This particular cultivation method required no active practice; its characters and intentions were etched directly onto the memory cells. Enlightenment would dawn when the heart achieved understanding and the intent felt resonance. The advancement of one's mental state followed no fixed pattern. Sometimes, clad in rough hemp, traversing ten thousand mountains and streams, crossing snowy peaks and blue lakes, one merely tempered the spirit without elevation.

Other times, when insight struck, everything in sight became the Dao, became principle. Principle was an intangible rule, like the music of high mountains and flowing water, like the rising and setting of the sun—formless yet manifest. Through every event, every object, one could grasp principle, thus achieving sudden enlightenment anytime, anywhere.

Ye Chen recalled that in ancient Chinese civilization, there were relics left by the Sages. Within them were Crystal Orbs containing the Tao Te Ching and the Book of Rites. These contained no written text; instead, like the Peiyuan Puxin Jue, they were absorbed and etched directly into the mind. This differed from the Tao Te Ching left in poetry and scrolls, where archaic language made the profound truth difficult to grasp, the text itself limiting the ultimate wisdom.

If the artistic conception could not be fully described even by language, one could imagine how profound it was.

Among the numerous methods for mental cultivation, the Tao Te Ching stood as a scripture, encapsulating the ultimate truths of the universe's workings. If one could truly comprehend it, they could let go of everything and become a Sage—one who, even when bitten on the arm by a fierce tiger, would maintain an unmoving heart and a composed demeanor, using the ethereal energy gained from mental cultivation to transform the tiger (called Duhua in Buddhism, or Jiaohua in Taoism).

With Ye Chen’s current level of mental cultivation, he couldn't even transform a mosquito in peacetime. Only upon reaching the Sage stage could he manipulate the ethereal energy to convert living beings, pacify murderous intent, and reach a state of directly perceiving one's true heart, acting according to will—where actions were not forced, and morality was judged by individual insight.

The balance of good and evil in everyone’s heart is like a balancing sphere. In an apocalyptic environment, the sphere of evil slips, erupting into actions like killing one's own child or devouring a spouse, betraying trust—this is when malignant intent dominates thought. In peaceful times, with abundance and environmental influence, evil impulses are suppressed by systems like law and police, allowing benevolent thoughts to command the mind.

Mental cultivation, however, serves as an intermediary, keeping the mind clear, allowing one to discern precisely toward whom malice should arise and toward whom compassion should be shown. It reveals one's true nature, preventing one from being dictated by benevolence or malevolence, achieving the state of "directly perceiving the true heart, seeing the heart itself."

A hint of bewilderment flickered in Ye Chen’s eyes. Under the influence of the Peiyuan Puxin Jue, myriad pieces of information flooded his mind: one year, one blossoming and withering; one thought, one world. The myriad forms of existence flashed before his eyes.

The human world is inherently a vast sea of suffering.

Whether struggling or slaughtering kin for meager rations, all are guided by the Seven Emotions and Six Desires, driven by the impulse for survival. Through this mind-cultivation technique, Ye Chen gained insight: one must not live merely to survive, but must live in order to live.

Previously, Ye Chen felt his existence lacked meaning, merely existing for the sake of existing. Now, with this enlightenment, the feeling remained, yet the perspective changed—this was the transition from seeing mountains as mountains and water as water.

To seeing mountains as not mountains and water as not water.

To the third realm: seeing mountains as mountains and water as water again.

He still lived to exist, but the meaning was different. Living and survival are two distinct concepts. To fight for rations, abandoning one’s heart to become a cruel demon—that is for "survival." Though the body is alive, the heart is dead.

But to live means possessing emotion, being oneself, having love and hate, sorrow and joy, bitterness and worry. This is living.

Ordinary people, provided they have food, claim they are "living."

People of high status, enjoying abundance but lacking confidantes, living luxuriously yet without smiles, also claim they are "living."

In reality, all are people dwelling in the sea of suffering.

Ye Chen, however, sought to escape this sea of suffering. Ordinary people strive for "survival," whereas Ye Chen strives for true "living."

Thinking of this, Ye Chen felt his spirit undergo a tempering, subtly breaking through his previous realm to achieve the "Sage" stage—instantaneous enlightenment leading to great wisdom.

Having attained Great Sage status, he could now integrate monster limbs up to level 20, far exceeding prior estimates. However, even the Sage state could sometimes be obscured. Instances where one's spiritual clarity dropped from "Sage" back to "Mortal" were common in ancient China. Only by reaching the Saint level, with a truly transparent spirit, could one remain unclouded by any gain or circumstance. Only then could one see through everything and detect the mysterious Time Tunnel (Note: The Time Tunnel is also called the Fourth Dimension).

Ye Chen drew back his thoughts, stood up, glanced at his sister Ye Zhu, who was still meditating with her eyes closed, and without disturbing her, quietly left the room, exiting the Atlantis City and walking into the base city outside.

The night wind blew, feeling quite bleak.

