Taoist Master Xuanhuang

"Confucius greets all fellow Daoists."

Confucius, who looked like a burly man with a bushy beard, bowed and paid his respects.

This is quite significant, both in terms of status and cultivation level; this is a Saintly Venerable.

Before Yan Lai and the others could react and were still immersed in their indescribable emotions, Confucius had already bowed.

That's why we say sages are like saints, and that there's always something to learn from a group of three. Confucius truly lived up to that. No matter what level of cultivation the visitor had, it was always right to address them as "fellow Daoist."

"I dare not, I dare not, I am unworthy of being addressed as Fellow Daoist by the Most Holy Master." Yan Laidu was nervous.

Historical figures need time to come into the present day.

"There is no supreme sage teacher, only Confucius. In this era, the only one worthy of being called the supreme sage teacher is Fellow Daoist Xuanhuang. Confucius is merely a beginner." Confucius was very modest.

But it is true, and compared to Xuanhuang, he is indeed a new scholar.

His Venerable Lord's cultivation level was not achieved through his own efforts, but rather through the workings of fate. He truly cultivated step by step, and no one is stronger than Xuanhuang.

Moreover, Xuanhuang created such a magnificent situation.

It surpasses even my previous glory.

The world allows for starlight, and even the moon, but once the sun shines brightly overhead, both starlight and the moon will be obscured.

"??" The group of Confucian scholars were at a loss for words.

The sage is so modest; it matches my expectations.

Furthermore, this is the Divine Kingdom's Heavenly Network. Those who can enter it will have their cultivation suppressed, even by the strongest second-tier avatars. Those beyond the second tier will be unable to enter.

Therefore, what Yan Lai and the others saw was the second-level Confucius, not the sixth-level Venerable Confucius, so they did not feel any pressure.

In addition, standing beside Confucius were other prominent figures such as Yan Hui, the Second Sage of Confucius; it can be said that the entire leadership was mobilized.

It was quite a grand meet-and-greet.

Guided by Wei Qiancheng, Yan Lai and the others entered the main hall.

Wei Qiancheng seemed much more normal, after all, he had been in contact with the sage for so long that he had long since lost the excitement he felt when he first met the sage and the near-sage.

Everyone moved together and entered the main hall.

There are no rules; everyone can just sit wherever they are most comfortable on the ground.

However, Yan Hui stared intently at Yan Lai, looking very interested. It is said that Yan Lai is a descendant of Yan Hui, but is this really true?
Yan Lai led the rise of Confucianism, and he shared a very special feeling with Rong Youyan.

So similar to myself, yet with such different personalities and styles, even though we share the same name.

Is he a reflection of the past, or a continuation of the past and a pioneer of the future?

Yan Hui was a little confused.

"First of all, I would like to thank Master Wei for his help. Without Master Wei's matchmaking, this grand event would not have been possible. Confucius thanks Master Wei," Confucius said first.

"Thank you, Master Wei." Yan Lai became solemn and said to Wei Qiancheng.

"It's alright, it's alright. It's my honor to be a bridge for you all to meet. Please continue your conversation. I have some things to do, so I'll take my leave." Wei Qiancheng was quite adept at handling things.

There must be some secrets to discuss, and it's not good for me to be here.

This cause and effect involves the First Power and the First Realm, so it's best not to listen or ask about it; it won't do you any good.

He is very intelligent.

Confucius and Yan Lai did not try to persuade him. They naturally understood what Wei Qiancheng meant. They were both intelligent people, and some things did not need to be said.

Wei Qiancheng left, and kindly closed the door behind him.

There's no need to worry about Wei Qiancheng eavesdropping. Although he has the ability to do so, Confucius and Yan Lai are certain that Wei Qiancheng would never eavesdrop.

Eavesdropping wouldn't be the work of Wei Qiancheng, the leader of the Wei sect. Besides, smart people don't want to cause trouble.

"The matter is like this: I have observed the changes in the main world and have come to the conclusion that what is at its peak must decline, and that yin and yang are in a cycle. When prosperity reaches its extreme, it will inevitably face decline. Moderation is not mediocrity; this is the conclusion I reached after comprehending the ultimate principles of heaven and earth..."

Confucius began with a few opening remarks.

Simply put, it was to comfort Yan Lai and others, saying that what goes up must come down, and there was no need to be sad or upset. It's a theorem that no one can escape.

Since you can't escape it, don't try to run away; face it bravely.

Maintaining the middle way, being moderate, neither extremely powerful nor excessively weak—this was the method he summarized to avoid decline.

This is a theorem whose power has endured for a long time.

"A crisis is both a danger and an opportunity. This is an opportunity for you all. If you handle it properly, you can get through it safely," Confucius concluded.

Regardless of your own thoughts, it's always good to listen to other people's advice.

