「Wenzhou.」
At the Heaven Dao Academy, under an ancient pine tree, ng Ran held a brush in one hand. He swept it across the white paper before him, and in monts, a lifelike True Dragon took shape.
His skill in painting was unparalleled. But no matter how he looked at the dragon he had drawn, it simply didn't feel right to him.
Thus, he reached out, intending to destroy the painting while the ink was still wet.
"ng Ran!"
Just then, a sowhat aged voice called out slowly. "How many tis have I told you? Every word you write, every picture you paint—whether you are satisfied or not—you must keep it!
"This is the path you have walked. In the future, when you look back… you must be able to see it!"
ng Ran stopped his movents, sighed softly, and bowed respectfully. "Confucius!"
Confucius nodded slightly and approached the scroll. After examining it for a mont, he chuckled. "Your progress in the Dao of Painting has been remarkably fast. You have now surpassed all your senior brothers and sisters!
"No wonder your Uncle-Master was so adamant about taking you after seeing your painting the other day. He insisted you beco the next master of his Holy Pen Pavilion!
"He even plied with several jars of Drunken Immortal Brew to make it happen!
"The old scoundrel almost succeeded, hahaha!"
His laughter was exceptionally hearty, as if it possessed a power that could purify one's soul.
A smile appeared on ng Ran's face as well. He clasped his hands and said, "Uncle-Master is joking with this disciple again. Everyone knows that Junior Sister Qingluo has fully inherited his true teachings. How could the Holy Pen Pavilion possibly lack a successor?"
Confucius said playfully, "Ah, ah, ah, you've hit the nail on the head! Your Uncle-Master's intention is to matchmake you and your Junior Sister Qingluo. The two of you together at the Holy Pen Pavilion… see how grand his ambitions are?"
Upon hearing this, ng Ran's face flushed bright red. "Junior Sister Qingluo and I have known each other since childhood. Our bond is that of siblings, not lovers."
Confucius replied, "The ways of fate are profound and unpredictable. How can you be so certain now?"
Suddenly, he waved his hand, signaling to drop the subject.
Instead, his gaze returned to ng Ran's painting. He studied it intently for a few monts before smiling. "It's a good thing I stopped you just now. Otherwise, this painting… would have suffered a great injustice!"
ng Ran asked, confused, "Confucius, what do you an?"
Confucius explained, "Your painting's artistic conception and technique are both impeccable! The reason it doesn't look right to you is that you have sothing on your mind, which has led you to vent your frustrations on it!"
At these words, ng Ran fell silent.
Confucius teased, "What, was one essay not enough to vent your anger? Feeling like writing another?"
ng Ran gave a wry smile. "Even if I curse the entire lineage of the Yi Clan to hell and back, what good would it do? Brother Wang… is never coming back."
「Years ago.」
He had returned from the Cangyuan Realm, his heart heavy over Wang Xiu's fate, a burden that was difficult to release for a long ti. It wasn't until after Confucius enlightened him that he was finally able to put his worries to rest. At the sa ti, he ca to an epiphany and entered seclusion.
He only erged a short ti ago. His cultivation level had increased trendously, allowing him to step into the Saint Manifestation realm. Furthermore, he had cultivated the Academy's Frosty White to Utter Poverty Scripture to the peak of the eighth level.
Confucius publicly declared ng Ran the new Candleholder of the Academy.
The so-called Candleholder, as the na implies, was one who held a candle to walk forth, dispelling the darkness and illuminating the path ahead. As for whom they illuminated the path for and which darkness they dispelled, that went without saying.
If any other power were to create such a "Candleholder," most people in the Nine Heavens would view it with scorn. But when the Academy did so, no one harbored even a trace of doubt. This was the reputation built by generations of the Academy's Candleholders.
Under their influence, generation after generation of the Academy could be considered the paradigm of morality in the Nine Heavens. Because of the Academy, all of Wenzhou was known as the most orderly place in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
Here, even the most bloodthirsty Demon Cultivators wouldn't dare harbor a single evil thought. The mont they did, to the Academy disciples endowed with Righteous Qi, such thoughts were as conspicuous as stars in the night sky, leaving the perpetrators with nowhere to hide.
Moreover, there was another very important point: each generation's Candleholder of the Academy would eventually beco its leader, equivalent to the Saint Heirs and Saintesses of other Sects. However, when traveling the world, they commanded far more respect than any Saint Heir or Saintess. After all, Saint Heirs and Saintesses were common, but there was… only one Candleholder.
No one was unwilling to associate with the Academy's Candleholder. Unless you were a Demon Cultivator who was thoroughly evil and could not bear the light of day… then you might not even have the courage to speak in a Candleholder's presence.
…
For ng Ran, becoming the Candleholder was certainly a joyous occasion, but that joy didn't last long.
Soon, he received two pieces of news—one good, and one bad.
The good news: Wang Xiu was still alive!
The bad news: he had been forced into the Savage Wilderness Forbidden Land by a coalition of powers, spearheaded by the Yi Clan.
As a disciple of the Academy who had read countless books, ng Ran knew better than anyone what the words "forbidden land" signified. It was a restricted zone where even Quasi-Emperor Supres had to stop in their tracks! From ancient tis to the present, no one who entered had ever co out alive.
Although he had great faith in Wang Xiu, under these circumstances, he found it difficult to believe Wang Xiu could still be alive.
Regret filled ng Ran's eyes. "If I hadn't been in seclusion when Brother Wang arrived in this realm, I could have saved him imdiately…"
Confucius said calmly, "Too many eyes were on him. Even you couldn't have changed anything. Although our Academy has sworn to bring about an era of peace for all living beings… over the years, we have barely managed to cultivate a semblance of that utopia, and only within the lands of Wenzhou. Beyond that, what can we possibly do?"
Confucius sighed softly. "The ugliness of the human heart—greed, desire, hatred, envy—is a bottomless well, far beyond your power to fix. On the contrary, you would only be dragged into the vortex yourself!"
ng Ran said, "This disciple does not fear death!"
Confucius stroked his beard and chuckled. "Death is the simplest thing. With the weight of the karma that young man carries, one misstep… and the very foundations and heritage of our Academy, accumulated over countless years, would have to be staked!"
ng Ran's pupils shrank, and he could hardly believe it. "Confucius, what do you an? For the re Origin of Zhulong, would they truly dare to wage an all-out war against our Academy?"
"Origin of Zhulong?" Confucius laughed lightly, his tone casual. "That item, when compared to the karma bound to him, is utterly insignificant."
ng Ran was sowhat stunned. He naturally did not doubt Confucius's words.
But the Origin of Zhulong was insignificant? What on earth did Brother Wang possess?
Could it be… he even has the inheritance of a Great Emperor?
Right now, that was the only thing he could imagine that was more precious than the Origin of Zhulong.
Confucius just smiled without explaining.
He patted ng Ran's shoulder and said, "You needn't worry too much. That young man is certainly not a person of ager fortune. The day you two et again… is likely not far off!"
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