Sword Aura to the Heavens-Chapter 405 - 400: The Scholar

The bustling crowd continued their discussion, unable to comprehend how Li Fan achieved it.

"Is it a trick?" someone said. "Could it be that there's a flaw in the formation array, and those who previously questioned White Jade chose to force their way through without considering a cleverer approach?"

"We can't rule out this possibility." Many agreed with this view; otherwise, how could they explain what they had just witnessed?

"To inquire about the White Jade Capital, one must ascend step by step. Isn't this method too opportunistic?" someone said loudly from above the crowd, drawing everyone's gaze to a cultivator from Lingxiao Pavilion.

On the staircase, Li Fan turned around and looked over there, saying, "Then why don't you give it a try?"

The man's expression froze, and he snorted coldly, "Once you enter White Jade, someone will expose your true nature."

Li Fan couldn't be bothered to respond. He looked at the woman in front of him, An Zhiyao of White Jade Academy, whose skin was fairer than snow and possessed an ethereal aura, living up to her reputation as a fairy.

As if noticing something, Li Fan glanced aside and saw Lu Yuan looking at him.

"?"

What was so interesting?

"Greetings, Fairy An." Li Fan addressed politely.

"May I know your name?" An Zhiyao asked curiously, looking at Li Fan. Standing here, she could naturally see more clearly, understanding that what Li Fan had done was far from being merely opportunistic as others suggested.

"Lu Qingqiu," Li Fan replied.

"Lu Qingqiu." An Zhiyao whispered the name to herself, realizing she had never heard it before. Coming to her senses, she slightly stepped aside to make way, saying to Li Fan and the others, "Please."

"Thank you, Fairy." Li Fan passed by An Zhiyao, stepping over the Heavenly Ladder Gate and entering the White Jade Academy.

From the boundary of the staircase, countless gazes watched his departure. At the third checkpoint of the staircase, Yun Tiancheng stared at Li Fan's departing figure with a cold expression, stepping forward and entering the formation array as well.

......

At White Jade Academy, towering immortal palaces stood majestically. Atop a peak of palace clusters, there was an open space where many cultivators sat cross-legged, all possessing extraordinary auras, all disciples of the White Jade Academy.

At this moment, they were listening to a gentleman giving a lecture.

Strangely, this gentleman appeared extremely young, even of similar age to some of them.

He had the appearance of a scholar, holding a book, and his voice was gentle and pleasant to the ear, making people feel very comfortable.

At this time, the scholar closed the book in his hands and looked at the crowd, saying softly, "Alright, that's all for today."

"Sir, I have some questions." A voice came from the crowd, and the scholar looked at the person speaking, smiling, "What are your questions?"

"You claim not to understand cultivation, so why are you lecturing about the Dao here?" The person stood up and asked aloud, with a hint of challenge in their eyes. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

His cultivation was at the Ning Dan Realm; he was from a noble family in Jade City, born with exceptional talents and rapid progress in his cultivation, eventually succeeding in reaching White Jade in search of the Dao.

However, arriving at the White Jade Academy, it wasn't as he had imagined, with famous teachers imparting knowledge. The first 'teacher' turned out to be a young person who claimed not to understand cultivation.

"I'm here because the academy asked me to be here; otherwise, I wouldn't be here, and you wouldn't have to resist me." The scholar sensed the person's emotions but remained courteous and his voice gentle. Someone joked, "The gentleman is indeed honest."

"As for your other question, the 'Dao' exists between heaven and earth. Whether I understand cultivation or not, it is always there. From the moment we are born, we are within the 'Dao'; sunrise and sunset are Dao, birth, old age, sickness, and death are Dao. Even without understanding, we all touch 'It' and naturally have different insights into it. I'm just sharing some of my insights with you; why not?"

The scholar spoke slowly, and upon hearing this, many fell into contemplation; some gained insights, while others found it absurd.

"If you don't understand cultivation, how can you touch the Dao?" The man furrowed his brows, continuing to ask.

"What is cultivation? In cultivation, there are Qi Cultivators, Martial Arts Cultivation, and various realms. Qi Cultivators explore the workings of all things, while Martial Arts Cultivation explores the hidden potential within themselves. The former moves from outside to inside, the latter from inside to outside. All these processes are explorations of the 'Dao.' Just because I don't understand cultivation doesn't mean I can't observe and feel the existence of the Dao."

