Upon hearing Chen Chuan’s reply, a look of regret appeared on Assistant Ling’s face. “That’s a real shame,” he said. “To be honest, I had very high hopes for you, Manager Chen. You don’t come from one of those powerful families, nor do you have any privileged background. You reached this position all on your own. We have similar experiences and face the same obstacles. I thought you would be able to understand us. If you were to join us, with your strength, you could surely help us overcome all obstacles and make everything we hope for a reality.”
Chen Chuan was completely unmoved. He stared intently at Assistant Ling. “In my view, you—or your group—are no different from the people you condemn. You’re merely circumventing those obstacles because your own ambitions have been stifled, yet you still build your ladder to the top with the flesh and blood of others. You fly the banner of standing up for every Fighter, for every person, but in reality, you don’t give a damn about them. You just see them as tools. That’s why you can throw those students into the fighting pits without a second thought, hang their heads on this great tree, and call it all for the sake of a ‘grand ideal,’ using that to comfort yourselves and seize the moral high ground.”
‘It’s easy to imagine that as this so-called ideal grows, even more heads will hang here. It’s nothing more than using the flesh and blood of others for self-aggrandizement. One has to wonder: of all those heads hanging up there, how many were willing?’
‘However, in the eyes of Assistant Ling and those behind him, none of this likely mattered. They were all acceptable sacrifices for the final goal. For him to even spare a second glance at such a method was a waste of time.’
Assistant Ling smiled. “It seems you truly don’t understand this cause, Manager Chen. It will be difficult for us to reach an ideological consensus. But that’s alright. For the sake of the ideal, I don’t mind using some… radical methods. In the future, you’ll thank me for bringing you into this great endeavor.”
He looked at Chen Chuan. “However, Manager Chen, you probably don’t realize this yourself. While talented people like you are rare, they can still be found. But you possess something that no one else can match. Do you know…”
He gestured behind him. “The Domain Space created by the True Form Tree isn’t fully formed from the beginning. Its details and logical framework must be constantly supplemented and perfected. The more details are added, the closer its evolution mirrors reality. The changes within it become more complete, and the closer it gets to true reality. The True Form Tree has always been there, and we aren’t the first to have such ideas. The wisdom of our predecessors was no less than ours, but the reason they couldn’t succeed was that they were constrained by their era, subject to too many limitations. Just think about it. In the past, forget about a complete world; even simple Fighting Skills couldn’t be truly represented within it. That’s because the number of Fighters of the same caliber they would meet and interact with in their entire lifetime was probably less than the number of students and teachers at Wuyi Academy. So how could they possibly form what they needed within the True Form Tree? But now, we don’t have to be like them. The progress of our era allows us to achieve what was once impossible.”
As he spoke, the tree branch beneath his feet slowly arched up like a dragon. “We are riding the wave of a new era, so naturally, we must seize everything it has to offer…”
His smile grew more inscrutable. “The True Form Tree can bind with more than just human consciousness. It can also include the consciousness of an active Consciousness Body.”
Chen Chuan realized something, his gaze narrowing.
Assistant Ling had now reached a higher point. He smiled and said, “Do you know why I came to Wuyi Academy? Because something we value greatly is right here.”
An inscrutable light gleamed in his eyes as he spoke slowly, “Wuyi’s active Consciousness Body, Hong Fu. *She* is our true target. We don’t need to completely merge with the entire Consciousness Body; we only need to merge with her externalized consciousness. But this is quite difficult, especially since Hong Fu has her own independent will. But fortunately for us, we now have you.”
He looked at Chen Chuan. “Manager Chen, you and Hong Fu are compatible. Very compatible. That time I had Hong Fu reinforce you, you perfectly drew out her power. I knew then that you were the most suitable person. If you willingly cooperate with us, attract Hong Fu’s externalized consciousness, and have it reside in the True Form Tree, then all the skills Wuyi Academy has accumulated over decades can be absorbed by the Tree. Then, this step of our plan will be complete.”
He sighed wistfully. “How wonderful that would be. All the consciousnesses inside will experience a meteoric rise thanks to this nourishment.”
A trace of regret showed on his face, but he quickly concealed it and then stared at Chen Chuan.
“You may have refused me now, but it doesn’t matter. As long as we dig out your brain and place it on the True Form Tree, we can still attract Hong Fu and have her merge with it. And with your talent and aptitude, you would surely achieve even greater growth inside. You might even stimulate the True Form Tree to break through to a higher level…”
At this, he slowly spread his arms as if embracing something.
