Departure

Gu Ci concluded.

"It not only guides you on how to compress your power, but more importantly, it protects your Dao Foundation from being burned when you ignite the Divine Fire. The stronger the method, the purer the Undying Golden Blood you condense, and the wider your future path will be."

Chen Fan nodded knowingly. He didn't care how dangerous the process was; he only cared about the result.

So he asked directly.

"Teacher, do you have this method? Just give me any book."

"..."

Gu Ci's expression instantly became very strange.

He finally shook his head, his tone solemn.

"If I were to give you any of the methods I know, I would not be helping you, but harming you."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow.

Gu Ci looked at him and gave an analogy.

"Even the most outstanding Prodigies in the Federation possess a surging Origin Source of Qi and Blood within them. The techniques I know are like solid riverbeds, capable of supporting the river and guiding it into the sea."

As he said this, he stared intently at Chen Fan, his eyes filled with barely suppressed shock and fervor.

"But your Qi and Blood... is like a boundless Star Sea!"

"To use a river to confine a Star Sea?"

Gu Ci's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"There's only one outcome! Either the river channel will be shattered on the spot by your terrifying foundation, or your boundless Star Sea will be forcibly compressed into a narrow river channel, and your unprecedented foundation will be wasted, leaving an irreparable flaw on your flawless Dao Foundation!"

Those methods are not good enough for you!

Gu Ci spoke with absolute certainty.

"So we'll just have to wait until we go to the Star River Martial Academy!"

Chen Fan nodded, deciding to waste his time on this as well.

"That's right," Gu Ci rubbed his temples. "So, before you were recruited by the Star River Martial Academy, what were your plans?"

"No plans." Chen Fan stood up, stretched, and his joints cracked a series of crisp sounds. "I'll just stay at the Training Camp. It'll be a good opportunity to work on my strength again; it still feels a bit loose."

Gu Ci's eye twitched.

The power of Perfected Golden Body, you describe as merely "a little loose"?

For the next two weeks, Chen Fan settled down in the Training Camp.

He stopped practicing any form of training and spent his days either lying on the roof of the dormitory building basking in the sun or eating and drinking for free in the cafeteria. Occasionally, he would give pointers to the new students who were driven crazy by his college entrance examination results and were practicing hard.

Life went on uneventfully.

However, Gu Ci could keenly sense that the terrifying power, vast as Star Sea, residing within Chen Fan's body, was settling at an unbelievable speed.

From initially displaying sharp edges, to later becoming gentle and refined, and finally, returning to nothingness entirely.

Half a month later, when Chen Fan stood in front of Gu Ci again, he no longer possessed any of the aura of a powerful figure.

He looked like an ordinary child again, his eyes clear and bright, as if they could reflect the entire starry sky.

And on that very day...

An indescribable sense of terror, like an invisible Abyss, descended upon the entire Training Camp without warning.

In that instant, whether it was the students sweating profusely or the instructors who were at the Golden Body Realm, everyone felt their Divine Souls being gripped by an invisible hand, and their thoughts almost came to a standstill.

The world was utterly silent.

A figure appeared silently in the central square of the Training Camp.

He was a middle-aged man wearing the standard robe of the Star River Martial Academy, with a cold and stern face and eyes as cold as ice, devoid of any emotion.

He simply glanced around casually.

On the plaza, all the Golden Body Realm instructors, including Gu Ci, felt as insignificant as dust under his icy gaze, and didn't even have the courage to meet his eyes.

However, when that cold gaze fell upon the child yawning at the back of the crowd, all the indifference melted away in an instant.

Instead, a gentle hue appeared.

The middle-aged man flashed and appeared in front of Chen Fan in the next second, bowing slightly.

"Student Chen Fan, I am Li Feng, the Reception Envoy Star River Martial Academy." His voice clearly reached Chen Fan's ears. "I have been ordered to come and escort you to the academy."

Chen Fan nodded in response.

Just as he was about to leave, three figures walked quickly from not far away and blocked his way.

It was Shen Xuan, Su Qingyue, and Tuo Bashan.

They came to see him off.

"You're leaving so soon?"

Tuo Bashan scratched his head and said in a muffled voice, his eyes full of disappointment.

Chen Fan looked at them and asked with some curiosity, "Your scores are also in the top 1,000, why don't you come to the Star River Martial Academy with me?"

Upon hearing this, the three exchanged glances, each with a different expression.

"Ahem." Shen Xuan, fanning himself with his folding fan, was the first to speak, a wry smile on his face. "While the Star River Martial Academy is strong, its Dao Lineage is domineering and exclusive. This is fundamentally incompatible with the swordsmanship inherited by my Shen Family. I have decided to go to the Heavenly Sword Martial Academy, which places greater emphasis on its profound heritage."

Su Qingyue then spoke softly, her voice as clear and cold as moonlight. "The Canghai Martial Academy is the holy land for all Psychic Master in the Federation. It's more suitable for me there."

Finally, it was Tuo Bashan's turn.

The battle maniac pounded his massive chest with a dull thud, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.

"Chen Fan! I'm going to the Nine Provinces Martial Academy! There you hone the purest killing techniques in the universe! You just wait, once I've mastered the Nine Provinces Martial Academy's teachings, I'll definitely come back to challenge you!"

After listening to them quietly, a slight ripple finally appeared in Chen Fan's usually calm eyes.

He saw the determination and resolve in their eyes.

That was the path I truly chose for myself.

He nodded solemnly, without saying anything more, only uttering two words.

"Take care of yourself."

After saying that, he didn't linger and turned to follow Li Feng was waiting quietly to the side.

Under the complex gazes of Shen Xuan, Su Qingyue, and Tuo Bashan, a mixture of reluctance, blessings, and determination, Chen Fan boarded the Starship that had been waiting above the clouds.

The Starship silently started up, transforming into a dazzling streak of Stream of Light that tore through the Blue Star and vanished instantly into the deep reaches of the universe.

The Starship's light completely disappeared from sight.

Shen Xuan, Su Qingyue, and Tuo Bashan remained standing in the same spot, silent for a long time.

Gu Ci walked slowly to their side, looked at the empty sky, and asked softly:

"Really... it's just because we're not compatible?"

Silence.

After a long silence, Shen Xuan put away his folding fan, a relieved smile suddenly appearing on his face. He looked in the direction where Chen Fan had disappeared and murmured to himself, as if answering Gu Ci, or as if telling himself.

"Teacher, constantly chasing after his retreating figure will make you... lose the courage to walk your own path."

"We... also want to see just how far we can go on our own."