Atlas of Heaven and Man

Chen Chuan let go of the door handle and looked at the man.

He was probably a man in his late twenties. His first impression was that he was rather thin and wore a tight-fitting outfit, making him look like a stick. He had large eyes, but the most distinctive feature was his nose, which took up almost half of his face, making it hard to look away.

The man, feeling scrutinized, suddenly said unhappily, "Hey, have you stared enough? It's rude to stare like that, kid."

Chen Chuan glanced at the open window beside him and said, "Suddenly arriving in someone else's room, I'm afraid it's you who lacks manners, sir?"

The man feigned nonchalance, crossed his arms, and said, "If Uncle He hadn't asked me to pick someone up, I wouldn't have bothered to make the trip. I just wanted to see what kind of student Uncle He was picking up. Now it seems there's nothing special about you."

Chen Chuan also guessed that the man must have been sent by He Xiaohang, because the man didn't seem to harbor any hostility. When he turned around, his expression was one of showing off and flaunting.

He said, "Does studying with Teacher He require being special?"

"Of course it does!" The man became agitated, straightening up for a moment, then seemed to remember something and sullenly sat back down, muttering, "Uncle He rarely teaches people."

Chen Chuan asked, "What's your name?"

The man puffed out his chest proudly and said, "Chang Ba!"

Chen Chuan thought silently, 'Your father definitely didn't choose that name for you.'

Seeing that he didn't speak, Chang Ba assumed he was intimidated by his name. He grunted a few times, stood up, and said, "Let's go. Uncle He is waiting for you."

Chen Chuan said, "I'll get my things."

He had previously estimated that he wouldn't be staying here for long, because there were too many people, too many eyes, and it was too noisy, not a suitable place for cultivation. So after arriving, he hadn't unpacked much. Now, he picked up his suitcase, slung the Snow Monarch Saber on his back, and followed Chang Ba.

The two went downstairs, got into an old-fashioned SUV. After the car started, it turned onto a smooth road and drove in a certain direction. The view was very open, with blue skies and white clouds above and the gray outlines of mountains on the horizon.

Chen Chuan asked, "Mr. Chang, are you very familiar with Teacher He?"

Chang Ba said boastfully, "Of course. My father and Uncle He are old friends. Uncle He lives in the lakeside hotel my family owns. That's where we're going now. Since you'll be studying with Uncle He, you'll probably be living there too." He looked at Chen Chuan and raised his voice, "Uncle He used to teach me a lot of things."

Chen Chuan pretended not to hear the last sentence and looked at the road, seeing cars passing by from time to time. He said, "Are these all people going to Loya Ancient City?"

Chang Ba curled his lip and said, "This is only July. The most people come during the spring and autumn. The camel caravans can stretch as far as the eye can see. Don't you know, half of our family's business relies on these people."

Chen Chuan asked, "Mr. Chang is a local, so you must have been to Loya Ancient City?"

"That place..."

Chang Ba shook his head and said, "Before I became an adult, my elders didn't let me go there. That place used to be famous for children disappearing. After it became famous, the ones disappearing became adults. Later, I learned martial arts, so I lost interest in it." He scoffed, "It's just a bunch of winding tunnels, what's so interesting about it? It can't compare to martial arts, right?"

Chen Chuan said, "I heard there are treasures there. Mr. Chang, aren't you interested in the treasures either?"

"Treasures?" Chang Ba chuckled. "Others hope the treasures can be dug out sooner, but I don't, because my family has been making money off the treasures all along."

Chen Chuan also smiled. That was true. Since this man's family owned a hotel, it was precisely the name of the treasures that attracted so many tourists.

After driving for a while, Chang Ba finally couldn't help but turn his head and ask, "Aren't you going to ask how I got into your room just now?"

Chen Chuan smiled. He could tell that Chang Ba was very proud of it and had been frequently leading the conversation in that direction, but he just wouldn't ask. He was still grateful that this man had come all the way to pick him up, so he decided to cooperate and said, "What was it?"

Hearing that he was finally willing to ask, Chang Ba felt relieved. He chuckled a few times, his eyebrows dancing as he said, "I'll tell you, that was a technique Uncle He taught me, called the Serpent Sparrow Stance. It's agile in flight and silent in movement. Once you master it, no terrain in the city can restrict me."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. It was probably more than that. Judging from the silent and imperceptible situation just now, this was also a technique for concealing and hiding. However, this could probably only be learned by someone with a physique like Chang Ba. He Xiaohang's physique wasn't like that, so was this a technique tailored for Chang Ba?

That was possible. Cheng Zitong said that a good teacher could teach according to the student's aptitude, creating different combat systems based on the student's unique characteristics. He Xiaohang should be that kind of teacher. He was looking forward to the upcoming intensive training.

