A Clash of Ideologies

"However, I still have some questions," Qian Renxue said.

"Excuse me."

Qian Renxue considered for a moment and said, "I understand what you mean: to win over Commoners Soul Master to work for us. Because Commoners Soul Master have no foundation, their loyalty can be guaranteed. But the problem is that there is another force on the continent doing the same thing."

"The Spirit Hall," Chen Feng said, uttering the name of the faction.

"That's right. What the Spirit Hall does is to recruit Commoners Soul Master from all over the continent, train them, and turn them into their own. If we want to do the same, how can we compete with them?" Qian Renxue asked.

A smile flashed in Chen Feng's eyes. The fact that Qian Renxue was asking this question meant that she was indeed considering "independence" and was no longer just an accessory to Bibi Dong as before.

Now, she wants to be the lead!

Then Chen Feng will definitely have to add fuel to the fire, making Qian Renxue's ambition burn even brighter.

"Does Your Highness still remember those few Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring from our Academy during the Spirit Master Tournament?"

"Of course I remember, that scene was unforgettable, I can't forget it even if I wanted to," Qian Renxue said with emotion. "Could it be that Xiao Feng is going to use the technique of the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring as a bargaining chip to win over Commoners Soul Master?"

"Why limit myself to the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring limit? Perhaps I have other good things," Chen Feng said with a smile.

During and after the Spirit Master Tournament, various factions were clearly interested in the techniques for the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring. Many people inquired about it openly and secretly, but due to the background of Chen Feng and his group, not many dared to act recklessly.

After Shi Nian died under mysterious circumstances, even fewer people dared to use extreme methods, and most people guessed that the technique must have come from that Scholar.

It wasn't until Chen Feng revealed his identity during the Finals that people realized that the Scholar and the young man were actually the same person.

However, after returning to the Academy after the competition, Chen Feng lived a secluded life, rarely showing his face outside. With the Academy prohibiting unauthorized personnel from entering, it was difficult for outsiders to even see Chen Feng, let alone obtain the technique of the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring.

Some people tried to find connections with the Golden Iron Triangle, but they couldn't get anything useful from that old mudfish, Flender. He'd just say "yes, yes, yes" when asked, but if they wanted anything practical? No way!

Even when the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan sent people, Grandmaster and Liu Erlong didn't reveal anything; they wouldn't disrupt Chen Feng's plans.

Some people of high status or who considered themselves to be of high status chose to go to Ning Fengzhi, but he was also a master of playing it safe. As the sect leader of one of the Upper Three Sects, he had nothing to fear from anyone.

Under the protection of these teachers and mentors, Chen Feng had a relatively easy time during this period and was able to steadily advance his Academy plan.

The trick to the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring is the first bait he throws out.

"Really?" Qian Renxue asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

Although this technique is no longer useful to her, mastering it would be extremely beneficial for developing her power. Logically speaking, Chen Feng shouldn't have released it so easily.

However, recalling the Foundation Building Method from before, Qian Renxue was momentarily unsure.

"Of course it's true. I've always believed that Martial Soul and Soul Power should be tools for us to understand and transform the world, not just weapons to hurt each other. That's a misguided path, but too many people have gone down that path. To guide them back to the right path, we need to take it one step at a time," Chen Feng said with a smile.

Qian Renxue suddenly realized, "So the Foundation Building Method and the Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring are both tools you used to guide the world?"

Chen Feng nodded slightly. "Yes, if we want more people to get on the right path, we naturally have to show the advantages of that path. Otherwise, what reason would people have to change their path?"

Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment. She looked at Chen Feng and couldn't help but sigh. While most people were still fighting over petty gains, this young Scholar was already thinking about something as important as the future of Soul Master.

Compared to this, the Spirit Hall, this so-called organization of Soul Master, seems like a joke.

For so many years, the Spirit Hall has not made the slightest improvement to the path of the Soul Master. Thinking of this, Qian Renxue felt a strange sense of shame. This was the shame of a person with a conscience for holding a position without doing any work.

