Meng Qi had already prepared his words on the way here. He was just short of holding a duster in his hand and resting it on his left arm, striking a posture of debating with a crowd of heroes. Upon hearing the question, he immediately laughed and said, “No, no. What Qi Zhengyan did is an unprecedented action in history, seemingly similar to the actions of the ancient sages but essentially different.”
He did not directly express whether he agreed or not because he was unsure of the thoughts of Master Lu and Hanbing Fairy. Taking a side hastily could deepen the rift.
“Seemingly similar but essentially different?” Master Lu, who had been guarding a lonely grave and focusing on martial arts cultivation, indeed had not thoroughly understood the matters of the Southern Wilderness and thus expressed confusion based on his initial impression.
Meng Qi glanced at Ye Yuqi. Seeing her gaze fixed on him like a deep pool, waiting for a specific explanation, he pretended to ponder and said, “The ancient sages taught openly, accepting all without discrimination, and were universally respected. However, they used martial arts to convey Dao, and their teachings clearly favored their own doctrines and paths. Their instructions on martial cultivation mainly focused on outlining key points and describing fundamental principles. Listeners could only grasp as much as their own abilities allowed, leading to diverse understandings, strengths, and weaknesses. This diversity led to a flourishing of various schools, making it difficult to determine superiority or inferiority directly. Each school had followers and students, and countless martial arts teachings today originated from this era.”
“Additionally, although the sages allowed questions and offered guidance during their lectures, their time was limited and the number of listeners vast. Even those fortunate enough to receive personal instruction could not have all their doubts resolved. Thus, they still required teachings from other masters and needed to find mentors. The monopoly of martial arts by sects and aristocratic families was broken, and their declining status did not threaten their survival.”
“Now, Qi Zhengyan is standardizing the foundation of martial cultivation by replacing it with his own unparalleled supreme skill. He delves into every detail of cultivation, answering nearly every question, and enabling widespread promotion in a short time. ‘Accepting all without discrimination’ is no longer just an ideal; anyone passing the corresponding tests can cultivate without hindrance. Thus, the monopoly over martial arts techniques is broken again, thoroughly broken. Especially for smaller and medium-sized sects without supreme skills, they will lose the very foundation of their transmission, as no one would willingly choose to endure hardship by focusing on ordinary martial arts while watching others grow stronger.”
“If not for the chaos caused by the Hegemon and the Demon Buddha in the Middle Ancient era, with the flourishing of the Palace of Arts at that time and the sages’ open-mindedness, this situation would eventually have developed.”
“Therefore, the smaller and medium sects are in panic, as this is a catastrophe for them.”
Watching Meng Qi speak eloquently, Master Lu listened attentively without interrupting, carefully contemplating. Eventually, he gave a faint bitter smile: “From your description, this seems to be a good thing. As long as one strives continuously, anyone can attain immortality. However, for many fellow cultivators, this is the worst situation, evoking sympathy and pity. Affairs of the world are always full of contradictions.”
Ye Yuqi also interjected, “We possess the heart of justice and benevolence, yet we also have feelings for our loved ones and old friends. How do you think we can balance both?”
Knowing Meng Qi’s relationship with Qi Zhengyan and guessing his stance, she directly asked for his suggestion.
“In ancient times, not only were humans prey for demons and servants of immortals and deities, but within their own race, there were also aristocrats who raised slaves. When the Human Emperor rose and proposed abolishing slavery, these aristocrats also protested fiercely, lamenting their lost prestige and current losses, evoking similar sympathy and pity. Yet, they eventually accepted reality, changed their methods, and evolved into aristocratic families without being completely wiped out,” Meng Qi gave an example. “These smaller and medium sects can also follow the example of the ancients; the form of their transmission can change.”
“How to change?” Ye Yuqi had considered this issue long ago over the past two years.
Meng Qi pondered briefly and said bluntly, “To speak directly from the heart, if these smaller and medium sects were to obtain an unparalleled supreme skill, would their transmission focus on this new supreme skill or their original techniques?”
“There’s no doubt about this; they would definitely choose the supreme skill as their main transmission, but they wouldn’t change the status of their previous patriarchs.” Ye Yuqi glanced at Master Lu and gave her judgment.
Everyone is selfish. Within a sect, if there exists a divine skill far superior to previous martial arts, future generations would prioritize the sect’s development and their own better growth, not letting minor issues hinder major progress.
Even if there are stubborn traditionalists, with the passage of time, they will gradually disappear.
“Your words are excellent,” Meng Qi clapped his hands and smiled. “I suggest that the smaller and medium sects send people to the Southern Wilderness to request that supreme skill. I believe that after Qi Zhengyan evaluates their past actions, most will not be refused. Thus, nearby martial artists won’t have to travel far distances to the Southern Wilderness. At most, those not selected might head south in pursuit of their last hope, but this won’t affect the sect’s transmission.”
“This…” Ye Yuqi’s lips moved slightly, feeling Meng Qi’s proposal quite incredible.
Would that actually work?
This would be equivalent to every major, medium, and minor sect in the world unexpectedly obtaining an unparalleled supreme skill?
