Chapter 670 21: Phantom

The space was utterly empty. Even the blood that had been on the ground was gone without a trace, making one wonder if a battle had even taken place here moments ago.

Chen Chuan was a little surprised, but not overly so. When he had gone up earlier, Tarlu told him not to worry about the bodies below, explaining that their "predecessor" would deal with them later.

This "predecessor," of course, was the creature blocking the Rift.

Tarlu also told him that in the past, when the designated Tarlu would go into seclusion, they sometimes wouldn't emerge for a year or two. During that time, no one but the Tarlu was allowed to enter.

A Third Limit Fighter could go without food or water for long periods if they didn't exert themselves, but not for that long. Whenever they felt hunger or thirst and had a strong mental desire for sustenance, the creature beneath them would secrete large amounts of a liquid and a kind of fungus-like substance for them to consume.

In truth, these were the creature's own secretions and growths. The creature itself also needed to "eat" to survive here. Most of its sustenance came from the other side, but it could also digest beings from this world that entered the Rift, including all sorts of corpses.

This was something most people would find hard to accept. Fortunately, Chen Chuan came out every day for regular meals, so he had no need for them.

Chen Chuan glanced around. The area had been cleaned up remarkably well. Even the men's clothing and weapons had been absorbed along with them, or perhaps expelled to the outside.

However, those men were of average strength, and their weapons were just standard-issue arms from the Lynx Federation. They had virtually no collection value, so it was no great loss.

He didn't let the incident distract him. Those men had been no trouble at all. To be honest, he'd expected an enemy from a place like Anyao Hall.

Regardless of their strength, people from that kind of Fighting Hall would possess techniques and Power that could surely offer him greater inspiration.

Dismissing the thought, he walked forward. But after only a few steps, he suddenly sensed something different about his surroundings—a change in the Domain.

Looking ahead, he saw that a figure had appeared. It was faint and indistinct, blurry and difficult to make out. He couldn't see its face, but he could tell it was wearing a Single Stream Hall training uniform, very similar to Tarlu's.

The scene gave him a sense of déja vu.

The figure opposite him bore a slight resemblance to active Consciousness Bodies like Hong Fu and Li Ying. It looked illusory, yet also seemed real. As he was pondering this, the figure suddenly took a stance, facing him. He involuntarily raised an eyebrow.

However, it didn't attack him. Instead, it began to demonstrate a technique. As it executed the move, strands of green light flickered within its form.

After watching for a moment, Chen Chuan realized it was likely one of the Single Stream Hall's Power Techniques. The points of light corresponded exactly to the power-generating nodes of the Mutated Organization.

He couldn't help but recall what Tarlu had said before—that some of the Single Stream Hall's profound, lost Secret Transmissions were preserved here. He hadn't understood what she meant at the time, but it seemed this was what she was referring to.

'But why hadn't it appeared before?'

'Was it because my Spiritual Power was insufficient?'

'Not necessarily. The illusion only just appeared. Could it have been triggered by the absorption of those men's bodies?'

He nodded. That was highly likely.

After demonstrating the technique several times in succession, the figure slowly vanished. The sensation of the Domain faded along with it.

He wasn't sure if absorbing those men had only provided enough energy for this one display, or if there was another way to awaken the apparitions. He decided he would mention it to Tarlu when he went back up tomorrow.

Seeing that everything had returned to normal, he walked to the front and sat down in his usual spot. As he drew near, the gnarled branches before him parted, and the light once again bathed him.

This time, however, he had barely settled in when he suddenly sensed something—a rustling, susurrating sound, like people whispering in a discussion at an impossibly fast speed.

Moreover, something flashed past within the light on the other side. A moment later, a shadow appeared, crouched at the entrance. It seemed to be trying to crawl through to where he was.

Chen Chuan watched the dark silhouette calmly. 'This must be something from the other side.' He was sitting only about a meter from the entrance, and it looked as though the thing could lunge at him at any moment. But he paid it no mind. With the large creature blocking the way, it couldn't get in. He could simply ignore it.

「The night passed.」

At five in the morning, he emerged from his seated meditation. After checking his watch, he picked up the Snow Monarch Blade and left.

Back on the clifftop, strong gusts of wind tugged at his clothes. The sound of beating wings echoed from above as Chaoming descended from the sky.

He reached out to stroke it, then fed Chaoming a tube of Nutrition Paste specially made by the Wing Blade Company. After another pat, Chaoming took flight, heading toward the Training Ground, from where the cheerful shouts of children immediately arose.

