We said we would experience life, fairy, how did you become real?.

Chapter 123 I can only apologize for any offense this old man may have caused.
Duanya Academy is located in Sichuan.

As one of the four major academies under the Confucian Academy, the reputation of Duanya Academy is naturally extremely illustrious.

However, compared to the other three major academies, the atmosphere of the Cliff Academy is more conventional, and most of its students admire the ancient style and are keen to pursue ancient learning.

In other words, the students at Duanya Academy generally appeared more rigid and less receptive to new things.

Especially after Xiao Mo founded the School of Mind and its reputation soared, the Cliff Academy launched a fierce attack on it.

They even hoped that Xiao Mo could come to the Cliffside Academy for academic debate.

Because they were absolutely certain that they could make Xiao Mo retreat in disgrace and never dare to promote his philosophy of mind again.

Therefore, when Xiao Mo stepped into the Cliff Academy, everyone in the academy was eager to try their luck, as if Xiao Mo was the prey they had been waiting for.

Bai Ruxue even felt that the way those scholars looked at her Xiao Mo was tinged with a greenish light.

The scholars of Sichuan always gave her a rather strange feeling.

The scholar from the Cliffside Academy who was in charge of receiving Xiao Mo led him to the shore of a lake within the academy.

At this moment, over a thousand scholars were already sitting cross-legged on the grass by the lake, and many more were standing a little further away watching.

Among these scholars were those who had come from other academies, as well as newly admitted disciples of the Cliffside Academy; most of them were just there to join in the fun.

Xiao Mo knelt upright on the cushion, a slight smile on his face, and said, "Which brother would like to engage in a debate with me first?"

“I’ll go first!” A headmaster from the Cliff Academy stepped forward and calmly sat down opposite Xiao Mo.

"Please." Xiao Mo made a "please" gesture, indicating that the other party should speak first and raise questions, thus officially starting the debate.

The headmaster of the academy launched into a full-blown attack from the very first word, his words sharp and incisive, as if he were simmering with pent-up anger and determined to crush this unorthodox scholar.

At the beginning of the debate, Xiao Mo and the headmaster of the academy did indeed exchange words back and forth, engaging in fierce exchanges.

However, the headmaster of the academy soon began to show signs of being overwhelmed. Faced with Xiao Mo's progressive and logically rigorous theoretical exposition, he was at a loss for how to refute him.

His answers began to falter, and eventually he was rendered speechless, his face turned pale, his Dao heart trembled violently, and he could only leave the scene in dejection.

His bewildered eyes were filled with deep doubt about his own knowledge.

Next, the second debater stepped up to take the stage.

This went on for five days and five nights.

From an ordinary teacher at the cliffside academy to the head of the academy, and then to the highly respected head of the academy.

Xiao Mo has defeated countless scholars who came to challenge him.

Apart from the dean of the Cliff Academy himself, who has not yet entered the arena, Xiao Mo has already sparred with almost every teacher in the academy.

The reason why the headmaster of the Cliff Academy did not intervene was not out of concern that he was afraid of bullying the younger ones—after all, in the pursuit of knowledge, those who have achieved mastery come first, and the depth of one's knowledge is not necessarily related to age.

The reason he remained silent was that he recognized the ingenuity and maturity of Xiao Mo's "philosophy of mind" system.

He saw that Xiao Mo's core ideas, such as "learning for practical application" and "unity of knowledge and action," were precisely a profound supplement and improvement to the shortcomings of traditional Neo-Confucianism.

He knew perfectly well that even if he personally intervened, it would likely end in a hasty and unsuccessful conclusion.

If that's the case, why should I humiliate myself?
"From today onwards, Xiao Mo's foundation in 'Mind Learning' is almost complete."

Not far away, the dean of the Cliff Academy gazed at Xiao Mo's figure, sighed deeply, and said to his personal disciple beside him, "When he finishes this journey and returns to seclusion to organize the insights he gained from the debates along the way, when he finally writes his book, I'm afraid he will truly create a completely new Confucian path."

