Chapter 251: Shock! The World in an Uproar
Chapter 251: Chapter 251: Shock! The World in an Uproar
Atop Wuyi Mountain in Minjiang, a Celestial Palace Pavilion floated in mid-air, magnificent and grand.
A figure suddenly materialized from the void. It was one of the young-looking True Monarchs who had previously appeared in the Six Paths Valley.
The moment this young True Monarch appeared, he called out sharply, "Mingxing, come see me at once!"
As his voice fell, a thunderclap suddenly ripped through the clear sky, then coalesced into a human form before the young True Monarch.
"Mingxing greets the Honored Seat." The youth named Mingxing bowed in salute.
The young man had thick brows and large eyes. His eyebrows and hair were both purple, like crackling lightning, and he appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen years old.
"In Yunjiang, there is a prodigy named Zhu Ge. Despite being only at the Second Realm, he has made a name for himself in the Historical Record. He can serve as your whetstone," the young man said coolly. "You are the next Honored Seat of our Nine Bends Celestial Travel Sect. On this trip, you may encounter Lin Zhi and Yuan Shentong. Do not concern yourself with victory or defeat."
Lin Zhi and Yuan Shentong?
Hearing this, Mingxing raised an eyebrow. "This disciple understands!"
"Mm," the young man nodded. "You cultivate both the immortal and Confucian paths. In the Confucian Dao, you can’t compare to even a fraction of Yuan Shentong’s ability. Perhaps on this trip, you can learn from Zhu Ge and study that New Confucian Dao."
A new Dao!
Mingxing nodded. "This disciple understands!"
Seeing this, a look of satisfaction flashed in the young man’s eyes before he waved a hand. "Go and prepare."
With that, he vanished on the spot.
But Mingxing remained standing in the air for a long time, lost in thought.
’My Thunder Dao is accomplished, but my Confucian Dao is still lacking. If I relied on my Confucian Dao alone, I would, at best, rank in the top fifty of the Sheji Chart. This is my weakness.’
Mingxing frowned and murmured, ’If my Confucian Dao could also rank in the top ten, perhaps with my Confucian Dao and Thunder Dao combined, I could last ten breaths against Lin Zhi without being defeated?’
He considered this question very seriously.
It might sound ridiculous. After all, as the second-ranked prodigy on the Sheji Chart, he alone could fight an entire group of Third Realm cultivators. Yet, here he was, talking about only lasting ten breaths against Lin Zhi.
But those who truly knew the extent of Lin Zhi’s power felt nothing but awe.
Currently, there wasn’t a single ordinary Third Realm cultivator who could last even one breath against Lin Zhi.
This included veteran Third Realm cultivators who were already centuries old, as well as the other prodigies on the Sheji Chart.
In fact, the number-one prodigies from the previous two generations of the Sheji Chart had both been suppressed by Lin Zhi with a single hand in the span of a breath.
Those two former number-one prodigies were now ranked ninth and fifteenth, respectively.
Only Lin Zhi remained, suppressing all who dared to challenge.
Furthermore, everyone knew that Lin Zhi was only twenty years old. Unless Lin Zhi broke through to the next major realm, the entire world would remain suppressed for another ten years.
"The New Confucian Dao..."
Then, Mingxing thought of Zhu Ge from Yunjiang, the one who had caused the Great Dao of the world to tremble. He thought of that burgeoning New Confucian Dao.
In the end, he didn’t return to the Sect. Instead, he sped directly southwest.
"To learn, and to practice what you have learned time and again—is this not a pleasure?"
"This journey is for both debating the Dao and seeking knowledge."
...
In a stretch of wilderness, a young man was bent over, tilling a field. One by one, he planted rice seedlings with his own hands.
He wore coarse linen clothes, and his face, clothes, and hands were covered in dirty, dried mud prints. His bare feet were planted deep in the muck.
He planted the seedlings row by row, from the first stalk of the first row at dawn to the last stalk of the last row at dusk.
Neither hurried nor slow, his movements were methodical and precise, without the slightest deviation.
Meanwhile, on the ridge of the field, a group of Confucian Scholars with neat topknots, silk headscarves, and feather fans stood waiting.
When dusk fell and the young man finished planting and straightened his back, the leader of the Confucian Scholars stepped forward, clasped his hands, and bowed.
"Observing Things Scholar, the academy’s Dao discussion assembly has concluded. Thirteen scholars have been chosen for a visiting delegation to Yunjiang to sit and discuss the Dao. The Jingzhe Gentleman wishes to ask: Where are you going, Shentong?"
"Our Daos differ." The young man’s mud-caked face broke into a broad smile. He excitedly put his left hand on his hip and pointed to the rice paddies.
"Look! This plot of land is so fertile! It can grow so much food!"
The leading Confucian Scholar frowned, a flicker of displeasure in his heart.
He had long heard that Yuan Shentong, the third-ranked prodigy on the Sheji Chart, was antisocial and extremely difficult to communicate or get along with. For this reason, many Great Confucian Scholars and Gentlemen disliked him.
As a newly advanced Third Realm Scholar, he had come personally to find Yuan Shentong, only to be treated like this. Naturally, he was displeased.
He knew that a single sentence from him could be a great boon to any First or Second Realm Confucian Scholar.
Yet, after flying over muddy ground and trekking through mire to deliver a message, Yuan Shentong had replied with just three words—"Our Daos differ"—and then told him to look at these muddy rice paddies?
Looking again at Yuan Shentong, covered in filth and grime, his topknot disheveled, his clothes in disarray—was this really the representative prodigy for the Confucian Family of the world?
’What a disrespectful brute!’
But he was just a messenger, so he continued,
"The Jingzhe Gentleman also asks: Does Shentong not recognize the Great Dao?"
As soon as these words left his mouth, though he was only relaying them, the Confucian Scholar felt a resonance within his heart.
’That’s right!’
’Doesn’t Yuan Shentong know where the Great Dao lies?’
’The true Great Dao should be like that of the Jingzhe Gentleman, the head of the academy: bringing order and support to the world.’
’This Yuan Shentong possesses such incredible talent, yet he chooses to consort with mud-legs in the fields...’ Thinking this, the Confucian Scholar glanced at Yuan Shentong’s legs.
’Hm, he’s no longer just consorting with mud-legs; he’s practically become one himself.’
’Isn’t this a waste of his talent?’
Moreover, the Confucian Scholar also understood the other layer of meaning in the Jingzhe Gentleman’s question.
Recently, the Great Dao in the southwest had trembled, and it was suspected that a "Sage" had been born in the borderlands.
It was only after the Jingzhe Gentleman went and returned that they learned it was a New Confucian Dao created by some kid from the frontier.
This situation could be described as a golden age for the Confucian Family. Countless Confucian Scholars were inspired, and many even switched to cultivating the Confucian Dao because of it.