Free Web NovelChapter 375: Chapter 106: The Arena
After a short pause, Uncle Ding said, "Young Master is asking if you wanted to inquire about the Third Limit."
Chen Chuan replied, "Yes."
Uncle Ding said, "Young Master says that if you have questions, you should come to Motie Mountain for a cup of tea."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Alright, I’m on my way."
「A little over an hour later, inside the Cao Manor on Motie Mountain.」
Thunderstorms had been frequent over the past few days. When Chen Chuan arrived, the sky was just beginning to clear up after the rain. It looked as if it had been washed clean—a clear, azure expanse with only a few wisps of cloud at its edges.
Sunlight illuminated the flowers and plants in the courtyard. As a refreshing breeze swept by, droplets of water clinging to the leaves and branches fell onto the damp soil, carrying with them the fresh scent of greenery.
Chen Chuan sat before a sandalwood table. In front of him was a jade-porcelain teacup, from which wisps of steam rose. The green tea leaves floating inside were clearly visible.
Cao Guiqi sat opposite him. He was still dressed as a scholar from the old era, in a wide, light-blue robe with a white jade hairpin in his topknot. He said, "It’s been almost two months. I expect that you, Junior Chen, are close to breaking through to the Third Limit. So, tell me, what problems have you encountered?"
Chen Chuan said, "Senior Brother Cao, I feel like I’m standing on the very threshold of the breakthrough. All I need to do is resolve myself, and I can cross over. But in my heart, I feel that something isn’t quite complete."
Cao Guiqi said, "You are using a Dharma Gate from the old era to break through to the Third Limit. This method requires a fusion of mind and body, led by your own will. Only when your will is perfected can you naturally cross this threshold.
If you have this feeling, it means that although your body is ready, your spirit has not yet reached the point of complete fusion.
In your subconscious, there must be things you want to do but have not yet accomplished. This has left a lingering attachment in your mind. You must clear these away to allow your spirit to be thoroughly elevated."
He looked at Chen Chuan. "This is a good thing. Most people are unable to perceive this disharmony. They either recklessly or impatiently cross over without sufficient preparation, feeling smugly pleased with themselves for overcoming the barrier so easily."
He said lightly, "Little do they know, they will have to spend much more time in the future correcting those mistakes. A misstep at this stage could be irreversible."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment and nodded slightly. He looked up and said, "Thank you for telling me, Senior Brother Cao. I think I understand now." frёeωebɳovel.com
Cao Guiqi grunted in acknowledgment. "Since you’re here, have a cup of tea before you go. This aged tea may not be as fresh and crisp as new tea, but its mellow richness leaves a longer aftertaste and can better help one settle their mind." freewebnøvel.com
Chen Chuan offered his thanks, then reached for the cup and took a sip. The moment he drank, a mellow aroma filled his mouth. It mingled with the surrounding scent of greenery, causing his restless thoughts to settle. In that instant, his connection with the world around him felt incredibly clear.
He sat quietly, looking at the leaves and plants outside being rustled by the gentle breeze, feeling this natural rhythm.
He sat there for a long time. After finishing a few cups of tea, the sunlight was gradually obscured by stray clouds that drifted from nowhere. Uncle Ding came over and said, "Young Master, it’s going to rain again. It might be a heavy one this time."
Cao Guiqi said, "Junior Chen, I won’t keep you. You should head back early."
Chen Chuan stood up and gave Cao Guiqi a slight bow. "Senior Brother Cao, I’ll take my leave. Thank you for your guidance." After speaking, he followed Uncle Ding out.
Cao Guiqi picked up his teacup again and sipped it slowly, looking at the sky. His gaze was infinitely distant, as if savoring the past, and yet also anticipating the future.
Chen Chuan walked out of the manor. Now that he had confirmed these feelings weren’t a problem with the breakthrough process itself, his mind was finally settled.
’As for the things I feel I wanted to do but haven’t, there are quite a few. But if I had to name the one with the biggest impact recently, there’s only one.’
’It’s time to resolve it.’
When he reached the Gard Car, a raindrop drifted onto his cheek. It felt a bit cool, but was exceptionally refreshing.
He looked up. In just a short while, the sky that had been bright with sunshine was now thick with dark clouds.
He reached out, opened the car door, and got in. Just as he closed the door and fastened his seatbelt, the rain came down. RAT-A-TAT. In what felt like just a few breaths, it had become a downpour.
The wipers started swishing. As the vehicle started, the headlights pierced the heavy rain like two pillars of light. Then, the car slowly drove out of the manor’s forecourt.
After leaving Motie Mountain, he used his Realm Token to pull up the agency’s case files on Wei Wusheng.
The location where the Pei Brothers were killed had been found a few days after the incident. He hadn’t paid much attention since he’d been busy with his training, but seeing the details now, he was somewhat surprised.
The location was none other than the very same city block where the hotel "urban legend" had taken place.
’When did Wei Wusheng show up there?’ he wondered.
’Was it before I dealt with the urban legend, or after?’
’It was most likely before,’ he reasoned. ’Few people go near places with anomalies, and the urban legend’s interference prevented most Realm Token information from getting through. It was a perfect hiding spot.’
’If that’s the case, Wei Wusheng might have been there on the very day I handled the urban legend, just one street away.’
