Super Combat Soldier

Chapter 1555: Chapter 1554: [The Fisherman Elder: Extraordinary in the Past!]

”Indeed, all things live under this Martial Arts World, always unaware of what tomorrow will bring, life and death are unpredictable. In the eyes of martial artists, the path of martial arts is extremely arduous. A slight mistake can lead to total annihilation, and they endure countless unbearable pains. It would be better to live a joyous and happy life like a mundane person, making life more joyful and happy, without so much killing. However, in the eyes of ordinary people, martial artists are omnipotent, flying and escaping, possessing vast divine skills, able to decide the life and death of ordinary people at will, making them yearn for strength. How many ordinary people wish to obtain opportunities and become martial artists. Little did they know that whether it’s martial artists or mundane people, they all have their own sorrows, all are shrouded under the laws, merely following the rules of all living beings!”

Ye Tianchen frowned. He indeed thought of many things, seemingly comprehending many things as well. All living beings live under the laws of this Martial Arts World. How the laws are will dictate how these beings live. Take martial artists, for instance. They experience hardships throughout life, sacrifice much, bloody every third step, and even if they become invincible in the end, dominating Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, controlling billions of worlds, and being majestic, in the end, what do they have? No Eternal Life, no becoming an Immortal, only a handful of earth they leave behind, disappearing like smoke. And for ordinary people, they live in a confinement circle from birth, following the laws of birth, aging, illness, and death, without even the qualification to resist, which is also pitiful!

If one must say which type of people, martial artists or mundane ones, live better, there’s no answer. They are mutual. They all have pros and cons. They are all ants under the laws of this Martial Arts World!

”You are very right. However, the reason all living beings have spiritual wisdom is precisely to fight for a chance of survival in this confined prison of laws, to not give up, nor abandon!” the old fisherman said firmly.

”Not give up, nor abandon...” Ye Tianchen was stunned for a moment, as if he had come to his senses!

”Look at this bonfire. I just added a few pieces of firewood into it, and they are burning vigorously again. Maybe they know they will soon burn out, leaving nothing behind. But at this moment, they are still striving to burn the brightest flames, influencing other things...” The old fisherman spoke while taking out a small twig from his hand, watching as the bonfire burned more fiercely and the twig in his hand also ignited!

”Not give up, nor abandon until the moment of life’s disappearance...” Ye Tianchen murmured to himself softly.

”Throughout the ages, this Martial Arts World has produced many strong individuals, all possessing against-heavenly postures. Their ultimate goal is Eternal Life and becoming Immortal, transcending the shackles of laws, escaping the three realms, and not being among the Five Elements. Despite the absence of any instance of someone becoming Immortal for millions of years, are there not enough legends of these supreme strong ones fighting the Immortal Domain and never giving up until the end of life? Even if life ended, some left thoughts behind, leaving inheritance for future generations. This is true not giving up and not abandoning!” The old fisherman looked at the sky with shining eyes, his whole demeanor also undergoing a change!

”Senior, you...” Ye Tianchen suddenly had a feeling, one that surprised him greatly. This seemingly ordinary man who lived for seven thousand years, much longer than some martial experts, turned out to be an extraordinary recluse sage!

The old fisherman glanced at Ye Tianchen, then smiled and said, ”Brother Ye, you have extraordinary talent and profound comprehension, and most importantly, you have an invincible Taoist Heart. I believe your path can go very far. The reason I’m telling you this is to make you enlighten, to not let any factor influence your invincible Taoist Heart. As long as the invincible Taoist Heart is firm, the road will be long and far!”

”Thank you for your teachings, Senior!” Ye Tianchen said earnestly.

The old fisherman smiled, still sitting beside the bonfire, looked at Ye Tianchen, and said, ”Since we have reached this point, I will tell you the truth. I am not without cultivation, but when I reached a certain realm, I comprehended something that made me become an ordinary mundane person again!”

”Is this... possible?” Ye Tianchen was surprised. Such a cultivation method was something he heard of for the first time!

You must know, once any ordinary person successfully establishes a foundation and starts cultivation, stepping on the path of martial arts, they will be attracted by various divine skills on this path. Only those who want to become stronger. Who would suppress their cultivation realm voluntarily or even become a mundane person? Even Ye Tianchen himself was no exception. He hoped to go further and further, reach the Martial Arts Peak, and become a Supreme Emperor. Asking him to suppress his cultivation now and become a mundane person was utterly impossible for him!

