The End of the Old Arts Path

The mountaintop was dappled with light and shadow. Nearby maples blazed fiery red, while distant woods cast vast shadows. Now and then, night birds startled awake in the darkness and cried out.

Many people got drunk that night, each spilling the words in their hearts. Some grew impassioned, their ambitions soaring to the heavens, declaring that this was a great era—they had to seize the opportunity, become Supernatural Beings, and even harbor ambitions toward gods...

"Light the divine fire, ascend the high altar..." Even a girl who was usually rather quiet had cast aside much of her reserve.

Another boy shouted, "What are Transcendent Immortals? I think they were Supernatural Beings. The myths of old may not have been false. Bodhisattvas, the Three Pure Ones, Immortals and Buddhas, monsters—they may not be impossible. Of course, I mean people of this level could still appear, not that Bodhisattvas, Demon Immortals, and other Supernatural Beings from the old era are still alive. Time is merciless; whatever should have been ground away has been ground away. The Three Pure Ones, Immortals and Buddhas were still human. They could not possibly have lived until now. When they were alive, they were flesh-and-blood people too. Though they were powerful, judging by the Buddhist pagodas, Daoist temples, ruins, and various rare documents unearthed, they were far less formidable than we imagined. There is no need to deify them excessively. Several Life Science Research Institutes once joined forces to analyze their remains. Even the strongest individuals among those Supernatural Beings could not withstand modern technological weapons. One nuclear bomb, and they would all be wiped out just the same."

The speaker was a male student from New Star. He had clearly drunk too much and let slip some explosive information—secrets that the Old Earth students had never heard before.

The financial magnates of New Star had unearthed some extraordinary things on Old Earth. They had even found Buddhist bones?!

That student added, "It's nothing strange, and there's no need to be amazed. For instance, beneath some religious pagodas, there are occasionally underground palaces containing stone caskets, iron caskets, jade caskets, gold caskets, and so on. They hold Buddhist bones and relics. Such discoveries have been made all across Old Earth. There were also unexpected findings at Daoist Ancestral Courts, followed by repeated explorations. Those relics and the stone inscriptions underground recounted many past events. Combined with the analyses of those relics by several of the most prestigious Life Science Research Institutes, naturally, corresponding scientific and precise conclusions were reached. Bodhisattvas, Transcendent Immortals, the Three Pure Ones, and the like should all have been flesh-and-blood people..."

Wang Xuan asked Zhou Kun beside him whether those claims were reliable.

"Not very reliable. The bones, hair, and various artifacts unearthed from underground palaces cannot precisely prove anything," Zhou Kun said quietly.

Rare indeed, he was not drunk yet. He continued, "Those discoveries still differ somewhat from the legends of Transcendent Immortals and the like. They are believed to have been powerful people close to Daoist Masters."

Wang Xuan asked, "So the research on New Star has definitive evidence showing that even the most powerful Daoist Masters of the Pre-Qin era were not difficult to kill with technological weapons?"

"That is indeed the case. Some research institutions were fortunate enough to obtain several Daoist Master remains. Tests confirmed that they were flesh-and-blood people. Many technological weapons could kill them."

Wang Xuan let out a rare sigh. Such an emotion was seldom seen from him.

For those who studied Old Arts and wished to keep walking this road, even the firmest of wills could not help feeling desolate upon hearing such a conclusion.

The most powerful Daoist Masters of the Pre-Qin era had already been the limit of Old Arts. They could go no further. And with the rise of technological civilization, the tiny handful of most powerful individuals among ancient humans could be easily crushed.

In this era, technology shone brilliantly, strangling the former splendor of Old Arts. One neutron bomb, and whether you were a legend or a powerful Daoist Master standing atop the pyramid, all would be killed.

"What about the Transcendent Immortals?" Wang Xuan asked.

Zhou Kun said, "After in-depth research, some believe that Transcendent Immortals were merely the very greatest Daoist Masters, or people just a shade stronger than Pre-Qin Daoist practitioners. Their stories were passed from mouth to mouth and gradually deified. But in the end, they were human, and before technological weapons, they could not escape death."

Wang Xuan sighed for the second time.

For those who devoted themselves to Old Arts in this era, there seemed to be no way forward. The prospects were bleak; one could see the end at a glance.

"You don't mean to walk all the way to the end of this road and become someone like a Pre-Qin Daoist practitioner, do you?" Zhou Kun looked at him in surprise, then shook his head. "Walking this road now, you can see the finish line straight away. The ending was predetermined long ago. In the past, some financial groups and organizations invested in Old Arts not to pursue its offensive power, but to prolong life. As for destructive force, it falls far short of modern technology."

He added, "And now there is the option of New Arts, which involves supernatural power. Even Old Arts' role in prolonging life has been replaced."

Zhou Kun lowered his voice. "New Arts holds tremendous promise. Perhaps becoming a god in the future is not beyond expectation. Some research institutions are already preparing studies in that direction."

"Once I master New Arts, if I get the chance, I'll ask someone to send you some materials and see whether you can embark on this road."

After saying all that, he deliberately stressed that he was drunk and didn't know what he had said.

Yet he still did not stop, continuing to ramble on by himself.

"Finding the New Arts path was only a side gain. The truly valuable discovery lies at the End of Deep Space. If I told you that someone wanted to rely on the foundation of a powerful technological civilization to take a risk, would you believe it? I don't really believe it myself, but rumors keep surfacing from time to time."

After saying that, he claimed his head was spinning and that he needed to go sit in his room for a while.

Long after Zhou Kun had left, Wang Xuan remained silent, thinking about the Old Arts path.

