"So Mr. Lu belongs to the reformist camp within the Wilderness faction?"
Chen Chuan caught the undertone. While Lu Tuo's words seemed like self-justification, he had in truth already abandoned the Wilderness faction's original practices and no longer cultivated through the school's traditional methods.
Was the Wilderness faction still truly the Wilderness faction this way?
Perhaps only the name remained.
Lu Tuo admitted it candidly. "Put that way, I suppose I am a reformist. The inherent philosophy of the Wilderness faction is no longer suited to the present day. If we do not carry out reforms, I don't think the Wilderness faction can survive for much longer.
"In fact, back in the past, the Wilderness faction didn't live out in the wilds from start to finish like some in our sect claim. If our predecessors hadn't served the old dynasties and maintained good relations with the ruling elite, could we have survived to this day?
"They knew how to adapt very well. What I'm doing now is merely following in the footsteps of those forebears. The only difference is that what they faced was merely the turnover of dynasties, whereas today we face changes to the world itself. That tests the people of our era even more."
With some helplessness, he continued, "Right now, there are still some pessimistic voices within the faction who believe that before any reform can be found, the Great Impact will already be upon us. And since we in the Wilderness faction are far from the Ring of the World, we are probably doomed to perish.
"They feel that whether we change or not makes little difference, so why bother going through all this trouble? It only stirs up conflict with our own people, so why not just wait for the world to change and let what happens happen?"
Chen Chuan did not agree with that viewpoint. In the face of a great crisis, reform was always better than clinging to the old ways; doing nothing was truly the worst choice.
And worse than doing nothing was trying to persuade those who were willing to take action to abandon their ideas and make the same passive choice.
Lu Tuo sighed. "To be honest, we've thought about simply washing our hands of it all and looking out only for ourselves. What others do has nothing to do with us, after all. But how should I put it... our attachment to the faction is something we can never truly let go of.
"Besides, even if the reform doesn't succeed, once we take the first step, more people will be able to walk out without constraints, doing things they previously couldn't do and never dared imagine."
Chen Chuan pondered for a moment, gazing toward the jumping fish in the distance. Quite a few people were holding on, while many fell off looking thoroughly disheveled. He said, "If you want to solve the problem, that alone won't be enough. The best outcome would just be one faction splitting off, while the rest cling obstinately to their views and become even more conservative."
Lu Tuo acknowledged, "Yes, exactly. That's why some among us proposed that before the Great Impact arrives, our best bet is to seek shelter under another school—one of the Five Great Factions, for example, if they're willing to take us in.
"That way, no matter how we change, by attaching ourselves to another as a whole, we will at least outwardly remain united."
Chen Chuan nodded. "That is indeed a way. Does Mr. Lu have a particular faction in mind?"
Lu Tuo adopted a serious expression. "We've thought about this. If we were to join one, we would definitely never consider the implant faction.
"We in the Wilderness faction revere nature. While not everyone in the implant faction necessarily uses implants, our philosophies differ too drastically. Besides, many in the implant faction are technical specialists." He chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Rough folks like us wouldn't catch their eye anyway."
Pausing briefly, he continued, "As for the Convergence faction..." He shook his head. "Though many in our sect considered them, some among them are utter lunatics in my eyes. There's really no telling which side they'll end up on.
"And the Refined Practice School isn't even worth mentioning. That place is full of elites who care about pedigree and bloodline. People like us, who walk barefoot on the dirt all day, probably wouldn't even earn a glance from them."
Chen Chuan asked, "Then what about the Nature faction? Shouldn't the Nature faction suit you well?"
Among the Five Great Factions, the Nature faction was undoubtedly the most distinctive. They emphasized conforming to one's own natural instincts, believing everyone should revere their own inner self and pursue whatever they desired. This school placed extreme emphasis on the self; as long as someone endorsed this philosophy, they were welcome to join, even if they belonged to another faction.
This philosophy led the vast majority of its members to be extremely loose and undisciplined. They never cared about a person's background or origins, nor did they impose rules to constrain others.
In that sense, it seemed an excellent fit for the Wilderness faction, with certain ideals appearing quite close.
Lu Tuo paused slightly. "While the Nature faction lacks rules, they are far too unrestrained...
"Moreover, I once heard from our seniors that some individuals in the Nature faction hold extremely radical beliefs—far more extreme than the other factions. They believe we should be integrated by the world on the other side, that humanity ought to be phased out, and that we should take the initiative to embrace a future of grand transformation."
He shook his head. "We are seeking shelter. We don't want to get involved with factions carrying such immense uncertainty."
Chen Chuan nodded. Demanding the liberation of human nature and living purely for oneself, pushed to the absolute extreme, meant having no regard for society or the world—doing whatever one pleased. With ordinary people, that was one thing, but with individuals wielding formidable martial might, it was a recipe for catastrophe.