The time had reached winter, and the temperature had turned somewhat chilling. Ye Chen looked up at the sky devoid of stars or moon, his eyes gleaming with an impenetrable light. From the moment he reached the Sage state, his thinking had fundamentally changed, allowing him to perceive much that was previously hidden.

From this day forward, he would fight for the sake of "living."

With the strength of a humble ant, he would strive to survive.

He followed the street, slowly walking toward the city gates. The base city was vast, and since it was already four or five in the morning, he hadn't walked far before the very first rays of dawn illuminated the heavens and descended upon him, enveloping him.

...

"Beep, beep..." Around noon, Ye Chen was eating in a hotel when his communicator suddenly rang. He put down his chopsticks, took out the device, glanced at it, saw it was Huang Tianci calling, and pressed the answer key.

"Boss, this is bad!" Huang Tianci's voice was anxious. "Our guild members were outside killing monsters and were ambushed by the Longteng Guild. Many brothers were killed or injured, and the rest who managed to escape are all wounded."

Ye Chen's expression remained calm, revealing nothing of his thoughts. He spoke in a level and steady tone: "Distribute the gene serums. Ensure every injured person receives compensation. Also, summon everyone in the guild above level 10 to the base city gate and issue a challenge to the Longteng Guild."

Huang Tianci was startled. "Boss, you want to fight a bloody battle with the Longteng Guild? That won't work! They have too many experts, we can't beat them, and they even have several Superman warriors in their guild!"

"It's fine." Ye Chen’s voice carried a calm authority that implied everything was under control, brook no argument.

Huang Tianci immediately fell silent, thought for a moment, and sighed, "Alright, I’ll gather the men and issue the challenge to the Longteng Guild right away."

"En." Ye Chen nodded, then hung up. He immediately dialed Bai Long's communicator and said, "Call Mo Feng and the others over to the Lanting Hotel; I have something to discuss." He hung up and continued eating.

Not long after, Bai Long and a few others appeared before Ye Chen. Bai Long casually sat on the sofa opposite the table and asked with resignation, "Why summon us?"

"Have you eaten?" Ye Chen didn't answer, instead asking casually.

"We ate," Bai Long replied. "But I'm hungry again now."

Yue Heng chimed in, "Me too."

"Me too," Zhuge Fan added with a grin.

Ye Chen glanced at the four of them. "What's your physique level?"

Bai Long grinned slyly. "All around level 50."

Ye Chen nodded, then addressed the beautiful waitress beside him. "Four more servings of level 50 Azure Scale Serpent..."

"Yes, please wait a moment." The exceptionally beautiful female server nodded with a slightly stiff smile and turned to leave.

Ye Chen ate the plain stir-fry in front of him. "I called you here for one thing. There will be a fierce battle shortly, and I might activate Superman mode then. When my power wanes, you all are responsible for my safety."

Bai Long shouted, "Me? No way!"

Zhuge Fan muttered, "He’s charging in alone and leaving us to watch? That's unfair! I want to join too!"

"Exactly!" Yue Heng excitedly agreed.

Ye Chen glanced sideways at them. "If you all join, who will be responsible for covering the retreat?"

"Isn't there that weirdo?" Bai Long raised a hand, pointing at the silent Mo Feng, and chuckled. "He's the Bat Superman, with ultrasonic detection. Plus, this guy, despite looking like a meek, spectacled scholar, is actually incredibly treacherous and loves setting traps."

Mo Feng said indifferently, "I never trapped you."

Bai Long yelled, "Damn it, don't deny it! Who told me there was a beautiful woman inside that tiger last time? Who was it?"

"It was me," Mo Feng admitted. "I just didn't expect you to actually run inside."

Ye Chen paused, momentarily stunned.

Bai Long argued, "If you hadn't said there was a beauty inside, would I have rushed in?"

"Any fool knows there won't be a beauty inside a tiger," Mo Feng stated flatly.

Bai Long triumphantly countered, "That proves I'm not a fool."

The four slumped onto the table.

Ye Chen coughed lightly. "Then it's settled. Mo Feng covers the retreat. Oh, right, what kind of Superman is Zhuge Fan?"

Zhuge Fan blushed but hadn't spoken when Bai Long threw an arm around his shoulder and chuckled. "This little kid is incredible; he chose the cockroach gene. How about that? Invincible, right?"

Zhuge Fan couldn't help but argue in a small voice. "Didn't you choose the cheetah gene? Isn't that so you can be the first to run when danger strikes?"

Bai Long declared righteously, "What do you know? The heavy responsibility of preserving human civilization rests on me. How can we not leave a spark behind? Besides, what I'm doing isn't running away; it's being pragmatic. Fighting when you know you can’t win—isn't that foolish?"

Yue Heng cautioned Zhuge Fan, "I told you not to argue with him. That rotten mouth of his can talk the dead back to life, and more importantly, he can talk monsters into being so ashamed they commit suicide."

Zhuge Fan wholeheartedly agreed. "That's true."