Chapter 723: Draining a Continent to Catch Fish

Chapter 723: Draining a Continent to Catch Fish

Li Baoping led her horse past a series of memorial archways, heading toward the river.

The Chen family of pure Confucianism was hailed as the greatest collection of archways under heaven. The Shaoguang Academy and the Fanlu Academy were both among the seventy-two Confucian academies, and they were the two most adjacent academies in the vast Hao Ran world. The Fanlu Academy could almost be considered the family school of the pure Confucian Chen clan; most of its masters and scholars bore the surname Chen.

The woman in red carried a small wine gourd at her waist, and the narrow blade Xiangfu hung by her side. In these two academies, Li Baoping had gained no small reputation, thanks to her "stubborn insistence on principles" and her extraordinary patience when debating others. She wasn't particularly disliked, but she certainly annoyed quite a few people. Thus, both the Shaoguang and Fanlu academies had come to know this young woman from the Cliff Academy of the Great Sui Gao clan in Vase Continent. Although the Cliff Academy had gained some renown, it was mostly due to its new mountain master, Cui Chan—who had betrayed the Confucian lineage and abandoned his master—rather than to the number of scholarly seeds it produced or any great learning proposed by its younger gentlemen and worthies. As a result, there were not a few objections within Confucianism to the Cliff Academy's reinstatement into the ranks of the seventy-two.

As for Embroidery Tiger Cui Chan, when he served as the Grand Preceptor of Great Li and managed to unite an entire continent's strength to resist the demon army, there was nothing to be said. However, there was considerable criticism regarding his appointment as the academy's mountain master.

Earlier, Li Baoping had traveled alone through the Central Divine Continent, visiting the Great Duan and Shaoyuan dynasties, both of which were urgently preparing for war. They were mobilizing peak cultivators and elite troops to the main coastal battle lines of the Central Divine Continent. Sages from the hundred schools and qi refiners each displayed their divine abilities. Mountain-like ferry ships rose from the ground, blotting out the sun, and when they passed over a city, they could plunge it into sudden darkness in broad daylight. It was said that various ancestral masters had emerged one after another, but at the Confucian Temple, the Ultimate Sage Teacher, the Ritual Sage, the Second Sage, the Confucian Temple Leader, and the founding sages of several other Confucian lineages had still not shown themselves. In the end, only a Deputy Leader of the Confucian Temple and three Grand Sacrificial Officers were busy rushing around several continents, frequently appearing in landscape gazettes, which reported where they had been seen and what words they had spoken.

In truth, Li Baoping was not entirely alone on her travels. The young qi refiner named Xu Bai still liked to follow her at a distance. But now this young man, hailed as "Xu the Immortal" and one of the ten candidates, had been clever enough to learn his lesson after the Ritual Sage had twice teleported him a thousand and ten thousand miles away. Except for occasionally taking a ferry with Li Baoping, he never showed himself, nor did he even approach her. After boarding a ship, he would never seek her out. The young man simply liked to stand foolishly at the bow, waiting, content to catch a glimpse of the girl in red from afar.

Earlier, while on a cross-continent ferry to Southern Poxa Continent, Li Baoping had once been unable to hold back and went to find him, asking, "Xu Bai, did someone tie a red thread for you? Otherwise, what is it you like about me? What exactly must I do to make you stop liking me?"

At the time, Xu Bai's face had flushed bright red, and he had answered her three questions in succession: No red thread had been tied. He liked everything about her. Unless he came to like another girl, he wouldn't stop.

Under heaven, there were indeed those among the cultivation world who were blessed by the heavens—like Female Crown Huang Ting of Parasol Leaf Continent and He Xiaoliang of Vase Continent.

Now there were also the young among the ten, such as the one in the Green Obscure World who had ascended to the Renouncing realm in a single step, and the swordsman Liu Cai, who alone possessed two gourds of the Daode Patriarch.

Among the ten candidates, none were more blessed in fortune than Xu Bai of the Central Continent and Ma Kuxuan of Vase Continent. Their opportunities for the Great Way seemed to have fallen from the sky.

Most of the young ten and the ten candidates had undergone more or less polishing on the path of the Great Way. Even the youngest, the girl "Pure Azure" from the Bamboo Sea Cave Heaven, was only sixteen when she was listed and had already experienced several battles as the sole legitimate disciple of the Green Spirit Mountain Mistress. Only Xu Bai was different from Ma Kuxuan; he had no record of ever striking anyone. On the two occasions he had "conflicted" with others, his luck was so good that it turned bad—he directly encountered Li Baoping's big brother. Fortunately, Xu Bai had no sense of victory or defeat. The first time he left home to wander the world, he lost twice in a row, but his heart remained untroubled. His only wish was not to run into that linen-clad man again.

Now Xu Bai was at the Fanlu Academy. The only question in the young man's mind was who Li Baoping's "little master uncle" could be. Why had Li Baoping sworn that day that when she saw her little master uncle later, she would make Xu the Immortal become Xu the Not-Immortal? At that moment, the woman in red had suddenly become like a little girl, utterly adorable. Xu Bai felt that even if he were beaten up by her little master uncle, it would still be worth it.

