Returning to the Demon Suppression Tower in Tongye Continent, Chen Pingan opened his eyes and stood up, once again facing the tall, venerable old gentleman. Chen Pingan silently cupped his fist in a salute.

The first time, the gentleman had taken him to the summit of Sui Mountain. The second time, as the last Hidden Official, Chen Pingan represented all the sword cultivators of the Sword Qi Great Wall to attend the riverside conference.

Previously, in his hometown, Chen Pingan had only met the Dao Ancestor, but not the Most Sage Master Confucius or the Buddha.

At Sui Mountain, Chen Pingan had met the Most Sage Master for the first time. Afterwards, the gentleman had asked him his impressions. Having nothing to hide from the gentleman, Chen Pingan had spoken truthfully. If he were to encounter the Most Sage Master dressed in Confucian robes in the bustling streets, he would suspect that the old gentleman, when he was younger, had perhaps… mingled in the jianghu.

The old scholar had chuckled for a long time, saying that the evaluation was good, extremely good.

At the time, a glance at the gentleman’s eyes and expression told Chen Pingan that something was amiss. He worried that the gentleman would return to the Confucian Temple or, after drinking with Jing Sheng Xiping, would spread everything. He made the gentleman promise not to tell anyone. The old scholar had agreed verbally, but in reality, now, not to mention the meritorious Jing Sheng Xiping, even the three Masters of Ceremony of the Confucian Temple, plus Old Master Fu, Senior Li, and others, all knew about this evaluation. Outsiders? There were no outsiders within the Confucian Temple. Especially Senior Li, who had been more or less drafted to help at the Confucian Temple, had asked the old scholar, “Did your closed-door disciple say that to the Most Sage Master’s face?” The old scholar had said that he wouldn’t dare. Senior Li then expressed great regret, saying that he was still a little short of boldness, that the young Hidden Official was still not brave enough. The old scholar had immediately become agitated, “Is that called bravery? That’s called being reckless…” The next day, Senior Li discovered that his workload in water conservancy and geography had doubled.

Nodding his head in acknowledgement.

Mingling in the jianghu? That description was quite good. Wasn’t it better than the “homeless dog” from the Azure Billow World?

Chen Pingan then clasped his fist to the middle-aged Daoist priest with the whisk and sword beside the Most Sage Master, saying, “Junior greets Ancestor Lü.”

“Lü Yan greets Hidden Official.”

The Pure Yang Daoist did not act old and important, nor did he put on the airs of an elder because Chen Pingan referred to himself as “Junior.” Instead, he performed a Daoist salute, using the respectful title of Hidden Official as a return greeting. Lü Yan then smiled and said, “Mountain Master Chen has handled the opportunity of the Yellow Millet Sect very well.”

The Most Sage Master chuckled, “That’s a great title, Ancestor Lü, truly extraordinary.”

The Pure Yang Daoist smiled without comment.

The Most Sage Master said, “Pure Yang Daoist, just a casual ‘handled well’? What’s going on? You weren’t saying that just now in the top-floor corridor. If I remember correctly, you even sincerely praised him with the phrase ‘The Dao should not be monopolized, it resonates with my Dharma’? Surely words of sincerity don’t become worthless as soon as they’re spoken? Is there such a principle?”

The Pure Yang Daoist felt utterly helpless.

The Most Sage Master, you win.

Outside the Demon Suppression Tower, in the vastness of the Grand Azure World, twilight had fallen. Below the mountains, ancestral graves had been swept and offerings made, spring couplets had been pasted, firecrackers had been lit, and after a large meal, everyone had begun to stay up for the New Year.

But here, the moon hung high in the sky, as bright as day.

The Most Sage Master said, “Come, let me take you on a tour of this Demon Suppression Tower. Besides the one in the Central Divine Continent, all eight of the other grand Demon Suppression Towers were personally designed by Ritual Sage.”

Chen Pingan discovered that almost every hall in the Demon Suppression Tower was fully occupied. Books, calligraphy, paintings, various treasures, plus armor, weapons, and numerous mountain treasures, were all clearly possessions accumulated over tens of thousands of years. It must have been the thrifty and hardworking path of swallows carrying mud and ants moving home. In the end, outsiders who visited the Demon Suppression Tower felt like they were touring a series of treasure repositories. Such a Bao Fu Zhai (Treasure Sack).

The Most Sage Master stopped outside the threshold of a palace, turning his head to look at the plaque on the main hall and the couplets on the pillars. There were also two rows of chairs, but they were all… dragon thrones.

Qing Tong looked embarrassed.

These dragon thrones from the various defunct dynasties in Tongye Continent’s history, along with those “circulated among the people” imperial seals, were all leftovers that the Old Master of the temple didn’t want. In the end, Qing Tong had gathered them all here one by one, feeling grand and imposing on weekdays. But with the Most Sage Master and the young Hidden Official stopping to observe, Qing Tong wished he could dig a hole and hide.

The Most Sage Master asked, “Chen Pingan, what do you think? Should this Demon Suppression Tower be turned into a place similar to the Confucian Temple’s Small Merit Forest, as suggested by Little Celestial Master Zhao Yaoguang of Dragon Tiger Mountain, to imprison the barbaric demon races that are searched from all over the continent? Kill those who deserve to be killed, imprison those who deserve to be imprisoned. Or should we follow the suggestion of Yuan Pang, Headmaster of Hengqu Academy, and directly allow Daoist Qing Tong to use the Demon Suppression Tower as his mountain, establishing a sect here? This would both stabilize the continent’s geomantic fortunes and appease the minds of the Grand Azure World’s native demon cultivators. As for the relationship between the Demon Suppression Tower and this brand-new sect’s ancestral hall, it would be somewhat similar to the Water Dragon Sect of the Northern Ju Lu Continent.”

