Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 61 - 52: Choice

As he spoke, Cheng Zitong demonstrated the Mixed Element Strength Posture for Chen Chuan, starting from the Hugging Qi Technique and ending with the Back Mountain Technique. It was no different from what Yu Gang had shown him that day.

He couldn’t tell who was more skilled, but he felt that Yu Gang’s aura seemed to be a better fit for this Pile Method.

Cheng Zitong pressed a hand to his abdomen and said, "The source of the Mixed Element Force’s power originates from here. In the old days, there was a saying, ’Qi sinking into the Dantian.’ This refers to using the Dantian’s Mutated Organization as the core to drive the power of the entire body.

And by maintaining this area, you also maintain your center of gravity. The single word ’sinking’ says it all. It anchors the body like a ballast stone, but once it’s activated, a powerful force erupts with it."

As Cheng Zitong explained each one, Chen Chuan examined the main Powers one by one. There weren’t many, really—just over ten. The rest were all Small Forces.

According to Cheng Zitong, some Great Forces were extremely difficult to cultivate and had high requirements for the Mutated Organization. Therefore, students could only start by practicing Small Forces, or even focus on them entirely. Usually, one needed at least two or more Powers to become combat-effective.

But this made for a very scattered combat system. If you ignored external factors and compared only the individuals themselves, Small Forces were inferior to Great Forces. However, people find ways to compensate for their weaknesses, especially since they can use tools. With the help of various auxiliary tools, the gap wasn’t so large.

Nowadays, even those who practiced Great Forces would also cultivate some Small Forces, which could produce surprising results at critical moments.

Chen Chuan walked to the last row on the right. The bamboo scrolls here were sparse, with only a single, solitary bundle sitting on the middle shelf. As he approached, Cheng Zitong’s gaze sharpened with particular interest.

He reached out, picked up the bamboo scroll from the middle shelf, and glanced at it. The three words "Profound Image Force" were written on it. He unrolled it to find densely packed diagrams of the Pile Method, with rows of vertically written annotations from previous practitioners alongside them.

Meanwhile, inside the administration building, Master Gao, Yue Hong, and Bian Feng were all in the office of the Recruitment and Preparation Department. Yue Hong said, "An hour ago, Manager Cheng took a student to the Inquiry Hall training gym. He should be getting ready to officially teach him a Force Technique."

Bian Feng asked, "Will he choose that Force Technique?"

Yue Hong was optimistic. "He should. It’s the academy’s best Force Technique, and it even has handwritten annotations from generations of practitioners. Back then... he chose that one too."

Master Gao said in a low voice, "The best? Not necessarily. The only one that’s best is the one that’s right for you."

Yue Hong said, "Master Gao, students often don’t know what their true choice is. They still need their predecessors to guide them."

Master Gao said, "If Cheng Zitong were here, he would accuse you of spouting the pure rhetoric of the Rationalist Faction. We’ll know the outcome soon enough."

At the same time, atop North Peak, which faced South Hill, the Recommended Students were gathered for an activity. One of them was looking at the opposite peak through a pair of binoculars.

"Lin Mian, what are you looking at?"

Behind him, several other Recommended Students were shooting at humanoid targets with crossbows. Seeing his behavior, one of them turned around, looking puzzled, and walked over. "Anything interesting to see?"

Lin Mian stepped back a bit, adjusted the focus, and said, "Did you know? I just heard that Cheng Zitong took a student to the Inquiry Hall training gym. They’re over there right now. Does that remind you of anything?"

"The Inquiry Hall?" The student who had asked the question was initially nonchalant, but then he froze, his expression turning to one of shock. He suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "I remember that annoying guy was taken there too..." He turned his head and asked the nearby Senior Brother Jiang, "Brother Jiang, Cheng Zitong took a student there? What are the school’s higher-ups trying to do?"

Senior Brother Jiang slowly drew the string on his crossbow and said with a smile, "Someone wasn’t happy about what happened two years ago, so the school administration has been hoping to find another person like that one. They’re probably pinning their hopes on this student."

The Recommended Student immediately grew agitated. "Then what should we do? We took care of things two years ago. Should we... this time?"

