"Second brother, don't you value lineage highly?" Heavenly Dao teased, "How come he even catches your eye?"
The Yuanshi Daoist glanced at him and said calmly, "I don't value lineage, but rather the destiny bestowed by Heaven. If one possesses the Qi and fortune of Heaven and Earth, one's lineage is naturally good; this is acting in accordance with Heaven's will."
"That boy..."
Yuanshi's gaze fell on Dharma Body: "Those who Heavenly Dao will naturally have their own destiny."
Zheng Fa was stunned by Yuanshi, wondering why this Yuanshi thought so highly of him.
Yuanshi then pointed to the light screen Dharma Body and laughed, "Moreover, the clan founded by Junior Sister was originally favored by the destiny of heaven and earth."
Zheng Fa pondered to himself, although in modern legends the Yuanshi Daoist had very high standards, there were quite a few Human Race among the disciples of the Chan School, especially the later generations.
Simply put, viewing the Yuanshi as a racist would be an underestimation of him; he was clearly an elitist.
"I actually think his Dharma Aspect with mine!" Tongtian snorted. "According to him, we need to educate all without discrimination and open our gates wide to cultivate more Human Race, enabling them to understand their true nature, increase their wisdom, and thus advance the Dao. Not to mention, the Dao needs... to evolve, and it most requires breaking down the old and establishing the new."
Yuanshi glanced at him and said coldly, "Destroy the old and establish the new? If there is no distinction between right and wrong, wouldn't that be abandoning good and promoting evil? Which of your disciples is capable of shouldering such a heavy responsibility?"
"Second brother, what's the use if our disciple is cut from the same mold as us?"
"..."
Zheng Fa was completely dumbfounded.
They seemed to be arguing about themselves at first, so how did they end up arguing?
But as he listened, he began to understand.
The biggest problem with Yuanshi Tongtian lies in their educational philosophies:
Yuanshi believed that the Heavenly Dao should be controlled by the most outstanding group of people, otherwise order would be lost and the world would descend into chaos.
Tongtian is different; he has a broader perspective and is relatively more energetic. He is more willing to give opportunities to those less outstanding races, believing that only in this way can they create different Daoist methods.
From this perspective, Zheng Fa leans more towards Tongtian's ideas—in the Nine Mountains Sect, what he put the most effort into promoting was essentially four words: educational equity.
On the other hand, Tongtian's ideas are close to... pluralism.
He believed that allowing disciples to develop their strengths was the only way to ensure they could surpass their teachers, which was true. However, Zheng Fa did not quite agree with this because he was almost permissive in the process of training his disciples.
Yuanshi and Tongtian had Yuanshi different ideas and couldn't agree on anything. They were about to start arguing, but they stopped because there were guests around.
Yuanshi's expression was ashen, Tongtian was even more furious. Neither of them looked at each other, their backs turned to the other. Tongtian, seemingly catching a glimpse of Zheng Fa out of the corner of his eye, suddenly asked, "Who do you think is right?"
"..."
Zheng Fa looked as helpless as a child.
When I was a child, some nosy adults in the village would ask silly questions—like whether I liked my father or my mother more, just like right now.
What does your argument have to do with me?
He looked at the Nuwa, pleading, "Your Majesty, please save me!"
To everyone's surprise, the Nuwa seemed quite interested, watching with a smile from the side.
The Taishang Beings and the others were also looking at him, seemingly waiting for an answer.
This is a question that will offend people no matter how you look at it, so it's better to just say what you really think:
"I think there's no problem with taking on many disciples," Zheng Fa said slowly. "Otherwise, what advantage can Human Race have?"
On the issue of popularizing education, Zheng Fa might be more steadfast, even more radical, than Tongtian.
Tongtian grinned and laughed.
"But on the other hand, I believe that once a certain educational philosophy is established, especially in the early stages of nurturing disciples, one should not be too permissive."
Tongtian's lips curled into a smile again. He looked at Zheng Fa and snorted, "That's a slippery answer."
"This is my true thought," Zheng Fa replied. "In fact, this is also my true approach."
Seeing his sincerity, Tongtian and the others became curious again. "The real method?"
"This is also my answer to Your Majesty's third question," Zheng Fa, looking at Nuwa.
"The third question?" Tongtian looked at Nuwa and asked, "What question?"
Nuwa smiled and said, "I asked him, was creating humans right or wrong?"
"This question..." Tongtian said in surprise, "Is a bit difficult."
Nuwa did not refute, but looked at Zheng Fa with some expectation in her eyes. "But you already have an answer."