Qing Tong immediately felt a sense of goodwill towards Yuan Pang, the Confucian scholar from the lineage of the Sub-Sage.

Rumor had it that this Yuan Pang was poached by the Sub-Sage from the Azure Billow World.

Chen Pingan thought for a moment, “As long as there is a Headmaster of a Confucian Academy who is willing to resign from their position and come here to serve as the Patriarch of Discipline, then we can have both.”

The Most Sage Master remained noncommittal and continued to move forward, jokingly saying, “You’ve only visited a few mountains? Let me count: Sui Mountain in the Central Continent, the Nine Truth Immortal Temple, the Mountain God Temple near the watershed in the Treasure Bottle Continent. Compared to your previous dream-travel to the Water Mansion, is that enough? It has the suspicion of being a flash in the pan. If it were about scholarly pursuits, writing books, and establishing doctrines, this would be a great taboo. You seem to have a significant amount of merit left? Is it like the saying in your hometown, ‘Abundant every year’? Saving it first?”

Chen Pingan smiled bitterly without a word.

As if struck by conscience, Chen Pingan suddenly felt a little sorry for the Hidden Official lineage sword cultivators of the Summer Palace.

Firstly, traveling in the river of time, although it was in a dream, was not easy for a terrestrial immortal cultivator. Fortunately, he also had the physique of a martial artist at the peak, so he wasn’t mentally and physically exhausted. But in seeking help, no matter how thick-skinned he was, he had to be able to find a way. There were indeed countless mountain lords and mountain gods in the world, but Chen Pingan didn’t know many of them, especially those who were willing to sincerely light a stick of incense.
Yet, just like the Lotus Root Blessed Land of one’s own and the desolate, miasma-ridden, shattered secret realm of the Nine Truths Immortal Hall, both of which could be ignited with a single incense stick of landscape artistry, Chen Ping’an originally didn’t mind visiting more places. He even planned to continue traveling with Qing Tong, perhaps visiting the old mine blessed land under Fu Lu Yu Xuan’s name, and paying respects to Liu Jubao, the God of Wealth of the White Snow Continent, exhausting his own merits and favors.

However, the refusal of four out of the five sacred mountains of the Central Earth, excluding Mount Sui’s Zhou You, caused Chen Ping’an’s spirit and morale to plummet.

He could only console himself, saying that human power has its limits.

Otherwise, just speaking of seeking help, Chen Ping’an considered himself the most skilled, or rather the most familiar, among the direct disciples of the Literary Sage lineage.

As for those senior brothers, they disdained to do it, finding it unnecessary and unwanted.

The Sage, of course, was different. So what if the Sage slightly favored his closed-door disciple?

The Most Holy Teacher suddenly said, “Don’t hold a grudge against that Mount Gui’s mountain deity, whose divine title is Heavenly Sinews. He received an order from the Confucian Temple that made him give you the cold shoulder. Otherwise, even if he weren’t close to your Literary Sage lineage, he wouldn’t dare to disrespect a young Hidden Official in the slightest. That would be too ignorant of social graces.”

Lü Yan smiled and said, “Fellow Daoist Chen, keep your records, for a true man distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. Just be careful not to narrow your path of the heart.”

He said, “Pure Yang Daoist likes to only say half of what he means. He actually felt that in the Desolate’s Peach Pavilion and at the mountain gate of Great Mountain Gui, whether as the last Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall or the closed-door disciple of the Literary Sage lineage, you, Chen Ping’an, were too easy to talk to.”

The middle-aged Daoist with a whisk, a sword on his back, and a gourd and ladle at his waist stroked his beard and smiled, “Isn’t it so?”

Who was it that invited the last Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall to participate in the Confucian Temple deliberations? It was the Sage of Rites.

Who led the perilous journey to the Desolate Lands, establishing a series of unparalleled achievements? It was you, Chen Ping’an.

There are etiquettes below the mountain and rules above the mountain.

In Lü Yan’s view, you, Chen Ping’an, can be modest and not take credit, but that’s not a reason for outsiders to disregard the “Hidden Official.”

Lü Yan squinted and asked, “Hidden Official, do you know that the Sword Qi Great Wall is now divided into two? Half of the Sword Qi Great Wall is in the Colorful World, where is the remaining half?”

Chen Ping’an said, “With me.”

Lü Yan reminded, “If a cultivator wants to be unburdened by his identity, there are only two paths to take. One is to learn from that Sect Leader Lu, not caring about external things at all, an empty boat treading on emptiness, both void. The other is to have a future realm, a Dao Heart, and actions that all surpass the previous identity.”

He said, “Alright, alright, Chen Ping’an has his own difficulties. Pure Yang Daoist, don’t keep dwelling on it.”

Lü Yan was about to explain, but the Most Holy Teacher waved his hand and said, “You know the true meaning, I know it, and Chen Ping’an understands your original intention and good intentions, so there’s no need to say more.”

Chen Ping’an cupped his fist at the Pure Yang Daoist and smiled.

The Most Holy Teacher reminded, “Pure Yang Daoist, Chen Ping’an is asking for your help again.”

Lü Yan nodded with a smile, “This poor Daoist won’t haggle with that Peach Pavilion Daoist who obtained an opportunity.”

