1198 Dao Discussion
After the black-robed man left, the house fell silent again.
Xu Qing picked up the jade token on the table and fused his divine sense into it, slowly checking it. After a long time, a dense coldness rose in his eyes. As he looked out into the night through the window, the cold seemed to seep into the night, becoming part of the scenery.
Using the night wind as his brush, the silence as his rhythm, the boundless universe as his canvas, and the starlight and moonlight as his ink, he painted a picture of the scene just before dawn.
Gradually, Xu Qing's figure blurred outside this painting, until it eventually disappeared without a trace.
When he appeared, he had already walked into the streets in the painting and walked into the distance, heading toward Imperial Academy.
He had heard that the competition between the Variant Immortal School and the Divine Fusion School was going to proceed normally, and the Variant Immortal School's white tower had been unsealed.
At that moment, as he moved forward, the light of dawn slowly broke through the darkness of the night behind him, bringing new hope to the world.
It was as though everything was waking up and starting over.
Just like the Variant Immortal School in Imperial Academy.
In the white tower, the school head of the Variant Immortal School had sat there silently for the entire night.
He watched as the darkness outside gradually faded away, as the first light of the sun descended, and as… a figure appeared there.
This figure stepped on the light of the rising sun and walked into the white tower step by step.
"School head."
Xu Qing bowed and spoke softly.
The gaze of the school head landed on this figure with the sunlight on his back. He remembered this disciple and also remembered that when the other party joined the Variant Immortal School, the Variant Immortal School was still in decline.
He had once felt this disciple had a high aptitude. However, in the end, as the Variant Immortal School recovered and grew stronger, more and more people with higher aptitude appeared. The other party naturally lost his attention.
However, he didn't expect that after the Variant Immortal School was unsealed, this person… would be the first and possibly the only one to come.
His emotions became complicated. As his thoughts spread, Xu Qing walked toward the jade slip shelf at the side.
He wanted to find the records of the Divine Fusion School in the Variant Immortal School. There were naturally many records of the Divine Fusion School in the Variant Immortal School since their ideals didn't match at all.
This was especially so for the newsletters. Although most of them were fabrications and groundless rumors, there was more or less a source hidden in them.
Xu Qing planned to check more carefully and comprehensively to verify his judgment. At the same time, he planned his actions in his mind.
In his mind, the Seventh Prince was already a dead man, and his goal wasn't just the Seventh Prince.
'Bai Xiaozhuo…'
Xu Qing mumbled inwardly. He then walked to the side of the jade slip shelf and began to search.
Looking at Xu Qing, the school head wanted to say something but hesitated. After a long time, he sighed softly and slowly spoke.
"Xuan Leizi, after today, there may no longer be the Variant Immortal School. You may choose to relinquish your core disciple identity and dig out your dao seed to avoid any future repercussions."
As he spoke, he took out a jade token and placed it to the side.
This was the proof of removing his status as a core disciple.
After doing this, he stood up from his seat and walked out of the tower step by step.
Dawn had arrived and the time for the competition was about to arrive.
Looking at the horizon, the Variant Immortal School Head felt a little desolate.
He didn't know if that mysterious senior would appear, nor did he know what the fate of the Variant Immortal School would be.
However, no matter what, he was the school head of this generation of the Variant Immortal School.
Hence, determination gradually appeared in his eyes.
"No matter what, even if it's the end… I can't tarnish the name of the Variant Immortal!"
With such thoughts in mind, the Variant Immortal School's school head, his steps growing firmer, made his way towards the Dao platform of the academy.
In the white tower, Xu Qing lifted his head and glanced at the departing figure of the school head. Afterward, he resumed examining the jade slips until the distant tolling of the bell and the clamor of students outside filled the air. Only then did Xu Qing set down the scrolls.
He found the answer he wanted, so he walked out of the white tower and into the crowd outside.
The Dao discussion between the Variant Immortal School and the Divine Fusion School was already a popular topic of conversation. In addition, the calamity the Variant Immortal School had encountered now caused the level of attention to be even higher.
