Taoist Master Xuanhuang

With such a vow, there's no need to worry about Confucius going back on his word.

Although they did not believe that Confucius was denying it, it was still too important to be certain.

In addition, they also have means of checks and balances. For example, the Confucian school is currently addressing the issue of sacred beliefs within the Confucian temple's territory, all of which Yan Lai and others agreed to and implemented.

Cutting off their lineage is not impossible.

"If that's the case, we should be able to agree."

Yan Lai said "should" to leave room for maneuver, since he couldn't just agree on his own; he needed to consult with others.

"It's entirely up to the sect leader to decide." The group of Confucian high-ranking members who came with Yan understood the unspoken meaning.

Understanding the reason why the sect leader said that, he immediately agreed.

"Good, good, good!" Confucius exclaimed excitedly, saying "good" three times in a row.

After all, this was very important to him, even more so than anything else, including his being nurtured by the realm.

Only by achieving this can he be a true sovereign; otherwise, he is merely a puppet of a realm.

If there were no comparisons, such as the absence of Xuanhuang or the existence of the True Cultivator group, he wouldn't feel too much of a sense of loss.

When a realm's deity surpasses 99.99% of ordinary beings, there is nothing to be dissatisfied with.

But once you make a comparison, things change. Looking at the future of true cultivators and then at your own future, it's truly shameful to compare yourself to others.

I am just a puppet, even if that "puppet" is a bit of an exaggeration.

But what about cultivation level?

Leaving aside the degree of freedom, just looking at cultivation level, it's worlds apart from what one could achieve through cultivation alone.

Everything one has comes from the origin of the realm, which means that one has nothing. Once the origin of the realm abandons one, one can only be scattered to the winds.

But he didn't want his soul to be scattered; he wanted to truly live.

"We're all family, so let's not be like family. Once I take control of the Confucian Temple domain, you can choose to change your cultivation path or continue being a saint. But it's best to have some aspirations. As the saying goes, 'Heaven's movement is ever vigorous; so should a gentleman constantly strive for self-improvement.'"

As Confucius spoke, he turned to the sacred Confucian temple behind him and said.

The opening remark, "We're family, so let's not speak like outsiders," shows that the Confucian school is being treated as one of their own. Although they are indeed family in name, this way of addressing each other seems a bit inappropriate.

At least that's what Confucian scholars like Yan Lai thought.

but!

No, that's a perfectly acceptable way to refer to it.

Things are different now. If we were to address someone in the past as such, people like Yan Lai from the Confucian school would have to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

Who says we're family? We are disciples of the Daoist Master. Don't test our loyalty. We were, are, and will always be disciples of the Daoist Master.

Don't try to win us over or lure us; we won't be close to you.

Doing so in the past would have been perfectly acceptable.

But at this moment, it no longer matters. It is a clear omen that, following the Spirit Masters, the Holy Ones will also be brought under the control of the Dao Lord.

Saying it's "gathering" might not be the right word; it should be "automatic planning" and "automatic integration."

At this moment, Confucius said that there was nothing wrong with our family. We are all Confucian scholars under the Daoist master. It's just that you are ancient people reincarnated, while we are modern people.

But they were all from the Confucian school.

This is something worth reflecting on, not only for Yan Lai and others, but also for the sacred things in the Confucian Temple.

Finally, they admitted it, finally admitted that they had automatically merged into the Daoist Master's sect. The sacred temple of Confucianism had long felt this way, but the highest level had never clearly expressed it.

Now it's finally clear that we're family.

"Ah, right, right, right!" Yan Lai said after realizing what she meant.

“The teacher is right, we are all one family,” Yan Hui quickly said.

"It's good that you agree, so you will all be treated the same and can learn my methods. Once I control the realm, you can decide for yourselves how to choose. But remember what I said earlier."

Confucius repeated himself, seemingly emphasizing a particular point.

It's like the saying, "As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement." He didn't want the sacredness of the Confucian temple realms to be laid low; he still hoped they would make an effort.

Even if you fail, it's okay; the worst thing is not to try.

After all, true cultivation has a brighter future than holiness; that is the true path.

"Furthermore, I did not discuss the decision with you earlier. Do you have any opinions? Please feel free to express them," Confucius continued.

He indeed never told the deities that he wanted to control the Confucian Temple domain.

The deities within the Confucian Temple's territory were also learning of this situation for the first time.

This involves a crucial point: the Confucian Temple's domain is simply too powerful, possessing not only a sixth-tier Venerable Lord, but also a near-Sage Mencius and Xunzi.