Otherwise, whatever the tender Daoist heard from Li Huai in the Lou Mountain residence of the Yellow Millet Sect, Lü Yan would take it back.

Chen Ping’an was curious about something, so he asked with a mental voice, “Senior, have you already reached the Fourteenth Realm?”

Lü Yan shook his head and said, “Back then, I had already stepped one foot over the threshold, but when it came to the critical moment, my Dao Heart stirred slightly, so I retreated.”

For the Pure Yang Daoist, cultivation was never just about realm. Therefore, when Lü Yan took back his foot, his cultivation not only didn’t decline in the slightest, but his realm was truly perfected.

The Most Holy Teacher suddenly asked, “Why ask Lu Chen about some questions? Wouldn’t the answer be clearer if you asked your own teacher at the Merit Forest?”

Chen Ping’an shook his head and said, “I’m afraid of making my teacher worry.”

Actually, he had considered this earlier, but the earliest time was at the Merit Forest of the Confucian Temple, when his teacher regained his Confucian Temple position. It was lively and bustling, so Chen Ping’an held back.

Later, in the small alley of the capital city, in the Everyone Says So building, his teacher was looking at that old book, and the student was watching the teacher, who was lonely and quiet, so Chen Ping’an completely dismissed the idea.

If he hadn’t been thrown into the Dream Millet Kingdom by the Most Holy Teacher and happened to meet Lu Chen, Chen Ping’an thought that before traveling to the Azure Billow World, there would be plenty of time for cultivation anyway, at least a hundred years, or perhaps… it’s hard to say, hundreds of years, or even a thousand years, he could slowly verify those guesses.

No need to rush.

Arriving at a library, the Most Holy Teacher teased, “After Fellow Daoist Qing Tong’s ten thousand years of hard work, the Demon Suppressing Tower has everything, all kinds of things, dazzling and beautiful, making people dizzy, except for books.”

Qing Tong said tremblingly, “I’ll make up for it later.”

Chen Ping’an said, “The Demon Suppressing Tower can open a bookstore, printing and engraving those rare and fine editions in the library. That would also be a great merit and wouldn’t cost much money, not even two Rain Grain coins.”

He said, “If Fellow Daoist Qing Tong had done this earlier, the Lesser Sage might not have been willing to personally invite Fellow Daoist Qing Tong to the Confucian Temple meeting in the Central Earth last time, but a Grand Libationer of the Academy would definitely have shown up in the Tong Ye Continent. Then, at Mount Sui, you wouldn’t have had to eat plain noodles and need the Hidden Official to help you speak up. Perhaps the Mountain Deity Zhou You would have been willing to accompany you himself, without Fellow Daoist Qing Tong paying the bill, taking out those few coins.”

Qing Tong said, “I’ll go do it right away.”

The Most Holy Teacher asked, “Did you have some ideas about the remaining merit in your hands if Pure Yang Daoist and I hadn’t appeared?”

Chen Ping’an nodded and said, “I thought about it, but it’s not in accordance with etiquette and is easy to attract a lot of criticism, and it would easily make my friend Zhong Kui’s situation even more delicate.”

“Etiquette? Who established the rules of etiquette for the Vast World?”

He started, “It was the Sage of Rites who took the lead, formulating the outline, with the sages working together to offer suggestions, check for omissions, and even deny some of the Sage of Rites’ plans and ideas, and finally handed over to the Sage of Rites to implement. But is this really the earliest origin of the ‘Vast World Rules’?”

Chen Ping’an said, “The earliest origin is the hope that people’s hearts will turn towards the sun, and that the world will go upwards, a road uphill, which may be slower, but the journey is stable, no longer those rootless guests drifting in the wind and rain.”

Lü Yan nodded slightly.
In truth, according to Lü Yan, Grandmaster Gao Zhen of the Yellow Millet Sect, in his time, possessed good intentions with his heartfelt words to Chen Ping’an, yet these words may not have been entirely correct.

What truly propels the world forward is likely the cycle of making mistakes and correcting them.

The Most Sage Master led the way into a structure resembling a pagoda dedicated to the God of Literature. Climbing the spiral staircase to the top floor, they arrived at a corridor beneath the eaves. Leaning on the railing, the Most Sage Master gazed into the distance. “The little Confucian from Haoran Heaven, the bookkeeper of Shujian Lake. This is Cui Chan, the foremost disciple of the Literary Sage. A certain answer sheet that the Embroidered Tiger wishes the Confucian Temple to see.”

Chen Ping’an shook his head. “Worlds apart, as different as clouds and mud.”

The Most Sage Master said, “The intention behind both outcomes is the same. Young people should avoid excessive self-importance, but also avoid excessive self-deprecation.”

“Do you know why the Sage of Rituals ultimately failed?”

“Did he perceive some kind of flaw?”

“For example?”

Chen Ping’an pondered for a moment and replied, “Something akin to the construction of an intercontinental ferry?”

Objects of excessive intricacy, grand structures formed from the accumulation of interconnected details, appear sturdy but are, in fact, not.

As a child in Immortal’s Rest, watching other children play from afar, he once witnessed a grasshopper with a broken leg still hopping and escaping through the grass. The child was puzzled as to why humans could not do the same. Later, as a youth, he ventured from his hometown and began to travel, realizing that mountain and river deities, and the immortals on the mountains, were similar. Still later, as Left Senior Brother believed, “Cultivators on the mountains are no longer human.” Finally, when Chen Ping’an personally became involved in the construction of the ferry, he gained a definite answer.

