Above the source of Tao

On this day, Yun Chang'an was still wandering in his mind, and as the time came, he began to practice boxing and swordsmanship. When the cock crowed, he opened his eyes again and looked towards the waterfall, but this time he did not see the girl sweating while practicing boxing. However, he could still see the monks in the palace buildings getting busy.

As usual, Yun Changan practiced his boxing skills, and three days passed in a flash. Yun Changan brushed off the dust on his body and came to the courtyard outside the door, only to see a group of generals ready to go to the dragon fighting arena in the town.

King Damin was in high spirits, and he was surrounded by some of the most important ministers in the dynasty. Lin Chong stroked his long beard and smiled calmly. When he saw Yun Changan appear, he just smiled meaningfully, nodded slightly, turned to the front, and stepped out with the crowd.

Su Tao stood behind the crowd. She was the only woman in the team of ten. The other nine were mostly young in appearance, with long swords on their backs, long knives on their waists, and domineering. All ten of them were young cultivators carefully selected by the Damin Dynasty. Although they were under the name of the Damin Dynasty, they were disciples from different prefectures and academies.

Su Tao was waiting for Yun Chang'an to appear. When she saw him, she smiled slightly as a greeting.

As the crowd left, Yun Chang'an remained silent, but the court teacher, who always had a drink with him, went against the crowd, came in front of Yun Chang'an, and stopped steadily.

Yun Chang'an was not very impressed with this elegant and easy-going old man. On the contrary, he was impressed by the second prince who had always been by his side.

During these few days of practice, the Second Prince Su Ziyu came to see him once. Yun Changan was confused and full of vigilance and scrutiny.

But surprisingly, although Su Ziyu was the second son of King Daemin, he was treated as the next successor of the dynasty and was carefully trained. He had countless advisers. Although the Daemin Dynasty had a royal decree that important officials in the court could accept retainers, there were regulations on the number of retainers, and they had to be reported to the palace for registration. However, King Daemin acquiesced, allowing the second prince to accept retainers without restrictions, which was more than enough for his retainers to open up a continent on his own.

Su Ziyu solemnly told him a secret. The Damin Dynasty seemed peaceful, but secretly there were many sects that were ready to make moves, bent on seizing power and fighting for hegemony. Although King Damin was old, he was still full of energy and spirit. Those sects with rebellious thoughts were lying dormant in secret and did not dare to act rashly.

No one in the Xinyang region recognized the rule of the dynasty, especially the three continents to the south. As future kings, they had to gain a firm foothold. Therefore, it became extremely urgent for the second prince to gather followers and become his confidants.

When he first met Yun Chang'an, he felt that he could become his right-hand man. This was an illusion, or perhaps an intuition. He came to see him alone just to get to know him again as a friend out of kindness. So whether Yun Chang'an agreed or not, it was Yun Chang'an's own choice. In the final analysis, the Second Prince still hoped that he could come to him to help him accomplish great things. As for what great things they were, he did not say it.

Yun Chang'an felt at the time that his guess in his heart was vaguely correct, but the Second Prince did not say it clearly, and he did not point it out. If he had not gone north to the Jinyuan Domain, he might have been able to stay, but at this moment he was determined to refuse this matter. This choice might not be the best, but it would definitely not be the worst.

After a brief conversation, Yun Chang'an looked at the sincere Second Prince, took a deep breath, and said nothing more. He just bowed deeply with the strongest bow of the Damin Dynasty to show respect for teachers.

Yun Chang'an moved his feet and moved sideways to avoid the noble gift from the Second Prince.

After Su Ziyu stood up, he did not take it to heart. He just gave a few simple instructions and left in a hurry.

For several days, no one had come to this secluded room, which saved a lot of trouble. Until now, the meeting started today. The master stood in front of him, handed him a pot of old wine, and said with a smile: "Little guy, do you want to drink?"

