Chapter 1363: Chapter 1364: The Secret
Inside the room, Zhen Yuanzi raised the book in his hand and said slowly, “Lately, I’ve been feeling that the knowledge inscribed on these pages no longer resonates with my understanding of the Dao. Many of the Confucian ideas once used to teach widely, drawn from the classics, now seem unworthy of belief.”
“Master, why would you say such a thing? The writings here are remnants of the footprints of the ancestors, and ought to be. These are books revered like sacred decrees by scholars across the world—how could they be wrong?”
Beichen Feng asked, puzzled.
“It seems you have yet to grasp this principle. It is precisely because you place too much faith in the words of those who came before that certain aspects must be changed!”
“The path of Confucianism ought to be a pure route of cultivation, nothing else. Yet this book discusses too much about the ways of governance for kings. While it does provide teachings on maintaining upright officialdom, it deviates from the true purpose of cultivation—this is a scheme for governing states and stabilizing nations!”
Zhen Yuanzi sighed deeply. In his view, scholars were simply scholars. Scholars of old aspired to pass the imperial examination and serve as officials in court—this pursuit was the ultimate goal of their studies. Yet such scholars spent an entire lifetime in the court, adept at governance but possessing cultivation levels far too low, unable to escape the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, nor could they leave behind enduring Confucian classics for future generations. All their learned wisdom was transformed into the pursuit of fame and personal gain!
This was not the pure path of Confucianism, nor was it the direct path of cultivation.
As scholars, they should be more pure!
He wanted to create a brand-new path of cultivation, rather than the path of ordinary scholars trapped in governmental affairs.
If one cannot cultivate, no matter how skilled one may be, they are nothing more than a prominent authority in the Mortal Realm, unable to step into the Cultivation World. Ultimately, it all amounts to nothing. No matter how remarkable one’s ideas, they remain bound to the Mortal World, mere classics incapable of rivaling the three great paths of Buddhism, Demonic, and Daoist sects.
“But cultivating a single breath of浩然之气 (Hao Ran Qi) has indeed allowed your disciple to reach the point I am at now. A few days ago, when debating scriptures with the Buddhist Sect masters and engaging in memory contests, I didn’t yield even slightly. Master, haven’t you also achieved what you have today through the classics of our predecessors?”
Beichen Feng still seemed to struggle with complete comprehension.
The Confucian path, although slightly inferior to other cultivators’ paths upon initial contact, nonetheless yielded significant results as long as one persevered—both Zhen Yuanzi and Beichen Feng were beneficiaries of this path.
“My disciple, of all the disciples, you are the one with the least aptitude. Yet you, alone, dare to question. The others, though naturally gifted, merely follow the text without question. You should be able to understand what I mean. For scholars to truly rise, they must forge an undefeated path and create a road that anyone can follow in cultivation—not something exclusive to a select few.”
Zhen Yuanzi spoke slowly; this was his ambition. Merely maintaining the status quo could likely render the Confucian path a niche practice. Currently, it had large followership only because of Zhen Yuanzi’s name—but not due to the path itself. Once he ascended to the Upper Realm, Confucianism’s presence would vanish in this realm. Over time, this path would likely decline.
Beichen Feng understood now—his master wanted to eliminate the impurities within Confucianism. However, Confucianism, from its very inception, was created to serve the imperial family. To overthrow this aspect would mean going against the very roots of Confucianism.
That night, Zhen Yuanzi ascended to the Upper Realm. The path of self-improvement could not end. In the road of cultivation, there was still much for him to walk.
From that day onward, Beichen Feng lost his appetite, haunted by his master’s words. Those words were like a sharp blade piercing his heart, consuming him day and night. With Zhen Yuanzi gone, Beichen Feng was now the preeminent figure of Confucianism.
Year after year, Beichen Feng disbanded the scholars across the world and journeyed alone to the Western Desert Buddhist Sect to debate Buddhism with many eminent monks. For three days, despite the various techniques the eminent monks used, he did not employ even a sliver of his cultivation level, yet within those three days, he turned the entire Western Desert into a barren wasteland of thousands of miles. After accomplishing this great feat, he burned all scriptures and classics. His master was right—scholars were only scholars. While they might rise through Confucianism, the true ambition should not be Confucianism but a new path of cultivation altogether.
The following year, Beichen Feng successfully ascended to the Upper Realm as well. The story ends here because this belonged to the memory of the Self-Nourishing Sword, which Zhen Yuanzi left behind in the Lower Realm upon his ascension. What happened thereafter is unknown.
The scene ended. Li Xiaobai asked, “That’s it?”
“I seek the secrets of the Immortal Gods Realm, not the past of you two. Can we cut to the chase?”
“Be patient. This experience is closely tied to the later years of my master’s life. To be honest, even I do not know why my master became Xueshenzi. This transformation had already occurred by the time I ascended to the Upper Realm. He founded the Blood Demon Sect and forbade me from revealing any details of his past. It wasn’t until that day, when we stood at the peak of the Transmigration Ladder, attempting to forcibly breach the barrier and uncover the true visage of the Immortal Gods Realm.”
“What we saw was only a hand, accompanied by an army brimming with murderous aura. They sought to invade the Central Origin Realm as we broke through the barrier. We were beaten back, and only my master managed to break through the barrier and enter the Immortal Gods Realm. It took him an entire year to return, and that army lurking on the brink never appeared again.”
Beichen Feng recounted slowly.
The group nodded, anticipating Beichen Feng’s next words. Everyone knew this part already—the key was in what Xueshenzi experienced during the year he left.
“During that year, he wandered through the Immortal Gods Realm. According to my master, it was a realm intentionally opened to him by the Immortal Gods, allowing him to directly contact their higher echelons. However, every action was under strict surveillance. For an entire year, my master witnessed an unimaginable world there. He described it as a vast heaven and earth, where everyone was like dragons. Only by entering that realm could one truly reach the pinnacle of cultivation. Yet the Central Origin Realm was equivalent to the cattle slaughterhouse it supplied—there was no negotiating with them.”
“Thus, my master made a decision—to establish a sect along the Demon Path, secretly delivering what the Immortal Gods Realm regarded as ‘goods.’ He wanted to bide his time and stabilize their insatiable ambition. At the same time, he personally abolished the Confucian path, burning books and shattering the faith that countless scholars held dear. From that moment, there was no longer Beichen Feng, nor did any individual ever cultivate the Confucian path and ascend to the Upper Realm again.”
Beichen Feng’s words were shocking—a revelation that Xueshenzi had willingly destroyed a promising new cultivation path to prevent others from ascending to the Immortal Gods Realm.
“Why would he do such a thing? Wouldn’t the Central Origin Realm gain strength if everyone ascended to the Immortal Gods Realm?”
Li Xiaobai asked in confusion.
“Young Master Li, do you understand why the Central Origin Realm is called the ‘slaughterhouse’? It is because the Immortal Gods Realm controls everything. Do you know why only those who create entirely new cultivation systems can break the barriers and ascend to the Immortal Gods Realm?”
“That’s because the ancestors who once created those cultivation systems are the very same people who turned the Central Origin Realm into a slaughterhouse!”
“It was they who personally sealed off the path of ascension for future generations!”