Yefutidaolu

Chapter 249 A Drop in the Ocean and Arrogant Opinions

In Xuanwu District, within the pagoda of that Buddhist temple, Gao Jian is having a conversation with Fei Xiang.

After listening to Fei Xiang's words, Gao Jian seemed to have gained some insight, but he asked one last question: "Don't underestimate demons... Then the question arises, Master Fei Xiang, what is the purpose of your propagation of Buddhism? According to this view, the Desire Realm is also one of the heavens. Aren't you and demons both from outside? What is the difference?"

Not wanting to hear this question, he suddenly stood up straight.

Although he used to stand up straight and be very polite, his demeanor is now noticeably different.

He responded to the insightful question earnestly and solemnly: "What we want is for all beings to be enlightened, for all beings to be Buddhas."

"All sentient beings are Buddhas? Which Buddha? Do they all practice Buddhism?" Gao Jian frowned.

Fei Xiang shook his head: "It's not about practicing Buddhism, but about achieving transcendence, escaping from all suffering and the great net of cause and effect, and truly becoming a 'Buddha'."

Gao Jian's brows furrowed even deeper: "Master Fei Xiang, have you attained Buddhahood?"

"I'm still far from it. The heavenly beings are still in the cycle of reincarnation, one of the six realms, and are equal to all other beings. I'm far from being able to transcend them." Fei Xiang shook his head decisively to indicate that he was not.

"So you dare to say such a thing? Is this what Buddhism calls a 'grand vow'? That's too grand. I think it could be smaller." Gao Jian made a gesture.

Fei Xiang shook his head: "There is no need to worry. As long as all beings receive the Buddha's teachings under the guidance of great wisdom from a young age and listen to the Dharma, countless beings, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, will develop the mind of hearing and hearing from birth, understanding the cause from the effect, and then understanding the effect from the cause. What difficulty is there in making all beings Buddhas? This is precisely why we, the heavenly beings, spread the Dharma."

"...In that case, your efforts are just a drop in the ocean, which I think is unrealistic." Takami chuckled awkwardly.

drop in the ocean?
That's an understatement; it's like a grain of sand in the Milky Way!
All sentient beings are Buddhas? Everyone becomes a Buddha, is enlightened, and transcends... Just thinking about it makes you realize how absurd that is. Putting aside the reasons for spiritual practice itself, just getting everyone to accept the Dharma is incredibly difficult, so difficult that it's almost impossible to know how to do it.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. But what if this isn't a thousand miles, but a maze spanning billions of light-years, or even billions of light-years?

You have no idea how the maze works, so everything you do might be in vain... Even if you persevere to the end, it might be a dead end.

Perseverance is meaningless; in fact, all efforts seem like a joke in the face of such a goal.

If a person builds a road out of the mountains all by himself, then he is great.

To think that one can build a solar system on one's own is not greatness, but foolishness. It is a lack of self-awareness, a futile attempt to do something that can never succeed. No matter how much effort one puts in, one will not gain the admiration of others, but will only be ridiculed.

Faced with Gao Jian's questioning, Fei Xiang nodded, and then the Celestial Being said frankly, "That is indeed the case, but if I were missing a grain of sand in the vast ocean, I would feel very regretful."

Fei Xiang did not refer to himself as "this humble monk" here, but instead used the title "I".

This answer changed the way Shu Jian, who had always felt there was something wrong with Fei Xiang, looked at him.

Gao Jian was about to say that it was futile, but upon hearing this, he paused for a moment, and then said, "Then... I wish you success, Master."

"Thank you for your kind words, but the most urgent thing is to deal with these matters first. Since Benefactor Gao is willing to take on this responsibility, I am already benefiting from your efforts. I will do my best."

“After all, Buddhism, besides emptiness, also includes goodness,” said the monk Feixiang.

“All things are empty, but goodness is not empty. Then I will trouble Master Feixiang. I will go and take care of other matters.” Gao Jian bowed.

"All things are empty... but goodness is not empty? Benefactor Gao's words are quite profound. I will remember them. I will go and pick up those children, but there are many such courtyards on this street..." Fei Xiang reminded him.

"It's alright, leave it to us." Gao Jian patted his chest.

Instead of wanting to go faster, he had already left.

He took a single step and vanished from the spot; however, judging from the fluctuations in his aura, it seemed to be a kind of 'supernatural power'.

It is an extremely powerful supernatural ability, almost like teleportation.

