Narration System for the Journey of Martial Arts

Those merchants who had initially complained about the carriage's slowness became calmer and more composed as they approached it, without even realizing it.

"Young friend, are you waiting for this old Taoist?" Just as Yang Zhiruo was distracted, the carriage arrived in front of her, and an old voice came from inside the carriage.

The sound, falling into Yang Zhiruo's ears, was like the sound of a clear spring, like the chirping of a kingfisher, as if she were close to all things in nature, carrying a calming power that made her mind quiet and her distracting thoughts disappear.

"I'm afraid even the three grandmasters are nothing special!" Yang Zhiruo thought to herself.

In her eyes, although her master was the number one person in the world, he had always been ordinary, just like a normal person. If he hadn't shown off his skills today, she wouldn't have been able to tell that he was any different.

The person in the carriage, however, possessed the unfathomable depth and strange charm characteristic of a master, and seemed even more like a great man than his own master.

"I am Yang Zhiruo, and I have come to greet you, senior, on the orders of my master," Yang Zhiruo said respectfully.

"Ha ha……"

A soft laugh came from the carriage. Yang Zhiruo could inexplicably sense that the old man was shaking his head, with a hint of regret and indifference: "Your master's realm is beyond my reach! Young friend, please come up and lead the way, don't keep your master waiting."

Yang Zhiruo responded and sat on the carriage shaft, driving the carriage into the city. The soldiers guarding the city saw her and naturally let her pass, shooing away pedestrians and merchant caravans to let her go first. An invisible difference created a distance between her and ordinary people, and no one found it strange.

………………

"I never imagined that the Daoist sect would have such a highly accomplished person as you, fellow Daoist." Su Yuchen looked at the old man in front of him and couldn't help but sigh.

The old man wore a tall hat and a wide belt, with five long wisps of beard. His face was simple and honest, and he wore a gray Taoist robe. His figure was tall and majestic like a mountain. His eyes were full of vicissitudes and the marks of time. His clothes fluttered, giving him the air of a hermit who was otherworldly and ethereal.

"I thought that apart from Xiang Yutian, no one else in this world could catch my eye. I didn't expect there to be a fellow Daoist here. What a pity..."

"It's a pity that you don't have much time left, fellow Daoist. I don't know why you don't learn from Xiang Yutian and ascend to leave in search of a better future, but instead stay in this world and waste your time."

The old man smiled calmly: "Mr. Shi, are you from the upper realm?"

Before Su Yuchen could answer, he shook his head again: "What this old Taoist seeks is nothing more than the truth of the Tao. I came here today to see Mr. Shi, to ask about the scenery of the upper realm, and to fulfill the regret of my life."

Su Yuchen smiled and said, "In that case, why don't you go up and take a look yourself, fellow Daoist?"

The old Taoist laughed heartily, and after a moment said, "Even someone like you, fellow Daoist, has to descend to the mortal realm to hide. How could I dare to go up again?"

Then, he shook his head and said:

"When I was young, I had the opportunity to break through the void, but every time I approached breaking through the void, I would feel fear for no reason. After several times, I gave up the idea."

"When Xiang Yutian ascended to heaven, I watched from afar. Alas! I only heard a scream, and nothing else. After that, I completely gave up on the idea."

"I have come here today because I feel that my days are numbered and I have no strength left to ascend to the upper realm. I have come specifically to ask you for an explanation so that I can die in peace."

Su Yuchen remained silent for a moment. Without any prompting from the narrator, he could only shake his head and say, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, fellow Daoist. I did not come from the Upper Realm. If you can understand, you can consider me as someone from another realm."

The old Taoist priest was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist is right. Since there is an Upper Realm, there must be countless other Realms. May I ask, Fellow Daoist, what is the scenery like beyond these Realms?"

Su Yuchen thought for a moment and said, "Each has its own merits; they are all part of the joys and sorrows of human life."

The old Taoist priest laughed heartily, stood up, and said:

"Alright, alright."

"If you have the opportunity to go to the Upper Realm, fellow Daoist, you might as well burn some paper money to tell this old Daoist, so that my dream may be fulfilled as well."

The old Taoist priest came quietly and left quietly; no one ever knew that such a person existed in this world.

As Su Yuchen watched the old Taoist's departing figure, his vital energy rapidly waned, indicating that he was nearing the end of his life.

"Is it really that terrifying?"

Su Yuchen sighed and disappeared into the courtyard.

Chapter 0 Past Events

In the stillness of the night, when Su Yuchen put down his pen, his heart was in turmoil, unable to find peace for a long time.

During dinner, while chatting casually, Su Yuchen mentioned to his wife that he had suddenly caught the flu. At the time, Su Yuchen felt that going to the hospital to get a sick leave certificate would involve registration and queuing, which was too troublesome. Although he felt a pang of heartache over the cost of the medicine, he wasn't too bothered by it; he was just conflicted for a while.

My daughter suddenly said, "Dad, why are you so silly?"