As for the nickname "Xu the Immortal" that had inexplicably landed on his head, Xu Bai had always felt uneasy and dared not take it seriously.

After all, the poetry and swordsmanship of Bai the Immortal, the lyrics of Su the Immortal, the talismans of Yu the Immortal, and the go of Zheng the Immortal—all were truly ethereal and unparalleled under heaven. Xu Bai had no idea why he had been given the suffix "Immortal."

Li Baoping led her horse along the river. She was about to pick up her Sword-Nurturing Gourd to take a drink when she quickly put it down again.

Li Baoping blinked. Her master's master had arrived.

The old scholar again used an obfuscation technique, softly laughing, "Little Baoping, don't make a fuss, don't make a fuss. I'm quite famous around here. If anyone spots me, I'll have trouble getting away."

Thinking back to those days, when he had come to teach at the pure Confucian Chen family out of overwhelming kindness, how many girls had lost their hairpins and handkerchiefs? How many masters had argued themselves red in the neck over a seat?

Li Baoping dispensed with the formal bow and simply called out "Grandmaster" with her mind voice for the first time.

The old scholar laughed joyfully, very fond of this trait in Little Baoping. Unlike Mao Xiaodong, who had more rules than his own master.

The old scholar casually asked, "Little Baoping, what books have you been reading lately?"

Li Baoping replied, "I've been reading a Buddhist sutra. It starts with the Bodhisattva Mahamati asking the Buddha one hundred and eight questions."

If it had been any other Confucian lineage, the old master would likely have winced immediately, but this old scholar smiled knowingly. Finding an unexpected delight in a casual question, he stroked his beard and nodded. "Little Baoping has chosen a good book. A good sutra, good Buddhist teachings. The Buddha felt the questions were too few, so he asked even more until he had nearly exhausted heaven and earth. One of the Buddha's intentions was to eliminate relative views, which actually shares a subtle resonance with our Confucian doctrine of the Mean. Among our scholars, the one who best echoes this is probably the ancient worthy of the letter-knife lake that your little master uncle dealt with. I once specially set a lesson for your master and your senior uncles to answer 'Heavenly Questions.' Later, at the Sword Qi Great Wall, your Uncle Zuo even used this to put your little master uncle on the spot."

Li Baoping nodded gently. Over the years, she had studied Buddhist logic and the art of sophistry. The old patriarch of her own lineage, the old gentleman Wensheng beside her, had also detailed the method of "establishing names to refer to realities" in his Rectification of Names chapter, which Li Baoping had naturally delved into more deeply. In short, they were all weapons for "arguing," and the more the better. But the more Li Baoping read, the more confused she became, to the point where she couldn't even win an argument with herself. Thus, she seemed to be growing more silent, but it was because too much self-dialogue and self-questioning went on in her mind.

"When the sage's books are read thoroughly, one naturally comprehends Chan."

The old scholar sighed. "In the past, your master couldn't say such things to you. You were too young then and hadn't read enough; it would have been easy to get distracted. For example, 'Sweep the courtyard inside and out, keep it neat and clean; lock the doors and windows, personally inspect them.' When a child hears this, they only see it as a chore, but when an old person hears it, they see it as the ultimate truth, a saying about passing on the incense fire, passing down farming and reading, the greatest learning lies in daily life. The same person, the same principle, heard in youth and heard in old age, feels completely different. Once you've read enough, you can interweave texts, see meaning within, and infer meanings."

As he spoke, the old scholar took a jade bracelet from his sleeve, laid it on his palm, and asked with a smile, "Have you seen anything in this?"

Li Baoping seemed to understand and nodded. "It's like the most precious kind of seal under the mountain—the square seal. The same principle: presence and absence are indeterminate, but once determined, it governs all laws."

Human-world mutton-fat white jade, carved into a jade bracelet, is expensive and rare precisely because a great deal has been discarded, leaving only a taste of white space for people to admire.

As for seals, oval seals and shape-following seals are far less valuable than square seals. The reason lies in "not discarding."

However, this also involves a "divine seed" due to the material of the jade bracelet and square seal themselves. But Little Baoping's thoughts leaped far ahead, sparing the old scholar from many worries.

The old scholar suddenly turned his head and asked with a grin, "Xu Bai, what do you think?"

A young man far behind them quickly appeared, first bowing in apology, then straightening up and bowing again, answering respectfully, "Junior doesn't know."

Xu Bai came from a remote small country in the Central Divine Continent, originally from Zhaoling. His grandfather and father were both mortal commoners who guarded the Wishing Bridge. Though Xu Bai had studied the sage's books diligently from a young age, he was still inevitably unfamiliar with worldly affairs. This time, summoning the courage to travel alone, he had made no small number of blunders along the way.