No... this is teleportation.

After Fei wanted to leave, Gao Jian pulled Shu Jian off his head.

"Then, Elder Shu, I'll leave this matter to you."

"It's a small matter, leave it to me. There's just one problem... You can really handle it, right?" Shu Jian asked somewhat nervously in Gao Jian's hands.

There was no way not to ask.

Gao Jian has clearly stated his plans.

He wants to cut off the entire industry of harvesting and processing in the capital, which means he wants to control everything in this neighborhood.

Obviously, this can suppress Helensabao.

But the question is... can the expert withstand the pressure?

In the capital, it's not just Helensabao who uses these things.

If Gao Jian can't withstand these pressures, he'll be courting death.

Rather than courting death, Shu Jian thought it would be better to talk to Li Zoufang, mediate, shake hands and make peace. At most, they would lose face, and not completely, since the other party would definitely have to apologize. It would be more like both sides losing face, just like elementary school students fighting and being forced by their parents to admit their mistakes and promise to be good friends in the future.

After all, people come to the Imperial Academy to study, not to fight with others, let alone offend the gods who would need to use the power of the living...

Faced with Shu Jian's questioning, Gao Jian smiled and said, "Elder Shu, please let me analyze it for you."

Shu Jian immediately jumped down from Gao Jian's head and landed on a shelf next to him. He then sat up straight and listened to Gao Jian's narration.

As an elder of Rat Mountain, Shu Jian wasn't good at using his brain, but he wasn't Gao Jian's follower either. If Gao Jian couldn't come up with a good way to persuade him, he wouldn't risk his life to fight Gao Jian.

Some might say this is disloyal, but Shu Jian is no child, much less a naive young girl like Dan Sha who jumps on a whim.

No matter how cute or carefree he may seem in ordinary times, he is still a powerful demon of the seventh realm.

A great demon of the seventh realm needs a reason to do things, and Gao Jian needs to be given a reason.

Gao Jian also became serious and said, "It is extremely foolish for the poor to sell their children, but it is a last resort. This world is a cannibalistic place. If you don't give them to others to eat, you will be eaten by all sorts of things. People may not see it with their own eyes, but they have heard a lot about it. Is it really true that there is no one with a kind heart in the capital?" Shu Jian curled his lips and said, "What is there to ask? It's just that there is no one to take the lead. This business has already been established. It's not that no one has tried to stop it before, but things cannot be accomplished. After losing a few times, they will naturally give up."

"Previously, everyone believed that, just like in the Battle of Banquan, the leader was a bear, a tigress, a wolf, a leopard, a lynx, and a tiger, with eagles, pheasants, hawks, and kites as flags. Why? Because the leaders and flags were birds and beasts, hence this was a case of using force to command birds and beasts."

Why use beasts as flags? It's because we want to borrow the power and prestige of beasts.

By using beasts as banners, soldiers can be inspired to draw strength from beasts and learn their ferocity.

"So? I don't quite understand what you mean," Mouse said.

"If you use beasts as your banner, you can gather tigers and leopards. But if you use me as your banner, what can you gather?" Gao Jian retorted.

Shu Jian sighed, "I understand what you mean, but the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Many people have tried before, but they all failed. Why can you succeed? Do you have a good plan? Don't tell me my trump card is me. I'm just a seventh-realm cultivator from Cangzhou. In the capital, I'd probably be killed that very night. And... if you want to take the lead, you need enough reputation. Do you have that right now?"

If you want to take the lead and attract other forces to help you, you need to have enough reputation so that people know your capabilities and are willing to mobilize their resources to help you.

These high opinions are nothing but those of an unknown nobody in the capital. What do they amount to? To stand up and become a flag bearer is utter nonsense. If you stand up, you'll definitely be suppressed by others!
Shushu continued, "Regarding the Cangzhou matter, you and I know your role, but in the eyes of the people of Shendu, you are merely using the Li family's power as a shield. These reputations won't help you now."

Gao Jian calmly said, "I have a plan. I plan to block the gate of the Imperial Academy, put up a sign, and claim that I am invincible within the Fifth Realm. After this battle, I will definitely become famous. With my reputation at that time, I will naturally attract attention. With a reputation, it will be natural for me to take the lead in doing things."

He continued, "The Imperial Academy has a great reputation, and its students have even greater reputations. They are often princes, nobles, direct descendants of aristocratic families, or even members of the Ao family, the true dragons. By stepping on their heads to gain fame, my reputation will naturally spread throughout the entire capital."

