Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 301 - 33: Foreign Object

As Chen Chuan was about to draw his blade again, he suddenly froze. He had just remembered something—an academy regulation prohibiting students from bringing Domain-disrupting objects or items causing anomalous disruptions into public areas.

Domain-disrupting objects were typically special organisms or colonies. Anomalies, Esoteric Rituals, and Domain-disrupting objects were all uniformly classified as anomalous disruptions.

He didn’t know what this thing was. Although the academy considered dorm rooms to be private student spaces, they would surely intervene if it caused a major disruption. He didn’t want to lose evaluation points over this.

So, after some thought, he decided against drawing the blade. He would first learn the saber techniques from Teacher Zheng, and then find a place to figure out what this thing was after the lesson.

One Hour later, a voice sounded in his ear: "Instructional simulation complete. To extend the duration, the student must improve their personal evaluation score."

The figure before his eyes flickered and disappeared, and the training room returned to its previous state.

Chen Chuan took a moment to process the experience. Teacher Zheng’s Saber Technique was fascinating; it was a style that could activate his Mutated Organization and Breathing Technique simply by practicing the Saber Techniques.

It must have integrated different Strength Postures to achieve such an effect through the Saber Techniques alone. From a pure training perspective, it was vastly superior to the Heavy Slash Saber Technique. However, the latter was a Practical Saber Technique, whereas this one was geared more toward self-training.

’But if there’s a way to train it, there must be a way to fight with it.’ He found himself looking forward to his future lessons with Teacher Zheng.

He walked out of the private training room and glanced at his Second Self. He sensed that after the battle with Xiong Jianyi, not only had the overlap time with his Second Self increased, but its power was also converging more rapidly with his own.

’Combat really is the most direct way to strengthen the resonance between me and my Second Self. And now that I’ve accepted the Processing Bureau’s support and training, I imagine there won’t be a shortage of such opportunities.’

He went outside, tidied himself up, and left his dorm with the Snow Monarch Blade in hand. After exiting the Profound Palace Building, he thought for a moment before deciding to hop on a tram. He rode it straight to the desolate area where Teacher Wu lived. Almost no one ever came here, and with no tall buildings around, no one could see him.

He walked up to a collapsed building and, this time without hesitation, drew the Snow Monarch Blade. In the same instant, intense signs of dematerialization appeared on his body.

He held the blade horizontally before him and looked at it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But... He reached out his other hand and laid it on the spine of the blade. He grasped something and slowly pulled. Where there had been nothing but empty air, shimmering, crystalline threads began to appear. After emerging, this substance slowly dispersed, expanding to cover the entire area where he stood before continuing to spread outward.

The substance resembled soft silk threads, yet also a drifting white mist. As it floated about, it possessed a certain beauty, like clouds unfurling. At the same time, however, the invasive assault grew stronger.

He could feel the overlap time with his Second Self decreasing at an alarming rate, comparable to being in close proximity with one of those hard-to-deal-with anomalies.

’What is this thing?’

It didn’t seem like an anomaly, but it had a clear invasive effect. He was certain that if this substance were to leak out without a special method of containment, any ordinary people nearby wouldn’t survive for long.

And in just that short time, the white, silky mist had drifted upward and was still spreading out. The assault was intensifying, and under this interference, his Realm Token had become completely useless.

He felt he couldn’t let it continue. Just as he was thinking about how to retract it, the Snow Monarch Blade seemed to sense his thoughts. It trembled slightly, and all the wispy white mist retreated back into the blade. In a few short moments, it had completely vanished, and the signs of dematerialization around him faded away to nothing.

Chen Chuan glanced at the Snow Monarch Blade. The thin red line on its spine now seemed to be flowing. He deduced that this substance had most likely been absorbed when the blade pierced Xiong Jianyi’s body. Now, it appeared the two had merged into one.

He didn’t know what it was, but he could sense that it was a good thing for the Snow Monarch Blade.

He had been trying to strengthen the connection between himself and the blade, and now that connection felt significantly tighter. The Mutated Organization within the blade had clearly been stimulated and had grown.

He pondered for a moment. The substance was clearly related to Xiong Jianyi. Considering how eagerly the Gongshi had moved to kill Xiong Jianyi, their actions were likely connected to this as well.

’It’s even more likely that all of the Gongshi’s recent actions were for this very substance. It must be extremely important. If that’s the case, then this whole affair might not be over.’

’But regardless of what it is, now that it’s in my possession, there’s no reason to return it.’

He sheathed the Snow Monarch Blade and left the area.

This time, he didn’t head back to the Profound Palace Building. Since he was already out, he decided to pay a visit to the teacher Ni Qianqian had recommended.

He had already looked up the address. The teacher was located on Motie Mountain, one of Central City’s most famous upscale residential districts. It was home to most of the city’s high-ranking government officials, corporate executives, and cultural celebrities. For the teacher to live there, they were clearly someone of considerable status.

He first used the provided contact information to get in touch and spoke with someone who seemed to be a butler. The person on the other end said he could come over now, so he immediately boarded a tram heading for Motie Mountain.

Meanwhile, at a station of the Central City Processing Bureau, a young man with long hair and colored contact lenses walked out of a building into a plaza. He glanced around, and seeing that he wouldn’t be disturbed, opened his Realm Token to make a call.

