The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

silence!

There was nothing but silence!

Li Chengqian and the others stared in disbelief at the figure in blue robes above them, their shock reaching its peak.

I don't know why, and I don't understand its meaning.

But as Chen Huai'an finished speaking, the group of teenagers felt their scalps tingle and their blood boil.

What a magnificent spirit!

What a lofty ambition!

"Sir..." Li Zhen murmured to himself, "So, it's not that you're not angry, not that you're not annoyed, and certainly not that you don't want to fight."

"What you're fighting for isn't justice for yourself alone, but justice for everyone in the world?"

"Yes," Chen Huai'an said with satisfaction, "this is what reading should be like."

"It's okay if you hate it, everyone hates it."

"But why does everyone still want to read it? Because it's just a tool, a tool to help you achieve upward social mobility and realize your ideals!"

"tool?"

Li Chengqian looked down at the book in his hand, feeling somewhat lost and confused.

"That's right, it's tools." Chen Huai'an sat down again and patiently explained, "Just like farmers in the Tang Dynasty needed oxen and plows to till the land, right?"

A group of teenagers nodded in agreement.

Tang Heshang said thoughtfully, "I remember that the laws of the Tang Dynasty strictly prohibited anyone from slaughtering oxen, the purpose of which was to ensure that the people had oxen to plow the land."

"Without oxen, there's no way to plow the fields."

"What you mean is that oxen are actually a tool that people need to use to plow the land."

"And the classics, or rather, knowledge, are actually a tool? A... tool for transcending social classes?"

"Isn't that right?" Chen Huai'an retorted.

The group looked at each other, puzzled.

To this day, no one has ever said such a thing to them.

It's so straightforward, yet it somehow makes sense.

Cheng Chumo joked, "Sir, if that's the case, it seems we don't need to study anymore?"

"After all, studying is only for achieving upward social mobility, and we...we seem to be almost at the top."

"Chu Mo!" Li Zhen and the others were shocked and quickly gave Cheng Chu Mo a look, telling him to shut up.

Although what Cheng Chumo said was true, is it appropriate to say such things?

Cheng Chumo scratched his head, seemingly realizing that his words were inappropriate, and lowered his head, saying, "I'm sorry, sir, it was my fault."

"What's wrong with you?" Chen Huai'an asked again.

"Huh?" Cheng Chumo was a little confused. Seeing everyone staring at him, he stammered, "I misspoke. I shouldn't have said that studying is useless just because I have the privilege of my ancestors."

"No!" Chen Huai'an said calmly, "You're right!"

"This is reality!"

"What others cannot obtain in their entire lives, you are born with; this is what you deserve!"

"Because your fathers and ancestors made great contributions, repeatedly charging across the blood-red plains, killing generals and capturing flags, and risking their lives to achieve this."

"You should be proud of it, not admit you were wrong!"

The group of teenagers fell silent, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Cheng Chumo's eyes were red, and his lips moved, but he ultimately didn't say anything.

Chen Huai'an looked around at everyone and softened his tone: "Of course, have you ever thought about it? A tool is ultimately just a tool."

"No matter how strong the ox is, if the farmer is unwilling to work in the field, crops will still not grow."

"You were born on the mountaintop, but the winds at the summit are the easiest to make people dizzy."

"If one simply lies around and lives off the achievements of one's ancestors, one will surely become a useless person within three generations."

Li Chengqian became serious. For some reason, he felt that Chen Huai'an was glancing at him subtly when he said those words.

It seems to have been specifically addressed to him.

Chen Huai'an said calmly, "In the Tang Dynasty, many noble titles did not last more than three generations. Why? Because later generations only remembered that they deserved wealth and honor, but forgot how wealth and honor came about."

"You study not to climb from the foot of the mountain to the top, you are already on the mountain."

"Studying is so that when you stand on the mountaintop, you won't fall down."

"It's so that you can see further, know that there are mountains beyond mountains, and know that there are countless people in this world who can't even touch the foot of the mountain."

Tang He murmured, "So... the teacher taught us to read, not to strive for fame and fortune, but to teach us..."

"I'll teach you to deserve everything you have," Chen Huai'an continued, "Of all the things in this world, how many truly go as you wish?"

"If you don't like something and just do it because you're in a bad mood, that's not something a real man should do."

"As a man of seven feet tall, one should know the difficulties and feel unhappy, but still smile and stride forward."

Chen Huai'an's lips curled slightly: "Think about it, your fathers charged into battle, facing countless flashing swords and shadows, traversing mountains of corpses and seas of blood, riding their horses towards thousands of enemy troops. Were they afraid back then?"

"My dad said he's not afraid!" Director Cheng said, confirming the truth.

Li Zhen coughed dryly: "My father said the same thing."

"They're just bragging."

Chen Huai'an said bluntly, "On the battlefield, no matter how skilled you are in martial arts, how brave you are, whether you have superhuman strength or are a master strategist, once you're on the battlefield, an arrow, a knife, or something else can easily take your life."

"We're all human; no one is truly fearless."

"But why did they still dare to charge in?"

Chen Huai'an said solemnly, "Because fear is an instinct hidden deep within the human body, while courage is the highest hymn of human life!"

Are they afraid of dying?

"They were scared, but they still charged in."

"They charged forward again and again."

"They risked their lives to build such a vast fortune so that their sons and grandsons would not have to suffer the hardships they endured, face the dangers they faced, or overcome the fears they overcame."

"If all you do all day is play, are you worthy of your father? Are you worthy of everything you are to inherit?"

The school was completely silent. For the first time, a group of the most outstanding noble sons of the Tang Dynasty felt ashamed.

Compared to everything their parents went through, their lives now are simply wonderful.

They have the best teachers, the best learning environment, and different meals every day.

All of this was earned by his father's generation with their lives.

"Sir, we were wrong!"

Li Zhen sincerely said, "I will never be playful again. I will study hard and make myself worthy of everything I have."

"Sir, let's begin class."

The other boys didn't speak, but they all stared at Chen Huai'an with bright eyes.

Chen Huai'an was very pleased: "I am very pleased that you have such awareness."

"But when did I say I was going to give you a lesson?"

Everyone: ?

"..."