Chapter 135: Confucian Debate

Master Yi Chuan held his disciplinary ruler, naturally imposing without a trace of anger.

"You, step forward and receive your punishment."

Hearing that Master Yi Chuan was about to strike him, Fan Li laughed.

"On what grounds?"

"Disrespectful to elders and teachers, ignorant and unskilled—should you not be punished?"

Fan Li's smile grew even wider.

"The Master says I am ignorant and unskilled? May I ask, from which classic text do the principles you just spoke of originate? And whose grand words among the sages are they?"

"They do not originate from any classic; they are the summary of my own years of experience in Confucian cultivation," Master Yi Chuan said proudly.

Hearing this, Fan Li shook his head.

"If I have never heard the Master's individual theories, how can you blame me for being ignorant and unskilled? Could it be that the Master's principles have already been included in Luming Academy as mandatory coursework?"

"This...!?"

Although Master Yi Chuan harbored grand ambitions to establish his own school of thought within the Confucian cultivation circles, he was not yet qualified to do so. Even this trip to the academy to lecture was merely a test for him by Luming Academy.

If the lecture results were exceptional and the students' response enthusiastic, he would be frequently invited to hold classes in the future. If the response was mediocre, the academy would not issue a second invitation, lest he mislead the youth.

"Furthermore, truth is not made clear without debate, and the Dao is not understood without discussion," Fan Li smiled. "If the Master intends to write books and establish doctrines, do you always rely on brute force to suppress those who hold differing opinions?"

"Are you trying to debate with me?" Master Yi Chuan showed a look of astonishment.

"Bah! Smelly brat! A mere Foundation Establishment Confucian cultivator like you, what qualifications do you have to discourse on the Dao with the Master?" Zhu Ziyang jumped out and said, "I will surely report today's matter to the Academy Principal and have your student status revoked!"

Master Yi Chuan cast an approving glance at Zhu Ziyang, thinking that all students should be like him.

"Very well."

"If I do not debate with you, others will merely think me narrow-minded."

Though Master Yi Chuan spoke thus, inwardly he thought that once he defeated Fan Li in debate, the charge of disrupting the classroom would be firmly established, making the revocation of his student status unavoidable!

"Bring brush and ink!"

Intent on establishing his prestige, Master Yi Chuan raised his voice quite a bit.

Inside Luming Academy, several Confucian scholars who had not originally attended the class heard that a student dared to debate with a Grand Confucian scholar and immediately gathered around.

When the seats were filled, some climbed up trees, walls, and rockeries.

In no time at all, over a thousand people had gathered!

"Are we not starting yet?"

After waiting in vain for quite a while, seeing Master Yi Chuan maintain a leisurely and carefree demeanor, Fan Li impatiently urged him on.

The Grand Confucian narrowed his eyes, estimating that the crowd of observing scholars was large enough to maximize the effect of establishing his authority, and finally nodded.

"Let us begin."

Confucian debates were far more than mere verbal sparring. Both sides of the debate had to write their principles on paper and allow the Heavenly Dao to sense them.

If the words carried profound and vital truths, the Heavenly Dao would undoubtedly respond—this was known as the phenomenon born from the brushstroke.

If the words were absurd theories and heretical doctrines, the Heavenly Dao would either ignore them completely or strike down with heavenly thunder—both were entirely possible.

"Junior, watch closely."

With these words, Master Yi Chuan lifted his brush and let it fall.

Fan Li frowned and shook his head.

This old Confucian truly lacked any shred of grace. Facing a junior like him, he actually insisted on seizing the initiative?

"Principle is the foundation of all things."

Five regular script characters leaped onto the paper, written with vigorous and powerful strokes that were indeed quite impressive.

The next instant, the paper emitted a faint green glow. The five regular script characters leaped off the page, suspending themselves in mid-air and producing the sound of bells and drums.

"The teacher's writing has been recognized by the Heavenly Dao, descending with a vast and auspicious glow, accompanied by the music of the Dao!" Zhu Ziyang cried out in alarm.

The observing scholars nodded one after another as well, thinking that Master Yi Chuan was indeed a Grand Confucian of his generation.

