Courtyard Check-in: Starting with a Small World of Cultivation

May 15th, Tuesday morning.

Chen Yu stood in front of the metallographic microscope in the research institute's laboratory, adjusting the focus. Under the microscope, the metal sample showed a silvery-white crystalline structure; this was the initial sample of a new high-temperature resistant alloy prepared by Lin Zhenhua's research group.

"Xiao Chen, have you noticed anything wrong?" Lin Zhenhua stood to the side, holding a lab notebook in his hand.

Chen Yu didn't answer immediately. He subtly activated his Spiritual Eye Technique, a fleeting glint of light flashing in his eyes—this was the refined control he had gained after breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, allowing him to use it without attracting attention. Through the Spiritual Eye Technique, the microstructure of the metal's interior appeared in a different form: while a regular microscope could only reveal the crystal lattice arrangement, the Spiritual Eye Technique could "see" the stress distribution, impurity accumulation points, grain boundary defects, and more within the material…

"Teacher Lin, here." Chen Yu pointed to an area of ​​the sample, "There are microcracks at the grain boundaries, which should be caused by uneven cooling during quenching."

Lin Zhenhua peered closely through the microscope for a long time before he could vaguely make out the spot Chen Yu had pointed out. He looked up in surprise: "You have such sharp eyesight! This crack is less than five micrometers wide; I didn't even notice it."

"It's probably a habit I developed at the steel rolling mill, where I frequently check for surface defects in steel," Chen Yu offered a plausible explanation.

"Great! This discovery is very important." Lin Zhenhua excitedly noted in his notebook, "The quenching process needs to be adjusted. Xiao Chen, this afternoon you and I will conduct a comparative experiment to test the effect of different cooling rates on grain boundaries."

"OK."

After finishing his work in the morning, Chen Yu ran into Su Hongmei in the cafeteria. She sat down opposite him with her lunchbox and whispered, "I heard you spotted a crack that even Engineer Lin didn't notice? Impressive!"

"Just lucky."

"Don't be modest." Su Hongmei blinked. "By the way, are you free on Saturday? A few of us young people are going boating at the Summer Palace. Why don't you come along? We're all colleagues from the institute, you can get to know each other."

Chen Yu hesitated for a moment. He did need to build a new network of relationships, but he had already scheduled a sailing training session with the Seven Star Alliance for the weekend.

"Sorry, Sister Su, I have something to do at home this weekend."

"That's a pity." Su Hongmei was a little disappointed, but quickly added, "You must come next time! It's rare for our team to have a young person. Old Zhou and Engineer Lin are both workaholics, I'm so bored."

After lunch, Chen Yu returned to his office. Lin Zhenhua had already drawn up the schematics for the afternoon's experiment. Seeing him enter, he pointed to the drawings and said, "Xiao Chen, I've been thinking about it. The cooling rate issue you raised is crucial. We only have one quenching tank, and the water temperature control isn't precise enough. Do you have any ideas?"

Chen Yu looked at the blueprints, a paper on metal heat treatment published in the journal *Science* flashing through his mind. He carefully chose his words: "Professor Lin, I saw a rudimentary method when I was in a steel rolling mill—using two water tanks, the first with slightly higher water temperature for pre-cooling; the second with an ice-water mixture for final cooling. The transfer time is controlled within three seconds."

"Dual-tank quenching?" Lin Zhenhua's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! Although the equipment is rudimentary, it can achieve gradient cooling. Let's try it this afternoon!"

The two spent the entire afternoon in the lab. Chen Yu was in charge of preparing the samples, while Lin Zhenhua adjusted the equipment. When the first sample completed double-groove quenching and revealed a uniform and fine grain structure under the metallographic microscope, Lin Zhenhua excitedly patted Chen Yu on the shoulder: "Success! The grain boundary cracks have been significantly reduced! Chen, your suggestion has at least advanced our experimental schedule by a month!"

"It's all thanks to Teacher Lin's excellent guidance."

"Don't be modest, the credit is yours." Lin Zhenhua looked at Chen Yu with admiration in his eyes. "You'll be giving the technical report on this discovery at next week's research group meeting. Prepare well; this will be your first official appearance at the institute."

