Atlas of Heaven and Earth-Chapter 147: Heading to the Examination

By the end of May, Chen Chuan had prepared everything for going to the Examination. He had already informed his little aunt's family in advance, using the excuse that he would be going out for special training with Cheng Zitong recently, and might be wandering around in the wilderness, so it might be difficult to transmit messages.

He had already written some letters, which he would ask Cheng Zitong to mail when the time came. This would both reassure his family and create the illusion that he was staying in one place all the time.

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These letters included not only his family but also people he knew in the company, including classmates he knew from the academy, and even old classmates like Ding Jiao. However, to avoid being too deliberate, these were only for preparation and would not be sent unless necessary.

He had to be so cautious. Shen Zheng's experience was right there. Moreover, the latter had already obtained the Unlimited Self-Defense Permit at that time. He had not yet obtained it, so naturally, he had to be extra careful.

As for those students he was familiar with, he had inadvertently mentioned in his words that he was going to cultivate with his guidance teacher, so the students already had some vague ideas about this. Now, when he brought it up, no one felt anything abrupt. Many people wished him success in this cultivation.

On the night of the 30th, at around eleven o'clock, Chen Chuan carried a suitcase and got into Cheng Zitong's car with the Snow Emperor Blade packed in a box.

The vehicle drove west out of Yangzhi City, traveling for more than six hours to Shangbu City, located southwest of Yangzhi City. This place was at the junction of two prefectures and was also an important hub for water and land transportation.

According to the Examination process, he needed to make a phone call here, and members of the Examination team would come and give him a train ticket, allowing him to take the train to the next designated station.

Once he arrived there, he would need to go to the examination location himself.

After getting out of the car, he said to Cheng Zitong, "Teacher, please go back. The next part of the journey, the student must walk alone."

Cheng Zitong looked at him and said with some emotion, "You, my student, have grown a bit taller than last year. Time really flies." He stepped forward and said, "Focus on the Examination. The school and family matters are in the teacher's hands. You don't need to think too much. Also, be careful outside. The teacher will be waiting for your news in Yangzhi." Saying that, he heavily patted Chen Chuan's shoulder.

Chen Chuan nodded and said, "The student will remember."

"The teacher will go back now. Oh right, I left something in the suitcase for you. You might need it. Look at it when you have time."

Cheng Zitong waved at him and got back into the car. As the engine started, he drove back the way he came. Chen Chuan watched him leave, adjusted his hat, and turned to walk towards the train station square not far away.

He looked at his watch. Although it was not yet six o'clock in the morning, the road was already filled with people carrying large and small packages. The sunlight shone from behind him, falling on the square, and most of the thick walls of the train station were also illuminated.

He looked around and found a row of roadside telephone booths on the edge of the square. After walking over, he found a place with a shorter line. When the person inside came out, he went in, picked up the phone, and inserted a coin. He dialed the number given by the Examination team earlier. After waiting for a while, he was connected.

He said, "I have arrived at the designated station."

The voice on the other side said, "Wait there." Then he hung up the phone with a click.

Chen Chuan came out of the telephone booth and casually bought a newspaper and two story magazines at a newsstand on the side of the road. He sat down on a waiting chair in the square to wait.

Half an hour later, an ordinary-looking man sat down beside him, naturally handing him a train ticket and saying:

"The train ticket is for 7:50 AM. After arriving at the station, call the number below. Before entering the Land of Chaos, someone will check the items you are carrying and see if there is any external assistance or followers. Do you have any questions?"

Chen Chuan took out a piece of paper from behind the ticket, with a string of numbers written on it. He thought for a moment and said, "If the phone number is wrong, or if I can't contact anyone after arriving at the border, what should I do?"

The man replied, "You can call me again, and I will rearrange it for you. The delayed time will not be counted into your Examination, but you will have to pay for any additional expenses incurred during the period. The Examination team is not responsible."

Chen Chuan nodded, "Then I have no questions."

The man rolled up the newspaper in his hand, stood up, and walked straight away, soon disappearing into the crowd.

Chen Chuan did not leave immediately but read the newspaper for a while before getting up and walking into the station.

After entering the waiting hall, he glanced at the schedule of trains and chose a seat by the side to sit down. More than an hour later, the broadcast announced that the train he was taking had entered the station and he could board the train after ticket check.

He stood up, lined up, and smoothly passed through the ticket gate. After walking out, a black train was already parked there. He let a snack cart pass and walked up from the narrow entrance. After walking a few carriages, he found his seat, put his suitcase and Snow Emperor Blade on the luggage rack above, and sat down.

The Review Committee seemed to have a tight budget. He had to sit on the train for almost a whole day, but the ticket he was given was not a sleeper ticket, but a seat ticket.

However, he didn't care about this. As a Martial Artist with a tough physique, he didn't have high demands in this area. He could rest even while standing.

He took out a Nutrient Paste, tore it open, and ate it, continuing to read the newspaper.

This was still him.

At this time, a small man came over with a ticket. After checking, he knew he had found the right seat, but his luggage bag seemed a bit heavy. Even after trying several times on tiptoe, it kept sliding down. He said with a bitter face, "Buddy, can you lend a hand?"

Chen Chuan looked up, stood up, and with a light lift of his hand, put the suitcase inside.

"Thanks, buddy. I say, buddy, you're really tall. This physique, are you practicing martial arts?" The man looked at Chen Chuan with envy, glanced at the box containing the Snow Emperor Blade on the luggage rack, took out a cigarette, and offered it to him.

Chen Chuan indicated that he didn't smoke and sat back down. The man didn't mind. However, this person was obviously a natural talker. After sitting down, he inquired about where Chen Chuan was going. Chen Chuan casually answered a few times, and then he was talking by himself, from his family to what kind of business he was going to do this time, and also said that the road was always uneasy and business was not easy to do.