The Most Sage Master smiled. “No wonder Old Master Xiu is always praising you, his tail wagging in the air.”

Chen Ping’an looked strange. His own teacher being called “Old Master Xiu” by the Most Sage Master felt peculiar.

In fact, the mountain-peak cultivators close to his teacher were also accustomed to calling the Literary Sage “Old Master Xiu.” In his teacher’s words, it was not strange or awkward at all. Being called “Old Master Xiu” elevated one’s seniority, a benefit gained for free, like drinking a pot of wine without paying for it. Why not? Just like how the Sage of Rituals was often called “Little Master,” a wonderful nickname, forever young.

The Most Sage Master said, “You should still moderate your drinking somewhat.”

Qing Tong secretly rejoiced. He had long wanted to use a sage teaching of the Most Sage Master, “Not to be troubled by wine,” to “remonstrate” with the young Hidden Official.

It should be known that the Most Sage Master placed this matter alongside the other three major affairs, therefore it was a matter of great integrity. If someone was addicted to alcohol, perpetually drunk, it was a serious matter of moral deficiency.

However, after accompanying “Chen Ping’an” on a trip to the Nine Truth Immortal Hall of the immortal daoist couple Yun Miao and Wei Zi, Qing Tong dared not speak of these Confucian rituals to a demon-path behemoth.

Chen Ping’an hesitated, not making any solemn or emphatic promises, but merely said, “I will strive to.”

Qing Tong was somewhat impressed by this young Hidden Official. Did you feel wronged in the presence of the Most Sage Master?

The Most Sage Master asked, “Having read so many books, are there any phrases you particularly like or strongly dislike?”

Chen Ping’an nodded. “Of course.”

“Choose a few that are not from the bamboo slips.”

“Speaking only of what I have recently encountered in my reading, I particularly like ‘Happily born in a time of peace’ from ‘Record of the Abundant Joy Pavilion.’ And the line ‘East family marries a bride, west family sends off a daughter, lanterns illuminate smiles and laughter at the door’ from the poem ‘What I Saw on a Mountain Journey in the Year of Yi You.’ Only then did I realize that he not only used the language of war and weaponry, but also eschewed the poor man’s dreams of grasping gold, and thus, I fell in love with it at first sight. As for what I dislike, there are also many. What I strongly dislike is only the phrase ‘Watching others harvest rice, the afternoon breeze is cool.’ In my opinion, this so-called elegance and tranquility is utterly heartless.”

The Most Sage Master chuckled. “If I remember correctly, that phrase comes from a great literary figure under Su Zi, one of Su Zi’s most prized disciples.”

Lü Yan lightly tapped the railing and couldn’t help but laugh.

This person hailed from the Huang family of Xiushui, a renowned scholarly family that valued farming and reading. The family’s literary tradition extended for a very long time, reaching its peak with this individual. Afterward, his descendants also enjoyed an excellent reputation.

Qing Tong’s expression was solemn. He felt that Chen Ping’an should not be so unrestrained in his words before the Most Sage Master.

Chen Ping’an smiled and said, “I am only targeting that particular phrase, not the person who wrote the poem. Moreover, even if that senior heard it, with his magnanimity, he would probably just dismiss it with a smile. Just like how I greatly admired the phrase ‘Sweat drips beneath the millet’ when I was young, as well as the line ‘Driving thunder and lightning to eliminate evil.’ As for the person who wrote the poem, well, that’s just how he was. Therefore, people are people, and words are words. They should be viewed differently and not generalized.”

The Most Sage Master smiled. “Worthy of being Old Master Xiu’s closed-door disciple. You speak in such a well-reasoned manner, as if the right and wrong, good and bad, all make sense in your words.”

Chen Ping’an was reminded of something and tentatively said, “The art of sophistry is prone to falling into a quagmire of sheer fallacy. The metaphysical discussions of self-proclaimed famous scholars are even more undesirable. However, I believe that the Confucian Temple academy could allow Confucian scholars to appropriately engage with and study Buddhist logic, as well as the Old Abbot’s theory of meridians.”

“For example? You must give an example to convince me.”

“For example, the matter of ‘Is reading really useful?'”

The Most Sage Master smiled knowingly and waved his hand. “I already understand the general idea of what you want to say. However, you can refine this topic further and save it for the useless city of the Night Navigation Ship, to debate with others.”

The Most Sage Master turned to say, “Fellow Daoist Qing Tong, those who fear the strong and bully the weak, those who flatter superiors and deceive inferiors, are rarely exceptions. If you do not have the composure to reason with the strong, you will easily lose patience with the weak.”

“Just like Chen Ping’an standing beside you, it is not because he became the last Hidden Official of the Great Wall of Sword Qi that he can speak so candidly with an old man like me, who is usually only hanging on the walls of the Confucian Temple. You should know that when Old Master Xiu actively offered to take him as a student, Chen Ping’an also politely declined. Therefore, the order of events cannot be confused. Since the knowledge of the Literary Sage’s lineage has now been unsealed, Fellow Daoist Qing Tong, if you are not too busy, you can still read more of Old Master Xiu’s works in your spare time.”

Qing Tong had no choice but to continue promising that he would diligently study the Literary Sage’s teachings.
The old scholar’s writings, Qing Tong had certainly perused them before, but never truly internalized them.

Chen Ping’an, out of the blue, said, “Venerable Teacher, Qing Tong actually wishes to ask something: ‘Why must I be patient with the weak?'”

“Firstly, I, Qing Tong, am now a strong individual. Besides, when I, Qing Tong, was weak, I never saw any strong figures showing me any patience.”