About two hours later, the car arrived beside a large, reddish lake. It stretched endlessly beneath the sky, very clear and clean, and along the lakefront were large buildings, extending all the way to a small mountain on the opposite side.

Chang Ba said, "We're here."

Chen Chuan followed him in. The place was very spacious, filled with various everyday training equipment. In the center were several soft mats. He Xiaoxing went over and sat down cross-legged, gesturing for him to sit down as well.

Once Chen Chuan was seated on the soft mat next to him, He Xiaoxing said, "Lao Cheng told me about your situation, but what I teach you only involves martial strength. Martial strength can solve some things, but to deal with the Mutual Aid Society, you need to consider far more than just martial strength. You must understand this."

Chen Chuan said, "Teacher He, I understand."

He Xiaoxing said, "Since you understand, I won't say any more. Next, I will give you intensive training. How much you gain and how many days you can last depends on whether you can keep up with my training progress."

Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Student understands. Then, Teacher He, when do we start?"

He Xiaoxing said, "Did you bring enough medicine for training?"

Chen Chuan said, "Teacher Cheng told me to bring enough for two months."

Although it was said to be for two months, he felt that even one month might not be enough, because he always used several times the amount of ordinary people. Fortunately, the influence of the Mountain Ghost had not disappeared yet, so he probably wouldn't need it these days.

He Xiaoxing said, "It's already late today. Go find a place to settle down with Xiao Chang first. Come find me at five o'clock tomorrow morning. Remember to bring your daily necessities. We're going to the wilderness this time."

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Chen Chuan said, "Okay, Teacher He, then student will take his leave." He stood up, cupped his fist at He Xiaoxing, and left the training hall.

Chang Ba, who was waiting outside, saw him come out and greeted him, "Let's go, I'll take you to find a place to live. There are plenty of vacant houses this season, you can choose whichever you like."

After Chen Chuan got into the car, he followed him to the foot of the mountain. After turning around a few times, they found a spacious two-story house with an open view and good lighting and ventilation. He could live upstairs and have enough space downstairs to train.

Because it wasn't the peak season, and he was here to learn from He Xiaoxing, Chang Ba only charged a symbolic fee and gave him a phone number, saying he could call this person if he needed anything.

After Chang Ba left, Chen Chuan put down his suitcase, took out his things, and tidied up the room a bit. Although it was already past four o'clock in the afternoon, he didn't waste any time after putting his things away and went back to the first floor to make up for the daily training he had missed today.

There were many people in the small town, but it had a sense of tranquility far away from the world, which made it especially easy to immerse oneself in the state. This was probably the reason why He Xiaoxing chose to practice here.

At six o'clock, the inn staff came over to ask him if he needed to order food, and told him that there would be a bonfire party in the evening that everyone could attend. They also gave him a small gift, saying that all first-time guests received this.

Chen Chuan took it and saw that it was a bracelet made of small colored stones, strung together with a thin string. He thought about it and simply untied the string and threaded it with a strand of the Flying Head Monster's hair, so it wouldn't seem so out of place.

After nightfall, a bonfire was indeed lit on the lake, and a dozen barbecue grills were set up. About a hundred people sang and danced together, which was very lively.

After finishing his training and showering, he came to the window, enjoyed the cool night breeze for a while, and went to bed after nine o'clock.

The next day, at four o'clock, he got up to wash, had a simple breakfast, and carried a package and his Snow Monarch Saber alone to the mountain. He found that He Xiaoxing was already waiting there. His tall figure stood on the top of the mountain, as if trampling everything around him under his feet.

He walked to the top of the mountain, put down the things behind him and in his hand, and cupped his fist, saying, "Teacher He, student has arrived."

He Xiaoxing nodded and said, "Lao Cheng has told me about your specific situation. He didn't teach you any special techniques before, which is good. You don't need any of these things. Even if you've learned some through other channels, forget them all now."

Chen Chuan nodded seriously, "Student understands."

He Xiaoxing said in a deep voice, "After you enter the Second Limit, you should know that the term for this stage in the old era was 'Guarding the Mandate,' emphasizing the word 'guard.'

This is correct, because this limit is a crucial period of transition, like the middle of a wooden beam. Being too thick or too weak is not good, so extra caution is needed.

But the key of 'guarding' is only limited to the old era. At that time, whether it was for stimulating alienated tissues or for nourishing oneself, the medicines were very difficult to collect. Often, the elders in the sect would spend a lifetime collecting and accumulating them, leaving them for future generations to use, and so on, generation after generation.

Due to the limitations of medicine, they could only use the most conservative methods. In that era, this choice was proven to be effective and reliable.

However, every era has its own methods. In addition to one's own efforts, people are more constrained by the environment, which requires everyone to work together to change it.

Now that medicine is no longer a problem, there is no need to be so conservative. The key point of this stage is to 'activate the six viscera and generate the five organs,' so the next step is to find a way to 'activate' your alienated internal organs."