Zheng Fa gently shook his head. "It's not an answer, and I can't possibly give you an answer, Your Majesty."
To put it bluntly...
Of the three questions about the Nuwa, the second one, which requires in-depth study, is why it was the Human Race.
But the hardest question to answer is actually the third one.
The question of right and wrong in creating human beings is highly subjective; fundamentally, it boils down to values.
For Zheng Fa, he certainly thought having children was a good thing.
But for Nuwa, the situation was more complicated—most importantly, Zheng Fa had no idea why the First Era had been lost to history.
Nuwa created humans to strengthen the Dao, but in the end, even the Primordial Wilderness world ceased to exist...
He looked at Nuwa and said, "Whether creating humans was right or wrong is not for me to judge, but for you, Your Majesty."
"I asked you a question, and you expect me to answer it?" Nuwa frowned slightly, seemingly displeased.
No, it's just that I can't give you an answer.
Nuwa paused for a moment, but Zheng Fa didn't explain further; he simply tapped the light screen with his finger.
The images on the screen rotated, and suddenly blue sky and white clouds appeared. The camera panned down, revealing a split image.
On one side is a steel forest, with the outlines of skyscrapers reflected in the sky, and the city's neon lights shining brightly.
On one side are the Three Enclosures and Four Symbols, where Divine Spirits come and go between immortals and mortals, and cultivators shuttle through the clouds.
"This is..."
The five sages were all somewhat curious, but Tongtian, simply asked.
"These are the two worlds I inhabit," Zheng Fa said with a smile. "Your Majesty, my answer lies within them."
The five saints all stared at the light screen.
To put it simply, this is a documentary.
On the one hand, Zheng Fa knew he wasn't exactly eloquent and couldn't pull off the sophisticated maneuver of using flowery language.
On the other hand, he knew even better that none of the six people in front of him could be swayed by words.
But he had to try.
Participating in such a massive undertaking as procreation can be incredibly beneficial.
That's why he prepared another documentary—simply put, for these six people to watch directly.
Tang Lingwu appeared first, looking slightly nervous as she spoke to the camera, "Since the establishment of the Immortal Way Federation, the Confederation Research Institute has recruited 30,000 researchers. This is the headquarters of the Confederation Research Institute."
Nuwa and the others couldn't quite understand what she was saying, but Zheng Fa thoughtfully added subtitles, so the people in the hall didn't have much trouble understanding her.
" The Immortal Way Federation?" Tongtian looked at Zheng Fa with some curiosity. "Is this your organization?"
Zheng Fa nodded slightly and said, " The Immortal Way Federation has only been established for less than a hundred years."
Nuwa and the others grew increasingly curious. They had, of course, discerned Zheng Fa's intentions, but a hundred years?
A century is just a short nap for them.
In the video, Tang Lingwu, with the camera in hand, arrives at a classroom in Rainbow Mountain.
The classroom was packed with people. Old Man Bai stood on the podium, spittle and talismans flying everywhere, full of passion, seemingly unaware of Tang Lingwu's arrival.
"Students, you don't need to take your books, just listen to me." The Old Man Bai smirked. "This book is newly compiled, and there may be errors. If what I say is different from what you say, take my version as the standard."
Tongtian laughed heartily, "... This person is quite confident."
Tang Lingwu's weak voice came through, as if she was trying to salvage the situation. "Not every teacher in our research institute is like that."
The six saints didn't mind; they simply listened attentively to Old Man Bai's lecture. With their cultivation levels, there was nothing they couldn't understand.
The Yuanshi Daoist nodded slightly and said, "To have such insights in just a hundred years, this person is quite talented."
Tongtian nodded slightly. "The idea is novel; he's a promising talent."
Although Old Man Bai's talent for cultivation was lacking, his understanding of the Talisman Dao was always top-notch. Most importantly, many of his insights were based on modern Topology theories, which, while not exactly enlightening for Yuanshi Shi and the others, were still quite interesting.
Not to mention, Tongtian also used the word "fresh" to describe it—for beings like them, the fact that the lecture content could feel fresh was already quite remarkable.
Tang Lingwu walked through the research institute and recorded many of its teaching and research processes.
Modern research institutes still focus primarily on research—to date, they do not admit undergraduate students, but instead recruit outstanding students from various universities.
Therefore, most students already possess relatively complete scientific literacy before entering graduate school.
To Yuanshi and others, this was even more interesting.
Even the usually taciturn Taishang asked, "Are these all your newly accepted disciples?"
"Exactly."
The Taishang nodded slightly, his face showing approval, and said, "Both are good."