The old scholar looked at the young man in the blue gown and cloth headscarf. Fortunately, this kid wasn't yet a scholar of any lineage; he was still honest and well-behaved. If he dared to poach from my Wensheng lineage, this old scholar would jump up and spit in his face. Heaven, earth, and principle are the greatest; age and seniority can step aside first. The old scholar was in a good mood. Good kid, no wonder he's called Xu the Immortal—a true romantic. The direct and secondary disciples of my Wensheng lineage are indeed all blessed with good marriages. They just put all their effort into scholarship. How can the Ritual Sage lineage and the Second Sage lineage compare? As for the Fu old man's lineage, forget it—they'd be better off coming to learn from my Wensheng lineage with humility.

Li Baoping sighed. No help for it; she might have to call on her big brother for support. If her big brother could manage it, he could just throw this Xu Bai back to his hometown.

The old scholar quickly raised his palm and pressed down twice, signaling Little Baoping not to deploy her trump card just yet. With her grandmaster around, what was there to fear?

The old scholar beckoned to Xu Bai. When the young man nervously walked over and bowed again, he said, "Student Xu Bai pays respects to the Venerable Wensheng."

The old scholar nodded with a smile and asked, "Xu Bai, have you ever heard of a rigorous scholar named Mao Xiaodong, renowned throughout the world?"

Xu Bai nodded. "When I was young and in elementary school, my teacher, before going on a distant journey, drew up a book list for me, listing sixteen works that he told me to read repeatedly. Among them was a work by the Cliff Academy's Mountain Master Mao on exegetical studies. I read it with care and gained much."

Speaking thus, Xu Bai was a bit embarrassed. His own elementary teacher's reputation was nothing compared to that of an academy mountain master—a world of difference. After all, the young man from a small place still had a simple heart; distinctions between rich and poor, mountain and mountain, still existed. Thus, in Xu Bai's view, whatever respect and admiration he had for the master who had taught him, in the end, his teacher's learning was inferior to that of an academy sage.

The old scholar found this amusing, but didn't reveal the mystery to the young man. Instead, he told Little Baoping with his mind voice, "If I'm not mistaken, Xu Bai's elementary teacher is that 'Lord Xu of Zhaoling,' truly a great classicist. But though both teacher and student are surnamed Xu, they aren't related by family lineage."

Li Baoping understood in her heart.

That "Lord Xu," honored by the people with the title "Word Sage," was not a sage sacrificed to in the Confucian Temple. But he was a venerable scholar whom her little master uncle had admired back then.

The old scholar laughed. "That elementary teacher of yours had a unique insight, selecting sixteen classics for you to study deeply. Among them was Mao Xiaodong's Collected Annotations of Master Cui. If you can see the foundation of Cui Chan's learning, and also see Mao Xiaodong's annotations, then you can see the entire body of methods, power, and influence."

It was hard to imagine that a junior brother who specialized in annotating his senior brother's works, back in the Cliff Academy, Mao Xiaodong and Cui Dongshan, the two would have been so confrontational.

The old scholar asked, "Earlier, Little Baoping mentioned that sutra. I've heard you read broadly and widely. Have you read it?"

Xu Bai nodded. "I've read it, but I've read a lot and thought little. I can remember it, but I can't make sense of it."

The old scholar said casually, "Deciding to become a Buddha is like casting dust into the wind. Where lies the difficulty?"

Xu Bai blurted out, "Once on the path of cultivation, it's like a fallen leaf floating into the vast sea—no hesitation."

The old scholar nodded. "When you return to the Central Divine Continent, you should take a trip to the Rites Record Academy and ask Mao Xiaodong about the doubts in the Collected Annotations. You're a young man on a rare journey, and you can't just focus on sightseeing."

Xu Bai's face reddened slightly, and he quickly nodded vigorously.

The old scholar then said to Xu Bai alone, using his mind voice, "Our Little Baoping, anyone who isn't blind would like her. It would be strange if they didn't. But the world is not at peace now, and the more a young man wants to cultivate, regulate, and bring peace, the more he must know that romantic feelings are beautiful, but they're not about competing for the moment. Since you don't belong to any scholarly lineage yet, there's no hurry. Go to the Rites Record Academy, learn whatever you like, and if you find any master or scholar with great learning, study their best skills from them. Don't be constrained by one school. Later, when you have the chance to meet your elementary teacher again, you can decide who you truly want to become a direct disciple of."

Xu Bai hesitated, then asked, "Venerable Wensheng, could my elementary teacher be the legendary 'Lord Xu'?"

Back in his early elementary days, his teacher had liked to use explanations of characters and texts to teach, and before leaving had recommended works that favored exegesis.

But if not for the Venerable Wensheng's words today, Xu Bai would never have associated a rural old master with "Lord Xu."

The old scholar was a bit resigned. These young people nowadays—how were they so hard to fool? Each one was as clever as a monkey. It wasn't like his own closed-door disciple, who was so simple in temperament.