At that moment, Su Yuchen and his wife looked at each other in bewilderment. His wife asked, "Why did you say that about Dad?"

His daughter said very seriously:

Dad, my good friend xxx from kindergarten has a dad who's the director of xx hospital. I can call her and ask her dad to give you a sick leave certificate, and we can even get reimbursed for the expenses.

Besides, Dad, the money you saved can be used to buy whatever you want for me and my brother.

Seeing their daughter's serious expression, Su Yuchen and his wife were at a loss. Were kids these days too smart?

Clearly, for his daughter, this was a small matter of children helping each other, without any consideration of social etiquette, just the friendship between her friends.

Su Yuchen remained silent for a long time. He and his wife had been busy with work and didn't know much about their daughter's friends at kindergarten.

The daughter may not realize that, to her, it was simply a matter of friendship and mutual assistance. But for the adults, it was the beginning of understanding human relationships and social dynamics, and because it stemmed from two innocent children, it didn't make either set of parents feel like they were being taken advantage of.

After thinking about it, Su Yuchen smiled wryly, realizing that he did indeed seem quite "foolish".

The foolish thing wasn't his lack of social skills, but his neglect of his daughter's best friend.

It turns out that from the very beginning, your birth determined that some of your thought patterns will follow you for life, and will also harm you for life.

……

In the dead of night, Su Yuchen had regretted his actions many times and had gone through many agonizing moments.

Su Yuchen is a child from a rural area, and his family has come to where he is today with no power or influence.

Actually, back in school, Su Yuchen knew he was being incredibly naive. He was so naive that he didn't know what his school was for, what his teachers did, or what the backgrounds of his roommates were.

During his sophomore year, Su Yuchen joined the school's student union through the strong introduction of his classmate. At the time, the student union president was very unhappy, and Su Yuchen did not know why.

Until his senior year, Su Yuchen remained at the very bottom of the student union, doing the hardest and most tiring work, yet he was never appreciated. As a boy from the countryside, he didn't understand why.

One day, Su Yuchen's senior classmate couldn't stand it anymore. After a meeting, she took him to a secluded corner and asked him very seriously: "Why did you join the student union? Do you know why you joined the student union? Do you know that you haven't done anything right at all? Do you know that you have disappointed Professor XX? Do you know what the significance of this major in our school is?"

Before leaving, the senior student gave Su Yuchen her student ID number and told him that he could use it to log in to the school's website once.

After being scolded, Su Yuchen, feeling bewildered, was slightly frustrated and wanted to know why everything had happened.

So he logged into the website using his senior's account, and there he finally understood what was going on. It turned out that he was just a big fool who had gotten incredibly lucky.

Here, he saw the profiles of all the professors from the school, and among them, his own professor's background information, though not conspicuous, was quite striking, with many entries such as: Provincial Councilor XX, Provincial Housing and Construction XXX, Provincial XXX...

The list of titles that were not publicly disclosed left Su Yuchen stunned for a long time.

The next day, Su Yuchen got up early and left the dormitory under the watchful eye of the person who had led him to join the student council.

On the way, Su Yuchen met his professor, who was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said a few words to Su Yuchen:

"I thought you'd come looking for me after I got you into the student council in your sophomore year."

"I thought you were a smart kid who would get along well with the student council."

"I thought you'd never understand the significance of your profession."

At that time, Su Yuchen was actually quite naive and innocent. What did a son raised by a farmer who toiled in the fields know?

He completely misunderstood what the professor meant.

Much later, he realized that the professor was criticizing him for not knowing how to cultivate interpersonal relationships and for not being truly accepted by the student council.

Seeing Su Yuchen's bewildered expression, the professor sighed helplessly. Su Yuchen remembered the professor's last words: "You are the most hardworking of all my students, so I'm willing to give you a chance. Now, there's an errand I can run; are you willing to do it?"

Su Yuchen didn't understand what it meant, but he felt that he should thank the professor for his efforts and for giving him this opportunity, so he foolishly agreed.

Later, Su Yuchen realized that the professor had given him another chance.

With the professor's introduction, Su Yuchen joined a provincial project team, where he was really doing odd jobs and running errands.

Later, when the project ended, the professor told him very seriously that because of his experience, he could try taking a civil service exam.

So, not understanding what was going on, Su Yuchen took the civil service exam under the professor's guidance.

Unfortunately, Su Yuchen failed the exam that year. The professor said, "That wasn't your fault, but rather a choice made by fate."

"But you are my best student. Now there is an opportunity. Would you like to study abroad?"

Su Yuchen agreed blankly. This poor country boy had no idea what it was, nor did he know how much good his ancestors had done to deserve such a sincere teacher.

During his years abroad, Su Yuchen went from a bewildered rural boy to an international figure. His vision broadened, and after carefully reflecting on his past, he finally understood something.

At that time, it was already his third year abroad.

In the fourth year, Su Yuchen hurriedly returned to China and ran into his senior. She looked at him with disdain and told him: I misjudged you. You are such an ingrate. Why didn't you go to see Professor XX?

