Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 133 - 120: Foreign Affairs Exchange

Early the next morning, Chen Chuan awoke from a deep sleep right on time. After getting up, he pulled open the curtains, pushed open the window, and took a few deep breaths of the dawn air. After washing up, he went out for breakfast.

After leaving the cafeteria, he headed straight for the Military Combat training hall. While walking, he suddenly remembered that the Maka Student wanted to spar with him.

However, the student’s skill level wasn’t high, so unless he came looking for him again, Chen Chuan had no intention of seeking him out.

By now, many students were already jogging along Spring and Autumn Lake. The morning breeze skimmed across the water’s surface and brushed against his face, rustling a few strands of his hair. The February wind was still a bit cold, but to him, it felt refreshing.

When he arrived at the training hall, he went to his usual spot and picked up a training saber from the nearby weapon rack.

Although it was just a wooden saber, it was one he had specially commissioned. It had a special core, making its weight and length nearly identical to his Snow Monarch Blade. Today, however, it felt significantly lighter.

Without a doubt, this was the result of the Mutated Organization inside his body growing stronger.

Not only that, but he had specifically checked his watch yesterday. The battle to eliminate the Flying Head had increased his overlap time by about half an hour—a massive improvement.

He figured that as he faced progressively stronger opponents, the increase in his overlap time would likely be greater with each battle. This was undoubtedly a good thing.

He swung the saber a few times, then reined in his thoughts and went to the center of the floor to run through some forms. It served as a warm-up and a way to wait for today’s opponent.

Although he had been placed in the Freestyle Martial Arts Department because of Cheng Zitong, he rarely attended the invitation-only or public classes. As a result, he barely knew anyone by name there. Conversely, he had gotten to know many people here in the Military Combat Department.

However, the less skilled first-year students had only just mastered the Breathing Technique, so most of the people he had sparred with before were second or third-year students.

Just then, a familiar figure walked in from outside.

"Senior Brother Wu?"

he called out in greeting.

Wu Han paused, then looked over and broke into a smile. "Junior Brother, you’re here today." Seeing Chen Chuan holding a Long Blade, his interest was piqued. "Come on, come on. Let’s have a go today."

He walked over to a weapon rack and subconsciously picked up a large spear. He thought for a moment and was about to put it down when Chen Chuan’s voice came from behind, "Senior Brother Wu, just use that one."

"Junior Brother? Are you sure?"

Wu Han was surprised. A long weapon against a short one offered a huge advantage. Especially when a skilled fighter wielded a long spear, getting close was practically impossible. To defeat a spear with a single saber, one would have to be several tiers more skilled than their opponent, unless they had a major terrain advantage. Otherwise, nine times out of ten, they would be run through first.

Chen Chuan nodded.

Wu Han chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "Junior Brother, I know your Saber Technique is good, but... don’t say I’m taking advantage of you."

Chen Chuan pointed his saber forward and said with a smile, "Let’s find out."

Wu Han gripped the spear’s shaft and pulled it from the rack with a motion that engaged his whole body. An ordinary short spear might not even be as long as Chen Chuan’s saber, but this spear was three meters long, nearly double the length of the Snow Monarch Blade. Moreover, under the control of his Power, he had no concerns about an unstable center of gravity or issues with force generation.

Just like now—he could hold the long spear steady by gripping its rear end with one hand, even idly twirling it between his fingers. He made it look as effortless as picking up a chopstick. One could imagine that once he started moving, his attacks would be swift and ferocious.

He walked to the center of the hall with his spear, pointing the tip at his opponent. Because the shaft was so long and his grip was far back, the spear bent slightly.

At that moment, a few upperclassmen noticed the weapons the two were holding and, their interest piqued, gathered by the side of the training floor in small groups.

They recognized Wu Han as a student from the Military Combat Department who had recently obtained his Weapon Permit, a feat that made many third-years envious. They also saw Chen Chuan frequently, since he often sparred here, and knew his performance was always top-notch. This was shaping up to be a very interesting match.

Wu Han gave a word of warning. "Junior Brother, watch out!"

He gripped the spear shaft with both hands, one forward and one back, his waist pressed against the weapon. After a couple of feints, seeing Chen Chuan remain still, the spear tip flickered and shot forward in a sudden thrust.

But as the spear tip approached, Chen Chuan didn’t block with his saber or dodge as expected. Instead, his free hand chopped down like a bolt of lightning. With a loud SNAP, he actually sliced the spearhead clean off.

Wu Han, however, didn’t stop. He twisted at the waist, stomped his foot, and drove his rear hand forward. The long spear rotated and continued its thrust, this time with the splintered end stabbing directly at Chen Chuan’s promptly raised arm. But Wu Han immediately felt it being stopped by a powerful force, unable to penetrate.

As both of their Powers converged in the middle, a series of sharp CRACKS echoed out. The spear shaft shattered section by section, the pieces scattering in all directions.

The surrounding students all raised their hands to bat away the flying fragments. But after the pieces hit the ground, they bounced high into the air, a testament to the immense force they originally contained.

Wu Han tossed aside the broken shaft in his hand and exclaimed excitedly, "Awesome!" He then added in admiration, "Junior Brother, your Power is really something else!"

At this, a round of applause broke out from the onlookers. Although the exchange had been brief, both fighters’ responses and the solid foundations of their skills were worthy of praise.

