Volume Five: Ancient Legends Chapter 52: Everyone Accumulates Wealth in the Present

A war between the immortal Misty Sect and the demonic sect was on the verge of breaking out. Amidst the mountain forests, both sides began to display their respective ultimate arts.

The disciples of the Misty Sect relied on the signature techniques imparted to them by their respective immortal elders when it came to martial combat. The immortal elders of the Misty Sect and the demonic lords of the demonic sect each had their own ways of countering one another.

That immortal elder, Chen Xianyu, drew his sword and danced as he charged toward his opponent. As he sprinted, the surrounding immortal spiritual Qi rippled and churned. With a swift thrust of his sword mid-dash, a wisp of immortal Qi condensed into immortal crystal that coated the blade, and in an instant, he reached the demonic sect opponent he was fighting.

That demonic sect member had also mastered a few signature techniques. In the brief respite between drawing his saber to fight, demonic Qi surged tumultuously, nearly destabilizing the several people exchanging blows nearby.

By this time, the intensity of the battle was escalating, with countless moves being unleashed. Each individual relied on what they had learned throughout their lives, drawing upon their accumulated experience. The combat within the mountain forest grew fierce, and the scope of the collateral damage expanded steadily.

The duels between the other immortal elders and demonic lords likewise grew increasingly intense. Chen Xianyu's sword clashed repeatedly with the demonic lord's long saber, forcing the adversary back time and again through successive exchanges.

Both immortal Qi and demonic Qi manifested distinctly during their clashes. The immortal Qi crystallized and congealed upon the sword, vastly enhancing the blade's offensive power. Once the immortal crystals detached from the blade, they dissolved back into immortal Qi, returning to the heaven and earth.

The demonic lord of the demonic sect was no weakling either. His broad, sweeping saber techniques perfectly matched the uninhibited, free-spirited temperament of the demonic sect disciples.

Among all the confrontations between the two factions, the duel between these two stood out the most prominently.

Apart from the grand battle between Chen Xianyu and the demonic sect member Mo Qianxun, skirmishes were taking place among several other immortal elders. Both sides had their own unique strengths and acquired techniques. Clearly outmatched in the combat against the Misty Sect and its allies, the demonic sect members were forced into a continuous retreat.

As the fight dragged on, they had already sustained injuries multiple times. Meanwhile, the immortal elders of the Misty Sect also showed signs of exhaustion. As some of the few remaining elites of the Misty Sect, they naturally handled their adversaries with ease.

While Chen Xianyu, Mo Qianxun, and the others clashed, younger immortal disciples and demonic youths—such as Chen Chen—engaged in battle simultaneously. Both sides were still beginners in physical training and swordsmanship, far from reaching truly breathtaking heights of combat prowess.

Yet, there was friction between the two sides. For the sake of survival, they fought desperately to stay alive and secure the fruits of this expedition. Bringing those spoils back to the sect was an absolute order.

The combat scenes were reasonably thrilling. Among the onlookers, several had already retreated in defeat, no longer daring to look down upon the disciples of the Misty Sect.

After several rounds of fighting, signs of fatigue began to appear in both factions. Without a word, the hostilities gradually de-escalated toward a truce.

By the end of the battle, only Chen Xianyu and Mo Qianxun remained locked in combat. Once more, their weapons crossed, and neither could gain the upper hand in a single strike, bringing the battle between them to a formal halt.

By this point, both sides had tested the depth of each other's abilities. Ever since their team was formed several months ago, the Misty Sect disciples had grown immensely. Relying on years of genuine skill and training, Immortal Elder Chen Xianyu had emerged slightly superior, fighting at the very forefront from beginning to end.

As for Chen Chen and the others, their moves were built upon fledgling skills, and their fights relied entirely on instinct, leaving their exact realms of cultivation still unknown. Fortunately, the contest had drawn to a close. What began as a fierce rivalry transformed into a bond of mutual respect forged through combat.

At this stage, neither side had any intention of renewing hostilities. The demonic sect members seemed truly won over by Chen Xianyu, Chen Chen, and the others. Convinced by their mastery, they conceded the heavenly treasures and willingly allowed them to depart safely.

After the fierce battle, Chen Chen and his companions felt a profound sense of surviving a catastrophe. Through this grueling trial, they finally realized how fragile their young bodies still were, and that the power they wielded was merely the result of a few months of rudimentary learning.

Yet, having cultivated until now, they had at least experienced genuine combat. Both in terms of practical combat and their comprehension of real life, they had undergone trials and gathered invaluable experience.

