“The Dao is empty, yet its use is inexhaustible. Oh, the abyss! It seems like the ancestor of all things. Blunt its sharpness, resolve its tangles, soften its light, merge with its dust. Oh, the stillness! It seems to exist. I do not know whose child it is; it appears to be the precursor of the Emperor.”
The old Daoist priest’s voice was extremely soft, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone listening in the lecture hall. As he finished the last word, his eyes suddenly drooped, as if he were about to fall asleep the next moment, looking every bit like a candle flickering in the wind.
Jiang Wang did not dare to be negligent; he followed his senior brothers in bowing respectfully before rising from his seat.
Do not be fooled by the old man’s unremarkable appearance; he was Song Qifang, the Vice Dean of the Fenlin City Dao Academy. More accurately, before Dong A arrived, he had been the Dean of the Fenlin City Dao Academy, having taken root in Fenlin City for decades. However, having passed the age of eighty, his cultivation had remained stagnant at the Seventh Rank, unable to open the Heaven-Earth Gate. Consequently, he had long since lost his ambition, turning instead to bury himself in scriptures and devoting his heart to teaching. Thus, he was held in high regard.
After Dong A arrived, he did not compete or contend, but cooperated fully, allowing Dong A to smoothly take control of the academy. In return, Dong A showed him the utmost respect.
In all of Fenlin City, when it came to virtue and prestige, no one could surpass Song Qifang.
……
It was not until he walked out of the lecture hall gates that Jiang Wang’s heart could settle, still immersed in a profound sense of emotion.
What is the Dao? It is invisible and intangible, yet omnipresent and infinite. How does one recognize it, understand it, and pursue it? The more one pursues, understands, and recognizes it, the more one feels ignorant and small.
One can only sigh, “Oh, the abyss!” How profound!
Ling He recited as he walked, wishing he could chew on the words repeatedly. Although Zhao Rucheng had never placed much importance on his studies, he too appeared lost in thought. Only Du Yehu yawned repeatedly, looking as if he had just finished a nap.
Ten students were selected for the inner court each term. Based solely on the basic breathing techniques, Du Yehu’s progress was second only to Jiang Wang, who had already manifested his Dao pulse early—one had to admit he was gifted. However, he simply could not listen to those so-called Great Dao classics. Conversely, whenever it came to classes like techniques and arts, he immediately became full of life.
The inner gate was the true Dao Academy; this was no lie. Back in the outer gate, there were only simple martial arts taught, with senior brothers from the inner gate coming over periodically to provide unified guidance. But after entering the inner gate, there was a scripture class every five days and a technique class every ten days. The former taught scriptures, the latter practiced arts. Both were taught by senior Daoists. If one had any difficulties in cultivation, one could consult the teachers at any time. Those martial arts that required contributions to exchange for in the outer gate were now open to inner gate disciples without restriction.
It was just that for the inner gate disciples of the Dao Academy, these held little attraction. It was not that martial arts were not strong, but the entire cultivation world of the Zhuang Kingdom was dominated by Daoist cultivation methods. Even if the Fenlin City Dao Academy had collected some martial arts, they were merely a transitional supplement from the outer gate period; naturally, they could not be very strong, and they were far inferior to the power of Daoist arts. Thus, no one would abandon the near for the far.
……
“Senior Brother Jiang, please stay!” A voice rang out from behind.
Jiang Wang turned his head and recognized Fang Heling, who had been selected for the inner gate in the same term—he hailed from one of the three great families of Fenlin City, and Fang Pengju was his cousin.
Truth be told, he had not been qualified to be selected for the inner gate of the city academy, but for every term’s selection, the three great families were guaranteed a spot. This was almost an unspoken rule. Fang Pengju’s selection was natural and justified, but as for Fang Heling, one could only wonder what price the Fang family had paid in secret.
This was reality. Although cultivation was a path to transcendence, in this world, as long as it was a path walked by humans, it would never be without intricate relationships; it would never be that pure. Even the Fenlin City Dao Academy was no exception.
“Something the matter?” Jiang Wang asked indifferently.
