Celestial Human Diagram

After Specialist Liang issued the command, he thought for a moment. He suddenly had a feeling. ’Hasn’t this operation gone a little too smoothly?’

However, the thought was fleeting.

Regardless, they had truly annihilated over a thousand of the enemy’s security forces. Whatever the Ferris Wheel Company’s true intentions were, they would not pass up an opportunity that had fallen right into their laps.

He wasn’t worried about the Ferris Wheel Company’s conventional forces. However, there was one person within the company they had to be extremely careful of—the greatest obstacle they would face in their mission to eliminate the Ferris Wheel Company.

He reviewed the plan from the Watchtower one more time. It was the soundest arrangement possible under the circumstances.

After reviewing it, he had his female assistant contact Execution Captain Xu Chan again.

"Old Xu, I’ve had a dose of medicine sent to you. You know what you’re about to face, so I’m authorizing you to command the final annihilation battle. Among the three departments, only your seniority and prestige make you the most suitable person for this task.

You can request any personnel you need, and I will assign them to you."

Xu Chan said, "In that case, I’ll make my requests. First, I need a few people: Nie Guanshan from the Administrative Affairs Hall, Yang Shen from the Pioneer Team, and..."

Specialist Liang immediately interrupted him. "I’m afraid those two won’t be able to join you."

"Hm?"

Xu Chan was surprised. "Are they unwilling? On another important mission?"

Specialist Liang said gravely, "The intensity of this battle exceeded all expectations. They’ve been killed in action."

Xu Chan froze, then frowned. "Is that so?"

Setting aside their individual combat prowess, their Force Techniques were highly unique. With those two working in coordination, the mission’s success rate would have increased by at least twenty percent.

But since that was no longer an option, he would have to find replacements.

He then quickly rattled off a few more names.

At that moment, he suddenly thought of a particular name—a young man in the department who had recently made quite a name for himself and was said to be extremely powerful.

But he shook his head. He’d heard the reputation, but he had never met the man, nor had they ever worked together. He couldn’t trust him. Besides, great strength wasn’t always a good thing. If he couldn’t follow orders, he would drag down the whole team. So, the thought just flickered through his mind, and he didn’t mention the name.

Even so, Specialist Liang couldn’t grant all his requests, as some of the individuals he named were currently protecting dignitaries or on guard duty in critical urban sectors.

Xu Chan considered this. The team was adequate, but he couldn’t guarantee a decisive victory. He said, "I’m going to need more support..."

Specialist Liang said, "I can’t transfer any more personnel to you, but you can ask for anything else you need."

"Alright." Xu Chan didn’t hold back, immediately laying out a series of demands.

After listening, Specialist Liang noted that the demands were complex, yet entirely reasonable. He said, "Captain Xu, I’ll approve all of them. The Defense Department has only one condition: resolve this matter before the splintering wave."

Meanwhile, Chen Chuan spent the entire afternoon aboard the airship. Perhaps to ensure he was well-rested, no news was relayed to him.

He stood by a sloped porthole, gazing outside. It was now evening, but the sky remained bright. Below, he could see Rifts periodically flashing into existence.

But while he appeared to be admiring the view, he was actually extending his consciousness to sense any activity in the Opposite World.

He didn’t know when the Pure Essence would arrive and didn’t want to miss it, so he was biding his time.

According to Chen Bitong, Pure Essence dissipated very quickly. Once it emerged, it would spread to Dashun and every corner of the globe. Anyone who sensed it during this period would compete with him for it, and soon after, the world’s nations and corporations would lock it down. Therefore, he had to be ahead of everyone else, and he had to be quick.

The initial moments would be a free-for-all, a window of time when no one would stop him. He had to seize this opportunity to take as much as he possibly could.

However, he now considered that for Chen Bitong to have orchestrated this, he must have had people supporting and participating from the shadows. These people probably knew what Chen Bitong’s goal was. So, even if no one was there to stop him, there would likely be others competing with him. It would all come down to their own abilities.

He could feel the fluctuations growing more distinct, a sign that the Pure Essence was about to arrive. He left his spot and went to find Pan Xiaode.

"Pan, I expended a great deal of energy earlier. I need a place to meditate and recover."

Pan Xiaode thought for a moment. "Chen, I have a meditation room. It’s meant for visiting Fighters who come up here for the view. But we are in the sky, after all. Just as long as you don’t make any big movements."

He had seen the state of Fengde District and now had a firsthand impression of a Third Limit Fighter’s destructive power. If Chen Chuan decided to practice his martial arts in there, the airship truly wouldn’t be able to take the strain.

Chen Chuan said, "I’m just going to regulate my breathing."

"Then that’s no problem."

