I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense

871  Chapter 872: Heretics and Demons

Within the thatched cottage, the furnishings were quite simple: a straw mat, a statue whose true appearance was unclear, a few incense candles burning slowly, their blue smoke curling upward. An aged figure sat cross-legged upon it, his back to the doorframe, holding a scroll in hand and muttering to himself.

The old man's silver hair appeared somewhat disheveled, and he was dressed in a large cotton robe that wrapped him tightly. Given the pleasant climate with birds chirping and flowers fragrant, his attire seemed rather out of place.

"Helmsman, this is Li Xiaobai, the Peak Master of the Sword Sect's Second Peak. This is his assessment record. I believe that merely making Sect Master Li an external member might be inappropriate, and thus wish to consult the Sect Master for a final decision."

The cultivator from the Enforcement Team respectfully tossed the Qiankun Mirror to Beichen Feng. Li Xiaobai noticed that several people had been standing at the doorframe, not daring to step forward, and Beichen Feng did not turn around either. After receiving the Qiankun Mirror, he simply started to review it with his back to them.

It was evident that the cultivator from the Enforcement Team found this situation unremarkable, bowed, exited the room, and then casually pulled the wooden door to a close.

The light inside the entire cottage dimmed, leaving only Li Xiaobai and the old man, silent and soundless. The elder sitting on the straw mat was as still as a boulder, utterly motionless and seemingly lifeless. Had Li Xiaobai not known that this person was the helmsman, he might have thought the man had already passed away.

"After many years, another remarkable talent has emerged from the Central Origin Realm. Li Xiaobai, are you indeed a follower from the Immortal Spirit Continent?"

A moment later, after the elder had finished viewing the images in the Qiankun Mirror, he spoke, his voice surprisingly gentle and comforting.

"Exactly, I indeed come from the Immortal Spirit Continent and ascended to this Central Origin Realm not long ago."

Li Xiaobai nodded and spoke openly. He knew that the elder before him had also ascended from the same realm.

"How fares the Immortal Spirit Continent now?"

Beichen Feng asked.

"All is well. Only, since the passage between the two realms has been opened, many master cultivators from the Central Origin Realm have taken residence there, exerting a domineering rule."

Li Xiaobai shared, curious about this elder's stance on the Immortal Spirit Continent. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"That's no issue. The Central Origin Realm will bring powerful Cultivation Techniques and resources to the Immortal Spirit Continent. Acceptance and adaptation require a process."

"Does Zhenyuan Country still exist? Have there been any promising young upstarts in Confucianism recently?"

Beichen Feng continued to inquire.

"None."

Li Xiaobai thought for a moment, then shook his head. Resources on the Immortal Spirit Continent were scarce. Apart from himself and a few older male and female disciples who harbored secrets within themselves, almost no one could keep pace. Even Long Xue, who possessed a pure bloodline of the Dragon Race, still fell short in terms of talent and strength.

The room fell into silence once more, descending back into an eerie stillness.

"What is the evaluation of Beichen Feng on the Immortal Spirit Continent?" the elder asked again.

"Confucianism Master Beichen Feng, a maverick who deviated from the classics to form his own theories; another great Confucian master following Great Immortal Zhenyuan. With his own strength, he changed the landscape of academics, not clinging blindly to scholarly classics. He has established an unshakeable foundation in the hearts of scholars across the world," Li Xiaobai slowly said. For some reason, he felt the elder's tone was excessively detached, as though merely inquiring about a stranger.

"Good, very good. 'Confucianism Master Beichen Feng,' those words do sound pleasant. Li Xiaobai, would you like to officially join our Enforcement Team? To reward the good and punish the wicked, to stop slaughter, and to contribute to the great cause of the human race?"

The aged figure spoke, his wrist lifting slightly as he passed the Qiankun Mirror back to Li Xiaobai.

"To join the Enforcement Team is naturally something I greatly desire. However, I have a question I wish to ask the elder."

"Speak freely."

"I understand that murdering increases Sin Value, but slaying evil individuals should be considered a good deed. Why does it also increase Sin Value, and furthermore, why does it transfer the entire Sin Value of the victim to me?"

Li Xiaobai posed a question that had long burdened his heart, a question perhaps only this helmsman of the Enforcement Team could truly answer.

"How do you understand it?" the elder asked.

Li Xiaobai replied, "I believe there's only one explanation—that the Sin Value and Merit Value exist not for anything else, but to minimize bloodshed in the world, even to abandon it altogether. This allows all cultivators in the Central Origin Realm to naturally experience life, old age, sickness, and death, rather than slaughtering each other."

Suddenly, the elder stated, "Wouldn't that be excellent? If all the cultivators in the world ceased their slaughter, peace would truly reign supreme. If we could achieve that, it would be an unprecedented golden age."

