After returning to the Profound Palace Building from Motie Mountain, Chen Chuan gave the matter some serious thought. What Cao Guiqi had told him revealed more about the internal situation.

According to the senior, the Third Limit was supposed to be the absolute peak of the human body. However, the collision of the two worlds had opened up a path forward.

Crisis arrived hand-in-hand with opportunity.

Personally, he was determined to follow this path forward. But from the looks of it, cultivation resources could only be obtained through the government and corporations. This method of acquisition was far too singular and limited.

He could sense that Cao Guiqi had deliberately avoided something during their conversation. There was likely something he couldn’t tell him, which Chen Chuan understood; it must involve some far-reaching secrets. But this also implied that it wasn’t that there was no other path—just that it was a difficult one to walk.

At this thought, he couldn’t help but think of He Xiaoxing. That teacher wasn’t active in Central City, so how did he manage his usual cultivation resources?

He guessed He Xiaoxing might have joined an organization that possessed a Rift. The most likely candidate was the Pure Sect. Judging from Instructor Wen’s situation, the Pure Sect was anything but simple.

’That seems like another path, one I could try to pursue.’ But he knew that nothing came without a price. The situation was still unclear, and he had yet to be drafted to defend the World Ring. So, for now, he shouldn’t rush. He had to at least wait for news from Gao Ming.

He needed to gather more information from various sources before he could decide which path to take.

However...

A sudden thought struck him. He left the living room and went to the area outside his training room. He opened a cabinet there and took something out: a glass tube filled with a liquid that gave off a faint, fluorescent glow.

He had obtained this from You Xing back then. It had been stored alongside other Cultivation Drugs. However, he had checked later, and whether on the open market or the Wuyi platform, he couldn’t find anything that matched it. He couldn’t identify what it was.

But now, he couldn’t help but wonder, ’Could this be one of those special drugs?’

The possibility was high.

You Xing was no simple character. A Third Limit Fighter who not only possessed the techniques of a Resonator and had an independent Resonance Nest but could also manipulate urban legends. ’Thinking about it now, he was a real talent.’

It was impossible for him to have acquired all that on his own. There had to be someone backing him. Recalling what he saw on the light screen projected by the Resonance Nest that day, Chen Chuan had reason to suspect that it might have been a fissure created by the collision of the two worlds.

If that was the case, then this thing in his hand was very likely what he thought it was.

As for whether it was or not, he could try taking it. Even if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be a problem. He had the Second Self to absorb any damage, so there was no need to worry too much.

But he didn’t try it right away.

It had only been about a month since he reached the Third Limit. His Mutated Organization was still in a rapid growth phase after breaking through the limit. This momentum showed no signs of slowing down yet. He would only consider using these things once it plateaued, which would take at least a month or two. So, he put the item back.

He returned to the training room, preparing to practice his Domain techniques.

Not long after he started, a message from Gao Ming arrived. "Cousin, I’ve arranged everything with the Fusion Boundary. The meeting is set for this rest day, at the Shu Tianxia Hotel."

Chen Chuan said, "Gao Ming, thanks for the trouble."

Just as he ended the call, his Realm Token indicated that someone from the Processing Bureau’s platform was trying to contact him. He accepted the call, and a young voice came through:

"Mr. Chen, I am Chai Mi, a liaison officer for the Processing Bureau’s Special Operations Execution Team. I’ll be your point of contact. You can just call me Xiaochai."

When Chen Chuan became an official Executioner, he had learned about the team’s specific details through the internal platform. This team had no hierarchy; it was a unit specifically established for Third Limit Fighters.

Each member had their own armed transport vehicle and was assigned a personal liaison officer.

The liaison officer was responsible for communicating and handling information. If the Bureau had any business with him, it would go through the liaison officer.

He responded, "Hello, Liaison Officer Chai. Are you contacting me because there’s a situation at the Bureau?"

Chai Mi said, "That’s right. The Bureau is currently tracking the Viper Organization. This group is suspected of trafficking Level B contraband. Due to a shortage of personnel for a clean-up operation, the Bureau hasn’t been able to launch an encirclement. We saw that you currently have no active assignments, Mr. Chen, so the Bureau requires your participation in handling this matter."

A series of files with images and text about the Viper Organization immediately appeared on Chen Chuan’s Realm Token. It was a gang formed by extremists who had splintered from the Secret Snake Sect.

Initially, they formed a new sect out of dissatisfaction with the Secret Snake Sect’s commercialized practices. However, it now had little to do with a religious organization and had completely degenerated into a semi-mercenary criminal group.

