Chapter 222 - 219: Half a Month
He had sorted out the cause and effect, and now understood the true nature of this world—a place where the strong preyed on the weak.
As he contemplated the Immortal Cultivation World’s rigid, interlocking class structure—a pyramid where pressure was applied from every level—
Shen Changchuan felt an almost suffocating weight settle upon him.
The Qi Introduction Realm and the Soul Emergence Realm alone,
already had so many pitfalls.
So, what about the Realms above them?
After all, the Immortal Cultivation Realms started with the Qi Introduction Realm, followed by Soul Emergence, then Divine Travel, and only then came the realm of a Master Profound Pill.
And even beyond a Master Profound Pill, there were still higher Realms!
How many more hidden dangers lay on the path to becoming an Immortal?
’This world isn’t like the cultivation novels from my past life, where only those with innate Spirit Roots could practice Immortal Cultivation. Here, as long as you have enough Spiritual Objects, even a pig can achieve Spirit Awakening and embark on the Path of Immortal Cultivation. And after setting foot on that path, although there are differences in talent, one’s aptitude for Cultivation can be changed through hard work...’
’On the surface, it seems incredibly fair. You could almost say the Heavenly Dao is impartial, giving everyone a chance... But in reality, this is the greatest injustice of all.’
’In a cultivation world that relies on Spirit Roots, even if parents achieve great heights on the Immortal Dao, they can’t change their descendants’ fate of being born with or without a Spirit Root...’
’But in this world, the ability to cultivate isn’t fated by heaven. High Tier Cultivators have an overwhelming advantage over Low Tier ones. So, the pioneers use their accumulated advantages to erect nearly insurmountable barriers before others can catch up, building an incredibly high "moat" to protect their descendants...’
Shen Changchuan sighed internally.
But even though he had long since recognized this reality,
what good did it do?
He wasn’t some Innate Saint, unable to stand injustice or bear the sight of human suffering, possessed of the courage to reshape the world.
Both before and after transmigrating,
he was nothing more than an ordinary person.
He wasn’t like the protagonists of fantasy novels,
with grand ideals of breaking all chains and the courage to make a great vow that "all men can be dragons."
Perhaps this was the result of him being too clear-headed.
As far as he was concerned,
’Everyone a dragon?’
’When everyone is a dragon, the so-called "dragon" is no better than a worm...’
It was just like his previous life.
Take the people from the feudal era in his past life, from two or three hundred years before his time. In their eyes, a world where "everyone is a dragon" would have been one where every person could read, understood astronomy and geography, grasped the principles of how the world worked, and had enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear.
And yet, two or three hundred years later, all of that had been achieved. But did the people of his own time truly believe they were dragons?
No. The standard of living for modern people had surpassed even that of ancient feudal landlords with thousands of acres. Their knowledge and understanding of the world far exceeded that of the ancients; they were the very "dragons" the ancients had imagined.
Yet, most people of his time felt like they were nothing more than beasts of burden, working themselves to death...
This was an inevitable part of human nature.
When everyone is starving, being able to eat your fill every day is wealth.
When everyone can eat their fill, having a car and a house is wealth.
When everyone has a car and a house, being worth tens of millions and not having to work is true wealth.
But if everyone were worth tens of millions, would most people truly feel wealthy?
No.
Impossible!
Human desire is endless.
Wealth and poverty,
are merely products of comparison.
One Spirit Stone is poverty in the face of ten thousand. Ten thousand Spirit Stones are poverty in the face of a million...
’Everyone a dragon?’
’It’s nothing but a fantasy!’
When everyone possesses the same thing, that thing becomes as common as dirt.
’Maybe that’s why I could never be a protagonist...’
’I have no great will, no grand courage to change the world. I’m just an ordinary, unremarkable person.’
’Even after transmigrating, all I think about is self-preservation... But then again, there’s nothing wrong with that.’
’These philosophical questions are too lofty for me to figure out right now.’
’If one day I can reach the peak of the Immortal Cultivation Dao, become an Immortal, and achieve Transcendence beyond this world, then I’ll come back and properly contemplate these grand questions about humanity and society...’
Shen Changchuan shook his head slightly,
casting all these thoughts to the back of his mind.
In his eyes, this world was diseased.
But he was just a minor character with no grand ambition to save the world or reshape it.
Besides,
if one day he could reach the peak of the Path of Immortal Cultivation, the fate of the world would hinge on his every whim... Wouldn’t it be a simple matter to make anything that displeased him disappear?
Ultimately, it all came down to his own lack of strength.
So,
rather than dwelling on all that,
it was better to focus on cultivating.
As long as you were strong enough, the world would adapt to you, not the other way around...
Within Shen Changchuan’s heart,
a new resolve took hold at this moment.
’But then again, this time I really owe that so-called brother of mine a huge favor!’
Pulling his thoughts back from their wandering,
Shen Changchuan gazed at the Jade Slip in his hand and sighed internally.
Such detailed records, complete with a Secret Technique for concealing one’s Spirit Body.
’Said he just found it lying on the ground?’
’I don’t believe that for a second.’
’But why would he do it?’
Shen Changchuan didn’t know.
But regardless,
he would remember this favor.
....
「Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.」
During this half-month,
Shen Changchuan didn’t venture out again, staying within Dawan Village to focus on his Cultivation.
Over the past half-month,
nothing of great importance had happened in the village.
However, due to the incident at the Wu Family Collection, a large number of Cultivators had converged on the area in search of adventure, causing the village’s income to decline slightly.
The drop in income wasn’t significant, however,
because as news of the event spread, a steady stream of outside Cultivators continued to arrive.
Seeking information, they almost invariably made Dawan Village their first stop.
Moreover,
some Cultivators who had found treasures near the Wu Family Collection didn’t need what they had obtained, so they brought their Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to the market to trade.
Being the only market for hundreds of miles where large numbers of Cultivators gathered, Dawan Village naturally reaped the benefits of its proximity.
With Shen Changchuan’s approval, his grandfather, Han Qinhu, managed to acquire two of the Heavenly and Earthly Treasures that had flown out from the pillar of light at the Wu Family Collection.
One was Geng Metal Essence,
and the other was Monatomic Heavy Water.
Both were considered quite precious among Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.
According to the information in the Jade Slip from Shen Chong regarding the formation of a Spirit Body, if he performed Refinement on these two Spiritual Objects during his Foundation Establishment, he could form a Gold Spirit Body or a Water Element Body.
Aside from that,
after half a month of diligent Cultivation,
and with the aid of an abundant supply of Middle Grade Spirit Stones,
Shen Changchuan’s Cultivation broke through in one go, reaching the Qi Introduction Ninth Layer Late Stage Realm!