Pan Xiaode personally led him to a training room in the central part of the lower deck. Though called a training room, it doubled as an observation area. There was a circular opening in the floor, about three meters in diameter, covered by a transparent glass panel. The panel could be opened, but when closed, it offered a direct view of the scenery on the ground.

After Pan Xiaode left, Chen Chuan sat down in a cross-legged position. The fluctuations were growing even more intense; he knew the Pure Essence was close. He settled down to wait.

At that same moment, in the southwestern part of Central City on Qingding Mountain, the former site of the Mo Temple was now swarming with security personnel in helmets and fully-enclosed protective suits. They were not from a Central City response unit, however; a single glance revealed them to be a private military force.

In the middle of what was once the Mo Temple’s main hall, only two people were present.

One was a bearded elder who appeared to be in his sixties. He had a gaunt face, and his eyes shone with a brilliant light. He was dressed in a black, Western-style suit, but his hair was tied in an old-fashioned topknot. His hair and beard were groomed with immaculate precision, without a single strand out of place.

The other was a young man in his early twenties with delicate features, a handsome face, and long limbs. He was dressed in a training uniform, but his eyes held a hint of malevolence. He sat with his hands resting casually on his knees.

The elder stood with one hand clenched into a fist behind his back. Gazing outside, he said, "The Mo Temple is situated on high ground in Central City. It was once an important site for sacrificial rites, which will serve to amplify your spiritual power."

"If the information is correct, the Pure Essence will reach Central City within half an hour. By now, no one should know that the sealed Rift in that location has been opened."

"Chu’an, if you can obtain a portion of the Pure Essence from there and add it to the share allocated by your family, your resource acquisition will surpass that of your sister and your brilliant older brother. You might even have a chance to catch up to them."

The young man, Chu’an, looked up. "Master, just a chance?"

The elder said, "I have told you many times: the potential assessment conducted at birth determines everything. On this path, they are destined to advance faster than you, even if they expend less effort.

"However, their moments of laxity are your opportunities to catch up. Don’t expect to surpass them in one fell swoop. As long as you can stay on their heels and not fall behind, you will have more options when the time comes."

Chu’an said, "As long as there’s an opportunity, I will seize it. However, Master, I’m curious. Were you the one who arranged for the breach to be opened?"

The elder’s tone was placid. "Why would I ever do such a thing? I merely purchased the information from one of the participants."

"Breaking the blockade set by the world’s nations and major corporations to leak Pure Essence to the entire world... that’s incredibly bold. What are they hoping to achieve?" Chu’an seemed surprised by such an act.

The elder seemed thoroughly unimpressed.

"Nothing more than a pipe dream. So what if they tore open a single rift? In the end, the Pure Essence will just fall into the hands of the rabble. They’ll only waste these resources, contributing nothing to the world’s progress."

"Enough. The idle chatter ends here."

He turned to face him. "I will now impart a method to you, one unique to our Refinement Sect. It will help you better locate Pure Essence from the Opposite World. Prepare yourself."

The hint of relaxation on Chu’an’s face vanished, replaced by a more serious expression. He rose to his feet and extended his palm.

The elder met his hand, pressing his palm against it. A resonant THUD sounded at the moment of contact. Instantly, Chu’an felt a stream of spiritual intent transfer into him.

He closed his eyes, absorbing the sensation for a moment. He had already grasped the method from the Spiritual Mark the elder transmitted.

The elder clasped his hands behind his back. "This technique of our Refinement Sect allows you to quickly sense Pure Essence while simultaneously repelling corruption, letting you operate with maximum freedom from interference."

"You must understand, Pure Essence is not just sustenance; it is also bait. Those entities from the Opposite World—They sometimes follow the Pure Essence and glimpse our world. If you have too much corruption accumulated in your body, your spirit will appear to Them like a shining beacon in the night."

"Although They cannot cross over for now, it will undoubtedly cause trouble in the future. This method allows you to evade Their notice. Mmm, the time is near. The first wave of Pure Essence is about to arrive. Get ready."

Aboard the airship, ever since he had sat down, Chen Chuan had kept his consciousness focused on the Opposite World, sensing the fluctuations that grew steadily more apparent.

Anyone else would have been unable to maintain this for so long. Whether one used Spiritual Reflection to absorb essence or simply made contact to observe the other world, it was inevitable that corruption would seep in. But he had his Second Self to bear that burden for him.

After meditating there for half an hour, he sensed something, like a flicker passing by. But he was ready. The instant the feeling arose, his consciousness surged forward and completely enveloped it.

At the same time, he instinctively made a motion as if tilting his head back to drink, as if he had just swallowed something.

This didn’t seem to be a purely spiritual contact or reaction, but something tangible. As a soothing, cool sensation seeped into his body and mind, it truly felt as if he had swallowed something solid.

...

...