Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 240 [Nangong Sheng]

Chapter 234 [Nangong Sheng]

"Looking for him?"

Zhao Wuji was taken aback and couldn't help but turn around to look at Chen Yan. He thought to himself that this person was involved in the case. Although he seemed to be an innocent person who had been implicated, he was still under house arrest in the outer courtyard. How did he end up with this inner disciple?

However, even within the realm of cultivators, there is a strict hierarchy.

Especially in sects with a lineage of sages, although outer and inner disciples are from the same sect and Zhao Wuji can call them "senior brother," their statuses are actually worlds apart!
Seeing that Senior Brother Nangong only gave a light reply and did not intend to explain, Zhao Wuji did not dare to ask any more questions and could only smile awkwardly.

I thought to myself, "Should I leave?"

He hesitated for a moment, then forced himself to say, "Since Senior Brother Nangong has something to discuss with this fellow Daoist, then... this junior brother will take his leave."

Senior Brother Nangong didn't even bother to look at him again, merely flicking his sleeve as if shooing away flies.

Zhao Wuji looked embarrassed, but he could only swallow hard, respectfully take his leave, and leave. Before leaving, he couldn't help but glance at Chen Yan again, wondering what was so special about this guy that even the famously crazy senior brother in the inner sect thought highly of him and actually came to find him in person? Hmm... if this person is really extraordinary, then I should try to curry favor with him in the future.
After Zhao Wuji left, this Senior Brother Nangong walked up to Chen Yan. Before Chen Yan could bow, he grabbed Chen Yan's arm and lifted him up.

"No need to be so polite, fellow Daoist is a man of discerning mind." Senior Brother Nangong shook his head and said, "These past few days, whenever I have been cultivating, I have been thinking about the four words 'unity of knowledge and action' that you said that day. The more I think about them, the deeper my thoughts become. I feel that these four words are infinitely profound. Today, I finally couldn't hold back any longer and came to see you. I have some thoughts and ideas that I want to share with you."

Chen Yan opened his eyes, his face showing a simple and helpless expression like that of an old farmer: "Well... my cultivation is shallow, how could I be worthy of the favor of a sage's disciple?"

"What saintly disciple? The most important thing in the cultivation of the Dao heart in my sect is to think the truth. You heard it when I was preaching that day. The so-called heavenly principles and inner demons should be accepted and faced."

Well, using your concept of "unity of knowledge and action," this process is called "knowledge."

And when these things are integrated, what one thinks and what one acts upon becomes action.

Fellow Daoist, your wisdom is truly admirable! As for the talk of being a disciple of a sage, that's just superficial sentiment; I don't care about it.

As he spoke, this guy actually pulled Chen Yan a few steps away into the corridor, and the two stood on the side of the corridor.

Senior Brother Nangong looked at Chen Yan and smiled, "We didn't exchange names that day, but I already know that your surname is Zhao and your given name is Zhao Shanhe."

My surname is Nangong, and my given name is Sheng.

Chen Yan nodded: "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Nangong Sheng."

"I've always been competitive since I was a child. After I started cultivating, I lost interest in competing with others, but I still have an unyielding attachment to cultivation. So the character 'Sheng' (胜, meaning victory) that my master gave me in my name is quite fitting for my mindset."

Recently, I have been practicing and examining my own mind regarding the Dao. There are some things I don't understand, and I would like to ask my fellow Daoists for guidance.

Chen Yan could only force a wry smile and say, "Although my cultivation is weak, since Fellow Daoist Nangong thinks so highly of me, please speak freely."

Nangong Sheng stared intently at Chen Yan, then suddenly asked, "May I ask, fellow Daoist, what is good?"

good?
This is such a huge question, how the hell am I supposed to know? Where do I even begin?

Chen Yan was a little confused.

Nangong Sheng sighed and said to himself, "I specialize in weapon crafting. First, I need to be familiar with all kinds of materials for weapon crafting, whether they are flowers, grass, trees, ores, iron spirits, or rare and precious materials."

Years ago, I thought that all things in the world possess a spirit, but I have pondered this question for many years without finding a clue.

Recently, I recalled what my master said when I first started learning: the world is divided into yin and yang, and naturally, it is also divided into good and evil.

