Chapter 520: A Man Does Not Mimic a God

Chapter 520: Better to Be a Man Than a God

The man before him, Shen Li by name, was tall and erect, yet his features were unexceptional, crowned with a tangled thicket of hair that lent him a disheveled, unkempt air.

Only a pair of bright, piercing eyes caught the attention, which, paired with a cynical smile and the faint bloodstains on his clasped hands, gave him the unmistakable aura of a rogue from the streets.

"How did you follow me?" Li Jun asked with a light chuckle.

"Birds of a feather flock together. Whether someone is one of our own from the Martial Sequence, you can tell with a single glance."

Shen Li turned back to thank the tavern owner who brought the wine, properly and correctly filling Li Jun's cup first, before opening another bottle for himself and swallowing nearly half of it in one breath.

"In truth, at our level..."

Shen Li exhaled a satisfied, wine-scented breath, pointed at the conical straw hat resting by Li Jun's hand, and chuckled. "This low-tier Ink Sequence creation isn't of much use anymore; every house and sequence has plenty of ways to see through it. Just like me—the moment I saw that erect, heroic build and that untamed, carefree banner, I knew it was you, Brother Jun, so I immediately followed."

The straw hat beside Li Jun's hand was an instrument crafted by an Ink Sequence artisan, its function similar to the Yin-Yang Nuo Mask Li Jun had used before.

Though only of the Fifth Rank, it was already the best Liang Huo could provide.

"You're cutting off a man's livelihood..."

The moment the empty cup touched the table, Shen Li picked up the bottle to refill it, and Li Jun tapped two fingers lightly on the tabletop in thanks.

"Splendid!"

Li Jun suddenly said, "Actually, just a moment ago, I was thinking about whether to look for you people to ask about something, and then I turn around and you show up at my door."

Li Jun smiled. "Speak then, what are you looking for me for?"

Shen Li gave a 'heh' and cursed, "By all accounts, for those Confucian Sequence clans, having sons is as simple as eating and drinking; there was absolutely no need to be that furious. Yet the clan master acted as if someone had taken him from behind, leading men everywhere to hunt this brother down, forcing me to nearly jump into the sea to feed the fish. Later, Brother Jun, guess what happened?"

Li Jun smiled and asked, "You used to be a rogue too?"

"I would only regret not slaughtering his father."

Li Jun had never expected it to be of major use anyway; it was merely meant to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"If you don't run, you die."

"Actually, I think it's nonsense too."

Li Jun studied the man across from him with genuine interest, noting how the man called him 'Brother' with such intimate warmth.

"In my youth, overestimating my own strength, I scraped a living in Tianjin Wei with a band of brothers who likewise refused to be industrial slaves."

"Of course I'm familiar. Rising from a triad rogue in Chengdu County, hacking out a bloody path single-handed through the territory of Mount Qingcheng, turning the entire Chongqing Prefecture upside down, stabbing an imperial prince to death, and even going solo in the Japanese Sector to slay Badu, one of the masters of the Liutao Group. Such exploits—among today's sect-based Martial Sequence, who can match you?"

Shen Li blinked. "It's about the matter of the sequences, right? Ask away, old brother, this little brother will tell you everything he knows."

Shen Li nodded and scooped up the wine bottle.

Li Jun smiled and raised his wine cup.

Shen Li spoke of Li Jun's past exploits as if enumerating his own family treasures, his face full of admiration. "As far as I know, Brother Jun, you are now the sole Sequence Four among the rogue Martial Sequence, a genuine lone seed. If things keep developing this way, as long as you aren't killed halfway by someone, and smoothly ascend to Sequence Two, or even just Sequence Three, you'll truly become the leading big brother of our Martial Sequence. Those old bastards won't even amount to a single hair compared to you."

Shen Li cleared his throat, then adopted a solemn expression. "In truth, this little brother just had a fight with someone on Mount Shizi, and snatched a man back from the Guanyun Temple under the Maoshan sect."

"And then you fled?" Li Jun drank a full cup.

"If I said today was purely a chance encounter, would you believe it, Big Brother?" Shen Li's face was plastered with a flattering smile.