But since Xu Bai had guessed it himself, the old scholar couldn't just make things up. Moreover, this matter was of great importance. Even if some words were dampening, he had to make them clear. Otherwise, the old scholar's original plan was to have someone secretly protect Xu Bai on his way to a certain central continent academy. Although Xu Bai had talent, the world was now dangerous and unpredictable; Xu Bai lacked experience. Whether or not he was a young man of his lineage, since he had encountered him, the old scholar wanted to protect him as much as possible.

Especially that "Lord Xu"—because of the relationship between his learning and the Confucian sage's own name, he had become the primary target of the mighty demon kings of the Barren Wastes. It wasn't hard for the old master to protect himself, but if he lost his life due to an unexpected turn of events stemming from his unregistered disciple Xu Bai, it would be unfortunate, and highly improper!

So the old scholar nodded. "He is indeed that 'Word Explanation Supreme Under Heaven' Lord Xu. So you must be extra careful now. The Barren Wastes' mighty demon kings, possibly even the great patriarch of Tuoyue Mountain himself personally, will eventually come after your teacher. Earlier, I told you to go to the Rites Record Academy, not just to study. Now that the Barren Wastes' demon plan is unfolding, with open schemes and hidden plots coming all at once, it's no time for courtesy. There might even be a scheme targeting Xu Bai first, and then Lord Xu. You can be worried about this, think it over, but don't be too afraid. I, your teacher Lord Xu—whatever reason he had for not revealing his identity—Chen Chun'an, and we old fellows are still here."

Xu Bai bowed in thanks.

Xu Bai had never wanted to visit the Confucian sages of various academies in his capacity as one of the young ten candidates. He still preferred to visit them as a Confucian disciple and humbly ask them about the Way and their learning. The former was too hollow and unreliable; even now, Xu Bai still couldn't believe it. But as for his identity as a scholar, Xu Bai didn't feel it was unworthy of him. His greatest hope in life was first to gain an official scholarly title, then to become an official who could benefit one region. As for learning some minor magic, so that later he wouldn't have to pray for rain or relief from heat at the Martial and Civil Temples, nor beg immortals to come down and control floods—that wasn't a bad thing either.

The old scholar stroked his beard and smiled. "You and Mao Xiaodong will surely hit it off. When you get to the Rites Record Academy, be thick-skinned. Just tell him how you and the old scholar have been sharing laughter and joy, how you regret not meeting sooner, and are friends across the ages. Embarrassed? When it comes to seeking learning, as long as your heart is sincere, what is there to be embarrassed about? Learning Mao Xiaodong's entire body of knowledge is the best apology. The first time I went to the Confucian Temple to study, how did I get in at the gate? I just announced that I had received the true transmission of the Ultimate Sage Teacher. Who dared to stop me? Once my feet were inside, I hurriedly lit incense and bowed to the old man's image. Didn't the Ultimate Sage Teacher laugh heartily?"

Xu Bai became even more reserved. Scholarly dignity through and through.

If it weren't for the presence of Li Baoping, rumored to be from the Pear Orchard Cave Heaven, Xu Bai would have thought he was meeting a fake Venerable Wensheng.

Xu Bai took his leave, and the old scholar smiled and nodded.

Xu Bai didn't move. Li Baoping signaled him with her eyes not to push it.

Xu Bai hesitated for a long time, then mustered the courage to raise his head and meet her gaze. "Li Baoping, if I annoy you, I sincerely apologize."

Li Baoping still didn't speak. The meaning in her autumn-water eyes was clear: then change.

Xu Bai gave a brilliant smile and clasped his hands in farewell to Li Baoping.

Li Baoping sighed and had no choice but to return the gesture.

After Xu Bai left, the old scholar teased, "Little Baoping, don't be too troubled. Being liked by a young man like Xu the Immortal is no easy thing."

Li Baoping shook her head. "I know Xu Bai is a good scholar, but some things can't be justified by 'knowing it's impossible and doing it anyway.'"

The old scholar smiled. "Little Baoping, continue your walk. I'll chat with an old senior."

Li Baoping bowed to her grandmaster. Many words were in her eyes. The old scholar saw them all and accepted them. He handed her the white jade bracelet.

Li Baoping didn't stand on ceremony; she took the bracelet and put it on her wrist, then continued leading her horse on her journey.

The old scholar stroked his beard and smiled. He was a man with late-life blessings.

Li Baoping—among the secondary disciples of the Wensheng lineage, she was the most "proud." She already had the bearing of a female master. As for future troubles, the old scholar thought, "I have direct disciples to protect the secondary ones."

Lin Shouyi, by opportunity, by ability, and most of all by his own heart, had gathered three volumes of "Cloud-Clear Book." He cultivated the Dao and climbed higher step by step, but it didn't stop him from remaining a Confucian disciple.

Li Huai wasn't what many qi refiner considered a scholarly seed, but the Wensheng lineage had always had a low threshold for what constituted a scholarly seed. If one read the sage's books, grasped a few principles, and practiced them tirelessly, wasn't that a scholarly seed? What else would be?