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat. This was an opportunity—it would allow him to gain a foothold in his new unit and pave the way for his future leave to go to the South China Sea. After all, it was perfectly reasonable for a high-performing researcher to occasionally travel for "field research."

"Thank you, Professor Lin, for giving me this opportunity."

After get off work, Chen Yu didn't go straight back to the courtyard house. He went to the post office and, using the address Yang Jianguo had given him, sent a telegram to Wang Haiyang of the Guangzhou Ocean Bureau to confirm his travel arrangements. He also sent a letter to a friend in Tianjin, asking him to continue looking after He Yushui's girlfriend's family.

After finishing all that, he returned to Nanluoguxiang. Just as he entered the alley, he was stopped by Director Wang from the neighborhood committee.

"Xiao Chen, we were just looking for you!" Director Wang said, holding a file folder. "Your housing application has been approved! The neighborhood committee has decided to allocate Xu Damao's room to you. Here are the keys and related documents."

Chen Yu was stunned: "So fast?"

"Special cases require special handling," Director Wang said with a smile. "You're about to be transferred to a defense unit, so the organization will prioritize resolving your family's housing issue. Besides, Xu Damao was sentenced to three years, so the house is just sitting empty anyway. Lou Xiao'e has moved back to her parents' home, and all the formalities have been completed."

Chen Yu took the file bag, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Xu Damao's two rooms were in the central courtyard, in a good location and spacious. With this house, Qin Huairu and the child could live more comfortably.

"Thank you, Director Wang."

"Don't mention it, it's my pleasure." Director Wang lowered his voice. "Xiao Chen, do your best at your new unit. It's an honor for our neighborhood to have a national defense research talent like you."

Back home, Chen Yu shared the good news with Qin Huairu. She was initially overjoyed, but then a little uneasy: "Won't the people in the neighborhood gossip about Xu Damao's house?"

"The paperwork is complete and all the above is done." Chen Yu held her hand. "And we're not living here for free; we pay rent to the neighborhood committee every month. When we have the means, we'll buy our own house."

Qin Huairu was finally relieved and began to plan how to furnish the new home: "One of those two rooms can be used as a bedroom, and the other as a living room. The kitchen, though small, will be more convenient than the current one. It's just that it'll be a bit far from the water tap after we move in..."

Watching his wife meticulously planning, Chen Yu felt a warmth in his heart. This simple happiness was exactly what he desperately wanted to protect.

After dinner, Chen Yu entered the small world. He sat cross-legged by the spiritual spring and took out the last Qi Nourishing Pill. After breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, the effect of ordinary Qi Nourishing Pills had weakened, but it was better than nothing.

After taking the pill, he circulated his cultivation technique. The spiritual energy emanating from the spiritual spring was much denser than before. The small world had indeed changed after the breakthrough—not only had the concentration of spiritual energy increased, but the gray mist at the edge of the space had also expanded outwards slightly, revealing about half an acre of new land.

Chen Yu walked around the newly exposed land. The soil was black and very fertile, with a faint sense of spiritual energy seeping from it. He decided to plant something here, perhaps medicinal herbs, perhaps grains.

After cultivating for two hours, he exited the small world. Night deepened, and the courtyard was quiet. But Chen Yu's keen spiritual sense detected a slight noise coming from Liu Haizhong's house in the backyard—it sounded like someone was rummaging through something.

He rose silently, activated his concealment technique, and blended into the night. Using his lightness technique, he leaped lightly onto the roof and moved silently like a cat above Liu Haizhong's house.

Through the cracks in the roof tiles, Chen Yu saw Liu Haizhong rummaging through the house. His wife was already asleep, and his two sons were not home. Liu Haizhong took out several items wrapped in oiled paper from an old wooden box and examined them carefully under the lamplight.

It's an artifact! Although it's hard to tell exactly what it is, the faint scent of antiquity is very similar to the artifacts Chen Yu had seen at the local temple.

"So there were still some hidden..." Liu Haizhong muttered to himself, "I have to get rid of them quickly, I can't keep them any longer..."

