Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 66 - 57: Persuasion

After Chen Chuan left, Cheng Zitong waited a moment before someone came to greet him and led him into the building.

Entering the main hall, he saw an old woman sitting on a nanmu wood chair opposite him. She had a full head of silver hair tied in a bun and a female attendant standing behind her.

She wore a pair of reading glasses and had a kindly face. She was dressed in an ochre-red, right-lapelled, ancient-style satin robe. Beside her hand rested a dark, heavy ironwood cane with a burl-shaped head.

She looked very healthy and sat ramrod straight, in high spirits. The contours of her face hinted at the beautiful features of her youth.

Watching Cheng Zitong walk in, she said slowly, "Xiaocheng, it’s been a long time since you last came to see me."

Cheng Zitong said, "Old Madam, haven’t I been busy?"

"Yes, everyone’s busy." Teacher Ni said, "Worrying about students isn’t easy, is it?"

Cheng Zitong replied, "It’s certainly not easy, but good students make it less of a worry, so I haven’t found it too difficult."

Teacher Ni said, "It seems this student has made you very happy. I’ll have to meet him later."

Cheng Zitong said, "That’s simple. After his exam is over, I’ll have him come meet you, Old Madam."

Teacher Ni said slowly, "That might take a while."

Cheng Zitong seemed to have caught on to something. He glanced outside a few times and said helplessly, "I say, Old Madam, what are you up to?"

Teacher Ni patted the table and said, "Come, come sit with me. Have a cup of tea first, calm your heart."

Cheng Zitong let out a "heh" and walked over to sit not far from her. Teacher Ni said with a beaming smile, "It’s just some business between the young ones. Let them have their fun. They wouldn’t be young if they didn’t cause a ruckus. Besides, Xiaoniao is there. What’s there to worry about?"

Cheng Zitong picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. The taste was crisp and clean, its fragrance lingering in his mouth. He nodded and said, "Good tea." He looked up again. "Actually, I’m not worried about anything either."

Teacher Ni said, "It seems you have great confidence in your student."

Cheng Zitong smiled and said, "By the way, where is your student, Old Madam? Shall I conduct their assessment?"

Teacher Ni tilted her head. The female attendant behind her turned and walked out. After a moment, she returned with a short male student. The student was a little nervous. He bowed to Cheng Zitong and said, "I am Feng Xiaochi. Hello, Teacher Cheng."

Cheng Zitong recognized him. It was the student from the dorm room next to Chen Chuan’s. He involuntarily showed a helpless expression and said, "I say, Old Madam, you really refuse to be on the losing end of anything, don’t you?"

’This was Chen’s neighbor. Even if they weren’t friends, they had been neighbors for three years. Now, if I had any ideas about a little revenge, it would just sour the relationship and make my own student suffer. This old woman is as cunning as they come, leaving you with no way to even vent your anger.’

Teacher Ni said leisurely, "Haven’t I, this old woman, suffered enough losses in my lifetime? What do you think, Xiaocheng?"

Cheng Zitong didn’t dare continue this topic, lest it lead back to his own old man. He quickly said to Feng Xiaochi, "Student, are you ready? If you are," he looked at the Old Madam, "why don’t we start now?"

Teacher Ni chuckled. "Then let’s begin."

Inside the training hall, Chen Chuan looked ahead. A tall, handsome upperclassman walked toward him, extending a friendly hand. "Hello, Chen. Let me introduce myself. I am Lu Fang, one of the vice presidents of the Fenxin Society. Oh, and I forgot to mention, Shu Han is also one of our members."

Chen Chuan glanced at him, realizing something, and shook his hand. Lu Fang smiled amicably, turned to the side, and said, "Let me introduce you, Chen. This is Di Zhongren, a Class A second-year student from the Capture Department."

A boy with a crew cut, wearing a student uniform, stood up. He had an athletic build and bronze skin. He nodded at Chen Chuan.

Lu Fang pointed to a stocky, short teenager and said, "This is Bi Yang, a Class A second-year student from the Wrestling Takedown Department." The short teenager gave him a shy smile.

"And this is Jing He, from the Freestyle Martial Arts Department, a Class A second-year student."

