Insight

Yue Hong thought for a moment, then made a suggestion. "I think we could give him a comprehensive physical examination. That's the only way to know what kind of force would suit him."

Cheng Zitong immediately rejected the idea. "No! I don't think that's appropriate!"

Gao Shi asked, "Why not?"

Cheng Zitong said, "Do you know that today, he not only mastered the Breath Regulation Method, but also picked up 'Metamorphosis' along the way?"

He looked at the others in the room. "I never told him about that beforehand, and I couldn't have told him. He realized it entirely on his own. That's not easy. How many students have that kind of insight? Of course, that isn't the main point. The main point is that this shows he's a thoroughgoing member of the Insight Faction! Not one of you Rational Faction people! You can't use Rational Faction thinking to restrain him!"

Gao Shi and the other three fell silent for a while.

Once combat techniques had been practiced enough, they would inevitably develop certain systems and theories of their own. Setting aside specific fighting techniques, there were many different philosophies regarding the broader direction of cultivation, forming quite a few factions.

But the two major ones were the Insight Faction and the Rational Faction.

The Rational Faction believed that cultivation was something that could be quantified. Only by using all kinds of auxiliary tools to clearly and intuitively display the body's various capabilities could one better understand one's own body.

The Insight Faction, however, was different. They believed that the greatest pleasure of Combat Cultivation lay in the unknown. Exploring the unknown was what fascinated them most and gave them the greatest anticipation, because it represented endless possibilities. Once something was known and understood, it became confined by rules.

Cheng Zitong stressed, "For the Insight Faction, self-will is what matters most. It's also what's most precious. They won't be bound by anything. If we give him a physical examination, we'll destroy that sense of the unknown!"

Bian Feng said gravely, "If that's the case, then we won't examine him for now."

He knew that for the Insight Faction, it wasn't merely the conclusions drawn from an examination. The very act of undergoing one could make them feel that the unknown had been ruined, possibly leaving them less motivated to train from then on. And Mutated Tissue could indeed be affected to a certain extent by emotion and will. Such unfavorable outcomes had to be avoided.

Yue Hong said, "But without an examination, it'll be difficult for us to know what kind of force suits him best."

Gao Shi looked at Cheng Zitong. "What do you think?"

Cheng Zitong said, "Since he's part of the Insight Faction, we should solve this in the Insight Faction's way. Let him decide for himself. He understands himself better than we do. I can tell that this child has his own ideas. I believe he can make the right choice."

Yue Hong was somewhat worried. "What if he chooses wrong...?"

Gao Shi said, "Even then, it would be his own choice. Can we manage the heavens and the earth, then manage him for himself as well?"

Bian Feng said at this point, "I think we could let him take a look at the Force Manual Old He left behind."

Gao Shi was silent for a moment before saying, "All right."

"Fine, then it's decided." Cheng Zitong picked up his briefcase and stood. "I need to go back and make preparations first."

"Wait." Gao Shi picked up a document from the table and tossed it to him. "Since you're here today, take this back with you. You're the supervising teacher, so discuss among yourselves whether you want to test them."

Cheng Zitong took it, glanced at it, and said, "Understood." He stuffed it into his briefcase, greeted the others, and left.

After he was gone, Yue Hong said, "Gao Shi, is Director Cheng's side reliable? Shouldn't we persuade Teacher He to come back sooner?"

Gao Shi said, "I'll keep calling him. If there's nothing else, you can both leave. I still have matters to deal with."

"Yes, Gao Shi."

The two stood, gave him slight bows, and left.

Over at the dormitory building, since it was already mealtime, Chen Chuan finally had some free time and went with Feng Xiaoqi and Luo Kaiyuan from next door to eat at the school cafeteria.

Over the past few days, the two had learned that Chen Chuan was training with a supervising teacher, so they had not disturbed him. They had not interacted much, but since they were all young, they quickly got along.

Only then did Chen Chuan learn that Feng Xiaoqi's family ran a martial equipment store. Luo Kaiyuan was still the same as ever, rarely taking the initiative to speak, but whenever someone asked him something, he answered seriously.

Chen Chuan asked, "Is no one living in Dormitory One yet?"

Feng Xiaoqi said, "I didn't see him today either. Maybe he doesn't stay in the dorms."

Chen Chuan nodded in understanding. That was possible. It was a Class A Student's privilege, after all. Even if they did not live there, the dorm room would not be reclaimed. He asked again, "By the way, have you found supervising teachers too?"

Feng Xiaoqi said, "Luo Kaiyuan is really lucky. He got Teacher Sun Yunchun from the Freehand Department. I found Teacher Ni Xiaolin from the Grappling Department."

"A female teacher?"