“Therefore, Qing Tong wishes to ask what’s the point? What’s the reason?”

Qing Tong’s expression underwent a dramatic change, but he managed to steady his Dao Heart. With mixed feelings, he nodded and said, “That is indeed what is in Qing Tong’s heart.”

Far from resenting the young Hidden Official’s talkativeness, Qing Tong instead felt a sense of relief. *Yes, that’s exactly what I think. If it incurs the Venerable Teacher’s displeasure, so be it. That is still what Qing Tong thinks.*

The Venerable Teacher smiled gently, “Building walls and setting up beams requires self-construction, and replacing beams and pillars is the same principle. If you feel that your current dwelling is already sufficient to shield you from wind and rain, and you live in comfort and ease, as long as you don’t single-mindedly think about tearing down your neighbor’s house to expand your own territory, then even if you don’t understand the point or the reason, I don’t see a big problem.”

After all, he’s not a disciple of the Confucian school. There’s no need to demand too much of this fellow Daoist Qing Tong with the standards of a sage.

Qing Tong breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he wouldn’t be held accountable by the Venerable Teacher.

But then he noticed Chen Ping’an winking at him intensely. Qing Tong was utterly confused, his heart in turmoil.

*The problem is, I don’t know if the Venerable Teacher has any deeper meaning, nor do I know what you want me to ask!*

*Don’t just hint! Give me some explicit instruction, will you?!*

Chen Ping’an had no choice but to grit his teeth and transmit his voice, “Chat with the Venerable Teacher a bit more. As long as you’re sincere and speaking from the heart, ask whatever questions you have, say whatever you don’t understand. It doesn’t matter what you talk about.”

*If I wasn’t seeing that you used the identity of a ‘Guest Elder of Immortal Capital Mountain’ at the Yellow Millet Sect, and that in this Demon Suppression Pagoda, you’ve been diligently acting as a ten-thousand-year shopkeeper, we could be considered half-comrades. Besides, back with Lu Chen, you didn’t try to undermine me. Otherwise, do you think I’d be willing to help you make this connection?*

The Three Teachings Ancestors choosing to actively dissipate their Dao is an immutable event. So every principle, no matter how big or small, profound or shallow, every word, every sentence the Venerable Teacher says to you today, is an opportunity you, Qing Tong, are earning through your own ability. In the Venerable Teacher’s eyes, as long as your words and actions are sincere and upright, what is there to be embarrassed about? Would the Venerable Teacher be stingy in pointing out a few things about your cultivation? To take a step back, is the Venerable Teacher going to scold you or hit you?

*You, on the other hand, are you pretending to be stupid, or are you really stupid?*

Lu Yan said, “Alright, alright, don’t make things difficult for fellow Daoist Qing Tong. There’s nothing wrong with burying your head in cultivation.”

The direct disciples of the Literary Sage’s lineage, one by one, truly hold grudges and are fiercely protective of their own.

Lu Yan teased, “With such a simple mind, there should be some simple questions to ask. What a pity.”

The Venerable Teacher said, “Human nature should not be twisted too early, but one must not be ignorant of reason. However, when it comes to education, one must never be too rigid.”

“You’ve done a good job with your disciple, Pei Qian, and your student, Cao Qinglang.”

“Chen Ping’an, you yourself must be wary of a certain precedent, and not become that kind of person, eventually suffering a judgment from a superior man. Otherwise, it won’t just be Zou Zi waiting for you to make a mistake; there will also be the Ritual Sage helping you correct it.”

“I will remember it.”

Because Chen Ping’an knew who the Venerable Teacher was talking about: the person who was personally executed by the Venerable Teacher. This person and this event were a significant public matter in several worlds.

“But your imparting of Dao, teaching, and resolving doubts has a significant problem. Chen Ping’an, do you know where it is?”

“It’s too easy to be like me.”

As if they were cast from the same mold.

“Knowing only one thing and not knowing the other.”

The Venerable Teacher shook his head, “Once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of a rope. Going to Scroll Mountain Lake once made you afraid, causing you to be timid and hesitant. Many principles collide in your mind, fighting each other. Although the muffled sound of principles colliding is conscience, you like to constantly examine your conscience too much. Constantly using principles to temper your Dao Heart, although I know your difficulties and your long-term plans, it is undeniable that one day, you’ll be careless, and a big problem will arise. At that time, Zou Zi will say something infuriating, ‘Just as I expected, as it turns out.'”

Chen Ping’an said, “I will be as careful as possible.”

Lu Yan suddenly said, “Since the Venerable Teacher is here, why not ask if what you think you’re doing, out of personal motives to avenge a private grudge, is feasible or not, and what is right or wrong about this thing you must do in this life? Anyway, the Venerable Teacher has made up his mind to wash his hands of ‘world affairs,’ so he probably won’t stop you. But if the Venerable Teacher approves, wouldn’t you be more at ease?”

At the Yellow Millet Sect’s ancestral mountain, before separating from Li Huai, Chen Ping’an left Li Huai with a task, the first time he had done so as a Junior Uncle.

It was to make Li Huai think about a question.

Suppose you, Li Huai, are a wandering swordsman. One day, you pass by a place and encounter a person who is doing evil and is guilty of all kinds of wrongdoing in the local area. The swordsman sneaks in at night and kills him, then leaves.