Just as he was thinking, a car suddenly sped past him at high speed, splashing up a huge sheet of water. The view ahead was instantly blurred. The wipers swished back and forth, quickly clearing the water from the windshield.
He glanced up. Through a hundred meters of rain and mist, his keen senses clearly picked out the license plate of the rapidly departing vehicle. He immediately reported the speeding car’s number to the city’s Security Department.
Amidst the downpour, he drove all the way back to the Profound Palace Building and took the elevator to the forty-ninth floor. As he pushed open the door to his suite, a CHIRP came from within.
He looked over. In a cozy nest built from twigs and silken feathers, the little thing was poking its head out and chirping at him. It also spread its wings, as if to greet him.
This little thing grew very fast. In just over ten days, it had grown quite a bit. It looked much prettier than before, with richly colored feathers. Of course, its appetite had also grown quite a bit.
Because every day at sunrise, this little thing would let out a melodious cry towards the sun, he had given it a name: "Chaoming."
Zou Handan said it was a failed creation with no use, its only value perhaps being ornamental. But he had discovered that, while other aspects of Chaoming were hard to say, its intelligence was quite high.
The most obvious sign was that after he named it, it clearly understood the name referred to it and would respond when called. It would also stay quietly to the side without making a sound while he did his daily training. It even learned to open the food he prepared for it and eat on its own.
Only when he was relaxed would it make some noise and movements. Whenever he entered or left, it would call out to announce its presence.
He walked over, teased it a little, and changed the water in Chaoming’s nest.
As he worked, his mind turned to where Wei Wusheng might appear next. ’Actively searching for him might be useless,’ he thought. ’It would be better to create an opportunity for him to find me.’
He believed Wei Wusheng would definitely come to continue their unfinished fight.
After changing the water and putting nutrient solution in the food trough, he stroked Chaoming’s smooth feathers a couple of times, then turned and walked to the window. From a considerable distance, he could see a bright pillar of light shooting up into the sky.
That was the location of the arena. Advertisements and tournament updates scrolled continuously up the pillar of light. Even standing inside the building, he felt he could almost hear the clamor from the venue.
He thought for a moment, placed his hand on his Realm Token, and sent a message to Tan Zhi.
"Tan, have you guys still been watching the arena matches lately?"
A moment later, Tan Zhi contacted him.
"Yeah, we’ve been going every day for the past month! I’m telling you, the matches are really spectacular. The contenders this time are no joke. We’re only in the middle stage, not yet the final stretch, but the main qualifying contestants have already been determined. The most intense elimination battles are happening these next two days. You’re asking about it all of a sudden, Chen, do you want to go too?"
Chen Chuan said, "Yes, my training progress has slowed down the last two days, so I’m planning to take some time off to go watch."
Hearing this, Tan Zhi quickly said, "If your progress has slowed, don’t worry about it. It’s probably just a self-adjustment phase. It’s the perfect time to come out and relax. Why don’t we go together tomorrow? We should take the car the academy provides. It’ll be safer."
Chen Chuan asked, "Is it to guard against Wei Wusheng?"
Tan Zhi sighed. "Yeah. I originally thought the Pei Brothers were really tough, but they ended up getting counter-killed by Wei Wusheng. They were all talk. Now I don’t have much hope for other Bounty Hunters either."
’It’s not necessarily that the Pei Brothers were incompetent,’ Chen Chuan thought. ’They would have probably been fine against a normal Third Limit Fighter. But someone like Wei Wusheng... he was likely far beyond their capabilities.’
Tan Zhi said, "Right now, besides the academy, the arena is actually the safest place. It has Central City’s strongest security concentrated there. Forget one Wei Wusheng, even a major corporation’s security force couldn’t break in. I heard some of the passengers from the cruise ship have chosen to live nearby."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Alright, then I’ll go with you tomorrow." After chatting a bit more and settling on a time, he ended the call.
When the next day arrived, Chen Chuan got up early and got ready. Seeing it was about time, he left the Profound Palace Building and walked toward the academy shuttle parked out front.
He raised his hand in response to Tan Zhi’s wave from inside the car, while simultaneously contacting Wubei, "Brother Wu, don’t conceal my movements for the next couple of days. If anyone looks into me, keep an eye on where they’re from, but don’t alert them."
Wubei immediately said, "Understood." He suddenly grew excited. Having cooperated with Chen Chuan many times, he had a feeling something was up again—and it was big!
After boarding the car, Chen Chuan went and sat down by Tan Zhi, greeting him. In a short while, all the students going to watch the matches had arrived. The door slid shut, and the vehicle slowly headed towards the arena.
Due to heavy traffic, the bus moved slowly. After about twenty-something minutes, it finally arrived near the venue. It was a massive, ring-shaped building that could hold ninety thousand people inside. Thanks to the existence of Realm Tokens, even those far from the action could clearly see every detail of the event.
In addition, there were large numbers of spectators outside the venue. Because one could only see the live matches within a certain range, large crowds had gathered outside the stadium.
The rooftops of the surrounding apartments, hotels, shops, parks, and even office buildings were packed with people. The streets were filled with vehicles from city patrol and security forces. Upon seeing the Wuyi Academy bus, several motorcycles immediately pulled forward to provide an escort, guiding the bus toward the arena’s parking lot.
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