Frankly speaking, the current old fisherman made Ye Tianchen astonished. He could almost confirm that the old fisherman was a recluse sage. Perhaps now Ye Tianchen understood that even if he used powerful Divine Thought to probe, he might not be able to discover anything from the old fisherman. He just seemed like an ordinary man, but the realm of the old fisherman, with the aura of Taoist elegance emanating from him, left Ye Tianchen deeply shocked!

It was simply unbelievable. From the moment Ye Tianchen met the old fisherman, he confirmed that the old man was just an ordinary person. His seven thousand years of life span was due to living in such a peaceful environment, along with consuming Divine Spring Pond water and Dragon Whisker Fish, his body and mind undergoing the greatest benefits of baptism. Yet, unexpectedly, even though the old fisherman was now a mundane person, a completely ordinary person, at some unknown time, he was also a cultivator, a martial artist, even a strong person who had reached a special realm. This made Ye Tianchen astonished. He had never realized or discovered this point, which only indicated one thing: the old fisherman was truly formidable, his realm was incredibly profound!

”I know you are surprised. The reason I decided to tell you these things is not to ask you to follow my path, but to let you have your own decision. Let me slowly tell you...” The old fisherman added a few pieces of wood to the fire and said.

It turned out that back in the day, the old fisherman was taken to this place by an Immortal from Penglai Fairy Island. He did not refrain from embarking on the path of cultivation and became a martial artist. However, the old fisherman was naturally averse to fighting, always doing the task of guiding people to this Penglai Fairy Island. Until later, as the old fisherman’s cultivation advanced step by step, some changes occurred in the Ancient Martial World of Penglai. Just when the old fisherman reached the ’Saint’ realm, he suddenly felt something. In that environment and mental realm, he suddenly realized that even if he reached the step of ’Saint,’ it would be no more than being powerful, at most becoming the strongest of the three Ancient Martial Worlds, but so what?

The more powerful a person is, the more grudges they bring along. With grudges, battles and killings are inevitable. At that time, the old fisherman understood that even if he became a ’Saint,’ the strongest of the three Ancient Martial Worlds, in the end, his lifespan would still deplete faster, and he would have more battles to endure. This was not what he wanted to see. Therefore, as he was about to step into the ’Saint’ realm, the old fisherman chose another way, another path. That was to let his Martial Arts True Qi dissipate, preserve his Life Grid, and transform into a completely ordinary person, thus cycling through, allowing him to live a life span of seven thousand years!

”I see, senior, don’t you regret it? Or weren’t you worried when you made the choice back then? What if it failed...” Ye Tianchen asked in surprise.

The old fisherman smiled and then said, ”It was because I discovered this method, allowing myself to become a mundane person again from a martial artist without affecting my lifespan, that I made this choice. I didn’t want conflict and killing. Even if I failed, it would only be turning to dust, the end would be the same!”

”Senior, you told me this because...” Ye Tianchen paused and asked.

”I tell you this because I want you to know there are many possibilities on the path to higher cultivation realms, many unimaginable things, numerous choices. What choice you make depends on your own heart!” The old fisherman said seriously.

”Everything depends on one’s own heart... Senior, I understand now. Thank you for your guidance!” Ye Tianchen seemed to have comprehended something, expressing gratitude.

The old fisherman, who once reached the ’Saint’ realm of strength, can definitely be considered a strong person. If the old fisherman had not chosen to become a mundane person, perhaps in the three Ancient Martial Worlds, it wouldn’t be Qin Kongdao, the Battle King, who held the most authority. At least he could contend with the Battle King. However, because the old fisherman never liked conflict and killing, nor was he particularly interested in Eternal Life, becoming Immortal, he chose to take a path unlike many others, even one that many wouldn’t take, at the step of entering the ’Saint’ realm. That was to become a mundane person again, a completely ordinary mundane person, following the laws of birth, aging, illness, and death. Such courage is rare, perhaps due to this, allowing the old fisherman to live a life span longer than many martial experts, as a mundane person. Everything is unknown, everything is possible. Where does the true meaning, the true Dao lie? (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote it on Qidian [qidian.com], your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)