"Then it is killing a man's parents..."

The two spoke in unison, looked at each other and laughed aloud, swallowing a large draft of burning, clear liquor at the same time.

"A father-son reunion!"

"What do you think? Jinling City is no small place."

Li Jun leaned back into his chair, shook his head and said, "I looked for you because I intended to make you squat while you speak; that way, I wouldn't owe any favors, nor would I have to pay money."

"Speaking of this matter, that too was a mix of blessing and disaster."

Li Jun cooperated perfectly and asked, "How so?"

"From your words, you seem very familiar with me?"

Shen Li's words, so saturated with the flavor of the underworld, inexplicably gave Li Jun the illusion of having returned to Jiulong Street in Chengdu County.

"Only after inquiring through various channels did I find out that the brat wasn't his son at all, but a bastard child born to his wife by an old man from a second-class clan!"

"Being hunted to the ends of the earth by others, no regrets?"

"So I went back to Tianjin Wei later."

Shen Li swallowed a draft of wine and smiled. "Once, I led some men to kidnap the young son of a third-class clan. Originally, I only intended to rob the rich to aid my own poverty, and incidentally teach that wicked scoundrel a lesson; I had no intention of killing. But that brat didn't know his place; his mouth spewed filth, cursing so horribly. I was young and hot-blooded then, and in a moment of impulse, I castrated him. Yet after being castrated, he still wouldn't shut up. No choice, I could only keep hacking, and as I hacked, the motherfucker was gone."

Hearing this, the expression on Shen Li's face instantly froze, and he managed a strained smile. "Actually, even if I sit while speaking, I can forego any benefits. We're all one family, there's no need to resort to fists at every turn, right? Besides, Brother Jun, you can see that my attitude is far better than that brat Jiang Wei."

"A family reunion?"

"No regrets. If it were you, old brother, would you regret it?"

Shen Li's face beamed with delight as he laughed loudly. "I was wondering why that old bastard was like a madman determined to destroy me. It turns out his capital for being a fellow-traveler with another man was gone, his chance to climb the matrimonial ladder ruined, and all those years of enduring humiliation turned to absolute shit!"

"It's not the same."

"So you are sitting now, instead of squatting."

"Then how did you enter the Martial Sequence sects?"

"The Martial Sequence?"

"A traitor."

Shen Li's expression turned cold, and he said flatly, "A sect Martial Sequence Four, who intends to offer his own body to Maoshan to be refined into a Yellow Turban Titan, in exchange for a chance to switch sequences."

Among the Dao Sequences, the most elite powers were the 'Four Mountains and One Palace'.

Li Jun had dealt with most of them, save for Maoshan, with whom he had no dealings.

Li Jun asked in perplexity, "Why not kill, but snatch?"

"To bring him back and extract him into injectors; consider it recycling waste."

Shen Li spoke with an air of complete indifference; it was evident this was not his first time doing such a thing.

"You stormed the mountain gate, seized the man, and yet instead of seizing the time to flee, you have leisure to sit here and drink with me?"

"I wanted to run too, but unfortunately, the business isn't finished yet."

Shen Li sighed. "We still have one man in the hands of the Liu clan."

"A traitor too?"

"A brother."

At this point, Shen Li's purpose was entirely clear.

Shen Li said in a deep voice, "To be captured by a clan, the outcome is nothing more than being brainwashed, stamped with the Confucian Sequence signet, and ultimately reduced entirely to a loyal hound and death-guard, driven by others to a fate worse than death. Therefore, our 'Tianque' will never abandon him. Thus, even if we cannot rescue him in the end, we must give him an easy departure."

"Tianque? Are you and he from the same sect?"

"Not quite. Times are different now. If the sect Martial Sequence doesn't make some changes and continues to sweep only the snow from their own doorsteps, let alone reclaiming our old glory, being driven to absolute extinction would only be a matter of time. So the various sects banded together for warmth, pooling their meager resources, and learned the ways of the Three Teachings to form an organization."

Shen Li scratched his head and gave a wry smile. "Actually, I think the name isn't that great either, but a name is just a label, it doesn't matter."

