Inside the living room, the incense burner emitted wisps of a calming and serene fragrance. The bamboo curtains swayed gently in the breeze, and through the arched doorway, one could see the meticulously trimmed bamboo, trees, and flowers outside.

An occasional gust of refreshing wind brought a cool and comfortable sensation.

Chen Chuan said, "I did see some things today, but I can’t say what they were. I didn’t investigate, either. I just did as Senior Brother Cao said, guarded my mind, and paid them no heed."

Cao Guiqi nodded. "Encountering such phenomena when breaking through with the Old Method is a sign of sufficient talent. The fact that you could guard your mind and were not corrupted by the visions means you’ve already passed a difficult trial.

"But this is only something you face in the early stages. In your future cultivation, you will also face these phenomena from time to time. However, this is not entirely a bad thing. These are both your crises and your cultivation resources. As long as you always restrain yourself, avoid being disturbed by them, and use them to hone and temper yourself, cleansing impurities, they will be beneficial to you."

He said, "Uncle Ding, go get me that copy of *Investigation of Various Anomalies*."

Uncle Ding gave a slight bow, turned, and went out. A moment later, he returned with a thread-bound book, presenting it to Cao Guiqi. The latter waved a hand, gesturing for it to be given to Chen Chuan.

Cao Guiqi said, "This records some tales of the strange and supernatural, originally stored in the Guardian Storage Room during the Imperial Period. This is a rubbing. It documents the experiences of most Third Limit Fighters from the old era after their breakthrough, and it also includes notes on some techniques and methods for dealing with them. Junior Chen, take it back and have a look. It might prove enlightening."

Chen Chuan took it from Uncle Ding, offered his thanks, and flipped it open. He saw that it was vertically printed and used many old variant characters, which were a bit difficult to read at first glance.

Fortunately, he had his Realm Token. With a quick scan, it could display a modern, horizontal version of the text on a light screen next to it, allowing him to read without difficulty.

Cao Guiqi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it down. He then sat up straight and said, "Junior Chen, you can peruse the contents when you get back. Let me tell you about the key points of cultivation you need to pay attention to at this limit."

Chen Chuan set the book down and also sat up straight, his expression turning serious.

Cao Guiqi said, "From the First Limit to the Third Limit, each has its own focus. In the old parlance, they are ’Reinforced Bridge and Frame Beam’ and ’Animating the Six Bowels, Generating the Five Viscera.’ I imagine your teacher told you this when you were studying?"

Chen Chuan nodded.

Cao Guiqi said gravely, "Now that you’ve reached the Third Limit, within this limit, what you need to focus on is ’Gathering Essence Blood, and Establishing the Divine Constant’!

"Essence Blood, in the past, was what was called a person’s Primordial Qi. But a Fighter’s ’Essence Blood’ is inextricably linked to their Mutated Organization. It requires certain special items and medicines to be cultivated and refined. The accumulation of Essence Blood is especially important, as a Fighter’s combat prowess often depends on its quantity.

"Take Wei Wusheng’s Horizontal Training, for example. It heavily emphasizes this path. His ability to reattach severed limbs, grow flesh on bare bone, and return from the brink of death was all due to the vast reserves of Essence Blood he had accumulated.

"Its source lies in the ’heart.’

"The Divine Constant is the ’Eternal God.’ It allows a Fighter’s Divine Thought to become sharper and their entire body to move more freely, enabling them to become the true lord of their own being.

"Third Limit Fighters often possess astonishing speed and superior physical coordination, all thanks to this.

"Because Divine Thought is fickle and scatters easily, it must be constantly cultivated and refined to ensure it remains stationed and does not stray. This requires training through special methods. The spontaneously arising phenomena are one such method, which is why I said it’s not entirely a bad thing.

"Fighters without orthodox training usually find it very difficult to cultivate this path. They can only slowly hone it through crude and superficial methods in one life-or-death battle after another. I have a Dharma Gate here that you can take back for reference.

"Additionally, you can purchase corresponding Dharma Gates at Wuyi Academy. You can try both methods to see which suits you better. There’s no harm in using various ones simultaneously. Divine Thought is ever-changing; the more it experiences, the more resilient it becomes.

"And if the Divine Constant is stationed deeply enough, you can control your body’s growth, preserving your youth and extending your lifespan. Some Fighters, even at the age of a hundred, maintain a youthful appearance and flawless skin without needing any medicine, all thanks to this.

"This source lies in the brain.

"Essence Blood and Divine Constant complement each other. It is best to advance both simultaneously rather than favoring one over the other. To do so would be to walk like a lame man."

Hearing this, Chen Chuan combined it with his own knowledge and feelings. His understanding suddenly became much clearer, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

Cao Guiqi deliberately waited a moment. Seeing that Chen Chuan had digested the information and his attention had returned, he continued, "Next, I’ll also tell you how to proceed with your cultivation.

"There are no more than two paths. One is still using medicine. The government, major corporations, and academies all provide cultivation medicines. The only difference is that Third Limit medicines are specially made, the channels to obtain them are few, and they are exceptionally expensive.

"Although you are a Medicine Tester for Cyan Bag Jade Workshop, after reaching the Third Limit, your previous agreement is useless. You’ll need to sign a new one. That’s one possible way to obtain them, but large corporations like that might also use the medicine to deepen their control over you. You must consider it carefully before making a decision.