Thinking of this principle, then naturally, are the materials of all things in the world, and their spirituality, also divided into good and evil?

Thinking about it this way, I had even more ideas to consider.

For example, if dealing with virtuous objects, should we use methods of refining them with virtuous intentions? If dealing with evil objects, should we use methods of refining them with evil deeds? Only by addressing the root cause can we achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Chen Yan pondered for a moment: "May I ask Fellow Daoist Nangong, how do you distinguish between good and bad materials?"

Things can be categorized as good or evil? Chen Yan was a little confused.

What? How can you distinguish between good and evil from a stone? Did this stone read the Tao Te Ching?

Nangong Sheng thought for a moment and slowly said, "A good thing should be something that is born in accordance with the principles of Heaven."

For example, a tree takes ten or even a hundred years to grow from a seed to maturity—this is material that is nurtured in accordance with the laws of nature, which is a good thing.

If some means are used to violate the rules of nature, causing a tree that would normally take ten or a hundred years to mature to maturity to grow in just a few years or even a few months, although its material may appear identical, it still violates the rules of nature and should be considered an evil thing.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan's heart stirred!
This logic is starting to make sense.

The so-called good and evil of all things in the world are either in accordance with the laws of nature or against the laws of nature.

in this case……

So, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are evil, right?

Seeing Chen Yan deep in thought and silent, Nangong Sheng smiled slightly, pointed his finger, and a beam of light flew out from his sleeve and landed on the ground outside the corridor.

Soon, a tender sprout broke through the soil, followed by root growth, leaf unfolding, and finally a flower bud at the top gradually emerged, slowly growing and blooming...

As he worked, Nangong Sheng spoke rapidly: "This is an ordinary Lingsu flower, one of the most common medicinal materials, and a base material used extensively in alchemy."

This flower needs a place with abundant vital energy and moderate temperature to grow. It takes two months to bloom after being planted. Both the stamen and petals can be used in medicine, and the sap from the root is also medicinal.

However… I used my unique growth-enhancing technique to accelerate its growth by more than a hundred times, which is why it was able to sprout and bloom in such a short time…”

The flower had bloomed to its fullest. Nangong Sheng walked over, gently plucked it, and took the flower.

The flower buds and stamens in the eyes emitted a faint medicinal fragrance, but even after being picked, the rootstock continued to grow rapidly, eventually the leaves fell off, and it gradually withered...

“I pick it when it is in full bloom. If I use it to make medicine at this time, its medicinal properties are actually no different from those of a normally grown plant.”

But... I always felt something was off. The flowers that were forced to grow were against the laws of nature; that place was considered evil.

So, when using it in medicine, what are the differences between it and those that grow normally in two months?

I can't figure this out—but it's not important.

What I really want to understand is, what exactly is good among all things? Was my previous thinking correct or wrong?

Chen Yan looked at Nangong Sheng. When this guy spoke, his handsome and elegant face had a troubled expression, but his eyes were shining, as if they were filled with a kind of piety.

Chen Yan felt helpless. This guy...aren't you a weapon refiner? That's an engineering major!

Why do you, an engineering student, have to discuss philosophical questions?
What is this? Magical physics? Or philosophical physics?
Don't you know that philosophy has the worst job prospects?
The most crucial thing is... you're asking me, how the hell am I supposed to know the answer?

Fortunately, Chen Yan himself studied philosophy. He might not know much else, but he was quite familiar with those seemingly profound but actually deceptive philosophical statements used to fool people.

He pondered for a moment, coughed lightly, looked into Nangong Sheng's bright eyes, and slowly said, "As you said, what is in accordance with reason is good... But Nangong, do you know that seeking the ultimate good in everything is outside the bounds of righteousness?"

Don't you like the unity of knowledge and action? I'll use the words of the sage Wang Yangming to... answer you!
Sure enough, after Chen Yan finished speaking, Nangong Sheng's eyes paused: "What do you mean?"

"Fellow Daoist, your study of the principles of all things is called the investigation of things. Since it is the investigation of things, then let's continue to investigate!"

“…” Nangong Sheng looked at Chen Yan.

Chen Yan said leisurely, "Investigating things is the work of attaining the highest good. Once you know the highest good, you know how to investigate things."