Chaoming was very popular with the local children. This was mainly because it was very intelligent and unafraid of strangers, so the village kids had been flocking around it for the past few days.

Chen Chuan, meanwhile, walked in the other direction. He found Tarlu and Elder Gan under a reinforced awning, with Tarlu drinking coconut milk. He proceeded to tell them what he had seen after returning to the Rift the day before.

Elder Gan was surprised. "Mr. Chen," he said, "I never expected your spiritual level to be so high! I heard the old Tarlu say that only those whose Spiritual Power has reached a certain level can see the legacies left behind inside."

Tarlu looked at Chen Chuan with admiration. "Yes. My master told me that the legacies are in there, but I won't be able to see them until I meet the conditions to practice them."

Chen Chuan said, "Because I suspected it was one of your clan's Secret Transmissions, I didn't look too closely at the details. You two can rest assured."

Tarlu wasn't concerned. She said earnestly, "It's alright, Mr. Chen. It doesn't matter that you saw it. My master and I joined the Pure Sect long ago, so our Secret Transmissions now belong to the Pure Sect. Any member of the Pure Sect can learn them, provided they are qualified."

Chen Chuan nodded, but he still had no intention of learning it. This type of Secret Transmission was most effective when practiced by someone of the direct lineage, as it involved cultivating unique Mutated Organizations. Outsiders could never grasp its true essence. However, there was no harm in using it as a reference.

After explaining the situation to them, he left on his own and went to sit before the Lotus Seat again, allowing his mind, which had grown tense from a night of cultivation, to relax.

Sitting here allowed his mind to be both relaxed and focused, so these days he often used this time to contemplate his own Heart Force.

After some time spent in contemplation, a few ideas began to take shape.

From what he had observed, most people's Heart Force needed to be combined not only with their Power, but also with their personal combat tactics to achieve its greatest effect.

Everyone he had encountered used only a single type of Heart Force. This was because they could only wield a single type of Power. He, however, was not bound by such a limitation. Due to the unique nature of the Circulation's Strength, his tactics were far more versatile, and he could even potentially wield multiple types of Heart Force.

Furthermore, fighting with different types of Power and switching between them fluidly in the midst of battle was the core of his long-practiced tactics, and he had no intention of abandoning it.

With this as his foundation, he now needed to hone and select his Heart Force accordingly.

His advantage lay in the supreme strength and speed he gained after merging with his Second Self, allowing him to instantly unleash a burst of unparalleled Power that no ordinary person could match.

Even without the enhancement from his Second Self, his current physical condition alone was such that few people he'd met could surpass him.

Therefore, once engaged in direct combat, what he needed was the power to press forward relentlessly, to crush the enemy at the peak of their assault. This was his conviction, and he had absolute confidence in it.

Just as this thought solidified in his mind, he suddenly felt a force well up naturally within his body. This force was both the spontaneous activation of his Power, guided by his will, and the crystallization and expression of his spirit.

This was different from the Heart Force he had used before. That version hadn't truly embodied his conviction; it had merely used the raw power from his union with the Second Self to brute-force its way across the threshold.

Only now, after opening the Celestial Gate and making great strides in his Spiritual Power training over the past few days, had he finally, truly grasped this technique.

However...

He felt the new force. This Power still needed to be tested in battle. Only through repeated tempering, gradual adjustment, and refinement could he fully unleash its inherent advantages.

Meanwhile, under an awning outside the Training Ground, Elder Gan was applying medicinal ointment to a young boy and massaging his muscles and bones. He was also instructing a young man learning at his side on the key points to grasp.

Conditioning and care after a Fighter's training were crucial, especially for those with less natural talent. They had to pay particular attention to it, or they could end up injuring or crippling themselves long before their Mutated Organization was ever activated.

As he was giving instructions, he saw a young man with a satchel on his back braving the strong winds to climb the hillside.

Elder Gan was a bit surprised, as this was a Messenger. Some of the islanders had relatives on the outer islands, and some students were from the outer islands themselves, so correspondence was inevitable. Sometimes packages were sent as well.

However, transportation to the island was difficult, so deliveries were usually only made once every ten days. Furthermore, it was currently the season of high winds, making a sea crossing by boat extremely dangerous. 'Why would he be delivering a letter at a time like this?' he wondered.

He suddenly had a bad feeling.

The Messenger, drenched in sweat, walked up to the awning and greeted everyone. He took off the pack on his back, wiped the sweat from his brow, and rummaged through it. He then pulled out a letter with a black cover and handed it to Elder Gan.

Elder Gan's expression changed the moment he saw it.

...

...