After the mid-month get-together, Chen Chuan spent the following days with his aunt’s family, but dedicated his free time to diligently honing the new techniques he had learned. Once he felt he was getting the hang of them, he would go back to Instructor Wen for more guidance.

Initially, he could only maintain his Divine Thought for three hours, but that duration had since increased to over four hours, and it was still trending upward.

Before the last third of the month, he had managed to grasp all the techniques he was supposed to learn, putting him a third ahead of schedule.

However, the techniques that came next were beyond his current ability to master. They required coordination between Essence Blood and the Divine Constant, and he had not yet built that foundation.

One day, after another session of resonant transference, Instructor Wen said, "I’ve taught you all the basic application techniques. You’re still a ways from complete mastery, but that has nothing to do with talent. It’s because you’ve only just entered the Third Limit and haven’t accumulated enough experience. Once you have, you’ll gradually be able to use them with ease."

He smiled. "Now, I’ll teach you some special training methods. Watch closely..."

Since they were still in a state of Divine Thought resonance, he could feel the Mutated Organization within Instructor Wen’s body pulsing with a unique rhythm.

He then saw Instructor Wen raise his hand and flick it lightly toward the sky. BOOM! A thunderous roar exploded by his ear, reverberating through the air. A small cloud of mist seemed to form over the back of the instructor’s hand before quickly dissipating.

"This move is called the Cloud-Breaking Hand. It’s simple and practical, but it requires a certain charge-up time before you can strike, so it isn’t common in actual combat. It’s typically used as an exercise to coordinate the Mutated Organizations throughout the body and strengthen your ability to integrate them."

As he spoke, Instructor Wen slowly lowered his hand. "While maintaining the move’s power, the less time it takes you to execute it, the stronger your integrative ability. Did you see my demonstration clearly?"

Chen Chuan nodded. "Yes, I saw it clearly."

Instructor Wen said, "In that case, you can go back and practice it on your own. My guidance ends here."

Chen Chuan said, "Thank you, Instructor Wen."

"No need to thank me. Old He asked me to train you," Instructor Wen said with a smile. "Still, it’s a pleasure to meet such an outstanding member of the younger generation. Go on, young man. I’m sure we’ll meet again."

Chen Chuan nodded. He raised his hands and gave Instructor Wen a formal, cupped-fist salute before turning to leave. When he reached his car, he glanced back, but the instructor was already gone. He looked away, opened the car door, got in, and drove off.

After returning home, he continued practicing his new techniques, occasionally going out with Ding Jiao and his other friends. Late in the month, during one of these get-togethers, a classmate suddenly made a suggestion.

"How about we go check out Luoyang Cave?"

But his words were met with immediate objections from the others.

"Are you crazy? You know perfectly well that countless people have gone there and never come back."

"But we’ve got Xiaochuan! Xiaochuan’s a Fighter!"

Chen Chuan shook his head. "I wouldn’t recommend it. No matter how skilled I am, the most I could do is protect myself. I can’t protect everyone."

Luoyang Cave was quite famous in Yangzhi. It was a subterranean cavern where countless people had entered, never to return. Locals warned their children to stay away, but despite that, a number of people still went missing there every year.

About twelve years ago, a foreign expedition had gone in, and not a single member came out.

Since they were all foreigners, the Dashun Government paid it no mind. But perhaps because of that incident, the cave ironically gained fame abroad. Foreign tourists and expedition teams came frequently. Some emerged, but many were lost inside.

Because of this, however, a local industry of inns and other related services gradually sprang up to cater to them.

Ding Jiao grumbled, "Seriously, Mian Gua, how did you come up with such a lousy idea?"

The classmate known as Mian Gua said, "I read in the paper a few days ago that an expedition with more than ten people went into the cave, and they all came back out! It said they’re going again tomorrow, and I heard they can even take people on a short tour near the entrance."

’I figure, since they went in and came out safely, we could just tag along for a look. The area near the entrance should be safe enough, and it’ll give us some bragging rights later.’

"It’s too dangerous. Let’s just forget it."

"Exactly! Who knows what’s lurking in there?"

"My mom is saving up so I can get a wife. If I go missing, she’ll just be saving that money for my little brother!"

Despite the objections, another classmate chimed in, "We could just look from the outside. We don’t have to go in. I’ve lived here my whole life and never seen it. We can just go see what the commotion is all about."

Ding Jiao liked the sound of that. He turned to Chen Chuan. "Xiaochuan, what do you think?"

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "If we’re just going to look, that’s fine. I’ve never been there, either." ’Going for a look should be fine,’ he thought. ’I might not have the ability to rescue anyone who goes deep inside, but stopping my friends from entering in the first place would be easy enough.’

Ding Jiao said, "Alright then. But let’s be clear: we’re not going inside the cave, just looking from the outside."