Yun Chang'an shook his head and declined the teacher's kindness. The conference had just begun, and he still wanted to witness this grand event with his own eyes. He didn't want to get drunk and not be able to see anything, and then fall asleep. Although he liked wine a little, and often had a drink alone when he felt bored, he was always unable to hold his liquor, and often became unconscious after drinking a few glasses. Therefore, he would not touch alcohol unless necessary.

Seeing that he did not want to take the wine gourd, Master Chao opened the mouth of the pot and poured the wine into his mouth. He took a big gulp of wine, wiped the remaining wine stains from the corners of his mouth, and shouted loudly that he was very happy.

Master Chao looked at Yun Chang'an standing there motionless, a little stunned, and lost interest in drinking. After putting the wine in the pot, he put the wine gourd engraved with "Respect the Wise" on his waist again and said softly, "You are really weird, little guy. You have such a good opportunity right in front of you, but you refuse it forcefully. There really are such weird and strange cultivators in the world."

He shook his head at the teacher, but laughed out loud again.

Yun Chang'an bowed and asked, "Why did you laugh, Master? Could it be that you also dislike my behavior?"

The master simply stretched out a palm and waved it back and forth in front of him, "I always thought that the cultivators in the world were all the same. They were all fighting for the little gains in their hearts. If they encountered a great opportunity, they would not hesitate to risk their lives to get the opportunity that did not belong to them. Therefore, in Jiangyang Domain, I saw clearly those saints and gentlemen in the world who were righteous and hypocritical, and I resolutely left, thinking of finding a peach forest and mountains and rivers to spend my life there. After coming to Jiangyang Domain, I found that there was still some humanity in this world. In comparison, it was much better than Jiangyang Domain, so I wanted to use all my life's knowledge to try to change this world. However, time is always unsatisfactory, and the world has never changed. After working hard for half a lifetime, it is still the same in the end. I don’t know where the road is and where I should go."

Yun Chang'an still had a calm expression, standing in place. I don't know what the deep meaning of these words is, but he asked a thought-provoking question, "They say that the avenue of the Eastern Purity Realm has collapsed, but why are there still people who set foot in the Guiyi Realm? That is the closest to the avenue, why don't they show up in front of people?"

The court master turned his back and pointed to the top of his head. "Some people have seen the highest scenery in the world, but we, the Divine Realm cultivators, are not qualified to see it. We are even less qualified to talk about the people or things at the highest point. However, as a court master of a continent, I have accepted this official position and received the dynasty's salary. I know that I must do my best for the benefit of the dynasty. I can't just stand by myself. I can only bet all my belongings on this battle without gunpowder. As a member of the dynasty, I should follow the will of the elders. Enlightening the world is what I can do. I only hope that there will be a glimmer of hope in the future."

The master's face remained calm, as if he was talking about something very ordinary. He looked up at the sky and said slowly, "You also know that this world is not like the ancient times, when the Great Dao was in the hearts of the people. In this world where the Great Dao has collapsed, you and I are just striving to achieve what we want. How many people in the world can enter the state of unity? For this reason, what we have done is just to verify our guesses. The little effort we have made is not worth mentioning. If it can really succeed, there will be hope for future generations of cultivators. The Great Dao will be revived in the world, and our journey will not be in vain."

Until this moment, Yun Changan felt a surge of admiration in his heart. Although he could not judge whether this matter was good or bad, he still felt that he had underestimated these struggling cultivators. Wasn't he also a part of the world today? How could he speculate whether doing such a thing was good or bad?

Master Chao stroked his beard lightly, "The Damin Dynasty has been fighting for a thousand years, and now it is facing internal and external troubles. On the surface, it is peaceful, and all the major sects and forces are flattering it. It looks like a good time, but who can tell what they are secretly planning? Without the deterrence of us old monks, how can the descendants of the dynasty suppress those snakes? They will only remain weak. The power of the world will decline after its peak. This is an eternal truth. I can see it clearly, Lin Chong can see it clearly, and King Damin can see it clearly. Therefore, we monks who are about to enter the earth cannot find a way to break through, so we must seek stability for the younger monks. Yun boy, this is why Lin Chong values ​​you so much and wants to win you over."

