Chapter 42 Embracing the Mountain

"The Dao of Transforming Force lies in the spirit and intent. Intent can be divided into internal, external, and that of heaven and man. Both the intent of heaven and earth and the intent of one's own heart and mind find it difficult to shatter the barrier of internal and external void. Only by comprehending the intent of the unity of heaven and man can one walk the truest path."

"The spirit and intent of heaven and man..."

Chen Xian muttered to himself, contemplating the secrets spoken of by the Old Celestial Master.

Walking along the plank road leading up the mountain, he looked around and found not a single soul in sight, which only made the surroundings appear even more desolate.

At this moment, all sorts of past events surfaced in his mind one after another.

That peculiar dream also inexplicably grew a fraction clearer at this very moment.

In the dream, the young man had a flawed body and could hardly stand on his own, confined to a single room where he could only rely on a mobile phone to witness the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

That bustling outside world seemed to have nothing to do with him at all.

His yearning for health seemed to have transformed into an obsession, lingering in the young man's mind every waking moment.

What kind of obsession was that? It was an obsession willing to exhaust everything, paying any price imaginable in exchange for good health.

As the saying goes, what people yearn for most is often what they lack the most.

A sick person desires nothing more than to possess a healthy body.

Given the choice between becoming a billionaire and possessing a healthy body, they would undoubtedly choose the latter.

A healthy yet impoverished person desires above all else to have sufficient wealth.

For this, they are willing to forsake all else.

If forced to choose between health and wealth, they would probably choose wealth without the slightest hesitation.

......

A certain thing is often cherished most only after it is lost, or before it is ever possessed.

Those scenes in the dream, the obsession of that young man,

the pain of being trapped in a room, unable to move a muscle...

All of this was influencing Chen Xian in some inexplicable way. Possessing a formidable physique was no longer just the obsession of that youth; it now seemed to have become Chen Xian's own obsession.

Chen Xian's steps were not fast. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, as if something was beginning to sprout, yet simultaneously being pressed down by an unseen force.

As he walked onward, passing red-walled cliffs, cave murals, clay sculptures, stone pillars, ancient trees, and bubbling streams...

Amidst this journey, Chen Xian seemed to sense an inexplicable emotion welling up from the depths of his heart.

An indescribable ethereal serenity spread outward from Chen Xian's heart.

Following closely was a profound, mystical sensation.

This feeling was both intimately familiar and somewhat distant.

Everything seemed to be guiding him forward, as if by continuing onward, he would attain what he truly desired.

Upon this deserted plank road, Chen Xian's pace grew increasingly slower. Every step felt as though it were treading upon the deepest recesses of his soul. Even his heartbeat slowed down immensely, almost coming to a halt, as if it had ceased to throb.

Everything felt so natural and effortless.

Chen Xian fancied that he was surrounded by pitch-black darkness, but to him, this was not a state of being lost, but rather a form of pursuit.

At this moment, a sliver of sudden enlightenment bloomed within his heart.

That intangible obsession seemed to vanish—no, not vanish, but rather undergo an assimilation, transforming into something that belonged exclusively to him, something he could truly master rather than an obsession that controlled him.

This was an indescribably comfortable sensation.

Chen Xian's eyes grew bright and clear.

Continuing his walk, before he knew it, he reached the summit. Raising his gaze, he beheld a world draped in silver.

It was as if heaven and earth had been dyed silver, with snow-capped mountains standing tall and majestic between earth and sky.

Though these snow-capped mountains were not exceptionally towering, they possessed an unreachable, breathtaking grandeur.

Standing atop this peak, Chen Xian felt a profound sense of insignificance.

This insignificance was not a sigh of awe at the power of nature, but rather a helpless sense of his own microscopic stature.

In this vast world, he was merely a grain of dust, infinitely tiny.

These snow-capped mountains stood firm upon the earth, seemingly eternal, enduring through hundreds of millions of years of time without collapsing.

Compared to them, a human life was far too fleeting.

Standing at the apex of the mountain, Chen Xian gazed far into the distance.

Countless snow-capped mountains, weathered by tens of millions of years, stood unshaken.

Solitary, eternal, unchanging, desolate...

Chen Xian exhaled lightly. At this moment, a smile finally surfaced on his face.

The smile was faint, yet exceptionally bright and clear.

"What is heaven and earth? What are all things? I do not truly understand, but it seems I have found what I was looking for!"

Chen Xian gazed into the distance, whispering to himself in his heart.

A quiver of emotion surfaced within his soul, as if a heart sealed away for many years had suddenly burst into bloom.

In an instant, the seed deep within his heart broke through the soil entirely,

swaying gently in the wind as if yearning to take flight.

Chen Xian had been searching for an answer. Now, upon this snow-mantled mountain peak, he had found it.

At this moment, high upon the mountain summit, Chen Xian began to practice his fist forms. His form lacked any conventional structure or rules; instead, it carried the unpolished, clumsy air of a child's graffiti.

Yet precisely because of this childish, untutored simplicity, it felt preternaturally real.

As his fist forms shifted, Chen Xian's figure grew increasingly slow and fluid.

In that instant, his entire being seemed to merge with the earth, blending seamlessly with his surroundings.

Between the transitions of his fists and palms, an imposing, towering divine mountain seemed to be gestating, flickering in and out of existence in tandem with his movements.

A sudden gust of biting wind swept through, whipping up boundless whirlwinds of snow. Chen Xian's robes fluttered violently.

His hands continued their shifting patterns, and the momentum of his strikes grew increasingly fierce and sharp.

Upon this snow-covered summit, crisscrossing impressions of his punches scarred the ground.

Each imprint contained an ultimate, explosive force, and every thrust of his fists churned up endless rolling waves of air.

Chen Xian seemed to have fallen into a wondrous state of trance,

punch after punch, as if it would never end...

Time slipped away silently. A day passed in the blink of an eye. When the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds and spilled over Chen Xian, he finally opened his eyes.

The moment he opened his eyes, two beams of brilliant light shot forth from his gaze.

It was as if an ancient, eternal divine mountain had flashed across his eyes.

"So..."

"This is the intent of the unity of heaven and man!"