Atlas of Heaven and Man

"Then hurry up."

The young man knew he couldn't push too hard.

San-jo Kōma said to the counter, "Shopkeeper, please bring another bowl of noodles."

Soon, a steaming bowl of noodles with a fragrant aroma was brought over. Several half-finger-thick slices of fatty and lean meat covered the piled-up noodles, and scallions floated in the clear soup. Just looking at it made one's mouth water.

He immediately picked up the bowl, grabbed a slice of meat, and put it in his mouth, savoring it slowly. After letting out a sigh of contentment, he then began to slurp the noodles with relish.

But after one bowl, then another, and then another...

Watching the bowls by the counter gradually pile up, the young man became a little impatient. "Why can't you just order more at once? Why do you have to order one bowl at a time?"

"Ah, please be patient."

San-jo Kōma replied, "I don't know how many bowls I'll eat. Besides, if I order them in advance, they'll get cold, and the taste won't be as good."

"Alright, just eat quickly."

San-jo Kōma bowed slightly to him. He wiped his mouth with a paper towel, then straightened up and said, "Just now, Mr. Guan Chi from the Ferris Wheel Company found me and asked if my visit to Central City, Jibei Province, was to find Mr. Chen as an opponent?"

The young man couldn't help but sit up straight. "What did you say?"

San-jo Kōma said, "Of course, I told the truth. I did come to challenge Chen Chuan!"

"And then?" The young man stared at his face. "What else did that person from the Ferris Wheel Company say? Are they planning any moves?"

"He asked if I needed the Ferris Wheel Company to issue a challenge on my behalf, and that they could provide me with convenience. I replied that it wasn't necessary."

The young man waited for a while, and when he didn't continue, he looked at him. "That's it?"

"That's it."

San-jo Kōma hummed and said, "Although there may be some discrepancies from the original words, that is the general content of the conversation. I don't think there's any need to hide it, but if you don't believe me, I really have no way to prove it."

The young man looked at him a few times, stood up from his seat, and left directly.

San-jo Kōma saw that he didn't generously pay for him, muttered something, and called out to the counter, "Shopkeeper, check, please."

The shopkeeper was a short old man in his fifties. He trotted over and bowed, saying, "Sir, that gentleman in front has already paid the bill."

"Is that so?"

San-jo Kōma turned around and returned a bow. "Then please bring me another bowl of soup."

"Alright, please wait a moment."

Sun Rao had been waiting outside. He had started to think about not interfering with this junior's affairs, but now the two of them were partners, and this person had been assigned to him by the bureau, just like when he was assigned to Chen Chuan. He had no way to abandon him and could only follow along.

He had been vigilant, but it seemed the situation was alright. The two of them hadn't really come into conflict.

Seeing the young man walking out, he breathed a sigh of relief and said in a low voice, "Do you know how dangerous what you just did was?"

The young man glanced at him. "Senior, you're too nervous. Since he came to Central City this time, he must have a clear goal. He won't do anything to us before he completes it."

Sun Rao said seriously, "Even so, you shouldn't put yourself in a dangerous situation."

The young man took a few steps outward before turning his head and saying, "If you don't even have the courage to face a strong opponent, how can you reach a higher level?

Senior, simply cultivating is useless. Your heart has already placed you below others. How can you talk about surpassing them?"

Sun Rao said in a deep voice, "I only know that if you get killed today, then you won't have a future."

The young man chuckled and said, "Then he will be buried with me. He and I are both dead, and in some ways, we are equal." With that, he walked directly towards the armored vehicle.

Sun Rao chased after him. "What did you manage to ask?"

The young man opened the boundary device. "Senior Sun, may I borrow your channel? I need to report the situation to the bureau."

Sun Rao looked at him and gave him permission. Then, he waited for the young man to relay what he had just found out to the bureau. After the people from the Ferris Wheel Company left, there was no information interference, so he had recorded the entire process.

Soon, someone from the bureau came to him to confirm. He said, "Yes, this is the information that Wei Yuji obtained."

The Processing Bureau had speculated about the purpose of San-jo Kōma's arrival, and now that it had been further confirmed, they immediately notified Chen Chuan to prepare and increased surveillance on San-jo Kōma.

Ni Qianqian contacted Chen Chuan and, after explaining the situation briefly, she looked at the bureau's messages and said, "In just a short time, the news of San-jo Kōma coming to challenge you has spread throughout the fighting circle. This should have been arranged by the Ferris Wheel Company."

Chen Chuan understood that this was likely to force him into a corner, making it impossible to avoid.

Ni Qianqian was disdainful of this. "Some useless little tricks. Don't pay them any attention."