Dong Shuijing had become a Credit Knife Man. A gentleman loves wealth and gets it in the right way. Which teacher wouldn't like such a disciple?

Yu Lu and Xie Xie were also doing well. One's horizons were broadening, the other's magnanimity was growing. They had given an account to the countless refugees of the Lu dynasty. In the world, there are many knots, big and small, that seem to be tightened tighter by time, but that's not really the case. For example, the commoners of Red Candle Town who were registered as boatmen, and the suffering convicts of Lu—they could all be untied. There are many dead trees on both sides of the road. Once spring comes, they might just bloom into beautiful blossoms.

As for Jia Chunjia, she had already married. Her child, in a few more years, would become a young man.

Zhao Yao had succeeded in both arts and the Way and had gone to the fifth continent. Though he still couldn't quite let go of his heart-knot concerning the Spring Seal, he was a young man. The more he struggled with one or two matters, the more he was willing to fight himself, the greater his future achievements would be. Of course, the prerequisite was that he read enough and didn't become a two-legged bookcase.

An old man appeared out of thin air beside the old scholar, smiling. "What a saying: 'When the sage's books are read thoroughly, one naturally comprehends Chan.'"

One sentence spoke of three teachings, with Confucian learning coming first.

The old scholar laughed. "Average goodness. If Lord Xu wants such good words, I have a whole basket. Take them as you like."

The newcomer was none other than Xu Bai's teacher, Lord Xu of Zhaoling.

Lord Xu said nothing.

Those familiar with the old scholar's style mostly learned a kind of closed-lip meditation on the spot.

The old scholar said solemnly, "It is indeed trying to hide one's name here for so many years."

Six beasts were surrounding and killing one person. Talisman Yu Xuan was going to save Bai Ye.

Xiao Xun was blocking Zuo You. Lu Zhi was chasing Liu Cha.

The world was in chaos, nothing more.

The real chaos was even greater in the mortal world of three continents.

Lord Xu nodded. "If it weren't for the fact that after breaking through the Sword Qi Great Wall, those Ascension realm great demons became too cautious, I could have 'taken the first city.' With that Mountain-Seeking Picture you stole, the odds would be even better. I dare not say I could kill those fourteen throne demons, but at least I could make them wary. Unfortunately, the ones sent here to act are either Liu Cha or Xiao Xun. That Jia Sheng probably guessed early on that I was here."

The so-called "taking the first city" naturally meant using the true names recorded in the Mountain-Seeking Picture. Lord Xu would activate his life-bound divine ability to "explain words and define characters" for the Hao Ran world, cutting off a great demon's head. Killing an Ascension realm demon this way would cost Lord Xu no small price. Even if he wielded a copy of the ancestral Mountain-Seeking Picture and was willing to discard his own life and the Great Way, destroying two pages of the picture, he could still only speak with heavenly mandate and kill two Ascension realm demons outside the throne.

But since he was already here, Lord Xu had no intention of returning to his hometown Zhaoling in the Central Divine Continent. That was also why he had left home on a distant journey and had not taken the child Xu Bai as his direct disciple.

But there was a crucial prerequisite: both enemy and ally had to be in the Hao Ran world. After all, Lord Xu of Zhaoling was not Bai Ze.

So Lord Xu could only control his temper and wait patiently for some Ascension realm great demon to set foot on Southern Poxa Continent. With Chen Chun'an guarding the continent and helping to suppress the demon, Lord Xu's loss to the Great Way would be smaller. Southern Poxa Continent seemed to have no war, and had been cursed severely by the academies and mountains of the Central Divine Continent—from the Confucian Temple to Chen Chun'an—but holding Southern Poxa Continent firmly meant that the Barren Wastes had to stretch out two long fronts.

As for going to Parasol Leaf Continent or Fuyang Continent, this Word Sage Lord Xu, who was not among the Confucian Temple sacrifices, was afraid that before he could even open his mouth to speak the demon's true name, he would be targeted by Zhou Mi of the Literary Sea or even the Great Patriarch of Tuoyue Mountain.

Even if the Ultimate Sage Teacher took action to save him, it would still be a loss.

In truth, the Ultimate Sage Teacher and the gray-clad old man near the Dragon Rift had been the first to exchange blows. The ruins on the square in front of the Confucian Temple in the Central Continent and the whirlpool in the Dragon Rift were proof of this.

That was a true conflict of the Great Way between two worlds.

And a person who willfully smashes jars and bottles will always be a bit more relaxed than someone trying to protect every last jar and bottle.

As for Lord Xu's remark about "stealing" the Mountain-Seeking Picture, the old scholar pretended not to hear.

Beneath their feet was Southern Poxa Continent. The pure Confucian Chen Chun'an, who shouldered the sun and moon, was in the open. One of the nine Grand Suppression Towers, the Sword-Suppressing Tower, was also in the open. Huai Yin, the "Old Abacus" ranked last among the ten of the Central Continent, and the great female swordsman Lu Zhi of the Sword Qi Great Wall were all openly recognized as standing battle power on the continent. Cross-continent ferries shuttling between the Central Divine Continent and Southern Poxa had been transporting supplies for over a decade.

