Volume One: The Youngest Among Three Hundred Chapter 107: The Secret of the Third Rank

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At the start of the fierce struggle between Li Shu and Wu Yuanheng, Chen Chang’an initially intended to intervene and restrain them. However, realizing it was futile, he stepped aside and approached a subordinate of the renowned Three Divisions, advising, “Brother, once they finish fighting, make sure to send them home—or rather, to the infirmary!” Then he added, “I have other matters to attend to; we’ll invite them for a meal another day.” After saying this, he cast one last glance at the two men who, despite being warriors, fought with the roughness of street thugs, shook his head in sorrow, and turned toward Wuyi Alley.

On the first floor of the Arms Repository stood a spacious room resembling a corporate meeting hall. Inside, Cao Wu and Cheng Mulong sat opposite each other, their faces cold and brows tightly furrowed, both clearly displeased. Cheng Mulong’s fingers traced circles restlessly on the table as he muttered like a scorned wife, “I never imagined Chen Chang’an would die. I was still planning—planning to groom him as my successor.”

“Damn it! I will find out who that Blue Armor is and tear him to pieces!” Cao Wu sighed repeatedly, “You’re right, it was because I sent him on that mission that he ended up dead. Sigh.”

“For some reason, whenever a member is injured or killed, as long as it’s not too many, I usually remain unmoved, thinking it’s normal. But Chen Chang’an…” She paused briefly before continuing, “Speaking of which, the Su family must be preparing his funeral right now. If not for the constraints of my status, I’d like to pay my respects.”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Just then, a series of urgent knocks came from outside. Cheng Mulong answered lazily, and then two fully armored figures, Ruan Jingchu and Ye Lin, entered, their expressions resolute, as if ready to march to battle.

Cao Wu was stunned. “What are you two doing?”

In unison, Ye Lin and Ruan Jingchu replied, “Reporting to the two deputy commanders, please allow us to investigate the Blue Armor’s trail in Ganquan Village and avenge Chen Chang’an.”

“What… what?” Cheng Mulong’s expression froze.

Cao Wu was similarly shocked, taking several seconds before responding flatly, “What are you two thinking? This is madness. We don’t yet know the forces behind the Blue Armor. Don’t rush in recklessly.”

“Behave yourselves!” Cheng Mulong cursed harshly, “Even Tao Yuan was caught off guard and seriously wounded at the entrance to Ganquan Village. What are you two planning? Do you want to thin out the new recruits in the Wuyi Guards?”

“But…” Ye Lin persisted.

Cao Wu raised her voice, “No buts! Stay put!”

“Senior Sister Wu… Deputy Commander Cheng!” At that moment, Cai’er hurried in, her face flushed with excitement and joy. Her gaze swept over everyone present before settling on Cao Wu. “Senior Sister Wu, Chen Chang’an is outside asking to see you!”

“What… what?” Cao Wu stepped forward, gripping her shoulders tightly, pressing for details.

Cheng Mulong sprang to his feet, “Chen… Chen Chang’an? Isn’t he… dead?”

Ruan Jingchu and Ye Lin exchanged a glance, ecstatic, and rushed out.

Cai’er urgently explained, “I’m not sure what exactly happened, but the person who came really is Chen Chang’an.”

“Quick… go see for yourselves!” Cheng Mulong took off at a run.

Cao Wu and the others followed closely behind.

When they reached the open training ground, Ruan Jingchu and Ye Lin were already flanking the resurrected Chen Chang’an, gripping his arms tightly to verify his identity, their emotions a mixture of joy and sorrow, laughter mingling with tears.

Chen Chang’an asked, “Why are you two reacting like this? Seriously, it’s obvious—even a fool could see there’s no way I’m dead.”

“Chen Chang’an!” Cao Wu called out.

Cheng Mulong approached and pounded his chest, “You brat, how did you survive? Or were you faking your death to fool us?”

Chen Chang’an looked aggrieved and innocent, “Fake death? No way. It really seemed like I died, but why I came back to life, I don’t really know!”

He scratched his head sheepishly, looking genuinely naive. Cheng and Cao exchanged incredulous looks. The idea of resurrection presupposes one hasn’t completely died, yet at the time, even the combined efforts of Mishi and Ruyi techniques couldn’t save him. How could he have come back from the dead for no reason?

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Before they could puzzle over this further, Cheng Mulong and Cao Wu, both seventh-grade martial artists at the life-and-death realm, sensed from Chen Chang’an’s aura that he had reached the pinnacle of the second-grade soul cultivation stage. Their astonishment deepened.

“How… how did you do it?” Cheng Mulong’s facial muscles twitched.

“What?” Chen Chang’an was bewildered, for he himself did not yet understand that his soul had been replaced by a “spirit,” resulting in this sudden advance.

Cao Wu took a deep breath, suppressing any overreaction inappropriate for the occasion, and asked, “You don’t realize you’re now at the pinnacle of second-grade soul cultivation?”

“What? Damn!” Chen Chang’an gaped in shock but soon pieced it together: soul cultivation was just a term, not a limitation. The essence of second-grade cultivation corresponds to refining and elevating the physical form internally. From a certain perspective, the spirit’s dimensional existence far surpasses that of a mere soul.

Therefore… with a spirit replacing the soul as the host’s essence, many external manifestations appear. In martial terms, this could correspond to reaching the pinnacle of second-grade cultivation.

Cheng Mulong circled Chen Chang’an like a lecherous admirer eyeing a beauty, clicking his tongue, “Not only are you at the pinnacle of second-grade soul cultivation, but your soul is astonishingly pure.”

Cao Wu nodded in agreement, “Exactly, incredibly pure. In the martial system, I’ve never seen a soul so pristine!”

