Celestial Human Diagram

Chapter 355 - 86: Enhancement

Darkness fell before Chen Chuan’s eyes. A cold, slick sensation washed over him as a force enveloped him, pushing and squeezing him into the dark depths.

With a single slide, he felt himself arrive in a slightly more spacious area. But only for a moment. The strong muscles around him began to instinctively contract and squeeze inward.

He instantly felt his entire body constricted by a tough, unyielding force that was continuously tightening. Since he couldn’t stretch his limbs, he was forced to rely on the endogenous power of his Mutated Organization to resist the pressure from all sides.

Surprisingly, he could still breathe a certain amount of oxygen in here; this must have been a consideration when the biological tool was cultivated.

But the crushing force made every breath laborious. This forced his Mutated Organization to instinctively sense the danger and begin to cooperate of its own accord.

After a short while, he felt a large amount of fluid being secreted inside the snake’s body. This was the Snake Shedding’s own nutrients, along with drugs it had swallowed beforehand. These substances would seep into his bloodstream for him to absorb, preventing him from fainting or dying due to excessive physical exertion.

He could clearly feel that under the omnipresent pressure, the Mutated Organization in his sinews, bones, and internal organs was desperately absorbing the drugs, trying to grow stronger to resist the external threat.

’But this osmotic absorption is far too slow,’ he thought. ’It’s not nearly enough for my Mutated Organization.’ So, he simultaneously activated his Inner Breathing Technique, allowing his skin to aid in respiration and absorption.

Outside the glass wall, Zou Handan watched. This type of Snake Shedding remains dormant after hatching. Once a foreign object enters its abdomen, the stimulus triggers rapid self-growth.

From start to finish, the Snake Shedding has a theoretical lifespan of three days—seventy-two hours—after which its Life Force is completely depleted.

During the growth process, the Snake Shedding subjects the recipient to all-around stimulation. Under the dual effects of the drugs and the osmotic pressure, the Fighter’s internal organs, sinews, and bones are forced to passively resist, gradually strengthening in the process.

Judging from previous subjects, most had to come out after one or two days.

Inside the Snake Shedding, they constantly expended physical and mental energy. The cramped, pitch-black space, in particular, was enough to cause severe psychological trauma.

If the subjects weren’t Fighters with a baseline level of willpower, an ordinary person would likely go insane within half a minute, even if their body could withstand it.

But coming out early wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Theoretically, the longer one stayed inside, the greater the benefits. However, the human body has its limits, and the efficiency of nutrient absorption can rarely keep pace with consumption. There had been cases of people who pushed too hard and ended up fainting or nearly dying, so they always reminded their clients in the preliminary instructions to act within their own capabilities.

He stared ahead. This time, Chen Chuan hadn’t requested Domain monitoring. Zou Handan didn’t know the specifics of his condition, but he guessed two days or so would be his limit.

Inside the Snake Shedding, Chen Chuan noticed the constricting pressure gradually intensifying. It felt as if a single moment of hesitation would result in his bones and sinews being crushed.

This was because the Snake Shedding was growing rapidly, its own strength and resilience amplifying as well. Furthermore, the biological tool adapted to the object it had swallowed; a subject with stronger resistance would stimulate it to release even more of its Life Force.

’But this external pressure is perfect,’ he thought. It forced the Mutated Organization in his body to continuously self-strengthen and absorb nutrients without pause. His usual self-training after taking medicine could never achieve this effect.

「Soon, a day had passed.」

After his recent extended sparring sessions with Teacher Zheng and his battles against Zhao Qian, Toad Blade, and the others, his Second Self’s overlap time had now reached three days and five hours—more than enough to last through this service.

Zou Handan watched from the outside, his expression growing more serious. The Snake Shedding process wasn’t actually supposed to be continuous. If it sensed the resistance from the "foreign object" in its abdomen weakening, it would reduce the pressure accordingly.

This was a recovery phase for the subject. Medicinal fluids would seep in from the outside to repair tissues damaged by the constant resistance, allowing the client to rest. Once their stamina recovered, the process would be stimulated again, repeating the cycle.

But this time, there seemed to be no interruption. In past cases, this was not a good sign; it usually meant the subject was pushing themselves too hard. Most injuries and fainting spells occurred under exactly these circumstances.

Although the agreement stipulated that the subject was solely responsible for such incidents, Chen Chuan had been recommended by Cao Guiqi and currently seemed to have a good relationship with the Cyan Bag Jade Workshop. Zou Handan didn’t want any future trouble.

So he instructed his subordinates to rush in and terminate the process immediately if they noticed anything unusual, while he went to attend to another client under his care.

The remaining staff heard his instructions and understood that this client likely had an important background. They all watched nervously, ready to rush in for a rescue at a moment’s notice.