Yuanshi chimed in, "Quick-witted, insightful, and highly perceptive..."
He paused, then added, "Better than Tongtian's haphazard disciples."
"Second brother!" Tongtian glared, as if about to retort.
What? You don't think so?
Tongtian glanced a few more times at the students engaged in heated discussions on the light screen, then fell silent.
Zheng Fa chuckled and said, "It's not that these disciples are more outstanding than Heavenly Dao's disciples, but rather that they have received the appropriate education."
Upon hearing this, Yuanshi glanced at Tongtian again, seemingly disappointed in him.
Zheng Fa also found it intriguing. To be honest, he hadn't expected these Sage to be so genuine. But thinking about it, he understood. These people were at the top of the food chain; they couldn't just do whatever they wanted.
It's just that others can't see them like this.
In the video, Tang Lingwu is also introducing. "With the help of the Confederation Research Institute, the world's per capita food production and per capita electricity generation have far exceeded the needs for survival."
"Today, the Federation education system is completely free, covering over 97 percent of the world's population."
Although the Immortal Way Federation has not been established for long, it has developed rapidly. Under the suppression of Zheng Fa's absolute military power, it can be said that it has not encountered any obstacles.
With the development of staple foods such as the Nine Mountains and Spirit Wheat series, and the promotion of External Core energy, things are progressing almost daily.
The biggest change is actually in the Modern World's education system, where universities have become part of basic education, while the Immortal Way Research Institute is the only form of higher education.
"To ensure education for all," Zheng Fa explained, "This world practices a compulsory education system, where school-age children can enroll without any conditions, and they even receive a living allowance."
This wasn't Zheng Fa's intention, but rather driven by the interests of the various Federation states themselves. Under the Federation's suppression, war had disappeared, but the Federation states were not united and were still competing—the admission rate of the Confederation Research Institute, the number of Immortal Way talents, and the efficiency of the education system.
Initially, the Federation model was chosen primarily because Zheng Fa was impatient with dealing with mundane affairs, and therefore allowed each state to retain most of the power.
But now, this model of preserving national boundaries has given him a small surprise—countries have retained their competitive spirit and are paying crazy attention to education and talent.
The ease of immigration within the Federation led to fierce competition among nations for various welfare benefits; in short, they were constantly vying for people.
This has led to a rapid improvement in the quality of students at the Confederation Research Institute over the past fifty years, to the point that even the Yuanshi were satisfied.
After Tang Lingwu's scene ended, the camera switched, Mu Qingyan's face reappeared.
She flew towards an island with her camera, introducing it as she said, "We're going to Literary Star Island in Supreme Palace Enclosure."
" Literary Star Island?" Yuanshi seemed intrigued. "What does that mean?"
Zheng Fa smiled without saying a word. Yuanshi glanced at him but didn't press the matter, though his expression was somewhat displeased.
" On Literary Star Island, there is the editorial department of ' The Heavenly Dao,' as well as the Nine Mountains University Textbook Press, the Cultivation Method Compilation Office, and the journal editorial departments of various guilds."
Fortunately, Mu Qingyan in the picture answered his question.
"The book editor?"
Tongtian suddenly realized.
"This is where the results of Daoist practices are organized."
Zheng Fa explained.
To prove the value of creating humans, frankly speaking, is to prove the Human Race's contribution to the succession of Daoist principles.
The modern scenes showcase Zheng Fa's educational philosophy and the talents he has cultivated—the key point being that these talents are all Human Race, and quite young, even those with low cultivation Human Race.
But in the Nine Mountains Realm, what Zheng Fa wants to showcase is the result of their creation.
"Since the establishment of Literary Star Island," Mu Qingyan continued, " the Nine Mountains Sect has created more than two thousand new Cultivation Method, including three that directly lead to the Mahayana and seventeen that can be cultivated to the Spirit Transformation..."
"Designed and manufactured over four hundred new magical Law Treasure."
"More than eighty kinds of Pill Formula have been developed or improved."
"Thirteen different formations were designed."
Hearing this, Tongtian suddenly laughed and asked Yuanshi, "Second brother, you have high standards and are skilled in weapon crafting, so your junior disciples must all be quite talented and capable."
Yuanshi's face darkened, as if he had guessed what he was going to say.
"But in all these years, I haven't heard of any New Method designed by your disciples..."
"Your disciple has it?"
Tongtian also held back.
The hall was eerily quiet.
The Daoist cultivators seated at the lower level looked at the light screen, then at Zheng Fa, their heads filled with question marks—wasn't this a test for him?
(End of this chapter)