Atlas of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 498: Imprint Monster

Chen Chuan watched as he charged forward. From his previous battle and the reaction of the energy field, he could sense that this person's specialty was likely the Seizing Technique.

However, due to the high coverage of Mutated Tissue, he also seemed to have some proficiency in other Strength Techniques.

The aggressive and intense fighting style of his opponent suggested that he wanted to take down everyone, including Chen Chuan, before the training session ended.

Having discerned his opponent's intentions, Chen Chuan did not retreat. Instead, he met the challenge head-on, not avoiding the outstretched hand but raising his own arm to block. Yu Lie quickly grabbed his arm, and a surge of Seizing Technique force immediately penetrated.

The Seizing Technique force could control Mutated Tissue and sever the activity of blood vessels and muscles. Even someone with stronger Internal energy than Yu Lie would find it difficult to resist under the Seizing Technique force. Thus, Yu Lie was initially confident. However, this time, after his Internal energy penetrated, he found it had no effect.

His eyes narrowed, "Iron Body Training?"

Only the force of Iron Body Training could withstand his locking technique, but this situation did not fluster him.

Although Iron Body Training was tough, the human body's structure had many exploitable weaknesses, such as various fragile parts and joints. His Grappling Technique could still be effective.

What truly surprised him was that his Spiritual Power had not shaken Chen Chuan in the slightest.

He could see that Chen Chuan was also on this path, but from the gleam in his eyes, it seemed he had not been on it for long. Yu Lie, being older, believed his Spiritual Power should be more profound.

But he overlooked one thing: only a sufficiently strong body could nurture a sufficiently strong Spirit. Chen Chuan had always focused on improving his foundation, and his Spiritual Power was very abundant. With his determination and tempering method, even without using Second Self, he would not be shaken by such a simple impact.

Just as Yu Lie was about to change his approach, Chen Chuan, seemingly unaffected, suddenly closed the distance before Yu Lie could exert more force. Chen Chuan grabbed Yu Lie's arm with his other hand, and another surge of Seizing Technique force penetrated.

Yu Lie was very familiar with grappling. He was somewhat surprised that Chen Chuan could also use it, but knowing how to use it, he also knew how to defend and break free. He thought Chen Chuan's current move was unwise.

If Chen Chuan had maintained the Iron Body Training, Yu Lie would have had to find another way to break through, possibly leading to a prolonged fight he did not want. But now, Chen Chuan had entered his familiar territory. Yu Lie grinned, using his Mutated Tissue to dissolve the Internal energy, and prepared to counter-grapple Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan released his grip and moved his hand upward, grabbing Yu Lie's shoulder, instantly transforming the force into a Grappling Strength.

This sudden change completely caught Yu Lie off guard. Resisting the Seizing Technique and grappling force were two different things. He hurriedly adjusted his Mutated Tissue.

But it was too late. Chen Chuan's other hand reached Yu Lie's waist, and as their Internal energies connected, Yu Lie's body stiffened. With a slight lift, Chen Chuan hoisted Yu Lie into the air.

After a brief pause in the air, Chen Chuan slammed him down hard!

With a loud crash, even the specially reinforced floor and building structure shook, sending ripples outward.

Unable to gather any Mutated Tissue to resist, Yu Lie's bones broke in multiple places upon impact. His limbs twisted grotesquely, and his face pressed tightly against the ground. His recently healed teeth and jawbone shattered once more.

Though he did not lose consciousness, he lay there immobile, looking utterly disfigured.

Chen Chuan looked at him and said, "Major Yu, you can go back and rest for a few days."

Only three minutes had passed since the fight began, and there were still seven or eight minutes before the training session officially started.

Despite the intense fight, no one came to intervene.

Everyone in the training field knew what was happening, but no one stepped in to stop it.

Because this was a training session, not the army. Outside of training hours, Chen Bitong was not responsible for their personal behavior or safety.

Footsteps echoed from outside as Fang Zhixin walked in. He glanced at the scene on the ground, shook his head, and then used a Boundary Token to notify someone.

Soon, medical personnel arrived and carried the injured away.

Chen Chuan then said, "Assistant Fang, you knew this would happen today, didn't you?"

Fang Zhixin sighed, "Yu Lie is that kind of person. He causes trouble wherever he goes. But he has some background, and when his application came in, Master Chen didn't reject it. So, I couldn't stop him from coming."