He talked endlessly, but his eyes were constantly glancing around. Chen Chuan didn't show any impatience but just read the newspaper on his own.

At this time, a few people with unkind eyes came over. Seeing him talking here, they looked at Chen Chuan opposite him a few times, hesitated, said a few words in a low voice, and then left.

The man seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

After a while, with the sound of several whistles, the train under him finally began to move slowly. The man also fell silent and looked at the scenery outside.

However, after only three stops, this person seemed to have reached his station. He neatly put on his hat, jumped up, grabbed his luggage bag, and whispered as he left, "Thanks, buddy."

Chen Chuan looked up at him and nodded.

As the train continued to travel station by station, the passengers opposite him were constantly changing, and the sky outside was changing from bright to dark, and then fell into darkness.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Chen Chuan went to the bathroom to simply wash up and returned to his seat to close his eyes and rest.

At this moment, he also discovered that after the internal organs were mutated, the two were not simply merged into one. The Mutated Tissue was like another set of organs of his, which could alternate with the original organs to rest.

When one set was sleeping, the other set could continue to remain active. This could be said to be an organizational organ born to adapt to combat.

Therefore, as long as there was a slight disturbance around or something incompatible with the environment, his senses would immediately give him a warning and then quickly react.

However, perhaps because he looked unapproachable and had the invisible aura of a Martial Artist, even in a crowded place like the train, he did not encounter anyone with no sense of propriety to provoke him. Some people who were obviously pickpockets consciously avoided him from a distance, obviously with good eyesight.

He understood that these people were very likely to have the same destination as him, people who were going to the Land of Chaos, because to go there, one must first have the martial power to protect oneself.

At six o'clock in the morning, the train finally arrived at the last stop of his journey this time. The friction between the axles and the rails gradually weakened, the train slowly stopped, the steam valve opened, and with the release of the remaining steam, a long exhalation sound came from the exhaust pipe, and the surrounding sounds became clear.

Chen Chuan took his luggage, carried the box containing the Snow Emperor Blade on his back, and got off the train. When he walked out of the station, he felt a cold wind blowing in his face. There was residual snow on the ground, and many people around were wrapped in thicker clothes, but he felt very comfortable. However, in order not to be too conspicuous, he also took out a scarf and wrapped it around his neck.

The passengers coming and going here were all walking in a hurry, and few gathered together. On both sides of the station were security personnel with guns, each with sharp eyes, scanning the crowds coming and going in the square from time to time.

After looking at it a few times, he found a telephone booth on the edge of the square, put a coin in it, dialed the number given by the man, and said after being connected, "I have arrived at the station," and reported the number on a piece of paper.

A hoarse female voice came from the other side: "Coming soon."

He waited for less than a quarter of an hour before seeing a modified off-road vehicle drive over and stop not far in front of him. The person in the driver's seat flicked her head at him and said, "Get in the car."

Chen Chuan saw that this was a woman in her late twenties, wearing a short coat, with wind goggles on her forehead. At first glance, she was quite pretty, but there were many traces of wind and frost on the corners of her eyes, and her eyes were very sharp, making her look unapproachable.

He walked over, opened the door, got into the car, and sat down. The person spoke first, "You are Chen, the young man taking the Examination this time?" Chen Chuan nodded and asked, "May I ask for your surname?"

"No need to be polite, my surname is Hu, Hu Xian."

Chen Chuan said, "So it's Ms. Hu. Thank you for picking me up. Is Ms. Hu also a member of the Review Committee?"

Hu Xian said carelessly, "That's right, I'm the auditor. I'm also responsible for providing you with intelligence, weapons, and logistical support, and of course, including..." She glanced at the rearview mirror, "Collecting your corpses."

When she said this sentence, she stared at Chen Chuan, seemingly wanting to see something from his face, but Chen Chuan's eyes were very calm. She said, "I can see that you are experienced, but every year there are students who are seriously injured or die in the Examination here. I hope you don't become one of them, so as not to trouble me again."

Chen Chuan asked, "Has Ms. Hu been here for a long time?"

"It's just a job. No one else wants to come to this broken place. I have no connections and can't transfer back. Moreover, after I've been here for so long, the superiors change their heads every time, and they all think I'm doing a good job. They look at my file and see, hey, an old employee, never made a mistake, okay, you just stay here."

Hu Xian mocked herself a few times, stepped on the accelerator hard, and the off-road vehicle drove very fast, stopping at an old-fashioned hotel in about ten minutes. She led Chen Chuan in and asked the pretty woman at the front desk for the key, throwing it to Chen Chuan.

"I own this hotel, my private property. The first three days are free, and you have to pay after that. If you need anything, talk to Lao Wan, the big bearded man guarding the door. Don't look at him with his rough face, he's very careful. How should I put it, he's so skillful that he can run horses on his arms and embroider flowers on his fingers. You can entrust anything to him."

Chen Chuan followed her to the second floor, entered a room. The living room floor was covered with a thick carpet, with a chandelier hanging above, and a log table in the middle. There was a dartboard hanging on the wall.

Hu Xian walked over and pushed open the window, "The view here is okay, and the sun shines in. Of course, if you don't like it, you can change it, but the conditions here are like this. This room is already the best."

Chen Chuan looked at it and nodded, "No need to change." He put down his suitcase and indicated, "Do you need to check it? The person who contacted me said there was this procedure."

Hu Xian glanced at it and said indifferently, "No need. How much can you bring? And what can't you get in this place? Wait for me." She turned around and went out, returning shortly after and throwing a stack of booklets on his table, saying, "Your Examination target."