Yun Changan asked another question, "I am just a small cultivator, why do you think so highly of me? Do you think I can assist the Second Prince?"

The master could only sigh, "In the Damin Dynasty, there are many talented cultivators. There are cultivators with better bones and younger than you in at least one continent, and there may be more. I have also come into contact with many of them. None of the talented young men in the eyes of outsiders have such courage as you. I have heard about the things in the secret realm from Miss Tao. Let's not talk about your cultivation and the formation. Just talking about the formation in Tanluo City, the formation took the lives of tens of thousands of people. You were able to stand up and break the formation, which is enough to show that you have a compassionate and kind heart. A person who can save thousands of people from danger can't be too bad. In Jiangyang Territory, only my disciple has half of your character, and most of the others are not worth using. For a few Junru coins, they can spit for days, and even draw their swords when they can't compete. I'm used to the hostility in the world, and I always feel that it's hard to let go. I left the territory where I lived for half my life sadly, thinking of traveling around the world and no longer worrying about troubles. But when I came here, a wave of ripples rose in my heart, so I stayed. "

Yun Chang'an lowered his head slightly, feeling flattered. Thinking back to what he had done in Tanluo City, most of it was to relieve the suffering of the Bingpo clan and save tens of thousands of people from danger. He had never thought about it, but just did it. However, in the eyes of outsiders, it looked different.

Yun Chang'an remained silent. He wanted to explain something, but when the words came to his lips, he couldn't open them. He couldn't explain what happened in Tanluo City, and he didn't know where to start.

People in the world will not believe that there are foreigners in the world.

How can you empathize with others if you have not experienced the world?

Yun Chang'an could only clasp his fists and respond, "Damin values ​​me so much and loves me so much, but I cannot go with you. Just like you, I also have something I must do."

He shook his head and said to the master, "That's fine. I'm not forcing you to follow me. I've said so much to you just to let you know that we're not the kind of people who use force to bully others. I think the same as them. You're different from the others. You want to make friends. If you're willing to become my disciple, I'd be happy to take you in, but I don't think you'll do that."

Yun Chang'an smiled awkwardly and said nothing.

Master Chao stood up, as if his mood was relieved. He no longer lamented, his face was as bright as a rainbow, and he regained some of the demeanor of a Confucian saint. "I should say, the more I see you, the happier I am. I have accepted three closed disciples in my life. I thought I would close the door and not accept any more disciples, but now that I think about it, I have met you, and my mind has become active again. How strange."

Yun Changan sighed, "The conference will begin today. After observing it for a while, we will leave Wangliang Town and head north to Jinyuan Territory."

The master smiled and said, "Okay, if we meet, we will part. If we are destined to meet, we will meet somewhere. If we meet in the future, sit down with me and have a good chat. Don't refuse me and drink with me."

The two men stood side by side and walked out of the palace silently. Yun Chang'an carried the Saint-Slaying Sword on his back and a Four-Yang Gourd Lamp dangled from his waist. The little gourd was also released. In the eyes of outsiders, it was Yun Chang'an's pet, a seemingly inconspicuous big black dog. Yun Chang'an did not explain too much about this. It was just right to use this wrong perception to conceal the true identity of the little gourd, and it also saved a lot of trouble.

Following Master Chao's footsteps, they came to Beishanfang, the dragon fighting arena built with a huge amount of money. Master Chao walked behind Su Zhiyao, while Lin Chong stood beside King Damin with his hands in his sleeves.

Yun Changan found a place that was not too conspicuous and looked at the crowds of people from the sect below the stage.

Su Ziyu stood on the stage, dressed in green and looking very elegant. He introduced the relevant rules of the conference and the disciples of each sect.