This was especially so since… the Human Emperor had specially allowed the Dao discussion to continue.
As such, the attention drawn by this Dao discussion didn't just come from the students of the Imperial Academy, but also from various forces within the Imperial City. On this day, they used all kinds of methods to gaze upon this discussion.
In the Imperial Academy, there was only one place to discuss the Dao.
That was the Dao platform in the center of Imperial Academy.
The area was vast enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people. Many years ago, there had been many large-scale Dao discussions held here, each of which had caused a sensation.
At that moment, there were many students here. Almost all the students living in the Imperial City had arrived.
The sounds of discussion echoed and it was noisy. Most of them were looking at the sky.
Two huge octagonal Dao platforms floated in the air.
One was black and the other was white. They were simple and elegant, seemingly symbolizing purity and resilience. The octagonal structure formed the foundation of the platforms, symbolizing the intersection of earth and sky.
At this moment, there was a pressure emanating between heaven and earth, and the Daoist rhyme exuded from these two ancient platforms, spreading in all directions, forming patches of multicolored clouds.
On the black platform, the head of the Divine Fusion School sat there. Behind him, the upper echelons of the Divine Fusion School, the chief disciple, the Seventh Prince, and the others were all sitting cross-legged. There were hundreds of them. Their auras were like a rainbow. Even more students of the Divine Fusion School were clustered below.
On the white Dao platform opposite, only the school head of the Variant Immortal School was sitting alone.
A sense of desolation spread from the white Dao platform.
The various forces outside also shook their heads, feeling somewhat complicated in their hearts. After all… many years ago, the Variant Immortal School was the number one school in Imperial Academy.
But now…
Sighs echoed in the minds of many people, including the students of the Variant Immortal School around the Dao platform.
These students who had joined the Variant Immortal School could only remain silent.
Xu Qing also stood in the crowd. He could sense the atmosphere here but his main focus now was the Seventh Prince and… the school head of the Divine Fusion School.
Xu Qing calmly looked at them.
He didn't rush out to expose them. Instead, he was waiting for this big show to reach a critical moment.
After a long time, when the bell rang for the ninth time, the sky of Imperial Academy suddenly fluctuated. Two figures in white robes walked over from the end of the sky.
One in front and one behind, one old and one young.
The old man walking in front had a gentle expression. The wrinkles on his face bore witness to the passage of time, like the traces left behind by the river of wisdom.
Though his posture was no longer as upright, his temperament and wisdom became increasingly prominent with age.
This person was the Principal of the academy, and behind him stood… the Third Prince, serving as the Vice Principal of the academy.
They didn't wear masks, so their appearances were clearly reflected in everyone's eyes. The moment they appeared, the Variant Immortal School's school head, the Divine Fusion School's school head, and all the students present cupped their hands and bowed.
"We pay our respects to the Principal."
To be appointed as the Principal of the academy by the Emperor was naturally a person of high virtue and prestige. In terms of knowledge, status, and contributions, this elderly man possessed all the qualifications.
In the early stages of the academy, he had been instrumental in organizing it and assisted in the establishment of numerous schools.
He also possessed the imperial bloodline; in terms of lineage, he was the uncle of the current Emperor.
Hence, the Third Prince stood behind him with great respect.
As the Principal approached, he halted in mid-air, lifted his head to gaze into the distant sky, and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Emperor."
As soon as his voice rang out, the hearts of the students below trembled. The sky the Principal gazed upon began to churn, revealing a scene.
The screen showed the palace. The Emperor was sitting on the throne, gazing intently in this direction. Upon seeing the Principal paying his respects, the Emperor stood up and returned the gesture.
The reason he stood upright up to return the gesture was not merely out of courtesy to the elder. As the Emperor, representing the human race, he had transcended ordinary etiquette. The reason he stood up was out of respect.
He respected the Principal for his contributions to Imperial Academy over the years.
Below the Human Emperor, 13 figures stood up and returned the greeting.
Every figure emitted a shocking aura. Xu Qing only took a glance and could clearly sense that they were giving off the energy of Soul Accumulation.
Their identities were self-evident.