Master Lu, however, nodded slightly: “In the Southern Wilderness, martial cultivation only considers one’s effort and extreme temperament. Qi Zhengyan has always openly taught and generously instructed that martial skill, so he definitely won’t refuse more sects’ requests to cultivate it. Thus, sects won’t worry about recruiting disciples, and those who aren’t selected still have the hope of heading to the Southern Wilderness. This situation will form a complementary relationship.”
As Ye Yuqi listened, she gradually showed a thoughtful expression. Previously, she had put herself in others’ shoes and instinctively overlooked the fact that Qi Zhengyan’s unparalleled supreme skill was not restricted from being passed outside.
After Master Lu finished speaking, he lightly inhaled and, with a hint of confusion, asked, “But if this is the case, with every sect cultivating the same martial arts, wouldn’t that be a bit strange?”
Of course, it would be strange because the sects would have already transformed into actual schools, using unified teaching materials—a Southern Wilderness martial and academic alliance school… Meng Qi silently mused with a wry thought, then eloquently replied, “Strange? Where is it strange? Although they teach the same skill, the teachers differ, the guidance varies, the supplementary skills are different, and the patriarchs they worship are even more distinct.”
In other words, the “elective courses” and the successive “principals” are different… the ranking of each sect could be categorized as county-level key, prefecture-level key, provincial-level key, national-level key, and so on… Meng Qi thought with a unique perspective.
“So you’re talking about changing the sects’ methods of transmission?” Master Lu suddenly said after pondering for a moment.
What a sharp insight… Meng Qi inwardly marveled, his smile unwavering as he said, “In the future, sects will compete for disciples based on their own industries and the quality of their teachers’ instruction.”
“What about sects like ours?” Ye Yuqi suddenly interjected. “If all the smaller and medium sects are cultivating the unparalleled supreme skill, what about us? What advantages do we have?”
Meng Qi was tempted to pluck a hair, transform it into a feather fan, gently wave it, and smile as he said, “Don’t you think Qi Zhengyan’s way of promoting martial cultivation has certain drawbacks? Leaving aside resource issues, the initial stages might be fine, but as one progresses higher, the guidance required becomes increasingly different. Unified teaching methods will no longer suffice, and eventually, it will return to the traditional way of a single master teaching a small group of disciples. In this aspect, the current top sects, with their long-term accumulations… you have a Dharma Body to protect you; why worry about having no disciples?”
He almost said something like “strong teaching resources” and other nonsense.
“That’s true,” Ye Yuqi finally expressed agreement. Cultivating up to this point, she increasingly felt that in martial cultivation, everyone has their own unique path. Simply copying predecessors often only leads to stagnation. The Southern Wilderness’s method of publicly teaching martial arts is only suitable for those below the level of a Grandmaster.
Seeing this, Meng Qi secretly exhaled in relief: “Since returning from the Middle Ancient era, this junior increasingly feels that martial cultivators often destroy cities and rivers, affecting countless lives. Fighting and killing are truly not beautiful. It’s better not to fight if possible, and it’s better to resolve conflicts peacefully. I believe Qi Zhengyan only has a pure heart, wishing to benefit all beings, with no other intentions. His acceptance of the Demon Emperor’s Claw inheritance was also beyond his control, and he is currently working hard to suppress it.”
Reaching this point, it was time to clarify his stance.
“Your words are excellent. At our level, it’s better not to harbor anger and the desire to kill if possible,” Master Lu said peacefully. “Regarding the Southern Wilderness matter, I hope to see the development you described.”
Beside him, Ye Yuqi listened with a flicker of thought in her eyes. Others might have the right to say that fighting is bad, but Su Meng certainly didn’t. He had the most Dharma Body lives on his hands.
Hearing this, Meng Qi smiled and deliberately clasped his hands together: “Senior Lu, your compassion is truly admirable. So be it, so be it. This junior will also reach out to the Ink Palace of the Myriad Phenomena Cave Heaven to strive for another return to the golden age of the Middle Ancient era. Only such a world can sustain the countless martial cultivators of the future.”
This temporarily resolved the conflict. As for whether it would intensify later or if the Demon King would deliberately provoke conflicts, that was a matter for the future. What Meng Qi needed to do now was to improve himself as soon as possible, reaching a level like the Hegemon, powerful enough to suppress the entire world. If a great battle in the Southern Wilderness did occur, he could ensure that the righteous Dharma Bodies and his senior brother Qi would have no choice but to sit down for negotiations and compromises.
Since he couldn’t match the schemes and plots of people like the Great Diviner Wang, he would compete with sheer strength!
The most important thing was still his own power.
With the “Yuan Emperor” reigning in the world, peace would prevail across the land!
After leaving Huamei Villa, Meng Qi proceeded to visit places like the Xijian Pavilion and Changle City, communicating with the Dharma Bodies of the righteous sects one by one, doing his utmost to persuade them.
At the back hills of Huamei Villa, in a grass hut,
Ye Yuqi watched Meng Qi’s retreating figure, slightly frowning as she said, “I feel like something he said doesn’t quite sit right.”
“Let’s see. Let’s see what kind of change Qi Zhengyan from the Southern Wilderness can bring,” Master Lu withdrew his gaze, smiling slightly while shaking his head.
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