Confucius was a master at the late stage of the sixth rank, and Mencius was no less accomplished, also a master at the late stage of the sixth rank. Xunzi was relatively weaker, only at the middle stage of the sixth rank.

The reason it's called the First Realm is precisely because of this.

Confucius was originally at the late stage of the sixth level, Mencius at the middle stage of the sixth level, and Xunzi at the early stage of the sixth level.

However, over the past century, the Confucian school has provided a strong source of religious faith, which has naturally led to their significant improvement.

Even Yan Hui has reached the limit of the fifth-order Venerable, so there is still hope for him to join the sixth order.

This involves a lot of trouble. It's not just one sixth-tier cultivator; once I refine the Confucian Temple, the other two sixth-tier cultivators will have no future.

"It's entirely up to you, teacher," Meng Ke Xun Kuang replied.

They both understood that the question was mainly directed at themselves.

The remaining powerful rulers were more than happy for their teacher to take control of the Confucian Temple, so that they would have a powerful backer.

Do whatever you want; you can choose to walk the path of spiritual practice or the path of holiness.

"Remember, there is more than one realm. Besides us, there are many other realms belonging to other races. I can control the Confucian Temple, so why can't I take over more? It's a real waste for top-tier realms to be in the hands of barbarians; they won't make use of them."

Confucius said this with a pointed remark.

"Hiss!" Everyone gasped, realizing what was going on.

Master Kong's words are worth analyzing.

Isn't this just saying, "Don't rush, once I've refined the Confucian Temple, I'll have the ability to take over more top-tier realms. At that time, you, Xun Kuang and Meng Ke, will each have one and become true lords."

He exudes a domineering aura, and his strong and powerful appearance makes him very believable.

"The teacher is right." Mencius and Xunzi were naturally satisfied.

The teacher seems to want to be the true master as well.

The reason everyone is called "Teacher" is because Confucius decided on this; he believed it was better than titles like "Lord," "Revered One," or "True King," which sounded too hierarchical.
What else is there to say? Of course, we unconditionally support our teacher. Once our teacher conquers the top-level realm, there will be no more problems.

To be honest, even Confucian scholars like Yan Lai have been somewhat infected.

This family seems quite nice.

"Going back to the beginning, I think that since the Confucian school is destined to undergo trials, we should not avoid them, but it would be best to have a prepared split, so that it is within a controllable range. What does Sect Leader Yan think?"

"Your Excellency's words are reasonable. I was a little worried before, but after this conversation, I have no worries at all. There are still all the seniors. They certainly won't watch us decline. After all, if we decline, their offerings will decrease." Yan Hui said half-jokingly.

He has completely let go. If he had any reverence and awe for Confucius at the beginning, those reverence and respect are still there now, and even stronger.

But deep down, I felt no worry or fear.

As the previous words have already indicated, the Venerable One will also become the Dao Lord's subordinate. Since they are both subordinates, and I am the Dao Lord's personal disciple, I am already ahead in status.

Therefore, all my worries and concerns disappeared.

You lead your sacred path, I lead my Confucian path of true cultivation. Though we are one family, we belong to two different systems. What is there to worry about?

Of course, all of this is related to understanding the key points mentioned earlier.

Having realized that the Dao Lord truly transcends the Three Realms and is no longer bound by the Five Elements, the deities who were previously on guard against no longer pose any concern to him.

This alone demonstrates the Dao Lord's transformation and growing power.

It swept away all obstacles with ease, turning countless former adversaries into friends.

What a terrifying ability this is; words cannot express it.

Since the Dao Lord has already 'semi-transcended' and no longer cares about the realities of the human world, we also need to make corresponding changes and cannot hold onto our previous ideas.

Previously, even those who had merely made offerings to the deities of the Confucian Temple had been reprimanded by Temple Master Sun Tong.

And now?

They could merge with the Temple of Literature without any hesitation, because their strengths were now completely different.

When you're weak, you need to be careful of this and that, because this poses a threat to you and that poses a threat to you.

But once their strength reaches a certain level, they pose no threat whatsoever.

Confucius was not angry at Yan Lai's words. He was so smart that he would naturally adjust his mindset.

Since you're willing to join the Xuanhuang Sect, you need to adjust your mindset. If you can't even understand this, you shouldn't join at all, lest you feel wronged all the time.

"This is also what I wanted to say. Don't be afraid, the Confucian school will not collapse. When the heavens and earth are unsealed, fourth-order True Kings can go out. Who has more fourth-order True Kings than our Confucian Temple? Even if we are split up, we will still be the strongest. We are just hiding."

This is a circle, a logically clear conversation.