The man fell silent, looking at the scholar's refined face, unsure of how to respond for a moment.

"Nonsense."

A cold voice came from afar, and everyone turned towards it, seeing two figures striding towards them.

The aura from these two was exceptionally sharp, like two sharp swords. They were, in fact, Shen Jing and Yue Yunxiao, the first to enter the White Jade Academy.

The one speaking was Shen Jing.

After ascending the outer staircase of the Heavenly Gate, they proceeded forward through various places, eventually arriving here and hearing the scholar's words.

All the students of White Jade Academy observed Shen Jing and Yue Yunxiao, knowing well why they came.

Outside the White Jade Academy, prodigies from all quarters climbed the array to ascend the Heavenly Ladder, inquiring about the White Jade. Now, some had arrived here.

"The gentleman claims to have insights into the Dao. Now that someone is here to inquire about the Dao, how will the gentleman explain?" That person showed little concern for the arrival of Shen Jing and Yue Yunxiao and instead seemed more eager to see how this 'gentleman' would perform.

The scholar's gaze also fell on Shen Jing and Yue Yunxiao as Shen Jing addressed him, "The process of seeking the Dao is the process of cultivation. How can someone who doesn't understand cultivation speak of understanding the Dao? Is this how White Jade Academy's gentlemen impart the Dao?"

"Are you a Sword Cultivator?" the scholar asked Shen Jing.

"Yes," Shen Jing replied.

"When you wave your sword, can you cultivate the Sword Dao?" the scholar asked.

"No," Shen Jing answered.

"Then how did you cultivate the Sword Dao?" the scholar asked again. "Is it because you wield the sword that you cultivated swordsmanship and perceived the Sword Dao, or did you perceive the 'rules' of the sword first and then learn swordsmanship?"

Shen Jing furrowed his brows, momentarily at a loss for words due to the scholar's questioning.

Beside him, Yue Yunxiao also seemed to ponder.

Although this was the simplest logic in the world, it seemed no one was willing to think about it.

"Splendid."

At this moment, a cheerful voice came from behind the scholar as an elder walked toward them. Seeing the senior, all White Jade Academy students bowed respectfully.

"Mr. Yan." The scholar also bowed slightly. The approaching elder wore a simple black and white Daoist robe, clean and unadorned, looking at the scholar with admiration.

"The young gentleman is too polite." The elderly man smiled and returned the courtesy, but the students of White Jade Academy were not at all surprised. However, Shen Jing and Yue Yunxiao were quite perplexed.

Mr. Yan, they could probably guess the identity of this elder.

"Greetings to the gentleman." Yue Yunxiao also bowed in respect, and Shen Jing did not dare to show any arrogance before his senior, following suit.

"You two have arrived first. I'm sure the others will soon be here as well, so we won't rush for now. Let's wait for everyone to arrive," the elder said to the pair.

"Alright," Yue Yunxiao nodded.

Meanwhile, others also began to approach, all cultivators of White Jade Academy.

Since today there were those inquiring about the White Jade, it was only natural for them to come and see.

After Li Fan and his companions stepped into the Heavenly Gate, they saw ethereal immortal fog ahead and a 'bridge' formed by a mountain range. They continued forward through the air, looking up to see the towering palaces in the distance.

The White Jade Academy was vast, and as they advanced, they could see many cultivation caves and various people flying through the air, seemingly heading toward the center of White Jade Academy like them.

After a while, they arrived at the palace clusters, continuing through, crossing many steps, with a plaza in the distance gathered with numerous cultivators.

"We're here."

Li Fan and the others landed and walked onward, looking up at a towering palace that pierced the clouds ahead, the source of the legendary White Jade.

"You arrived quite swiftly."

A hearty voice came from ahead, and Qi Zhanyun, who had arrived a step earlier, laughed loudly at seeing Li Fan and his companions.

Many turned their heads, and Shen Jing's eyes flashed with a sharp glint upon seeing Li Fan and the others arrive.

"Not too bad," Li Fan replied with a smile, looking toward the crowd. When his eyes landed on the scholar, he paused, a strange expression appearing in his eyes.

Is this really happening?