Nangong Sheng's eyes lit up: "You mean, to investigate things, one must investigate everything in the world! If one investigates everything in the world, then one will know all the principles of the world?"

Before Chen Yan could speak, Nangong Sheng nodded and said, "That's right. If I only ask about one thing or one object, I'll be blinded by a leaf. I need to look at all things to understand more principles. How can one so easily distinguish between good and evil, or so easily see its rules and natural laws?"

What grows in a cold, harsh land is considered natural in a land of suffering. But in a scorching, hot land, it becomes evil.

"To be ignorant of all things and their myriad paths, yet only pursue and question one thing at a time, is to be obsessively narrow-minded." Okay...did I somehow manage to unleash a physicist from the Heavenly Demon Yin-Yang Harmony Sect?

Chen Yan gave a helpless, bitter smile.

However, Nangong Sheng then frowned and said, "But the laws of nature can change... A tree in a land of suffering becomes a violation of the laws of nature in a scorching land. Why is it that the same thing is considered good or evil in different places..."

Chen Yan blinked and deliberately sighed, "Well... the mind is principle. Where in the world is there anything outside the mind, any principle outside the mind?"

Nangong Sheng's eyes widened in shock: "Mind is principle? But whose mind, whose will, is this mind, this intention..."

Chen Yan kept quiet, smiled without saying a word, but pointed to the sky.

Nangong Sheng immediately lowered his head and whispered, "The Way of Heaven..."

He then sighed, "Indeed, everything in the world is the cycle of the will of Heaven. I was being foolish; how could my current level of understanding possibly comprehend the heart of Heaven?"

Even the Venerable Ones, Earth Venerables, and Great Heavenly Venerables cannot fathom the Dao of Heaven.

He seemed to regain some clarity, glanced at Chen Yan, and his eyes showed more appreciation: "Fellow Daoist is very talented! It was indeed a good choice for me to come and talk with you. Although you did not answer my questions, you did give me some ideas."

Chen Yan quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "I am..."

"Shallow cultivation?" The infatuation in Nangong Sheng's eyes faded at this moment. He looked at Chen Yan and quickly interrupted him. Then he deliberately paused and laughed, "Fellow Daoist, I know you are not a stupid person. It's boring to keep putting on such an attitude in front of me."

His smile held a deeper meaning, and then he leaned closer to Chen Yan: "That day when I was preaching, you were listening from below the stage. I deliberately activated my magic power to stir up the magic array in the hall, causing a trace of Daoist rhyme to emanate."

I observed you closely at the time, and you were clearly moved by the Daoist rhythm, seemingly entering a state of sudden enlightenment—but you broke free in an instant!

Fellow Daoist Zhao, you are able to sense the Daoist aura of our sect's sages so quickly. I have never seen anyone with such talent before!

As for those who entered the Daoist realm of enlightenment but then spontaneously broke free, I have never seen one like them!

Chen Yan was startled, and a chill ran down his spine.

Nangong Sheng stared intently at Chen Yan, and after a while, he suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to join our sect?"

"what?"

Nangong Sheng smiled and said, "Actually, you like to pretend too much, but our sect values ​​honesty and straightforwardness. So your personality isn't suitable for that. Besides... your appearance is also a bit lacking..."

No, you always say I'm ugly. Does your sect select disciples like a beauty pageant?
Chen Yan sighed, but when he thought of the prospective disciples in the outer courtyard, he realized that most of them were indeed quite good-looking.

Chen Yan naturally had no intention of joining the sect, so he shook his head and politely declined: "I didn't tell you that day, fellow Daoist, that I am actually... not an outer court disciple, nor am I a candidate for cultivation... I..."

Nangong Sheng waved his hand, his tone indifferent: "Since I have come to find you, I have naturally inquired about your background. I know clearly who you are and why you live in the outer courtyard of my sect."

Chen Yan looked a little embarrassed: "Um..."

So you know I was auditing the class?

"Our sect values ​​facing one's heart directly. Whether it is the principles of heaven or inner demons, we do not reject them. In fact, we do not suppress them, but we even require everyone to face and accept them directly."

You admire your character and wisdom, and I want to break the rules to bring you into my sect. That's my selfish desire, even though it doesn't conform to the sect's rules. So, it's my 'demonic thought'.