Su Yuchen felt helpless because he had only just figured out some of the issues!

Afterwards, Su Yuchen went to see his teacher, who received him in a very calm manner and said: I thought you were so fascinated by foreign countries that you didn't want to come back.

Teachers are always so calm and composed, and they seem to have seen through the ways of the world.

What could Su Yuchen say? That he was too stupid to understand the teacher's sacrifices?

When the teacher learned that she had been tricked into signing a non-compete agreement by a foreign professor, she was furious: "Don't you understand everything I've done for you? You've disappointed me so much!"

Much later, Su Yuchen realized once again that he had made the wrong choice. Because he hadn't discussed it with his teacher and signed a non-compete agreement, he had wasted the skills he had learned abroad and failed his teacher's arrangements.

The professor was disappointed and told Su Yuchen to leave immediately.

Much later, when Su Yuchen finally understood the truth, it was too late. He had lost his only chance to change the fate of his entire family.

Until one day, his senior found him and coldly told him that the professor was willing to give him another chance. The senior said: "You are stupid, but there are many smart people in our country. You can continue to do odd jobs."

Su Yuchen agreed.

During that odd job, Su Yuchen came into contact with a lot of technology. As time went by, within the bounds of the rules, he proposed another path, a path that was very likely to succeed.

………………

Many years later, Su Yuchen sat by the window, in the quiet of the night, realizing that he had missed out and lost something...

P.S.: This isn't part of the main text, and it's not counted in terms of word count. Just consider it someone's random thoughts late at night.

Chapter 387 An Encounter in Luoyang (Part 1)

Su Yuchen remained clueless about the great terror the old Taoist had spoken of. His only guess was the Temple of War. As the only fortress in this realm capable of moving on its own, it seemed to be a product of another realm. Could it be related to the 'great terror'?

"There are no signs of invasion in this world, and the energy level is not very high, far from the level of high-level martial arts or immortal martial arts. The only difference is that there seem to be no martial artists who cultivate their bodies in this world."

"The few body-refining methods that exist are also rudimentary and passed down among the military."

"Huh? Since Bodhidharma spread the teachings to the Central Plains in this world, and there is also the Shaolin Temple on Mount Shaoshi, the Yi Jin Jing should logically contain a method for cultivating an indestructible body. Why haven't I heard of it?"

"Has someone restricted the development of body refinement in this realm? Is ascension only permitted through 'immortal embryos and demonic seeds'? Nourishment?"

"If I didn't have the 'Great Dao Azure Lotus Chapter' by my own hand, would I also be affected by the invisible influence and overlook the importance of body tempering?"

"If that's the case, then was the desert temple that Bi Xuan entered really the Temple of the God of War?"

"The He Shi Bi jade in this world is extremely mysterious, containing a strange kind of energy. Could it also be related to the outer heavens?"

A series of thoughts arose one after another, making Su Yuchen restless and tempted to act.

With the Pegasus Ranch conflict over, and facing the overwhelming Song army, Fang Zetao chose to surrender, and Jingling was restored, the Pegasus Ranch had no other choice.

Before her death, Lu Miaozi entrusted all her knowledge to Xu Ziling, and asked Xu Ziling to deliver a letter to Song Shidao. Shang Xiuxun's dowry was the Pegasus Ranch.

[Fan Qinghui's secret entry into Sichuan to meet with Jie Hui has been confirmed by Song Que. He has already secretly dispatched troops into Sichuan, secretly advancing on Chengdu via the Ziwu Valley, and Sichuan will fall in a single battle.]

Kou Zhong decided to give up his ambition to dominate the world, but he was also unwilling to see the Li clan gain power. Therefore, he decided to help Wang Shichong defeat Li Mi, and then help Wang Shichong blockade Tongguan, trapping the Li clan inside the pass.

[With the unification of the South accelerating, Fan Qinghui resolves to convene an imperial election conference in Luoyang as soon as possible to help the Li clan unify the North.]

[Li Mi suffered heavy losses in his campaign against Yuwen Huaji, and in his final battle against Wang Shichong at Yanshi, he was about to suffer the greatest defeat of his life.]

Li Mi had already become suspicious of Shen Luoyan and intended to use the imperial selection ceremony in Luoyang to put her to death.

The He Shi Bi jade has surfaced; you may gain something from it, but please handle it with caution.

"Is it time to purge Cihang Jingzhai and the Buddhist forces in this world? Are they stubbornly unyielding or are they just hoping to get away with it?"

Su Yuchen stood up and disappeared into the courtyard in a flash.

………………

Luoyang.

Surrounded by mountains and rivers, Luoyang boasts a strategic pass and fertile soil, as well as beautiful scenery. Since ancient times, it has been a battleground for military strategists and the ancient capital of eight dynasties in the Central Plains.

After Yang Guang became emperor, he built the Grand Canal, centered on Luoyang, connecting the five major water systems of the Central Plains, extending from Yuhang in the south to Zhuojun in the north. This made Luoyang the center of transportation and commerce in the country.