And in this person’s family, there is a son who was originally supposed to study poetry and take the imperial examinations. From then on, his temperament changes drastically. His lifelong pursuit is to avenge this swordsman. From a reading seed who originally had a good heart and even had the hope of becoming a good official who benefited the local area in the future, he becomes an stubborn person who will never turn back on the road to revenge overnight. In the following decades, he commits many crimes, killing more innocent people than his father ever did, until he finds the passing swordsman and avenges his father…

Chen Ping’an gave Li Huai three small questions: First, are these consequences related to the swordsman who was kept in the dark? Second, if the swordsman could know about all the subsequent events beforehand, would he still kill the reading seed’s father, or would he simply kill the reading seed that night? Third, if you, Li Huai, were that swordsman, facing the person seeking revenge, you have two choices: one choice is to admit your mistake, and the other person will stop. The other choice is that you don’t admit your mistake, and after the former reading seed avenges his great hatred, he will continue killing people. Would you admit your mistake to him?
Li Huai asked a question back then: after a wandering knight-errant eliminates evildoers and upholds justice, can they simply settle down there and not leave?

Chen Ping’an shook his head, saying that was impossible. Either you directly face the second question, with no other options available.

Li Huai was at his wit’s end, and Chen Ping’an told him to take his time to ponder.

However, in Lü Yan’s view, the difficult question Chen Ping’an posed to Li Huai was completely different from Chen Ping’an’s own situation and could not be compared.

The Most Sage Master laughed loudly, “We are all scholars, we must persuade with reason and influence with virtue. Actions speak louder than words, deeds embody truth.”

“Ultimately, it boils down to one entanglement: whether the reasoning that truly convinces ourselves is reasonable at all, whether it can be regarded as the inviolable law of heaven.”

At this point, the Most Sage Master shook his head and said, “Chen Ping’an, you only resemble a swordsman, you are far too unlike us Confucian scholars.”

Qing Tong was a little worried for Chen Ping’an.

These words carried significant weight!

Especially since they came directly from the Most Sage Master’s mouth!

The Most Sage Master stood with one hand behind his back, the other gently resting on the railing, “If not for the extremely far-reaching impact of that incident, which led to the Dao Ancestor leaving the Lotus Grotto-Heaven and even pulling in the other one, inviting me over to discuss that ten-thousand-year agreement, and Qi Jingchun himself making up his mind…”

This old scholar suddenly blurted out a vulgarity.

Lü Yan immediately coughed, reminding the Most Sage Master to be mindful of his image in front of his Confucian disciples.

The Most Sage Master sneered, “In our Vast Radiance World, those two bastards from the Jade Capital, I’d slap each of them into oblivion. If even a drop of blood splatters, I’d be ashamed even though I’m not a fighter.”

Lü Yan laughed, “These words are best kept to the Most Sage Master, Chen Ping’an, just listen.”

Life and the affairs of the world are often filled with helplessness, and even the Most Sage Master is no exception.

Qi Jingchun’s uncompromising actions in the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven, Bai Ye’s solitary journey with his sword to the Floating Clouds Continent, challenging the Eight Kings of the Wildlands with a single blade, the pure scholar Chen Chun’an shouldering the sun and moon, not hesitating to die to prevent Liu Cha from returning to the Wildlands World…

And then there were all those Worthies and Sages enshrined in the Temples of Literature, the gentlemen and virtuous from the academies, and ordinary Confucian scholars, along with countless soldiers and warriors on their respective battlefields, generously sacrificing their lives.

It’s like how Bai Ye, the most carefree man in the mortal realm, once said on the besieged battlefield of the Floating Clouds Continent: some words I can say, even the Most Sage Master cannot.

Only those who are utterly bookish would believe that only the strong can speak of reason, only the strong deserve to possess reason.

In our Vast Radiance World, what remains unchanged for eternity is not the Most Sage Master or the principles in books, not any Fourteenth Realm cultivator, but only the awe-inspiring righteous energy of heaven and earth.

Qing Tong felt his scalp tingle.

Xiao Mo, however, wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

Because she knew the temperaments of the earliest “scholars” in the world, ten thousand years ago.

The tall old gentleman reached out and pressed the young man’s head, saying in a deep voice, “Someone asked, ‘What about repaying evil with kindness?’ An old, doddering fellow, which is me, already gave the answer long ago: ‘How then to repay kindness? Repay evil with justice, repay kindness with kindness!'”

In the history of Confucianism, there was once a period of extreme brilliance and splendor.

Beyond the heavens, the Sage of Rites, leading the Worthies and Sages enshrined in Confucian Temples, along with numerous great cultivators, including the Grand Celestial Master of the Dragon Tiger Mountain, crossed the stars to actively hunt down the remnants of the gods.

Throughout the world, wandering scholars were as plentiful as clouds, noble families had yet to establish themselves, and the people of the mortal realm possessed a robust spirit, with clear distinctions between gratitude and resentment. “Can revenge be taken after nine generations?” “Even after a hundred generations!”

Even earlier, before the Temples of Literature were established in the Vast Radiance World, the old Master traveled the world, educating the people.

Besides taking with him a large group of direct disciples, who later became the Seventy-Two Worthies Enshrined in the Central Earth Temples of Literature,

Also, don’t forget that the Most Sage Master also traveled with a sword.

It is only rumored that this iron sword was given by the Most Sage Master to a particularly favored disciple, who was a universally acknowledged…hot-tempered scholar.

So, is it any wonder why the Most Sage Master favored this student?

There’s also an unverifiable rumor that the long sword worn by the Most Sage Master was named with a single word: Virtue.

If that were the case, then this kind of… persuading with virtue. Are you convinced? Who would dare not be convinced?

