Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 367 - 98: Information

Forty-five minutes later, Chen Chuan returned to his dorm. He set down the items he’d brought back, checking them over one by one. He felt he was now ready to begin preparations for his breakthrough.

First, he took out the Breathing Technique Cao Guiqi had given him. It was recorded on a piece of yellow silk. The characters on it were reverent and neat, like a rubbing from a classic text, and seemed to be imbued with an air of vitality. Reading it made one unconsciously straighten their back.

He unfurled the silk in his hands and read through it. He felt the first half mainly involved practical application; it seemed simple, easy to understand, and not at all complex.

The second half, however, was more difficult. The language was awkward and the content obscure, not to mention it involved many references to Classics from the old era.

In the past, this might have stumped a reader for quite some time. Fortunately, he now had a Realm Token and could look up anything he didn’t understand. By cross-referencing and searching, he was finally able to make sense of it.

But as he did, he also realized the author hadn’t made the content deliberately convoluted. Rather, some concepts could only be expressed with these specific words to get as close as possible to the intended meaning.

Translating it into simpler language would strip away its charm and the reverence one should feel toward this technique. And only with sufficient reverence could one maintain the state of mind required—like treading on thin ice or scaling a treacherous pass.

The more he savored it, the more he felt a certain state of being between the lines that could draw him in. Moreover, chanting it was a perfect complement to the Breathing Technique from the first half. Once he was familiar with it, he would only need to recite it silently in his mind to naturally guide his breath, without needing to consciously direct it with his will.

So, the second half was the true essence. The person who created this Breathing Technique was by no means simple.

After figuring it all out, he prepared to give it a try. However, the chanting required a ritual bath and the burning of incense. He didn’t neglect these details and decided to follow the instructions precisely. First, he took a quick shower, changed into a comfortable training uniform, and then brought out an Incense Burner from the things he’d carried back.

The Incense Burner itself was of average value; what mattered was the accompanying Aromatic Medicine, which Cao Guiqi claimed was a great aid to achieving Meditation.

He took the Aromatic Medicine out of its paper packet. It consisted of several solid, neatly cut blocks. Although it wasn’t lit yet, the scent alone was enough to make his mind feel suddenly clear and refreshed.

Just then, he sensed something. Turning his head, he saw the Snow Monarch Blade vibrating slightly. Wisps of white mist were rising from it.

His gaze flickered. Ever since he used the Snow Monarch Blade to absorb the foreign entity, it had been completely dormant. But now, it was reacting...

He glanced at his hand, and a thought struck him. ’Could it be because of this Aromatic Medicine?’

He placed the Aromatic Medicine into the Incense Burner. Then, he rose and walked over to the blade rack, taking the Snow Monarch Blade in hand. The moment he touched the blade, the white mist drifted over, coiling around the hand that had just handled the Aromatic Medicine.

’So it was because of this.’

He thought for a moment. ’The foreign entity hidden inside has long since merged with the Snow Monarch Blade. In that case, I don’t mind sharing.’ He walked back with the Snow Monarch Blade, set it aside, and tossed several more blocks of the Aromatic Medicine into the Incense Burner. After closing the lid, he took out the primary medicine he needed to consume.

This medicine looked somewhat like ginseng, but it was only the size of a fingertip and was a jade-white color all over. Just having it in front of him created an irresistible urge to swallow it.

He understood that this was his body and brain telling him he needed this substance. However, it couldn’t be consumed directly; it had to be combined with some auxiliary medicines.

Fortunately, he could find these auxiliary medicines in the collections of both Teacher Wu and You Xing. This saved him the trouble of asking the Cyan Bag Jade Workshop for them, which also prevented them from tracking his progress.

He first dissolved the auxiliary medicines in warm water, then mixed them into a medicinal liquid according to the proper ratio. He drank it down along with the main medicine, then sat down in a meditative posture and lit the Incense Burner.

A moment later, fragrant smoke began to curl upwards, and he started to practice the Breathing Technique from the silk scroll.

As his silent recitation guided him, he inhaled the wisps of fragrant smoke, and a feeling of clarity instantly spread through his lungs. At the same time, the medicine’s effects began to take hold, and he could feel the Mutated Organization throughout his body becoming active.

But it wasn’t the frenetic agitation he had experienced before. Instead, the growth was very gentle and orderly. His entire body felt as if it were steeping in warm water, soothed inside and out, making it exceptionally comfortable.

The Snow Monarch Blade, which he had placed to the side, was now emitting soft wisps of white mist. They mingled with the incense smoke, rising and swirling like ethereal clouds, filling the room. However, the mist was contained and restrained, not triggering any abnormal Domain reactions as it had before.

As Chen Chuan guided his breath again and again, he unknowingly entered a state of deep meditation. When he emerged from his long session, he discovered that the incense in the burner had completely burned to ash.