The remaining inner sect disciples who traveled with them also reaped abundant rewards. Completing the tasks assigned by the sect and acquiring a certain amount of spiritual herbs was only one aspect of their gains. Within the crucible of survival, they had also gained much deeper, more thought-provoking insights and epiphanies.

Ultimately, all of this became things of the past. Chen Xianyu rallied the team and led Chen Chen and the others back to the Misty Sect in the Qingfeng Tribe.

Within the sect, rows of stone steps wound their way up the mountain, accompanied by a few immortals and their disciples. As Chen Chen and the others ascended the stone steps of the Misty Sect, the path stretched upward, endlessly long as always.

Yet, as Chen Chen walked this path of cultivation once more, his understanding of the Dao had deepened, and his mindset was no longer that of yesterday.

Every road leads to a path of survival, and every path of survival is a human life. Who cares how many futures people forge; a little bit of worldly merit echoes through eternity.

Chen Chen and the others still refrained from pondering deeply on who had paved that Dao. Was that object an ordinary thing, and how should one judge the rights and wrongs of this endeavor? Those who left had already gone, and only a fraction remained behind.

The Misty Sect was still recruiting disciples. Those who had entered earlier as mere outer sect disciples had successively worked hard over the past few months to become inner sect disciples.

All of them were quite satisfied. Growing within this sect, the Dao steps of their growth were precisely what they needed to continue striving for.

The ultimate significance and survival rules of the Misty Sect existed for one sole purpose: to grow, to strengthen oneself, and to live better one day.

Some immortal elders still harbored a lingering fondness for the bustling vices of the mortal realm and the beauty of the mundane world. Yet, in the end, these attachments had to be cast aside, for the crisis of survival loomed at every moment. How many people climbed ever higher and attended gatherings merely because they harbored ulterior motives in their hearts?

How many grudges and grievances stemmed solely from failing to see through the suffering and shackles of the mundane world? How many misinterpretations of the world arose simply from ignorance of the true path and the ultimate truth?

Those who sought extra remuneration through performance tricks brought everything upon themselves; they had no right to blame others. Those manifold schemes aligned well with their yearnings, but they were not the righteous path, nor were they legitimate gains, making fruitless outcomes inevitable.

Amidst those grudges and grievances, people simply remained ignorant. They knew nothing of the gains and losses present in this world, nor of the schemes of the masses; their actions were merely the delusional fantasies and usurpations of those ignorant of the laws of nature.

In the end, everything became a thing of the past. There are righteous laws in heaven and earth for pursuing wealth; all that living beings desire is earned through day-to-day, lawful, and compliant hard work.

Refusing to walk the crooked paths is wise, for taking shortcuts always leads to a profound misunderstanding of the world. No matter how distant the mountains and rivers, or how foreign the objects of other lands, they will never yield and proactively approach those who misunderstand the world.

Regardless of your resentment and unwillingness, the basics of food, clothing, housing, and transportation exist with absolute objectivity—they do not shift according to anyone's scheming, nor do they waver based on anyone's calculations.

To earn worldly wealth, one must be able to walk the new paths upon the great highways, accumulate merit day by day down into the mortal world, carry the merits and faults of a thousand autumns into the human realm, and withstand the vicissitudes of passing years right before one's eyes.

Without so many illegitimate sources of material goods, one must above all be grateful to the talented individuals across all industries who laid the foundation for food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

Everyone must submit to their respective professions; much of what exists in this human world is acquired through each person performing their own duties. Those external schemes merely fail to align with the proper profession, representing a misdirected heart.

Chen Chen was still growing up in the mortal world. Amidst the mundane realm, there remained grievances, emotional entanglements, and entrenched biases.

How many years were wasted in hesitation, filled with confusion? How many delusional fantasies arose from an ignorance of the ways of the world? How many instances of self-righteousness stemmed from utter legal blindness?

As Chen Chen walked through the mortal dust, his story continued. Even without a single brick or tile, and free from the shackles of worry, his story pressed onward.

All the greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and foolishness in this human world ultimately amounted to nothing more than the calculations of others and the sinking of the masses. All the agonizing shackles of this world stemmed from failing to understand what constitutes legitimate commerce permitted by the law, and what constitutes uninvited conspiracies.

Businesses that are neither legitimate nor righteous ultimately become a joke. The various foundations that build today's lawful transactions—those are the most popular and enduring commercial pathways.

Chen Chen grew increasingly brilliant within the Misty Sect. No matter the pretenses, everything he did was solely to walk the righteous path alongside his peers.