The Heavenly Kings left in the Imperial City.
After the greeting, the Human Emperor sat upright, including the Heavenly Kings.
The Principal retracted his stare after bowing. He gazed at the Variant Immortal School and the Divine Fusion School Dao Platforms before looking at the hundreds of thousands of students below with a kind smile.
"It's been a long time since I witnessed and hosted a Dao discussion in the Imperial Academy."
"I'm pleased to see that Dao discussions haven't disappeared."
"The Dao Discussion is divided into three segments: the discussion of the Heavenly Dao to distinguish between right and wrong, the discussion of human nature to discern truth from falsehood, and the discussion of day and night to anticipate the future."
"The final outcome doesn't depend on the schools but on you guys."
The Principal gazed at the students on the ground and slowly spoke.
"Each of you has your own wisdom and choices. The recognition in your hearts will be the outcome of the Dao discussion."
As soon as these words were spoken, a rainbow light shot up from the Divine Fusion School's Dao Platform and entered the sky. This light was resplendent, causing the sky to rumble and its aura to shake the surroundings.
This rainbow light came from the hearts of the students below.
This scale and height were enough to prove that the students of Imperial Academy approved of the Divine Fusion School.
On the other hand, the Variant Immortal School… also had rainbow light, but it was only 30 feet long.
The difference between them was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Seeing this scene, the various forces in the outside world fell silent.
There was even an uproar in the Imperial Academy.
Xu Qing's brows under the mask also furrowed.
In the air, the Principal also shook his head slightly. However, the Dao discussion still had to continue. Hence, his hoarse voice echoed.
"The Heavenly Dao discussion."
"The cultivation arts and thoughts of the schools have to be recognized by the Heavenly Dao before they are qualified to discuss the Dao."
"Among the Wanggu Heavenly Dao, 99 Immemorial Heavenly Dao are in slumber. It's difficult for us humans to sense them. However, among the 100,000 Heavenly Dao, 3,000 Heavenly Dao had given blessings when the Imperial Academy's Dao platform was first established. Hence, the thoughts and cultivation art have to be displayed here to be judged by the 3,000 Heavenly Dao."
"If the Heavenly Dao doesn't acknowledge it, then there's no need to continue the Dao discussion. This means that your school still needs adjustment."
"So, Variant Immortal School and Divine Fusion School, it is up to you to decide whether to proceed."
From the black platform, a faint laugh rang out from under the mask of the Divine Fusion School's school head.
"Students of the Divine Fusion School."
As soon as he finished speaking, the auras of the students from the Divine Fusion School gathered in the air and transformed into a huge phantom.
This phantom was astonishingly tall and had three heads and six arms. Its entire body was formed by parts of countless divine creatures, forming a peerless aura.
It distorted the surroundings and blurred the world, like a true god.
As the Divine Fusion School's school head lifted his head, the huge phantom raised its right hand toward the sky and clenched it.
The void exploded and a rumbling sound caused the world to tremble. The Divine Fusion School's school head stood upright up and bowed to the sky.
"Heavenly Dao, please judge if it is right or wrong."
The sky was torn apart, and cracks of various sizes appeared. These cracks opened one after another, transforming into eyes that showed indifference as they gazed at the phantom of the Divine Fusion School.
"Approved."
"Approved."
"Approved."
The sound of the Great Dao rang out from all directions.
In an instant, the students in Imperial Academy were excited. The various forces were also focused. Even the Principal had a deep look in his eyes as he nodded lightly.
"Among the 3,000 Heavenly Daos, 2,137 have acknowledged it. This is a great blessing!"
At the same time, the rainbow light above the Divine Fusion School's platform soared again.
The school head of the Divine Fusion School bowed to the Principle, before sitting down and looking at the school head of the Variant Immortal School.
The Variant Immortal School's school head fell silent. After a while, he could only brace himself and stand up. He spread out his aura and bowed to the sky.
"Heavenly Dao, please judge if it is right or wrong…"
He expressed this without confidence.
In the crowd, Xu Qing watched this scene with a calm gaze. He then gazed at the sky.
