A Few Pointers for You

Kong Xiuping felt like he had slept for a long time. When he woke up, he was startled to find himself lying by the pool.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that he had been sleeping on a lounge chair by the pool and had fallen to the ground.

As he stood up, he discovered that Hu Dali had revealed his true form and was lying beside him, staring at him strangely.

Kong Xiuping was startled again. Such a huge tiger was lurking right beside him, watching him menacingly?

"Where's Zhang Yang?" Kong Xiuping asked.

He knew that the tiger was Hu Dali.

Hu Dali pointed his paw at the villa room, then lowered his head to refine the medicinal power within his body.

He naturally received the Rainbow Fish as well.

He needed to refine the immense medicinal power throughout his body to strengthen his demonic form.

Inside the room, Zhang Yang opened his eyes, looked at Kong Xiuping walked in, and asked, "Awake?"

Kong Xiuping nodded somewhat awkwardly, then sat down in front of Zhang Yang.

After taking a nap, he felt much better, both mentally and emotionally.

"Brother Zhang... my father sent me here to learn from you," Kong Xiuping said frankly. "Please give me some pointers!"

Zhang Yang pointed outside and said, "Go find me two identical leaves!"

Kong Xiuping paused for a moment, then obediently got up and went to look for leaves.

He didn't return for half a day after he left.

Zhang Yang was speechless.

Is this person's mind completely blocked?

He's a truly honest man!

He could now fully understand the Sage Master's helplessness, because Kong Xiuping was too honest.

He's definitely smart, but his stubbornness can be terrifying at times.

Zhang Yang sighed and had no choice but to get up and find Kong Xiuping in the mountains and forests.

At this moment, Kong Xiuping was still diligently searching for two identical leaves.

However, he discovered that among the countless leaves in the forest, he could not find two leaves that were exactly alike, making it impossible for him to return and report back.

Upon seeing Zhang Yang arrive, Kong Xiuping looked flustered and hurriedly said, "Brother Zhang, please give me some time. I'm sure I can find it!"

His father told him to come and consult Zhang Yang, and he listened to Zhang Yang very carefully.

"Stop looking!" Zhang Yang said irritably. "There are no two leaves that are exactly the same, no two flowers that are exactly the same, and certainly no two people that are exactly the same!"

Even the person you are right now is not exactly the same as the person you will be in the next moment, do you understand?

Because everything in the world is in constant flux.

If you try to find something static and eternal in changing things, it doesn't exist. Do you understand?

Although Kong Xiuping is honest, his intelligence is definitely not lacking.

He pondered Zhang Yang's words for a moment, then nodded.

Regardless of whether there are exactly the same flowers and leaves, he understands this principle.

Zhang Yang slowly said, "Since you understand this principle, then you should understand that no matter how much you try to learn from others, you can never become them!"

Even if that person is your father.

You can only be yourself!

You are Kong Xiuping, the one and only Kong Xiuping in this world, no one else!

Kong Xiuping remained silent.

He understood this principle as well, but what kind of person was his father? Was he not worthy of emulation and emulation?

"What kind of person do you think the Sage Master is?" Zhang Yang asked again.

Kong Xiuping blurted out, "My father is the greatest and most perfect person in the world. I have never seen anyone as perfect as my father..."

"No, your father is actually a despicable and shameless person," Zhang Yang said, shaking his head.

Kong Xiuping instantly flew into a rage, his face flushed red as he glared at Zhang Yang.

If he hadn't suffered losses at Zhang Yang's hands many times, he would have already made a move.

Zhang Yang smiled faintly, "From your perspective, your father is certainly great and perfect enough, but what about from the perspective of the enemies of Langya Sacred Land?"

In the eyes of those enemies, your father was a despicable and shameless man.

To those weaker enemies, your father was a cold-blooded and ruthless man.

To the millions of ordinary people in the Langya Sacred Land, your father was Supreme deity.

Do you dare say that everyone else's opinion is wrong?

Kong Xiuping opened his mouth, but was speechless.

Even if he idolizes his father, it's impossible for him to say that his father is perfect in the eyes of others, right?

Zhang Yang then asked, "Since everyone else's opinions are correct, how dare you say that the 'father' you saw is your father?"

It's not wrong for you to learn from your father, and it's not a problem for you to imitate him. He is indeed worth learning from, imitating, and following.

But you've only imitated what you've seen; how can you become like your father?

Zhang Yang took out the Spirit Artifact, the Dragon King Basket, pointed at it, and said to Kong Xiuping, "You saw its surface and said it was spherical, is that correct?"

Is it right for you to see his opening and immediately call him a hole?

When we look at things, we should not only see the whole picture, but also all its aspects; this is the correct approach.

Kong Xiuping nodded slightly; he fully understood the reasoning Zhang Yang had given him.

Zhang Yang gestured, inviting Kong Xiuping to return to the villa.

On the way back, Kong Xiuping asked, "So you mean you also want to learn other aspects of my father's life?"

"Of course we should learn," Zhang Yang nodded. "While your father is someone we should learn from, doesn't that mean others are not?"

Everyone has strengths.

These are the strengths we should learn from; hence the saying, "Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me."

However, we must not learn what is bad for us. Therefore, we should choose the good and follow it, and correct the bad!

Kong Xiuping was greatly shocked.

He's a scholar!

Zhang Yang's way of communicating with him was incredibly insightful.

Moreover, Kong Xiuping had personally fought against Zhang Yang on the Prodigy Battlefield and had also witnessed Zhang Yang learning from all the geniuses.

Therefore, he had no doubt about Zhang Yang's words.

He completely believed these words, because Zhang Yang himself was the biggest practitioner of them.

Zhang Yang invited Kong Xiuping to sit down again, raised his hand and drew a "copper coin" on the ground, pointed to the "copper coin" and said to Kong Xiuping, "In life, one should be flexible on the outside but principled on the inside!"

The circle represents our attitude towards encountering and learning about all things.

This circle is not about being slick or smooth, but rather about 'a gentleman is not a vessel'.

It is precisely because "a gentleman is not a vessel" that we can accept anything, and ultimately, like the ocean embracing all rivers, we achieve our vastness.

This is what we hold dear in our hearts, and it is also our bottom line.

If we lack inner convictions, we will ultimately drift with the tide!

At this point, Zhang Yang looked up at Kong Xiuping and said seriously, "My Sage Master named you Xiu Ping, hoping you would cultivate yourself, manage your family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. I don't think that's quite accurate!"

"Why?" Kong Xiuping asked.

He's no longer in the same state of anger he was when he first mentioned his father.

Because, he has heard too many truths.

"Cultivating oneself, regulating one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world is a process of learning and a process of self-improvement." Zhang Yang pointed to the pattern on the ground, "These processes are the surrounding circles, and also represent the principle that a gentleman is not a vessel!"

But what about your 'side'?

Where is your kernel?

What do you want to do? Why do you aspire to cultivate yourself, manage your family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world?

Therefore, we should add 'Zheng Xin' and 'be sincere' before it!

Once you understand what your heart truly desires, and persist in that desire, you will no longer be troubled by many external things.

At this point, Zhang Yang gave a strange smile, "At least, you won't almost be driven to your death by me on the Prodigy Battlefield!"

Kong Xiuping was initially quite excited, but the last sentence left him speechless.