Because its upper echelon consisted of Third Limit Fighters, it had always been on the Processing Bureau’s radar, but there had never been enough manpower to deal with them.

He now understood that the Processing Bureau actually had considerable combat power at its disposal, but most of its personnel were assigned to protect government dignitaries and guard important city nodes, standing by for more extreme incidents.

Take the Wei Wusheng case, for example. Because it didn’t involve any Central City corporations or dignitaries, it was classified as a level-three or lower public security incident. Only limited forces could be dispatched to suppress him, which was why he succeeded repeatedly. This showed that the people behind Wei Wusheng knew exactly which lines could not be crossed.

The Viper Organization, however, had already crossed the threshold for a level-three public security incident. In terms of priority, they were a target that required immediate action as soon as enough personnel were assembled.

After reading through the files, he replied, "Liaison Officer Chai, just let me know when it’s time to act."

Chai Mi said, "Understood. As soon as the specific operation plan and time are confirmed, I will immediately notify you, Mr. Chen, and dispatch a vehicle to pick you up."

After ending the communication with him, Chen Chuan returned to the present and continued to focus on his own training. Through repeated practice, he gradually became proficient with the three Domain templates Teacher Jiang had given him.

In just two days, he could alter his Domain at will, anytime and anywhere, with a single thought. Because these templates were relatively simple, he could make them almost indistinguishable from reality.

This was enough to deal with Fighters who didn’t pay much attention to this aspect of combat. But honestly, ’Could such a Fighter really pose a threat to me?’

Teacher Jiang had said that no truly powerful Third Limit Fighter was lopsided. This meant they should also be highly skilled in Domain manipulation. The opponents he should be measuring himself against were those kinds of Fighters.

So, he was still far from ready.

After mastering these few Domain templates, he still needed to train his ability to discern and perceive. So, he used his simulation resources to summon Hong Fu to assist with his cultivation.

Hong Fu could simulate various Domain effects according to his requirements, ranging from weak to strong. After reaching the Third Limit, his simulation resources had increased to eight hours a day. So, in another two days, he became familiar with and mastered these skills.

At this point, he felt he had more or less learned what was currently available to him, so he went to see Teacher Jiang again to ask for guidance on his future cultivation.

Teacher Jiang first tested his training progress and found that he had achieved a high level of proficiency. He then suggested, "Chen, you can now try to master some more complex templates.

I’ll give you access to a platform where you can purchase some templates, or you can adjust and construct them yourself. In any case, the goal is to deceive your opponent and conceal yourself.

I can’t teach you much more from here on out, because this sort of thing relies on accumulating experience. However, I can share some of my personal experiences with you."

Chen Chuan said, "Please, Teacher Jiang."

Teacher Jiang said, "A Domain contains a vast amount of information: emotions, willpower, physical condition, the activity level of the Mutated Organization, and so on.

With more application and exposure, you can not only use this to understand your opponent, but also to discern and compare your own strengths and weaknesses against others, and to correct your own path."

After saying this, he smiled and added, "And besides all that, I’ll tell you the strongest technique in a contest of Domains."

Chen Chuan was a little surprised. ’There’s a "strongest" technique for this?’

In his experience, there was no such thing as the "strongest" fighting skill, only the most suitable. He didn’t believe there was any single technique that was a silver bullet for every situation.

But Teacher Jiang said slowly, "The strongest technique in a contest of Domains is this: even when you expose your information, your opponent sees not a flaw, but insurmountable despair.

The blow this deals to an enemy in battle is unparalleled. That kind of deep-level impact can sometimes cause an opponent to despair mentally, leading to a collapse of confidence and even the loss of their courage to fight you."

He looked at Chen Chuan. "When you become powerful enough, not only do you not need to conceal your Domain, you can release it without any reservations."

Chen Chuan thought deeply for a moment and couldn’t help but nod.

Teacher Jiang was right. On the surface, it seemed rather crude, but it could indeed be called a technique. After all, strength and weakness are relative. You need to be able to accurately assess your opponent before you can apply it effectively.

This first required one’s own Domain manipulation ability to reach a certain level. Otherwise, it would just be a blind display of power, pointlessly revealing your foundation to the opponent.

If he could truly reach that level, he wouldn’t even need to attack many opponents weaker than him directly. He could just use his Domain to crush their fighting spirit on a mental level.

So, he expressed his sincere gratitude. "Thank you, Teacher Jiang. I find this technique very useful."

Seeing that he understood, Teacher Jiang was gratified. "It’s good that you find it useful. Beyond this, there isn’t much more advice I can give. In the future, don’t forget to share any insights you gain with me."

"I will."

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