He repacked the items, hid them at the bottom of the trunk, and then placed a few old clothes on top before blowing out the lamp and going to sleep.

Chen Yu stood on the rooftop, deep in thought. Liu Haizhong still possessed cultural relics—what did that mean? Were they his own, or were they being kept safe for someone else? Could what the scarred man was looking for be among these relics?

Too many questions. But Chen Yu didn't have time to delve into them now—the trip to the South China Sea was imminent, and he could only look into these things upon his return.

On Saturday morning, Chen Yu arrived at Beidaihe Beach as agreed. There was a naval training base there, and Yang Jianguo had arranged for them to conduct navigation training there through his connections.

Ye Gucheng was already waiting on a rock by the sea. He was still dressed in white, the sea breeze making his clothes flutter, and he carried a long, thin cloth bag on his back—which should contain his sword.

"Senior Ye," Chen Yu bowed.

Ye Gucheng nodded, skipped the pleasantries, and went straight to the point: "Naval warfare is different from land warfare. Wind, waves, and the rocking of the ship will all affect the accuracy and power of your sword strikes. Today I'll teach you three moves: immobilization, leveraging force, and breaking through the waves."

He untied the cloth bundle and drew a three-foot-long green sword. The blade gleamed coldly in the morning light.

"The first move, immobilization." Ye Gucheng stood with his feet slightly apart in a special posture. "At sea, when a ship is rocking, if your lower body is unstable, your sword momentum will dissipate. This stance is called 'Sea-Stabilizing Stance.' Practicing it daily will allow you to walk on flat ground even when the ship is rocking."

Chen Yu followed along. The posture seemed simple, but it required the muscles to be tensed in a specific way to maintain a dynamic balance. He tried several times, but it felt awkward each time.

"Use spiritual power to assist," Ye Gucheng instructed. "Spiritual power should sink to the soles of your feet to counteract the ripples of the waves."

Chen Yu suddenly realized and circulated his spiritual energy. Sure enough, when the spiritual energy flowed into his legs, his body automatically adjusted to the optimal posture, and his feet remained firmly planted despite the sea breeze.

"Good comprehension." A hint of approval flashed in Ye Gucheng's eyes. "Second move, borrowing force."

He took a step forward, his sword moving with him. The sword strike wasn't fast, but as it sliced ​​through the air, it stirred up the surrounding sea breeze, creating a miniature wind blade that sliced ​​off a corner of a rock in front of him.

"The wind is strong at sea, so don't fight it; instead, use it. If your sword strikes are in sync with the wind, you can use the wind to accelerate; if they are against the wind, you can use the wind to increase your power."

Chen Yu seemed to be deep in thought. This principle was similar to the "using someone else's force against them" technique in martial arts, but applying it to natural wind was a much more sophisticated level. He tried to swing his sword, which was initially clumsy, but with the help of his spiritual eye technique, he could "see" the direction of the wind and gradually adjust his sword stance.

After practicing for an hour, Chen Yu had grasped the basics of borrowing the wind. Although he couldn't yet achieve the effortless mastery of Ye Gucheng, at least his swordplay wouldn't become scattered due to sudden changes in wind direction.

"Third move, Breaking Waves." Ye Gucheng walked to the seaside, faced the surging waves, and thrust out his sword.

There was no earth-shattering sound, but the waves that the sword tip touched parted and flowed to both sides, forming a brief vacuum channel in front of the sword's edge.

"Seawater presents resistance, so brute force is inefficient. You must learn to 'break' rather than 'cut'. The angle, speed, and method of channeling spiritual energy into the sword tip are all crucial."

This move was the most difficult. Chen Yu practiced for a whole morning before he could barely pierce a small hole in the still water. When the waves surged in, the sword was immediately deflected as soon as it entered the water.

"Keep practicing." Ye Gucheng didn't say anything more, and walked to the rocks to meditate and regulate his breathing.

Around noon, the monk Huiming arrived. He carried a food box containing vegetarian food: rice, vegetables, tofu, and a pot of tea.

