What do you mean by that?
The person chairing the meeting became somewhat interested in Old Tang's statement.
Mencius advocated benevolence and kindness, but Li Xingkong's actions this time have nothing to do with these two concepts.
While it's perfectly acceptable to relentlessly pursue and eliminate enemies, Li Xingkong wasn't the type of person they expected. Based on his known past experiences, he seemed more inclined towards more precise and targeted Li Xingkong.
There are also strict rules regarding the methods of retaliation: if the target is money, take their property by force or robbery; if the target has no intention of killing them, injure their body; if the target intends to kill them, take their life.
He had his own logic when it came to revenge, but this logic didn't work on the Snail People.
Old Tang organized his thoughts and then spoke:
"When I say he is similar to Mencius, I don't mean that he also advocated benevolence and kindness, but rather that his way of thinking is extremely similar to Mencius's theory of the inherent goodness of human nature."
"The theory of innate goodness? You mean 'Everyone has a sense of compassion, a sense of shame, a sense of respect, and a sense of right and wrong'?"
"This has nothing to do with Li Xingkong's actions."
Those present were naturally very familiar with Mencius; having written official documents for many years, they could recite it from memory with ease.
"No, what I mean is, 'He who has no compassion is not human; he who has no sense of shame is not human; he who has no sense of humility is not human; he who has no sense of right and wrong is not human.'"
"Simply put, his ideas are extremely similar to Mencius'. In his view, anything that doesn't conform to the prevailing trends of Divine Land thought, in terms of its thinking and moral character, isn't even human. And if they're not human, why treat them the way we treat humans?"
"Forehead..."
Old Tang's explanation left many people present speechless for a moment. Indeed, when dealing with non-human beings, there is naturally not much consideration or courtesy.
Who didn't poke an anthill when they were a kid? A single blow could wipe out the whole family, but no one would say the child was inherently naughty or had a deep-seated bloodlust.
Old Tang paused for a moment, then continued.
"In fact, his previous actions have shown that Xingkong his own worldview, which is based on the cultural heritage of Divine Land and a mixture of his many years of life experience."
His views on people and things change depending on the environment and the object of his affection.
"In the Divine Land, even if he is a cultivator, he is still willing to abide by the law when faced with various injustices. Even if he uses force, he will consider the impact on the surrounding area and does not want to cause too much trouble."
"After arriving in the Prisoner Continent, his actions became significantly more forceful; whether it was retaliating or taking action, it all seemed to disregard local laws."
"This expedition was no exception. Facing these Snail People, he attacked without any restraint, completely disregarding whether innocent people were harmed."
"Analyzing this set of behaviors leads to a very interesting conclusion: all his actions are choices made based on his own level of acceptance."
"He highly identifies with Divine Land, so he is willing to abide by its laws and moral constraints. As for the Prisoner Continent, perhaps because of its century of humiliation, our citizens have an innate sense of hostility towards those countries, so their identification with it is naturally not very high. This low identification leads Li Xingkong to disregard the laws of the Prisoner Continent, because in his view, they are just a piece of waste paper that does not bind him at all."
"As for this Snail People... in his eyes, these guys are nothing more than another group of Japanese devils, only they didn't succeed."
"When you're killing Japanese soldiers, can you guarantee you won't go berserk?"
"Nonsense, if we hadn't attacked Cherry Blossom Country so early, I'd want to go and plow it up right now."
"Hey, how can you talk like that? There's no such thing as Cherry Blossom Country anymore. All the warmongers have been weeded out. What's left are all citizens of Divine Land. If you're in a high position, you should watch your words."
"Pah! Back when we were attacking Cherry Blossom Country, you were the first to arrive and the most ruthless. Now you're criticizing me."
Old Tang's words did indeed make everyone present re-evaluate Li Xingkong. After all, they were all busy with their own things on weekdays, and to Li Xingkong, he was just a familiar stranger. They knew who he was when they met, but they didn't have much detailed communication with him in private.
Only Old Tang was more familiar with him.
After Old Tang's analysis, everyone has gained a new understanding of Li Xingkong's personality, which is generally a good thing.
Especially for Divine Land, learning about Li Xingkong's concept of identity gave them a great sense of reassurance.
Divine Land has developed to this point, everything is moving in a better direction. The structure of society is also moving closer to the goal of universal harmony. Traditional culture, which had been in decline for some time, has resurfaced in this prosperous era of cultivation.
All of this, not to mention Li Xingkong, has led to a steady increase in the sense of identity among any Divine Land People.
Previously, there were still some people within Divine Land who clung to outdated so-called Western culture. Even after the Earthly Capital of these cultures had been thoroughly discredited, they still believed that these were the true civilizations and continued to advocate for their mainstream dissemination.
Over the years, the language proficiency of those people has weakened, to the point that they are almost eligible to apply for intangible cultural heritage status.
Extracting the essence and discarding the dross—our ancestors mastered this method long ago. Culture that is beneficial to the development of Divine Land has long been subtly integrated into the culture of Divine Land. Those that have not been integrated and remain isolated are mostly meaningless rituals.
In the days when we were still confronting those old powers, these rituals were somewhat useful. Now that those adversaries are all buried under the yellow sand, these things have naturally become dross.
After Old Tang finished speaking, Tang Cheng also briefly talked about his impression of Li Xingkong, which can be summed up in one word: strong.
It's not just about strong physical abilities, but about strong overall qualities.
Previously, his cultivation level was not high enough, and he blindly worshipped Li Xingkong. However, after cultivating, he felt that he truly lived up to the old saying, "Even a mayfly can see the blue sky."
Li Xingkong seems to be someone who Seeking the Dao, practicing cultivation, going into seclusion, occasionally taking a stroll, and then continuing his cultivation.
Tang Cheng is now Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he deeply abhors seclusion. Although his cultivation level improves rapidly, he would go crazy if he didn't have social interaction for a long time.
But Li Xingkong was different; he treated these things like eating and drinking, without feeling any discomfort whatsoever.
He was like a machine Seeking the Dao.
Tang Cheng's summary was concise and to the point. Everyone present had cultivation, regardless of strength or level, and they were all cultivators. They had naturally experienced the hardships and loneliness of cultivation firsthand.
Otherwise, why would every cultivator have a psychological adjustment vacation of two to six months after emerging from seclusion?
It's all to alleviate the psychological problems caused by days of seclusion.
The entertainment industry in Divine Land has become increasingly developed after cultivation for this reason. Through entertainment, cultivators who have undergone arduous training can quickly integrate into modern society.