive. The two of them had a... complicated private relationship, so her death made him determined to get revenge on you."

"He supposedly ignored company warnings and used private channels to hire a Fighter from overseas to come after you."

Chen Chuan knew at once that this was just a flimsy excuse. For one thing, it didn’t explain why Director Lei was also a target.

’The real reason must be important, which is why they’re not talking.’

’From the looks of it, the Ferris Wheel Company hasn’t abandoned its original plan. It’s just made a temporary concession due to outside pressure.’

He thought for a moment, then said, "One more question. The person who attacked me claimed to be a Fighter from the overseas Langtao Hall. What is the Bureau planning to do about this Langtao Hall?"

Ni Qianqian said, "We sent people to inquire. Langtao Hall’s official response is that they are only responsible for guiding their disciples’ combat training and never get involved in their private affairs."

She shook her head, her expression growing grim. "As for Langtao Hall, we can apply pressure, but forcing them to submit will be very difficult."

"Langtao Hall is no ordinary Fighting Hall. The Fighters it produces are spread throughout the Outer Ocean and Ying Continent, and there’s no shortage of top-tier talent among them. The Hall itself holds a revered status in the hearts of many Fighters from the Outer Ocean."

"Since the dawn of the new era, Langtao has actively embraced new technology and built its own elite armed force."

"Pressuring them would require an immense amount of administrative resources. And that’s not even considering how effective it would be. Even if we could force them to yield temporarily, some Fighters who view Langtao Hall as a spiritual home might resort to extreme measures, and that’s not something we want to see."

Chen Chuan understood. ’So Langtao Hall is basically the Wuyi Academy of the Outer Ocean, and it even has its own independent military force.’

’Against an armed organization like that, unless you’re determined to wipe them out with military force, you can only resort to indirect political pressure. But that’s bound to be ineffectual.’

’That was fine, though. Since they came at me as Fighters, I can pay them a visit as a Fighter in the future.’

Ni Qianqian tapped her Lower Realm Token, transmitting an agreement. "Here’s the first installment from the Ferris Wheel Company—two hundred thousand Jianzhi Coins. The Bureau’s Litigation Master has already reviewed it for you, and there are no issues. If you’re still not comfortable, you can have your private Litigation Master take a look. There will be two more payments after this."

Chen Chuan considered it for a moment, then signed the agreement. He looked up. "Sister Ni, please give this money to the Bureau on my behalf."

’The three payments would only total six hundred thousand, about the same as a single bonus from Fusion Boundary. It was clear the Ferris Wheel Company was just going through the motions; or more accurately, they had no intention of giving him a significant amount.’

’So he wasn’t going to take the money—or at least, not right now. When the time came, he would collect the debt the Ferris Wheel Company owed him himself, with interest.’

’Besides, he wasn’t short on funds at the moment. The special medicines he needed for his cultivation were provided by the Fusion Boundary Company. Other than buying some extra medicine and paying for gas, he had very few expenses.’

’If he took the money directly, there would undoubtedly be people in the Bureau getting unreasonably jealous. It was better to use the Ferris Wheel Company’s money to build some goodwill instead.’

Ni Qianqian said, "Brother Chen, are you sure?"

"I’m sure," Chen Chuan said.

Ni Qianqian said jokingly, "Heh, I couldn’t part with that much money. I could get a new car!" Her expression then turned serious. "Brother Chen, I know you don’t intend to let this go. To be honest, the Bureau isn’t going to let it slide, either. Just don’t do anything impulsive on your own. An opportunity will come."

"I know," Chen Chuan said. He added, "Sister Ni, are you free? I mentioned treating you to a meal last time, and today happens to be a day off."

Ni Qianqian rubbed her temples. "Maybe next time. I’m an internal affairs officer, and the new semester just started. I have to liaise with the new sponsored recruit these next few days, and honestly, it’s a real headache."

"Speaking of which, I haven’t met this student yet," Chen Chuan said.

Ni Qianqian pursed her lips. "He’s still in his observation period, but from what I’ve seen, he’s nowhere near your level, Brother Chen. I’m not talking about potential or combat power—that’s all just on paper for now, with no actual performance to judge. His evaluation score was even a bit higher than your initial one, but the student just comes across as incredibly arrogant."

