The Impermanence of Worldly Affairs (Fifth update, seeking reads!)

The moon set and the sun rose, casting light upon the earth.

Chen Yuan crawled out of bed before six. Ever since arriving in this world, he had completely kicked the habit of staying up late, following the natural Dao of working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

He glanced at the settlement remarks:

[Some are highly competitive, holding grudges after a single loss. You gave Tian Peng a way to save face after your sparring session, winning him over with virtue and avoiding unnecessary trouble, which aligns with the Dao of Survival. Dao of Survival points +8.]

Adding this to the previous 9 points, he had a total of 17, which Chen Yuan fed into his own brain.

He changed directly into his Li Family attire, fastened his belt, washed up, and headed out.

Just as he stepped over the threshold, he saw an elderly woman with a hunched back passing by, struggling to carry a burlap sack with a stumbling gait.

Seeing this, Chen Yuan stepped forward with light footsteps, reached out to take the sack from the old woman's shoulder, and smiled, "Granny Wang, let me help you carry this home."

This Granny Wang also lived in Hundred Herb Lane and was considered a neighbor, but after her only son married and moved elsewhere, he refused to take her in, only providing a bit of money at regular intervals.

Consequently, Granny Wang lived alone in Hundred Herb Lane, leading a life of hardship, and whenever Chen Yuan encountered her, he would help whenever he could.

"Ah, it's little Chen. Thank you so much." With the heavy burden removed, Granny Wang looked up, her wrinkles smoothing out.

"It's nothing." Chen Yuan just smiled.

When he was young and living in the countryside, he had watched the village elders toil away—either sweating like rain while clutching hoes, rooted in the fields, or bent double under heavy loads, still walking several kilometers to town to sell their crops. He had always felt a sense of pity.

Later, after being repeatedly battered by reality, he would often mock himself in his heart for being an idiot, empathizing with the suffering of others at such a young age.

Yet, every time he saw such a scene, the stirrings in his heart remained unextinguished.

After helping Granny Wang, Chen Yuan walked toward Huo Academy with a light step.

One couldn't go without breakfast.

Although the Li Family's food was better, it cost money.

It was past six in the morning, and many disciples had already arrived at the Huo Academy Dining Hall.

As the saying went, "Train in the dog days of summer and the depths of winter." Now that the autumn air was crisp and refreshing, it was naturally the best time to train hard.

Tao Ping was naturally among them.

Chen Yuan carried his tray and sat opposite him, smiling, "Senior Brother Tao, morning."

Tao Ping nodded slightly, "I didn't see you at dinner last night. If you miss a meal, you can register it and make it up later."

He looked up and noticed something unusual about Chen Yuan: "Eh, your clothes?"

Chen Yuan gave a faint smile, "No, I came back to eat later. I went to the Li Family to handle my appointment. Fortunately, I passed, so Senior Brother doesn't need to keep an eye out for job openings for me anymore."

Tao Ping's eyes flickered, "The inner-city Li Family? Congratulations, Junior Brother. It seems talent is never buried, no matter where it is."

Chen Yuan shook his head and smiled, "It's thanks to Senior Brother Huang for recommending me; otherwise, I wouldn't even have been able to cross the threshold."

Tao Ping understood, "To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. Senior Brother Huang's willingness to recommend you shows that you have exceptional qualities."

After some idle chatter, Chen Yuan took his leave.

Today was his first day on duty, so it was always better to go early.

A quarter of an hour before the Hour of the Dragon, Chen Yuan stepped into Huo Academy and arrived at the martial arts arena. There were more people than yesterday, but they were all new faces; it seemed to be a shift change, with both the late and early shifts present.

The group from yesterday was likely the midday shift.

Fan Dajiang soon appeared, briefly introduced the newcomer Chen Yuan, and began to assign tasks for the early shift.

He was speaking primarily to Chen Yuan.

Finally, he called out, "Kong Liang, take Chen Yuan and show him the ropes of being a guard for the day."

"Understood." A man wearing a darker-colored guard uniform stepped forward.

It seemed he was the head of the early shift guards.

And so, Chen Yuan began his day on duty, and just as he had expected, it wasn't particularly busy.

The main work consisted of patrolling and maintaining the safety of the estate, and they were also assigned to help with any chores in the residence that required physical strength.

He performed his duties conscientiously for a full two hours before he began to slack off, practicing the Rock-Solid Stance Technique in the martial arts arena.

