God

Should the Guanxuan Sword Master exist?

Ye Tianming was genuinely puzzled. He had not expected the woman before him to ask that question. Who was the Guanxuan Sword Master?

He was the creator of the Guanxuan Universe, the object of countless people's faith, the god in countless people's hearts.

The question was terribly blasphemous.

Ye Tianming glanced at the woman and thought, Is this senior trying to entrap me?

The woman seemed to know what he was thinking and laughed. "Are you afraid I'm trying to entrap you?"

Ye Tianming shook his head. "At my current level of strength, I'm not qualified for you to go to the trouble of entrapping me, senior."

The woman laughed.

Ye Tianming said, "I'm only curious why you asked that question, senior."

The woman picked up a cucumber and took a bite. "It's just a simple question. You can tell me what you really think."

Ye Tianming asked, "Is this question the test for this stage?"

The woman nodded. "Yes."

Ye Tianming asked again, "The answer..."

The woman said, "There's no standard answer. If I think what you say is good, you'll pass this stage."

Ye Tianming nodded. "I understand."

With that, he picked up the teacup before him and took a sip, then fell into thought.

The woman watched him with a smile.

Ye Tianming remained silent for nearly a quarter of an hour. During that time, the woman did not disturb him, and after he finished his tea, she refilled his cup.

Little Pagoda was also waiting expectantly, eager to hear how Ye Tianming would answer.

Ye Tianming suddenly looked up at the woman. "Why do all living beings believe in the Guanxuan Sword Master? Because he once said, 'Give the young hope, let the weak live with dignity, and make this universe a better place.' Rather than saying that all living beings believe in the Guanxuan Sword Master, it would be more accurate to say they believe in his ideals. But realizing those beautiful ideals is absolutely not something the Guanxuan Sword Master can do alone."

The woman looked at him and smiled. "Why can't he do it alone?"

Ye Tianming looked her straight in the eye. "Because that's human nature. A wise man once said that people come into the world bearing original sin. Crime, greed, desire, and evil are universal aspects of human existence. The fundamental reason is that evil is rooted in human nature. Every civilization in every universe will have evil, crime, greed, desire, and wickedness."

As he spoke, he slowly rose. "Take our present world, for example. Everyone below hates privilege, but when that privilege falls to them, they enjoy it with a clear conscience. So what people hate isn't privilege, but others enjoying it. Or, to put it another way: a strict hierarchy below me, equality for everyone above me... That's human nature. No matter how strong the Guanxuan Sword Master is, he can't change it."

The woman stared at Ye Tianming, then picked up a cucumber and handed it to him. Ye Tianming said, "Thank you."

He took the cucumber and bit into it. After pondering for a moment, he continued, "I think the Guanxuan Sword Master shouldn't exist."

The woman smiled. "The reasons you've given so far don't seem sufficient."

Ye Tianming looked at her. "This world doesn't need a living savior. Any living savior is only one person, and human strength has its limits. Nothing can compare with a real, everlasting belief. Therefore, a savior can only be an ideal that lives in people's hearts, not a living, breathing person... Only if more people believe in and follow that ideal will this universe have a chance of becoming the world the Guanxuan Sword Master envisioned. But if the Guanxuan Sword Master appeared in this world, everyone would place their hopes on him alone, and one person could never accomplish it. So he should disappear..."

"Good, good!"

Little Pagoda suddenly exclaimed, "As expected of someone I taught."

Ye Tianming was speechless.

The smile had vanished from the woman's face. She simply looked at Ye Tianming.

Ye Tianming had spoken passionately, but once he finished, he grew uneasy. His words had indeed been somewhat blasphemous. In the Guanxuan Universe, the Guanxuan Sword Master was a god, someone no one could question.

He was still too weak.

Ye Tianming took a deep breath inwardly. He really did not like the feeling of having his fate in someone else's hands.

The woman suddenly smiled. "One last question. Do you think the Guanxuan Sword Master's ideals can be realized?"

After a long silence, Ye Tianming said, "Faith is sometimes a form of deception, but if that faith is a beautiful deception, then I think it's acceptable. Still, we must keep a clear head at all times, because reality is cruel. And above all, don't let others use that kind of 'faith' to enslave you."

The woman laughed. "You little fellow... you're truly rare."

Hearing that, Ye Tianming breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. He should have passed this stage without a problem.

The woman stood. "I'll go make a meal. Stay and eat before you leave."

Ye Tianming hurriedly said, "Senior, I still have the next stage."

He was genuinely shocked. She wanted him to stay for a meal? What was this senior thinking?

The woman glanced at him and smiled. "I'll conduct the heart-questioning test for the third stage too."

Ye Tianming was stunned. "That's... allowed?"

The woman nodded. "Yes."

Ye Tianming's expression grew rather strange, but the woman had already gone to cook.

Ye Tianming simply could not figure this senior out. He glanced around. This was a real world, and it might no longer be in Qingzhou... He was still shaken that such a terrifying method existed in the world, one capable of forcibly transporting a person to another world.

It seemed he had seen too little of the world.

Little Pagoda suddenly said, "Do you know why she asked you to stay for a meal?"

Ye Tianming asked curiously, "Why?"

