8:00 PM. A private training hall in South City.

Gao Ming arrived before the appointed time. He met with Chen Chuan upstairs, and after they sat down, he began his analysis. "Cousin, I’ve gone through a lot of information on the Yangzhi City Mutual Aid Association these past few days, so I have a decent understanding of them.

When faced with this kind of situation, they usually try to win you over or placate you first. If that fails, they resort to other measures. But since you’ve already rejected them several times, and now you pose a threat to them, they probably won’t do that again. They’ll most likely skip straight to harsher methods. The easiest approach would be to frame you or pin a crime on you.

However, you’re a loner who has almost no contact with the outside world. Plus, you have connections to the Patrol Bureau, which means they can’t use those tactics to control you. As for fabricating a lawsuit to drag you before the Judgement Court, that’s time-consuming and costly. Not only does it create a huge scene, but it’s also prone to all sorts of unexpected complications. If it were me, I wouldn’t choose that path either."

At this, he pushed up his glasses and looked at Chen Chuan. "That leaves only one option, the most cost-effective one: physical elimination."

Chen Chuan agreed with this assessment. Rather than using Energy from on high to suppress him, directly eliminating a person was the simplest and most low-cost method.

Because once a person is dead, many problems simply disappear. Even if there’s an investigation afterward, the people behind it have plenty of ways to get away clean. The key is that the primary objective is achieved.

"So, you need to be careful from now on, Cousin. It’s the holidays, you’re not at the academy. If someone’s going to make a move, this is the most likely time."

A glint appeared in Chen Chuan’s eyes, but his tone was steady. "Then I’ll be right here, waiting for them."

After meeting with Gao Ming, he didn’t return to his aunt’s house. Instead, he started staying at the training hall. With the medicine he’d brought back last time, he could actually train in combat all day long.

However, he felt that an attack at the training hall might endanger innocent people, so he decided to create an opportunity for his would-be assailants.

Aside from some necessary training inside the hall, he would go to a nearby lakefront park in the evening to practice his forms and Saber Techniques, doing so every day.

The park had a fair number of people during the day, but it usually emptied out after four or five in the afternoon. Especially with the recent spike in gang conflicts, even South City wasn’t completely safe, and no one wanted to wander around in an already deserted area.

Anyone who wanted to get rid of him would surely choose a deserted area like this. In fact, he thought the place was perfect; a fight here wouldn’t cause much of a disturbance.

In the following days, he came here regularly. Although five or six days passed without incident, he knew they wouldn’t keep him waiting for long. The holidays were the perfect opportunity. Once they were over and he was back at the academy, dealing with him would be much more difficult.

On this day, seeing it was about time, he was preparing to head out when he suddenly received a call from Director Lei.

"Liu Zhan called to tell me that someone under him at the Foreign Affairs Bureau leaked the information about your recommendation. He said it was due to his own lax management and that he’s extremely sorry."

Chen Chuan asked, "Was he behind it?"

Director Lei said, "No. I looked into it. One of the clerks working under him took the evaluation file. That clerk has since been transferred. It was a genuine accident. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Of course, he’s not doing this out of the kindness of his heart. He could have used this information himself, but now that it’s out in the open, it’s worthless to him. In fact, it makes him look unreliable in some people’s eyes. Since he can’t profit from it anymore, he might as well give us a heads-up to earn a favor.

Xiaochuan, be careful. If you run into trouble, you can come to me. Your senior sister and I will arrange a safe place for you."

Chen Chuan thanked him sincerely. "Thank you, Director Lei, but it’s not time for that yet."

Director Lei said, "Alright. You can call me anytime if you need help."

After ending the call, Chen Chuan glanced outside, picked up his saber, and walked out of the training hall. The security guard at the door asked, "Brother Chen, heading to Lakefront Park to practice your saber again?"

Chen Chuan smiled and nodded. "That’s right."

The guards watched him leave. They understood why Chen Chuan would rather practice outside instead of in the training hall. Some people just didn’t like being cooped up indoors. Besides, the air was fresh out there, and while the spot was a bit remote, the scenery was truly nice.

After leaving, Chen Chuan crossed three streets and walked for about thirty minutes until he reached the park. It featured a wetland lake bordered by a patch of reeds swaying in the wind.

He watched the shimmering surface of the water, which was bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun. A few egrets flew by occasionally, like white specks skimming across the water’s surface.

There was no one else around. He stood alone between the earth and sky.

He raised his hand and, with a soft THUD, planted the Snow Monarch Blade into the ground. Grasping the hilt, he slowly drew the blade. With a flash of light and a sharp SHING, it was fully unsheathed. Then, with a fluid movement, he turned his back to the setting sun and began to practice his techniques, one move after another.

A gust of evening wind blew through, causing the lush green reeds to first dip down in unison, then ripple like waves.

Meanwhile, in a small grove to the southeast, a dozen or so men were crouched behind trees and bushes, lying in wait and observing his every move.