Yan Lai and the others wanted to hear Confucius's opinion, so they cupped their hands and said, "Please give us your guidance, Your Excellency."

The title has changed; he is no longer called a saint, but a revered lord.

The first time they met, calling Confucius a sage was a sign of praise and respect. But Confucius said he was not a sage and did not deserve the title, so Yan Lai would naturally change his mind.

Moreover, there are indeed people in this world who are called saints; those are seventh-order true saints.

You can't just call someone whatever you want, especially in this world.

"I dare not offer guidance. A gentleman knows what to do and what not to do. It just so happens that I am also facing some troubles and need the help of you fellow Daoists, so let's discuss this together."

“Please speak, Your Excellency,” Yan Lai said.

But I had a better understanding of the situation. It turned out that it wasn't a one-sided affair; they also needed my help, which gave me a lot of leeway.

At the same time, I admire that he truly deserves to be called the Venerable Master Kong; he is so upright and honest.

"Regarding the issue of division, my opinion is that instead of avoiding it, we should face it, for example, through automatic self-weakening and automatic disintegration. But this disintegration must be justified; it cannot truly weaken Confucianism, nor can it do nothing at all."

"To be specific, it's like this: I created a body-refining method, which I consider to be fairly good, barely reaching its peak. Of course, this was achieved with the help of the special environment of the Underworld... Originally, I intended to pass this method on to the disciples of the Confucian Temple Realm Master. However, influenced by the True Self Lord and Fellow Daoist Xuanhuang's treasures, I had a new idea and have modified this method again in the past few years..."

"Now it is a method of spiritual cultivation, but it still depends on the special environment of the underworld. I can only say that Master Wei Qiancheng has helped a lot. At the same time, I am grateful to Master Xuanhuang for opening up the underworld. Without the special environment of the underworld, there would be no such method."

"My idea is that, whether they are cultivating the spirit or the body in the Confucian school, they can break away from the Confucian school to learn my methods, help me increase my fortune and merit, and eventually seize the body of the Confucian Temple realm, become the true master, and change my divine flow system into the true cultivation dantian world system."

This was the first time Confucius revealed his thoughts to outsiders.

Not to mention Yan Lai and others were shocked, even Meng Ke and Yan Hui were startled.

That was the teacher's original plan.

If we really do as the teacher says, the effect will be tremendous.

"And what about us?" Yan Lai asked.

I didn't hear any dissatisfaction in his tone.

Logically speaking, one should be dissatisfied or even angry, since Confucius's plan was entirely at the expense of Confucianism to benefit himself or the Temple of Literature.

It would be of no benefit to ourselves and others in the main world, and it would be impossible for a third of the people to be separated to become subordinates of Confucius.

However, he believed that Confucius would never act this way, only thinking of his own benefit and disregarding others, which was not Confucius's style.

He was asking about the back, so he wasn't angry.

The entire Confucian school is like this; they don't believe Confucius simply sacrificed himself. "Harming others for personal gain is not the act of a gentleman. My words to my fellow Daoists are as follows:"

"First, it can achieve self-weakening, thus avoiding the inevitable decline after reaching the peak. That's one point. Of course, you can all do this, whether I am here or not. The reason I'm saying this is to ask you to believe me. I'm here to solve the problem once and for all. And to solve the current problems of Confucianism, self-weakening is unavoidable."

“We believe you, Your Excellency. Please continue. There’s no need for explanation. If we need to explain everything, there’s no point in us sitting here talking,” Yan Lai said.

"Thank you all for your trust," Confucius said, expressing his gratitude.

Don't assume Confucius was being too polite just because of the difference in strength.

This gap in strength does exist, but it also doesn't really exist.

They lived just fine without Confucius, Yan Hui, and others. This is not something that can be forced by a difference in strength. How could such a venerable master dare to force the Confucian school to take action?

This is unfair of you. Well then, wait for my Dao Lord to come out and destroy this unfairness.

While Xuanhuang may not intervene in ordinary matters, that doesn't mean that a group of fifth or sixth-rank saints wouldn't intervene even if they forced their disciples to.

"Secondly, I dare say this method is no less than the methods of you fellow Daoists of the Supreme Treasures. It is a dual cultivation of spirit and mind, and I have carefully studied the three fundamental methods of Fellow Daoist Xuanhuang and created a simplified version. Of course, I dare not call it a simplified version of the three major methods, but it is worthy of the title of a peak method..."

"This technique can be made freely available to the Confucian school. Anyone in our Confucian school can learn it. It is a peak technique that can be up to the sixth level."

"hiss!"

Having said that, the Confucian scholars admitted they were tempted.

A technique that directly targets the sixth rank is truly rare in the world; there is no such technique in the current world, making it extremely precious.

Moreover, it is a simplified version of the three fundamental laws of this Dao Lord, meaning it can be seamlessly connected.

There are no excessive problems.