“Oh, nothing much.” Fang Heling, dressed in a moon-white robe, cupped his hands, appearing quite graceful. “I just wanted to apologize to you for Fang Pengju’s wolfish ambition. He has already been struck from the family genealogy; my Fang family has no such unbenevolent and unrighteous person.”
“He is him, and you are you. You don’t need to apologize for him, and what he did has nothing to do with you.”
Jiang Wang walked away after speaking; he really had no mood to accompany this young master in his performance.
But Fang Heling clearly felt insulted. He, a scion of the three great families of Fenlin City, had personally apologized to someone like Jiang Wang, who came from a destitute background. Shouldn’t Jiang Wang be moved to tears, or at least hold his hand and share a moment of mutual sympathy? Why was he so cold?
“Why the rush, Senior Brother Jiang?” Fang Heling hurried a few steps, circling in front of Jiang Wang’s group, and said with a smile, “I forgot to tell you, Senior Brother, that I just took a Pulse-Opening Pill yesterday and have already manifested my Dao pulse.”
He tried his best to restrain himself, but the smugness was still ready to burst forth.
“And then?” Jiang Wang asked.
Fang Heling was stunned for a moment before saying, “Of the inner court selections this term, only the two of us have manifested our Dao pulses early. We really should get closer.”
He was young, after all. Despite the upbringing that taught him to maintain etiquette, his words and demeanor already showed a disregard for everyone else. As if to say, the heroes of the world are only you and me.
He truly did not hold a grudge against Jiang Wang for Fang Pengju’s death; if Fang Pengju hadn’t died, he wouldn’t have had this opportunity! If it weren’t for the sake of not tarnishing the prestige of the three great families and keeping the inner court spot, even if his father was already the presumptive next head of the Fang family, it would have been difficult to convince the family to spend such a huge price to buy a Pulse-Opening Pill.
Otherwise, he would have had to wait until next year to enter the inner gate, or perhaps not even then. After all, there were only ten spots a year, and how many eyes in Fenlin City were watching? If the family had other disciples more outstanding than him, his father could not have been too obvious; the fact that Fang Pengju had pre-booked that spot was proof enough.
“Oh.”
Jiang Wang uttered an “oh,” then bypassed Fang Heling and walked on his own way.
He certainly knew that Fang Heling was the legitimate son of the next head of the Fang family, a direct descendant of the three great families. He also knew that Fang Heling had no intention of causing trouble with him, at least for now; in order to maintain the Fang family’s reputation, he might even act like a brother to him, all smiles and harmony.
But why? Why was it that someone as outstanding as Fang Pengju had begged for a Pulse-Opening Pill in vain, leading him to become increasingly extreme and reckless, while just days after his death, this Fang Heling possessed one? If others didn’t know Fang Heling’s background, could they, his brothers, not know?
If he had even a shred of talent, would it have ever been Fang Pengju’s turn to shine in the Fang family!
Even if Fang Pengju was ungrateful and died in a single night, did this insignificant young master have the right to trample on him?
Jiang Wang did not lash out on the spot; he was already being quite restrained.
Ling He, Du Yehu, and the others did not even glance at him from start to finish.
The group walked away, leaving Fang Heling standing in place, the smile on his face slowly stiffening.
He had not expected to be ignored.
After he swallowed the Pulse-Opening Pill, manifested his Dao pulse, and entered the inner gate, he was still ignored!
He remembered when he first entered the outer gate and met these leading figures of the outer gate outside the academy. He had excitedly stepped forward to greet his cousin’s friends and get to know them.
His cousin hadn’t even looked at him, walking away with his arms around these people.
He had never forgotten that moment of disappointment, which was why, the moment his pulse was consolidated, he had come to Jiang Wang and the others.
He didn’t know if he wanted to prove anything, but at the very least, you people had to look at me.
Yet, there was nothing.
Everything had clearly changed, yet it was as if nothing had changed at all.
“Jiang Wang!”
Fang Heling shouted in his heart.
He tried his best to control his expression, but his face was already incredibly ugly.
(End of chapter)