When the disciples heard that their teacher had given Xiao Mo such a high evaluation, they were all stunned.

It has created a completely new path of Confucianism and Taoism!

This means that the teacher believed that Xiao Mo's "philosophy of mind" was by no means a heretical path, but rather had extremely important practical significance and extraordinary value, and might even make Xiao Mo a new Confucian sage who would be remembered in history.

This title of "sage" is not one that can be bestowed by the Confucian academy. Rather, it refers to the fact that when Xiao Mo truly reaches that level, he will resonate with the great Dao and literary fortune of heaven and earth, thus leaping to become an Ascension Realm cultivator.

"I wonder if there is any other gentleman who would like to step forward and debate with me?"

Xiao Mo slowly opened his mouth and asked. Although his voice was not loud, it entered the ears of everyone present with exceptional clarity, and even seemed to carry a certain power, reaching the depths of everyone's heart.

But no one stepped forward again.

Just as the dean of the Cliff Academy was preparing to publicly admit that the Cliff Academy had conceded defeat.

A message-carrying flying sword pierced through the air and landed precisely in front of him.

The dean of the Cliff Academy caught the flying sword, and couldn't help but be slightly startled.

This flying sword is a magical artifact specially used by the Confucian Academy to transmit extremely urgent information.

He dared not delay and quickly took the letter hidden inside the flying sword.

As his gaze swept over the black words on the white paper, the Dean of the Cliff Academy felt a sudden chill in his heart.

He read the letter over and over again, almost doubting whether he had misread the words.

On the grassy shore by the lake, seeing that no one else was willing to challenge him, Xiao Mo stood up and respectfully bowed to the Dean of the Cliff Academy, who was flying in mid-air.
"Dean, it seems that no one in your academy is willing to debate with Xiao Mo. I will take my leave now and will not bother your academy any longer."

“Nephew Xiao’s talent is astonishing, and I truly admire him. His future is limitless. I eagerly await the day when he writes books and becomes famous throughout the world.” The Dean of the Cliff Academy looked at Xiao Mo with a complicated expression and said calmly, “Nephew, please do as you please. However, I would like to ask Miss Bai to stay for the time being.”

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Mo turned his head and looked at Bai Ruxue beside him in confusion.

Bai Ruxue also looked bewildered and shook her head in confusion.

Xiao Mo turned his gaze back to the Dean and asked, "I wonder what the Dean has kept Ru Xue here for?"

The dean of the Cliffside Academy sighed deeply, raised the letter in his hand, and read it aloud in a voice imbued with his cultivation:
"The academy's Chancellor, Lord Fangshan, led seven academy instructors to the North Sea to sign an agreement, but unfortunately they were ambushed and surrounded by the North Sea demons and were brutally killed!"
Ding Chen, the "accompanying sage," has personally led five hundred elite cultivators to the North Sea to suppress the demons, and is currently engaged in a bloody battle with the North Sea demons.

The academy decrees: The North Sea has rebelled; the ruler of the North Sea—Bai Ruxue—is to be arrested immediately!

As soon as he finished speaking, the Dean of the Cliff Academy turned to Xiao Mo and said with deep helplessness, "Nephew Xiao, this is why I have no choice but to keep Miss Bai here."

"Absolutely impossible!" Upon hearing this, Bai Ruxue took a step forward, her voice suddenly turning cold and resolute. "There must be a conspiracy! My sister would never do such a thing!"

"I have no idea why, but the academy's orders cannot be disobeyed. Please, Miss Bai, stay for now."

"What if I don't want to stay?"

"Then... I can only apologize for offending you."

The dean of the Cliffside Academy slowly shook his head and said no more.

With a flick of his sleeve, the surging aura of books transformed into countless shimmering chains that swiftly coiled and bound Bai Ruxue like serpents.

(End of this chapter)