Atlas of Heaven and Man

By six thirty, Chen Chuan had changed into a windbreaker, picked up the Snow Sovereign Saber, and left the dormitory to take the tram at the railway station.

At this hour, the tram was still relatively empty, as company employees usually worked until eleven or twelve, and it was still too early for the after-work rush.

Looking through the Boundary Token, the noisy sounds, the dazzling lights, and the colorful advertisements constantly assaulted his senses. Despite having been in the central city for several days, he was still only seeing superficial things. The things hidden deep down were far from being touched; he still needed time.

Recently, he had been chatting with Wu Bei and now knew that these lights and shadows required a certain amount of resources to be displayed through the Boundary Points. The amount of investment determined the effect presented to the outside world, and these resources were highly contested by many people.

It was like when he first arrived at the Martial Courage Academy for vacation. Because he was the only student in the academy and a freshman, he could enjoy many resources alone.

However, the Martial Courage Academy possessed an active consciousness entity, so such resources should be sufficient for all students to use freely. Moreover, he felt that, judging from Hong Fu, the boundary between reality and illusion was very blurred, possibly a more advanced application. Wu Bei couldn't explain it clearly either.

At seven o'clock, Chen Chuan got off the tram. Because the location Wu-laoshi gave him was very remote, there was no direct transport, so he had to walk for half an hour to get there.

However, along the way, he saw almost no residential buildings, not even gang members. The street roads were broken and uneven, with sewage accumulating in the ditches. There were weeds and gravel everywhere, but occasionally he would see some bonfires with some vagrants sitting around them, and sometimes wild dogs would wander nearby.

At seven thirty, Chen Chuan saw the small hill he had seen on the map, and the two-story wooden structure house on top of it. It was lit up at the moment, but no one was approaching.

Chen Chuan walked along a path almost hidden by weeds towards it. Around him, he could see many houses that looked like they had been pushed down or blown up, and after arriving here, obvious signs of virtualization appeared on his body.

He glanced at it, didn't stop, and continued walking forward. After reaching the top of the small hill, he approached the wooden house, and the door was opened from the inside.

Wu-laoshi stood in the house, smiling, and said, "Student Chen, please come in. I've been waiting for you for a long time." After the door opened, the light from the small house behind him was very bright, seemingly the only warm color in this desolate night, and his smile was also very sincere and warm.

Chen Chuan said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Teacher."

"No, you are very punctual."

Wu-laoshi sighed and said, "Perhaps my level is not high enough, I can't teach a student like you." He stepped aside and said, "Come in."

Chen Chuan nodded. He walked in and saw that the furnishings in the house were neatly arranged. In the middle was a long table with a pot of tea on it, and five chairs on each side.

Wu-laoshi closed the door and said, "Sit wherever you like." He went over to pick up the teapot and poured him a cup of steaming tea, saying, "I'm sorry to call you over so late, but school is about to start in a few days, and I don't want to face too many people, lest there be too many regrets."

Chen Chuan didn't sit down, but came to the window and looked outside. The terrain here was slightly higher, and from here he could see the colorful and dazzling night scene of the central city.

Wu-laoshi said, "The scenery here used to be very good. Years ago, I lived in those demolished houses at the foot of the mountain. I don't know if you saw them when you came."

"Later, a company came and said they wanted to develop this area, and everyone was driven away. I remember that it wasn't even dawn that day, it was a very cold morning, and a group of security guards with guns drove our family out, saying that the ownership of this area and the assets above had been changed, giving us an hour to leave here."

"At that time, I was very young, and I asked my father, what will happen here?"

"My father said that this place would be like other places in the city, with many tall and beautiful houses erected. I asked my father if we could live there then? At that time, my father just hugged me tightly..."

Speaking of this, Wu-laoshi sighed, "Later, he left me when I was ten years old. Only then did I know that he was the tallest house."

Chen Chuan looked at the foot of the hill, where there was only darkness, and said, "But why is there nothing here now?"

"Because this matter ended without a conclusion. For some reason, that company abandoned this plan, so this area has been deserted for many years, and we have not been able to return. It's ridiculous, isn't it?"

Wu-laoshi said mockingly, gesturing to one side, "Look, this is their advertising campaign at the time."

Chen Chuan turned his head and glanced at it. He saw a long advertising poster pasted on the wall. Under the blue sky and white clouds, there was a carefully arranged series of towering and imposing buildings, and a rainbow passed through from above, located exactly at the golden ratio.

This painting was very beautiful and inspiring, but when combined with the reality outside at this moment, it felt very ironic. In the lower right corner of the painting was a familiar logo.

It was a blooming ink orchid.

