Chapter 1201: The Dao must not be transmitted lightly!

Those with money chose to stay in the inns of Xianyang.

As for those without money, who previously scraped a living through unspeakable deeds, because it was difficult to commit illegal acts near the imperial capital of Xianyang, they could only reluctantly sleep in the wild, living a life of eating wind and drinking dew.

Fortunately, those who could come here with the intention of listening to Su Xuan preach were no ordinary figures; at the very least, they all possessed a few unique skills, which ensured their survival in the mountains and forests.

If one were the type who had no money and could not guarantee their own survival in the wild—a poor wretch—

then there was no help for it; such people were destined to have no affinity for listening to Su Xuan's preaching, and it would be better to pack up and head home early.

Time flowed slowly.

Every day, new people arrived in Xianyang, and every day, people passed the tests set by the Daoist School, obtaining an entry ticket—a jade tablet.

Among these, some interludes occurred.

Before Nanshan.

A woman of ample figure looked at the Daoist disciples in front of her and began to make unreasonable demands.

"Hey, on what grounds do you say my aptitude is insufficient and that I cannot go to listen to the State Preceptor preach?"

"Tell me."

"If you can provide a reason that convinces me, I don't mind leaving here."

The Daoist disciples followed the rules and stated the facts regarding the woman's insufficient aptitude and strength, but the woman found loopholes in their words and engaged them in yet another debate.

The woman's words were sharp; despite having no real strength, she used language to force the Daoist disciples into a predicament.

This caused the Daoist disciples guarding the entrance to Nanshan and maintaining order to frown slightly. They wanted to speak up to help their fellow disciples resolve the awkward situation, but this was not like the debate between the Heaven and Man Sects.

They clearly knew that everything the woman said was sophistry, yet they found it impossible to refute.

Fortunately, this preaching session was not a debate competition.

One could not gain entry simply by having a sharp tongue.

Even if one's words were sharp, if one's aptitude and strength were insufficient, one would still be unable to comprehend the new path of cultivation Su Xuan was teaching. For such people to go and listen to Su Xuan preach would simply be a waste of the qualification.

Just as the woman was being overbearing and continuing to use her silver tongue, preparing to completely defeat the few Daoist disciples and obtain the entry ticket as a victor,

a cold voice rang out: "The sophistry of the School of Names is indeed not bad. It is a pity that the School of Names grows worse with each generation. If it were the Huizi or Gongsun Longzi of the past, they would naturally be qualified to enter Nanshan to listen to the preaching, but as for you, apart from this glib tongue, you are worthless and have no qualification whatsoever to listen to the preaching."

After this voice spread, many Daoist disciples immediately bowed, calling out "Sect Master."

Many people gathered on the outskirts of Nanshan to watch the excitement, hearing these words, also had their gazes sharpen as they looked at the old man who had appeared abruptly.

The Daoist School was divided into the Heaven and Man Sects, with two Sect Masters in total; it was unclear which one this was.

But regardless of which one it was, they were clearly a big shot beyond reproach.

"So it is Mr. Chi Chi Songzi, Sect Master of the Heaven Sect!"

The woman came from the School of Names and was the contemporary Sect Master, Gongsun Linglong. In the past, Huizi of the School of Names had a very good relationship with Zhuang Zhou, a prodigy of the Man Sect, so the Daoist School and the School of Names could be considered to have some history.

Although it was the Man Sect that had the history, Chi Chi Songzi of the Heaven Sect and Gongsun Linglong had met once.

It was precisely because they had met once that his impression of the School of Names was not very good.

He did not know when it began, but the once-illustrious School of Names had begun to fall to such a state.

During the era of Huizi and Gongsun Longzi, the School of Names still had some merits.

But the successors of the School of Names were truly shameful, becoming increasingly addicted to the art of sophistry.

The so-called art of sophistry was nothing more than targeting others through loopholes in their words; even if one won a debate this way, it was actually of no use at all.

"Mr. Chi Chi Songzi says I have no qualification to enter and listen to the State Preceptor preach, but I would like to hear how Mr. Chi Chi Songzi determines that I have no qualification?"

If Chi Chi Songzi could not give her a satisfactory answer, she would not mind debating him right here.

"Hmph!"

"I say you have no qualification, so you have no qualification. What other reason do you want?"

Chi Chi Songzi's words were quite cold.

Gongsun Linglong still wanted to speak, to employ her art of sophistry.

Chi Chi Songzi, however, flicked his sleeve, and a gust of wind swept out. With a 'crack!', the mask on Gongsun Linglong's face fell off, and a burning, stinging pain appeared on half of her cheek, as if she had been slapped by Chi Chi Songzi.

Gongsun Linglong's body trembled slightly. She did not care that her mask had been knocked off and her true face revealed; what she cared about was that Chi Chi Songzi had actually slapped her.

"You dare hit me?"

Perhaps because she was accustomed to acting overbearingly in the School of Names and had never lost a debate, Gongsun Linglong had not yet realized the severity of the situation and actually dared to argue with Chi Chi Songzi.

"What would you do?"

Chi Chi Songzi had a fiery temper and would not indulge Gongsun Linglong.

He glanced coldly at Gongsun Linglong, and she felt a chill, finally coming to her senses.

Without saying a word, under the gaze of many people nearby, she left the place.

Gongsun Linglong, Sect Master of the School of Names, left under the pressure of Chi Chi Songzi.

It could be seen that the sharpness of words, in the end, could not defeat tangible strength.

This incident also served as a reminder to many people.

That was, although Su Xuan used the channels of the State of Qin to spread the news of the preaching throughout the world, not everyone was qualified to come and listen to Su Xuan preach.

The Dao must not be transmitted lightly.

Even if the other party was a Sect Master of the School of Names, there was no preferential treatment.

After Gongsun Linglong's identity and her encounter were spread, it immediately caused a great sensation.

The encounter of the School of Names Sect Master left people speechless.

However, Gongsun Linglong was no pushover.

After suffering great humiliation and leaving Nanshan, not long after, scandals regarding the Daoist School began to spread.

In these rumors, the grievances between the Daoist School and the Yin-Yang School from years past were emphasized, and after speaking of past grievances, they moved on to the present.

Such as the Yin-Yang School Sect Master intending to preach at the ancestral grounds of the Daoist School; not only did the Daoist School not stop this, but they actually became accomplices to the Yin-Yang School, actively helping them. Was it not because the current Yin-Yang School Sect Master was the State Preceptor of the current dynasty? The Daoist School appeared to be quiet and inactive, but in reality, they were just a group of sycophants.

In these words, the Daoist School was disparaged quite heavily.

For a time, the Daoist School, which ranked among the best of the Hundred Schools of Thought, was disparaged as worthless. ===== CHAPTER 1203 =====