Chapter 16

Back when the cultivation world had still been prosperous in its earlier years, sects stood everywhere, a hundred schools of thought contended, and the myriad Great Daos each upheld their own.

After cultivators entered the Dao, they naturally had to keep their Dao heart firm. If they encountered a theory completely opposed to their Dao heart, and they themselves could not hold steady, then over time, hidden heart demons might arise and affect their path. Thus, there came to be Dao debates.

One wore Daoist robes, opened an altar, burned incense, and had great powers seated around the area to demonstrate solemnity.

Qionggu Peak.

Lu Yan wore his usual white Daoist robe and sat cross-legged on the large stone where he usually sat during lessons. Visually, it made him look a little taller. He took several cushions from his storage bag. “Guests are guests. Don’t be shy. He Nian!”

And now, there was no altar opening, and there was even less incense burning.

The three members of the Heavenly Evolution Sect had solemnly brought out Daoist robes that were only worn during major ceremonies. Each robe had the constellation they represented embroidered on its back. Their hair was neatly bound, and they carried themselves with a grand, imposing aura, Dao intent high and resplendent.

It was He Nian’s first time seeing such a major event. Holding to the principle that they could not lose in momentum, he strutted forward with his little chest out and a stern face, placing the cushions one by one in front of the three Heavenly Evolution Sect members. Then he raised his head and roared in a ringing voice, “Please!”

What a joke. Three people whose ages added up to nearly a thousand were bullying his family’s little ancestor. Shameless!

Jiao Ruyan’s tail transformed into a pair of legs. His long sea-blue hair was tied up, revealing an exquisite face, with a curled lock left at each temple to rest against his cheeks, making him seem even more androgynous. His breath was fragrant as orchids as he smilingly played the good cop. “You have come from afar, so please don’t take offense. After all, Ah Nian is still young. If there is any discourtesy, I hope you will forgive him.”

In the deep sea lived Merfolk, their voices sorrowful and plaintive. They sang beneath the moon to hunt for food.

Lu Yan looked at Jiao Ruyan as if he had discovered a new business opportunity. The look in his eyes was different from before.

Jiao Ruyan’s scalp prickled under Lu Yan’s gaze. “What?”

Lu Yan said, “Sing me a song later. A voice this good would be such a waste if you don’t release a record.”

Jiao Ruyan: “…”

What was a record now?

Over on the Heavenly Evolution Sect’s side, Tanlang, whose mentality was the steadiest, had sat properly on her cushion, her cane laid across her lap. She poked Wenqu in the middle, her lips moving as she transmitted her voice. “Senior Brother, are you all right?”

Wenqu was, indeed, not exactly all right, but he could barely hold steady.

The one who was not all right should be Pojun.

Among the Heavenly Evolution Sect’s seven elders, Wenqu was the eldest and the core of the sect. Tanlang was the youngest and the one with the highest martial strength in the sect. Pojun was neither high nor low in seniority, had the worst temper, and could not endure the slightest provocation.

Pojun’s face was dark and foul. He had always looked down on demon cultivators, and now two little demons dared to be so arrogant. It was simply too much. “We came here sincerely to debate the Dao, yet you allow the demon race to cut in as they please. Is this how your esteemed sect treats guests?”

No species could beat Xuncang when it came to a foul expression. The wolf king held a snow-white rabbit in his arms. At the moment, the rabbit was trembling beneath the wolf’s claw, not daring to move. Xuncang tilted his head. Coarse hair spread over his face, sharp fangs protruding past his lips, and a low wolf’s growl squeezed from his throat.

His true form was fully revealed.

Pojun: “…”

Pojun resentfully shut his mouth.

The Divine Creation Sect could not interfere in a Dao debate, but the demon race had no such concerns.

Daoist Yichen, Daoist Yiwen, and Pei Zhan sat in a row. Shen Mengji and Fuyi sat together with the three brothers of sea, land, and sky. All the Divine Creation Sect disciples who were free—or not free—had gathered on Qionggu Peak to witness this Dao debate.

On one side was a five-year-old disciple who had joined the Divine Creation Sect less than a year ago.

On the other were Heavenly Evolution Sect elders of considerable seniority who governed their sect.

One against three.

