Chapter 200: The Sage Once Suffered Calamity

“What level of cultivation is required to disregard the restrictions sealing Mount Dai?”

When Kong Zhao heard Li Shun's question, he could not help but freeze on the spot.

As a member of the Kong Clan, he had grown up at the foot of Mount Dai. Over the years, he had seen countless pilgrims who had come here because of the mountain's fame.

From renowned Creation realm experts to utterly ordinary mortals without the slightest cultivation, every one of them obediently measured the stone steps with their own feet, climbing upward step by step.

He had never once seen anyone dare to fly through the air above the summit of Mount Dai.

“Why did Junior Brother suddenly ask about this?”

Kong Zhao pondered for a long while before finally shaking his head.

“The seal of Mount Dai does not derive its deterrent power from the strength of the restriction itself. More importantly, it is tied to the story left behind when His Majesty personally ascended the mountain in the past. Even if a Creation realm expert truly possessed the ability to disregard the restriction, they would never dare reveal it publicly. Otherwise, once the charge of showing great disrespect were placed upon them, even someone in the Creation realm would likely find it difficult to bear.”

Li Shun nodded slightly, but did not reveal the strange encounter he had experienced atop Mount Dai.

That mysterious man in black clearly could not be tolerated by the orthodox authority of Great Qian.

Instead, he came up with another excuse.

“A few days ago, I suddenly had an epiphany and sensed that I was on the verge of breaking through, so I decided to climb the mountain on foot. Mount Dai rises three thousand zhang into the sky. It truly is magnificent. Unfortunately, I'm accustomed to flying everywhere. Having to rely on these two legs to climb the mountain was genuinely exhausting. It took me an entire day before I barely managed to reach the summit.”

“From such a height, one can see far into the distance. The boundless fertile lands of Qing Province stretched out before my eyes. It was truly breathtaking, and even now, recalling the sight still leaves me savoring the experience. I had originally planned to climb to the summit from time to time to admire the scenery, but whenever I think of the hardship of the ascent, I lose my nerve. That is why I asked.”

“So Junior Brother has already broken through?”

Only now did Kong Zhao notice the subtle change in the aura surrounding Li Shun. His face immediately brightened.

“You have only formally embarked upon the path of cultivation for two or three years, yet you have already reached the upper-tier of Spirit Resonance. Entering the Grotto Mystic realm is now within sight. Junior Brother truly possesses heaven-defying talent!”

Li Shun humbly replied, “It is all thanks to Master's cultivation of me in the past, as well as the advantages of the Kong Family's Grotto Heaven blessed land. Without them, I fear I would still be struggling to temper myself in the lower grade of Spirit Resonance.”

At this point, Li Shun's expression darkened.

“It is just a pity that Master passed away too soon. He was unable to personally witness my advancement into this realm.”

Kong Zhao consoled him.

“Uncle-Master Fang's illustrious reputation has long since spread even among the common people of the Sacred Capital. If the old man knows of this from beyond the grave, he will surely be smiling with satisfaction.”

After a pause, Kong Zhao's expression became solemn as he reminded him, “Since Junior Brother has already entered the upper-tier of Spirit Resonance, the Kong Family's Grotto Heaven blessed land will provide you with very little benefit from now on. For the time being, you should stay at the old residence and quietly nurture and stabilize your cultivation. Simply wait for the grand gathering to begin.”

“When the time comes, disciples from the Hundred Schools of Thought will all gather here at the foot of Mount Dai.”

Upon hearing this, Li Shun narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Gather at the foot of Mount Dai? Could it be that this so-called Hundred Schools Grand Gathering will actually take place within Mount Dai?”

Kong Zhao once again deliberately kept him in suspense.

“Yes, and no. You will naturally understand the hidden mysteries in due time. If word were to leak out beforehand, it would actually be detrimental to you.”

Li Shun did not continue pressing him and instead changed the subject.

“For this Hundred Schools Grand Gathering, our Confucian School needs to send three people. Aside from me, what can you tell me about the other two?”

“The candidates were decided long ago. It is no secret. They are He Wanbai of the [Controlling Heavenly Mandate] lineage and Xu Tingshen of the [Responsibility for All Under Heaven] lineage. Both of them are also at the upper-tier of Spirit Resonance.”

“Moreover, they reached this realm several years ago and could break through into the Grotto Mystic realm at any time. Yet for the sake of participating in this grand gathering, they have forcibly suppressed their cultivation until now.”