Little Pagoda chuckled. "Isn't it because of the face I, Pagoda Master, have?"

Ye Tianming's eyes widened at once.

Before long, the woman had finished cooking. It was a simple meal of three dishes and a soup, served on the same table as before.

The woman filled a bowl with rice for Ye Tianming and smiled. "Don't read too much into it. It's simply mealtime, so we're eating. There's no other special meaning to it."

Ye Tianming glanced at her and nodded. "All right."

With that, he picked up his bowl and began eating.

He knew that in front of a powerhouse of this level, he should not think about anything. Since she had told him to eat, he would eat. Besides, he happened to be hungry.

On the journey from Qingzhou to the academy, he had eaten nothing but steamed buns and had not had a single decent meal. The food before him was clearly very good... He would not worry about anything else for now. Even if he died, he would die with a full belly.

The woman laughed when she saw Ye Tianming wolfing down his food, and she began eating too.

When Ye Tianming finished his first bowl of rice, the woman smiled. "Let me get you another bowl."

Ye Tianming hurriedly shook his head. "I-I'll do it myself..."

But his bowl had already appeared in the woman's hand. She smiled. "You're the guest."

With that, she rose, took the bowl to the side, and filled it to the brim.

As Ye Tianming took the bowl, he hurriedly said, "Thank you."

The woman said casually, "What do you think of the countless sects and aristocratic families in the Guanxuan Universe today?"

After shoveling down a couple of mouthfuls of rice, Ye Tianming said, "Senior, is this the test for the third stage?"

The woman smiled. "You could say that."

After a long silence, Ye Tianming said, "It's an inevitable part of historical development. In any civilization in any universe, certain groups will possess special privileges and prestige, and their privileges and prestige depend on..."

He looked at the woman and said no more.

The woman smiled. "Go on. You needn't worry."

But Ye Tianming remained silent.

The woman smiled. "You can ask your Tower Ancestor. I won't hurt you."

Ye Tianming exclaimed, "Senior, you really know my Tower Ancestor? I always thought he was bragging."

Little Pagoda was speechless.

The woman blinked. "I know a little. Your Tower Ancestor used to be... a truly remarkable scholar. Yes, a great scholar."

Little Pagoda was speechless.

Ye Tianming was not sure whether she was fooling him. He thought for a moment, then said, "Those groups with special privileges and prestige depend on the Yang Family for them..."

The woman stared at him, still smiling. "Go on."

Ye Tianming no longer held back. At worst, he had only one life to lose. He continued, "When the Guanxuan Sword Master established order back then, he had a great many followers. Once that order was established, those followers naturally became the greatest privileged group in the universe. Their descendants would take the resources of this universe for granted, while those below would find it unimaginably difficult to rise... I've looked through the records. In the past thousand years, the Guanxuan Universe has produced almost no new first-rank families, and very few second-rank families..."

He gave a quiet sigh. "There's practically no real path upward anymore. An ordinary person can work themselves to the bone for a lifetime and earn a million spirit crystals, but those privileged groups can earn hundreds of millions of spirit crystals with a single word, or even far, far more..."

The woman put down her bowl and chopsticks and looked at Ye Tianming. "Then how do you think this problem should be solved?"

Ye Tianming shook his head. "Senior, I can't answer that question. First, one should not concern oneself with the affairs of an office one does not hold. These aren't matters someone of my status and ability should be thinking about. Second, I only want to work hard at cultivation so that the Ye Family and I can live better lives."

The woman looked at him as though she could see straight through his heart. "If there were reform, do you think it could be eliminated?"

Ye Tianming was startled, feeling as though she had seen through him. Reform was exactly what he had been thinking of, but he had not said it, and the fact that this woman had asked... clearly, she had seen what he was thinking.

He felt uneasy, but let it go in an instant. If this woman wanted to hurt him, he had no chance of surviving.

Ye Tianming gathered his thoughts and said, "Reform is one path, but we can't rely on it entirely. A successful reform might change the character of the existing unequal systems between societies, but to expect it to eliminate inequality between societies and the privileges that exist is far too naive."

He and An Yan had discussed these issues countless times at the Great Dao Book House. Whenever they spoke of them, both brothers had felt angry and helpless.

The woman was about to say something else when she suddenly looked into the distance, where a woman in a purple dress was walking quickly toward them.

The woman stood and looked at Ye Tianming with a smile. "Little fellow, our chat has to end here. I've enjoyed talking with you."

Ye Tianming hurriedly stood. "Senior, have I... passed?"

The woman smiled. "Of course."

Ye Tianming broke into a smile. As though recalling something, he asked, "Senior, I heard someone else once attempted the Guanxuan Dao..."

The woman smiled. "I wasn't the examiner then, but I've heard of that young man too. In some ways, he was a lot like you, but he took a path completely different from yours... You're both outstanding."

She opened her palm, and a golden seal slowly floated over to Ye Tianming. "This little thing is a gift for you. You'll have use for it in the future."

Ye Tianming looked at the golden seal. The two large characters "God" were written on it. He was somewhat curious, but by then, the woman in the purple dress had entered the courtyard. She glanced at Ye Tianming and said with a playful smile, "Sister Sang, you have a guest?"

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