Book 3, Chapter 377: Obtain
Yang Jianying was skilled in stealth. The refined forces he learned were more inclined toward hiding and releasing his power in explosive bursts.
In the old era, they were assassination techniques specifically created to chase down enemies and kill aristocrats.
Yang Jianying was really skilled at hiding. When he was lurking in the shadows, his targets wouldnât notice him even if they passed him by.
His refined force also included a technique to shrink his body. The ones who mastered this technique could even squeeze themselves into a small pot.
The most incredible thing was that if anyone picked up this pot, the practitioner could use a light skill contained within the refined force to make it so that whoever picked up the pot wouldnât be able to figure out the real weight for a period of time.
Right now, Yang Jianying could hide among the trees in the forest or crawl underground without being noticed. This place was his home ground.
Chen Chuan took a look at the forest around him. The requirement to pass the test was to find Yang Jianying within half an hour and win against him in a fight.
The second part of the test was easy, but finding Yang Jianying required skill.
It seemed like the university wasnât testing him on using brute strength to overpower his opponent, but on his skills to analyze tracks, his strategy, and achieving his goal within a limited amount of time.
Locating and analyzing tracks and chasing down as well as fighting in different environments were also classes offered in the university.
Sometimes, the Resolution Department would request its sponsored students to learn these after they mastered the basics.
Chen Chuan had gotten a maximum amount of assessment points before learning these skills, so the Resolution Department hadnât asked him to learn them. After all, Third Limit martial artists had great survival skills. They could practice and learn it all during real fights, and it would even be more efficient than learning in the university.
The university testing him on it was clearly targeting his weakness.
They werenât wrong to do this, because from the universityâs point of view, anyone who wanted to become a lecturer should be able to deal with these sorts of issues, even if they had never learned about them. If he couldnât pass, they would definitely ask him to make up for his weaknesses while waiting for the next test.
***
Chen Chuan, Yang Jianying, and Ling Jianxing werenât the only ones involved in the test. Chen Chuanâs test had attracted quite a number of other lecturers. Mr. Bai, Jiang Tian, and some other people were watching it as well.
After learning about the test requirements, they became interested.
If this were a pure fight, they believed that with the strength Chen Chuan had displayed in his fights, there was no doubt who would win, but a test like this changed things up. They were wondering how he would deal with the situation.
***
Chen Chuan stood in the forest while thinking about whether he should use any identification and tracking techniques. It would be meaningless. No matter how good he was, he couldnât outclass Yang Jianying, who was a master in this field.
Chen Chuan needed to use his own strengths to win.
He released his biofield and covered an area of more than four hundred meters in diameter.
This wasnât his limit, but it was a test that many people were watching. They would also record it, so Chen Chuan did not wish to show them his true strength.
This was enough either way. He could sense the slightest abnormal movement in this area.
He couldnât sense Yang Jianying, though. Either the examiner kept himself well-hidden, or he was somewhere even further away.
Yet Chen Chuan was certain that Yang Jianying was within this area. He was just that good at hiding.
Yang Jianying couldnât just stay still in one place, since it was the most passive way of fighting. As martial artists, they had to master the movements of their enemies. Besides, Yang Jianying didnât know about Chen Chuanâs true strength before stepping into the test, so it was impossible for him to stake everything into hiding.
If Yang Jianying hid beyond his biofield, he would need to use his own biofield to figure out Chen Chuanâs movements. Then, their biofields would clash.
Right now, Chen Chuan wasnât sensing anything, which meant that Yang Jianying was definitely nearby.
***
Jiang Tian was watching the test on a screen on another floor.
He was skilled in the use of biofields, so he immediately figured out what Chen Chuan was doing and what his plans were.
âWhy arenât they moving, Mr. Jiang?â his assistant asked in puzzlement.
âThey donât need to move. Before long, one of them will lose patience and do something.
âMr. Yang might be good at stealth, but he canât hide for too long, especially when Lead Investigator Chenâs biofield keeps putting pressure on him. Heâll already be pretty good if he lasts even a few minutes.â
âWhy is that?â his assistant asked.
âBecause no one can hide their biofield completely. It may look like he did it, but thatâs because he has blended into his environment. Now that Lead Investigator Chen has covered the entire area with his biofield, it's creating interference with the surroundings. This forces Mr. Yang to change his biofield. It requires a lot of energy, so he wonât be able to stay hidden for long. Itâs just too difficult,â Jiang Tian replied.
***
Just as Jiang Tian said, Yang Jianying sensed that things werenât going well for him. If he wasnât influenced by any external factors, he could stay hidden with his stealth technique for half a month. In the old era, there were even masters who could stay hidden for half a
year
.
