Director Lei walked over to the desk, picked up the chess-like pieces arranged on top, and set them out in an expanding pattern.

He turned to Chen Chuan and explained, "Look, let’s assume these pieces represent the rituals of the old era. In that case..."

He took out a pen and drew several lines between them. It wasn’t a simple series of connections; different lines linked pieces at varying distances, and no two connections were the same.

Chen Chuan looked at the assorted pieces and the lines drawn beneath them, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Do you see it now?"

Director Lei tapped the lines with his finger. "Because his rituals were never a single, unified whole, linking them together is incredibly difficult. I suspect he spent a great deal of time connecting them and patching the gaps. But a ritual constructed this way can’t possibly respond in unison. It has to be activated section by section."

"When he activates it, that piecemeal approach gives us enough time to react. We can target the sections one by one. The more we disrupt, the less effective the overall ritual will be."

"But this takes time. And he’s certain to be using a core component that plays a crucial role. We need to find it. Until we do, we can’t guarantee we can destroy the entire ritual. In the meantime, we’ll need you to hold the line."

"And since he has the initiative, we can only react. We’re not sure how many old-era rituals have been co-opted, so it’s difficult to put a specific timeframe on this."

Chen Chuan nodded. This meant that until the Esoteric Ritual was completely destroyed, or until a victor was decided, he would have to bear the brunt of any rituals aimed at him.

He didn’t feel this was much of a burden. After all, he had his Second Self. ’It’s just a contest of attrition.’

He currently had eighteen Hours of overlap time. While excessive harm would continually diminish this duration, he wasn’t just going to stand there and take it. Besides, he wasn’t fighting alone this time.

Director Lei said gravely, "We won’t have you face this unprepared. I’ll do my best to prepare various rituals for you over the next few days to resist the attacks. But that’s not enough. At the critical moment, you’ll still need to find a way to counter or destroy the ritual yourself." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Frankly, if necessary, we would inscribe Esoteric Rituals directly onto your skin. However, the mental corruption from Esoteric Rituals is severe. The effect on a person is too great, and it would likely make it impossible to remain sane."

"If you were purely an Esoteric Ritual practitioner, we could have someone on standby to administer drugs or have a replacement take over if your condition deteriorates. But you’re also a Fighter. You need to maintain a clear mind and ample stamina, so I don’t think that method is suitable."

"The only other option, then, is to adorn your clothing and other items with Secret Ceremony Patterns. We can even prepare multiple sets for you to use in countering their effects."

Chen Chuan nodded. ’That’s the right call. Even though my Second Self can transfer the damage, it’s better to use other methods first if they’re available.’

’No matter how long my Second Self’s overlap time is, once a fight begins, every single second has to be used judiciously. It’s a matter of life and death, after all.’

Director Lei continued, "Secret Ceremonies all require advance preparation. They use large amounts of time and materials to leverage anomalous substances, so everything has to be prepared beforehand, even things you might use on the fly."

"It’s like a hand of cards. When you enter the game, all the cards you can play are already in your hand. It all comes down to how you play them and how you utilize the function of each one."

"However, you’re a Fighter, not a pure Esoteric Buddhism expert. So all of this is just support. The goal is to let you play to your strengths without interference."

"Over the next two days, I’ll teach you how to quickly identify types of Esoteric Rituals and simple methods to counter them. That should be enough. I’ve already had my people start preparations. Teaching with physical examples will make a deeper impression. For now, take some time to get your affairs in order. We’ll begin shortly."

Chen Chuan agreed. After finishing his conversation with Director Lei, he called his old team members. He told them there was a commission to eliminate an armed group and asked if they were available.

As expected, everyone readily accepted his invitation.

Even setting aside their personal relationship, the jobs Chen Chuan brought were always high-quality with huge rewards. They couldn’t be compared to ordinary commissions. There was no way they were going to miss out.

However, the confidentiality level of this commission was too high to go through the company. Chen Chuan didn’t want to trouble Director Lei with it, so he called Gao Ming and entrusted him with handling the matter.

After Chen Chuan had successfully been cleared by the Judgement Court, Gao Ming’s reputation within the Litigation Master community skyrocketed. Although it seemed Chen Chuan got off because Molan Company itself was being targeted, Gao Ming’s ability to use that information, judge the situation, and successfully leverage it to achieve his objective was a rare skill indeed.

For a time, many Litigation Master firms tried to poach him, and some influential figures from the Upper Layer sent him invitations, hoping to hire him for their own legal teams.

But Gao Ming refused them all. He didn’t use his sudden fame to take on any major cases, either. Instead, he quietly accepted a few minor ones and did his best to fade from the public eye.

As he put it, his own value would truly increase only when Chen Chuan successfully entered Central City. There was no need to make a name for himself so soon.

This period of lying low was for a greater payoff in the future.

