After changing his appearance, Han Fang led Zong Shou and his group through the confines of the Firmament Realm, detailing the various structures.

Everything was accounted for: the Scripture Repository, the Lecture Halls, the Alchemy Tower, and so on.

Zong Shou was most interested in the lecture halls. Each time they passed one, he would invariably pause to listen intently.

However, after several such attempts, a quiet disappointment began to settle within him. While the lecturers invited by the Dao of the Myriad Beings indeed possessed extremely high standards, ever since he had thoroughly mastered the Sword Essence at Ju Long Mountain, the martial arts profundities being taught were far too superficial to offer him any benefit.

He could only depart reluctantly, though a few lectures concerning the methods of Spirit Masters were genuinely surprising.

He had been worrying about finding an orthodox inheritance of Spirit Arts, and the lectures given by the Dao of the Myriad Beings’ instructors covered the foundational aspects of these arts. They were not only detailed and easy to grasp, but they also lacked the obscurity and cloudiness found in traditional Spirit Master tomes—it was exactly what he needed.

If Han Fang hadn't been standing by, impatiently urging him on, Zong Shou would have eagerly walked in to listen closely.

There were fifteen Lecture Halls in total, each vast enough to seat three thousand people. Only three halls were dedicated to Spirit Arts, while twelve were reserved for Martial Dao.

The Dao of the Myriad Beings' attainment in Spirit Arts was only slightly inferior to that of the Daoist lineage. Yet, in this world, martial cultivators still far outnumbered Spirit Masters.

There were also halls dedicated to alchemy, artifact refinement, array formations, and esoteric arts—one for each.

Zong Shou followed Han Fang, viewing everything in a cursory glance, holding little interest, until a hall constructed on the grandest scale caught his eye, prompting a slight look of astonishment.

“What is this place?”

It wasn't that this particular Lecture Hall was unusual compared to others, but rather that this one was particularly noisy and boisterous; the sound of intense debate could be heard from quite a distance.

Hearing the question, Han Fang’s gaze became complicated. He glanced up at the plaque above the Lecture Hall’s entrance.

“The Hall of Seeking Truth. It is where our disciples seek enlightenment concerning the Dao.”

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow. Enlightenment? Enlightenment on what Dao? As he stepped inside and paused, the sounds of argument immediately assailed his ears.

“In my view, this world requires a revolution! We have the Five Continents and Twelve Islands, where the wealthy possess endless tracts of fertile land, while the destitute have nowhere to stand. The gates of the wealthy stink with wine and meat, yet frostbitten corpses lie in the streets. By what right do some enjoy riches and luxury from birth without lifting a finger? By what right must the masses toil and suffer poverty their entire lives, existing only to be commanded? All sentient beings are equal, and so too should wealth be equal!”

“Brother Yin, your words are misplaced. Although many of those wealthy individuals are parasitic drones, lazy and gluttonous, their fortunes were earned through the hard work of their fathers and grandfathers. To benefit from their ancestors’ shade is also a righteous path. If everything were equal, who in this world would strive or advance? Wouldn't that lead to utter chaos? The intention of our Dao of the Myriad Beings’ progenitor, Xi Zi, was for all people to grasp their own destiny and voice their own thoughts, no longer serving as slaves to others.”

“Ha! Inequality in wealth creates differentiation between the high and low, establishing social strata—where is the equality then? Wealth is created by the hands of the world’s people. In my opinion, those nobles and merchants are merely encroaching upon the fruits of their labor; they deserve death!”

“Precisely! Those who amassed wealth through proper means are tolerable. What is most infuriating is the collusion between power and riches, enforced by martial might, causing endless misery for the common folk!”

“Exactly. Therefore, if our Dao of the Myriad Beings were in governance, we would certainly ensure clear politics, restrict martial and spiritual cultivation, and suppress the gap between rich and poor. We would make the wealthy... benevolent—”

Zong Shou’s head felt like a paste of mush. He pondered what sort of people comprised this hall. Truly worthy of the Dao of the Myriad Beings.

He glanced toward the entrance; there were no fewer than a thousand people inside, all nodding their heads vigorously while engaged in ceaseless debate. There was no teacher lecturing, nor anyone supervising them.

Zong Shou shook his head and walked out, then glanced towards the diagonally opposite side, where the clamor was even more intense.

There was another plaque there, bearing three characters: ‘Hall of Empirical Evidence.’

Zong Shou followed Han Fang over. As soon as he heard a single sentence, a shock ran through him. He heard one person declare: “Last year when I went home, I had prepared four hundred Fire Fury Talismans and gathered three or five comrades, planning to blow up the Prefect’s family! It was a pity I hadn't finished preparations before the sect summoned me to the Firmament Realm for cultivation. That Prefect Li Hai, have you heard of him? Notoriously tyrannical. Last year he increased the city’s tax to four out of ten parts and colluded with several dog-legged, wealthy merchants to seize twelve thousand acres of fertile land surrounding Li Hai, leaving the people with no means to survive. Despicable!”

“That is truly despicable. You should have eliminated such a villain before coming here!”

“You are mistaken! That approach is far too radical. Although we strive for the equality of all beings, we cannot act on Heaven’s behalf. Such villains will meet Heaven’s retribution. We need only widely propagate the Way of the Myriad Beings; once the world understands, the time for changing Heaven and Earth will naturally arrive.”

“Heh! I think you’ve been reading too much Buddhist scripture! Why don’t you say that in front of those Confucian scholars? Our progenitor, Xi Zi, had the same idea, but how did the various Confucian schools, the Buddhist and Daoist families, respond? They gathered their elites and besieged and killed thousands of our Dao of the Myriad Beings’ disciples! In this world, the fist speaks loudest. We should repay injury with injury, repay blood with blood, beat them into submission, and then the world will change.”