"Amitabha, Benefactor Chen, you've worked hard." Huiming smiled and handed over a bowl of rice.

"Thank you, Master." Chen Yu accepted the gift; he was indeed hungry.

The three sat on the rocks eating. Huiming asked, "Can Benefactor Chen swim?"

"I know a little, but I'm not an expert."

"This afternoon, I'll teach you water skills," Huiming said. "During the trip to the South China Sea, there's always the possibility of falling into the water. You not only need to know how to swim, but also how to fight and rescue people in the water."

After a short rest following the meal, training resumed. Huiming removed his monk's robes, revealing a well-muscled physique—he didn't look like a man in his sixties at all. He jumped into the sea and demonstrated several water techniques: wading, diving, holding his breath underwater…

What surprised Chen Yu the most was that Huiming could perform Buddhist techniques in the water. When he struck out with his palm, he could create a water column that was ten feet high on the surface of the water, which was incredibly powerful.

"This is the 'Water Moon Palm,' a martial art that uses softness to overcome hardness," Huiming explained. "In naval battles, powerful moves are easily neutralized by water; you have to use soft force to penetrate them."

Chen Yu studied very diligently. He had the Water-Repelling Pearl as a safety net, but it was always good to learn more skills. His Qi Refining Level 4 physical condition allowed him to learn quickly, and by evening he could already swim nimbly in the water and even barely manage to use a few rudimentary forms of the Water Moon Palm.

As the sun set, training ended. Ye Gucheng left with the words, "Same time next Saturday, let's continue," and then drifted away.

Huiming lingered a little longer, then took out a small porcelain bottle from his robes: "Benefactor Chen, this is a 'Miasma-Avoiding Pill' that I have refined. The South China Sea is humid and hot, with a lot of miasma. This pill can prevent miasma from invading the body."

"Thank you, Master." Chen Yu solemnly accepted the gift.

"There's one more thing," Huiming said, his expression turning serious. "Yesterday, I received a message from the South China Sea branch that the Heavenly Dao Alliance has arrived in Hainan. They're leading the team, led by 'South China Sea Flood Dragon' Long San. He's an expert swimmer and ruthless. Be careful."

"Long San..." Chen Yu remembered the name.

It was already eight o'clock in the evening when he returned to Beijing. Qin Huairu was still awake, sewing under the lamp. Seeing him come back, she quickly got up: "Have you eaten? I saved some for you."

"We ate at the training base." Chen Yu looked at his wife's dark circles. "Did you stay up all night doing needlework again?"

"I'll make you some summer clothes." Qin Huairu picked up a finished short-sleeved shirt. "It's hot in the South China Sea, and you brought only thick clothes. These are made of thin fabric, so they're absorbent and breathable."

Chen Yu felt a warmth in his heart and took her hand: "Don't overwork yourself."

"I'm not tired." Qin Huairu leaned on his shoulder. "Chen Yu, I... I had a nightmare last night. I dreamt that you encountered a huge storm at sea... My heart was pounding when I woke up. You must come back safely. The baby and I are waiting for you."

"I promise," Chen Yu hugged her tightly, "I'll definitely come back safely."

At night, Chen Yu entered the small world. He took out the miasma-avoiding pill given to him by Huiming and examined it with his spiritual eye technique. The pill was pale green, with a faint flow of Buddhist spiritual energy inside, confirming it was indeed genuine.

He reorganized his equipment for the South China Sea trip. In addition to what he had prepared before, he added a few more items: mosquito repellent ointment given by Su Hongmei (although cultivators are not afraid of mosquitoes, it is useful for concealing their identity), a marine geology notebook given by Lin Zhenhua, and several new clothes made by Qin Huairu.

Finally, he took out the sensing jade tablet and infused it with a wisp of spiritual energy. The jade tablet glowed slightly, its patterns flowing like ripples on water, pointing south.

South China Sea, Vermilion Bird Key, Seven Star Alliance, Heavenly Dao Alliance...

A battle for an ancient key is about to unfold in the vast South China Sea.

And he was already prepared.

Outside the window, moonlight bathed the courtyard.

There are thirteen days left until departure.