There were also guards with itchy hands who sought to spar with him. Chen Yuan turned no one away, using his steady Six Harmonies Mind Boxing to face all comers, and soon established his footing.

After his shift ended, Chen Yuan changed his clothes and headed to Huo Academy, beginning his immersive martial arts training, his blood and energy steadily rising.

Having a stable job was good; the Dao of Survival most feared unnecessary complications.

Under this three-point-one-line routine, more than a month passed in a flash.

Nothing major happened during this time.

All the Dao of Survival points he earned were used to increase his comprehension, raising it from 12 to 27—he had gained quite a bit of brainpower.

Even if his IQ wasn't 250, it wasn't far off.

However, during this period, Chen Yuan had been training his stance technique with all his might, nourishing his blood and energy, and tempering his skin and membranes, fully utilizing the advantages of his natural talent.

Thanks to the triple income in the first half of the month, he could afford to splurge on beef, so Chen Yuan didn't have to worry about a deficiency in blood and energy. His progress in the Skin Realm was rapid, and in a few days, he would reach minor completion.

Chen Yuan estimated that at this rate, in another two or three months, he would be able to attempt the Bone Realm.

The conflict between the Golden Blade Sect and the Black Dragon Gang continued, with the situation remaining largely unchanged; the Black Dragon Gang was in steady retreat, their territory being continuously encroached upon.

Gang turnover was a common occurrence, so Chen Yuan was not particularly worried.

He was now an initiate martial artist working as a guard for the Li Family, so even if the Golden Blade Sect seized the Hundred Herb Lane territory, they would not dare to act too recklessly against the Cheng Family.

Moreover, the authorities were watching from above; although they turned a blind eye due to collusive interests, they would reveal their nature as a violent apparatus the moment a gang dared to cause too much trouble.

At Huo Academy, old faces departed and new ones arrived, a constant cycle of change.

The Zhou Brothers, seeing no hope of reaching the Skin Realm and having exhausted their family's wealth, could only leave in dejection, choosing to follow their cousin into the gang life.

A few days later, the two were dead. It didn't cause much of a stir; everyone assumed it was the work of the Golden Blade Sect, and the matter was hastily brushed aside.

Chen Yuan continued his martial arts practice as steadily as ever, with only a few extra taels of silver in his purse.

Though all were sponsored by the Gu Family, their circumstances were vastly different.

According to Sun Chengjie, Cao Yan had attempted to break through the realm a few days ago but failed; however, she had not damaged her foundation and was expected to try again soon.

Had Gao Mingchang not been injured by him, he would likely have attempted the breakthrough already, though it would happen within these next few days regardless, as the Gu Family's minimum requirement was four months.

Sun Chengjie and Xue Anping were holding their breath, both preparing to wait until the very last moment to attempt their breakthrough, hoping to maximize their chances of success.

The most lamentable case, however, was He Qing.

He had finally found a like-minded senior martial brother with impressive strength, already at the peak of the Skin Realm and showing signs of transitioning to Copper Skin.

Presumably, they intended to gamble on that medicinal herb to break through to the Bone Realm.

The two set off for the mountains full of ambition, but the result was that He Qing died on the spot, leaving no remains, while his senior brother managed to escape death thanks to his peak Skin Realm physique.

According to this senior brother, there was indeed a medicinal herb of considerable age, but it was guarded by two exotic beasts—one in the open and one in the shadows.

They had used drugs to take down the beast in the open, but just as they approached to harvest the herb, they were caught off guard by the beast lurking in the shadows and forced to flee in a sorry state.

It was just a pity that He Qing did not have his good fortune.

Chen Yuan felt that the senior brother's account was likely mostly accurate, but the details of how he managed to escape with only minor injuries remained open to scrutiny.

Whether he had turned on He Qing, using his life to buy time for his own escape, remained unknown.

Since He Qing was dead, there was no way to verify it, and the matter was left unsettled.

When Chen Yuan first heard the news, he had sighed incessantly.

He recalled that afternoon when they first arrived at Huo Academy, the five of them sitting together and chatting about their lives.

He Qing had spoken of his father, who had lost an arm to a bear while hunting in the mountains, and had later advised Xue Anping not to view those stronger than himself as prey, only to die for that very reason himself.

Truly, the ways of the world are unpredictable.

Chen Yuan shook his head and continued practicing his punches, merely remarking that it was a fine, cool autumn day.