Having agreed, the next day Chen Chuan drove five of his classmates in his car, while Ding Jiao and the other four rode motorcycles, heading southwest toward Jia Mountain.

Jia Mountain was one of the Three Mountains from the Three Mountains Legend, and Luoyang Cave was located on its western slope. It was originally a remote area that hadn’t been developed much during the Great Expansion. There was only a garrison post, which was later abandoned. It was only in the last dozen or so years, as foreign expeditions began to frequent the area, that a marketplace gradually formed.

Curiously, there were very few supernatural tales associated with the place, perhaps because there were so few residents in the surrounding area. Even if something did happen, it wouldn’t affect the outside world.

When the group arrived at Luoyang Cave, they found it wasn’t the deep, narrow, foreboding entrance they had imagined. Instead, it was a massive opening, over twenty meters wide and more than ten meters high.

A sizable crowd and numerous vendor stalls were gathered at the mouth of the cave, with people constantly going in and out.

Chen Chuan took a closer look and was surprised to see traces of man-made chiseling around the cave’s edge. It seemed the cave wasn’t entirely natural, though apparently, no one had ever studied it.

As it happened, they arrived just as the expedition team was preparing to descend. A large crowd of onlookers had gathered around, pointing and murmuring, all eager to watch the spectacle.

The team members were all outfitted with professional gear: protective helmets with headlamps, ropes and hooks hanging from their waists, and bulging backpacks. They all appeared to be foreigners, and at about twelve members, it was a sizable group.

Listening to the chatter around him, Chen Chuan gathered that they had all been hired by a wealthy merchant.

That seemed right, as one man stood in the center of the group, receiving repeated instructions and reminders from his companions. By his side stood two Fighters, clearly serving as security.

After preparing for over half an hour and double-checking their equipment, the group entered the cave one by one under the watchful eyes of the crowd. A few other people spontaneously followed them in.

One of the classmates said, eager to go, "Are we just going to watch? Why don’t we follow them in for a peek? We can just go a little ways and come right back out?"

Chen Chuan saw that there were guides leading people in and out of the entrance, so those areas were presumably safe. He went to take a look first to confirm there was no danger. In the end, they only wandered around near the mouth of the cave, venturing less than a hundred meters inside before coming back out. Even the local guides were unwilling to go any deeper.

Even so, his classmates were thrilled. It was more than enough for some serious bragging rights.

After coming out of the cave, since they were already there, they decided to go mountain climbing as well.

The southeastern face of Jia Mountain was perfect for climbing. There was even an old temple near the top, surrounded by large peach groves. From there, you could see Little Qing Mountain and a lake in the distance. The scenery was magnificent.

It was the perfect time, as the peaches were ripe. For a small fee, they could pick as many as they wanted, as long as they didn’t waste any. The classmates ate their fill before heading down the mountain and returning home in the afternoon.

After he got back, Chen Chuan put the matter out of his mind. Several more days passed, and with only five days left in his vacation, he began preparing to return to Central City.

But one day, he received a sudden phone call from Ren Shu.

"Mr. Chen, we’ve received a request from the Administrative Affairs Hall. Based on the situation, it seems to be a supernatural case, but we can’t be certain. We were hoping to consult with you."

They were well aware of their own limitations and typically avoided taking cases with too many unknown factors. However, this request came directly from the Administrative Affairs Hall, and since Chen Chuan happened to be in town, they decided to ask if he had a solution.

Chen Chuan said, "Mr. Ren, please tell me the details."

"Of course. A few days ago, an expedition team..."

Something stirred in Chen Chuan’s mind. "Are you talking about the one at Luoyang Cave?"

"You’ve heard about it, Mr. Chen? Yes, that’s the one. The expedition made two trips. The first time was fine, but something went wrong this time. Only three people came back out."

"That in itself wouldn’t be unusual; it’s a common occurrence there. But then, something strange happened..."

He paused for a moment. "Twelve years ago, a foreign expedition was lost in that cave. Have you heard about that, Mr. Chen?"

Chen Chuan replied, "I know about that incident. I was still young at the time, but everyone was talking about it. I just don’t know the specific details."

Ren Shu said, "The two incidents are related. Because someone discovered that the three people who returned this time weren’t from the group that went in a few days ago. They were... from the group that went in twelve years ago."

"The group from twelve years ago?" Chen Chuan’s attention sharpened.

"That’s right! Those three belong to the group that went missing twelve years ago. And when questioned, they had no idea twelve years had passed on the outside. They only remember being inside for three days."

Chen Chuan asked, "What else?" ’If that was all, it wouldn’t be enough for Ren Shu to call me,’ he thought. ’There must be more to it.’

Ren Shu said, "The three who returned were shocked when they learned the truth and said they were going to find their families. But that very night, all of them died. Their bodies were stripped of all flesh, leaving only bones. Even their clothes and equipment became tattered and rusted..."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment, then said, "Alright, I’ll come over and take a look."

...

...