Expounding the Dao

Li Qi looked at Liu Junyi, who was making tea.

It must be said that although this gentleman is not particularly handsome, his demeanor is indeed very attractive.

He wore a blue robe, a jade pendant at his waist, and ordinary black boots. His long hair was combed smoothly and neatly tied into a ponytail with a ribbon. He exuded a scholarly air.

Only...

Are these two brothers?

There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. They all share the surname Liu, so it's not strange to say they're family.

At this moment, Liu Junyi looked up, and like Li Qi, he was somewhat surprised.

However, he immediately realized what was happening and smiled at Li Qi, saying, "Ah, Young Master Li, I didn't expect you to know my brother. What a coincidence! He really has good taste, as always, to have a friend like you."

His voice was as gentle and soothing as when we first met, calm and unhurried, giving one a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze.

The furnishings around him were quite in line with his style; they were just ordinary household appliances, nothing fancy, and the tea wasn't anything special, just enough to quench his thirst.

Li Qi immediately cupped his hands in greeting. "Liu..."

He had just opened his mouth when he realized he couldn't address him as 'Brother Liu' as he usually did, since there was already Liu Shenzhi here, and there couldn't be two Brother Lius.

So he thought for a moment, changed his form of address, and praised, "Liu Zhi, I never expected that you and Canzhi are cousins. It is truly a thriving family with a strong emphasis on learning. There are even two students from the Imperial Academy in your family."

This is Liu Junyi's position: Imperial Academy Lecturer, in charge of assisting the Doctors and Assistant Instructors, specializing in teaching classical texts.

"Haha, it has nothing to do with family tradition, it's just that the two of us are good at thinking things through." Liu Shenzhi, ever the free spirit, immediately burst into laughter, taking all the credit for himself.

Liu Junyi seemed to have gotten used to his cousin's unrestrained behavior and didn't find it too strange, just smiling along with him.

After laughing, Liu Shenzhi seemed to remember something and immediately asked, "By the way, Brother Li, you haven't told me how you met my elder brother yet. Tell me quickly."

"There's not much to say about this matter, but if Brother Liu wants to hear it, I can tell you. I met Liu Zhi at the state banquet back then."

Li Qi then recounted the events that had transpired inside the car.

Liu Junyi remained silent, listening quietly to Li Qi speak.

Li Qi naturally didn't boast about anything, but instead recounted the events of that time in detail, stating exactly what happened without adding any personal bias.

As Liu Shenzhi listened, he suddenly clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Well done! Li Qi, when I asked you about your background, you wouldn't tell me. So you're a young master from Wushen Mountain! No wonder you have magical Law Artifact crafted by the Shaman Path sect!"

Li Qi hesitated, unsure how to respond.

But Liu Shenzhi didn't seem to care much. He immediately told Li Qi to continue, and then, while excitedly commenting on the performances of both sides, he drove his car into the Imperial Academy through another small path on the outskirts.

This path is quite hidden; I don't know how he found it, but there's a loophole that allows him to directly access the school's backyard.

Start from the backyard and continue until you reach the main gate of the academy.

The three chatted casually, and the atmosphere was fairly harmonious.

Upon arriving at the front gate, Liu Shenzhi stopped the carriage. "Alright, we've arrived. We're not here to participate in the sermon. Brother Li, get off here and walk through the front gate to reach the Dao Field."

"Thank you so much, Brother Liu. I really owe you a lot. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have been waiting outside until everyone left." Li Qi said with a wry smile, expressing his gratitude to Liu Shenzhi.

Liu Shenzhi waved his hand. "Hey, why are we talking about this between friends? The Shaman Path Law Artifact you gave me have really helped me a lot. I haven't thanked you yet, why are you thanking me all the time?"

Liu Junyi also stood up and bowed with both hands, a farewell gesture. "I am not yet familiar with Young Master Li, but Scripture Debate with Young Master Li, I can see that you are full of knowledge and have amazing talent. I am sure that you will not find the teachings difficult, but I hope that they will still inspire you. My brother and I will wait here for you, and we can celebrate your success after it is over."

"Yes, I almost forgot, brother. After the sermon, Brother Li should be free, right? You can come to my house as a guest. You've come all this way, alone in Chang'an for the first time. I should at least show you the proper hospitality!" Liu Shenzhi stood up happily beside him. "This is a good way to celebrate your success. You have to give me that face, right?"