Pojun held back for a long while before taking the lead in launching an attack. “May I ask Nephew Bupo, was this jade slip written by you?”

Lu Yan nodded, then shook his head. “Not just me. The sect helped a lot. It’s everyone’s credit.”

Pojun scoffed. “Peering presumptuously into the Heavenly Dao. Do you know your crime?”

Lu Yan had an expression of sudden realization. He cupped his fists and said, “I failed to recognize Mount Tai before me. So Your Excellency is the Heavenly Dao.”

Pojun glared so hard his beard practically bristled. He had never expected Lu Yan to deliberately misinterpret him and turn the accusation back on him. He simply flung his sleeve. “Ignorant child!”

Daoist Yichen, who was watching from the side, ground his teeth and had already begun thinking about how to throw a sack over Pojun.

Lu Yan did not care in the slightest and smiled. “Since Your Excellency is not the Heavenly Dao, then on what basis are you declaring me guilty?”

Even Pojun was not stupid enough to miss that the child before him had tricked him. He unfurled the jade slip, his full beard bristling in every direction. “Of the Great Dao’s fifty, Heaven derives forty-nine. Within that are billions upon billions of transformations. From the first opening of chaos to the flourishing of the human race, my Heavenly Evolution Sect has observed the movement of the stars and never dared to speak rashly of laws. Runes and arrays communicate with heaven and earth and are unique beyond compare. You have entered the Dao for less than a year, and the jade slip you wrote is nothing but a child’s trick. If it spreads, it will only mislead others’ disciples!”

Lu Yan did not answer him directly. He merely asked, “How long has it been since you traveled through the cultivation world?”

Without thinking, Pojun said, “I entered the Dao more than three hundred years ago and have studied ancient texts in the sect day and night, never daring to slack off in the slightest!”

“Admirable. Martial Uncle Pojun’s spirit of studying for a hundred years as if it were a single day is something worth learning from.” Lu Yan complimented him, then changed direction. “But the world develops objectively. Even if your esteemed sect has a long history, blindly burying your head in things is not conducive to the sect’s own development and exploration.”

Pojun’s tone carried pride. “My Heavenly Evolution Sect advocates seclusion from the world. What does the outside world have to do with me?”

Lu Yan spread his hands. “Then why do you stare at the stars and moon every day?”

Pojun opened his mouth and suddenly choked on his words.

Lu Yan did not give him a chance to speak and said simply and decisively, “You want to observe patterns through the stars.”

“Let me first explain what a pattern is.” Lu Yan looked relaxed. “Spring passing into autumn and the four seasons cycling is a pattern. The sun rising and the moon setting, black and white alternating, is a pattern. Birth, aging, sickness, and death, the flow of time, are also patterns. Although the cultivation world is especially metaphysical and cannot be compared with the mortal realm, patterns still objectively exist.”

Lu Yan pointed one hand toward the sky. “Including your names—I mean the Big Dipper. There are books in the mortal realm that record the so-called, ‘When the Dipper handle points east, all under heaven is spring. When the Dipper handle points south, all under heaven is summer.’ West is autumn, and north is winter. Mortals live for a mere hundred years and can write such books. And you, Martial Uncle Pojun, actually say that I am peering presumptuously into the Heavenly Dao and question me for my crime. Three hundred years…”

The child lowered his hand. His carved-jade, powdered-snow little face was full of disappointment and disbelief. “Did they all get eaten by a dog?”

Three hundred years had all been eaten by a dog.

The final sentence was like a heavy punch, striking Pojun hard across the face. His Dao heart developed crack after crack amid one plain, ordinary sentence after another.

Here stood the Divine Creation Sect’s sect leader, Grand Elder, and ordinary disciples, along with demon cultivators. Beside him were his senior brother and junior sister. Under several hundred gazes, Pojun could barely remain seated on that tiny cushion. His face burned. “Absurd… absurd!”

Jiao Ruyan, watching from the side, sighed in amazement. “Little Ancestor has gone on a killing spree.”

He Nian had always called Lu Yan Little Ancestor, and Jiao Ruyan had followed suit.

