The terrain here was elevated, backed by the towering Gao Mountain. The peak of the grayish-blue mountain range was still capped with white snow. A vast barbed-wire fence encircled the entire area as far as the eye could see.

However, the off-road vehicle didn’t drive inside the fence, stopping just outside. Here, one could also see a number of irregularly scattered pits.

He Xiaoxing said, "You’re already familiar with the underwater route from yesterday, so we won’t repeat it. Today, we’re going to a new location."

Chang Ba involuntarily shot Chen Chuan a sympathetic look.

Chen Chuan, however, didn’t mind. As long as the training genuinely helped him improve, the specific details weren’t important. All that mattered was giving it his all. Besides, although the location was new, the fundamental elements were the same, so it wasn’t a major issue.

After the three of them got out of the car, Chen Chuan changed into his wetsuit. He made a few adjustments, gave the other two a nod, and then dove headfirst into the pit. The moment he hit the water, he began to descend.

But he quickly discovered this wasn’t just a simple change of scenery. The complexity of the underwater tunnels here had increased dramatically.

For starters, the shafts leading down were no longer mostly vertical like the previous day’s. Instead, they were a complex maze of twists, turns, and sections that varied wildly in width and depth. Even the currents, affected by the topography and pressure differentials, shifted from rapid to sluggish in an instant, forcing him to be twice as cautious.

Meanwhile, He Xiaoxing walked about on the surface, dropping markers tied to ropes into the water. It was clear he was extremely familiar with the underwater routes. He always managed to drop a marker just ahead of Chen Chuan’s likely path.

An Hour later, Chen Chuan successfully surfaced. This time, he had managed to touch a total of eight markers, a decent improvement over the previous day. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He Xiaoxing told him, "Rest time is cut by five minutes. You’ll continue in twenty-five. Get in the car; we’re moving to another spot."

Chang Ba immediately went back to start the car and drive to the next location. The region was massive, containing over a thousand Dan Lakes of varying sizes, and the surrounding pits were simply innumerable.

The first pits Chen Chuan had encountered showed some signs of being artificially excavated, but the ones he saw later were entirely natural formations.

Once they reached the new spot and his break was over, he immediately began the next round of diving.

He spent the next two days in the same fashion. After each successful dive, He Xiaoxing would move him to a new location, preventing him from ever growing familiar with the underwater layout.

Furthermore, his rest time was shortened with each attempt, until it was fixed at a mere ten minutes.

Chen Chuan had no choice but to use this limited time to recover as much stamina as possible. He didn’t activate his Second Self, relying solely on his own innate strength to try and reach every marker.

But after two days, he was still just shy of the standard He Xiaoxing had set. His best performance was touching eleven markers, and he hit this same ceiling several times in a row.

It seemed he had reached his limit.

That evening, they didn’t leave. Instead, they built a bonfire right there in the wilderness and prepared to spend the night. Chang Ba brought out some lamb to once again show off his grilling skills.

To be honest, it felt a bit like a farewell party.

As Chang Ba skillfully turned the roasting meat, he glanced over at Chen Chuan. He was starting to worry about him. If Chen Chuan failed again tomorrow and couldn’t meet He Xiaoxing’s requirement, he wouldn’t be able to proceed to the next stage. The entire training regimen would come to an end.

To have come so far only to be stopped by a single marker... even Chang Ba felt a sense of indignation just thinking about it.

Although he believed the next stage of training was nearly impossible, he still hoped to witness a miracle. Chen Chuan was just one step away from the goal; it would be a terrible shame to stop now.

Chen Chuan sat there with a calm expression, showing no signs of dejection. ’If I still can’t succeed tomorrow,’ he thought, ’I’ll just use my Second Self to get past this hurdle.’

’But if possible, I’d rather pass using the abilities of my original body. It’s not that using the Second Self is wrong—the Second Self *is* me, an integral part of myself, not something separate. It’s perfectly natural to use an ability I already possess.’

’My only consideration is that the stronger my physical body becomes, the more powerful my Second Self will be. Therefore, training and breaking through with my physical body’s own strength will yield the greatest rewards.’

Just then, He Xiaoxing spoke up. "There are many ways to awaken and guide a dormant Mutated Organization. Besides being forcibly triggered in a life-or-death crisis, in the past, Esoteric Organizations used incantations and Scripture to achieve this. Devotees trained through long-term Esoteric Rituals could be easily guided."

"An ordinary person can achieve this without such means as well, by releasing the shackles of their emotions. Suppressing your emotions also restricts a part of the Mutated Organization."

He said in a low voice, "You can release your emotions, but you cannot indulge them. You must identify your goal and clarify your beliefs to unify your mind and body. This allows the Mutated Organization to hear your true appeal, rather than just responding to a superficial mobilization. Otherwise, it won’t respond to you completely. Without the intervention of external forces, you typically only get back what you put in."

