Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 109 - 97: Qualification

Chen Chuan returned to his room and calmly shut the door, as if the fight he just had were as mundane as eating a meal.

He first washed up and changed his clothes. When he came back out, he saw that Jing Lin was gone. Only a few students remained, excitedly discussing what had happened. They all nodded to him in greeting when they saw him.

He went over to the public telephone. The dormitory supervisor looked at him with a helpless expression. "Chen," he said, "next time you’re sparring, try not to vent your frustrations on the wall. You’ve scraped off a good bit of the paint."

Chen Chuan said apologetically, "My apologies, sir."

The supervisor chuckled. "Right. Next time, aim for the floor. If the damage is a bit more significant, it won’t be a problem. It’ll be easier for me to file a report, won’t it?"

Chen Chuan smiled as well. After the supervisor walked away, he picked up the receiver and dialed Cheng Zitong.

Once the call connected, he said, "Professor, I just ran into someone who claimed to be from Central City. He said he wanted to take me to meet his master."

Cheng Zitong’s voice turned serious. "Where? When? Did you agree?"

"I didn’t agree." Chen Chuan briefly recounted what had happened.

Cheng Zitong said gravely, "I understand. If this person approaches you again, just refuse him outright. Remember, this is the Wuyi Academy in Yangzhi City, not Central City. I’m tied up with something here and can’t get away. If you run into any trouble, you can call Manager Gao at the Recruitment and Preparation Department directly. He’ll help you sort it out."

"Alright," Chen Chuan said.

After Cheng Zitong hung up, he turned to speak to the person on the sofa across from him, only to find they were already gone.

After hanging up, Chen Chuan glanced at his watch. The call hadn’t taken long; it was washing up that had delayed him. Still, he hadn’t missed mealtime.

He took the elevator downstairs and headed for the cafeteria. Along the way, he replayed the recent fight in his mind. ’Jing Lin is a little different,’ he thought. ’It’s like he’s broken free from the restriction of using his breath to activate his Mutated Organization. But a feat like that, on its own, isn’t particularly impressive.’

’Based on my observations, some of the academy’s instructors are at that level too. Either Jing Lin has some other trick up his sleeve, or he just has an inflated sense of self-worth.’

He had no desire to meet this supposed "master." He simply didn’t believe in the so-called opportunity. If it were genuine, Cheng Zitong would have told him about it long ago.

Besides, as his supervising instructor, Cheng Zitong was a figure who couldn’t be bypassed in a matter like this; he should at least have been informed. Yet, the other party had gone around him to approach Chen Chuan directly, his words devoid of any respect.

It was a bone-deep Pride.

Lost in thought, he arrived at the cafeteria before he knew it. He put the matter aside for the time being, and after his meal, he returned to his dorm to continue training.

Another two days passed. When the rest day at the end of the month arrived, he made a trip home. Nian Fuli was out again. According to Yu Wan, he had been swamped with assignments lately, but far from feeling tired, he was more energetic than ever.

Chen Chuan could guess some of the reasons for that. He smiled, took out a stack of tickets, and said, "Auntie, one of the instructors at the academy gave me these. You and Uncle can take my cousins to watch."

Yu Wan’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise as she looked at the thick stack of tickets. Martial arts were wildly popular in the Dashun Republic, and people from all walks of life were avid fans of arena tournaments. However, the citizens of Yangzhi City could usually only watch matches held at local boxing gyms, which couldn’t compare to Wuyi’s events in terms of scale, level of competition, or even duration.

And while underground rings run by the likes of the Blood Mark Gang and the Iron Chain Gang offered a higher level of competition, they were not only bloody and brutal but also inaccessible to ordinary citizens. Consequently, the Wuyi Students’ annual year-end tournament was the most popular event. Tickets were notoriously hard to get in previous years, so she was shocked that Chen Chuan had managed to bring home so many.

They could even share some of these tickets with the neighbors and all go watch the tournament together.

"Chan’Er, I’ll gladly take them this time."

"Chan’Er, I want one! I want one!" Nian Mo hopped up and down. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Yu Wan grabbed her younger son by the ear. "Weren’t the things your cousin brought back last time enough for you to play with?" she scolded. "And how many times have I told you not to call your older cousin by his nickname?"

"I’m polite! I’m polite! I always call him ’big brother’," Nian Lu said, tilting her small face up, an expression that screamed ’praise me’ written all over it.

Yu Wan gave Nian Mo a light swat on the behind. "Your sister is much more well-behaved than you."

Chen Chuan chuckled. "I’ll bring something for you two next time." Nian Lu immediately piped up, "Thank you, big brother!"

He spent the night at home. By the time he woke up the next day, it was already December. Though the new year was still a month away, households were already beginning to put up decorations.

After breakfast, Chen Chuan said goodbye to Yu Wan and headed straight back to the academy. As soon as he passed through the gates, he could hear the rhythmic thud of running feet and chanted slogans from the Class B students’ training area. The A-class students he passed on the paths were all hurrying along, merely nodding to one another in greeting.