Tanlang, who possessed an indestructible Dao heart, took the initiative to step out and shoulder Pojun’s burden. She said, “What Junior Brother Bupo says also has reason to it. My Heavenly Evolution Sect does indeed observe the paths of the sun, moon, and stars. Our sect’s inheritance has lasted several thousand years, yet we still dare not claim to have summarized even one ten-thousandth of it. Meanwhile, little junior brother has entered the Dao for a short half year and possesses only Qi Condensation cultivation, yet he can write a book and establish teachings. We are inferior.”

Lu Yan could not help sighing inwardly that Martial Uncle Tanlang was very good with words. First, she raised him up high. Between the lines, she placed Lu Yan and the Heavenly Evolution Sect on the same level. If outsiders were present here, they would surely feel that Lu Yan had no virtue or ability worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the Heavenly Evolution Sect, and that he was indeed an arrogant child. Unless something unexpected happened, the turn should come next.

Sure enough, Tanlang placed both hands on her cane, the corners of her mouth curling. She spoke unhurriedly, her voice carrying that distinct quality of an elderly person that matched her appearance. “However, Nephew, how can you be certain that the patterns you have summarized are correct?”

Oil boiling over roaring flames, then another bucket of cold water poured over it.

Among the Big Dipper’s seven stars, Tanlang was the first star, presiding over killing and conquest.

Tanlang was waiting.

The young martial nephew across from her truly did not seem like a five-year-old child. Tanlang even suspected whether some great power had possessed him and been reborn, but on second thought, after possession, the soul would be unstable, and the Divine Creation Sect would certainly be able to tell at a glance. They would never have taken him in.

Tanlang actually did not care about this Dao debate. She was even looking forward to what sort of answer this martial nephew named Bupo would give her. Would he modestly say he did not dare, or would he climb higher along the pole? Among the three Heavenly Evolution Sect members, Eldest Senior Brother was simple, and Pojun was simply stupid. She had to come here to hold the line. The Dao debate truly was not important, but the dignity of the Heavenly Evolution Sect did not permit trampling!

Upon hearing the question, Lu Yan merely shook his head slightly. With a sweep of his arm, he looked around and said, “Right or wrong is not something you decide, nor is it something I decide. It is the disciples of my Divine Creation Sect, and even all cultivators, who will help me prove right and wrong.”

Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth!

“Moreover,” Lu Yan made no attempt to hide it. He curled his index finger and tapped the joint against his temple. “To be honest with Martial Uncle Tanlang, I never forget anything I’ve seen.”

For cultivators, remembering everything they saw was not a particularly rare skill. With the aid of divine sense, almost everyone could do it.

But arrays and runes were not included in that.

As mentioned before, arrays and runes especially devoured talent. That talent included memory, drawing, comprehension, and application.

To give an inappropriate example, it was like being able to recite a mathematics formula perfectly but still being unable to solve the problem.

Lu Yan took out the Buwang Brush. “Martial Uncle Tanlang, please set the question.”

Without thinking, Tanlang said, “Lightning-Summoning Talisman. Nephew, feel free to attack me.”

Of course Lu Yan would not attack Tanlang. He was only in Qi Condensation. Where would he get that much spiritual power? Thus, Lu Yan brought out a blackboard from his storage bag, then took out three sheets of paper. He reversed the brush tip, with the heavenly bamboo end facing downward, his posture exactly the same as when he taught class. “Lightning is an element of heaven and earth, just like the familiar Five Elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. This is the Lightning-Summoning Talisman. This is wind-summoning, water-summoning, fire-summoning… I’ll draw three first for comparison. This wasn’t written in the jade slip. It’s fine if you don’t understand. I’ll explain it again later.”

The Divine Creation Sect disciples silently cheered.

Tanlang: “…”

She felt a little offended.

The Lightning-Summoning Talisman was at the center of the blackboard. The other three were drawn on paper and placed to the left, right, and below the Lightning-Summoning Talisman respectively. Lu Yan asked, “Martial Uncle Tanlang, did I draw them correctly?”

Tanlang nodded and could not help praising him. “Flawless.”

Lu Yan rotated the paper bearing the Fire-Summoning Talisman sixty degrees clockwise. “Martial Uncle Tanlang, doesn’t it look familiar?”

After the rotation, the Fire-Summoning Talisman’s overall structure was astonishingly similar to the Lightning-Summoning Talisman.

It could be said they were exactly the same.