Li Xiaobai: "…"

He felt something was amiss, but couldn't quite articulate it at the moment. The elder had glossed over the matter so eloquently that he was left without words.

Beichen Feng: "If there are no further questions, go and fetch your Identity Token. If you encounter insoluble issues during your missions, you may come here to seek me."

"There is still one more thing I am unclear about and wish to boldly ask the elder."

Li Xiaobai continued.

"Speak."

"I have a friend whose body seems to have some issues. In his daily practice, he faces no obstacles or constraints, and advancing through realms and cultivation levels is as simple as eating and drinking. Even when he deliberately refrains from cultivating, his power still increases every moment. He feels there is something seriously wrong with his body, yet he can't find the answer. Do you think you could enlighten us on this matter?"

Li Xiaobai posed the question he most wanted to know, which was precisely what secrets lay hidden within his fellow disciples.

But no sooner had he spoken these words than the temperature inside the hut dropped sharply. The once comfortable room now seemed on the verge of forming frost, the air chillingly cold. The next second, everything abruptly returned to normal—all of it happening in the blink of an eye. Had it not been for the record of increased Attribute Points in the system, Li Xiaobai might have thought he had just seen a hallucination.

The old man's voice remained soft, saying indifferently, "Are you… imagining friends?"

"Not at all, my friend really has a problem, and is currently taken by a super sect that wishes to remain unnamed, raising him as a key disciple."

Li Xiaobai's eyes sparkled with a strange light, and unknowingly, he grasped a Thousand-Miles Instant Travel Talisman between his fingertips, ready to flee at any moment from the suspicious old man before him.

"How many such friends do you have?"

Beichen Feng continued questioning instead of answering his question.

"Just one."

Li Xiaobai honestly replied.

"I have heard of such a condition before."

The elderly figure nodded slightly, which was his first and only movement since Li Xiaobai had entered.

The issues concerning his fellow disciples had caused this old man a momentary emotional fluctuation, evidently, the issues at hand were significant.

"Please, senior, could you offer some guidance?"

Li Xiaobai bowed deeply in respect.

The elderly figure began to recount, "I once had a friend too, who cultivated as easily as eating and drinking, often deriving enlightenment from the natural world…"

"He was clear about what he wanted. He wasn't concerned about his own power but focused on carrying on a lineage, even devising a theory of his own that was spread widely, revered as the founder of a school. With this trait, he quickly ascended to the Central Origin Realm, and broke through to the highest realm in an astonishingly short amount of time."

"What happened then?" Li Xiaobai couldn't help asking.

"The story becomes quite fantastical and bizarre from there. The good times didn't last; soon after, he vanished from the world, as if he had never existed."

"I have many such friends," Beichen Feng said, each word deliberate, his tone still soft, but to Li Xiaobai, it raised goosebumps.

"Did all these friends of yours inexplicably disappear, did they die?"

Beichen Feng replied, "That remains unknown. Many have tried to trace them, only to find all traces of their existence erased, as if they had never been in this world. They were like meteors, brilliant and fleeting, quickly rising amidst a mist but just as swiftly dissipating without a trace."

"May I dare ask what was the family name of this friend, senior?"

Li Xiaobai, restless and unwilling, pressed on, feeling the elder was mixing truth with deception, clearly knowing more yet deliberately revealing only half.

"I can't remember anymore, just a vague impression that such people existed," was the reply.

"Should you see your friend again, you may remind him to think more, validate more. With broader horizons, many things might resolve themselves. If he progresses too swiftly in cultivation without consideration, his fate might mirror that of my friend, vanishing without a trace."

Beichen Feng's tone remained level, relaying the story solely from an observer's point of view, without any personal flair.

"Thank you, senior, for your guidance. Your words will be remembered,"

Li Xiaobai said respectfully, bowing with his fists clasped. The old man had spoken much, yet also seemed to say nothing; the crucial details remained untouched, truly a sly fox.

But to have such a long conversation with Beichen Feng, a Confucianism Master, was a rare privilege indeed. Now, at least, he knew his fellow disciples were in danger. In the future, he could explore in this direction and gradually uncover more.

"Go now, never forget your original intentions, and you will always prevail."

The elderly figure fell silent once more.

Li Xiaobai gently pushed open the wooden door, stepped out of the cabin, and closed the door softly. His eyes once more met the words, and his breath caught—he was suddenly immersed in the vision he had experienced earlier.

A picturesque landscape unraveled before him, yet what filled his eyes was desolation. The barren vista was permeated with a stifling sense of desolation; this time, however, there was a road on the barren land, broad but untraveled, accompanied only by a lingering sigh in his ears:

"To deviate from the norm is to be demonic!"