Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1353 Preparations for the Path Forward

"Comrade Chen, what's your opinion? Will you follow their path?"

Old She looked at Chen Chuan, his body slightly bowed, his eyes seemingly filled with expectation.

Chen Chuan met his eyes, but replied, "I will not follow their path." He raised his head slightly, "I only want to walk my own path."

"My own path?"

Chen Chuanchuan said: "In my opinion, that senior Guan was indeed not a guide. Based on what I know from within the faction, this was a change that the Pure Faction itself needed, and it was the Pure Faction's own choice."

As long as the Pure Faction still wants to continue its existence and fight against the beings from beyond the heavens, then innovation is inevitable.

However, at that time, that senior member happened to be a powerful figure in the upper echelons who was willing to stand up and support them. It wasn't that he was leading anyone, but rather that he was being pushed forward.

Therefore, I don't need to take the lead in anything. As long as I provide enough support to the members of the group and share the pressure from above, they can accomplish this on their own.

He gazed at the massive figure of Elder She above.

"Although we may have enough power at times, what we do may not be the right thing to do. So we don't need to be self-satisfied or call ourselves guides. If we agree with them, then we should participate and do our job well."

"good very good."

Upon hearing this, Old She was not angry at all; instead, his gaze towards him became even more appreciative.

He said, "I originally thought you just wanted to follow the path that Guan Dan hadn't finished walking, but I underestimated you. Comrade Chen, you are more outstanding than I thought."

"Then I'll wait and see. Do what you want to do next. I'll handle the pressure from the other upper echelons of the faction. I also want to see how far you can go."

Chen Chuan asked, "Does Elder She trust his juniors that much?"

Old She seemed to know what he was referring to, and said, "Before Zhao Zhenye got into trouble, no one would have thought he would do such a thing."

But you are different from him. He benefited without achieving anything, while you benefited after achieving something.

Judging from your past words and actions, you are worthy of such trust.

Perhaps you, Comrade Chen, are wondering why I haven't tried to see what's truly on your mind.

He shook his head. "People like us need to know how to restrain ourselves and not act recklessly. The more power we have, the less we should act arbitrarily, otherwise we will run into big problems."

Is there anything else...?

He said slowly, "The great collision is not far from me, perhaps within one or two years. Whether this path can be made successful depends on the opportunity right now."

Chen Chuan said, "Senior, are you saying that the great collision will occur within one or two years? When I was in the Heavenly Secrets Sect, I heard Master Lu mention that he went out to fight against otherworldly demons, which extended the period by three years."

Old Master She said, "What Master Lu said isn't entirely wrong."

Because the world rings exist everywhere, the collision between the opposite world and me is not instantaneous, but rather it first invades from the weakest point, then slowly squeezes, and finally merges with me.

This process may last for several years, a decade, or even longer, until the two worlds become completely indistinguishable, which could take hundreds or thousands of years.

However, based on our observations, the earliest front-end collision may occur within about a year, possibly anywhere in the world, and the canyon guarded by our Pure Faction may become the forefront.

At that time, we, the Pure Faction, will be the first to bear the brunt, and we will also bear the greatest pressure. Although we are fearless and willing to stand at the forefront, I also want to resolve internal matters before the great collision arrives.

Chen Chuan pondered for a moment. If that was the case, he would understand why the Federation was so eager to obtain Weishu Continent from the Tianji Sect. It might be their last chance, and once they missed it, they would never have such an opportunity again.

Moreover, the Federation likely distrusts the Heavenly Secrets Sect, probably because it fears that the sect might be the first to have problems, which could then drag down the entire Federation.

From this perspective, the situation may be more urgent than originally thought.

Seeing that he was pondering, Old Master She waited for a while before saying, "I saw your reply to Zhao Qilan, Comrade Chen. What you want are the methods for advancement and the resources for cultivation."
Chen Chuan nodded: "Yes."

Master She said, "You've been in the Heavenly Mystery Sect, and you must have received guidance from Master Lu. How much do you know about cultivating to a higher level?"

Chen Chuan's answer was simple and clear: "Ask yourself."

Old Master She nodded and said, "That's right. Although the three paths are different, most of the saints of the old religion, such as the Celestial Master and the Zen Master, follow the path of the extraordinary and divine. This is not without reason."

Because the paths and experiences pioneered by their predecessors, as well as the good things they sought, can mostly help future generations, a large part of which remains on the other side of the world's ring. Following the guidance left by their predecessors, those with the right affinity can go there to find it, according to their teachings.

