Book 4, Chapter 46: Communication
The moment he held the Frost King Saber, Chen Chuan sensed it forming a deep link with him.
Their connection in the past was simply due to the mutated tissue in the saber growing in a way that was in line with him. Now, there was a certain bond between their minds, as if the saber had become an extension of his body.
Once their minds were joined, information from the saber was transferred into Chen Chuanâs mind, and surprise flashed in his eyes.
He learned what the saber could do.
He grabbed the hilt. Just as he was about to draw it out, he stopped for a moment. If the information he got was true, he couldnât test it here.
He removed the Resolution Departmentâs Realm Pass and put on the old Realm Pass, then went downstairs, got into the car he got from Phantom Form, drove out of the university, and went onto the flyover.
A little over an hour later, he got off the flyover and left the city via the public road to the west. Another forty-five minutes later, Chen Chuan became certain that he was far enough from Central City and stopped.
When he got out, he looked around him. The place was pretty familiar, since this was where he had killed Zhao Qian and Bladed Toad.
No inspection domains existed here.
Neither humans nor cars were around at that moment. The north and west sides of Central City were unlike the south and southwest; they werenât covered in industrial areas and factories. Armed bandits hid in the wilderness on the sides of the public road. Aside from transport fleets, no one else frequented the area. Most people would rather take the airship than this road.
This made it perfect for Chen Chuan.
He went back into his car and took out the Frost King Saber. After its sheath was pulled off, the blade was revealed. A chilling light shone under the sun.
In an instant, wisps of light spread out, as if they had broken free of their bindings, and filled the space within five meters around him.
Chen Chuan could sense his mind being connected to some place through the saber, though what he âsawâ was really blurry. There seemed to be a thick wall in his way, which prevented him from making a direct link to the place.
The wall existed everywhere around him. Even though he could move around freely, his mind was bound tightly in one place.
Chen Chuan took a moment to get a proper feel of the blurry space. Then, he brought the saber to his side and got ready for training. A moment later, he swung the saber down diagonally.
In an instant, a bright flash cut through the air, and a faint gash appeared in front of him.
It was as if his saber had created a crack on the thick wall. Wisps of light sped through without an end.
Chen Chuanâs eyes were trained on the light, and he noticed a familiar feeling coming from the other side.
But the crack was only superficial damage to the wall and didnât last long. After a few breaths, it closed up like a healed wound.
Chen Chuan shut his eyes and sucked in a deep breath before bringing the Frost King Saber up again. This time, he held the hilt with both hands. After a small pause, he let out a loud shout and swung his saber down at the empty space in front of him.
He had poured a large amount of his mental energy into the attack. As saber light drew an arc in the air, he heard something solid tearing apart. Immediately after, a brighter and wider crack appeared in front of him, and the light surging out from it lit up his entire face.
Even though some power around him was trying to keep it restrained, something from behind that crack was also trying to make more light come through.
Chen Chuan stayed in his stance, but took a look to the side. His second self had turned blurry, but waves of quintessence were charging at him.
The other world was behind the crack, and he could now open gaps after fusing his mind with the Frost King Saber.
However, due to the World Ring, the gaps did not last long and disappeared after a while. Hence, he only had one method to use if he wanted to train for a long period of time with the help of the crackâcrossing over.
But once he was over there, could he come back?
He wasnât sure.
It was highly likely that there were many more existences in the other world. If he crossed over, he might come into contact with them, and it would make it impossible to train in peace.
If the Single Flow School predecessor hadnât used his body to ward off the existences trying to come through the gap, Chen Chuan wouldnât have been able to sit peacefully in front of the hole in Mistlight Islandâs gap. His training would have been interrupted time and again.
There might also be inspection forces formed by the government and companies in the other world. These elites could patrol the other world to prevent anyone from sneaking over.
There were simply too many uncertainties. Hence, if he really wanted to do that, he would first need to get fully prepared.
For the time being, though, he had no plans to cross over.
So, Chen Chuan stood in front of the gap and waited quietly as he absorbed the quintessence coming over.
After a while, the power keeping the gap open was unable to fight against the power from the World Ring trying to keep the space in the physical world contained. It couldnât stop the World Ring from absorbing it. The gap slowly closed up, and after around an hour, it completely disappeared.
Chen Chuan watched it happen while thinking. Theoretically, he
could
cut the air again and keep training, but he could sense a wave of exhaustion coming from the Frost King Saber. The wisps of light around it were also retreating to the saber.
