Chapter 636: The Great Unity of the World: The Secret Behind the Master

As soon as these words were spoken.

The fourth floor instantly fell into silence, as if the air itself had frozen.

The previous tranquility vanished, replaced by a profound stillness.

Yu Ke felt two eyes behind the pearl curtain slowly open, as if piercing through the curtain and landing directly upon him.

He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and continued: "Xie Guan once had the fortune to glimpse the Immortal Realm."

The aged voice, tinged with urgency and anticipation, asked slowly: "What is the Immortal Realm like?"

"Are there immortal beings who never age? Are there ageless immortals who ride swords across the sea of clouds?"

"Does the Moon Palace truly hold celestial maidens dancing gracefully?"

Yu Ke paused briefly, then answered calmly: "Xie Guan has never seen them."

The aged voice fell still, murmuring softly: "No… no immortals?"

His tone carried a hint of disappointment.

Yet Yu Ke suddenly let out a light laugh: "Though Xie Guan has never seen those legendary immortals, he has seen the myriad faces of mortals."

The middle-aged man's voice chimed in, tinged with curiosity and doubt.

"The myriad faces of mortals?"

Yu Ke spoke slowly, his voice clear and resolute:

"In this world, I have seen the people choose the worthy and capable, uphold trust and cultivate harmony. The old do not rely solely on their own kin, nor do the young rely solely on their own children. The elderly are cared for until their end, the strong are put to use, the young are nurtured to grow, and the widowed, orphaned, childless, disabled—all are provided for. Men have their roles, women have their homes."

As he spoke, his voice grew even clearer, piercing through the silence of the fourth floor.

"People detest wasting resources on the ground, yet do not hoard them for themselves; they detest withholding effort, yet do not exert it solely for their own gain. Thus, scheming and deceit vanish, theft and chaos cease to arise."

"The common folk all have their own plans, live for themselves alone."

His words rang with finality!

The fourth floor remained utterly silent, as if even breathing had grown faint.

The eyes behind the pearl curtain still fixed upon him.

Yu Ke bowed slightly, then spoke in a final, solemn tone:

"This is the Immortal Realm: the world belongs to all, every person a dragon."

The moment he finished speaking,

A genuine laugh arose, filled with awe and admiration: "Every person a dragon?"

In this mortal world, "dragon" symbolizes the emperor. For every person to be a dragon means every person may become an emperor, every person may master their own fate.

The middle-aged man's voice brimmed with true joy, as if a long-held hope had been answered, brimming with satisfaction: "Truly, this is the Immortal Realm."

Yu Ke recognized the voice of Master Three and replied respectfully: "Xie Guan holds the same view."

The middle-aged man's voice sounded again, laced with appreciation and expectation.

"Xie Guan, you are quite remarkable."

"As for the matter of the Three Truths Sect, the Academy will vouch for you."

After a brief pause, he asked: "Xie Guan, would you be willing to join the Academy?"

Yu Ke froze slightly. Though he had known from the "Kunxu Cauldron"'s hint that this encounter would be safe,

He had never expected the Academy to invite him to join.

An unexpected blessing!

Master Three seemed to sense his hesitation, smiled gently, and spoke with calm assurance: "You need not worry—the Great Qi court will not trouble you.

"The matter of the Three Truths Sect will never be mentioned again. Let it be buried."

"Go now."

Yu Ke nodded slowly. If Master Three had said this before Su Xiang, it was certainly safe.

He bowed respectfully to Master Three, yet did not forget Su Xiang.

Then he turned and exited the fourth floor.

Xie Guan's figure grew distant, finally vanishing around the staircase's corner.

With Yu Ke's departure, the fourth floor sank once more into silence.

Moments later!

Master Three let out a soft laugh, breaking the quiet: "Wu Xin, you seem displeased?

"Are you truly disappointed by this 'Immortal Realm'?"

The old man across from him slowly shook his head, his expression tinged with melancholy.

"Not exactly disappointed—only… this is not the Immortal Realm I envisioned."

The old man shifted tone, teasing: "You're taking Xie Guan into the Academy—do you plan to take on a disciple in your master's stead?"

Master Three sighed, his voice heavy with resignation: "The Academy's lineage has long rotted in this mortal world. Xie Guan is a pure soul—I cannot bear to see him tainted by its karmic web. I only wish to give him a quiet place to read and cultivate—at least, while I still live."

As he spoke, his gaze slowly turned toward Su Jing, holding an unspoken depth.

Su Jing smiled faintly, his expression calm: "Brother, don't think ill of me."

"This young man, Xie Guan—even a single glance brings joy, like clear moonlight and fresh wind. Yet…"

He paused, his tone turning colder: "As long as he doesn't block my path, we shall coexist in peace. I walk my narrow bridge; let all others walk their heavenly roads. We need not interfere."

Master Three frowned slightly, his voice laced with concern: "But your path… is too extreme. If you alone attain enlightenment, the world may plunge into another thousand years of chaos."

Su Jing paid no heed, his lips curling into a detached smile: "After I die, let the floods drown the world."

"Better I betray the world than let the world betray me."