Confucius had long considered deeply how to persuade his own sage and Confucian scholars like Yan Hui.

His words were all logically coherent, from initially persuading the Confucian school to split itself up, to considering all the possible means after the split, leaving nothing out.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have convened everyone to discuss it.

"Alright, then, Your Majesty, do you favor our physical cultivation or our spiritual cultivation?"

Yan Lai readily agreed, splitting off one-third of his body; you can choose whichever you prefer.

"Body cultivators need not bother. Although I prefer you younger generation of body cultivators, compared to the Dao Lord's Heaven and Earth Furnace Method, my body refining method is inferior. You can continue your studies on your own. On the other hand, how can the younger generation of spirit cultivators dare to call themselves scholars without a strong body?"

"This needs to be changed. The idea that a Confucian scholar is useless or physically weak is very unsatisfactory. I dare say that I never said that a Confucian scholar is weak and unable to even kill a chicken. The idea that one should rely on thought rather than physical strength is a serious distortion of my thinking. My physique proves that I am not that kind of person."

When this was mentioned, Confucius became even more serious than during the discussion, even to the point of being furious.

That's a terrible slander against me, Confucius. Many of my ideas have been misinterpreted by you descendants and turned into weapons to attack me.

On the contrary, they say that I taught them.

Are you bullying me because I was dead and couldn't speak before?

I am simply spreading ideas such as education for all, universal harmony, and the virtuous person's continuous self-improvement.

A philosophy of life, a way of thinking about how to face adversity and how to strengthen one's inner self, whether in good times or bad.

It's not that you're using your big name as a weapon to attack.

Now that people have been resurrected and are already here, we must condemn them severely.

Otherwise, wouldn't my resurrection have been for nothing?
You misunderstand me when I'm not here, and you still misunderstand me when I am. Hasn't my resurrection been in vain?
"Ahem, Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The affairs of the future will be told by future generations. This is unavoidable. Smart people know that you are a banner. Those who have gone astray are just using your name to do despicable things. Please don't be angry," Yan Lai advised.

"But you can't just do whatever you want! I talked about the distinction between Chinese and barbarians, and they changed my clothes and shaved my head, and I..." Confucius seemed to get angrier as he spoke.

Fortunately, the person was someone to be admired from afar and managed to control himself, almost uttering a curse.

That's not fair; they're bullying the dead because they can't speak.

He was just a tool of the ruler, and he understood that perfectly well, but he was still angry, which were two different things.

Conversely, it is precisely because of the controversy that they have achieved such status and fame, and have had such a profound impact on a nation and civilization.

Gains and losses! It's hard to say.

"In short, if you agree, I will choose the Confucian divine cultivation method. It just so happens that my method allows for dual cultivation of spirit and mind, making the soul of the body cultivator strong and the body of the spirit cultivator robust. What do you say?"

Getting back to the main point, Confucius wanted to cultivate the divine within the Confucian school.

This is the root cause of the departure and self-division of Confucian spiritual practitioners.

Those within the Confucian school know very well that while they outwardly present a bitter and resentful facade, they are actually putting on an act and hiding their true intentions.

Waiting for the triumphant return, waiting for Confucianism to be made great once again.

If the Sweeping Monk's actions were minor, then the schism within the Confucian school had officially begun.

The scene within the Divine Kingdom's Heavenly Network did not escape the notice of the true top leadership.

For example, the Taoist school has been studying this in depth for a long time.

Suddenly becoming the number one power, the Daoist sect was completely bewildered.

They had been trying to catch up with the Confucian school for a hundred years, but still hadn't succeeded. Suddenly, the Confucian school split up on its own, directly reducing its power by one-third.

This is not as good as the Taoist school.

Although Taoism lags behind Confucianism, it shouldn't be as much as one-third.

Suddenly, inexplicably, I became number one.

The Taoist community was not happy at first, but rather deeply puzzled and worried.

Logically, even if a tree were to split, it would start from the smallest details, from the self-groomed inner branches and withered leaves, rather than cutting off the three main branches right away.

This is unreasonable, extremely unreasonable.

The Taoist sect felt not joy, but a chilling cold.

The investigation then revealed that it was related to a trip to the Divine Kingdom's Heavenly Network by high-ranking members of the Confucian school.

That's the crux of the problem.

They're definitely not simple. They're old rivals; how could they not know each other?

“Our old-fashioned predecessors suffered because they were too lax and carefree. If they had been as proactive as the Confucius Temple, we wouldn’t be in such a bad situation.”

The dignified head of Taoism, Jiutong.

He actually said such a thing, calling his own predecessor a Taoist priest.

...(End of chapter)