However, people of our generation are different. How to cultivate oneself and what specific things one needs are things only one can know; it's difficult for others to help you. But it's difficult, not impossible.

Our Pure School has gone the furthest and achieved the most in the study of human nature. No other school in the world can compare with us in this regard. We are also committed to leaving a sufficient legacy for future generations.

Therefore, a great deal of knowledge about cultivating oneself and understanding human nature has been accumulated.

The mysteries of human nature: For martial artists to acquire higher-level power, besides self-cultivation, three external conditions are typically required.

Chen Chuan couldn't help but take note. He had also found some explanations about the path to advancement at the Heavenly Secrets Sect, but they were almost all about the divine form and the extraordinary form. There were very few about the human form, and they were not clear either.

"These three conditions are location, precious materials, and lost items."

Old She said, "Let's talk about lost items first. If you want to climb to the upper level of power, no matter which path you take, you need to find and integrate lost items. At the very least, you need one level one lost item. However, this varies from person to person. Sometimes, some people may need more than one."

While Tier 1 relics are rare, they are not difficult to find for our various playstyles. The challenge lies in whether they suit your playstyle. Furthermore, some relics have special uses and are not suitable for use as consumables.

Above the first-level relics, there are higher-level relics, which can fit almost everyone. But these are hard to find. Our Pure Faction has already used them all, but the Great Shun government should still have some, and perhaps some of the old cults and the old imperial family still have some.

Therefore, nowadays, major schools of thought tend to obtain their resources from the government, because even if they still have some left, they are usually reluctant to use them; they would rather obtain them from the Da Shun government.

Chen Chuan nodded slightly. So, even a person's appearance requires lost items. He had seen this item in the Heavenly Secrets Sect's scriptures.

"As for rare materials, that's more complicated. They usually come from something on the other side of the World Ring. My human form is mainly obtained from those extraterrestrial demons that I've killed."

"What exactly are they, and which demons do you need? You'll naturally understand once you've eliminated them."

At this point, Mr. She added another sentence.

"Therefore, any martial artist who has reached the level of the Human Realm and wants to advance further after reaching the Dongxuan Temple will inevitably have to confront those extraterrestrial demons. This is unavoidable."

Chen Chuan understood that if that was the case, then he could understand why the Pure Faction had always stood on the front line against the extraterrestrial beings, and why it had always been the most steadfast faction in resisting demons.

Because the existence of the celestial realm is the necessary material for human beings to improve their appearance, and when human appearance becomes the mainstream in a school of thought, then this is almost inevitable.

If we add the beliefs that the school of thought derives from this, then it can motivate everyone in the school to follow this path one after another.

Old She said, "When you came here, you should have seen that the headquarters was imprisoning quite a few demons, right?"

Chen Chuan's heart skipped a beat. "Elder She, is it used for this?"

Old Master She said, “We are imprisoned here by about thirty extraterrestrial beings, and these beings were once used as precious materials for cultivation in human form.”

As he spoke, numerous images of extraterrestrial beings faintly appeared around him.

"After you get out, you can try it out and see if there's anything you need inside. If there is, you can just use this method to eliminate it in the future, without having to search and explore it yourself. If there isn't, at least you've eliminated these demons."

Of course, some powerful fighters may require rare materials that don't originate from a single demon; in that case, they'll have to put in more effort to find them.

Chen Chuan nodded.

Old Master She continued, "Finally, there are the locations. On the opposite side of the World Ring, there are certain places where one can attempt a breakthrough and more easily reach the upper levels. Some of these places are still occupied by members of the Old Cult and the Old Imperial Family. Others are in the hands of those demons."

But in today's world, the governments of various countries hold the most power over these things.

In particular, the governments of the world's powerful nations, which were born almost from the corpses of the old dynasties, have seized a lot of heritage from the former dynasties. Coupled with their own strong national power, they have naturally become the forces that control the most such places.

Some regional alliances, however, also received a share of the spoils when the larger alliances disbanded, gaining control over certain areas. Without this control, they would lack their own upper-level power and thus have no chance of standing on the world stage, forced to rely on powerful nations and other alliances.

Chen Chuan pondered for a moment and asked, "Mr. She, shouldn't the suitability of such venues also be considered?"

“Comrade Chen, you are very perceptive, that’s right.”

Master She said, "So nowadays, in our Great Shun, if any school of thought wants to make a difference and find a way to advance, it must actively participate in the affairs of Great Shun in order to increase its influence and voice."

At this point, he emphasized, "And every political contest will have a direct or indirect impact on how easily a school of thought can acquire resources."

……

……

(End of this chapter)