But Chen Chuan had covered the area with his biofield, which made Yang Jianying feel horrible. Just as Jiang Tian had mentioned, he was forced to change his biofield according to his environment. Because of it, he wouldnât be able to last for long. Even ten minutes was a struggle.
After noticing the problem, he thought of another plan. He would stay hidden until the fifteen-minute mark, then he would jump out and use the environment as well as his explosive speed to retreat. He would hide again once he was far enough. As long as he wasnât caught in half an hour, he would win.
But the moment he moved, he exposed himself. Before he could get away to hide again, he saw the trees behind him exploding. Chen Chuan charged over with such a great momentum that it terrified Yang Jianying.
He didnât want Chen Chuan to get closer, so he took a tumble, lay on the ground, and tried to use the complicated net of vines, leaves, and branches to hide.
Halfway through, Chen Chuan reached out from behind Yang Jianying, grabbed his neck, and released a wave of refined force into him. Yang Jianying shuddered and fell limp.
Chen Chuan set him down and said, âSorry for this, Mr. Yang.â
After Yang Jianying recovered from his shock, he looked at Chen Chuan with a complicated gaze. He hadn't expected to be caught so soon, and he hadnât even put up much of a struggle.
Even so, he knew that even if they did it over, there wouldnât be a different outcome. âI loâAhem, I mean, you passed, Lead Investigator Chen,â he said admitting defeat.
âThank you, Mr. Yang,â Chen Chuan said politely.
The scenery around them started fading away before returning to the test venue. âThe test has ended. Chen Chuan has been found to have complied with the test procedure and fulfilled the requirements. He has passed the test,â Hongfu said.
Ling Jianxing walked over and extended his hand to Chen Chuan with a smile. âWelcome to Martial Valor University, Lead Investigator Chen.â
Chen Chuan cast the hand a glance before shaking it. âIâve always been here.â
Ling Jianxing continued smiling. âYou will be registered as a lecturer on the platform tomorrow. The hardcopy of the license and other relevant items will be delivered to you on a later date. I look forward to working with you in the future.
âNow then, I still have some matters to take care of. Please excuse me.â
He gave Chen Chuan a nod before leaving.
Yang Jianying and a few teaching assistants came forward to shake Chen Chuanâs hand while congratulating him. Then, they left as well.
After everyone was gone, Chen Chuan pondered over the test. He had a feeling that it was conducted with some kind of goal in mind, and that it was likely connected to Ling Jianxing.
But regardless of what he was thinking, Chen Chuan would focus on doing his own thing.
After smoothing out his still neat dress shirt, he walked out of the test venue, but he didnât go back to his room. Instead, he took the elevator to the first floor and left.
This time, he didnât call for his motorcade, but drove his own car to Motie Mountain.
He was going to go back to Yangzhi City soon, so he wanted to say goodbye.
Cao Guiqi had told him that his manor would be in lockdown until May. It was now June, so the lockdown should have been lifted. If Chen Chuan were honest, the timing was impeccable.
After around an hour, he arrived at Cao Guiqiâs manor. On the way there, he saw colorful seasonal flowers blooming on the sides. He could even smell a faint fragrance in the air, while a lot of petals had fallen on the road.
Just then, he saw a car coming down the mountain path. Judging from the direction it came from, it had been to Cao Guiqiâs manor.
When they were next to each other, Chen Chuan looked over. Even though the carâs windows were tinted, he could sense a sharp gaze from the passenger inside.
It disappeared the moment they passed each other.
Chen Chuan shrugged and continued up the mountain path. Soon, he arrived in the parking lot in front of the manor. Mr. Ding was already waiting for him. Once Chen Chuan got out, Mr. Ding bowed to him and said respectfully, âThe young master is waiting for you, Lead Investigator Chen. Please come with me.â
He led the way.
Chen Chuan followed him into the manor. This time, they didnât walk through the living room. Instead, they took a detour to the pavilion beside a lotus pond.
Cao Guiqi was throwing food into the pond. Beneath jade green lotus leaves golden carp were swimming about. They competed against each other to see who could rise to the surface of the water first and get the food.
Mr. Ding stood still once they arrived.
Chen Chuan walked over. Once he got close, Cao Guiqi handed him some food and said, âI heard about you becoming a lead investigator. With your achievements, you absolutely deserve this, but you wonât get promoted based on your achievements after this.â
He threw another handful of food into the pond, making the carp splash around. While staring at the pond, he said, âTheyâll be doing things based on another set of rules from now on.â