However, they were far from being as shocked as Zhu Ziyang. After all, every Grand Confucian who came to Luming Academy to lecture could achieve this level of manifesting spiritual breath with their brushwork. Sometimes, their phenomena were even grander than Master Yi Chuan's.

"Hahaha..."

Master Yi Chuan stroked his beard and smiled, looking quite pleased with himself.

Fan Li thought to himself, Is it my turn now?

Yet he had not expected the old scholar's self-restraint to be so poor that he once again lifted his brush and applied ink.

"To starve to death is a small matter, but to lose one's integrity is a grave matter!"

"Eliminate human desires, preserve heavenly principles!"

"All things in the world can be thoroughly investigated, and they all boil down to a single principle!"

On three sheets of xuan paper, ripples of faint emerald green light emerged once more. Three sentences similarly floated from the paper, suspending themselves in mid-air and accompanied by the music of silk and bamboo instruments.

Zhu Ziyang applauded and said, "The teacher's supreme aphorisms are worthy of being passed down through the ages!"

"Sycophant."

The Saintess of Cold Moon interjected bluntly. She did not deliberately lower her volume, and many present could hear her clearly.

The scholars suppressed their smiles, alternately glancing at the Saintess of Cold Moon and Zhu Ziyang.

Indeed, a sycophant.

Although Master Yi Chuan had demonstrated a high level of proficiency in Confucian learning, it was far from reaching the exaggerated extent of being 'worthy of being passed down through the ages'—at best, it was merely his own biased viewpoint.

Famous quotes handed down through the ages could only possibly be achieved by sages and great Confucians of past dynasties. The saying goes that a sage's words carry myriad phenomena and shake heaven and earth! How could this current level of display compare?

"Junior, it is your turn." Master Yi Chuan put down his brush and looked at Fan Li with the posture of a victor.

Fan Li sighed.

He raised his brush, yet did not let it fall.

He had long known what to write, but he felt a sense of regret. In these chaotic times, talented individuals were scarce. Master Yi Chuan could also be considered a talent, but unfortunately, his learning had gone down a blind alley, and his future achievements would be limited.

Above all, his moral character was somewhat lacking, and in the end, Fan Li lost any interest in recruiting him.

"Are you going to write or not, you brat? Could it be that your mind is empty of ink and you've forgotten how to write?" Zhu Ziyang sneered.

Fan Li couldn't even be bothered to spare another glance at such a bootlicking villain.

Finally, he let his brush descend.

"Emancipate the mind, seek truth from facts."

Zhu Ziyang: "???"

The gathered scholars: "???"

Master Yi Chuan: "This...???"

Supreme truths and aphorisms have never been limited to classical Chinese.

Fan Li thought: Even if Yi Chuan and Zhu Ziyang are beyond saving, there is still an entire academy of Confucian scholars here. I cannot let pedantic Confucian ideologies shackle them.

What utter nonsense like 'all things in the world can be thoroughly investigated, and they all boil down to a single principle'? Forcing complex problems into simplistic answers was mere sophistry.

Fan Li continued to write: "The sea embraces a hundred rivers, its capacity makes it great."

Even if the three thousand Great Dao cannot be fully comprehended, it is still better than burying one's head in the sand and denying the existence of the three thousand Great Dao.

Fan Li originally felt that writing two sentences would be enough. But then he suddenly thought of four more words, and he added them without hesitation:

"Seek common ground while reserving differences."

In his past life, the figures of those two great leaders seemed to appear before Fan Li's eyes at this moment.

"Junior!"

"These three sentences you wrote, from which classic text do they originate? Why has this old man never read them?"

Master Yi Chuan demanded loudly.

Fan Li glanced at him indifferently and replied, "You read too little, is that my fault?"

"You...!?" Master Yi Chuan was so angry he almost pulled out his disciplinary ruler. But facing the presence of over a thousand academy students, he managed to restrain himself after all.

These three sentences by Fan Li were thought-provoking and lingered endlessly in the mind. In particular, each sentence powerfully refuted Yi Chuan's statements!

"Fortunately, no phenomenon was born from the brushstroke..."

Just as this thought popped into Master Yi Chuan's mind, he heard a vast and distant bell chime echo from the sky above.

Ancient, profound, and lingering, it resonated across heaven and earth!