So when he received Chen Chuan’s call, he readily agreed. Chen Chuan was more than just his cousin; he was now his number one client. Naturally, his top client’s needs came first, and everything else was secondary.

After making the calls, that afternoon, Director Lei took him to a training hall. The floor was already covered with all kinds of pre-drawn Secret Ceremony Patterns.

Director Lei walked to the center of a Secret Ceremony Pattern and said grimly, "There are numerous types of Esoteric Rituals. Learning how to counter them requires long-term training and repeated practice. Not only is it a huge investment, but it’s also incredibly taxing on a person’s psyche. We have neither the time nor the desire to put you through that."

"So, we’ve prepared counter-rituals for you in advance. You just need to be able to identify which ritual you’re facing and use the correct counter."

"This judgment is critical, and the window to react is very small. While most Secret Ceremonies can be broken after they’re activated, some will give you no chance to fight back once they’re underway. You must try to act before that happens. It all depends on your observation skills and acuity."

As he spoke, he handed Chen Chuan a dozen or so exquisite cards, each bearing a different Secret Ceremony Pattern.

"These are the Secret Ceremony Patterns we’ve prepared to be put on your clothes. In a moment, I will activate the Secret Ceremonies here. Your job is to identify the ceremony in the shortest time possible, find the corresponding card, and use it to counteract the ceremony’s effects."

Chen Chuan glanced at the cards in his hand. They were intricate and ornate, and at first glance, they all looked similar. It wouldn’t be easy to memorize them and tell them apart.

Fortunately, his diligent study of the files had paid off. That, combined with his keen observation skills, allowed him to tell them apart after a few moments of study.

Director Lei said, "If you’re ready, let’s begin."

Chen Chuan nodded. "Director Lei, I’m ready."

Just as he spoke, Director Lei clapped his hands. At the same instant, Chen Chuan suddenly saw a faint trace of incorporeality appear on his Second Self, indicating the ritual had already been silently activated.

He thought for a moment and decided to experience the ritual’s effects directly, so he stopped his Second Self from resisting.

The instant he acted on that decision, he suddenly felt Director Lei’s clap recede, as if it were coming from far away.

The light around him seemed to dim. He felt as if he were in a deep, hollow cavern, enveloped by a sense of loneliness and anxiety. Even his own limbs felt like they were drifting away from him, and some part of him was willing to let them go, to sink into the abyss.

He immediately recalled the documents he’d read. According to their descriptions, when not leveraging supernatural phenomena, most Esoteric Rituals were actually psychic attacks. There could be physical damage, but it was usually not as intense.

’I can resist this under normal circumstances,’ he thought, ’but this is just a test. The real thing must be much stronger, which would make it difficult to handle. If an enemy were here right now, it would be extremely dangerous.’

He remained calm and looked down at the cards in his hand, only to find it was now difficult to make out the patterns. Relying on memory, he quickly selected one. The moment he did, the strange sensations rapidly faded, and his surroundings returned to normal.

Director Lei looked at him and said, "Very good. You clearly read the materials carefully." He paused. "Now, let’s continue."

For the rest of the time, with Director Lei’s guidance, Chen Chuan repeatedly practiced using these pre-set rituals. Since the parts he needed to learn weren’t complex, he had mastered them by the end of the afternoon.

When they finished, he asked Director Lei a question.

"Director Lei, I’d like to ask a question. That Life Secret Sect from before could transfer a person’s Primordial Qi. If someone had more manpower and financial resources, could they use that to achieve longevity?"

Director Lei said slowly, "That is a very dangerous topic. The purpose of Esoteric Rituals is to pursue visions that humans cannot achieve on their own. But they must be accomplished through established rules and channels. What is possible is only what the rules themselves permit. Fortunately, as of now, no such thing has ever happened."

Chen Chuan said, "But just because it hasn’t been discovered doesn’t mean it isn’t possible, right?"

Director Lei said, "That’s correct. Since the old era, people have been constantly striving toward that goal. Even though no one has ever succeeded, they haven’t completely given up. They are all searching for that possibility."

"The Life Sect’s so-called transfer of Primordial Qi can’t actually be sustained for long. Initially, the recipient might feel full of energy, but before long they return to their original state, as if nothing changed."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "So, it’s like taking an energy-boosting drug?"

Director Lei nodded. "That’s a fitting analogy. In fact, the real effect is even weaker than just taking a drug, and it can also come with all sorts of side effects."

"You might be wondering, then, why would anyone spend so much money and manpower on something with such a weak effect?"

"It’s because compared to any material benefit from the ritual, the spiritual pleasure and satisfaction it brings are unforgettable. In particular, that feeling of Primordial Qi entering the body, that sensation of being reborn, is something many people find themselves unable to give up. They even become addicted."

At this, his voice grew heavy. "The use of any ritual brings psychic stimulation. Many employees in the Esoteric Bureau now take injections to alleviate the side effects from frequent use. But to truly resist these urges, the only way is through self-control and an unshakeable will."

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