In addition, Lord Xu and the Mountain-Seeking Picture were hidden. And Southern Poxa Continent absolutely had more than just the Word Sage Lord Xu waiting to strike. There was also the Mohist Magnate who had come alone to this continent, responsible for one entire front.

The Barren Wastes didn't attack Southern Poxa, but the Hao Ran world had to defend it to the death. Seemingly a clear distinction, but not really.

Lord Xu asked, "The Ritual Sage is outside the heavens—I know that clearly. But where is the Second Sage?"

The old scholar answered with his mind voice, "Taking a detour to the rear."

Lord Xu shook his head. "Relying on the Second Sage alone, it's still difficult to succeed."

The old scholar said, "Who said he's alone?"

Lord Xu understood suddenly. "No wonder he had to borrow people's characters and then asked the Confucian Temple for the position of academy mountain master. Embroidery Tiger sure has good methods, good boldness. What a reversal of landscape."

A Tuoyue Mountain, half a remaining Sword Qi Great Wall, and between them, the Hundred Thousand Mountains. With someone's schemes, the Old Blindman might just be willing to change his original stance of not helping either side.

For example: Old Blindman, would you like to move that Tuoyue Mountain into your home? That was just one possibility. Cui Chan's understanding of human hearts and calculations was truly remarkable.

Cui Chan's ideas always seemed wild, yet every time, they seemed within reach. A hundred years ago, if Cui Chan said he was going to build a second Sword Qi Great Wall in the Hao Ran world with the power of a single nation, who wouldn't have thought it was a pipe dream? Who would have believed it? But now, Cui Chan's dream had come true. And what made Cui Chan most unapproachable wasn't just that this Embroidery Tiger was too clever, but that everything he thought, everything he dreamed, he never spoke a word of to outsiders.

Cui Chan had that 'Three Splendid Affairs' and had played the 'Colorful Cloud Game' with the Lord of White Emperor City—that was just one of them.

In an argument of divination, Cui Chan once surpassed the founding master of the divination school. But no one knew why that school's founder, who was of low status among the hundred schools but had sky-high ambitions, even after losing to an outsider on the foundational path of the Great Way, was still extremely pleased, claiming 'I have obtained the ten; the world is enough.' To this day, it remained a great mystery. Even within the divination school, no one knew what that 'ten' meant.

Then, before Cui Chan defected from the Wensheng lineage, he gave up the easily attainable positions of Grand Sacrificial Officer of an academy and Deputy Leader of the Confucian Temple. If he had advanced step by step, in a hundred years he could have even contended for the position of Confucian Temple Leader. But unfortunately, Cui Chan chose the most utterly destitute path, becoming a homeless dog, wandering alone everywhere, then going to Vase Continent to become the absurdly comical Grand Preceptor of Great Li. However, this enormous secret, involving the high-level inner workings of the Central Continent Confucian Temple, was not widely known, only at the mountain peaks.

Alas, it was all gone with the wind.

But in the end, some people sincerely felt that if the Hao Ran world lost Embroidery Tiger, it would lose a lot of its flavor.

The old scholar suddenly asked, "What is the cleanest, most spotless thing between heaven and earth?"

Lord Xu shook his head. "I don't know. Is it the old first disciple asking his teacher?"

The old scholar answered his own question: "Virtue."

Lord Xu nodded. "I deeply agree."

The old scholar said again, "How about 'A flaw does not obscure the jade's virtue'?"

Lord Xu laughed. "That's the principle."

The old scholar stomped his foot. "I'm off, I'm off."

Lord Xu bowed.

The old scholar had no choice but to bow in return.

These old seniors and ancient sages were always so polite with him. It was all because he didn't have the achievement of a scholar-official.

The old scholar said one word to Chen Chun'an with his mind voice: take me across the continent to the Central Divine Continent. Then he said another word to the big guy at Sui Mountain, asking him to give a tug.

At the foot of Sui Mountain, the old scholar stumbled and fell flat on his face, eating dirt.

The golden-armored deity sat on the steps, laughing. "Oh, such a grand courtesy. Consider all the debts you've owed Sui Mountain wiped clean."

The old scholar got up, shook his sleeves vigorously, and strode to the foot of the mountain, standing beside the deity. Standing and sitting, they were about the same height.

The old scholar looked up at the summit of Sui Mountain, his expression solemn.

The burly deity grinned. "What, need to ask for something again?"

The old scholar rubbed his hands and then his face. "Asking for help is like swallowing a three-foot sword—hard. And asking for help is never my strong suit, making it doubly hard."

The deity was a bit gleeful. If asking the Ultimate Sage Teacher was useful, then he wouldn't be the Ultimate Sage Teacher.

The old scholar turned his head and asked, "Earlier, when you saw the old man, did you say 'my humble home is honored by your presence'?"