Senior Brother Jiang smiled. "Don’t be so hasty. Let’s see what happens first." As he spoke, he raised the crossbow, aimed, and narrowed his eyes. With a light squeeze of the trigger, there was a sharp THWACK. The crossbow arrow struck the red bullseye of the distant target dead center.

Back in the Inquiry Hall training gym, Chen Chuan flipped through the bamboo scroll in his hands. Since he had started looking for a Force Technique, this was the longest he had spent examining one. Cheng Zitong remained seated, silent and unmoving.

Chen Chuan could tell from its placement alone that this scroll was no ordinary technique. The description confirmed it. The scroll only explained the cultivation method and key points to be aware of, but it didn’t specify which parts of the body the Mutated Organization would grow in.

Judging from the illustrated diagrams of the human body, tattoo-like patterns would appear on the practitioner’s chest and back. The further one progressed, the clearer and more complex they seemed to become, eventually resembling an angry human face.

After he had read through the entire thing, he said, "Teacher, this Force Technique is very special."

Cheng Zitong said, "Profound Image Force. It’s one of the most advanced Force Techniques in the academy. I’ve never practiced it and have had little contact with it, so I can’t say how the Mutated Organization grows. I only know that the entry requirements for this Force Technique are very high, and everyone who has ever chosen it has gone on to achieve great things. Before you, about three years ago, another student chose this Force Technique..."

He seemed to be deliberately trying to start a conversation on the topic, but Chen Chuan didn’t ask anything. Instead, he put the scroll back, walked over to the soft mats, sat down, and asked, "Teacher, are there any other Force Techniques?"

"What?" Cheng Zitong said, surprised. "You don’t want to learn Profound Image Force?"

Chen Chuan said frankly, "I don’t think it’s right for me."

The expression on Cheng Zitong’s face became incredibly complex—a mixture of what looked like regret and relief. After a moment, he said, "If it’s not right, then forget it. But after looking through so many Force Techniques, have you not found a single one you like?"

Chen Chuan glanced at the bookshelves. "Are all of the academy’s Force Techniques here?"

Cheng Zitong shook his head. "Not at all. There are others, more common ones without any special characteristics, that we don’t keep here. Tell me, what kind of Force Technique are you looking for? I can help you find it."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment and asked, "Is there a Force Technique that balances all the different characteristics?"

"A Force Technique that balances all the different characteristics?" Cheng Zitong was taken aback, his expression turning a little strange. "Is that what you’re looking for?"

Chen Chuan nodded.

Cheng Zitong thought for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Well, there is one... a Force Technique called ’Circulation Force.’ It fits your requirements. But you have to understand, while this Power is well-rounded, being well-rounded also means being mediocre in every aspect."

His expression grew serious. "Past experience tells us that a good fighter needs to specialize in their strengths and constantly reinforce them. People can use tools, after all, and weaknesses can be completely covered by them. But a person’s energy is finite. Even with a Mutated Organization, you can only focus on strengthening one particular area. A choice like this will only scatter your energy and leave you with no defining characteristics."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Thank you for the advice, Teacher. May I see this Force Technique?"

Cheng Zitong sighed. "Alright. I knew you were a student with your own ideas. Wait here a moment." He stood up and went through a side door, returning a short while later with a printed book whose pages looked old and yellowed. He handed it to him.

Chen Chuan took the book and flipped through it. It was just as Cheng Zitong had said: the Force Technique was comprehensive in all aspects. The Mutated Organization didn’t specialize but instead formed minuscule parts that attached to every corner of the body.

If one knew the various skills, one could theoretically imitate any Power. However, the effect would be worlds apart. After all, any Great Force relied on the Mutated Organization for support. A jack-of-all-trades technique might not even be able to support a Small Force. It was just as Cheng Zitong said: striving too much for comprehensiveness would only lead to mediocrity.

’However, I understand one thing clearly: the foundation of any technique is physical constitution, and even the Mutated Organization can be considered a part of that.’

’If a person’s physical constitution far exceeded normal limits, then anything is possible. And with my Second Self, I firmly believe that as long as I continue to strengthen my own foundation, I’ll surpass all others.’

’And I can feel that my Second Self is still growing. It has even greater potential to be unlocked in the future.’

Thinking of this, he raised his head and said earnestly, "Teacher, this is the exact Force Technique I’ve been looking for."

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