“This junior brother’s mind is still a bit muddled; ignore him. However, assassinating with Fire Fury Talismans is indeed somewhat outdated. In ten days, I will have my leave. This time I am going back to execute a major event. Do you all know about that Helian Iron Mountain on the Central Cloud Continent? Three million wronged souls are imprisoned there, mining ore. Day and night are indistinguishable, and regardless of age, they must toil hard under the lash. I plan to plant some Explosive Spirit Formations in the manors of the powerful nobles in the surrounding cities. If those corrupt officials and nobles refuse to release the prisoners, I will blow them all up!”

“Helian Iron Mountain? I’ve heard of it. I hear that nearly all the prisoners were innocent from the revolt at Yan Cheng Pass thirty years ago. What did they have to do with the mutiny of the Yan Cheng Pass general? Senior Brother’s method is excellent! But to free these convicts, it is best to strike at the Han King. Count me in on this matter, but this plan needs to be more detailed and precise.”

“Blowing people up? Count me in too! Killing people with Explosive Spirit Formations is what I enjoy most.”

“Are we really going to use Explosive Spirit Formations? Martial-rank Senior Brother, it’s one thing if those nobles die, but what about their innocent servants? I’m afraid that might be improper.”

“Improper how? If we are to overhaul the world, some sacrifices must be made! Those servants are accomplices to tyrants. Even if some are truly innocent, dying for these three million people should be met with a smile on their way to the Nine Springs!”

Zong Shou pursed his lips, thinking: Smile at your grandmother! No wonder the Dao of the Myriad Beings has a poor reputation, discriminated against even ten thousand years later. This is practically a terrorist base, filled with people who wish for nothing more than chaos and employ any means necessary... At that moment, he wasn't sure whether joining the Dao of the Myriad Beings had been a blessing or a curse; regardless, the future looked grim.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard another voice: “Forgive me, Senior Sister. The reason I returned late is entirely due to the incident at Qian Tian Mountain. I originally thought the contest for the Demon King of Qian Tian Mountain would surely be unstable, possibly offering an opportunity to incite trouble, so I lingered there. Regrettably, that night, just as we prepared to start fires everywhere to stir up chaos, Zong Shou had already swept away all the various clans and Zong Shi’s faction within the city. Later, thinking a new monarch had ascended the throne, leaving the state unstable and uncertain, we saw a chance. We then purchased armor and weaponry for ten thousand men from all directions, contacted several thousand poor and suffering people, and allied with some remnants of Zong Shi’s faction, preparing to rebel at any moment. Unexpectedly, Zong Shou was so formidable that with just a few new policies, he stabilized the hearts of the people. Then, within a few months, he defeated Tao Yun Mountain City and expanded the territory by ten thousand miles. Seeing no opportunity left, we had no choice but to return. This time, we truly lost a fortune.”

“Zong Shou? I’ve heard of that person too. Rumor has it he possesses extraordinary talent and unmatched strategic ability. Not long ago, he even severed Long Ruo’s physical body and entered the gates of Long Ying. His greatest pleasure in life is to conceal his cultivation, wander about, and trick people into underestimating him.”

Zong Shou broke out in a cold sweat. It turned out there were people with such malicious intentions living under his governance!

It was fortunate that that night he had cut the Gordian Knot quickly. Otherwise, if he had delayed, he couldn't imagine the consequences.

He secretly noted down the voice, planning to have Ruo Shui investigate thoroughly and, if possible, eliminate them all in one swoop later.

The words spoken by the woman afterward gave him a slight measure of comfort. He mused that his fame had indeed spread far and wide.

Only the very last sentence left him slightly displeased; Zong Shou hadn't wished for that reputation.

Sighing, Zong Shou walked away silently, then glanced sideways at Han Fang: “Did my Senior Brother establish these two halls, the Hall of Seeking Truth and the Hall of Empirical Evidence?”

“Indeed!”

Han Fang also seemed to have reservations about the two places. His tone was similarly peculiar.

“Your Senior Brother said that the world’s principles only become clearer through debate. Therefore, he established these two halls. The Hall of Seeking Truth was created for dialectics, and the Hall of Empirical Evidence was for gathering wisdom to research how to apply the Dao of the Myriad Beings in practice. But in the end, somehow, things gradually took a wrong turn, and even your Senior Brother felt helpless, having to let them be. Don’t worry; these fellows only talk. They are constrained by the elders of the sect and mostly wouldn’t dare to act rashly.”

Zong Shou felt slightly relieved, but the taste in his mouth was still bitter. ‘Mostly wouldn’t dare to act rashly’ implied that some people could disregard the constraints of the sect.

The last place was the lodging area. Han Fang arranged for Zong Shou and his companions to stay in a courtyard house consisting of three interconnected sections.

Although spacious and beautifully situated, the interior decoration was spartan, containing nothing more than beds and cabinets. Inside was a common Spirit Gathering Formation to collect spiritual energy. Above the door were characters indicating ‘Academy Alpha, First Courtyard.’

Zong Shou was just thinking that the sect was overly simple, offering such meager accommodations even for a second-generation direct disciple. Was it perhaps due to poverty?

Then he heard Han Fang say: “Since our Dao of the Myriad Beings aims for the equality of all beings, we naturally must lead by example. Although the sect distinguishes between core disciples and outer members, the conditions for cultivation are treated equally. Even for me, it is much the same…” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)