Can the endpoint really be seen at a glance? The prospects are bleak. But I still want to keep walking, to take a look at that end. I want to continue exploring beyond it, Wang Xuan murmured.

Qin Cheng came over and said, "Old Zhou is a pretty good guy. He indirectly told us quite a lot."

Wang Xuan nodded.

Not long afterward, he and Qin Cheng bid farewell to the others and left.

"I'm leaving soon, so I need to deal with my love life. Old Wang, I'll disappear for two days first and stabilize the backyard," Qin Cheng muttered on the way.

He was drunk like that, so naturally he could not drive. Someone was assigned to take them back.

In fact, Qin Cheng reappeared before Wang Xuan the next noon. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he was unusually dejected, his sentimental side fully exposed.

"I happily told her that I was going to New Moon and might have the chance to immigrate to New Star in the future. In the end, she calmly told me, 'Break up.' Just two words."

"I told her I would definitely come back and take her with me, but she said she wouldn't wait for me!"

"That's too heartless. She did not even say anything more. Six words altogether, before and after—clean and decisive!" Qin Cheng nearly burst into tears.

But Wang Xuan wanted to laugh. He found that girl far too interesting. He had met her before; she was currently in her third year, and he knew she was a very sensible girl.

"Didn't you patiently ask her why?"

"I did. She said she didn't want to squander her time waiting until we became strangers to each other. Rather than that, it would be better to cut things apart early and end it early."

Wang Xuan sighed after hearing that. "This girl is really good. Decisive, full of character, not pretentious. And everything she said is true. The future is full of variables. With your personality, you might really forget her before long."

"Old Wang, you're looking down on me!" Qin Cheng said in grief and indignation. "I truly like her!"

Wang Xuan smiled but did not take the bait.

Qin Cheng grew anxious. "You don't really think I like Zhao Qinghan, do you? How is that possible! Calling her a goddess was only pure admiration. Who would choose her as a wife? She's only suited to being admired from afar. Who would keep a god in their home for worship when there's nothing to do? She's simply not suited for close contact. Besides, even if I had such thoughts, she'd have to avoid me. I know my own worth. I reckon that even if she chose you, Old Wang, she still wouldn't consider me."

"Can you even speak properly? You make it sound like she would only choose me because there was no one else to choose, settling for second best. Don't drag me into this."

"Old Wang, I never saw it before, but you're pretty confident. How about next time I tell Goddess Zhao that even if she chose you, you might not agree?"

Wang Xuan ignored him.

Seeing him so calm, Qin Cheng became somewhat flustered. "Old Wang, hurry and give me an idea. If the backyard is in turmoil, I won't be able to leave in peace. Help me think of something."

Wang Xuan nodded. "I've met this girl. We ate together before. She really is very good. You need to fight for her. If you can avoid missing out, then don't miss out."

"How do I fight for her?"

"The main issue is that distance has separated you. But your family business is connected to deep-space trade; you are one of the suppliers below. You can definitely use connections to find people traveling that route regularly to deliver letters, photos, audio recordings, and so on for you. Tell her that since you can stay in touch instead of being directly separated for many years, there is no need to break up now. She can issue you a verdict anytime in the future."

"Alright, I'm off!" Qin Cheng turned and ran away, disappearing from sight.

Half an hour later, Wang Xuan left the campus and walked alone along the pedestrian path. Many ancient ginkgo trees lined both sides, their fallen leaves golden and carpeting the ground.

He reached the end of the road, arrived before a skyscraper, and went straight inside.

Though the building was very tall, few people came and went. It was rather deserted. Just as he approached the elevator, someone stopped him.

Wang Xuan said nothing. He took out a business card made of pure gold and handed it over.

The pupils of the people by the elevator contracted slightly. One of them silently made a gesture of invitation and pressed the elevator button for him.

Wang Xuan nodded and stepped inside, with someone following beside him.

The two descended all the way in the elevator.

At last, the elevator stopped on the thirteenth basement level—an unusually deep underground floor.

After Wang Xuan stepped out of the elevator, he adjusted to the dim space. There were few lights. Below did not resemble a modern building at all, but rather a cavern hollowed out along the mountain rock.

Someone led the way. They turned this way and that through the underground caves, the route twisting and winding, until they finally entered a stone chamber where brilliant light shone.

The layout here was highly modernized, no different from an enormous luxurious office. A man sat behind a rosewood desk.

"You came in the end." He had thick black hair cut short and wore a green mask over his face. Judging from his voice, he should have been in his forties—a middle-aged man.

"I graduated. I have already left the Old Arts Experimental Class. I am free now," Wang Xuan replied calmly.

Ding!

A crisp sound rang out from the hand of the middle-aged man in the green mask, like gold and jade striking each other.

Wang Xuan's pupils abruptly contracted. He saw what the middle-aged man was playing with—two golden bamboo slips. Professor Lin had spoken of such strange objects before!

"Oh, you know about this too? Since you have made your choice, I'll give you one."

The middle-aged man in the green mask gave a light toss. A golden bamboo slip landed in Wang Xuan's hand, heavy and weighty.

Wang Xuan lowered his head. A diagram was carved into the golden bamboo slip!

The plot is about to take a turn. This fledgling new book asks for your support—if you have monthly votes, please send them over. Thank you.

Thanks to: A Wanderer Dwelling Above the Heart, Xiaoxiao's Stranding, Three Lifetimes of Dashing Fate, Descendant of the Dragon, Handsome Until Awake.

Thanks to the above alliance leaders for their support.