That was why the Nature faction had been suppressed since the era of the Grand Alliance. Yet that very doctrine was profoundly appealing to certain groups, providing fertile ground for conspirators to take root, and remnants existed across various countries worldwide.
Furthermore, this faction happened to possess many top experts, making them impossible to ignore. Currently, the Nature faction within Great Shun was relatively well-behaved and less extreme, but in the Western Continent and the Linakes Federation, their influence was considerable.
Lu Tuo continued, "So, the only option left to us right now is the Purist Faction."
Chen Chuan looked at him. "And the reason?"
"Because the Purist Faction doesn't care where you come from," Lu Tuo replied. "As long as you are willing to fight the entities from the outside, you are considered a kindred spirit. That is something we can accept."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Have you found an avenue of contact yet?"
"We carry little weight," Lu Tuo said. "Originally, we intended to persuade the elders within the faction to negotiate with some of the higher-ups in the Purist Faction. But that proved rather difficult, and there hasn't been any progress for a long time. So we can only try to find a way on our own."
Chen Chuan pondered slightly. Lu Tuo certainly didn't know that he was a branch director of the Purist Faction. Discussing this with him now was likely just taking advantage of the opportunity to converse with a high-ranking government figure within reach.
Perhaps he hoped that if the conversation went well, Chen Chuan might provide an introduction. After all, as a martial artist, the people and circles Chen Chuan dealt with in daily life were far beyond what Lu Tuo could easily access.
He was someone who knew how to seize an opportunity.
Even though the man had shown his interest, Chen Chuan was in no hurry to recruit him, nor did he reveal his own membership in the Purist Faction. Such matters involved countless ramifications and could not be decided on a whim.
Even if the Wilderness faction truly joined, how to govern and constrain them would be a major issue, not to mention the reactions of the government and other factions. After all, even if the Wilderness faction was not one of the Five Great Factions, it was by no means small.
Besides, Chen Chuan was on vacation and didn't wish to dwell too much on such business. Still, having nothing else to do, he gestured for Lu Tuo to sit down and chat at leisure, though they moved on to lighter topics.
It was then that Chen Chuan learned these people also capitalized on their strengths by organizing annual wilderness excursions for thrill-seeking dignitaries, thereby forging connections with high society and the wealthy. Seen this way, even without Chen Chuan's help, they would likely find an avenue eventually.
Afterward, they casually discussed the combat techniques of the Wilderness faction. When the conversation touched upon deeper nuances, Lu Tuo even demonstrated them on the spot.
He had no intention of being secretive, as he knew full well his skills were hardly worth mentioning before a martial artist; what he could showcase were merely some distinctive characteristics and philosophies of his school.
Chen Chuan watched for a while. He had once witnessed a bout between the Wilderness faction and the implant faction, one that was disrupted by Wei Wusheng. Looking back with his current discernment, the performance of the two contestants back then had merely been passable, but in the moves of the man before him, he could detect something distinct.
"Does your Wilderness faction also incorporate Yingzhou techniques?" he asked.
Lu Tuo was startled, then looked at him with admiration. "Section Chief Chen truly has sharp eyes.
"Among the seniors of our Wilderness faction, there was once a Fist Master from Yingzhou who integrated some Yingzhou techniques into our native style.
"Later, because of that, many First People from Yingzhou joined our ranks, and we still maintain ties and contact with the Linakes Federation to this day."
Chen Chuan said, "As far as I know, the remaining First People in the Federation aren't doing very well."
"Indeed. After all, their nations and tribes were destroyed long ago," Lu Tuo said. "The Great Shun government once proposed to take them in and resettle them, but they were unwilling to abandon their ancestral homeland. That senior once published a book, in which he wrote:
"'If we leave just like that, who will remember that this was originally our land?'"
Chen Chuan said, "I'm rather interested in that senior of yours. Would you tell me about him?"
"Of course."
Lu Tuo was only too eager to speak further with a martial artist like Chen Chuan. Such an opportunity was virtually impossible to come by under normal circumstances; he had simply gotten lucky this time.
He was talkative and eloquent, speaking with great emotion and bringing many events of the past vividly to life.
Even so, he had a good sense of propriety. Seeing that they had spoken enough, he did not linger. Instead, he retrieved a book from a parcel he carried with him and said, "This is a book written by that senior. A large portion covers his experiences in the Ying Continent.
"Some of what I told you came from here. I've read this book for a long time. If Section Chief Chen doesn't mind, I would like to present it to you as a gift."
Chen Chuan agreed. Before Lu Tuo took his leave, Chen Chuan went ahead and exchanged contact information with him. Afterward, he opened the book and began reading slowly. Perhaps because the author had also been a martial artist, he was quickly drawn in.
Chapter 1047