One of them was gentle and warm, while the other was carefree and easygoing, like water and fire, yet both were polite and well-mannered.

Li Qi secretly made a mental note of it, and quickly returned the greeting, agreeing to the request.

Then, he got out of the car and walked alone to the Dao Field.

The place for preaching was at the main gate of the Imperial Academy.

All the crowds surged in from the outside, crowding around the Dao Field in circles, making it extremely difficult for anyone to get in from the outside—it was pure torture.

However, since Li Qi came out of the Imperial Academy, he naturally had no obstacles.

When Li Qi walked out of the gate, Mo Benglan and Li Lieqi were already standing in the Dao Field.

Mo Benglan's clansmen had returned to the crowd, eagerly watching their chosen one perform. Mo Benglan had also tidied his clothes, now dressed neatly and in gorgeous attire, with even powder on his face, looking every bit the noble young master.

Li Lieqi was a bit rougher than him, but she had a straight back, was wearing tight-fitting trousers, had strong and long legs, a heroic temperament, and was also quite beautiful. Leading a tall horse, she was still very eye-catching.

However, Li Qi's arrival immediately drew everyone's attention to him.

Because he came from inside, even though he was actually the most plainly dressed person.

Although he is handsome, his appearance is within the normal range and not particularly shocking.

Her skin was a bit dark, which made her look slightly less attractive.

The clothes were just ordinary cloth garments. Because they were bought in the Tang Kingdom, they were in the Tang Kingdom style, making it look like they were just picked up from the street.

Both students looked at Li Qi with extreme surprise.

This person... lives at the school?

However, Li Qi ignored all of that. He went to the center of the Dao Field and smiled and nodded to Li Lieqi and Mo Benglan.

Li Lieqi knew that Li Qi had been looking worried outside, so she was very surprised that he had come out of the Imperial Academy in such a short time.

Mo Benglan was unaware of the reason, but still nodded slightly to Li Qi out of politeness. It was clear that this young nobleman did not want to pay much attention to Li Qi and his attitude was very cold.

Li Qi ignored all that and didn't talk to anyone. He simply sat down and waited for the sermon to begin.

Just after Li Qi sat down, a professor from the Imperial Academy walked up to him.

The Imperial Academy Doctor, Principal Sixth Rank official, was the same group of people who used to set exam questions for the students of the Imperial Academy.

The Imperial Academy Doctor coughed twice. "The three new students have arrived, so let the sermon begin."

Li Qi was caught off guard.

He thought there would be some kind of opening ceremony or grand welcome, but when they arrived, it just started?

Is it really that simple?

Are you kidding me?

What are all those people doing here?

However, the next second, Li Qi was struck dumb.

Sermon!

True preaching!

It's neither a demonstration technique nor the kind of performance Li Qi had done before.

Instead, it demonstrates Human Path directly through concrete actions!

Then the Imperial Academy scholar emerged, and an extremely loud and unbelievable sound emanated from him.

Yes, it's not about communicating with words.

Instead, it is a more obscure and extremely information-rich Daoist philosophy!

As their voices were uttered, an almost unbelievable stream of information rushed into Li Qi's brain!

The universe as seen through the eyes of Human Path, the way this world should be, its origin, development, process, and even its future—countless pieces of information are condensed into one incomprehensible Daoist chant after another.

Countless things that cannot be described in words are hidden within these Daoist principles!

This is a sermon, this is the Imperial Academy scholar before me, attempting to elucidate things that almost transcend mortal intelligence.

The minds of mortals can be overwhelmed by these things.

It's like...

Mathematical formula?

For example, the simple area formula reveals the relationship between the side length and area of a geometric solid.

The famous E=mc², also known as the mass-energy equivalence equation, defines the relationship between energy and mass.

To reveal the relationships between things is to unveil the mysteries of the universe.

That's exactly how Li Qi feels right now.

The profound and obscure Daoist philosophy continuously elucidates the relationship between all things in the universe within the framework of Human Path understanding.

Relationships between people, relationships between people and things, and relationships between all things.

The vast majority of the universe's features were described, regardless of whether Li Qi could understand them or not.

The overall picture that transcends local scenes, whether it be the extremely small part of the view or the complex and diverse macroscopic part, harmonizes with each other to form this world.