"He acts like he’s entitled to our sponsorship, and that his presence at the Processing Bureau is some great honor for us."

"But the higher-ups are treating him like some rare treasure, thinking they can just find another person like you. In all my years at the Processing Bureau, I’ve liaised with plenty of students, and I’ve never met a second one like you, Brother Chen."

Chen Chuan could hear the resentment in Ni Qianqian’s voice and knew the new student hadn’t made a good impression. He shook his head. "Sounds like this junior doesn’t know how to tell a joke."

At that, Ni Qianqian couldn’t help but start laughing. It took her a moment to stop. Waving her hand, she said, "Alright, alright, Brother Chen. It’s your day off, don’t spend any more time here. Go home and get some rest."

Chen Chuan nodded and said goodbye to Ni Qianqian. As he left the office, a message came through on his Realm Token, informing him that the blade he had sent for repairs was ready. He was to go to the logistics department to retrieve it.

’Perfect timing.’ He headed to the logistics department and retrieved the repaired Long Blade. The team there had also prepared an exquisite case for it.

After thanking them, he left the Processing Bureau and drove back to his residence in Wuding District. He placed the blade on a rack he had prepared in his collection room and admired it for a long while before finally leaving.

After returning to the academy, he resumed his cultivation, focusing on mastering the Refining Method so he could ask Teacher Xue about the next stage of his training.

「Before he knew it, the late February day off had arrived.」

Chen Chuan had plans with Tan Zhi to see a musical at the theater that afternoon, and they’d agreed to meet at Tan Zhi’s home first. Since there was a chance he might run into Chen Bitong, he changed into a formal suit and left early, driving toward Tan Zhi’s residence.

The musical was in Weiguang District, so instead of the Gard Car, he took the Silver Lightning.

He had never actually driven the car since getting it. Aside from the hassle of its upkeep, the main reason was that if he took it out just once, it might no longer be his to keep.

But for the time being, he didn’t have to worry about that in Weiguang District.

When he arrived at Tan Zhi’s rented courtyard home, Pan Xiaode and Qi Huixin were already there. After greeting the three of them, Pan Xiaode, as forward as ever, came right up and shook his hand. "Chen, it’s been ages!"

"With great ability comes great responsibility," Tan Zhi said.

Pan Xiaode said with some regret, "I should have asked to spar with you earlier, Chen. Now that you’re a Third Limit Fighter, I can’t even fight you."

Chen Chuan smiled. "We can still spar. I’ll adjust and suppress my power and speed to be on a similar level to yours."

Pan Xiaode’s eyes immediately lit up. "You can do that?" he asked, raring to go.

"I can," Chen Chuan said. "You and Qi can come at me together."

"Alright!"

Pan Xiaode turned to Qi Huixin. "Huixin, let’s take him on together." Qi Huixin nodded, her expression serious as she moved to stand beside him.

A chance to spar with a Third Limit Fighter was a rare opportunity. Both of their families had hired Fighters of that caliber before, but given their status, those people would never bother sparring with the younger generation.

As for the instructors they hired, the most they would do was offer guidance; they would never fight them directly, because the vast difference in strength would render the spar meaningless.

They had always believed that, too. But now they realized it was more likely that those instructors simply lacked the ability to suppress their own power the way Chen Chuan could.

Pan Xiaode then looked at Tan Zhi, "Tan, what about you?"

Tan Zhi waved his hand. "Count me out."

’If it were a dance-off, he was confident he’d be the star of the show. But fighting? He wasn’t nearly as fanatical as the other two. If not for the minimum evaluation score requirement, he’d just do the bare minimum to pass.’

Pan Xiaode and Qi Huixin took this very seriously. They first excused themselves, began warming up off to the side, and then each consumed a few tubes of Nutrition Paste.

They didn’t take Chen Chuan’s willingness to spar with them for granted; they cherished the opportunity.

Once their warm-up was complete, they each grabbed their weapon of choice and approached Chen Chuan. With a simultaneous shout, they launched their attack from two different directions.

...

...