He checked the time. It was exactly seven in the morning, and the eastern sky was already bright. He had unknowingly sat for an entire afternoon and through the night. To him, it felt as if only an instant had passed.

Gazing at the rising sun outside his window, he felt exceptionally calm. Yet, the Mutated Organization within him was radiating an immense and vigorous vitality, like a life form on the verge of a growth spurt.

He could sense that this growth was gentle, not chaotic. Every part of it seemed to follow his will, advancing along the paths he had planned. It also created an ideal balance and made fine adjustments, strengthening the weaker areas and tempering the overly strong ones.

This adjustment also seemed to have sharpened his senses and reflexes, making them more acute than before.

And also...

He looked at the Snow Monarch Blade, picked it up, and unsheathed it. He saw that the crimson line on the back of the blade was even more conspicuous than before, and its resonance with him had deepened significantly.

’It seems the Snow Monarch Blade also benefited greatly from this process. From the looks of it, communication with my Mutated Organization is smoother than before. In that case, I can keep the blade with me during my future training.’

He stood up and considered his schedule for the month. Aside from a few necessary outings, he decided to dedicate all his time to training for his breakthrough to the Third Limit.

However, he didn’t know when he would be on duty next, so he decided to use up his monthly quota for the Sea Realm Arena first. He contacted the Sea Realm Arena using his Realm Token to make an appointment. They told him that if he needed a spot soon, they could schedule him for today, but the only available slot was in the afternoon.

He thought about it and agreed, scheduling his appointment for two in the afternoon.

After ending the call, he noticed a voice message from Wubei, sent just five minutes ago. He hadn’t noticed it during his meditation session, so he called him back now.

A moment later, Wubei’s voice came through. "Brother Chen, I found some clues during my recent digging. I also recovered some things Zhao Qian deleted not long ago. It’s not complete, but I think it might be useful. I’m sending it over to you."

Chen Chuan said, "Alright," and accepted the file. He looked it over and saw it was a three-year-long call log. There was no need to look at the content of the calls themselves; Wubei had specifically noted the parties involved in the conversations.

Over the past three years, Zhao Qian’s call records showed consistent contact with only three parties. One was an executive at Lianwei Zhongyu, and another was a subordinate responsible for daily services. Both of these were clearly indicated in his work records.

The last one, however, was an unknown contact. Although the calls spanned a long period, they weren’t frequent. What Wubei had recovered was their most recent conversation.

He opened the file, and a voice recording began to play.

"Help me again..."

"..."

"Company evaluation... trustworthy... no matter how annoying... eyes and ears, a helping hand..."

"Okay."

The audio was somewhat muffled and distorted, but it was possible to make out that one of the voices belonged to Zhao Qian. The person on the other end was a woman.

Wubei spoke again. "Zhao Qian joined Lianwei Zhongyu over three years ago. His Implant was installed around that time, and that’s when he started communicating with the owner of this biological signal."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment before saying, "Judging from that last bit of conversation, it seems Zhao Qian was asking this person for help. Could this be his backer within the company?"

Wubei replied, "That’s what I thought at first, too, but there’s something strange."

He emphasized, "Unless a Domain signal is specially concealed, it’s possible to discern specific differences with the help of a Resonance Nest’s analysis. Everyone’s Biological Domain has inherent patterns that differ based on age. The younger a person is, the more active and variable their Domain is; the older they are, the more stable it becomes.

Based on my judgment, the Domain frequency from this conversation belongs to someone who is no more than fifteen years old right now!"

This gave Chen Chuan pause. He murmured thoughtfully, "No more than fifteen now... which means three years ago, she was even younger."

"Exactly!" Wubei said. "Three years ago, she would have been even younger. Maybe eleven or twelve? Possibly even younger than that. Isn’t that a bit off from the person you’re looking for...?"

Chen Chuan grunted in acknowledgment. "Thank you, Brother Wu. This is an important clue."

"Glad I could help..." Wubei yawned. "Oh, right, Brother Chen, I almost forgot to mention. I cracked Zhao Qian’s account. There’s about 120,000 in there. I’ll give you withdrawal permissions for the account. I’ve been working nonstop in the Resonance Nest for the past few days without much rest. I’m going to get some sleep."

"Alright. Get some rest, Brother Wu."

After ending the call, Chen Chuan mulled it over. ’Based on the conversation, the woman’s status should be higher than Zhao Qian’s. But she’s too young to be a company executive. It’s possible she’s the daughter of one.’

’But there’s another possibility. Considering Zhao Qian’s last words, the fact that the call logs go back three years, and that the age timeline lines up... could she be the real target we’re looking for?’

’If so, this situation is drastically different from what we initially thought.’ After a moment of reflection, he decided to communicate with Lu Fang first before considering how to proceed.

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