This meant that there was a price to pay for opening a gap, and he doubted that he could open another one soon, though after a close inspection, it looked like the Frost King Saber would be able to recover within a day or two.
If that were the case, he could train his mind for a little over an hour every two days. It might not be a long time, but it was still much better than training with incense sticks. He also thought of something. If he had something to help with the saberâs recovery, he might be able to cut down its recovery time.
One thought led to another, and he realized that whether it was the Fu-Mu Entity or active biosentient entities, they needed a large amount of nutrient and calorie-dense nutritional fluid to fulfill their basic needs. Perhaps that would be effective, so he intended to try when he went back.
Besides, based on the current situation, he was pretty sure that the thing that had fused with the Frost King Saber could grow. Once it was even stronger, it should be able to create a bigger gap that could last longer.
Because of it, Chen Chuan would need to come out here to train every couple days for a while. It wasnât too much of a problem, though.
Chen Chuan checked his surroundings. Once he was sure that he left no traces behind, he took a few steps forward, bent down, picked up his sheath, put the Frost King Saber inside, got into his car, started it, and headed back to Central City.
It was a little past 3 p.m. when he reached Martial Order District. He intended to visit Lu Fang and check up on Xiaojin, but while he was on his way, his Realm Pass chimed. The moment he saw that it came from the university, he answered it.
Ling Jianxingâs voice came through. âMr. Chen, Ling Jianxing speaking. Do you have a minute now? Iâd like to speak with you.â
âIs it about the university?â Chen Chuan asked.
âYes,â Ling Jianxing declared.
âAlright. Iâll come over right now,â Chen Chuan answered.
He turned the steering wheel around and headed back to the Arcane Palace.
Ten minutes later, he entered the underground parking lot through the lecturer-exclusive pathway and took the elevator to the ninetieth floor, according to the location Ling Jianxing sent him.
Once the doors opened, he followed an assistant to a large hanging garden with a dome ceiling. The air inside was refreshing, and there was the sound of flowing water and pleasant chirps from birds in the air.
Ling Jianxing was waiting for him up ahead with a smile on his face. He had graying temples, a neatly trimmed beard, and wore a dark-gray suit. Based on his appearance, he seemed to be a mature and charming man.
After sending the assistant away, he sat down on a bench surrounded by greenery and motioned at it. âHave a seat, Mr. Chen.â
Chen Chuan walked over as Ling Jianxing grabbed a drink and handed it to him. âThis is Cereal Slurry, a delicacy from the merged space. I love it. Why donât you try it?â
Chen Chuan took a sip and felt a strong wave of energy fill his body. His mutated tissue grew excited too; it seemed to love it. âItâs pretty good.â
Ling Jianxing smiled, got up, and sat down on the bench across from Chen Chuan. While holding his own cup, he said, âItâs the tenth of September now. In a few days, the Linacrox Unionâs diplomatic delegation will arrive. Iâm sure you know this.
âThereâs going to be an academic team in the diplomatic delegation, and itâs going to consist of dozens of students and lecturers. Weâve already been given a heads-up about this. They might come here for a friendly exchange.â
He took a sip before continuing, âThe students are the ones whoâll be doing the exchange, but we canât rule out an exchange between the lecturers. The conflict between the Great Shun Republic and the Linacrox Union has lasted for eternity, and weâve never stopped fighting on the surface and in the shadows. Since this exchange is going to be on our countryâs soil, we canât lose.
âThatâs why Iâd like to include you in the list of lecturers involved in the exchange. Would you mind?â
âI canât decide this on my own. Aside from being a lecturer, Iâm also a lead investigator at the Resolution Department. I have a priority list I have to follow. I can only say that if I have the time and the conditions allow it, I wonât mind being involved in the exchange,â Chen Chuan said.
âThatâs good enough. This is a list of the students weâre sending for the exchange. Take a look and see whether you find it alright.â Ling Jianxing smiled and tapped on his Realm Pass.
Chen Chuan took a look and found that they were all top-performing students. Wei Dong was among them.
âI donât have anything to say about this. Honestly, you shouldnât even be asking me this. Iâm just a lecturer here. Even though Iâm a lead investigator, Iâm not in charge of the universityâs affairs,â he pointed out.
Ling Jianxing lowered his cup and said, âIf thatâs the case, we wonât be troubling you with the universityâs affairs anymore, but I do have something personal to discuss with you.â