The deity shook his head. "Since it wasn't you, I didn't say a word."

The old scholar looked suspicious. Seeing that the big fellow's righteousness was no less than that of a sacrificed sage, he had to sigh with regret. "So dense. All those chats we two had went for nothing. If I were you, I'd have set up a table and tea at the summit long ago. Then I'd ask the old man if I needed to cut off that guy's head. I'd beat my chest loud enough to shake the sky and say, 'Old man, just give the word! Through mountains of knives and seas of fire, your little god will take righteousness as my head and benevolence on my shoulders. I'll do everything but die. If I can't kill him, I'll come back with my own head...'"

The deity said, face darkening, "Do you really think the Ultimate Sage Teacher can't hear your nonsense?"

When it was just the two of them, the old scholar could say whatever he wanted. But now, with the Ultimate Sage Teacher seated at the summit, he, as the master of Sui Mountain, truly didn't dare to join the old scholar in his water-filled brain.

The Ultimate Sage Teacher didn't like jokes.

Within the rules, the Ritual Sage could occasionally crack a joke.

The Second Sage was famously cautious in solitude.

In truth, aside from the old scholar, most founding masters of the various orthodoxies were very serious.

The old scholar jumped up and slapped him. "How dare you! Underestimating the Ultimate Sage Teacher's supreme divine power! When the old man picks up his pen to write and when he puts it down to fight, is there ever an opponent who can match his dual prowess? First in civil arts, second to none in martial arts. That Dao-Second is also a bit odd—he wants to praise the old man but is too embarrassed, so he hid it in that landscape scroll of Cao Rong's, all indirect and roundabout... Dammit, it's a good thing Cao Rong didn't ask me to add a seal at the time. If he had, I'd have given him a buy-one-get-one-free deal. First I'd stamp 'Please Be Seated,' then next to Dao-Second's seal, I'd stamp 'You're Not Qualified.' This time, the old man has combined kingly and hegemonic power in one. Sage and hero, all in one. A grand gesture, a grand spirit, a grand meaning!"

The Sui Mountain Deity paid no attention. It seemed that the old scholar's plea today was no small matter. Otherwise, even if his face was on the ground, he could at least pick it up at his toes if he wanted it back. Today, he had completely thrown away his face. Praising himself and praising the old man at the same time, mentioning both merits and labors first.

Sure enough, the old scholar stumbled again and was directly yanked to the summit. It seemed even the Ultimate Sage Teacher couldn't stand listening any longer.

The old master at the summit said, "Scholar, you were more likable during the three-teaching debates."

The old scholar bowed and rose, then said with a pained face, "The Confucian Temple never gave me more chances to show off my arguing skills."

The implication was: it wasn't that I, the old scholar, didn't want to put in some effort for Confucianism; it was that the Confucian Temple never let me, this scholar, display my full brilliance. Ultimate Sage Teacher, you can't force me to suffer a great grievance and then not allow me to grumble a little.

The old master asked with a smile, "Have you come for Bai Ye's sake?"

The old scholar glanced in the direction of Fuyang Continent and sighed. "I don't need to beg anymore."

The Ultimate Sage Teacher, sitting at the summit of Sui Mountain flipping through a book, was still confronting the gray-clad old man at the Dragon Rift from afar.

The old scholar breathed a sigh of relief. Steady—truly steady. The old man was, after all, the old man.

The natural order and mountains and rivers of Golden Armor Continent and Vase Continent in the Hao Ran world were still not subject to any pressure from the Great Patriarch of Tuoyue Mountain's divine ability.

Outside the heavens, the Ritual Sage was also fine for now.

But the remnants of the ancient gods who had originally traveled far and wide were still gathering continuously. In history, the Ritual Sage had led the Confucian Temple Leader and Deputy Leader, together with Dao-Second and a group of celestials from the White Jade Capital, as well as the Grand Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain, Sun Huaizhong of the Great Profound Capital Temple, and a group of Buddha's sons from the Western Buddha Kingdom, on a distant journey. Unfortunately, the results were not great. Another Deputy Leader of the Confucian Temple had fallen outside the heavens. If it hadn't been for the later dispute of the third and fourth, in the eyes of outsiders, the first disciple of the Wensheng lineage, Cui Chan, had originally had hope of filling the vacancy. But the old scholar knew that Cui Chan had never been interested in that.

Ten thousand years ago, myriad techniques fell from the sky. Whether it was the gifts of certain ancient gods or humans climbing high to strike down gods.

The myriad techniques fell into the human world. The one with the greatest killing power was obtained by swordsmen, without a doubt.

For humanity, swordsmen had the greatest merits and the most virtue.

Thus, the great Dao of the present world most favored swordsmen, yet they were also suppressed by the relatively fragmented heavenly Dao, making the bottleneck of the Ascension realm the hardest to break.