“I want to say ‘I’m sorry’ to you.”

For the same reason, with the Old Scholar present, it was difficult for the Most Sage Master to speak these words.

The young man raised his head in confusion.

“Back then, when Kou Ming left the Jade Capital and the Azure Underworld, and came to our Vast Radiance World, one of his avatars wanted to attain enlightenment in the Li Zhu Grotto-Heaven. It was the Sub-Sage who helped convey the message, and I personally agreed to it.”

The young man lowered his head.

“Why dare you not be angry, or even dare you not speak or be angry? Even if things are unreasonable, so what?”

“Dare to complain! The most unreasonable thing in the world is emotion. Even the seven emotions and six desires can be severed, suppressed, and dismantled, then those who cultivate the Dao are truly no longer human! This path, if followed to the end, is destined to reach the peak, but unable to ascend to heaven. This kind of seemingly profound but actually misguided self-deception, is like damming a flood. I think it is better to not take it.”

Lü Yan, of course, understood the reasoning behind the Most Sage Master’s words. If a new entity becomes one of the old ones, failing to ascend to heaven is a minor matter. Being “ruled” by that Zhou Mi would be a major catastrophe.

At that time, Chen Ping’an’s humanity or pure divinity would be completely covered, dismantled, and dissolved by Zhou Mi’s divinity.

To prevail in this battle of the Great Dao, the answer was actually given long ago, ten thousand years ago. It’s just difficult to achieve in one person.

Due to the Three Sages’ ten-thousand-year agreement, which was first proposed by the Dao Ancestor at that initial riverside discussion, it effectively became an unwritten rule established by the Three Sages.

Firstly, all three parties must abide by the agreement. Secondly, all three worlds indeed showed varying degrees of “Daoization” of heaven and earth by one person.

The most severe case was the Azure Underworld, where the Dao Ancestor presided. This was still under the premise that the Dao Ancestor tried his best to remain in the Small Lotus Grotto-Heaven and not easily venture out.

Once it exceeds half, the Three Sages become truly “half the world” in their respective realms. Then, this trend of merging with the world will intensify and eventually become unstoppable. Even the Three Sages themselves cannot resist this evolution of the Great Dao.

This is the ultimate extreme of what Lu Chen calls “swallowing mountains and rivers,” further solidifying the saying that the “three largest Pi Xiu in the world only eat and do not excrete.”
For ordinary cultivators, this would be a dream come true, but for the ancestral teachers of the Three Teachings, it was something they must refuse.

Once the ancestral teachers of the Three Teachings scattered their Dao…

Aside from what Lu Chen said, that “the heavens would rain,” at that time, blessings would be bestowed upon all living beings, and the Great Dao would descend upon the world like rain.

But at the same time, there would inevitably be a chaotic scramble among heroes.

It could almost be said that any great cultivator of the Fourteenth Realm would be drawn into it, willingly or unwillingly.

Just as Chen Pingan, through Lu Chen’s “unnecessary move,” and connecting it to Wu Shuangjiang’s series of actions, could easily predict that the first battle between Fourteenth Realm cultivators among the various heavens would most likely occur in the Azure Heavens.

Sun Huaizhong, the old master of the Profound Capital Temple, the leading figure of the Daoist sword immortal lineage, the unshakeable fifth person in the world, had ascended to the Fourteenth Realm as a sword cultivator.

He would engage in a sword duel, at least to determine a victor, with Yu Dou, the Second Teacher of the White Jade Capital, known as “Truly Unrivaled” and nicknamed “Dao the Second.”

And then there was Wu Shuangjiang of the Sui Chu Palace, one of the Ten Philosophers enshrined in the Martial Temple of the vast world in ancient times, and the attendant “Little White” beside Palace Master Wu was a historically recognized God of Slaughter in military strategy.

Once Wu Shuangjiang joined forces with Daoist Sun, questioning the Dao and seeking a sword duel at the White Jade Capital with Yu Dou, a life-or-death struggle would be inevitable, an irreconcilable feud.

He said, “If this fight breaks out, it will truly be earth-shattering. Daoist Chunyang, what do you think the outcome will be?”

Lü Yan said, “There are only two possibilities. One is that all three Fourteenth Realm cultivators will perish together, and Yu Dou will naturally die and his Dao dissipate.”

“The other is a more complex situation, which could very well prevent Yu Dou from ever reaching the Fifteenth Realm, but at the same time, it could make Yu Dou’s Fourteenth Realm even more solid.”

“Ultimately, it will confirm Yu Dou’s status as the undisputed number one person below the Fifteenth Realm.”

The Most Sage Teacher nodded, “The latter sounds enviable, but for Yu Dou, it’s different. It’s not exactly a fate worse than death, but it’s probably not far off.”

The Most Sage Teacher turned to Chen Pingan and asked, “On the way here, did you ever consider joining forces with Daoist Sun and Palace Master Wu?”

Chen Pingan nodded, “I did, but I held back.”

Chen Pingan looked up at the sky.

He had even considered going to refine his sword outside the heavens in advance.

Wu Shuangjiang’s active appearance in Ascension City in the Five Colors Heaven was actually an invitation, but it was silently rejected by Chen Pingan.

Since Chen Pingan refused the matter in his own way, Wu Shuangjiang was unwilling to force it.

The Most Sage Teacher said, “Don’t dwell on it too much. It’s enough to be just like Qi Jingchun or Cui Chan.”

Chen Pingan nodded.