Chen Chuan pondered this and realized it was true. ’The Second Limit requires self-discipline to suppress all sorts of emotional fluctuations. If I let them run wild, I could run into serious trouble. Hmm, Zhuo Bao is probably an example of that, but he probably doesn’t see any problem with himself?’

’People like that sacrifice their sanity for greater power.’

’From my own experience, in subduing my emotions, I’ve definitely suppressed a part of my own potential. After all, besides the part of the Mutated Organization that generates emotions, I need to use another part of my power to keep it in check—a self-imposed limitation.’

’But it’s not without purpose. My combat style relies on staying calm, thinking, and looking for opportunities, not just letting loose and fighting aimlessly.’

’So, letting go of these mental restraints is truly difficult. I have an instinctive resistance to it. A self that I cannot control is not my self.’

’But thinking about it again, He Xiaoxing’s words probably weren’t that simple. He specifically brought up the example of Esoteric Buddhism. An Esoteric Ritual is, in itself, a form of restraint. So what he might mean is that true self-discipline is the ability to release one’s emotions and then rein them back in.’

’That would be a higher level of control.’

’Thinking about it that way, the logic holds up. The fear of losing control is simply a sign of insufficient discipline and inadequate ability.’

’So, how do I solve this?’

He Xiaoxing had already given him the answer.

An unshakeable conviction, rooted deep in his heart and soul.

’As long as my conviction to constantly transcend myself and break free from all shackles remains, I can surely subdue these chaotic emotions.’

With this realization, Chen Chuan’s expression grew much more serious. He shifted into a cross-legged position and slowly closed his eyes.

Seeing this, He Xiaoxing stood up and walked away.

Chang Ba glanced over, surmising that Chen Chuan must have had some sort of epiphany. Not wanting to disturb him, he grabbed a few skewers of nearly-done lamb and tiptoed away.

The night passed quietly.

The next day, as a cool morning breeze swept across the wilderness and the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, Chen Chuan opened his eyes. He looked at He Xiaoxing, who was walking toward him, and said, "Teacher He, I’d like to try again today."

He Xiaoxing said, "If you think you can do it, then go. I’ll be waiting up here."

Chen Chuan gave a firm nod. He changed into his wetsuit and walked to the edge of a pit he had never entered before. With his back to the golden-red dawn, he stretched his limbs, then with a powerful leap, vaulted into the water.

After entering the water, he quickly dove to the bottom of the shaft. For the first five minutes, however, he didn’t move. He simply focused on adjusting himself, completely letting go of his body and mind.

That part of his Mutated Organization, suddenly freed from his mental suppression, seemed to cheer and jump for joy. At the same time, as this part of him became active, a torrent of emotions and chaotic thoughts flooded his mind, urging him to vent, to charge forward recklessly.

But he didn’t lose his reason. A voice deep inside told him that indulging himself now would only lead to unforeseeable consequences. It would destroy all his training progress and might make it impossible for him to ever achieve his vision of truly breaking free from all shackles.

Held in check by this firm conviction, his eyes remained clear.

In that moment, he felt as if he had become two people. One was a being of high emotion, completely unrestrained; the other was an observer, calmly watching every subtle change in his body.

As the water stirred, he kicked off with his feet, parted the water with his hands, and shot forward in a sudden burst.

This time, the underwater environment seemed far clearer than ever before. The gas exchange from his internal respiration was more efficient, and a new power seemed to flood his entire body, making his movements faster and more precise.

He swam continuously through the underwater tunnels, seeking out the markers that had been dropped from above.

On the surface, Chang Ba noticed that He Xiaoxing’s pace had quickened. This undoubtedly meant that Chen Chuan was swimming faster below.

He counted the swaying ropes from behind. In just over half an hour, ten markers had already been hit in succession. A sense of nervous anticipation began to build within him.

’Two more to go,’ he thought. ’There are still over twenty minutes left. Can he make it?’

He soon discovered his worry was needless. Before long, the eleventh marker was touched. Then, what felt like only a moment later, another rope began to shake.

"That’s twelve!" Chang Ba involuntarily shouted in excitement.

Chen Chuan had already met He Xiaoxing’s requirement, but he wasn’t finished. Just three minutes later, he touched the thirteenth marker, followed by the fourteenth, the fifteenth...

Chen Chuan continued to swim at high speed. There was still a little time left before the hour was up. If he kept going, he could likely increase his marker count even further, but instead, he stopped.

He swam directly out of the underwater tunnel. With a light push of one hand, he launched himself out of the water with a SPLASH, landing steadily on the edge of the pit. Then, very naturally, he straightened up.

He Xiaoxing looked at him and nodded. "You can let go, but you can also rein it in. You didn’t indulge yourself simply to chase a higher number; you overcame your own desire to win by stopping within the one-hour limit. That is very good. You have met the requirements for this stage of training."

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