After the statue completely crumbled to dust, Chen Chuan saw the intense dematerialization of his Second Self begin to subside. He withdrew his hand and gradually relaxed as wisps of white steam rose from his body.

He looked down at the pile of dust and ash. ’Since that’s dealt with, there’s no need to descend the mountain tonight. I can wait until morning.’ He returned to the temple, replaced a few torches, lit some more incense, and sat down again.

The chirping of insects now filled his ears. It was as if an isolating wall had been shattered, and the world had returned to its natural, vibrant state.

He centered himself and began using his Breathing Technique to guide the Mutated Organization. The psychic assault had been far too intense. It had left his Second Self unstable and ethereal, and the Mutated Organization had nearly lost its ability to grow in a normal, orderly fashion. ’Now I can finally calm down and focus on getting it back under control.’

The rest of the night passed peacefully. As pleasant birdsong filled the air, the first light of morning graced the Mountain God Temple.

Chen Chuan opened his eyes. The dematerialization of his Second Self hadn’t lessened in the slightest, which meant the incorporeal incursion was still ongoing. He had no idea how long it would last this time.

For most people, this would be a bad thing. For him, it was perfect.

He recalled the weird tales he had encountered before. The wider their area of influence, the longer the subsequent incursion lasted.

’That must be why no one ever dealt with this weird tale, despite it being here for so long,’ he thought. ’It’s simply a losing proposition.’

For the average person in his line of work, what was the best kind of weird tale to take on?

Without a doubt, it was the kind he’d dealt with at the movie theater. Despite being dangerous and potentially lethal, it was close to the elites. Handling it solved a problem for them, which in turn boosted one’s influence—and the pay was generous.

That was precisely why he’d been given the title "Expert" after the movie theater incident, even though the elites couldn’t tell the difference between one weird tale and the next.

But a weird tale in a remote place like this? Even if you went through hell and back to solve it, your reward would be a pittance scraped together by struggling villagers. It likely wouldn’t even cover the cost of equipment and travel. Worse, a single mistake could cost you your life. Who would be willing to take that risk?

Chen Chuan watched as bright sunlight streamed in, illuminating the mottled walls. A few birds, having appeared from nowhere, perched on the walls, adding a touch of life to the otherwise eerie and sinister temple.

He rose to his feet, grabbed his machete, and walked outside. The pile of ash was still there. He prodded it a few times with the flat of his blade, revealing something bone-white underneath. He bent down and picked it up.

It was an Upper Jawbone lined with sharp teeth, but it clearly wasn’t human. He had no idea what creature it belonged to.

Just then, something caught his eye. He prodded the ashes again with his blade, uncovering a yellowed slip of paper. He picked it up and examined it. On it were strange symbols made of dots and long lines, apparently drawn in cinnabar.

He thought for a moment. ’This looks a bit like the Esoteric Ritual items Director Lei mentioned.’ He couldn’t help but think of the Esoteric Buddhism that frequently appeared in the Three Mountains Legend. ’Could they have been the ones who left this behind?’

He didn’t understand these items, but he knew that rituals always left traces behind. He decided to scout the surrounding area, and sure enough, he made several discoveries.

At eight points around the summit, he found buried skeletons. Each was positioned sitting cross-legged, with its skull placed in its lap.

Notably, the skulls had been specially treated. They hadn’t decomposed to bare bone; instead, their skin was desiccated and leathery, just like the head from the weird tale’s creature.

He pieced together a theory from these clues. It was possible that, just as the legends said, followers of this so-called Esoteric Buddhism had dealt with the weird tale long ago. However, their goal might not have been to destroy it, but to harness it.

’They were probably the ones who put that severed head inside the creature’s stomach.’

But this must have happened in a bygone era. Too much time had passed to know their original intentions. ’I can ask Director Lei about it when I get back,’ he mused. ’He might know something.’

He had always been interested in the arcane, and this method of restraining and harnessing a weird tale gave him a few ideas of his own.

After some thought, he went back into the temple. He took a camera from his pack and was relieved to find it still worked. It seemed only the weird tale at the theater had a corrosive effect on objects. ’Perhaps every weird tale’s incursion is different,’ he considered. ’It’s just that my Second Self absorbs most of the damage, so I’ve never been able to tell the difference.’

Camera in hand, he stepped outside again and took several photos of the temple, the skeletons he had unearthed, and other noteworthy details.

He would use the photos of the temple and the ash pile as proof that he had completed the commission. As for the other items, he planned to take them to Director Lei for consultation. Of course, he didn’t have time for that now; it would have to wait.

Once he had everything in order, he packed his things, made sure nothing was left behind, and descended the mountain, returning to the village where his journey began.

When the villagers heard he was back, they crowded around him, asking what had happened.

Chen Chuan said to the elder, "Sir, I’ve taken care of the weird tale. You won’t have to hide at night anymore."

The villagers, however, were skeptical. This thing had plagued them for decades. How could he just take a single trip up the mountain and declare it gone? It seemed impossible.

The elder, though also doubtful, clung to a sliver of hope. "Are you telling the truth, young man?" he pressed.