Now that this demonic thought has arisen within me, I will neither suppress nor resist it. I will let my mind follow my thoughts, and if I want to do something, I will do it!

Chen Yan's eyes widened.

No... are you really the leaders of the righteous sects?
Just follow your own thoughts and do whatever you want?

Isn't this kind of corporate spirit a recipe for disaster?

However, this is an internal matter of their sect—it's their corporate culture, and Chen Yan doesn't plan to join them anyway, so who cares?

He then said in a more tactful tone, "Since Fellow Daoist Nangong knows my background, I am merely..."

"It's alright. I'm an inner disciple, so I have that kind of authority. I can grant you the status of an outer disciple, so you can stay in the sect and we can often sit down and discuss the Dao!"

Nangong Sheng looked at Chen Yan and sighed, "It's a pity that you are already a second-realm cultivator, and I am not old enough for my master to take on disciples. So it's not appropriate for me to take you as my disciple. Otherwise, it would be more convenient for you to move around in the sect in the future."

He's not old enough, Master won't allow it...

Oh, aren't you afraid of breaking the rules? Isn't it supposed to be that you can do whatever you want?
Seeing Chen Yan's strange look, Nangong Sheng knew what the guy was thinking and laughed, "Bringing you into the outer sect is breaking the rules, but I have the authority to do so. Even if it's a little absurd, the punishment from the master won't be severe."

But if I were to accept you as my disciple, I couldn't bear the punishment from my master.

This is the unity of heaven and demon! I broke the rules, I am the demon. To be punished is the way of heaven.

In this matter, if demonic thoughts cannot withstand the punishment of divine justice, then those thoughts will dissipate on their own.

This is the profound meaning of my sect's Daoist heart.

Chen Yan sneered inwardly.

So the reason your sect doesn't produce many great demons is because... your staff is thick enough?!

Nangong Sheng had already thrown out a token, which landed in Chen Yan's hand.

"This is the token for outer disciples. Once you have this token, you are considered an outer disciple, and... well, you are of the same rank and authority as that Zhao Wuji."

"...So simple and crude, so rushed? There wasn't any registration or entry ceremony?"

Chen Yan stared at Nangong Sheng in astonishment, his eyes wide.

Nangong Sheng smiled smugly: "After the outer academy's selection, there will be an entry-level awareness, but that's the outer academy's rule. I'll make an exception and not bother with those."

"Wait a minute!" Chen Yan took a deep breath, intending to return the token to the other party: "Fellow Daoist, my ambitions lie elsewhere; I still need to travel to the Southern Frontier..."

Nangong Sheng smiled and said, "It's not that I'm asking you to stay in the sect. Outer disciples can move around freely. I just admire your wisdom. With your insight, you will surely not be an ordinary person in the future. I think it's worth it to join a sect of saints now."

After a pause, Nangong Sheng added, "With the outer disciple token of the sect, one can freely ride the sect's flying boats wherever there is a sect outpost—for free!"

Chen Yan's fingers tightened around the token: "...Really free? And...I don't have to keep it in the sect?"

Nangong Sheng smiled slightly, took the token from Chen Yan's hand, and stretched out a finger to write and draw on it in the air. A line of runes floated out and then disappeared into the token.

"I'll give you a position as a walking disciple under the Weapon Crafting Hall. There's not much to do in this position. You can travel the world on your own and search for all sorts of rare materials. Hmm... no one will ask you if you don't return to the sect for a year or two. And if you encounter any trouble outside, just show your token. In this realm, there probably aren't many who would dare to disrespect a Saint Sect."

A moment later, Chen Yan returned to his room in a daze and looked at the token.

So... I've become an outer disciple of this sect? A disciple of the Weapon Crafting Hall?

Responsible for searching the world for rare materials for making tools?

Scout?

I?
A truism?

A disciple of the Heavenly Demon Yin Yang Harmony Sect!

Wearing this sect title doesn't sound like the mark of a good person at all!
·
After struggling for two days, I decided to take a day or two off to rest. I'm in really bad shape, my head is foggy, and I can't sit for long periods of time.

To be honest, I've been forcing myself to write these past two days, and I'm not entirely satisfied with these two chapters. I need to take a break and rest.

I will be taking two days off and will update on Sunday.

·
(End of this chapter)