He smiled, put his hands behind his back, and looked up at the sky, “I bet even our Sect Leader Lu, who claims to be invincible, is sweating bullets right now. Even after arriving at the White Jade Capital, he’s still feeling lingering fear?”

Lü Yan laughed, “Putting myself in his shoes, I would definitely throw his mother’s cultivation of the mind and nature out the window and directly curse Cui Chan for his malicious intentions.”

Qing Tong was utterly bewildered. What were they talking about? How did they get to Scholar Cui and Sect Leader Lu? Did they have a feud? Or had they secretly fought?

The Most Sage Teacher turned to Chen Pingan and asked with a smile, “Didn’t you ever wonder why Wu Shuangjiang would make this trip to the vast world, and why he would meet with Zheng Jizhong at the Sword Qi Great Wall? Why did Wu Shuangjiang split off a wisp of his mind so early, hide it at the Sword Qi Great Wall, and finally appear in Ascension City to see you? And why did Lu Chen rush to meet his descendants Lu Tai in one of the Lotus Flower Blessed Lands of the Five Colors Heaven, and then release the Dream-Solving Confucian Zheng Huan, immediately收攏木雞之心相?”

Chen Pingan nodded, having understood some things after seeing Lu Chen.

He only said that if he had chosen to besiege and kill Lu Chen back then…

Then the backup plan arranged by his senior brother Cui Chan would have been Zheng Jizhong and Wu Shuangjiang.

But Chen Pingan had not thought that far ahead at the time, such as Cui Chan’s arrangements in both the Five Colors Heaven and the Azure Heavens.

Lu Chen’s seemingly casual remark at the time about what would happen “if Cui Chan deliberately targeted and schemed” turned out to be meaningful.

For example, Wu Shuangjiang would appear in advance in the Five Colors Heaven, leaving Ascension City to deal with Yu Zhenyi of that Lotus Flower Blessed Land.

As for the Azure Heavens, perhaps that White Bone Immortal, who was rumored to have a good relationship with elegant minister Yao Qing, had long had some “self-preservation” methods with Wu Shuangjiang that could deceive the heavens.

And that Lu Chen who appeared at the Sword Qi Great Wall, whether he was the real person or an imposter, as long as he was entangled by Zheng Jizhong, who was chosen to make the move, then his fate could be imagined.

Moreover, Zheng Jizhong would definitely not act hastily in this matter, and must have been planning it for a long time.

The Most Sage Teacher then asked, “Then do you know how Cui Chan convinced Zheng Jizhong and Wu Shuangjiang?”

“I can’t guess about Mr. Zheng.”

Chen Pingan said in his mind, “But as for Palace Master Wu, it may be related to the resurgence of the military strategists. When the ten-thousand-year agreement expires and the First Ancestor reappears, Palace Master Wu will have the opportunity to leap to become the ‘Second Ancestor.’ Even if he fails in the sword duel with Yu Dou, Mr. Wu can still quickly return to the Fourteenth Realm in his next life.”

The Most Sage Teacher shook his head, “Wrong. In my opinion, if you had chosen to besiege and kill Lu Chen in the barbaric world back then, and there had really been such a fight, then that First Ancestor of the military strategists might not have been able to appear, or at least someone else would have had to take his place. I just figured these things out, it took a lot of brainpower, very tiring.”

Chen Pingan instantly understood the key points, and his Dao heart was greatly shaken. He trembled and said, “Mr. Zheng’s third incarnation has long been in the Azure Heavens?!”

He smiled, “It’s not necessarily Zheng Jizhong who is already in the Azure Heavens, of course, it’s just uncertain, you can’t be sure.”

Chen Pingan thought for a moment, no wonder “one of the Zheng Jizhongs” had ascended to the Fourteenth Realm in the barbaric world. Had he long been seeking that brand new “First Ancestor of the Military Strategists” identity?

Lü Yan, of course, could hear Chen Pingan’s thoughts and sighed, “That Scholar Cui, he really dares to think, dares to do.”

In the Azure Heavens, the Dao Ancestor scattered his Dao, and the Grand Teacher of the White Jade Capital, Kou Ming, was destined to be unable to return to the Jade Emperor City in the short term. If Lu Chen was targeted in this way again, and Yu Dou became the one sitting in the White Jade Capital, then what would happen to the Azure Heavens next would naturally be a chaotic world filled with war, with countless troops in the fourteen states of the world.
Don’t you dare blame my Cui Chan for being unrighteous, for I must apologize, the name of Cui Chan is already deceased, and I have long ceased to be the foremost disciple of the Sage of Literature’s lineage.

The Most Sage Master once jested, “Look at your senior apprentice-brother Cui Chan, and then look at you, Chen Ping’an. You truly are a far too kind and overly generous soft-hearted fool.”

Even the Most Sage Master could not help but sigh in lamentation. A scholar such as Cui Chan, one is absolutely indispensable, but even a single one more is absolutely intolerable.

You, Yu Dou, believe yourself to be acting on behalf of Heaven, with a clear conscience? Then the countless minute karmic debts accumulated over thousands of years will, like wild grasses on the plains, spread wildly across the Azure Canopy World in this generation, as if carried on the spring breeze of a new year.

You, Yu Dou, dare treat my junior apprentice-brother Qi Jingchun in such a way? Then I, Cui Chan, shall scheme against your junior apprentice-brother Lu Chen in the same manner.

You caused a single Lucid Pearl Grotto-Heaven to shatter and fall to earth? Then I shall make your entire Azure Canopy World sink and descend into utter desolation.