Chapter 1693: Qufu
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
“As expected of the World’s Teacher…” Wu Chen remarked in awe.
“Kong s.h.i.+ is known not just for his unparalleled fighting prowess but his astounding intelligence as well. He played a huge role in constructing a systematic lineage for the inheritance of numerous occupations. Of the Lower, Middle, and Upper Nine Paths, he organized no less than twenty occupations!” Sword Saint Xing explained with an excited gleam in his eyes.
The lineage of master teachers originated from Kong s.h.i.+. There was no master teacher in the world who was not filled with awe and respect for Kong s.h.i.+.
Zhang Xuan did not partic.i.p.ate in the conversation with the rest of the crowd. Instead, he stared into the ma.s.sive temple sealed within the ‘sun’ as a hint of bewilderment seeped into his eyes. For some reason, he could feel something within beckoning him.
As if resonating with this beckoning, the Library of Heaven’s Path trembled lightly, and the countless books stored within shook along with its movements.
Is there an artifact in the Temple of Confucius that could upgrade the Library of Heaven’s Path? Zhang Xuan wondered with a frown.
The Library of Heaven’s Path had always maintained a state of impa.s.siveness to whatever happened around him. Rarely did it move of its own accord. Yet, at this moment, it was shaking non-stop.
It had not been this excited even when he paid a visit to the Seer Guild before.
Could it be that there was something that the Library of Heaven’s Path desired in the Temple of Confucius?
If that was the case, he would have to make sure to acquire it.
The reason he had been able to advance from a nameless n.o.body to an esteemed expert whom no one did not know of was not because of his astounding talent, high morals, or extreme diligence… rather, it was due to the Library of Heaven’s Path!
If not for the Library of Heaven’s Path, it was likely that he would still have been struggling in the Tianxuan Kingdom, attempting to push for a breakthrough to become a 1-star master teacher.
Without a doubt, the Library of Heaven’s Path was his greatest a.s.set and trump card. No matter what dangers he would have to face, it would all be worth it if he could upgrade it further.
He activated his Eye of Insight in an attempt to peer into the sun. However, despite having flown several hundred li into Qufu, he was still unable to look into the depths of the Temple of Confucius. There seemed to be some kind of veil covering the temple, obscuring it from sight.
“The Temple of Confucius is located in a folded s.p.a.ce. Until it’s completely opened, not even Ancient Sages will be able to reach it even if they fly for over a decade,” Luo Ruoxin explained.
Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in astonishment.
In a sense, this was similar to how the sun was in his previous life. It seemed to hang directly above Earth, creating an illusion that it could be easily reached as long as one flew into the sky. But in truth, even if one moved at the speed of light, it would still take eight minutes in order to reach the sun.
“If we can still see it even from such a long distance away, how big must the Temple of Confucius be?” Zhang Xuan could not help but voice the question on his mind.
The reason that was the case for the sun was simply because of its ma.s.sive scale.
If it was the same for the Temple of Confucius as well, could it actually be a gigantic world of its own?
“The Temple of Confucius isn’t too big. It’s a type of spatial manipulation; in truth, it isn’t that far away from us,” Luo Ruoxin replied.
It seemed like she had quite a deep understanding of the Temple of Confucius.
While they were chatting with one another, an ancient city soon came into view. The crowd quickly made their way over.
The land where the Temple of Confucius was located, Qufu!
This city was not as prosperous or ma.s.sive as the Empire Alliance, and most of the buildings were ancient and decrepit. However, it had a quiet and peaceful aura, giving rise to a comfortable atmosphere. If one had to describe it, it would be reminiscent of an infant returning to a mother’s embrace.
“This is… the unique aura of a Celestial Master Teacher?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes shot up in astonishment.
The aura looming in the city was extremely similar to the aura that seeped into his body during the acknowledgement of Celestial Master Teacher. The only difference was that the concentration was many times lower.
“There are seemingly intangible forces that manifest in mysterious ways in the world. There is an academic aura for the academics and martial aura for martial arts. These two forces are derived from the unique culture of education and lineages on the Master Teacher Continent, and we collectively refer to them as ‘teacher’s milieu’. If one comes into prolonged contact with teacher’s milieu, one’s state of mind will mature swiftly. One’s thoughts will become more open and discerning, thus leaving little room for inner demons and irrationality to exist!” Sword Saint Xing explained.
“Teacher’s milieu?” Zhang Xuan repeated those two words before nodding slightly.