Chen Chuan was surprised. Female teachers generally did not take male students, especially for things like grappling, throws, and holds, which required close physical contact and could sometimes be awkward.

Feng Xiaoqi laughed. "Teacher Ni is over eighty years old. I could be her great-grandson, so she doesn't care about that. Besides, she has her own assistants and team. You didn't think I was her only student, did you? She has quite a few students, both male and female. Being accepted by her was lucky for me too."

He added, "By the way, our first Monthly Exam is at the end of this month. Have you prepared for it?"

Luo Kaiyuan only said, "I'm preparing."

"What about you, Chen Chuan? Oh, your teacher seems to have only you as a student, right?" Feng Xiaoqi said enviously. "Then he definitely won't stop you from passing the Monthly Exam."

Chen Chuan knew that failing the Monthly Exam would lower the school's rating, but the midterm and final exams were what truly mattered. The Monthly Exam was merely a test between supervising teachers, while during the midterm and final exams, even the school administration and commissioners would attend to assess the students' levels. If they failed, they would be directly demoted to Class B Students. No one dared take that lightly.

After lunch, the three headed back to the dormitory. They had just reached the stairwell when they saw three people emerge from the elevator. The one in the middle was tall and imposing, with an upright face. Another wore a hat pulled low over his face, giving off an extremely unpleasant feeling. Behind them followed a hulking youth whose face was still quite immature, though he was nearly as tall as Zhong Wu.

Only after they had passed did Feng Xiaoqi whisper to Chen Chuan, "They live across from us. The leader is called Zhuang Zhi, that gloomy fellow is Feng Sheng, and the big guy is Zhuang Zhongshan."

Chen Chuan looked at them. "There are three of them too?"

Feng Xiaoqi said, "I heard there's another student living outside. He's been moving things into the dorm this whole time. I've only seen his back a few times."

Chen Chuan's heart stirred. For some reason, this style felt familiar.

The three were about to enter the elevator when a dorm manager called out to him. "Student Chen, you have a phone call. Someone's looking for you."

Chen Chuan answered, told the other two to go ahead, then went to the public telephone. After thanking the dorm manager, he picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

Wei Changan's voice came through. "Junior, how have your first few days of school been?"

Chen Chuan smiled. "Brother Wei? I've learned quite a lot."

"As long as you've gained something. Tomorrow is Rest Day. Do you want to go home? I happen to be going back to see my father tomorrow too. Want a ride?"

Chen Chuan considered it. Since they lived close by anyway, he said, "Sure."

"Good. I'll pick you up tomorrow. There's also something else I wanted to discuss with you. We can talk about it then."

Chen Chuan settled the arrangement with him and hung up. After returning to his dorm, he put the prepared Kai Lian Powder into his shoulder bag, then continued consolidating the Breath Regulation Method. He did not neglect the basic Breathing Method either, only going to sleep when it was time.

The next day, a little after eight, he received a call from Wei Changan. He took his things downstairs and saw Wei Changan's Tuotu sedan already parked there. After greeting him, he got in. Just as he fastened his seat belt, Wei Changan casually handed him an envelope. "Here."

Chen Chuan accepted it, pulled out a stack of Jianyuan Currency, and asked, "This is...?"

Wei Changan said, "The commission payment for finding Chou Huzi last time."

Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. "This much?"

Wei Changan said, "Is it a lot? Not really. We were commissioned to go to the Blood Scar Gang to collect someone. If anything happened, there would have been no compensation. We bore all the risks ourselves. And they took seventy percent while we only got thirty. I split what remained equally between you and me. But once Brother Wei becomes a Senior Commissioner, we won't have to suffer this loss anymore."

As he spoke, he started the sedan and drove toward the school gate.

Chen Chuan saw that the envelope also contained several receipts and stamped documents proving the source of the money. He put everything away and said, "Thank you, Brother Wei."

"Hey, I told you before. We both come from Patrol Bureau families. Of course Brother Wei will look after you."

As the sedan drove out through the school gate, Wei Changan said, "By the way, that last matter isn't actually over yet. Chou Huzi confessed that he had always sent his bodyguard, Scarface, to handle his dealings with Fang Dawei, and never showed himself. All his prohibited drugs were also kept with Scarface. The Patrol Bureau is searching for Scarface now, but there's still no lead. The trail has gone cold here.

I figure the Patrol Bureau won't put in that kind of effort. In the end, they'll definitely issue another commission. Since we were the ones following up on this before, they might come to us again. That's why Brother Wei has been looking for clues these past few days. I might not show up much for a while."

Chen Chuan said, "Brother Wei, be careful."

Wei Changan smiled. "Don't worry. Brother Wei knows what he's doing."