This is a high-level, comprehensive description of the world from the highest perspective!

Li Qi immediately sat up cross-legged, and True Knowledge Dao Charm and his ears opened at the same time, and he began to listen and feel the other person's sermon.

The transformations of heaven and earth are boundless and endless.

This world is like a furnace of molten gold, melting endlessly.

In ancient times, there were sages who cast and poured these materials into vessels, serving as models for people, guiding them and ensuring they did not stray too far from the middle way.

This world is chaotic and disorderly, naturally inclined towards chaos and slaughter, like a pot of murky soup. It was the sages who forged laws, rites, rules, and systems, and then became the models for people, defining the best order for this world.

Little by little, the scholar above began to explain the universe as understood by Human Path.

Just as all things in nature are completed by autumn, the sage gathers and stores them away. Similarly, when people are born, their desires and emotions prevail, so the sage teaches and guides them to guard against these urges.

The more Li Qi listened, the more he felt that these Daoist sayings made a lot of sense.

But...

While it made sense, Li Qi still felt something was off.

Something's not right, something's not right.

But he couldn't pinpoint what he was saying wrong.

However, this doubt made Li Qi open his eyes and stop immersing himself in preaching.

Having regained his senses, he glanced around.

First, there were two classmates.

Both Li Lieqi and Mo Benglan were completely absorbed in the sermon.

It is likely that countless questions in their hearts have been answered, past doubts have been dispelled, and they have gained a great deal of insight.

But Li Qi was different. He couldn't accept many of Human Path's explanations of the world. This preaching was useful to him, but not that useful.

Li Qi looked further ahead.

But then he saw that the millions of people who had been crowding around behind him had all sat down quietly and listened attentively to the sermon.

However, some people are genuinely listening, while others are just anxiously trying to understand but can't seem to grasp it.

Some were dejected, and some even got up and left.

Leaving at this point is very easy, because everyone has stopped crowding and is quietly listening to the sermon; you can walk out from them.

Nearly seven out of ten people couldn't understand it, but only a very small number left.

Even if they couldn't understand, they seemed determined to stay there, even though they were already covered in sweat.

After all, the Daoist teachings being spread contain the answers to countless questions. Only if you can understand their meaning can you fundamentally help them solve their difficulties in cultivation.

But the preacher didn't seem to care about any of that; he just kept reciting countless complex messages and repeating these Daoist rhymes.

Unfortunately, in Li Qi's view, the preachers themselves did not seem to understand what was being conveyed in these Daoist pronouncements.

It's like a middle school student writing an essay, mechanically piling up all sorts of advanced terms and fancy words, ultimately making the whole article unreadable. Not only can others not understand it, but even they themselves might not understand what they are saying.

At that moment, Li Qi suddenly remembered the ancient classics he had read.

That's... the true meaning behind seemingly simple words.

The outline of the Great Way can be depicted using ordinary words, in a way that contains the least amount of information.

Everyone can gain their own understanding from these scriptures, and most of them can directly apply them to practice, making them a guide on the Dao Path.

There was nothing strange about it, nothing that contained any profound truths or mystical elements; it was just a few lines of text, a few thousand words, which even an ordinary person could easily copy and reproduce many, many times...

But even something like this could still provide guidance and inspiration to Li Qi was only a seventh-rank official.

I wonder what kind of wise person wrote this.

This is probably the masterpiece of high-level cultivators.

The Daoist chant before him seemed lofty and profound, filled with a mysterious charm, but Li Qi couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Compared to the ordinary scriptures, the sermon before him was rather lacking.

However, these thoughts only lasted for a moment.

In fact, just as Li Qi was distracted, looking around and no longer listening to the sermon, he turned his head to look at the crowd—

Suddenly, a ruler came crashing down from the sky, aiming to strike him on the head!

The ruler appeared out of thin air, without a sound or trace.

But Li Qi True Knowledge Dao Charm. Although it was silent, it seemed to have been pulled down by something, and Li Qi caught the sound of this pulling and immediately realized what was happening!

Li Qi instinctively resisted, reaching out and throwing a powerful punch at the ruler. This punch, imbued with earth energy, was heavy and hard, meeting the ruler head-on.

It crashed into it with a bang.

Li Qi suddenly felt dizzy.

Something, through his fist, drilled into his brain!