Chapter 287: The Position of Half-Saint

"The foundation of the Hundred Saints Academy? Interesting."

Li Heng chuckled, causing Yu Fuhai to feel a surge of joy; could this great power be interested? He hurriedly spoke, striking while the iron was hot.

"Senior, the Hundred Saints Academy will never disappoint you!"

Li Heng pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Very well, then I shall see what the foundation of the Hundred Saints Academy is like. But before that, I can temporarily help you suppress the mutation infection."

With a thought, a wisp of Great Sun radiance appeared, flew toward Yu Fuhai's skeleton frame, and merged into it.

Before Yu Fuhai could even resist, he felt a slight sensation and his mind was instantly shaken, for he realized that the Pollution entangled deep within his soul and True Spirit had actually been suppressed and stopped?

Monstrous waves surged in his heart.

This was a Pollution that left all Heavenly Humans helpless, and even those old monsters who had lived for several epochs were deeply harmed by it, yet it was suppressed so easily?

For a moment, he felt as if he were living in a dream.

Originally, he had only hoped to obtain some method from this great power to extend his life, not daring to ask for the complete resolution of the Pollution, but now it seemed he hadn't even dared to imagine it.

Could this great power truly be able to completely resolve the Pollution?

"Many thanks to Senior for saving this junior from danger!"

Yu Fuhai bowed and said joyfully.

Li Heng's expression was calm, "No need for more words, lead the way."

The origin of that Jade Slip was definitely not simple.

Back then, he had asked about the figure above the Great Sun, but that figure had also indicated they did not know. Although it was mainly because the figure had not left this Heaven and Earth for a long time and had not observed the Great Void, to be able to make an Ancient Immortal God unable to know, it must have some tricks up its sleeve.

In the west of Great Li, Shanhai County, within the Xilie Wangfu.

"How have you considered it, Master?"

"Would you like to accompany me to the Hundred Saints Academy?"

In a room decorated with various luxurious porcelain and filled with swirling incense, Xiao Hao looked at the monk-Daoist guest before him with a smile.

The monk-Daoist guest pondered for a moment.

"Amitabha, this poor Daoist is willing to accompany the Heir to go together."

The task Xuantianji gave him was to stay by this Anomaly's side; even if this Anomaly were to climb a mountain of blades or descend into a sea of fire, he had to accompany him—there was no choice.

Xiao Hao's mouth twitched upon hearing this.

Although he had long expected that the monk-Daoist guest would definitely follow him.

But to say "Amitabha" while calling himself "poor Daoist" was somewhat subtle, he could only describe it as such.

Driven by curiosity, he asked.

"Master, are you a Daoist or a monk?"

The monk-Daoist guest looked solemn upon hearing this and pressed his palms together.

"This poor monk is a Daoist and also a monk."

Xiao Hao was puzzled.

"Can these two identities be held simultaneously?"

"The Heir is too fixated on appearances. Whether Daoist or monk, in the end, both are those who have left home, left home to cultivate, and wander in the red dust; why care about the differences between the two?"

"Seeking the Dao in one's heart, the Buddha in one's heart, that is all."

The monk-Daoist guest shook his head and smiled.

Xiao Hao was surprised to hear this.

Such demonic words, nearly bordering on becoming a demon.

But such a person should be a renowned figure in the chaotic future, so why didn't he know of him? Did he die halfway? Or is it...

Xiao Hao grew increasingly suspicious of his own memory.

There was no help for it; most of the things that had happened during this time contradicted his memory. In the end, even Reincarnation appeared, and even Heaven went missing—it was just fucking absurd.

If it weren't for the fact that some things still matched up.

And that he still possessed the Heavenly Dao Book.

He would have suspected that his memories were fabricated by someone else.

Thinking of the upcoming trip to the Hundred Saints Academy, he looked up at the sky, lost in thought. According to the original historical trajectory, a Half-Saint surnamed Yu would fall within the Hundred Saints Academy, which would then lead to a great opportunity existing within the Hundred Saints Academy.

This great opportunity even created a True Saint!

A Half-Saint is equivalent to a Heavenly Human.

And a True Saint is above the Heavenly Human!

Therefore, he must seize it.

A sharp glint flashed in Xiao Hao's eyes, and his palm tightened. That great opportunity must be his; even the Child of Luck from the original trajectory would have to step aside.

He had the Heavenly Dao Book and the Heavenly Secret Platform.

The advantage is with me; I am sure to win!

Above the sky leaving the borders of Great Li and heading toward the Hundred Saints Academy, the area was cloudless for ten thousand miles, the sunlight shining brightly on the earth; the upper hand that had originally been occupied was suppressed by the Yang energy, and the aftermath of a battle slowly dissipated.

In the Void, Li Heng crushed an attacker with one hand.

"It seems someone doesn't want you to return alive."

He held the neck of a humanoid black shadow, and Sun True Fire erupted violently to incinerate it, but he did not receive any Source Power feedback, causing him to raise his eyebrows in surprise.