Following his gesture, the surrounding virtual scenery suddenly changed. Raging floods, erupting volcanoes, and collapsing mountains appeared. When it all passed, beneath the sky and upon the earth, only that one incomparably massive tree still stood tall.
“In the future, it may rival any higher-order life form in the world, thus fulfilling our vision.”
Chen Chuan looked up at Assistant Ling, who seemed lost in self-intoxication, and said calmly, “Setting aside whether you can even do it, what you’re describing is a public threat and a plot to murder an Investigation Chief of the Processing Bureau. You’ve got some nerve.”
“How can you call it murder?”
Assistant Ling said with a smile, “We’re merely inviting you to join us. You won’t die; you’ll just be living in a different way. As for everything else… Manager Chen, you asked me earlier why I thought today was a suitable time. That’s because someone hired us to deal with you. We didn’t agree to it outright, but if you join us, none of that will be a problem.”
He extended a finger, pointing outward. “Right now, the Processing Bureau has dispatched most of its personnel. They have to deal with the Lynx Federation and the Federation, so they don’t have the spare manpower to watch over other places. That’s why I’ll have more than enough time to accomplish all this. As for what comes after, you don’t need to worry. Once we get what we want, we’ll leave this place and head to the Merging Land to complete the subsequent steps. Hmm, there’s something here that you might not have expected, Manager Chen.”
He suddenly shouted, “Hong Fu, open the channel to the Merging Land!”
The next moment, a cold, mechanical voice echoed around them. “Command received. Authorization confirmed. Opening temporary channel to the Merging Land.”
In that instant, a massive void appeared behind the great tree. Its edges seemed to be made of shimmering, burning wisps of light, and on the other side, a vast land could be faintly seen.
“And…”
Assistant Ling extended a hand and said, “Hong Fu.”
A flash of red appeared, and Hong Fu, holding her Yanling Blade, materialized on the other side of the branch. The red veil covering her face and the red clothes on her body danced in the currents of air blowing from the Merging Land.
Chen Chuan’s gaze shifted to her, only to see that the eyes behind Hong Fu’s veil were ice-cold, completely devoid of their usual liveliness.
Assistant Ling said, “Don’t bother looking. I am the assistant to the academy’s vice principal, and I have the highest level of authorization. As the academy’s active Consciousness Body, Hong Fu will now only obey my commands. She can neither recognize you nor hear you speak. Manager Chen, I admit you’re strong. But no matter how strong you are, you can’t possibly be stronger than Hong Fu.”
Indeed, even he couldn’t gauge the full extent of Chen Chuan’s power. But he didn’t need to fight Chen Chuan face-to-face. He could just send Hong Fu to resolve the matter.
He said, “Hong Fu, take down Manager Chen!”
At his command, Hong Fu’s Yanling Blade left its sheath with a SHING. A red shadow drifted gracefully from the tree trunk, and a cold flash of light from her blade was already striking down at Chen Chuan.
Her eyes were completely indifferent. This was a Hong Fu whose self-awareness had been partially blocked, a being who purely followed orders. But none of this affected her strength.
Moreover, since this was not a potential test, she held nothing back. The slash displayed its full killing power; the blade’s light had just flashed, but its Power had already arrived.
Chen Chuan had fought Hong Fu countless times and knew her strength well. So this time, he didn’t underestimate her in the slightest. With a mere thought, his Second Self instantly overlapped with his body. He then raised his still-sheathed Snow Monarch Blade to block.
Although the blade was not unsheathed, the Power behind it was solid and real. Yet, it wasn’t enough to move Hong Fu in the slightest.
But likewise, by having his Second Self bear the brunt of the incoming Power, he too remained perfectly still.
The next moment, blades flashed anew. In a single instant, their weapons clashed hundreds of times, and the sound of thunderous air explosions boomed all around them.
Watching from above, Assistant Ling clicked his tongue in admiration. He could see everything clearly. None of Hong Fu’s moves were simple. The Heart Force she released was different every time, and her strength and speed were nearly touching the upper bounds of the Third Limit.
Yet Chen Chuan was somehow able to block every single strike. Setting aside everything else, his resistance to Power alone was a testament to his immense strength.
But this only made him want to put Chen Chuan’s brain on the tree even more.
So it seemed he could add another weight to the scales. After all, this was no fair duel.
He raised his hand and made another gesture. The surrounding scenery changed once again. Two flowers with serrated edges appeared beside him. He smiled and said:
“Manager Chen, why bother resisting? It’s destined to be useless. Perhaps your perceptions limit you, causing you to reject our cause. But once you join us, you will understand its true benefits.”