Book 3, Chapter 243: Guidance

After leaving Motie Mountain, Chen Chuan drove to the downtown area. Wind picked up there, causing leaves and petals to dance. The temperature also dipped.

It was quite refreshing. As Chen Chuan turned the steering wheel, he recalled what Cao Guiqi had said, and he couldn’t help but think about how many things from the old era were still influencing the new era, even though the royal family had been toppled over and the old era seemed to be buried in the dust. The new era just couldn’t free itself from its clutches.

It wasn’t just the people in the Great Shun Republic who were still under its influence. Even those outside were affecting the country with the things from the old era.

The remnants of the old era in the merged space had plenty of ties with the companies outside. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to fight against the military.

If this was a problem the Great Shun Republic had to face, Chen Chuan was sure that the other countries were no different.

Before the Great Crash, the only thing the world governments could do was to suppress internal conflicts as much as possible in order to prevent major upheavals that would lead to unpredictable outcomes.

Meanwhile, the forces of power and organizations did whatever it took to grow stronger, thus forcing the entire world to enter a rapid and violent stage of transformation. For the people involved, this was a danger but also an opportunity to get stronger. What Chen Chuan needed to do was to use this time to push himself to get stronger and obtain greater power.

After returning to the university, he dealt with some daily affairs before patiently waiting for the start of the new semester.

Soon, three days passed. On the first of February, before it was even 9 a.m., Chen Chuan went to wait in a training room on the seventieth floor, as he was instructed to do on the platform.

Yet even at 10 a.m., he didn’t see his tutor.

Chen Chuan didn’t get impatient, but quietly practiced his breathing technique. A long time passed without his notice. When it was almost noon, he heard footsteps behind him.

Chen Chuan stood up and turned around to see a man in a gray-blue martial arts uniform walking into the training room. He appeared to be in his forties and had deep-set, old eyes. With a moustache, he looked like a mature, handsome, middle-aged man with a bit of a dispirited air.

At first glance, he didn’t seem like someone who put on airs and was a pretty easy-going person, but Chen Chuan could tell that he was no pushover.

After all, he couldn’t sense his biofield at all.

Before meeting this man, Jiancheng Sheng had been the person who was the most skilled in biofields among all the people Chen Chuan had ever met. Even so, Chen Chuan could sense Jiancheng Sheng’s biofield. Clearly, this man was even more skilled.

Surely he had to be his tutor.

Once the middle-aged man walked into the training room, he scratched the back of his head and said, “Sorry, I’m late. You must have waited for a long time, Chen Chuan.”

“I’m sure that whatever you’re going to teach me is worth the wait, sir,” Chen Chuan said.

The middle-aged man sighed. “I swear I didn’t do it on purpose. This is the first time I’m here, and I just can’t get enough of the scenery.”

“I know you’re from another Central City, but it was still a Central City, wasn’t it?” Chen Chuan said.

The middle-aged man waved his hand in dismissal. “It’s not the same. Every Central City is different, just like how everyone is different from each other. Even if two people look the same, their hearts are different...”

He trailed off and cleared his throat. “I got off topic. Anyway, we’ve wasted a lot of time, so I won’t delay your lesson any longer. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Xue Shou.”

When he said his name, his eyes sparkled, making him look like a free-spirited and harmless person, but his aura surged.

Chen Chuan bowed to him. “Hello, Mr. Xue.”

Xue Shou bowed to him as well. “Hello to you too, Chen Chuan. I watched some of your battles and read reviews about you. Your foundation is, without a doubt, solid, and you fit the requirements to be my student. So, we can skip all the prior training to get you up to my standards and get straight to the official lessons.”

He then sat down in a meditative position. “Sit, Chen Chuan.”

Chen Chuan did as he was told.

They sat facing each other in the spacious training room. When the sun shone on the warm-colored floorboards, their shadows cast clearly on them.

“Before we start, I’d like to know whether you have any dreams you really want fulfilled. Goals will do too. No matter how big or small they are, just tell me.” He gestured at the air a little.

Chen Chuan didn’t hesitate and answered honestly. “My first teacher asked me a similar question, and I told him that I want to be free of all physical and mental restraints. My thoughts haven’t changed.”

Xue Shou gave him a meaningful look. “Be free of all physical and mental restraints, huh? That’s not going to be easy. There are rules and restrictions everywhere in the world. Still, it’s good that you have a clear goal. Saves me a lot of trouble.

“Has anyone told you before that the Third Limit is the physical limit?”

“I’ve heard about that, yes,” Chen Chuan said with a nod.