This wasn't the old days anymore. There was no longer any saying that one would be criticized for not accepting a challenge. Even if one was criticized, with so much information every day, how many people would remember this in a few days?

Chen Chuan pondered for a moment and asked, "Sister Ni, does the bureau have San-jo Kōma's contact information?"

Ni Qianqian, upon hearing this, said, "You want to contact him actively?"

Chen Chuan nodded. "Since he came to find me, then I'll arrange a time with him." He smiled. "Actually, I'm very much looking forward to this opponent."

Ni Qianqian was also a martial artist herself, and she understood this mentality. Rather than waiting for others to come, it was better to take the initiative, which would give one a psychological advantage. Moreover, she had confidence in Chen Chuan.

She said, "Little Chen, have you thought it through? Okay, wait a moment."

Chen Chuan received San-jo Kōma's contact signal. The other party's avatar was a person lying on the beach with a bamboo hat covering their face. He glanced at it and tried to contact the other party. After a while, it connected, and a somewhat lazy voice came out: "I am San-jo Kōma, may I ask who you are...?"

"Mr. San-jo?" Chen Chuan said, "I am Chen Chuan."

"So it's Mr. Chen!" San-jo Kōma's spirits lifted.

Chen Chuan said, "I heard that Mr. San-jo entered Central City this time with the intention of arranging a duel with me?"

San-jo Kōma said, "Yes, I have that idea."

He added, "Mr. Chen, this matter has nothing to do with my junior brother, Kan Sei. He was sent out by our master to do a task, and even if he failed, he fulfilled his duty.

I have already graduated and the dojo did not ask me to do anything. This is just my personal decision."

Chen Chuan said in a relaxed tone, "Regardless of Mr. San-jo's intentions, I personally would like to exchange pointers with Mr. San-jo."

"So Mr. Chen also thinks so," San-jo Kōma became excited. "Then Mr. Chen, why don't we arrange a location?"

Chen Chuan said, "Where would Mr. San-jo like to set the location?"

"I just arrived in Central City and am not familiar with many places, but I saw a place that is very desolate and suitable for a fight," San-jo Kōma solemnly reported a location:

"Green Peak Mountain, Mòshén Temple."

"Green Peak Mountain?"

Chen Chuan nodded. "Mr. San-jo just arrived in Central City, why not rest first? If it's convenient, how about setting the duel for the morning after tomorrow?"

"Alright, Mr. Chen is very considerate. I am very grateful," San-jo Kōma added. "The morning after tomorrow, I will be waiting for you on Green Peak Mountain."

"I will come to fulfill the appointment before nine o'clock the morning after tomorrow."

After ending the call with San-jo Kōma, Chen Chuan reported the time of the duel to the bureau and returned to the training ground to continue his previous training.

The duel had no negative impact on him. On the contrary, it made him somewhat excited.

Especially against an opponent like San-jo Kōma, who came from the Raging Waves Hall and clearly had talent in mental cultivation, which could be used to hone his spirit.

Two days passed in a flash. On March 26th, Chen Chuan changed into a set of training clothes, brought his Snow Monarch Blade, and came out of the Xuangong Building, driving to the foot of Green Peak Mountain.

Although he had never been to this place, he had heard of it.

That martial artist on the cruise ship that day was a disciple of the Mòshén Temple on this mountain, so Wei Wusheng killed everyone in the temple, including the temple priest.

However, there was no suitable successor in the temple, so the entire area was taken over by the Central City government. Because this area was far from the city, it was almost in a remote area, so it was currently in a semi-abandoned state.

After parking his car at the foot of the mountain, he glanced at the break in the guardrail and got out of the car. He entered through the break and walked up the mountain along the steps.

After all, it hadn't been too long since the incident. Apart from more fallen leaves and dust, the steps and surrounding structures were still very intact. When he reached the top of the mountain and arrived at the plaza, he saw that San-jo Kōma had already arrived.

This person was wearing a white ancient martial arts uniform in the style of a foreigner, his hair was styled, and a long sword with a black scabbard was at his waist, looking very solemn.

Chen Chuan observed that this person's mental cultivation was obviously more solid and restrained than Kan Sei's, which was to be expected.

The disciples of the Raging Waves Hall were carefully selected from a young age and taken into the sect. Those who were immature or unqualified were eliminated early. This person was estimated to be about ten years older than Kan Sei, so it was only natural that he was better in his cultivation.

He walked over calmly and came in front of San-jo Kōma. After he stood still, the latter bowed solemnly to him and said, "Mr. Chen."

Chen Chuan held his blade and clasped his fist, saying, "Mr. San-jo, I have come to fulfill the appointment."

...