Chen Chuan looked over. It was a tall, skinny student with a very serious expression. He raised his hand and gave him a fist-and-palm salute.

Lu Fang introduced them one by one. There were people from various departments. Aside from the first few introduced, the rest were all Class B students, including second and third-years.

After Lu Fang finished his introductions, Chen Chuan said to him, "I’ve met all the seniors now. May I ask when my monthly exam can begin?"

"There’s no rush for the monthly exam. Before that..." Lu Fang said earnestly, "Chen, could we trouble you for a moment of your time to hear us out?"

Chen Chuan looked at them and nodded. "Please speak, Senior Brother Lu."

Lu Fang said, "It’s been over a month since you enrolled, Chen. You learned the Breathing Technique very early on. With your talent, you may have even mastered a higher-level Breathing Technique. That means you can now cultivate a Force Technique. Might I be so bold as to ask, which Force Technique did you choose?"

Chen Chuan didn’t hide it. He said frankly, "The Circulation Technique."

’There’s nothing to hide. A Force Technique is just a training method, a tool. Its effectiveness depends on the person. Besides, all of this is registered with the school, so anyone who wants to find out can.’

"The Circulation Technique? What kind of Force Technique is that?" Many of them had never even heard of it and began asking each other.

Upon hearing this, Assistant Qiu glanced at Chen Chuan with surprise.

After all, the student group was mostly upperclassmen. Some had heard of it and began explaining to the others.

After hearing the explanation, many were in disbelief at first. But after confirming it repeatedly, they looked at Chen Chuan with utter incredulity. In their hearts, many felt it was a complete waste for him.

One student stood up, filled with righteous indignation, and said, "Junior Chen, why did you choose that? Did your mentor tell you to? Don’t worry about it, you can switch mentors after a month. If you can’t find a suitable one, we can introduce you to our mentors. We’re sure you’ll be able to learn some real skills!"

Someone said in anguish, "That’s right, Junior! How could you pick a Force Technique that’s almost useless? You’re throwing away your potential!"

Chen Chuan looked at them and said, "My choice is my own business. I don’t need others to tell me what to do. I hope you seniors can respect my decision. Also, Teacher Cheng is my mentor. I don’t want to hear any baseless accusations against him from any of you. Otherwise, there’s no need to continue this conversation."

Lu Fang waved his hand, signaling for everyone to calm down and let him speak. He looked at Chen Chuan and said, "Chen, I actually understand what you’re thinking. You’re probably very proud, believing you can master your skills even with the worst Force Technique.

"It makes sense. Before you even entered Wuyi, you defeated Zhongwu on your own. That must have given you a lot of confidence. If I were you, I’d think the same way. But the opponents you face in an exam are different from those you face in a real fight. You should understand this. If you really don’t understand..."

He sighed. "Though we don’t want to do this, we will do our best to help you understand today. We’re not trying to target you. We just want you to know that here at Wuyi, you can’t rely on just yourself or a single Cultivation Technique. You need a Force Technique, and you need more help. This is a lesson we’ve learned from past mistakes.

"Don’t think we’re just being alarmists, and don’t think we’re just looking for trouble. A student like you, with your specific talents—even if you don’t choose a good Force Technique, your innate ability alone will attract enemies. When that time comes, you won’t be able to fend off all the schemes against you, both overt and covert, by yourself."

He said in a very serious tone, "You want to train in peace and quiet? Let me tell you, that’s impossible. From the moment you stepped into Wuyi, countless eyes have been watching you. If you don’t make a choice, someone will force you to. If you make no choice at all, you’ll accomplish nothing. Everyone here has been through this. No one is an exception."

At this point, Chen Chuan said, "Senior Brother Lu, are you finished?"

Lu Fang was slightly taken aback. He glanced at the crowd behind him before nodding. "I am."

Chen Chuan looked at him and said slowly, "Senior Brother Lu, I’m very curious to see this ’lesson’ you all say will make me understand." As he spoke, he began to unbutton his outer shirt. "It’s just that I don’t think you’ll be able to convince me."

With that, he tossed the removed garment far away, his gaze sweeping over everyone before him. "In that case, let’s follow the rules of this exam. I’ll be the one to convince you."

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