In a few more days, the Class B students would begin their tournament selections, while the A-class students had to worry about final exams. This was always the most stressful time of year for every Wuyi Student.

In stark contrast, he strolled leisurely through the academy grounds, his hands tucked into his pockets.

Back in his dorm, he changed clothes and headed to the weapons training hall he frequented. The instructor in charge knew him well by now; a simple nod was all the greeting required whenever he entered.

Today, however, he sensed something was different about the instructor. The man stared straight ahead as Chen Chuan entered, acting as if he hadn’t seen him at all.

He paused for a moment, then continued inside. Pushing open the doors, he found the spacious Training Ground completely empty. The students who usually trained here were nowhere in sight. Only a single, tall, and slender man stood in the center, a faint, unreadable smile on his face.

The instant he entered, he guessed the man’s identity. But he didn’t retreat. Instead, he turned, closed the double doors behind him, and walked up to stand before the man.

The man watched him with keen interest. "You’re very perceptive," he said. "I sensed your pace slow for an instant as you entered the hall. You must have realized something was amiss today. Yet you still walked in. Is that because you have great trust in this academy’s safety, or great confidence in yourself?"

Chen Chuan considered this for a moment. "A bit of both, I suppose."

The man said, "How interesting. Your confidence must have been forged by surviving one life-or-death battle after another, built upon countless victories over your opponents. Impressive."

Chen Chuan could read the man’s gaze. It was the look of someone appraising an object of debatable worth, hovering in a state of indecision between acquiring and discarding it, all while savoring the simple pleasure of the evaluation.

Such an attitude undoubtedly came from placing himself on a very high pedestal. This, too, was a form of Pride. Though expressed differently from Jing Lin’s, it was fundamentally the same.

He said, "It seems he really is your student."

"Student?"

The man seemed surprised, then amused. "Wrong. He’s just one of my toys."

A malicious smirk played on his lips. "He’s an illegitimate child. As a boy, he was constantly abused by the legitimate heir. But he couldn’t bear to leave home, because even with the beatings, the verbal abuse, and the torment, he still lived better than most of the common folk in Central City, and better than ninety-nine percent of the people in the slums.

"Deep down, he craves superiority, craves revenge, craves the chance to grind those who once abused him under his heel. So, I benevolently granted him an opportunity. I simply couldn’t wait to see how the next act of this little drama would unfold.

"One must pay for their entertainment, so I didn’t mind offering him a bit of guidance. I couldn’t give him too much, of course—that would make things boring. Did you know? Back in Central City, he was this timid, self-loathing person who didn’t even dare to speak loudly to others. But now that he’s out here, he’s become filled with Pride, all aloof and condescending. It’s just so fascinating."

Chen Chuan said, "So, are you seeking me out for the same reason?"

"No, no, no," the man immediately denied. "I never start watching a new play until the current one is finished. Originally, I just came on a whim. I wanted to meet you, to see if you were really as impressive as the newspapers made you out to be. But after Jing Lin came back, I looked into your past. And I found that you meet my requirements perfectly."

"Requirements?"

The man looked at him. "People like you, from these little backwater places, all you want is a chance to formally establish yourselves in Central City. As a student of Wuyi, there are but two paths to get there.

"One is to test into the Central Hospital on your own, but the number of available spots is extremely limited and they almost never go to anyone besides the Recommended Students. The other option, which is far more practical for people like you, is to form a personal bond of dependency with someone who is qualified to go to Central City and enter as their servant. However, not just anyone gets this chance. If you aren’t outstanding enough, no one will even give you a second glance.

"Everything you’ve done in the past, right up to the strength you displayed when you defeated that toy of mine, proves your capability. You are qualified.

"Therefore, you need only agree to become my servant—oh, of course, on paper, you’ll be my student’s sparring partner—and you can come with me to Central City."

He gave another playful smile. "Finding it hard to make a decision on the spot? That’s fine. I am always lenient with talented individuals. I’ll give you two days. You can come find me when you’ve made up your mind."

With that, he started walking toward the exit.

Chen Chuan asked, "May I know your name?"

"Tan Wang."

Tan Wang walked past him, opened the door, and turned back. "I forgot to mention," he said, "I don’t take kindly to rejection. Enjoy your rest day." Then he walked out.

Chen Chuan stood alone in the empty hall, lost in thought for a few moments before he, too, walked out.

After leaving the training hall, Tan Wang returned directly to his private villa at the heart of the lake. The moment he stepped inside, however, his eyes narrowed. Someone was sitting on the sofa he always used.

The man was like a lion, with a wide mouth, a broad nose, and a mane of hair falling over his shoulders. His powerful, imposing frame seemed to make the sofa sag beneath him. He wore a belted training uniform that did little to hide his clearly defined, blocky muscles. An intimidating power seemed to radiate from his powerful body, creating a suffocating pressure that could be felt even from a distance.

Tan Wang’s long, narrow eyes narrowed further. "Who are you?"

The man rose slowly from the sofa. The movement generated an even more powerful wave of pressure as he answered in a deep, resonant voice, "He Xiaoxing."

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