Having left the Gale Layer, Yu Fuhai recovered his flesh-and-blood body.

His expression was somewhat complex.

"It seems someone has set their sights on my position. Well, when I left, I had left a will stating that if I could not return, I would yield this Half-Saint position to someone else."

"Now, I have actually returned alive."

"Others might be feeling a bit unwilling."

Yu Fuhai gave a bitter smile.

He had been on good terms with people his whole life, and currently, he had no enemies left alive. But now, having successfully returned alive, others wanted to intercept and kill him halfway just for the position of a Half-Saint.

This made him feel somewhat conflicted inside.

And most importantly.

The means used for this ambush were very strong and very clever.

The aura was completely concealed, leaving him unable to guess who had made the move.

Moreover, if he hadn't happened to run into this senior, he would have truly died here, harboring hatred, given that his flesh had just recovered and his Original Qi was severely damaged.

Li Heng shook his head upon hearing this.

He knew it—internal strife.

But what time was it now? Heaven and Earth were not far from destruction, yet there were still people thinking about internal strife; one could only say that some people were short-sighted and had no idea what they were about to face.

"Senior, can you detect who made the move?"

Yu Fuhai asked aloud.

"I captured a wisp of aura, but the distance is too great to sense it; I suppose I must visit the Hundred Saints Academy in person to see."

Li Heng said calmly, a wisp of aura swirling in his hand.

Yu Fuhai's face lit up with joy.

"I ask that Senior keep it safe; this junior will surely reward you heavily. Once I return to the Hundred Saints Academy, I will definitely drag them out!"

"Enough, let us not delay any longer."

It was merely a small interlude, Li Heng said indifferently. At a time like this, he did not want to get involved in the internal strife of the human race, especially when it was just the internal strife of one human faction.

The Hundred Saints Academy, a holy land standing outside the Zhuzhu Dynasty, had origins that could be traced back to the ancient era of the Hundred Saints; it was rumored to have been jointly established by the Hundred Saints and had been passed down to this day with a profound foundation.

However, by now.

The Hundred Schools of Thought had declined, and Confucianism stood alone as the dominant force.

Therefore, at this time, the Hundred Saints Academy was also led by Confucianism, with other schools of thought serving as supplements, or being disparaged as Miscellaneous Studies, or being incorporated into the Confucian system, losing their original intent.

Along the way, Li Heng listened to Yu Fuhai's account, lost in thought.

"Since that is the case, what school of thought do you belong to?"

"Confucianism," Yu Fuhai answered candidly.

In the various struggles of the past, Confucianism had become the ultimate victor, and as a Half-Saint of the Hundred Saints Academy, he naturally could not be separated from Confucianism; otherwise, he would not have been able to grow to where he was now.

"The Hundred Saints Academy might as well change its name to the Confucian Saints Academy."

Li Heng said.

Yu Fuhai felt a bit awkward upon hearing this.

"Senior, you know how it is; at the very least, one must maintain a facade. Although the Hundred Saints Academy is currently led by Confucianism, it is a Confucianism that has integrated the strengths of the Hundred Schools of Thought."

He argued in defense.

Li Heng glanced at Yu Fuhai upon hearing this and did not answer.

He wasn't angry; since Yu Fuhai was a person of Confucianism, he naturally had to speak for Confucianism—his stance was very firm, and no one could say anything about that. And he himself had no opinion on Confucianism, or rather, he had no opinion on the schools of thought that a certain era ought to have.

One cannot force a certain school of thought to have a constitution that transcends its era.

Unless a transmigrator popped out.

Moreover, Confucianism was not without its merits; for instance, it was adept at keeping the people ignorant and at governance. As long as the external environment did not change and no overwhelming power appeared, the era of Confucian thought would last for a long time.

Just like in Li Heng's previous life.

If it weren't for the progress of civilization, the appearance of sturdy ships and powerful cannons, and capitalist powers crushing a certain dynasty with technological crystallization that transcended the era, shattering the feudal age and destroying the soil upon which Confucian thought relied for survival, Confucianism would still be ruling to this day.

Seeing that Li Heng did not reply, Yu Fuhai's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself that it was bad—could this senior have an opinion about Confucianism?

But that made no sense.

Although their Confucianism had some degenerates.

But to put it plainly, it was just that the forest was large and contained all sorts of birds; it didn't mean that Confucianism itself had a problem.

At this moment, Li Heng spoke up.

"Who is the strongest in your Hundred Saints Academy right now?"

Yu Fuhai breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"In reply to Senior, it is the First Saint, Zhu Saint Zhu Zi."

"However, I don't really like that old fellow. If it weren't for Wang Sheng being in closed-door cultivation and not having appeared in the Present World for a very long time, the position of First Saint wouldn't have fallen to him."

Speaking of this Zhu Zi, Yu Fuhai was somewhat disdainful.

"That is not the only reason, is it?"

Li Heng said calmly.

"That is natural."