"Venerable One, this is not enough. The Dao Lord has countless seventh-order and even higher-level techniques. We are not truly lacking in techniques. We can simplify them and comprehend our own path. It is not enough!"

Yan Lai was very clear-headed and directly stated that it wasn't enough.

I respect your status and position, but I am the leader of the Confucian school, and I need to fight for more benefits for the Confucian school.

Even if you were Confucius, it wouldn't work.

After he finished speaking, neither Confucius, Mencius, nor Yan Hui showed any anger; on the contrary, they were quite pleased.

This young man is very good, very good.

This is the true demeanor of the leader of the Confucian school. No matter who you are on the other side, you cannot let the Confucian school suffer losses. You should fight for what you deserve.

We will not lower our standards just because there are high mountains on the other side.

It's very immersive; at least, a group of people who are considered holy all feel that way.

He also acknowledged Yan Lai in his heart. As expected of the number one power in the main world, he was at the peak from the start and remained at the peak for nearly a hundred years as the leader of the number one power.

"That's not enough, thirdly:"

"As long as my idea is realized, all members of the Confucian school can switch between True Cultivation and Divine Cultivation, and possess their own realm, which will be the highest level realm. You all know the benefits, right? Even if you are not qualified to step into the True King realm, you can be nurtured into a True King within my realm. Of course, I think it is not good to do so."

"However, it is still possible to avoid cause and effect, avoid calamities, or even simulate enlightenment within them. In addition, we can give the Confucian school one hundred True King positions, whichever one of you may send."

After he finished speaking, everyone fell completely silent.

What a grand gesture! What a grand gesture!

Putting everything else aside, just by agreeing, the Confucian school will gain a hundred more True King-level beings.

Regardless of whether he cultivated on his own or was nurtured by the realm, just tell me if he is a fourth-order True King.
With one hundred fourth-tier True Kings, what is there to fear about the Confucian school splitting up? Even if it splits into one hundred, it will still be one hundred immortal forces.

Fourth-tier True Kings are no longer troubled by lifespan and can be called an immortal force.

As long as the fourth-tier True King of this faction is still alive, even if it is destroyed and annihilated, it can be rebuilt.

A fourth-tier True King possesses this kind of stabilizing power.

Immortality is the greatest strength.

The allure of a hundred true kings is immense.

However, this is not the most attractive aspect for Confucian scholars.

As the most powerful force, they don't believe they won't have a hundred true kings in the future; it's just a matter of time, and they'll achieve that through their own efforts.

He was a fourth-order True King who had cultivated himself, much stronger than one nurtured by a realm.

This offer, though tempting, could not sway them.

What shook them was Confucius's saying: to avoid calamity, to avoid cause and effect, and to learn by imitation.

That's what really moves them.

For example, a Confucian cultivator may have reached the limit of the third rank, but still wanted to accumulate more. However, he could not suppress his will and had to break through.

This is where the boundary comes in; one can hide inside the boundary and continue to accumulate within it, using the boundary's essence to suppress any deficiency in will.

In other words, a cultivator who was originally going to undergo the 49th Heavenly Tribulation could completely go and undergo the 59th Heavenly Tribulation. The temptation was too great.

The boundary can definitely do it.

Furthermore, for example, if the accumulation is very deep, it may require passing through the Sixth or Seventh Heavenly Tribulation, but this cultivator is not confident in overcoming such a tribulation.

Alternatively, one can hide in the realm to continue refining one's cultivation and will, reaching a level where one can withstand the sixth or even seventh heavenly tribulation, and then emerge to undergo the tribulation.

With such preparation, the threat of tribulation will be reduced by more than half.

If the calamities have been reduced by this much, the Confucian school will truly prosper.

This temptation is too big.

As for simulations within the realm, that's equivalent to creating techniques, such as tribulation-crossing secret techniques, combat secret techniques, and defensive secret techniques.

Creating a secret technique is not easy; it would be great if there were a place to simulate it.

If Confucius had a complete grasp of the boundaries, he could indeed simulate them.

The same applies to avoiding karma. For example, if you are unlucky and calamity strikes, you can hide in a realm.

At least they won't be immediately struck by misfortune and calamity, and they won't have any ability to react or avoid it.

Tribulation crossing, avoiding calamities, and simulation—these three can be described as comprehensive aids to growth. If such a realm truly exists, what is there to fear about division?

This can be considered a second chance for Confucianism to take off.

Yan Lai admitted that she was tempted: "Your Excellency is not lying, is she?"

Although I trust Confucius, I still need to ask him personally about such an important decision.

"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond. Furthermore, I will swear an oath in the name of the Xuanhuang Dao Master, just like all my fellow Daoists," Confucius said without hesitation.

"call!"

Clearly, Yan Lai and the other Confucian scholars breathed a sigh of relief.

...(End of chapter)