Chapter 754 105: Instruction

At Long Lake Station, a passenger train entered the station and slowly came to a stop, its arrival announced by a loud bell.

Chen Chuan, Chang Dong, and Gao Yanjun were waiting on the platform. Chang Dong glanced at the train number, then at his watch. "That's right," he said. "This is the one."

After the train doors opened, passengers carrying bags of all sizes disembarked one after another. Most were young men and women, and they got off quickly.

Chang Dong kept his eyes fixed on the people getting off the train. After a moment, he saw Mr. Zhuan step off, carrying a suitcase. He felt a sense of relief, and a smile appeared on his face as he called out, "Over here."

Chen Chuan nodded. 'Having Mr. Zhuan come by train was the right call,' he thought. 'He can be escorted when boarding and disembarking. This way... yes.'

He, Chang, and Gao went up to greet him.

"Mr. Zhuan?"

After seeing them, Mr. Zhuan immediately turned away. When he turned back, he was already wearing that mask of his. His entire demeanor changed in an instant from dull and wooden to mature and wise, open and talkative.

He smiled and said, "Greetings, you three."

He stepped forward to shake hands with each of them.

Chang Dong said enthusiastically, "Mr. Zhuan, please get in the car. We'll head to the temporary base first."

A Fighting Master entering Central City would cause ripples in many circles. This was an especially sensitive time, so for now, they could only arrange their discussion outside the city.

The one thing the industrial district didn't lack was factories, warehouses, and buildings. Because he had known from an early telegram that Mr. Zhuan was coming, Chang Dong had bought a small warehouse here and ordered some daily necessities. It would serve perfectly as a hidden outpost outside the city.

Chang Dong volunteered to be the driver, and after a drive of only about ten minutes, they arrived in front of a secluded warehouse.

After the car stopped at the entrance, a few stray cats sunbathing by the door meowed and leaped up onto the high ledges of a nearby building.

Tucking a briefcase under his arm, Chang Dong walked up, took out a key, and opened the warehouse door. As he pulled it open, a cloud of dust rolled out.

He waved his hand a few times to clear the air and said from the doorway, "We just acquired this place, so we haven't had time to clean it up. Please excuse the mess, Mr. Zhuan."

Mr. Zhuan smiled and said, "The Jibei Dao Branch is just being re-established, so resources are limited. I understand. I'm not picky about these things. As long as there's a place to talk, it's fine."

Once they were inside, Chang Dong led them into a partitioned-off area. This section, in contrast, was swept clean and fully furnished with a sofa, table, and chairs.

After they all sat down, Gao Yanjun brewed tea and handed a cup to each person.

Mr. Zhuan thanked her and took the cup. He made small talk with them for a bit and only began discussing business after Gao Yanjun returned and sat down as well.

"Headquarters received your telegram and learned what happened back then. They are taking this matter very seriously. But because a Fighting Master may be involved, they believe this is beyond what the Jibei Dao Branch can handle. That's why the higher-ups sent me this time.

"Headquarters' view is that before the branch is fully rebuilt, this matter from the past should be temporarily shelved. You can move forward with it later when the conditions are right."

Chang Dong felt a bit of relief. If that was the case, things would be much easier. He then asked, "What about Tian Rui? Did headquarters say what to do with him?"

Mr. Zhuan said, "Regarding Tian Rui, headquarters' opinion is to not get involved for now. His case will be adjudicated along with everything else once the entire matter is settled."

Chang Dong understood. In this phase, the branch was to focus on defense, not take the initiative. He leaned back and patted his stomach, which seemed to have shrunk a little. He sighed with contentment. "With you here, Mr. Zhuan, I can finally relax and eat a few more bowls of rice."

Mr. Zhuan said, "You investigated the past events so quickly and uncovered part of the truth. Headquarters recognizes the Jibei Dao Branch's efficiency."

Chang Dong immediately said, "Manager Chen was the one who pushed the previous investigation forward single-handedly. He was also the one who discovered Tian Rui's whereabouts. The two of us have only been able to assist and try not to cause any trouble for Manager Chen."

Chen Chuan said seriously, "There's no need to say that, Mr. Chang. The Jibei Dao Branch is a single entity. We just focus on different aspects. Every person is indispensable."

Mr. Zhuan smiled. "By the way," he said, "how is the construction of your branch coming along?"

Chang Dong said, "Because of the threat from the Swamp Training Camp, we didn't stay there long. We're temporarily staying in the Weiguang District, the safest area in the city.

"But construction of the branch has been progressing these past few days. A rough outline is already taking shape. The site is very large, so it'll be convenient to expand in the future."

He was well-prepared. He took a stack of documents from his briefcase. It included records of expenses during this period, progress reports on the branch's construction, and photos taken at each stage.