Though he said this, Fang Zhixin knew that Yu Lie had come mainly because he saw the Special Operations Committee members targeting Master Chen and wanted to take them down.

That's why he was pleased with the outcome.

As for the fight with Chen Chuan, frankly, once Yu Lie went berserk, it was hard to stop him. Besides, he didn't think Yu Lie posed a threat to Chen Chuan and even hoped Yu Lie would get a taste of his own medicine.

The result was exactly as he had expected. Yu Lie was no match for Chen Chuan.

This was the best outcome.

As they spoke, Chen Bitong walked in. He didn't mention the incident at all but directly instructed Fang Zhixin to fill the vacant spots. There were always people waiting outside to join, so it was quickly arranged.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Chen Bitong said to Chen Chuan, "Let's begin."

Chen Chuan nodded.

The surroundings then began to change. The training hall faded away, and they found themselves once again in the Simulation's Convergence Zone.

In recent days, Chen Bitong had been teaching them how to deal with various creatures in the Convergence Zone. The most troublesome was a plant-animal hybrid called "Ghost Vine Root."

These creatures could lie dormant underground, invisible until they suddenly emerged en masse, making escape nearly impossible.

In such situations, one had to quickly identify the ones with the strongest energy fields and eliminate them to have a chance of escaping.

But these creatures were not stationary, and their energy fluctuations could vary in intensity. This required constant focus and Spirit to detect while evading.

This was a significant test of both Spirit and physical endurance. The first time, Chen Chuan lasted two hours but couldn't completely eliminate them before the simulation ended.

He went back and pondered strategies, taking three days to finally break through their encirclement quickly and accurately. He felt that this training had significantly improved his ability to predict enemy intentions.

The fight with Yu Lie was a testament to this. Every move was anticipated, and Yu Lie was never allowed to fully unleash his strength.

This kind of improvement required facing various formidable enemies. If the Wuyi School focused on honing one's foundation, then the training session was about developing combat skills and experience.

He wondered what kind of opponent he would face today.

As he thought this, a light appeared around him, and the previously intact scene seemed to shatter and become chaotic.

His eyes narrowed slightly. He had seen this before when Fusion Boundary clashed with the entity on the other side.

Chen Bitong then spoke, "We guard the World Ring mainly to prevent the infiltration of the entity on the other side. Whenever that entity's strength seeps through, reality and illusion blur.

At such times, you must be careful. Those with weak willpower and unfocused Spirit can easily be corrupted by the entity.

The most common and troublesome of these is something called "Imprint Being." You can also call it "Imprint Monster."

This thing has no physical form but can invade a person's consciousness through gaps in their Spirit.

Unlike Activation, it has enough consciousness to lurk within a person's body, subtly altering their perceptions and twisting their thoughts, making them unwittingly serve its purpose.

But it's hard for ordinary people to distinguish. For example, do you think the person speaking to you now is me... or an Imprint Being?"

The first half of the sentence came from his mouth, but the second half came from behind.

Chen Chuan turned to see another Chen Bitong standing there.

Chen Bitong said, "As you can see, our strength is the same, our external appearances are identical, and even our usual speech habits are indistinguishable..."

Another Chen Bitong chimed in, "Even the closest people can't tell the difference. How do you think you should distinguish?"

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. If this weren't a simulation, it would be simpler. The entity's presence would inevitably cause fading, allowing him to identify it immediately.

But in an environment where infiltration is everywhere, even Second Self might struggle to pinpoint the true source. Thus, other methods would be needed to verify.

He pondered and said, "I think, in such cases, perhaps we can use the Activation Index. As you said, Master Chen, Spirit cannot fully harmonize with the body in a short time, so there will be inconsistencies."

Chen Bitong nodded, "You've hit the key point. The Activation Index of an Imprint Being is always between thirty and forty. This can indeed help identify the root of the problem.

But we can't rely solely on this, as it's just an instrument. You can't be sure if what you see is truly without issues. If it's not detected early, it becomes even harder to find flaws once it fully harmonizes.

So, I need you to remember, when you suspect a teammate is compromised, there's one simple method..."

He spoke slowly, "That is to explain the situation to your teammate and then decisively take action. If they resist, don't hold back, because in such situations, your safety comes first."

"But..." Chen Chuan looked up at him, "how do I prove to my teammates that I myself am not compromised?"

83 Latest Address