Volume Four: High Mountains and Flowing Water Chapter Forty: That Beating Heart

Chen Chen returned to campus life, a place of lush green lawns, where he was surrounded by like-minded peers, a place where one did not need to spend too much time worrying about how much fuel was left in the tank or how much farther the road ahead would be.

Sometimes, the paradise of learning is right there on the school grounds.

The relationships there had not yet grown complex enough to bring about the kind of drastic changes that would leave a person worrying about where their next meal would come from.

Every month, Chen Chen paid his mess fees, and every week, he collected his meal tickets.

Whenever the school bell rang, he would take his seat and study diligently.

Outside of his studies, Chen Chen also had opportunities to interact with female classmates.

After all, it was the age of youth and vitality—a time when young men harbored secret passions and young women blossomed with romantic yearnings.

The whispered conversations of youths strolling in the moonlight, exchanging sweet nothings, remain an indispensable theme to this day.

Without exaggerating the romance of the mortal world, Chen Chen could not deny how captivating it was to look upon that youthful, flawless skin and those beautiful faces that invariably drew lingering glances.

There was always the desire to look just a little longer, to possess her, and to make her a confidante of the heart.

And then there were those fascinating souls, having journeyed all the way from fragile beginnings, experiencing much and acquiring profound knowledge.

As long as a cheerful smile still graced the face, kindness remained nestled in the heart, and refinement was etched into one's bones, that was the beauty he loved.

Social identity had become the steadfast anchor of their journey, and as Chen Chen absorbed knowledge during his formative years, he too possessed a pleasing appearance.

After years of development and growth, his natural look was far from unsightly.

His face was free of excessive acne, his skin tone was healthy, and he radiated vitality and energy.

Though not exceptionally tall, he stood well over one hundred and seventy centimeters.

He was not heavy, yet he possessed broad shoulders, a strong back, and well-defined biceps.

Among human body types, such a man was considered exceptional, possessing a commendable foundation in both physique and physical endurance.

For his age and social standing at that stage, it was more than adequate.

During breaks between classes, Chen Chen enjoyed heading to the athletic field to work out.

To exercise his body and reap the reward of personal health.

A robust physique is a rare commodity.

The indomitable spirit of a resilient fighter, capable of resisting the onslaught of evil and resisting the temptations of lust—that was the key to maintaining a pleasing physical form.

Chen Chen persisted in his efforts: studying hard, working out diligently, and striving to maintain his inner strength and kindness.

Behold the blooming garden, every blossom unfurling gracefully in the wind.

Like a beauty who needs no heavy makeup to display her delicate charm.

Chen Chen's heart had also fluttered for attractive girls; this was practically a common affliction among young men.

As long as a girl was reasonably pretty, kind-hearted, lived a healthy life, and possessed a noble disposition, she would become the goddess in the eyes of many men.

Everyone wished to possess her, to win the heart of the fair maiden.

Some men, hindered by a fierce wife waiting at home, had to pretend they saw no other beauties. They wore righteous, amicable smiles on their faces.

Deep down, however, they harbored an intense desire to conquer the other party, to draw her into their social circle. Such impulses truly existed, yet they could only be buried deep in the heart, without a fraction of it ever showing.

Human beings are such fascinating creatures; the affections of a man and the heart of a woman are wondrous beyond comprehension.

Chen Chen got to know several girls in his class, and among them, there were those he fancied.

Perhaps it was the extraordinary charm of their smiles, perhaps the healthy development of their physiques, perhaps their innate kindness, or perhaps the sheer beauty with which they lived their lives.

Chen Chen also had his moments of emotional stirring. In class, he focused intently on his studies; during breaks, he seized any chance to chat with his female classmates. When nothing required his attention, he would remain quietly in his seat, developing his physique and recuperating his energy.

After school, Chen Chen lived a life much like any other student.

Queuing for meals, returning to the dormitory after eating, taking a shower, washing clothes, and attending evening self-study.

Once self-study ended, it was back to the athletic field for a workout—running a few laps, training his biceps.

With this complete routine of exercise, his life was healthy and his days were fulfilling.

Those well-trained biceps bulged impressively, occasionally catching the attention of young women in daily life.

Those beauties might intentionally step forward to strike up a conversation, or even if they merely lingered to exchange a few words, there was still a chance of receiving a reply and engaging in a brief moment of emotional banter.

Following such a simple and ordinary life, Chen Chen would begin to reminisce about his past days on the planet Fluorescence, in the Tianwu Continent, in the Novetice Village, in the ancient city of Qingfeng, and in the ancient city of Guanhai.

How wonderful those days had been, galloping across the planet Fluorescence armed with self-created supreme offensive arts.

Amidst the boundless stars, he alone shook the ancient and lit up the modern.

Across that utterly barren land, he was Chen Chen—the Chen Chen who struck awe into the entire planet Fluorescence.

Following Fluorescence, on the Tianwu Continent, he had been an outstanding disciple of the Dragon-Slaying Sect.

Although Chen Chen's strength at that time was less than a tenth of what it had been on Fluorescence, his stellar performance still amazed the elders, who scrambled over one another to take him under their wing.

After the Tianwu Continent, Chen Chen awakened amidst the meteorite cluster of the Star Burial.