Driver Xiaowei added from the side, "Expert Chen isn’t doing this for money. He has no reason to lie to you."

His comment, however, had the opposite effect. The villagers grew even more distrustful. ’If you’re not here for the money, then what are you here for?’ In this day and age, they didn’t believe anyone would do a good deed for nothing.

Chen Chuan didn’t press the issue. His words alone weren’t going to make them abandon decades of caution. "If you’re worried," he said, "you can keep doing what you’ve always done. I’m sure the truth will become clear in time."

After saying his goodbyes to the elder, he patted the Hunter who had guided him. This time, the hair tied around his wrist showed no reaction.

Under the skeptical gazes of the villagers, he got into the car and headed back to the city.

Upon his return, he first went to his company office and gave the photos to an employee to be developed. He then wrote up the commission report, which Ren Shu read with excitement.

"Expert Chen, no one has ever been able to solve this commission before! Now that you’ve done it, once it’s confirmed, the company’s reputation will get another boost."

"That’s good," Chen Chuan said. "Mr. Ren, I have some personal matters to attend to soon. I might be traveling, so I probably won’t be able to take on any commissions for a while. I wanted to let you know in advance."

Ren Shu didn’t seem surprised. Then, as if realizing something, he said seriously, "Expert Chen, our company may be small, but we have some resources. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’ll help in any way we can."

"I will if I need to," Chen Chuan replied.

After leaving the company, he went straight to Cheng Zitong’s private training hall. He wanted to make the most of this power before the effects of the dematerialization completely faded.

Once there, he checked his "overlap time" during his training. The result didn’t disappoint him: it had increased by more than an Hour, a gain comparable to what he’d achieved during his Unlimited Defense Certificate exam.

In truth, while the Unlimited Defense Certificate assessment had been extremely dangerous, he had gone into it with a degree of confidence. This time, however, he hadn’t expected to solve the problem in one go. He had even misjudged the situation at one point and had to take a major risk at the end. It had been a close call.

This brought his total time to over five Hours.

If this trend continued, he would eventually reach the limit of twenty-four Hours of overlap time per day. He had a faint feeling that once he reached that threshold, his Second Self might undergo an even greater transformation.

He stayed there for two full days. Although the effects of the dematerialization persisted, the school holiday was approaching, and he had matters to attend to at the academy. In particular, Cheng Zitong had cashed those two gold notes for him. The amount was substantial this time. One gold note was worth ten thousand Jianyuan Coins, and the other was worth a full forty thousand.

He guessed it was most likely the payment from the Maka People to Mi Tai’s team. For a nation, the sum wasn’t large, but for a wilderness exploration team, it was a fortune.

Good news and good fortune were meant to be shared. That same day, he invited all the members of the wilderness expedition for another dinner at the Du Yi Hotel.

Before the meal, following the precedent from last time, he distributed the money. Everyone received their previously agreed-upon share. They all knew what to expect, so there were no arguments.

Once the food was served and everyone had started eating, Wei Chang’an said to Chen Chuan, "I’m graduating this semester, but just like when we were at school, if you need anything, call me. The number’s on my Name Card. If you can’t reach me right away, look for Fourth Brother."

Cai Si, who was sitting nearby, chimed in, "Yeah, if you can’t find Brother Wei, you can always find me."

Chen Chuan smiled. "Brother Wei, if I need help, you’ll be the first person I think of."

"Then it’s settled." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The two men smiled and clinked their glasses.

Lin Xiaoti called out from her seat, "Brother Chen, I passed the entrance exam! Once I pass the second-round exam in two months, I’ll be able to get into Wuyi too! We’ll be fellow students next semester!"

Chen Chuan smiled. "In that case, Xiaoti, let me be the first to wish you luck on your exam."

Lin Xiaoti was He Nan’s apprentice and had been meticulously trained since childhood. Although Chen Chuan had never seen her fight, her movements were nimble and agile, showing she had an excellent foundation. The young girl was always full of life, knew a wide range of techniques, and was remarkably clever and resourceful. Passing the second-round exam shouldn’t be difficult for her.

After the meal, Chen Chuan said his goodbyes and headed back to the academy with a few of his classmates. By now, most of the students were simply waiting for the holiday to begin. For once, the campus was free of its usual tense and serious atmosphere.

But he knew his own trials were just beginning. It was far from a time to relax. While others were planning their holiday getaways, he was in a private training room, relentlessly honing his skills.

In the afternoon, the phone in the living room began to ring. He stopped his training, walked over, and picked up the receiver. It was Cheng Zitong.

"Xiaochuan, Old He sent a telegram. He’s agreed. The academy’s holiday starts in two days, so get your affairs in order. Once you’ve decided on a departure time, I’ll buy your ticket. This will be intensive training, but it shouldn’t last too long. You need to make the most of every single day. I’ll prepare the training supplements you need ahead of time."

"Thank you, Teacher," Chen Chuan said, his voice steady.

After hanging up, he had a premonition. This was likely his last chance to increase his strength before the Mutual Aid Association made its move. He had to seize it.

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