He stared at it for a while, wondering if the Mo Lan Company needed this land at the time…

"Student Chen," Wu-laoshi said with a smile, "I see that your communication avatar is still vacant. You may be a pragmatist, but don't underestimate this thing…"

He pointed with his hand, "A good contact avatar can give people a good impression, and it's also an indirect expression of your preferences and personality. You'd better pick one too. In the future, when dealing with people, it can add a lot to your impression."

Chen Chuan glanced at him. If he didn't know that this teacher had been deceiving him from the start, he might have thought this was a true mentor and friend.

But now, these things might not necessarily be his disguise. After all, people are complex, and maybe this person has experienced something in the past, so he has other choices in his heart.

He said, "Thank you for the reminder, teacher. I will."

Teacher Wu smiled at this time and said, "Student Chen, why don't you drink tea?"

Chen Chuan said, "It's still a bit hot, let it cool down for a while."

"Student Chen probably doesn't drink tea often, right? If you drink it often, you'll know that tea should be drunk a little hotter."

Chen Chuan said, "Personal habit, I guess."

Teacher Wu smiled again and said with disappointment, "Student Chen, as soon as you came, I couldn't help but talk too much. It might be a problem left over from teaching students in the past. I always like to preach and chat with students. It seems that this problem can't be changed."

Chen Chuan said, "I've read the list that Teacher Wu gave me. Teacher, you've had many students, and their evaluations of you are very high. It seems that Teacher Wu has always been a very dedicated teacher, and the students all like you very much."

"Those are all things of the past."

Teacher Wu shook his head with a wry smile, "What's the use of teaching so many students well? Their paths are just those. They may die in a gang conflict, leaving behind younger siblings to support, and then their younger siblings will continue to follow in their footsteps.

Or they may accidentally break their spine in the arena, and then keep selling their organs to support the rest of themselves, until one day they sell the last part.

Or, thinking positively, they go to work as security guards or mercenaries for a security company, and when they get old, they retire with a body full of injuries, but because they used an implanted body that doesn't belong to them, they are told that they still owe the company money. Well, at least he still has some residual value at that time."

He sighed and said, "It's difficult for them to have any future."

Chen Chuan said, "So, Teacher Wu, your Empty Practice technique is to change all of this?"

Teacher Wu said regretfully, "I've tried it, most people are ordinary people, and talented people are rare after all. So far, I've only encountered three, but they all got stuck on the last step. So far, no one has been able to cross that step and improve this technique."

After Chen Chuan heard this, he said, "I've read the materials that Teacher Wu sent me. Those techniques can be used to stimulate the brain and nerves. It may be difficult for ordinary people to do it.

But if they are not naturally talented people, especially students with unstable foundations, once they can't restrain themselves, I'm afraid they will rob normal physiological functions. Teacher Wu, you, as a teacher, should be clear about this, right?"

"Yes." Teacher Wu nodded and said, "I know."

Chen Chuan looked at him: "What happened to those students now?"

A strange light appeared in Teacher Wu's eyes. He looked behind Chen Chuan and said with emotion, "They are in the cabinet behind you. They have been with me there all the time. They are all my good students. I won't abandon them. They will follow me until they witness my success."

He looked at Chen Chuan, "I can feel that the last step is not far away. I originally wanted to find Student Chen. You were able to come to the central city from here as a commoner student. Your talent is undoubtedly very outstanding, and your foundation seems to be very solid. As long as you agree, you can complete all of this."

A smile appeared on his face, "But tell me, why are you unwilling?"

Chen Chuan said, "I'm very curious, if I don't agree, how will Teacher Wu let me complete this step?"

Teacher Wu smiled and said, "Student Chen, although you are unwilling, your brain is there. I only need your brain. By maintaining its activity through certain equipment and drugs, and performing specific stimulation, we can find the correct path by establishing a simulation observation."

"Equipment?" Chen Chuan stared at him, "So, behind Teacher Wu's project, there is also the support of a company... or someone at the school?"

Teacher Wu's eyes turned cold: "This has nothing to do with Student Chen. You just need to make a contribution."

Chen Chuan said sincerely, "I feel that I was right to refuse at the beginning. How can I improve my skills by being with a vermin like you?"

The muscles on Teacher Wu's face twitched and trembled, and he suddenly became extremely ferocious. The bones in his body made a creaking sound, the floor under his feet shook slightly, and the chandelier on top was also shaking, becoming flickering and dim.

Chen Chuan ignored the danger emanating from him, slowly raised the Snow Monarch Saber, stared at him and said, "Now, I'm going to trouble Teacher Wu to give me some pointers on my fighting skills."

Saying that, he gently flicked his thumb, the scabbard flew to one side, and with a thud, it stuck on the wall on one side, and a snow-bright cold light was revealed in the room.

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