With a silent calculation, he murmured to himself: "The predetermined fate has been lifted, the variables have emerged, the mortal tribulations appear..."

Following that, Chen Chen experienced a meteoric rise in the Novice Village, becoming a novice who took on quests.

He simply accepted missions and carried them out in accordance with the intentions of the official team that issued them.

Once he had accumulated sufficient strength and experience, he would head to more challenging quest maps to operate.

In the ancient city of Qingfeng, Chen Chen had once investigated the grievances and entanglements there, only to find no grand or extraordinary hatred.

It was merely a misunderstanding, a momentary delusion, a sudden stirring of stolen affections.

Or perhaps the plots that played out there remained vivid in memory yet unknown to anyone else.

As Chen Chen walked past that place, the once roaring and mighty DD Brawling Organization had vanished like smoke, and even those elite talents absorbed into the government had become lawful law enforcement officers of the state.

The plots of DD Brawling were no longer permitted to occur or serve as work; what remained was merely the incorporation of court and populist forces, serving the motherland and learning to become law-abiding citizens who respected and utilized the law.

After the ancient city of Guanhai, everything had become second nature, and all that mattered was living in the present.

Completely parting ways with the organization and factions of DD Brawling, the beautiful present still remained, requiring a fresh start at earning a livelihood.

Gradually, grievances and entanglements faded away, and those who awoke were striving to lead the lives of normal people.

The DD Brawling Organization exited the stage of history, and the integration of state and factional powers merged into an even more formidable government apparatus—this was a remarkably wondrous arrangement.

Chen Chen bade farewell to the life of DD Brawling and melted into a new existence.

He became the new Chen Chen, that child of about ten years old.

That child had once believed himself to be him, yet in reality, objective facts persisted regardless of how desperately sideline factions sought to force their deductions upon the world, trying to shoehorn Chen Chen into that child and graft the story onto that group of people. Chen Chen was merely a fictional character within the plot of a story.

The author forbade any unauthorized similarities and consistently maintained this boundary to prevent unprovoked disasters brought on by coincidence.

Those who forcibly identified Chen Chen as a specific real person had always been clinging to their own games and ulterior motives.

Chen Chen was simply a character in a story, existing as an embodied entity once the narrative progressed to a certain stage.

Chen Chen's story had left silhouettes in every single character he had ever projected himself into.

His story continued, serving solely the long-term stability of the country, ensuring that the nation's people could continue to enjoy a peaceful and prosperous era, and allowing them to live on ordinarily.

To this day, Chen Chen remained within the story, and the truth or falsehood of that narrative was known only to those qualified to know.

Those unqualified to know could only guess and speculate whose story this truly was.

As things stood now, Chen Chen was Chen Chen, the silhouette of a certain individual.

The one who held a few sticks of incense, passed through his form, and paid respects before the altar—that was the physical embodiment for this leg of his journey and this lifetime.

Yet his story was not long, and it still had to continue.

Regardless of how far it might go, this was the genuine reality of his existence.

How much value remained on the road ahead, and whether Chen Chen was truly Chen Chen—perhaps everything was currently underway in full swing.

There are many survival games in the mortal world, and many rules of survival.

Things like Book Spirits had not been popularized among the general public to this day, and not everyone knew the manner in which they existed.

Yet such entities simply and plainly existed in the world, coexisting with all living beings.

One must adapt and become accustomed to such ways of existence; countless life forms of diverse shapes and forms teemed across the world, and some without physical bodies remained invincible in the mortal realm.

The remaining ones possessed physical forms, busy in the mortal world, each fulfilling the duties of their respective lives.

They were equally noble because they were still striving; thus, one day, they might well rise above those ordinary, mediocre beings.

Chen Chen once again embarked on his own story, perhaps with a physical body, perhaps without.

Galloping across the Three Realms and Six Paths, finding space to survive, room to maneuver, and value for existence within the observable universe.

Beyond the observable universe, everything demanded an even greater cost and an abundance of the impossible.

Chen Chen wandered the mortal world, where blossoms dotted the landscape.

As Chen Chen walked through the mortal realm, that resonant phrase remained: "Dare I ask the boundless earth, who masters the fortunes and misfortunes of day and night? When I lack the Dao, all living beings struggle in the suffering of cause and effect. When I attain the Dao, the heavens transform, and auspicious lands burst into bloom."

Such a declaration remained as resounding as ever.

After this, who Chen Chen was, where Chen Chen walked, and what mission Chen Chen bore—none of that was of primary importance.

What mattered was that whoever walked this world had to survive tenaciously.

Sometimes, a single act of sitting down or standing up was the peace of the mortal world.

Sometimes, a sudden surge of intent, a destined encounter, brought a profound awakening regarding the course of life, and the vicissitudes of existence were all born of oneself.

Sometimes, guests came and went while the host remained, returning home day after day.

Achieving a deep realization, understanding that the universe is vast and the days forever clear.

Indulging in a daydream, viewing the exquisite journey of life as a spectator.

Savoring the experience, finding three thousand doctrines between the lines, where every single word of gold held both being and nothingness.

Chen Chen's studies came to another temporary close; there were many meaningful pursuits in life.

Countless students rushed toward their academic destinations, and everything appeared immensely important.

Chen Chen's story during his high school years drew to a close here, but tomorrow awaited with higher education—where true higher learning and human brilliance lay.