Li Jun said slowly, "So you looked for me because you want me to help you rescue him?"

"Exactly. But I, Shen Li, am not that kind of shameless scoundrel. I won't use any dog-shit righteousness to make things difficult for you, Jun-ge."

Shen Li slapped his chest. "Between us brothers, let's speak plainly. You help us, we help you. If it works, it works. If not, we walk away."

"And what exactly would you help me with?" Li Jun asked with a smile.

"Two things. Pick one."

Shen Li's eyes gleamed as he held up two fingers. "Either we help you take on those iron-strikers and topple their Central Branch. Or I tell you the ritual contents for advancing to Sequence Three—though it's only the martial sect's version. Whether it has any reference value for you, Jun-ge, I couldn't say."

Shen Li paused, then grinned. "As for the Sequence Four intelligence you want to ask about... it's not worth money. Consider it a free bonus."

"Then tell me the free part first."

Li Jun abruptly sat up straight, adopting the posture of someone listening with utmost seriousness.

Shen Li froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Li Jun to be so blunt. He smacked his lips a few times before speaking. "Jun-ge, the path you're walking now—you've been feeling your way across the river alone this whole time. So after becoming Sequence Four, you're bound to feel a bit lost. Like nothing's really changed, right?"

"Exactly."

"Perfectly normal. I felt the same way at first. Like I'd been swindled by that son of a bitch."

Shen Li dipped his finger in his wine cup and wrote the characters "Four" and "Five" vertically on the table, drawing a horizontal line between them.

"From Five to Four, for any school among the Three Teachings and Nine Streams, it's actually a significant threshold. The shameless ones love to boast—call it the chasm between man and god, the dragon gate bestowed by heaven. They say once you cross it, man and god are separated. But plainly put, it just means your genes have changed at this step."

Changed?

Li Jun's brows furrowed slightly. "How exactly do they change?"

"From taking to seeking."

Shen Li knew Li Jun was self-taught, having carved out his path step by stumbling step. So he broke down everything he knew into fine pieces, explaining meticulously.

"Before, after we martial sequences broke through and advanced, the awakened genes only seemed to let us learn higher-grade martial arts. Beyond that, a person was still a person, a fist was still a fist. Aside from hitting harder than before, there didn't seem to be any other changes. Not like other sequences—one plays with swords, another enters dreams, one pulls out talismans, another begs ancestors to fart thunder."

Perhaps because he'd just fought Maoshan people, Shen Li's words dripped with resentment toward the Dao sequences.

"Actually, it's not because we martial sequences are worse than others. It's because our awakened genes were starving—limbs weak, no strength for fancy tricks. Hunger demands eating. That's a massive matter, unchangeable by anyone. That's when we need to feed them. That's the shift from taking to seeking."

"But what to eat, and how to eat—that's where the nuance lies."

Shen Li deliberately paused, fixing Li Jun with an expectant gaze, as if waiting for him to pick up the thread.

"What nuance? Tell me." Li Jun caught the ball without letting it drop.

Shen Li smiled with satisfaction and continued. "Martial arts achieving *shu*—Jun-ge, you should be familiar with that concept, right?"

Martial arts achieving *shu*. Li Jun certainly wasn't unfamiliar.

When a martial sequence cultivated a martial art to its limit, stepping into Grand Perfection, it would transform from skill into instinct. No deliberate use needed—every gesture came naturally.

Beyond that, *shu*-achieved martial arts would produce special changes.

What Li Jun felt most clearly was the battle-sha qi in his old Po Lu Blade that could corrode machinery.

But in his subsequent sequence advancement, he never sensed that *shu* abnormality again. It was as if the martial arts he'd poured in had lost that ability.

Even now, with a full set of Grade Four Grand Perfections, he had no premonition of any achieving *shu*.

Li Jun had once thought this was the difference between sect and solo cultivation. But now it seemed there were reasons he didn't know.

"The *shu* formed from Grand Perfection martial arts is the martial sequence genes' food. Though this grandson of a gene has some conscience—knows we're still weak before Sequence Four, so it holds back and doesn't open its mouth."