Both expressed their amazement; yet how could they guess that Chen Chang’an’s body was not configured with a soul at all, but with a higher-dimensional entity?

Comparing him to the other practitioners training under the Great Min was like comparing an old phone chip running Tetris to the latest Apple chip running the same game.

Cheng Mulong smacked his lips, “Unbelievable, truly unbelievable.”

Unable to connect his resurrection with Chen Chang’an himself, and with Chen deliberately feigning ignorance, their thoughts drifted toward the supernatural and incomprehensible.

Chen Chang’an, always sensitive about revealing his secret techniques, casually deflected the topic with a few indifferent words, “Anyway, not being dead is a good thing. I’ll treat everyone to a meal.”

“Hmm!” Ruan Jingchu nodded.

Ye Lin winked slyly, “Kid, that’s on you!”

Cao Wu and Cheng Mulong smiled bitterly. Given their ranks, dining alone with three rookies might spark jealousy and resentment among the entire Wuyi Guard.

Why is it always the newcomers? Why do the deputy commanders dine with them? Why don’t the old members get such treatment? Damn… so many questions arise.

Cao Wu waved her hand, “We’ll talk about that later. No rush. All three of you, come in. We have questions.”

“Exactly!” Cheng Mulong deliberately added.

The next moment, the three stood side by side in a room within the Arms Repository, reporting in detail about the Blue Armor, especially Chen Chang’an’s battle, vividly reenacted with exquisite mimicry.

After taking notes for future reference, Cheng Mulong cleared his throat, “Well, there’s nothing more for now. Go get some rest.”

Cao Wu’s face turned cold, her tone ironclad, “While in the Wuyi Guard, you can borrow martial arts manuals from the Martial Hall and other institutions to improve yourselves. When facing strong enemies, you’ll have more chances to survive.”

“Yes, sir!” They responded in unison and left the room.

*Creak!*

*Haha!*

*Hahaha!*

As the door closed, Cheng Mulong, who had been stern moments before, suddenly erupted in wild laughter, nearly maniacal, as if on a stimulant.

Cao Wu was less exaggerated but smiled sincerely, her harsh demeanor softening.

*Creak!*

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Just as the atmosphere reached its peak, Chen Chang’an pushed open the door and walked in.

Cheng Mulong was speechless.

Chen Chang’an was silent.

After a brief pause, Cheng Mulong swallowed heavily and asked, “Why are you back again?”

Chen Chang’an countered, “Deputy Commander Cheng, what are you laughing about?”

“Nonsense!” Cheng Mulong stubbornly turned away, straightening his chest to appear authoritative, “We’re professionally trained. How could we be laughing?”

“It’s you!” Cao Wu cut in mercilessly, glaring at him. “Speak. Why have you returned?”

Damn it—an eerily familiar scene flashed through Chen Chang’an’s mind, like a moment from a movie. He bowed slightly and said, “It’s like this, two commanders. I want to ask about the third realm’s initiation technique. Specifically, which original technique awakens, and what determines it?”

Even before finishing, he assumed a serious listening posture. He valued this question because multiple battles had shown him that original techniques varied in quality.

Lower-level original techniques, even cultivated to seventh or eighth grade, might not match higher-level original techniques at fourth or fifth grade. The simplest example was the mysterious figure who crushed Hua Mu Lan despite equal realms—she was utterly defenseless.

The two deputy commanders exchanged glances. Cheng Mulong first clasped his hands behind his back, exuding an air of authority, and said, “Regarding the third-grade initiation technique, there’s no specific factor that directly influences which original technique awakens, apart from the quality of second-grade soul cultivation.”

“I think Senior Sister Wu… Deputy Commander Cao mentioned this before,” Chen Chang’an interjected, adjusting his wording.

Cao Wu nodded, “In a way, second-grade soul cultivation does lay the foundation for which original technique awakens at the third grade.”

“In martial theory, the soul is considered static, while thought is a dynamic response. You can constantly contemplate in your mind what kind of original technique you desire. The quality of your second-grade cultivation determines the likelihood that this contemplation manifests as an original technique.”

“Of course, this connection and influence aren’t guaranteed—only a few with exceptionally solid second-grade cultivation benefit.”

She paused, sounding both comforting and somewhat hopeful, “But your soul is extraordinarily pure; perhaps the influence is much greater for you.”

“Alright, I understand. Thank you both, commanders!” Chen Chang’an bowed respectfully and turned to leave, pondering their words. Simply put, the “quality” of second-grade soul cultivation determines the probability that thoughts manifest as original techniques, and this probability then influences which original technique awakens.

Tricky!

By this reckoning, the chance of getting one’s desired original technique might be only a few parts per hundred million. No wonder high-level original techniques are rare, and figures like the mysterious one and Ruyi are so exceptional.

As he passed through the training grounds, two figures watched him intently from either side.

On the left stood Song Jiu, grinding his teeth and pounding a stone railing with clenched fists, “Chen Chang’an, you’re not dead? Damn it…”

The figure on the right was harder to discern. Having witnessed Chen Chang’an walk away and disappear from sight, his pupils constricted, “I lost my Kan Armor, and yet you’re unharmed? That’s bloody ridiculous!”

Exiting the Wuyi Guard, Chen Chang’an greedily drew in a few deep breaths of fresh air. Crossing Fourth Lane and Fifth Street, he planned to check if the brawl between Wu Yuanheng and Li Shu had ended when he suddenly heard a girl’s scream nearby.

And… it sounded familiar.

Quickening his pace, he soon saw it was his second sister, Su Wanqing, being grabbed and restrained by palace guards in court attire. Her clothes were disheveled, her hairpins loose.

Why was his second sister entangled with palace guards? Chen Chang’an thought briefly before stepping forward and shouting, “Stop! Let the girl go!”