Upon hearing that, Xue Shou nodded in satisfaction. “The reasoning behind it is simple. No matter how well you’ve trained your body and how much you’ve perfected it, you won’t be able to reach greater heights. The key to reaching the next limit lies in your mind.”

He pointed at the center of his brow with two fingers. “More accurately, it’s how you use your mind with your mental foundation as the basis.

“When you reach the end of your physical training, you can’t overcome your limits because of your physical restraints, so we need to use our minds to push ourselves further down the path of martial arts.

“In the past, you focused on training your body. While your mind has been getting stronger too, you didn’t use techniques to polish it.”

He spread a hand wide open.

“Usually, a martial artist’s mind is scattered, but it instinctively focuses when they’re in danger.”

He clenched his fist. “The threat of death forces martial artists to focus their mind, but it’s temporary, and they don’t do it of their own volition. Once they relax, their mind is drained and becomes even more scattered than before.

“The mind is just like an untrained muscle. While it can release a lot of energy for a time, it’s practically useless afterward. You’d need to rest for a while to use it again.

“So, our first step is to focus and toughen up your mind.”

Chen Chuan listened closely and asked, “What do I need to do?”

“We always talk about nourishing and refining our mental foundations, don’t we? It’s not without reason. The key lies in nourishing and refining.

“What you’ve been doing until now is nourishing it but not refining it. Speaking of which, there’s also a special method to nourish your mind properly. I’ll teach it to you later. Right now, we’ll focus on refining your mind. Afterwards, you’ll be able to make use of your mental energy instead of it being a useless, scattered mess.

“The first step of refining your mind is to find a goal you can stick to no matter what. When you’re not under the threat of death, it’s this goal or belief that will help you focus and become a pillar of support for your mind. It’ll be like a tree with its roots embedded firmly in soil.

“When I asked you what your goal was, it was because of this. No matter what goal you have, be it good or bad, you have to keep striving to reach it and never stray from your path.

“If you start doubting yourself or give up, then you’re not suited for that path, and I would suggest you give up as soon as you can.

“So, you must be certain that this is what you want and not just give me empty words. You must have chosen this goal after learning the sort of person you are, then doing everything you can to reach it.”

Chen Chuan nodded, and he couldn’t help but remember the purpose of the heart that Wei Wusheng mentioned. The man had to do things according to his purpose for his heart to reward him for his actions. Was it the same thing?

Xue Shou noticed his contemplative expression and asked, “Do you have any questions? Tell them, and I’ll answer them for you.”

Chen Chuan told him about Wei Wusheng.

Upon hearing his description, Xue Shou stroked his chin. “I saw your fight against Wei Wusheng. While that’s also a method to train the mind, the two are different.

“Wei Wusheng used a training method used by military officials in the old era. There might also be some techniques from evil cults mixed into it. Still, the essence should be the same. This method uses someone else’s strengths to make up for one’s weaknesses if they aren’t talented enough in certain areas. It’s not that they want to use this method, but that they’re forced to make up for their weaknesses.

“While the purpose of the heart is a way to train the mind, the person also has to focus on subjugating the other power inserted into them. It’s a good method, though. How should I put it? Your current foundation is the state Wei Wusheng wished to achieve after completely merging with the purpose of his heart.

“What I’m saying is, he was searching for the door that can lead him to greater heights, while you’re already standing in front of it. Do you understand me now?”

Chen Chuan understood and said, “In order to reach greater heights, he sought to cover his weaknesses.”

Xue Shou slapped his knees at that. “That’s exactly it. Not everyone can walk down this path. Plenty of martial artists reach their peak by entering the Third Limit. If they don’t think about breaking through this limit, they aren’t able to find that door, much less think about taking the next step.

“Anyway, let’s get back to our main topic. I see that you’ve been restraining your biofield. You must have learned biofield manipulation techniques before, right?”

Chen Chuan nodded.

“Good. Saves me more trouble.”

Xue Shou appeared even more satisfied. Since Chen Chuan had already reached certain requirements, he wouldn’t have to spend more time on this.

“Biofields are a representation of your biodata, but changing it is a way to use your mental energy. We can also use it to observe the changes in your mind. One second.”

He got up and walked out. Soon, he came back with a bowl of medicine and put it in front of Chen Chuan. “This isn’t for you to drink. Sense it with your biofield.”

Chen Chuan tried and was shocked, because he could sense a faint biofield. As he delved deeper, ripples appeared on the liquid.

Xue Shou stopped smiling and said seriously, “You sensed it, right? It’s alive and is really sensitive to biofields and gazes.

“The first thing you must do is to restrain all unnecessary thoughts. I want you to keep staring at this bowl until it no longer produces any ripples. You have an hour.”

He motioned at Chen Chuan. “And the countdown starts now.”