The silence within the Dragon Palace's Crystal Palace was not the stillness of dead water, but a deeper oppression before the storm.
Before the absolute gap in strength, both Dragon King Ao Guang and the Turtle Prime Minister understood that the Dragon Race alone could no longer stand against Sage Wanhua.
But how could they so easily swallow the pride of ruling the East Sea for countless ages, along with that blood-deep hatred?
They turned their gaze toward the Primordial Continent, toward those equally ancient forces that might have latent conflicts of interest with the Myriad Dao Academy.
Dragon Palace Secret Envoys Contact Old Allies
That day, the Dragon Palace's most secret passage quietly opened. Several figures, their auras completely concealed by secret treasures, carried Ao Guang's handwritten letters and lavish gifts from the Dragon Palace treasury.
They stealthily headed in two directions: one toward the Immortal Volcano at the southern edge of the continent, the other toward the Buzhou Mountain Ruins in the central lands.
Their targets were the Phoenix Race and the Qilin Race!
The dragon, phoenix, and qilin races had once ruled the Primordial World. Though they had suffered greatly through immense calamities,
and withdrawn from the stage of contention, their foundations remained. Within their respective territories, they still wielded enormous influence.
More importantly, like the Dragon Race, they represented the most "ancient" Order of the Primordial Era.
They were naturally wary and rejecting of a "new sage" like Wanhua, who had risen suddenly, followed a completely different Dao Lineage, and acted with such overbearing force.
In his letters, Ao Guang did not directly mention revenge. Instead, under the banner of "preserving the ancient Order of the Primordial Era and jointly discussing how to face changing times," he passionately described the impact of the Myriad Dao Academy's Education for All upon the existing balance of power.
He played up the "danger" of Sage Wanhua, whose "methods were ruthless and who regarded all living beings as mere grass," attempting to rekindle the Phoenix Race and Qilin Race's attachment to their former glory and their fears of unknown threats.
He subtly suggested that if the three races could join hands once more, then even if they could not confront a sage head-on, they would possess greater influence in the coming changes and restrain this Anomaly's unchecked expansion.
It was a dangerous move, yet one they had no choice but to make. The Dragon Race sought to borrow the strength of its former rivals and weave an invisible net of resistance.
The Phoenix Race Assessed, the Qilin Race Weighed Its Options
Deep within the Immortal Volcano, at the heart of surging lava, the current Phoenix Race chief received the Dragon Race's secret letter. A flicker of mockery and contemplation passed through her golden phoenix eyes, which burned with eternal flame.
"Ao Guang, that old mud loach, has a day when he lowers his head to beg for aid?" Her voice was crisp and clear, carrying the unique pride of a phoenix. "Still, this Wanhua... is indeed an Anomaly."
"His Dao is not innate, and his methods place great importance on Humanities. If this continues, it may truly shake the exalted status of us innate gods and demons."
She gathered the clan elders for discussion. Some believed the Dragon Race harbored sinister intentions and wanted to drag the Phoenix Race into the mire;
others believed that the Myriad Dao Academy's ideals potentially conflicted with the Phoenix Race's laws of naturally commanding flame and maintaining noble independence, making it worthy of vigilance;
still others proposed using this opportunity to contact the new sage and see whether they could find a new path for the Phoenix Race after the great calamity.
In the end, the Phoenix Race decided not to form an alliance with the Dragon Race for the time being. However, they would strengthen their attention to the East Sea situation and consider sending secretive envoys to approach the Academy under other identities for observation.
Meanwhile, near the Buzhou Mountain Ruins, within the Pure Land of Auspiciousness where the Qilin Race lived in seclusion, the Qilin Clan Chief fell silent for a long time after reading the letter.
The Qilin Race symbolized auspiciousness and presided over the peace of the earth. Their nature was more Benevolent Generosity and steady.
"The Dragon Race's disaster arose from its own arrogance and its offense against sage authority. Suffering this Calamity is also part of the cycle of the Heavenly Dao."
The Qilin Clan Chief spoke slowly. "However, Sage Wanhua's Dao emphasizes 'Order' and 'education.'
"Its power can nourish things soundlessly, yet it can also strike with thunderous force. Whether such a variable will bring blessing or disaster to the Primordial Era remains unknown."
The Qilin Race likewise rejected the Dragon Race's proposal for an immediate alliance, but they decided to enter the world with a more proactive attitude and dispatch clansmen to travel across the Primordial Era.
They would observe from closer range the impact of the Confucian Dao's spread upon the All Beings of the Primordial Era and upon the earth's veins before making a decision.
