Imperial henchmen? My divine skills are all hacked versions.

Jun Jingyan defeated two people on stage, first rejecting the challenge from Songyang Academy and then overpowering the defending champion from Liuzhai Academy.

She sat upright in her chair, her voice clear and cool, quoting the words of sages with precision.

Master Meng's expression shifted slightly, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Just when everyone thought Zhengxin Academy would have the last laugh, Bailu Academy sent out a male disciple named Du Ziteng.

This person was not famous at Bailu Academy. He didn't even make it into the top ten in chess, calligraphy, archery, and painting a few days ago. But the moment he opened his mouth to discuss the Dao, Xu Xian realized that this person was not someone to be trifled with.

His argument is that "etiquette and law should not be neglected!"

This was precisely the topic of the most intense debate within Confucianism after the three sages inscribed the character "evil" on the back of the stele of goodness.

He quoted extensively from classical texts, dissecting the words of sages layer by layer, each layer building upon the previous one, like constructing a tower of logic.

Jun Jingyan tried to counterattack by exploiting his weaknesses several times, but he cleverly evaded her each time.

Her grip on the bamboo slip tightened slightly, and sweat beaded on her forehead.

Master Meng tightened his fingers and narrowed his eyes slightly.

The two fought for nearly half an hour before Jun Jingyan finally closed the silk scroll, stood up, and bowed to the judges' panel.

"Jingyan concedes defeat. This senior brother's insights are profound; I am no match for him."

She stepped off the stage, returned to her seat, and seemed somewhat dejected.

Xu glanced at her twice, then turned his head away and lowered his voice.

"Senior Sister Jun, don't be sad. You spoke very well. That person won not because he understood the sages better than you, but because he seized the opportunity presented by the debate on etiquette and law..."

"This topic is currently very popular. Several renowned scholars on the judging panel are inclined to his position. In terms of understanding the words of the sages, you are more profound than him."

Jun Jingyan glanced at him but did not respond.

Master Meng frowned deeply, his expression rather unpleasant.

Xu Xian was somewhat surprised. This old scholar was usually gentle and remained calm in the face of demons, but today he was restless because of the outcome of a debate.

"Master Mencius..."

He smiled, just as he was thinking of inviting Master Meng to Taibai Tower for a couple of drinks to cheer him up, when Master Meng suddenly turned to look at him.

"Young Master, Zhengxin Academy needs your help."

Xu was taken aback.

Mencius said, "Zhengxin Academy asks for your help," not "This old man asks for your help."

This favor is quite significant; it's likely to cause a lot of trouble!

A sense of foreboding washed over Xu, and he gave a dry laugh.

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"Master Mencius wouldn't be suggesting that I..."

He pointed to the disciple defending the ring on the platform.

Master Meng nodded slightly.

In an instant, more than ten people from Zhengxin Academy looked over. Wei Qingwen, Jun Jingyan, and several other young disciples who had fought side by side with them in the suppression of the enemy outside Quzhou City had eyes full of anticipation.

Wei Qingwen's face lit up with joy.

"That's right! The Junior Tutor can hold his own against the Sage in a debate on the Dao, he's bound to win!"

Seeing the admiring look on Wei Qingwen's face, Xu Xian shook his head.

"You think highly of me. Last time was purely accidental. I answered whatever the sage asked, just talking about whatever came to mind..."

"Today is a serious discussion, full of classical texts and extensive references. If I go up there, I'll be throwing my life away. If I lose, I'll be the one who disgraces your Zhengxin Academy."

He turned to Master Meng, about to refuse, but Master Meng stood up, straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply to him.

Xu Xian subconsciously stepped aside to avoid it—he was not used to receiving courtesy from elders, especially since this person was Master Meng, who had saved his life.

"Young Master, it's not that I'm forcing you, but Zhengxin Academy has reasons why it absolutely must win. I can't go into the details, but the academy must obtain the handwritten notes of the three sages; it's extremely important!"

"I know this request is a bit presumptuous, but the Junior Master is the only debater from the academy who hasn't taken the stage yet. If you don't participate, the academy will have no choice but to admit defeat."

Jun Jingyan also looked at Master Meng, her eyes showing some surprise.

This was the first time she had ever seen her husband, who never asked for favors, treat a young woman in her early twenties with such seriousness.

As Xu Xian looked at Master Meng's slightly trembling sleeve, many images flashed through his mind.

After a few moments of silence, he stood up and bowed to Master Meng.

"Since we've come this far, I have no choice but to go. But let me make this clear beforehand... if I lose, don't blame me. If I lose, you'll have to pay for my drinks as compensation for my reputation."

Master Meng stood up and smiled, "Young Master, you jest. We had already lost, and your substitution was already giving us another chance. How could we blame you?"

Mr. Xu smiled, shook his head, and strode out.

...

The Bailu Academy disciple defending the stage had just won another round and was picking up his teacup to moisten his throat.

Luo Shenglin was scanning the audience and about to announce the next challenger when he suddenly saw someone stand up from the Zhengxin Academy seats and walk towards the stage.