After a moment, the call connected. A cold voice came through. "Ancheng, what is it?"

Ancheng said, "Did you hear? The new guy passed his first cooperative mission on the first try."

"He passed? So what?"

"It’s nothing major. It’s just that the Bureau seems to value him highly. I’m just reminding you that we have another competitor."

"Do you know his background?"

The corners of Ancheng’s mouth curved up slightly as he sent over the public information he had gathered on Chen Chuan.

After looking it over, a surprised voice came from the other end. "A civilian student?"

Ancheng warned, "Don’t underestimate him. Getting a spot in Central City with that background is no simple feat. Far from it."

The voice on the other end replied, "You don’t have to remind me. Of course I won’t underestimate him. The Processing Bureau rarely misjudges people. Otherwise, what would that make us? Besides, how much does our old status really matter here in Central City? Is there really that much difference between us and a civilian?"

Ancheng said, "Good, then. You know as well as I do, the resources the Processing Bureau gives out might seem equal, but when one person takes an opportunity, it’s gone for everyone else. And the more you get... the more you can get."

"You’re telling me all this because you have an idea, right? Spit it out. What do you want to do?"

"Here’s my idea: we share information. I’m sure you’ve gotten to know a few people during your time at the Processing Bureau. When an opportunity arises, we’ll be proactive and snatch it first. Then the two of us can decide how to split the rewards. That way, we won’t end up competing against each other just to let someone else get ahead."

"We’ll start by pushing him out of the running. What do you think?"

The person on the other end didn’t respond immediately, as if considering the proposal. After a moment, they said, "Fine."

There were only so many opportunities. If they took them, Chen Chuan would have less. It didn’t matter if he was capable or not; as long as they were always the ones at the forefront, doing the work and doing it well, the higher-ups would grow accustomed to relying on them. This would achieve the goal of marginalizing and suppressing him without anyone noticing.

Ancheng smirked. It was all fair competition, after all. If the new student had the means, he was welcome to try and compete with them.

’Sure, we arrived half a semester earlier and have a head start, which might seem unfair,’ he thought. ’But where is there any real fairness in this world? There are only invisible lines. If you can’t cross them, you’re trapped in your old circle forever.’

He had come from a provincial city to Central City, escaping his old circle. Now, to break into an even higher one, he had to use any means necessary to claw his way up.

’And anyone who gets in my way has to be pushed aside.’

The voice on the other end then said, "But have you forgotten one thing?"

Ancheng asked, "What did I forget?"

"No matter how hard we try, it’s only after reaching the Third Limit that we’ll gain the Processing Bureau’s true attention. Only then will they double their investment of resources and give us more opportunities. If he reaches the Third Limit before us, everything we do will be for nothing."

Ancheng laughed. "Don’t you worry about that. I asked around through an internal channel. His potential isn’t very high. I don’t know the exact number, but the very fact that they were willing to tell me that much speaks volumes."

"Besides... we have a half-semester head start on him. If he still manages to surpass us, well, we might as well just pack it in and admit defeat."

The person on the other end heard the veiled mockery in his tone, simply retorted, "I hope you remain this confident," and ended the call.

After riding the tram for over an Hour, Chen Chuan finally arrived in the Motie Mountain area. From the station, he could see mansions and high-rises dotting the distant mountain, an unexpectedly harmonious blend of modern and traditional architecture. Not only was the area far greener than other districts, but the lighting was also tastefully subdued.

Flowers of all colors were planted along the roads, and the air was exceptionally fresh. Everything in sight, from the pristine streets to the layout of the shops, buildings, and public facilities, was aesthetically designed and pleasing to the eye.

Having been informed of his arrival, the teacher had sent a private car to pick him up. The car bypassed several security checkpoints, taking him directly to a lakeside manor. He was then led to a living room decorated in a traditional style to wait.

Before long, a handsome young man who looked to be under thirty walked in. He wore a traditional scholar’s robe, his hair tied up in a bun and secured with a sapphire-blue ribbon. His demeanor was cold and aloof, as if he were a nobleman’s son straight out of a bygone era.

From the rhythm of the man’s movements, Chen Chuan could tell he was an exceptionally skilled Fighter, but there was also a slight, almost imperceptible disharmony to them.

The young man looked directly at him and said, "What, are you surprised?"

Chen Chuan could sense that while the man’s expression was impassive, he was actually very perceptive. So, he decided to be direct. "To be honest, yes. I assumed my teacher would be much older. I didn’t expect you to be so young."

The young man’s expression softened slightly. "I may not be much older than you, but you needn’t worry about my ability to teach you. That is, unless you don’t apply yourself, or you simply lack the talent."

Just then, Chen Chuan received a message on his Realm Token. He glanced down and saw it was a brief profile of the man before him.

His name was Cao Guiqi. At only twenty-six, he was indeed not much older than Chen Chuan. ’But if the Processing Bureau recommended him to help me reach the Third Limit, he must be at that level himself, at the very least.’

"Have a seat."

Cao Guiqi gestured for him to sit. Once Chen Chuan was seated, Cao Guiqi sat down across from him and said impassively, "I’m also a graduate of the Central Hospital, so you can call me senior. I owed the Processing Bureau a favor, and they asked me to take you on. That’s why I agreed."

"I will help you reach the Third Limit. Beyond that, we have no connection. So there’s no need for you to think of me as your teacher."

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