This answer left Shu Jian speechless.

He couldn't say a word, staring at Gao Jian with disbelief.

No... Brother, do you think the capital is Cangzhou?!
You've got the upper hand among the younger generation in Cangzhou, and you dare to do the same thing in the capital?!

After a long pause, facing the naturally insightful and knowledgeable person, Shu Jian finally said, "Are you sure you want to do this? If you lose... you won't even have the chance to ask Li Zoufang for help afterwards."

Yes.

Gao Jian decided to block the gate of the Imperial Academy. If he won, his fame would naturally soar.

But if he loses, Li Zoufang won't even dare to speak to him. He will become a completely arrogant and incompetent person, someone who is "unstable and lacks self-awareness." Perhaps, under the manipulation of the Ministry of Rites and the Taotie Department, he might not even be able to keep his place at the Imperial Academy.

If this cannot be protected, Helunsabao will definitely take immediate action to kill Gao Jian in the capital, preventing him from having the chance to return to Cangzhou.

This was a completely reckless act.

Gao Jian simply smiled in response to Shu Jian's questioning.

"I won't lose. I've been making great progress lately," Gao Jian said with a smile.

It was indeed a very rewarding experience.

The martial arts divine intent born from the eternal ice, the technique of Ye Qingmu, has now been further enhanced by a 'spell' brought by the many demonic energies of the Desire Realm.

All of this combined makes him obviously very strong. Although he hasn't fought anyone since acquiring these, based on his own feelings, he should have few rivals within the Five Realms at this moment.

He was very confident in his ability to gain fame by stepping on the Imperial Academy, which was also his initial plan.

From the very beginning, Gao Jian was not worried about Helun Sabao's behavior, entirely because he possessed the Divine Will of Martial Arts.

Gao Jian was well aware that the foundation of his own position, and even the foundation of the Imperial Academy, was to "gather geniuses" and "consolidate the rule" for the Divine Dynasty. As long as he could maintain his identity as a "genius," then no matter what, Helun Sabao could only annoy him, but could not truly shake him.

Therefore, the reason he used to target Gao Jian was his "mentality," which was to strip him of his "genius" status.

And now...

Since things have escalated to this point, we might as well go all out and make it bigger.

“Since you’re ready to do it, I won’t try to dissuade you. Go for it. If it works out, I’ll work with you.” Shu Jian nodded and said.

"Then thank you very much, Elder Shu." Gao Jian cupped his hands in thanks.

This sentence is enough.

Although the mouse has some of the cowardly nature of a rat, it never hesitates to take action when necessary.

Compared to Shu Jian's caution, Dan Sha cheered excitedly and hugged Gao Jian tightly: "Can I go with you?! I'll just hang out on the gate of the Imperial Academy! Everyone will see that I'm with you!"

"Okay, as long as you're not worried about the danger." Gao Jian nodded.

"What's so dangerous about it? You're sure to win." Dansha was extremely confident, so much so that Shujian was a little annoyed by her confidence.

So, the mouse asked unhappily, "Why? What makes you so sure? This is the capital! Geniuses are as numerous as fish in a river. A brilliant idea might be considered remarkable in Cangzhou, but it might not be so in the capital."

"You don't understand." Dansha waved his hand dismissively: "Gao Jian doesn't lie. If he says it's possible, then it definitely will!"

Insightful opinions are trustworthy.

Therefore, the words of a wise man are trustworthy. He spoke them, and Dan Sha believed them without any doubt.

That big croaker is indeed that valuable.

"Heh..." Shushu glanced at Dansha with a forced smile.

Since that's the case, let's see Gao Jian's performance first. Gao Jian is young and arrogant, but Shu Jian knows that the world is vast and full of talented people. Gao Jian's confidence... may not really come true.

Then, his smile faded, and he jumped onto Gao Jian's head: "I also hope you succeed. Then I'll benefit from your success. If there's anything I can help with, just call me. I'll give you some special training in combat tactics. I think I'm capable of that. Good luck! Maybe you'll succeed!"

Gao Jian remained relaxed: "Haha, Elder Shu, don't worry, it will definitely work out. But for now, let's tidy up the temple first, clean up the place, and wait for the children to move in."

"Okay, I'll go outside and call that guy Huang, and ask him to come and help with the cleaning."

(End of this chapter)