However, this shame came and went quickly, because Qian Renxue suddenly realized that if she, as the Young Lord of the Spirit Hall, helped Chen Feng in this matter, then the Spirit Hall would naturally be considered involved, and how could this be considered as occupying a position without doing any work?

Thinking this way, Qian Renxue felt much better.

That's right, she is the true representative of the Spirit Hall. As for that woman, she is merely acting as the Pope.

When she takes control of and prospers the Heaven Dou Empire, and returns as a queen sweeping across the continent, it will be the time when the positions of Pope the Spirit Hall and Emperor of the Empire are combined.

At that time, she would be the true ruler of the entire continent and the first Kingly Ruler in the continent's history.

What is this woman fantasizing about? Chen Feng looked at Qian Renxue, who had a mysterious smile on her face, with a strange expression.

He felt that the woman's current state resembled that of a delusional teenager who would occasionally drift off into daydreams.

Seemingly noticing Chen Feng's unusual gaze, Qian Renxue coughed lightly and said casually, "This is a remarkable revolution. Since the creation of the Soul Master profession, no one has achieved such a significant innovation as you."

"That's because few people think about it this way. When the tools don't work well, we should try to improve them, instead of just being content with the status quo," Chen Feng said calmly.

Qian Renxue thought for a moment and agreed, "What you said makes sense. So what do you plan to do?"

"I plan to Starting Point with the Academy and gradually spread this knowledge, while also attracting like-minded people," Chen Feng said, revealing his long-planned strategy.

"Could you give me a little hint first? I'm very curious," Qian Renxue said with great interest.

"Of course, actually, this so-called ' Ten-Thousand-Year Fourth Ring Technique' isn't anything special once you break it down."

"Oh?"

Before we get to that, Your Highness, have you ever heard of Soul Shock?

What is that?

"That's a special ability that Soul Beast aged Ten-Thousand-Year years or more develop after death, before their souls dissipate. It can damage the spirit of the Soul Master who absorbs Soul Ring of that level."

Qian Renxue frowned slightly. "Why haven't I heard of this saying before?"

"Because in the past, when people absorbed Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, they had mostly reached level fifty. At this point, the various functions of Soul Master had basically matured, and their Mental Power had also grown to a certain extent, so the impact of Soul Shock would be greatly reduced."

Qian Renxue understood. "The weakening of the influence would make it less noticeable, not to mention that at this time, the spiritual perception ability of Soul Master is not refined to that extent. Therefore, people will pay more attention to whether their body can withstand the impact of the Soul Beast's Soul Power when absorbing the Soul Ring."

"Yes, and given the quality of most Soul Master, even if they sense something is wrong during the process of absorbing Soul Ring, they probably wouldn't have the inclination to investigate further," Chen Feng added.

Qian Renxue couldn't help but chuckle. "It seems you're somewhat disappointed with the current research abilities of Soul Master, Xiao Feng."

"It's not fair to call it disappointment." Chen Feng shook his head seriously.

"Then how should I put it?" Qian Renxue asked curiously.

"I should say I didn't have any expectations at all," Chen Feng said calmly.

Qian Renxue was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but chuckle, "You mustn't tell anyone that, or you'll probably get a reputation for being arrogant."

Chen Feng nodded. "That's natural. Getting back to the point, due to the existence of Soul Shock, it's normally impossible to absorb Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring at the fourth stage. The reason we were able to succeed is because we used a method to avoid the occurrence of Soul Shock."

"Avoid it? But every time Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast dies, there will be Soul Shock. How can this be avoided?" Qian Renxue asked in confusion.

"It's simple, just don't let it die," Chen Feng said with a smile.

Qian Renxue didn't react at first, but she quickly understood Chen Feng's meaning and stood up in shock. "You mean, you obtained your Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring without killing Soul Beast?"

"That's right."

Qian Renxue stared intently at Chen Feng, her mind racing with a multitude of thoughts.

To be honest, she valued this boy highly, but now she realized that her valuing him might not be enough.

As the Young Lord of the Spirit Hall and a direct descendant of the Angel God, she knew more than most people, so she was well aware that there was indeed more than one way to obtain Soul Ring.

The problem is that, apart from hunting Soul Beast, none of these methods are easy to achieve; otherwise, the Soul Master profession wouldn't have remained largely unchanged for so many years.