Chen Chuan’s defense was particularly impressive. Even though Wu Han’s spear had no head, the Power infused into it could have pierced a wall. Yet, Chen Chuan had managed to block it with his arm. This too must have been the work of Power, but it was no simple feat.

They had never seen any upperclassman who could do something like that, or who would even dare to try. They guessed that Chen Chuan hadn’t just blocked it with brute force, but had used some kind of technique.

That was plausible. Although the basics of Power that students learned were transparent, everyone had different instructors. There were always some unknown, personal techniques that were unique to an individual.

But this time, they had guessed wrong.

In truth, Chen Chuan had used a Power similar to Cloak Force to block the spear thrust head-on. He had intentionally used Wu Han’s Power to test the progress and resilience of his own Mutated Organization.

It now seemed it was indeed far superior to what it was before.

Although he had overlapped with his Second Self for that instant, the Second Self showed no signs of fading. This meant he could completely withstand that level of force.

’I think I could probably try that even without overlapping with my Second Self,’ he thought. ’After all, I’m not afraid of getting injured.’

Wu Han went to the side and picked up another spear, saying enthusiastically, "Junior Brother, again?"

Chen Chuan smiled faintly. "All right."

The two of them sparred for the entire morning. The confrontation confirmed Chen Chuan’s suspicions: he was now capable of holding his own against Wu Han even without his Second Self. However, without the overlap, his reflexes and speed dropped a tier, forcing him to rely solely on experience and technique.

But this was just a sparring match, so winning or losing didn’t matter much. What was important were the gains. If he could handle an opponent with ease without his Second Self, he would only be that much stronger when he overlapped with it.

At noon, he went to the cafeteria with Wu Han, and they chatted about various matters both inside and outside the school.

Wu Han had also taken on many commissions recently, even some that were usually only available to third-year students. It had to be said that having a Weapon Permit was a definite plus.

Speaking of which, he sighed. "If only Brother Liu were still here."

Chen Chuan said, "As long as we’re strong enough, we can not only do what Senior Brother Liu did, but we can also protect ourselves and go on to do even more."

Wu Han nodded emphatically. "Junior Brother, you’re right. I need to work harder too!"

After lunch, Chen Chuan parted ways with Wu Han and returned to his dorm. The person to install the telephone had arrived. Since a phone line was already connected, it didn’t take long to set up.

However, according to the rules, this phone was for his use only and had a daily time limit. If any violations were discovered, his privilege of having a private line would be revoked.

After the installer left, Chen Chuan walked over to the telephone and picked up the receiver. He thought about calling home, but then remembered no one would probably be there at this hour. ’Better to wait until evening,’ he decided.

He thought for a moment, then called Ren Shu to tell him he could be reached directly at this number for future commissions. Ren Shu was very pleased, as this would make communication much more timely and convenient.

Ren Shu said over the phone, "Mr. Chen, I’ve already transferred the payment for the last commission to your account. The Administrative Affairs Hall gave our company a very high rating for this one. It’s a shame you’re not a registered agent, so you couldn’t receive a personal rating."

Chen Chuan smiled. He didn’t care about that. He had no intention of becoming a professional agent. He only took on commissions to acquire resources for his combat training, to facilitate his climb upward.

Ren Shu added, "By the way, I have a number of old commissions related to strange phenomena. I was wondering if you might be interested, Mr. Chen?"

Chen Chuan glanced at his Second Self. The growth of the Mutated Organization had stopped for now, but the fading phenomenon on it hadn’t completely disappeared. So, he wasn’t in a hurry.

"I just finished the Flying Head mission. I’ll need to wait a while before taking on another commission."

"Right, right." Ren Shu’s voice came through the receiver, along with the sound of him smacking his own forehead. "I got too excited and forgot. Please get some rest, Mr. Chen. I won’t disturb you any further."

Chen Chuan hung up the phone. Just as he was about to turn away, it suddenly started ringing. A little surprised, he picked it up. It was the dorm supervisor’s voice.

"It connected? Good. I’m calling to inform you that tomorrow at eight in the morning, you and the other designated students are to assemble in front of the dormitory. You’ll be going to the Foreign Affairs Bureau with the Maka exchange students. A car will come to pick you up. Remember not to schedule anything else."

Chen Chuan replied, "Okay, I understand. Thank you, sir."

The dorm supervisor said, "You know, if all of you students got scholarships, it would save me some effort, wouldn’t it? I wouldn’t have to call everyone individually when something comes up."

’But doesn’t this just show how important you are?’ Chen Chuan thought.

The dorm supervisor then chuckled and said, "You’re quiet. Are you bad-mouthing me in your head? It’s fine. As long as you’re a good student, you’re allowed to curse out your teachers a little. Consider it a special privilege. I’m hanging up."

Chen Chuan looked at the receiver. ’Sir,’ he thought, ’now that you’ve said that, don’t I lose out if I don’t curse you a little?’

He hung up the phone, changed into his training clothes, and went into his private training room. After regulating his breathing, he continued with his daily practice.

「The next day.」

At 7:30 in the morning, Chen Chuan was already ready. As this was a formal exchange event, he had changed into the official student uniform provided by the academy.

However, weapons were not permitted at foreign affairs exchanges, so he naturally couldn’t bring his Snow Monarch Blade or any firearms. But with a security team present at such an event, he figured there was nothing to worry about. ’Besides,’ he thought, ’if things get to the point where weapons are needed, as long as someone else has one, that means I have one too.’

After making some final adjustments in front of the mirror, he put on his student cap, straightened it, and walked out the door.

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