"As for the other path... this one involves information that cannot be casually disclosed. I’m bound by an agreement and cannot tell you about it right now. But don’t be anxious. In a month or two at most, someone from the Academy or the Processing Bureau will come to inform you and explain everything clearly."

At this point, he added a reminder, "From now on, you must choose your path carefully. However, you’re currently in the consolidation phase, so you don’t need to think about this for at least thirty or forty days. Later, I’ll give you a list of medicines for conditioning and maintenance. Just follow it and purchase them from the Academy."

Chen Chuan clasped his fist in a salute from his seat and said earnestly, "Thank you, Senior Brother Cao."

When the Processing Bureau recommended Senior Brother Cao as his instructor, the arrangement was only for him to teach Chen Chuan up to the Third Limit. What came after the Third Limit was technically no longer his concern, yet he was still willing to offer guidance. For this, Chen Chuan was sincerely grateful.

Cao Guiqi smiled. "The road ahead is difficult, and it will be hard for me to guide you further in your cultivation. You’ll have to walk it yourself. However, I’m a few years older than you, so I can still give you some advice. If you have any questions, you can come ask me again."

Chen Chuan thanked him again. Afterward, the two stopped discussing such matters, simply drinking tea and admiring the scenery while talking about the general situation in Central City. As evening fell, Chen Chuan took his leave.

After seeing Chen Chuan off, Uncle Ding returned and said, "Young Master, your judgment is truly excellent. Brother Chen is only eighteen, yet he’s already reached the Third Limit and was able to kill a fierce bandit like Wei Wusheng right away. In the future, perhaps he can fulfill the Young Master’s unrealized wish."

Cao Guiqi shook his head. "He has his own path. My path is already over. There’s no need to force others to walk it for me. I’m willing to help him, first, because of our rare fate, and second, because Brother Chen’s character and temperament are both good. He’s worthy of support."

He lifted his tea and sipped it slowly, saying as if in passing, "Uncle Ding, remember this. From now on, don’t mention matters related to me in front of him."

Uncle Ding bowed deeply. "Yes, Young Master. I’ll remember."

After leaving Motie Mountain, Chen Chuan didn’t hurry back. Instead, he drove his Gard Car slowly, watching the scenery on both sides of the road.

Since entering the Academy, he had been training relentlessly. Now that he had reached the Third Limit, he didn’t need to be so tense anymore. It was a rare chance to relax.

He recalled that it was currently the holiday break. He had stayed at the Academy to focus on his cultivation, but now that he had resolved what needed to be resolved, he could make a trip home.

Thinking of this, he decided to return to Yangzhi in the next day or two.

After another moment of thought, he sent a voice message to Wubei, Old Qi, and a few other acquaintances, informing them that he would be leaving Central City for a while in the next couple of days and that they could contact him by telegram if anything came up.

After returning to the Profound Palace Building, he first refilled the food and water for Chaoming. Watching the little creature eat happily, he thought, ’Since I’m going back, it wouldn’t be right to leave this little one here. I should probably take it with me.’

Settling back on the sofa, he took out the medicine list Cao Guiqi had given him. He glanced at it for a few moments, then, after some thought, he pulled out a list he had previously copied to compare them.

This list was a catalog of medicines left behind by Teacher Wu and You Xing.

As Third Limit Fighters, both of them had stashed away some Third Limit medicines.

You Xing, in particular, had a considerable amount of medicine in his storage room. Most of the items marked on Cao Guiqi’s list could be found there. Judging by the remaining quantity, there was more than enough to last for a month or two, even with daily use. In that case, he could wait until he returned from his trip home to think about this matter in more detail.

However, he was still a reserve Law Enforcer for the Processing Bureau. Since this trip home would last at least a month, he had to report it to the Bureau before he left.

’But that can wait until tomorrow. I don’t feel like doing anything else today.’ So he got up, put the lists away, sat back down on the sofa, and turned on the fringe channel.

Meanwhile, in the principal’s assistant’s office on the top floor of the Profound Palace Building, a light screen was replaying the scene of Chen Chuan’s battle with Wei Wusheng.

After a few minutes, the final image froze on the moment Chen Chuan stood before Wei Wusheng’s fallen body.

Assistant Ling had one arm draped over the back of the sofa, one leg crossed over the other. His eyes were filled with admiration. In his judgment, it hadn’t been long since Chen Chuan entered the Third Limit—no more than two months at most, and possibly as recently as a few days ago.

Based on his entry and exit records, Chen Chuan had spent most of the past one or two months in his dormitory without going out. He only went to watch the arena matches in the last couple of days. It was very likely he had been accumulating power before, only breaking through the limit in these past few days.

Yet even after being at this limit for only a short time, he still possessed the strength to defeat Wei Wusheng. Such talent was rare even among Third Limit practitioners. His future growth potential was immeasurable.

Just then, another person’s voice sounded from the Realm Token: "Now that we’ve confirmed he’s a Third Limit Fighter, what do you plan to do? Are you going to explain things to him now?"

Assistant Ling smiled. "No rush. We’ll approach him after he learns the specific details. As he is now, he might not be able to accept what we have to say. We can wait."

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