Shen Li said, "But once you cross this threshold, it starts eating. That's why newly entered Sequence Four martial sequences feel no change."

"You mean, after becoming Sequence Four, genes start devouring martial arts' *shu* abilities?" Li Jun parsed the meaning in the other's words.

"Exactly."

"What about before Sequence Four?"

"This grandson has conscience. It doesn't eat."

Shen Li looked a bit blank. He felt he'd explained things simply and clearly—even if not pleasing, at least very clear. He didn't know why Li Jun would ask this.

"Is it possible..."

Li Jun frowned. "That even before Sequence Four—starting from Sequence Eight—it was already being eaten?"

"Whose genes are so rule-breaking? Wouldn't that eat a person to death?"

Shen Li blurted out instinctively, then suddenly realized. He gave an embarrassed laugh. "Jun-ge, you might be different from us. You play solo. We play sect."

Eaten from Sequence Eight? Meaning you previously relied purely on fists and feet to fight?

What the fuck kind of monster?!

"Continue."

Shen Li licked his somewhat dry lips. His expression unconsciously grew more respectful as he went on. "Of course, this gene grandson isn't one to just eat and not work. It understands reciprocity. If you feed it full, it'll give you—uh, feedback some good things. So what you feed matters too."

"Say you want to run faster later—feed more movement-type *shu* abilities. You want thick skin and safety—feed body-forging. You want one force to break ten thousand laws—no question, feed combat techniques. Do that, and aside from dying easily, you basically beat whoever you fight."

Shen Li grinned. "If you're like me, targeting those insidious Buddhist and Yin-Yang bastards, then desperately feed internal arts. Anyway, I haven't met a same-rank Buddhist who could pull me into their Buddha-country. Even if they did, who sits on the high platform cross-legged forming seals, and who kneels below shouting 'Buddha manifests'—that's still up in the air."

"Different feeding, different results. That's why martial sequences have sects. And from entry they emphasize certain kung fu—makes feeding easier later. After all, cultivating a Grand Perfection martial art isn't easy."

"But when all's said and done, it boils down to one sentence. Current martial arts are just techniques ancestors left to drive and utilize genes. Ultimately, they must come from genes, return to genes. Feed your own genes, walk your own chosen path. So in the old days, a Martial Four could found a mountain sect, take disciples and teach."

Li Jun's face showed deep thought. Not a word spoken.

Shen Li wasn't in a hurry. He drank his wine alone.

"Shen Li... why do I feel like feeding genes is like purifying? Or creating martial arts? In the end, a person's still a person, a fist's still a fist?"

Not until Shen Li finished his entire bottle did Li Jun finally return to himself and speak.

"Pure is fucking fierce. Fierce is their pure. We martial sequences are human to begin with. Why learn to be gods?"

Shen Li spoke as if it were obvious. "Three heads six arms, flying swords and artifacts—that's other sequences' ghost-scaring tricks. Like those Military Sequence wastes, stuffing iron lumps in their bellies, thinking they can trade spikes with us. Pure fucking suicide. As long as the fist's big enough, whether it flies in heaven or runs on earth, whether it's in dreams or the mortal world—it'll kneel. And if it's slow by half a beat, it gets a head-kicking!"

"But... human energy's limited. Gene appetite's limited too. Generally feed seven or eight *shu*-achieved martial arts, genes reach half-full—that's already Martial Four peak. Time to prepare for lock-breaking and advancement."

Shen Li suddenly bit down here, because the rest wasn't free.

"What if you feed all of them?"

Li Jun didn't follow the expected prompt about his own advancement. Instead he asked a question Shen Li had never considered.

"This..."

Shen Li stroked his chin, puzzled. "Nobody does that. Though 'a towering building starts from level ground' makes sense, spending a lifetime just laying a fucking foundation—what's the meaning?"

"I—"

Li Jun's words were cut off by a hail from the doorway.

"Boss."

The shop door was shoved open. The one striding in was an acquaintance Li Jun recognized.

"It's you?!"

Wang Qi also saw Li Jun by the window. The fear from their first meeting was gone from his face—even a hint of excitement Li Jun couldn't decipher flickered there.