In truth, this unique aura was not exclusive to Celestial Master Teachers. When a master teacher paid respects to the predecessors in the Teacher Acknowledgement Hall, they could be bestowed with this aura as well. In a sense, it was a symbolism of culture.
It was through the milieu of a teacher that master teachers were able to win the respect of the world and become the leaders of the world.
“Has this place… always been like that?” Zhang Xuan asked.
He focused his attention on the teacher’s milieu around him, and just as Sword Saint Xing had said, the aura was indeed able to bring greater sharpness and acuity to his mind. At the same time, this sparked some doubts in his mind.
The effects of the teacher’s milieu were astounding, such that even the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters’ was unable to compete with it!
Seeing through Zhang Xuan’s doubt, Sword Saint Xing explained, “Before the opening of the Temple of Confucius, while teacher’s milieu still lingered in Qufu, it was far spa.r.s.er than what you can perceive right now. Nevertheless, its enhancement to one’s state of mind was still rather conspicuous if one lived in the area for prolonged periods of time.
“Due to that, Qufu is also known as the ancestral land of the master teachers. Most 9-star master teachers reside in Qufu for a period of their life, not to cultivate or go into seclusion but to experience the life of a mortal and temper their state of mind!
“Take a look at that carpenter over there. Do you notice anything different about him?”
Zhang Xuan turned his gaze over.
By the side of a street, there was a carpenter who was in the midst of crafting a piece of furniture. The movements of his callused hands were extremely precise, as if they had been carefully measured by a ruler. Wooden shavings flew around the place. Before long, a completed product was sitting right before him.
“He is… a 9-star master teacher!” Zhang Xuan was astounded by what he saw.
The carpenter shaved the wood with light strokes that seemed to be devoid of strength, and there was not the slightest hint of zhenqi that could be felt flowing through his body. However, the ocean-like acc.u.mulation of energy that Zhang Xuan could see in the depths of his dantian through the Eye of Insight told a very different story.
Not only was the carpenter likely a 9-star master teacher, chances were that he was an extremely powerful one as well.
“Indeed. He’s a 9-star master teacher who made his name three hundred years ago. He was at Great Sage 2-dan Aureate Body realm back then, so there’s no doubt that he has grown much stronger by now!” Sword Saint Xing replied.
“An Aureate Body realm cultivator doing carpentry?” Zhang Xuan could hardly believe what he was hearing.
All along, he had thought that Great Sage experts were extremely rare among mankind. Yet, who could have thought that even a carpenter that he encountered on the street within Qufu would have reached such a level as well?
“Look at the fishmonger and butcher over there as well… They were all renowned 9-star master teachers in their era. Back then, they still weren’t too powerful, but over the years, they have reached Great Sage 3-dan Intuitive Impulse realm as well, just like me!” Sword Saint Xing explained.
“If nothing had happened to you back then, your mother and I would have come to Qufu to try living an ordinary life as well. Through experiencing the difficulties of mortal life, we would have been able to temper our state of mind and ready ourselves for a breakthrough to higher realms!”
Zhang Xuan nodded quietly in response.
Just as Sword Saint Xing had said, a lot of the ordinary-looking individuals around them were astoundingly Great Sage experts.
They were experts whose silhouettes could rarely be seen even within major clans, but in Qufu, they were as common as cabbage in a wet market.
It was no wonder Qufu was known as the ancestral lands of the master teachers. It seemed like there was indeed a basis to it.
Sword Saint Xing suddenly turned to look at Zhang Xuan and asked curiously, “Right! Xuan-er, what’s your Soul Depth at the moment? If you wish to advance your cultivation as a master teacher, raising your Soul Depth is of the utmost importance. If your Soul Depth isn’t up to par, your heart won’t be calm, and your will won’t be pure. Pus.h.i.+ng your cultivation ahead will become much harder and harder!”
As long as one had a high apt.i.tude, sufficient cultivation resources, and a good teacher, one would be able to advance one’s cultivation rather swiftly. However, tempering one’s state of mind was a step-by-step process that could not be rushed. There was no way to forcefully hasten the process, and any attempts to do so would likely end up bad.
His son was incredibly talented, but that did not change the fact that his son was only twenty this year. To become a 9-star master teacher at such an age… he could not help but wonder how high the Soul Depth of his son was and how he had managed to raise it so quickly.
“My Soul Depth?” Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before replying honestly, “29.1.”