But when it came to how many techniques and spells had been obtained, or how many had been self-realized and attained the Dao, swordsmen, who focused single-mindedly, naturally couldn't compare. Among them, the three patriarchs of the three teachings, though their paths were different, had all climbed very high ten thousand years ago. So much so that their true "fighting" abilities were enough to overturn heaven and earth.

Because the old scholar was willing to ask, and the Ultimate Sage Teacher was relatively willing to speak to him, the old scholar knew one thing: from the moment they achieved the Dao of heaven and earth, the three patriarchs of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism had never truly exerted their full strength.

At that riverside council meeting, Chen Qingdu, who had once been very skilled in swordsmanship and had an extremely good temper, had directly said, "Fight, then." The reason a fight ultimately didn't break out was primarily due to the attitude of the three patriarchs.

In fact, the Daode Patriarch had already revealed the key in one sentence: The enemy of the Great Way is already within the self. It lies in humanity, in the original mind, in sentient beings themselves. It is not found in techniques, spells, or divine abilities.

What the White Jade Capital suppressed were the extradimensional demons that manifested from the Dao-heart of cultivators. What the Western Buddha Kingdom suppressed were the unrelenting obsessions of resentful ghosts. The Hao Ran world's mission was to educate sentient beings, guiding their hearts toward goodness, allowing the hundred schools to rise, all to help Confucianism in patching the leaks of the world's hearts.

At its root, it was in the "self."

For ten thousand years, the true life-and-death enemy of humanity had always been ourselves. Even in another ten thousand years, it would probably still be the same.

If we lose, it will be the unstoppable age of the decline of the Dharma.

If we win, the world can keep moving upward, truly elevating the human heart to the heavens.

"Sentient beings are sages."

"Sentient beings have Buddha-nature."

"Each one attains purity; all attain purity."

The human heart's inclination toward goodness in this life, the cause and effect of past and future lives, the lofty and subtle nature of the Dao and the human heart.

Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?

The answers were largely already there.

As for Fuyang Continent—

Bai Ying, Wu Yue, Yang Zhi, Yuan Shou, Niu Dao, Qie Yun.

Six throne demons. What was there to fear? Add Liu Cha, who was preparing to unleash his full sword, and what of it? So what if Fuyang Continent was now part of the Barren Wastes' territory?

It was essentially: more than half of Bai Ye without the celestial sword "Tai Bai," plus a Dragon Tiger Mountain Grand Celestial Master also without his celestial sword, plus a Chen Chun'an who was only half in Southern Poxa Continent, plus Talisman Yu Xuan, plus Fiery Dragon True Man, plus a Zheng Huaixian of White Emperor City, less a bit of scheming, and finally, plus a Liu clan God of Wealth of Ai'ai Continent, who loved to stay hidden.

That was all.

The old master smiled. "Easy to say when you're not the one suffering?"

The old scholar quickly sat down beside him. "Heaven and Earth are my witness!"

Bai Ze suddenly appeared on the scene and reminded the Ultimate Sage Teacher, "The one your Confucian Temple really needs to watch is that Literary Sea of the Barren Wastes. He's already devoured the Lotus Nunnery Master and Yao Jia. This man's ambitions are vast. Once he is full in the Barren Wastes and then returns to his homeland to flaunt his power, it will be even more troublesome."

The Ultimate Sage Teacher smiled and nodded.

Bai Ze had no good impression of that Jia Sheng. This Literary Sea Zhou Mi seemed to have no ties to either world anymore. Or rather, from the moment he crossed the Sword Qi Great Wall, he had chosen to walk an old road that hadn't been walked in ten thousand years. He seemed intent on becoming a high and mighty god, overlooking the human world.

The old scholar frowned in silence, then finally sighed. "He's set his heart on scheming for ten thousand years with his single self. There's only the one person who is the world's sentient beings. He wants to kill off humanity's nature completely. That's even more godlike than the gods themselves. No, it's worse than those ancient gods."

The old scholar looked left and right, then whispered to the Ultimate Sage Teacher and Bai Ze, "Can we agree to that?"

Bai Ze was helpless. Nodding now would be inappropriate; shaking his head meant disagreement? Could Bai Ze shake his head? He had already given away the Mountain-Seeking Picture. He couldn't just give himself away too.

Bai Ze had to change the subject. "Fuyang Continent is being drained to catch fish."

A throne demon was madly devouring the continent's spiritual energy, waiting for Bai Ye to exhaust his own.

The old scholar rolled up his sleeves.

Bai Ze said, "Who are you putting on an act for?"

The old scholar fumed. "Look at that, look at that! How distressing! Among the two Bai brothers I most admire, look at Bai Ye—poetry unmatched, sword immortal. He casually cuts open the Yellow River Cave Heaven with one sword, then casually kills an Ascension realm great demon of the Central Continent with another. Tirelessly, he opens the fifth continent with his sword. With three sword strikes, he kills the throne demon Yao Jia. Now, he's single-handedly challenging six thrones..."

The old master said flatly, "Damn it, I know all that."

The old scholar immediately shrank his neck and smiled. "Got it."