Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 54 - 45: Teacher and Student

Cheng Zitong could tell that this student’s words were filled with a sincere, heartfelt excitement.

No student had ever reacted this way after hearing the truth about Fighting Skill. ’He really is a special student,’ he thought. ’But this is good. Very good!’

Only with such a positive attitude could one hope to face this situation and turn the impossible into the possible.

To be honest, he wasn’t entirely confident about this.

The time remaining was simply too short. Judging by the progression of Chen Chuan’s Mutated Organization, the timeframe he’d given might have to be shortened even further. He had only given a more generous estimate to avoid putting too much pressure on the student.

But now, he wasn’t as worried.

He spoke. "Alright! Starting today, I will begin personally guiding your training. Don’t worry about any of the school’s public activities; I’ll get you excused. After all, none of them are more important than your life."

Chen Chuan nodded. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Teacher Cheng, I have a question."

"Go ahead."

Chen Chuan said, "I’ve heard that mastering Power is quite difficult and not everyone can do it. So, what does the school do for students who are unable to control their Mutated Organizations in time?"

Cheng Zitong said, "Actually, a Mutated Organization doesn’t grow endlessly in everyone. Its growth happens in stages. For some, once their training reaches a certain limit, the growth stops—sometimes for the rest of their lives. So, naturally, they don’t have this problem.

So, most ordinary people never have to face this. The most common scenario, like the one in the files I gave you, is that they just go to a hospital, have a simple surgery, and they’re fine.

In fact, to gain greater martial strength, some people even use drugs to stimulate their Mutated Organizations, hoping to promote further growth. Quite a few drugs have been developed for this purpose.

Only people with natural talent, like you, will have a Mutated Organization that can potentially continue growing through multiple stages. But while this grants you an incredibly high ceiling, the risks are also much greater."

Chen Chuan nodded. After a moment, he asked, "Teacher Cheng, are all the students at the academy made aware of this?"

Cheng Zitong laughed. "Normally, we aren’t allowed to tell current students about this. Those without talent have no need to know. And everyone who is told has to sign a non-disclosure agreement before they graduate to avoid disrupting student life or causing chaos in the outside world.

But I don’t care about all that. If I’m going to be a guidance teacher, I have a responsibility to explain things clearly to my student, lest they go in blind. Just don’t go blabbing about it to outsiders, and we’ll be fine. We can deal with the agreement later."

Chen Chuan looked at him. ’Teacher Cheng, you just said you volunteered for this,’ he thought. But he decided not to call him on it; it didn’t matter. He took a breath and asked, "Teacher Cheng, when does my training begin?"

"Not so fast. One step at a time," Cheng Zitong said. He pulled a carbon-copy form from his briefcase. "Sign this. I’ll send it to the Recruitment and Preparation Department for their records, and then you’ll officially be my student. I’ll be responsible for everything during your training period. This isn’t binding, though. If you feel I’m not diligent enough or my skills aren’t up to par, you can apply for a different instructor in a month."

Chen Chuan took the form and, without hesitation, wrote his name and handed it back to Cheng Zitong.

Cheng Zitong added his own signature, tore off the top sheet, and handed the copy underneath to Chen Chuan. "Alright, then. From this moment on, I am officially your guidance teacher. I know I can be a good one—not because I’m so highly skilled, but because other teachers have to manage several or even a dozen students, whereas I only have you. If I can’t even guide you properly, then I’m truly incompetent."

Chen Chuan accepted the form and asked, "Teacher Cheng, I haven’t had a chance to ask, which department are you in?"

Cheng Zitong put on his stylish sunglasses and smiled faintly. "I started in the Military Combat Department, but now I’m in logistics."

Chen Chuan was taken aback. "Logistics?"

Cheng Zitong chuckled. "What? You look down on logistics? Is a teacher from logistics not a real teacher? Can’t he be your guidance teacher?"

He pointed to himself. "I’ll have you know, I have a proper guidance teacher certification. And what’s more, I’m the deputy head of logistics. Here at Wuyi, everyone has to show me some respect." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Chen Chuan looked at his round, well-fed face. ’I can see that,’ he thought.

Not knowing what Chen Chuan was thinking, Cheng Zitong hefted his briefcase, then went to grab his coat. After a moment’s thought, he simply tossed it onto the sofa. "I’m going to the apothecary to get you some medicine. Developing Power needs to be supplemented with medicine. Wait here, I’ll be back."

Chen Chuan agreed. Just then, he remembered something. "Teacher Cheng, could I trouble you to also bring back some Training-Opening Powder? I have a friend who is also starting his training and needs it."

"Easy enough," Cheng Zitong said. "That powder isn’t expensive. By the way, I should tell you, to prevent students from overusing them, the medicines I’m getting for you are rationed each semester. If you go over the limit, you’ll have to pay for the extra yourself. I have a feeling you might need more, but don’t worry, your teacher has connections. I’ll figure out a way to get you a good price... No need to see me out, really. The apothecary isn’t far, I’ll be back in a flash. You’re just too polite, this student of mine."

After seeing him out, Chen Chuan came back inside and paced slowly around the living room. A question occurred to him. His Mutated Organization had likely formed from the long-term, uninterrupted stimulation of the Basic Breathing Technique. That meant it was acquired, completely different from those who were born with theirs.

’Strictly speaking, I’m not actually someone with "natural talent,"’ he mused. ’In that case, if I reduce the duration of my Breathing Technique or stop practicing it, would that slow or even halt the mutation process?

No, I won’t do that.

According to Teacher Cheng, it’s clear this kind of mutation happens in stages. Once a rapid growth phase ends, it might stagnate for good.

Some people, whose next stage might never arrive, even have to use drugs to stimulate new growth.

But this all comes down to talent. One period of stagnation could be the end, with no further stages of growth. I can’t be sure if that applies to me, so not only can I not restrict it, I have to find a way to maintain it—or even accelerate it!

As for my training progress, with the Second Self, I’m confident I can keep up.

Whatever it takes, I must do everything in my power to master Power!’

Cheng Zitong returned half an hour later. He tossed a packet of medicinal powder to Chen Chuan. "Training-Opening Powder. Pharmaceutical technology is always improving. This powder is more refined than the old formula, so this one packet is enough for two people. But the medicine is still just as potent, so tell your friend to be careful and not use too much at once."

Chen Chuan accepted it. "Thank you, Teacher."

"No need for formalities between student and teacher," Cheng Zitong said, taking out two more packets. "These are pills to be taken orally and powders for external application, to be used while you practice the new Breathing Technique and develop your Power. This should be enough for a month. Start with this, and we’ll reassess after the first phase.

Oh, right. There were also some suppressants, but I didn’t grab them. They can slightly inhibit the growth of your Mutated Organization, which is better than nothing, I suppose. However, I believe it’s best to let the growth happen naturally through your training. The greater the drawback now, the greater the benefit will be later on. So, avoid using them if you can. We can reconsider if things get out of hand."

"That won’t be necessary, Teacher Cheng," Chen Chuan said decisively. "I won’t use them."

"Good," said Cheng Zitong. "We’re on a tight schedule. Mastering Power in two or three months is extremely difficult. Most students take several months to a year just to adapt to the Breathing Technique. Then they spend another one to two years developing a Power that suits them and building their own fighting style. And that’s for the elite students; for an average student, that pace is already considered very fast."

He paused, his tone growing serious. "Now, I will teach you the Breathing Method of Qi Breathing. This will further unleash your potential and accelerate the growth of your Mutated Organization. It will likely be very unpleasant, but it is a necessary prerequisite for developing Power, so it cannot be skipped. You need to be mentally prepared."

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