They preferred to play the role of mediators and observers rather than directly involve themselves in the conflict.
The Dragon Palace's alliance plan suffered an initial setback. The Phoenix Race and Qilin Race each had their own calculations and did not take the bait so easily.
Yet the secret contact between the three races, as well as their increased attention toward the Myriad Dao Academy, undoubtedly cast several more far-reaching stones into the undercurrents of the Primordial Era.
The Academy Imparted Its Methods, Unity of Knowledge and Action
While storms raged outside, the Academy's teaching and transmission of the Dao entered a deeper stage.
Sage Wanhua began imparting to the Core Disciples whose Literary Palaces had stabilized a crucial concept in Confucian Dao cultivation—Unity of Knowledge and Action.
"Knowledge is the beginning of action; action is the completion of knowledge." Wanhua expounded in the Hall of Discussing the Dao. "You study the classics and comprehend principles at the Academy, condense Literary Hearts, and construct Literary Palaces. This is 'knowledge.'
"Yet if you know but do not act, principles are merely castles in the air, and Literary Qi is but stagnant water.
"Only by practicing the Dao you have realized upon yourselves and applying it to worldly affairs can you verify principles, strengthen your Literary Hearts, and make Literary Qi vibrant and alive. This is 'action.'"
He did not impart any new divine abilities. Instead, he emphasized a fundamental attitude toward cultivation.
He encouraged the disciples not to merely cultivate behind closed doors, but to boldly apply what they had learned to solving real problems, tempering their hearts and testing principles through practice.
To this end, he even designated a Trial Zone on the Academy's outskirts, simulating all manner of complex scenarios, such as governing a small patch of barren land and restoring its vitality.
Mediating disputes between different races of living beings, responding to sudden small-scale natural disasters, and even simulating unexpected encounters with enemies of differing attributes.
Xuanjizi led a group of disciples in their first attempt to govern a simulated patch of saline-alkali wasteland through Confucian Dao methods.
They did not use powerful divine abilities to forcibly transform it. Instead, they first used Literary Qi to sense the Earth Veins and analyze the cause of the barrenness.
Then Elder Teng guided the disciples in condensing words containing the principles of "vitality" and "nourishment," merging them into the soil.
At the same time, disciples such as Jin Li used Literary Qi to clear the clogged underground water channels, while Yun Xi set up a small Wenhua Formation to stabilize the environment.
The entire process was slow, yet orderly and steadfast. Several days later, that wasteland actually began to show a faint trace of green!
Every disciple who participated felt their Literary Hearts become more solid, and their understanding of principles such as "benevolence," "life," and "Order" deepen considerably.
This was the initial practice of Unity of Knowledge and Action. Xuanjizi keenly felt the wonder of this method. It made cultivation no longer a vague and ethereal realization.
Instead, it became closely integrated with concrete action, turning principles from mere words in books into a power that could truly change the world.
A Hidden Piece Settled, Subtle Transformation
Within the Academy, when "Huiming" heard of the concept of Unity of Knowledge and Action, an exceedingly bright gleam flashed through his eyes.
He voluntarily participated in several Trial Zone exercises. Particularly when mediating simulated racial conflicts, he cited the classics, speaking gently yet wisely.
He often struck at the heart of the issue and effectively dissolved disputes. His performance even earned Xuanjizi's praise.
This concept and the Way of the West truly possess the wonder of arriving at the same destination by different paths... Huiming thought, and his favorable impression of and desire to explore the Confucian Dao deepened further.
He did not notice that the trace of rhythm from his Western Dao arts was quietly undergoing an extremely subtle assimilation and transformation under the Academy's Wenhua and the influence of Knowledge and Action in practice.
Those demon race spies "comprehending the Dao" on the outskirts also sent back the concept of Unity of Knowledge and Action and what they had witnessed in the Trial Zone.
Bai Ze attached great importance to this, believing it revealed that the Confucian Dao valued not merely theory, but even more so practice and the construction of Order. Its potential influence might be greater than expected.
The situation in the Primordial Era, amid the Dragon Palace's secret maneuvers, the cautious deliberations of ancient races, and the Academy's own promotion of Knowledge and Action,
became increasingly subtle and complicated. The Myriad Dao Academy was like a great tree that continued to grow, its roots sinking ever deeper while its branches and leaves, driven by Unity of Knowledge and Action,
began trying to stretch toward a broader world. The various forces concealed in the shadows were like vines and observers surrounding that tree; some sought to bind it,
some sought to borrow its strength, while others silently recorded each stage of its growth.
The seeds of the storm had already been planted, awaiting only the right moment to break through the soil.
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