They were all strong and fierce, with cold expressions. But they were experienced men. They knew that a Fighter was extremely sensitive to being watched, so most of them only glanced at him briefly before looking away, careful not to stare.

"This kid’s Saber Techniques are sharp. He’s a tough nut to crack."

"A Wuyi Student, right? This is their specialty. They practice until they look impressive, but what’s the use? One gunshot and all that training is for nothing. No matter how fast his saber is, can it be faster than our bullets?"

They’d taken on jobs like this more than once, but they usually assassinated people of status. This was the first time they were being hired to kill a mere student.

"The kid picked a nice spot for himself. Saves us the trouble of digging a grave for him later."

"Alright, enough talk. It’s almost dark. Once he’s dead, we leave immediately. Yangzhi has been restless lately."

The leader of the group was a man with a flat-top haircut. His eyes were vicious and cold, and his face was nearly expressionless when he spoke. He turned his head and said to a man leaning against a tree in the distance, "Old Ma, keep an eye out."

This was a man wearing a black hood that left only his eyes exposed. The others kept their distance from him. At the command, his eyes shifted, and he gave a slight nod.

The flat-topped man relaxed. Old Ma was a Second Limit expert. With him here, they could handle any surprises.

He then turned to the other side, toward a skinny man in his early twenties. "Pizi, get ready."

The man grunted in acknowledgement and raised his rifle, carefully centering Chen Chuan’s silhouette in his crosshairs. His finger slowly moved to the trigger. Since Chen Chuan had his back to the setting sun, he couldn’t help but squint.

Although the angle wasn’t ideal, it was the best hiding spot nearby. Besides, he always fired by feel; he didn’t need to keep a constant bead on his target.

However, just as he was about to pull the trigger, a dazzling flash of light from the saber made him blink instinctively. When he looked again, the figure on the mudflat had vanished. Stunned, he closed his eyes, shook his head, and peered out again.

But at that exact moment, he heard a furious roar, followed by the sound of a gunshot. A gust of wind swept past him, sending stalks of grass flying, and he felt something hot splash onto his face.

He turned his head and saw that a companion just a few steps away was now headless, with blood spewing from the stump of his neck. Looking further back, the men who had been lying in ambush there were now dismembered, a trail of blood pooling behind them.

One of the men in the rear, however, had seen it all clearly. Just as they were about to make their move, the saber-wielding figure had suddenly stopped mid-motion and, without any warning, charged straight at them.

Despite the forty or fifty meters between them, he had closed the distance in the blink of an eye. Everywhere he passed, severed limbs flew into the air.

Terrified, he raised his gun and fired repeatedly at the approaching figure, but his eyes couldn’t keep up with its speed. Every bullet missed.

Chen Chuan had already carved his way to the rear. He had barely used any specific techniques; he simply held his saber out to the side and let his own speed do the work, slicing through everyone in his path.

Now, seeing someone shooting at him, his gaze shifted. One moment he was in the distance, his body seeming to twist slightly; the next, he had abruptly appeared right in front of the man.

He swept his saber horizontally, using the back of the blade. The man’s arm snapped inward, then his waist caved in, yet his head and feet remained in their original positions. His entire body looked as if it had been folded in half before he was suddenly sent flying.

Just then, the hooded man shot out from the shadows. His attack was as sudden as a Poisonous Snake striking from the darkness, perfectly timed for the instant Chen Chuan had completed his swing.

But Chen Chuan just tapped the ground with his toe and sidestepped. He held out an arm as if waiting for the man to come to him. As the attacker passed by his side, Chen Chuan’s arm dropped, clamping around the man’s ribcage. Then, with a gentle exertion of force...

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

With a series of sickening snaps, that section of his body was crushed inward. The man’s eyes bulged, and blood began to pour from beneath his hood.

Chen Chuan released his grip, letting the limp, broken body fall to the ground. His gaze swept sideways, his peripheral vision catching the few scattered survivors.

The flat-topped man had seen the entire process clearly. He cursed in despair, "Fuck, that’s the Third Limit! The intel was wrong!"

Chen Chuan turned his blade and started walking toward the remaining men. The flat-topped leader roared, "Shoot! Shoot! Don’t even think about running! You can’t escape!"

The last few survivors frantically drew their guns and fired.

Chen Chuan’s body dipped low. With a single step, he was in front of the leader. He gently pushed up on the man’s chin, and with a sound like a stalk of sugarcane snapping, the leader’s head flipped all the way back.

He then veered to the other side. The BANG BANG of rapid gunfire sounded for only a brief moment before falling silent. Only the startled birds in the distance flew on, into the lingering crimson glow of the sunset.

After making a full circle and finishing off the last of them, Chen Chuan planted his foot on the ground, bringing his high-speed movement to an abrupt halt. His clothes whipped around him from the momentum, and the grass and leaves at his feet swirled into the air before fluttering back down. Only then did faint wisps of white vapor begin to rise from his body.

He paid no mind to the corpses littering the ground. With a flick of his blade, he returned to the lakefront, slowly sheathed his saber, and then, carrying it in hand, calmly walked away.

...

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