“By the way, regarding He Wanbai, Junior Brother should pay particular attention to him.”

Kong Zhao seemed to have suddenly remembered something, and his expression became rather meaningful.

“Although his cultivation is not particularly high, his seniority within the lineage is frighteningly great. Technically speaking, he is actually the junior brother of the current Left Chancellor. Therefore, it would be best for you to maintain a good relationship with him and avoid offending him unnecessarily.”

Li Shun's heart trembled slightly.

His brows then furrowed.

“The Left Chancellor's junior brother? If I remember correctly, the Left Chancellor is a personal disciple of the Sage. Is this He Wanbai also a disciple of the Sage?”

“This is an old story from within our Confucian School.”

“In those days, before the Confucian Sage had attained the Heaven-Earth realm, he encountered a great calamity while in Liang Nation. Not only did he suffer severe injuries and lose all his memories, he also became separated from his disciples. Fortunately, an ancestor of the He Clan took him in.”

“The Sage recuperated in the He Clan for a full three years before gradually recovering his senses. When he eventually departed, he wished to repay the He Clan's kindness and promised to accept their unborn posthumous child as his disciple. Unfortunately, the Eight Nations descended into war, the world fell into turmoil, and by the time the Confucian Sage withdrew from the world and disappeared from sight, the He Clan had still been unable to bring the child before the Sage and formally conduct the discipleship ceremony.”

“It was not until twenty-five years ago, when the Left Chancellor was compiling and organizing the Confucian Sage's biography, that he pieced together this long-forgotten story from countless scattered clues. After going through numerous twists and turns, he finally found the descendants of the He Clan from that time.”

“To settle this karmic connection, the Left Chancellor decisively decided to accept the disciple on his Master's behalf.”

“And that is how the He Wanbai of today came to be.”

Kong Zhao slowly recounted this sealed-away history.

“However, speaking of He Wanbai's aptitude, he is far inferior to you, Junior Brother.”

“His status is practically equivalent to that of the Left Chancellor's personal disciple, and the resources he enjoys are extraordinarily abundant. Yet after all these years, he remains only at the upper-tier of Spirit Resonance.”

Li Shun smiled bitterly.

“Senior Brother, have you forgotten? Although I have only cultivated for a short time, I am already nearly sixty years old. I merely accumulated my foundations during the first half of my life before finally erupting with strength. How can I possibly compare with He Wanbai, who is still in the prime of his youth?”

“If he had not deliberately suppressed his cultivation for the sake of this Hundred Schools Grand Gathering, I fear he would have already broken through the Grotto Mystic threshold. A Grotto Mystic cultivator in his early twenties would surely deserve to be called a heaven's favored genius even across the entirety of Great Qian, would he not?”

Kong Zhao merely shook his head.

“Not necessarily. With the title of the Left Chancellor's junior brother hanging over his head, there are countless people beneath heaven who would sharpen their heads trying to curry favor with him, yet still be unable to gain an audience.”

“The abundance of cultivation resources he consumes is far beyond what people like us can comprehend. Even the foundation accumulated by our Kong Family may find it difficult to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.”

After saying this, the two fell silent for a moment.

“By the way, I heard that the [Jun School] will also be sending someone to participate in this Hundred Schools Grand Gathering.”

“The Jun School's successor has always acted in an eccentric and bizarre manner. When the time comes, Junior Brother must be especially careful around them.”

Kong Zhao's expression once again became solemn as he issued his warning.

“The Jun School?”

The figure of Shen Tuxin flashed through Li Shun's mind.

At the same time, he was somewhat puzzled.

“The successor of the Jun School only recently committed the heinous crime of burning the Imperial Mausoleum. Now one of their disciples can actually appear openly and participate in the Hundred Schools Grand Gathering? Are they not afraid of provoking a siege by the imperial authorities?”

“These are extraordinary times, so extraordinary measures are being taken.”

“This Hundred Schools Grand Gathering requires the combined strength of the various Hundred Schools of Thought. The more schools that participate, the greater the eventual effect will be. Since the Jun School is willing to put aside its pride and send a successor to participate, naturally they will not be turned away.”

At this point, Li Shun became even more curious about this so-called Hundred Schools Grand Gathering.

However, judging from Kong Zhao's words, learning its secrets ahead of time would indeed diminish the opportunity he would gain from participating.

Seeing that Kong Zhao remained tight-lipped throughout, Li Shun could only suppress his curiosity for the time being and let the matter rest.