All eyes were on the person in the inspector's uniform.

In a sea of ​​Confucian scholars, Xu Xian stood out in his black attire.

At the Yuelu Academy, Jia Xiuxiang paused for a moment, his expression changing slightly.

"Nonsense! A mere warrior dares to show off at a Confucian academy! The Zhengxin Academy is truly lacking in talent, letting a mere warrior take the lead!"

His voice carried far in the quiet square.

Several disciples from Yuelu Academy echoed this sentiment, while others from other academies whispered amongst themselves.

"Is this the person who wrote the lyrics for Taibai Tower?"

"So what if he has some poetic talent? Such talk of philosophy by a warrior is unheard of..."

At this moment, Jia Xiuxiang stood up and shouted loudly,

"Dean Luo! Does this martial man have the qualifications to participate in our Confucian Conference? The discussion is about the Way of the Sages, and this man has never even worn a Confucian robe. What makes him worthy of being on stage? Yuelu Academy begs Dean Luo to make a wise judgment!"

Luo Shenglin glanced at Xu Xian, picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and slowly spoke.

"As the junior teacher of Zhengxin Academy, of course he can."

He put down his teacup.

"The debate at the book club is about the Way, not about clothes. Those who wear Confucian robes are not necessarily Confucianists, and those who carry weapons are not necessarily ignorant of sages. If Yuelu Academy feels this is inappropriate, it can send someone to the stage to discuss it with them."

Jia Xiuxiang's face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth as he sat down.

Xu glanced at him, chuckled, and then walked onto the stage and sat down cross-legged.

He placed the eight-sided sword horizontally on his lap, placed his hands on the ends of the scabbard, and looked up at the defending disciple from Bailu Academy opposite him.

Du Ziteng, this scholar's name is quite interesting.

Du Ziteng neither looked down on him nor fawned over him; he simply bowed slightly, as if treating any other scholarly opponent.

Xu Xian clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "Senior brother, what are we arguing about?"

Du Ziteng was also touched by his sincerity and smiled.

"Confucianism and Taoism take self-cultivation as their foundation and the pursuit of sagehood as their ultimate goal. I would like to ask, in seeking the Way, should one exhaustively study external texts and things, or should one seek within oneself?"

Xu Xian was slightly taken aback.

Isn't this the core difference between Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism and Lu-Wang's School of Mind?

In my previous life, when I took an elective course in Chinese Language and Literature at university, the teacher specifically talked about this part. At that time, the old professor said it was a test point, so I also attended a few classes.

Zhu Xi advocated the investigation of things to attain knowledge, believing that the principles of Heaven are hidden in all things, and that one must investigate them one by one, accumulating knowledge little by little, until finally achieving a comprehensive understanding and enlightenment...

Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming advocated that the mind is the principle, believing that the human mind has its own conscience, and that the principle of Heaven is not outside, but within one's own heart; seeking it externally will only lead to losing one's way.

These two factions argued for hundreds of years during the Song and Ming dynasties, and neither could convince the other.

Now, it seems that Confucianism in this other world has also reached this juncture... The three sages only talked about the theory of the inherent goodness of human nature, but he broke through it with his theory of the inherent evil of human nature in the Stele of Goodness.

Now these disciples are beginning to ask more fundamental questions:

Where exactly is the principle of Heaven? How can one attain enlightenment?

...

Yang Xu was leading Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao on a patrol in the southeast corner of the main altar.

Zhao Bao, with his sharp eyes, first spotted the familiar figure sitting cross-legged on the stage. He froze for a moment, then grabbed Yang Xu's sleeve.

"Commander Yang! Look at the stage! Isn't that Brother Xu?"

Yang Xu looked up and was stunned. He cursed under his breath, then quickly walked to the seat next to Master Meng, bent down, and whispered in his ear...

"Master Meng, why did Xu Xian go up there? Wasn't he here to maintain order? Why did he sit down by himself?"

Master Meng smiled and said, "The last debater from Zhengxin Academy has been defeated. I will ask the Junior Master to take his place. He is the only one from the academy who has not yet participated. If he does not participate, the academy will have no choice but to concede defeat."

"Tsk... He hasn't even had much schooling, and you want him to go on stage and discuss philosophy with people?" Yang Xu said anxiously.

"In the inscription on the stele, Shaoshi discussed the Dao with the sages of three dynasties. The sages personally called him a fellow Daoist. His knowledge was not in the scriptures, but in his own heart."

Master Meng rambled on without changing his expression, but his heart was pounding: I'm out of ideas too, the academy is really short of people, let's try anything as a last resort!

Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao stood behind Yang Xu, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Zhao Bao lowered his voice,

"Tiger, did Brother Xu really discuss Taoism with a sage?"

Zhang Hu scratched his head.

"I think so, that's what Commander Yang said..."

They followed Xu Xian from the Iron Gate Pass all the way to the capital, and witnessed many of his legendary deeds, but when it came to discussing the Dao...

To seriously discuss philosophy with the top students of Bailu Academy?

Zhang Hu was very suspicious.