「Another day passed.」

After a short half-hour rest and taking a stimulant, Zou Handan reappeared before the glass wall and got an update from the staff on duty.

Chen Chuan had now been inside the Snake Shedding for forty-eight hours. Most Fighters would have given up by now, but it appeared he was still going strong.

Since there were no signs of trouble, he could only continue to wait.

By now, spurred on by Chen Chuan’s resistance, the Snake Shedding’s body had grown even stronger and more robust than ever. It was designed to expend its entire Life Force in just three days before dying upon completion of its service.

Thus, by the end of the final day, its entire body looked as if it had been drained of all moisture, transforming from robust to gaunt before slowly shriveling away.

Chen Chuan felt the external pressure suddenly lighten. The tough muscles pressed against his body seemed to vanish abruptly. He knew the service must be over.

He struggled a bit, extended his hands, and easily pierced through the skin and flesh that had, moments before, been strong enough to crush him. Then, with a surge of strength, he tore the entire restraint apart.

He stepped out and found himself surrounded by nothing but a dry, shriveled snakeskin. The skeleton that had once supported the Snake Shedding had become as brittle as rotten branches; when he stepped on it, it crumbled into dust.

He took a deep breath and carefully assessed his condition.

Over the past three days, his sinews, bones, and internal organs had undergone repeated cycles of compression, resistance, and repair. They had all been trained and strengthened to a significant degree.

’The effects are excellent.’

Since the sensation of the external stimulus hadn’t faded, his Mutated Organization was still using the residual medicinal effects to strengthen itself. It looked like this process would continue for a while longer.

He stretched his limbs briefly, then walked down the corridor back to his room. He took a quick shower, changed back into his own clothes, put on his Realm Token, and walked out with his Snow Monarch Blade.

Outside, he saw Zou Handan waiting for him. Zou Handan spoke very politely, "Mr. Chen, were you satisfied with the service provided by our sect?"

Chen Chuan grunted in acknowledgment. "Can your sect continue to provide this service?"

Zou Handan said, "Of course, but I must apologize. Due to the limited production of the Snake Shedding, we only have one slot available per month. If you book now, you can be scheduled for next month."

"Then book me for it," Chen Chuan said.

"Very well," said Zou Handan. "For clients who have used the service once, we move them up in the queue. You should have your turn in the first part of next month, Mr. Chen."

Chen Chuan glanced outside. "I don’t think I saw any other guests when I arrived?"

Zou Handan smiled. "That’s because we place a high value on our clients’ privacy. We schedule them at different times to keep them separate. Besides, the Secret Snake Sect has enough estates near Chaocai Lake to accommodate a great number of guests."

He added, "We have many recreational activities near Chaocai Lake and Rift Wave Valley. If you’re not in a hurry, Mr. Chen, you can rest and relax here."

"No, I have other business to attend to. I’ll be leaving now," Chen Chuan said.

"Very well. We look forward to your next visit, Mr. Chen." Zou Handan turned to Lin Yingzi, who was standing beside him. "Please see Mr. Chen out."

Chen Chuan nodded to him and followed Lin Yingzi out through the glass corridor. He took a tour cart back to the parking lot, got into his Jade, and drove away.

On the way, he first sent a message to Fa Gaoming to let him know he was out. Then, he contacted Lu Fang. "Senior Brother Lu, I’ve taken care of things on my end. How are things on yours?"

Lu Fang said, "I’ve been observing Zhao Qian’s residence up close for the past few days. It seems like someone is still living there."

"Someone’s living there?"

Chen Chuan’s mind raced. ’Did Zhao Qian arrange for someone to guard the house?’

"I’m not sure," Lu Fang said. "But I discovered that the person inside orders Nutrition Paste from Longde Foods every day, and a delivery person brings it in. I don’t think a typical Guardian would do that. And it’s strange that instead of buying in bulk, they insist on daily deliveries."

Chen Chuan considered this. ’Longde Foods is a sponsor for Wuyi, specializing in Nutrition Paste for Fighters. It’s not that ordinary people can’t eat it, but most can’t stand the bland taste. Plus, it’s not cheap on the open market, let alone with home delivery. This doesn’t sound like a regular house-sitter.’

Lu Fang continued, "Brother Wu told me that the Biological Domain signal from the house changes once every day. There must be Domain Creatures inside. Regardless of the resident’s identity, they undoubtedly possess some form of resonance technology."

He added emphatically, "Junior Brother, Brother Wu and I both believe that something is hidden there. We might really be able to find a clue inside."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment before replying, "Senior Brother Lu, don’t make a move just yet. Wait for me to rendezvous with you tonight."

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