"Is it Sacrifice?" Qian Renxue asked tentatively. As she asked, she was already prepared that if Chen Feng showed any doubt that she knew about the Sacrifice, she would use the royal library as an excuse.

But Chen Feng didn't pay attention to this, and shook his head, saying, "Sacrifice is an ability that only Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast possess; we only have Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring."

"Then—I've heard legends of gods who can bestow Soul Ring, could it be that you—"

"Your Highness, isn't human wisdom more practical than that of gods? We don't need divine gifts; all we need is mutual trust and cooperation between humans and Soul Beast."

Qian Renxue gave Chen Feng a deep look, then sat down and remained silent for a while.

In her mind, gods were the only beings capable of breaking the rules, but now that Chen Feng had also broken the rules, her worldview was greatly affected.

"Truly... a genius beyond compare." Qian Renxue exclaimed sincerely.

"It's just that I've thought about things a bit more than others, but that's not important. What's important is that this path is completely opposite to the current path of Soul Master, and that's a problem." Chen Feng gently tapped the table.

Qian Renxue snapped out of her daze and frowned.

Indeed, if it's a theory like Foundation Building Method, which is merely icing on the cake, then the consequences won't be too great. But if it's a theory that overturns the current path of Soul Master, once it appears in the world, it might cause unpredictable consequences.

Her first thought was of the Spirit Hall. Faced with the emergence of this theory, would the Spirit Hall directly resort to personal destruction to eliminate it?

Qian Renxue didn't know; she didn't even know what attitude she should take towards this theory.

After all, the reason why the Angel God was revered by all was because He destroyed many evil Soul Beast and brought peace to mankind.

Now, Chen Feng wants humans and Soul Beast to trust and cooperate with each other, which is a subversion of the Angel God and a rebellion against the traditional ideology of Soul Master.

If Qian Renxue hadn't valued Chen Feng's talent and couldn't bear to harm him, she might have even considered silencing him.

"This matter requires careful consideration," Qian Renxue said in a deep voice.

"Of course," Chen Feng said, secretly relieved.

What he just said was naturally risky. Telling a descendant of an Angel God that we should unite and coexist with Soul Beast is tantamount to promoting red ideology to a candidate for leadership of the blue camp.

Using "death" is insufficient to describe this behavior.

The reason Chen Feng still did this was twofold: firstly, he possessed sufficient value, and even if Qian Renxue became dissatisfied with him, she would most likely not harm him, but would instead try to subdue him and bring him back to the "right path."

Secondly, because Qian Renxue infiltrated the Heaven Dou Empire at a very young age, even if the Angel God held considerable weight in her heart, it might not have made her so fanatical as to lose her mind and act recklessly.

As long as one can still think, one will weigh the pros and cons and thus make a choice between faith and self-interest.

Therefore, Chen Feng chose to conduct this test, and the result was obvious: Qian Renxue did not react strongly.

"When will your New Academy be completed?" Qian Renxue asked.

"There's still about half a year left."

"What knowledge do you plan to impart to the students then?"

"His Your Highness has said that caution is necessary, so I naturally won't teach it lightly," Chen Feng said with a smile.

Qian Renxue breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I will come to see you again during this period to try to come up with a proper solution. However, this knowledge is too sensitive. Besides that, is there anything else you can teach me?"

"Of course, there are Dou Technique, Soul Power control skills, Soul Guidance Theory, and Moral Character, etc."

Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow. "I can roughly understand the first two, but what do you mean by Soul Guidance Theory and Moral Character?"

"The Soul Guidance Theory is too complex to explain in a short time. We can discuss it again later. As for Moral Character, I believe that in addition to cultivating students' abilities, universities should also cultivate their moral character. Otherwise, the people they produce will be talented but lack virtue, and will only become a scourge to society," Chen Feng said, expressing his thoughts.

The Way of the University us to manifest our bright virtue, to love the people, and to attain the highest good.

Character development is an essential part of school education.

Some universities cultivate pillars of the nation, while others mostly produce traitors, collaborators, and feminists. This is because the concept of "morality" has gone wrong.