"The main thing is that that fellow's doctrine is too annoying. His Principle Study advocates for 'extinguishing Human Desires and preserving Heavenly Principles.' What kind of talk is that? A person is a person precisely because they have Human Desires; if they lose their Human Desires, are they still human?"

Seeing that this senior was interested.

Yu Fuhai hurriedly answered, speaking ill of this Zhu Zi.

"Furthermore, even that old fellow doesn't necessarily follow this doctrine himself. I heard he recently took in a concubine; is this what he calls extinguishing Human Desires? If even he himself hasn't achieved it, how can others believe it?"

Speaking of this matter, Yu Fuhai curled his lip even more.

Li Heng's expression was subtle.

This doctrine, this person surnamed Zhu—it felt a bit familiar.

But since he had already seen many things here that were seemingly true yet false, what did it matter if he saw that too? He was no longer surprised.

"Then what is your theory?"

Li Heng did not continue to evaluate this Principle Study, but instead looked at Yu Fuhai with a playful expression.

Yu Fuhai's expression was somewhat awkward.

"This junior has not proposed any theory. Because I feel that the theories of the ancient sages are already very complete, and there is no need for me to worry about it blindly."

He bit the bullet and stated his reason.

"Then how did you get this position of Half-Saint?"

Li Heng asked curiously.

"I fought for it with my fists."

Yu Fuhai continued to answer while biting the bullet.

Fought for it with his fists? Li Heng's expression was subtle.

He finally understood why there were people in the Hundred Saints Academy who wished for Yu Fuhai to die; with no theory passed down to the world, this Half-Saint position lacked substance and would likely affect the reputation of Confucianism. Yu Fuhai being alive was, to some extent, like occupying a latrine without doing any business.

It would be fine if this Hundred Saints Academy had external enemies.

If there were no external enemies, and Yu Fuhai himself had problems and was not long for this world, it would be the perfect time for the birds to be gone and the good bow to be put away.

Seeing Li Heng's expression, Yu Fuhai responded stubbornly.

"I have shed blood and suffered injuries for the Hundred Saints Academy, so what is wrong with wanting a Half-Saint position? Besides, I haven't even demanded that they build a temple to worship me; this is already letting them off easy."

Li Heng smiled.

If you really let them build a temple to worship you, you would probably be dead already; even if Yu Fuhai were in his prime, it would be useless—the birds are gone and the good bow is put away from the very start.

"Not eating the cold-dish pig's head meat is a good choice."

He gave Yu Fuhai such an evaluation.

Yu Fuhai nodded, in full agreement.

"That is true, the cold-dish pig's head meat in the Temple of the Masters is indeed not tasty; those cooks never put any heart into making it. It's fortunate that those ancient sages died early, otherwise those cooks would have had a hard time."

Li Heng was completely speechless upon hearing this.

Had this guy actually stolen and eaten the offerings?

Was he really a member of Confucianism? He seriously doubted it.

As the two chatted, they soon arrived at their destination.

"Senior, down there is the Hundred Saints Academy."

Li Heng nodded.

Not to mention what this Hundred Saints Academy looked like, just the location chosen was excellent; it was situated at the central junction of the Zhuzhu Dynasty, with Luck gathering here, and the feng shui was extremely good.

It would be a pity not to build a tomb here.

"Wait."

At this moment, Yu Fuhai suddenly froze.

"Damn it, do these guys really want me to die? Is the academy holding a memorial ceremony for me?!" He looked down into the Hundred Saints Academy, faintly able to hear funeral music, and was immediately furious.

Li Heng chuckled.

He actually felt that doing this was not surprising.

This Hundred Saints Academy had likely suffered under Yu Fuhai for a long time.

Hundred Saints Academy, inside the Dao Discussion Platform.

A large group of students gathered here, the horns blowing thunderously, and in front of them stood a stone tablet, with the name of Yu Fuhai and a prayer clearly carved upon it.

However, there was no sign of sorrow among these students.

Some even laughed out loud directly.

"The old dog Yu is finally dead. Having lived for so long, he should have died! It's good that he's dead, it's good that he's dead."

"If he doesn't die, who will? If it weren't for his obstruction, the Principle Study of Zhu Saint would have long been promoted in the academy; this old dog Yu is simply delaying everyone from enjoying themselves."

"That's right, he even wanted to promote Heart Study before? That was simply ridiculous. Wang Sheng has been in seclusion for a long time and is probably already dead; why promote the theory of a dead man? Besides, Wang Sheng's Heart Study is so obscure, how could we understand it?"

The students whispered to each other, very joyfully.

"Alright, alright, quiet down."

"The memorial ceremony begins. Everyone, put away your happy expressions and look sad. The old... Half-Saint Yu passed away today. We of the Hundred Saints Academy have suffered a heavy loss, and we hold this memorial specifically..."

In front of the group of students, an old man laughed loudly.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder rang out, and an angry shout arose.

"You really do want me to die!"

The figures of Yu Fuhai and Li Heng appeared in mid-air.