Mr. Zhuan took them, glanced through them, nodded, and then said, "If you're lacking anything, you can submit a report to headquarters. I'll sign off on it. The Jibei Dao Branch is essentially being rebuilt from scratch. You'll face many difficulties, pressures, and dangers. Headquarters understands the hardships involved."

Chang Dong smiled. "We're not lacking anything else, just funding. We can overcome everything else."

Mr. Zhuan laughed and said, "Everyone is short on that. But your situation here is indeed different from other places. Later, Chang, you can draft a report, and I'll submit it with you."

A huge smile instantly spread across Chang Dong's face. "Great, great! We'll have to trouble you then, Mr. Zhuan."

Mr. Zhuan said, "I'll be staying in Jibei Dao for a while." He looked around. "This place seems fine. No need to go to any more trouble."

Chang Dong said, "We apologize for the humble accommodations, Mr. Zhuan." He was very perceptive and could tell that Mr. Zhuan had something private to say to Chen Chuan. He stood up. "In that case, I'll go draft the report."

Then he said to Gao Yanjun, "Gao, if Mr. Zhuan is staying here, he'll need quite a few things. I'll leave it to you to take care of that."

Gao Yanjun adjusted her decorative glasses and said, "Leave it to me."

The two of them bid a brief farewell to Mr. Zhuan and then departed.

After the two had left, Mr. Zhuan turned to Chen Chuan and said, "Manager Chen, with the official business concluded, we can now discuss your personal cultivation.

"As one of the Guides for your initiation, I have an obligation to guide your cultivation.

"I've said before that after you obtain the Pure Essence and satisfy your current needs, I would explain the key points of the next stage of cultivation to you."

He looked at Chen Chuan. Although his exact expression was hidden behind the mask, his eyes clearly showed surprise and admiration.

"It's only been a few months, yet your Spiritual Power has progressed so quickly. It's already showing signs of reaching Perfection.

"I haven't seen many with talent like yours.

"Hmm... Given that you're about to reach the Perfection stage of this limit, I think I can go ahead and teach you some of the key points and methods for entering the Fourth Limit."

Hearing this, Chen Chuan's spirits lifted. He knew that entering the Fourth Limit first required one's spirit and body to reach Perfection.

However, as for how to break through this level, what to do during the process, and what to watch out for... he had learned a little from other sources after becoming an Investigation Chief, but not much.

And the opportunity for personal instruction from a Fighting Master was incredibly rare.

Mr. Zhuan's voice grew more serious. "You should know," he said, "that after a Fighter reaches the Third Limit, they can no longer advance based on their physical body alone. This is because the human body has its own limits.

"Therefore, to break through, you need to rely on the power of the spirit.

"Entering the Fourth Limit is primarily about spiritual ascension. The spirit is the most important key to entering the Overlimit Level.

"Generally speaking, a Fighter must use their own spirit to contact and communicate with the power on the 'other side' and use it to twist reality, turning the impossible into the possible, to achieve the goal of transcending their limits.

"However, that power on the other side is like a colossal, surging wave. To anchor yourself to it without being thrown off, you need an exceptionally tough and powerful spirit.

"The best method here is to use your own power to force a breakthrough, achieving it naturally. But that's just an ideal scenario. Perhaps someone can do it, but so far, I have neither seen nor heard of such a case.

"After all, the human spirit is not stable enough compared to the power on the other side. Fortunately, the wisdom of our predecessors is infinite, and there is a method to compensate for this shortcoming.

"It's as the saying goes: to take, one must first give. If you want to gain something, you must inevitably give something up. This is a trial that almost everyone who enters the Fourth Limit must face."

At this point, he asked Chen Chuan, "Hmm, is there anything you're particularly good at, or anything you love?"

Chen Chuan thought for a moment, but before he could answer, Mr. Zhuan waved his hand. "You don't have to tell me. Just be clear about it in your own heart."

He sat there, his gaze growing distant as he slowly said, "Everyone preparing to enter the Fourth Limit needs to make an advance vow or sacrifice something in order to receive a feedback of power that makes their spirit even more resilient. For example, Mr. Zhuan..."

He pointed to the face behind his own mask.

"He gave up his ability to correctly identify paths. In fact, he used to have an excellent sense of direction and was a famous master of finding paths and people. He could find even the most elusive person in the most remote corner, following the faintest of clues.

"But when he was entering the Fourth Limit, in order to gain enough power, he sacrificed this special talent. But in doing so, he also received a greater spiritual feedback.

"And the more you cherish what you sacrifice, the more power you will receive in return.

"Hmm, you can also make a vow, forcing yourself to do something in the future and to do it persistently.

"This 'something' must be what you have always detested most, what you find most repugnant from the bottom of your heart—something that makes you feel fear, disgust, and terror just thinking about it. Then, when you vow to practice it daily, you can achieve the same goal."

At this, he smiled. "But once you've crossed that threshold, what you detest today might just become what you love."

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