Tanlang’s eyes widened.

Pojun shook his head again and again. “No… impossible!”

“There’s nothing impossible about it.” Lu Yan flipped the Water-Summoning Talisman upside down and turned the Wind-Summoning Talisman over. On the blackboard, the four runes now had the same angle. Aside from their different cores, everything else was unexpectedly identical!

Tanlang stared fixedly at the blackboard, using her eyes to compare every line. For the first time in her life, she felt a wave of dizziness.

The facts were so clear that there was not the slightest room for argument.

Lu Yan stood with his hands behind his back. “Martial Uncles, Martial Uncle-Masters, do you need me to continue deconstructing them?”

Pojun braced one hand on the ground and gritted his teeth, about to say something.

Wenqu reached out and held Pojun down in an unquestionable manner. He had not spoken all this time. At this moment, his eyes were filled entirely with those four runes. He thought over the first half of his own life, even the first half of the Heavenly Evolution Sect’s life, and in some unseen way, he seemed to sense that the future of the cultivation world was about to be changed by this child who had entered the Dao only half a year ago.

His Dao heart gradually reached integration amid the back-and-forth debate, as if the Heavenly Evolution Sect’s ancient texts that had lain accumulated for many years had also come alive, urging him to go back and study them.

Bupo.

Indeed, without breaking, there could be no establishment.

Wenqu’s shoulders relaxed. His entire aura suddenly changed, gaining an indescribable emptiness and distance. He asked, “I want to know why you do not care about the jade slip spreading.”

“Knowledge has no borders,” Lu Yan answered. “Only thoughts and thoughts colliding can spark fire, while knowledge monopolies can only bring knowledge control.”

“Controlling others, and controlling yourself.”

Wenqu did not understand the word “knowledge,” yet strangely, he understood its meaning. He stood and solemnly bowed to this child one generation below him. “Your breadth of mind is beyond Wenqu.”

Only now did he truly place Lu Yan on the same level as himself.

Tanlang also rose. “This old woman has been taught.”

Pojun exhaled heavily several times. He had a poor temper, but he listened to his senior brother. “I offended you greatly. I hope you will be magnanimous.”

In this Dao debate on Qionggu Peak, Lu Yan, Lu Bupo, won!

The Divine Creation Sect disciples jumped up and cheered.

Fuyi, a sword cultivator who understood absolutely nothing, clapped with all her might. “Little Junior Brother is amazing!”

Jiao Ruyan collapsed against He Nian with a dazed expression. “That felt so good my whole body and soul are clear!”

He Nian did not manage to dodge and allowed Jiao Ruyan to fall against him. “Little Ancestor is invincible!”

Xuncang clicked his tongue and released the rabbit he had nearly squeezed to death. “Hmph. Barely passable.”

Amid the fervent atmosphere, the Divine Creation Sect and Heavenly Evolution Sect established friendly relations. Daoist Yichen picked up his disciple and rubbed him again and again.

Tanlang was extremely envious and deliberately said in a sour tone, “Senior Brother Yichen, Bupo’s name contains the character for ‘yan,’ which shows he has a destiny with my Heavenly Evolution Sect. I wonder if Senior Brother Yichen would be willing to part with what you love?”

Daoist Yichen: “…”

Why was everyone trying to dig up my corner!

Wenqu crouched down, looking Lu Yan levelly in the eyes, and apologized again. “Pojun has always spoken without restraint. Bupo, you may discipline him as you like.”

Lu Yan stroked his chin. “Easy, easy. But there is something I would like to ask Martial Uncle-Master Wenqu for help with.”

Wenqu smiled. “As long as I can help.”

Lu Yan counted on his fingers. “I opened a school, and there are more and more disciples, but not many teachers. Also, I’ve heard that the Heavenly Evolution Sect has many ancient texts that aren’t passed down to outsiders. I really want to study them a little…”

“And also, also…”

Tanlang came to Wenqu’s side, only to see her senior brother pat her shoulder and say gravely, “Junior Sister, take Pojun and go on ahead. I have accepted Bupo’s invitation and will lecture on Qionggu Peak for several days.”

Tanlang, who had failed to dig up a corner: “???”

Does Lu Bupo have no martial virtue at all!

Next Chapter >