Su Jing's voice was icy: "I am not Lu Chen of the Three Truths. My path to transcendence lies beneath my feet—why should I not walk it? What good is a thousand years of noble fame for the sake of this world? In the end, it is but a handful of dry bones. I would welcome it if all others were as 'righteous' as they claim—then they would clear a path for me."

Master Three let out a long sigh, his face etched with sorrow, his eyes filled with grief: "Wu Xin, when did you become like this?"

Su Jing laughed coldly, his eyes utterly still, his tone laced with mockery and self-derision: "Brother, I have always been this way."

"I am different from you—Second Brother was born a cultivator, and you, born atop a mountain of treasure, surrounded by splendor at every turn."

"And I? Merely the son of a charcoal seller in a back alley."

"Everything I possess, I fought for with my life. You cannot understand—and never will."

The old man's expression remained unchanged, yet his voice grew more agitated.

This was a sight never before seen in the Su family—or even the imperial court.

The Grand Secretary of Great Qi had just revealed such emotion.

"Forgive me, Brother."

The fourth floor sank once more into silence.

Master Three stared down at the paper in his hand, on which was written: "The Immortal caresses my crown, I tie my hair and receive eternal life."

The tone of the words was profound and distant; the more one read, the grander the meaning became, as if transcending mortal realms—not the work of any human hand.

He could not help recalling the boy's description of the "Immortal Realm," his mind lost in thought.

Su Jing smiled faintly, his tone knowing:

"I know what you're thinking. You wonder why I let Xie Guan go."

He paused, his gaze chilling, then continued:

"The Divine Shock Array built by the Master of Bianjing summoned the so-called 'Immortals Descending.' At today's Gathering of Flowers, the most striking figure was Xie Guan."

Master Three remained silent, his brow slightly furrowed in thought.

Su Jing pressed on: "But when I heard Xie Guan speak of the 'Immortal Realm,' I knew—he is not the one."

"He has merely been shaped by the Master's teachings, bound by the doctrine of 'drawing boundaries on the ground.'"

His tone grew sharp with scorn: "The Master has shackled Great Qi with layer upon layer of cages—binding the world with chains of ritual and morality."

"Now, the people are like livestock with collars, having forgotten what freedom means."

Master Three's expression remained calm, as if indifferent to Su Jing's words.

He recalled Xie Guan's interpretation of the virtuous and righteous, and a ripple stirred within him: "No good, no evil—that is the nature of the heart. Good and evil arise from intention. To know good and evil is innate conscience; to act on good and eliminate evil is to investigate things."

Yet!

Su Jing viewed heaven and earth in a radically different way—he judged all things through the lens of utility, treating mortals as pieces on a chessboard, believing that to accomplish great things, one must make sacrifices. The "Third-Fourth Dispute" of old had its roots in this fundamental divergence of their doctrines.

When Su Jing studied at the Academy, he once presented the Master with the "Thirteen Strategies for Peace."

This treatise embodied his vision for governing the state; one of its tenets was "war sustains war," advocating strict hierarchies to maintain order.

Yet these ideas were too radical, and ultimately rejected by the Master.

Su Jing championed "pragmatic learning," believing anything useless must be discarded.

In his view, all people, things, and events could be used as tools.

He pursued results, not processes—even believed that achieving a correct outcome through wrong means was acceptable.

In contrast, Master Three advocated moral cultivation, promoting Confucian rites and ethics to uplift the people, hoping to transform hearts through quiet influence.

The two Masters' doctrines stood in complete opposition, and the debates within the Academy grew fiercer.

Their disciples took sides, arguing endlessly; the rift between Master Three and Master Four deepened.

The four Masters of the Academy had once been close friends.

But!

The conflict of doctrines ultimately divided them.

Master Two supported Master Three; Master One acted as mediator.

Finally!

Master One left Great Qi in anger; Master Two fell gravely ill.

The Third and Fourth Masters went their separate ways: one remained trapped in the Academy, the other entered the imperial court.

Of course, this was merely speculation from outside the Academy.

The old man suddenly brought up something, his tone heavy:

"How has Second Brother been lately? The Master's corpse… if one lives too long, one becomes like a god or demon—truly terrifying."

"Two hundred years ago, the four of us joined forces to kill the Master—and nearly perished ourselves."

At these words, Su Jing revealed a secret that would shake the world: the four Masters of the Academy had once joined forces to kill the Master.

Two hundred years ago, the Master had not gone to the Eastern Sea to seek immortals—he was killed by the four of them together.

The reason the four Masters of the Academy ended up this way was still that storm.

The Third Master nodded, his expression grave: "If you have time, go see Second Brother. His days… are few."

He paused, his voice low. "The Master's corpse is unnatural. If not for Second Brother's life binding it down, every Mid-Autumn, the corpse would revive on its own, regrowing limbs and extremities. Second Brother has nearly gone mad trying to suppress the Master's flesh—he won't last many more years."

The Third Master looked at Su Jing. "Wu Xin, and you—don't even think about the Master's corpse."

Su Jing sighed. "Brother, why are you all so wary of me?"

"The Master didn't die back then—he merely shed his shell, and his soul departed far away."

"He left behind only a flesh body. The Master may have already reached a realm beyond the Ninth Rank of Martial Path."

He paused, his voice growing colder, heavy with gravity: "This body cannot be burned away, cannot decay with time. Even if destroyed, it regrows—and even develops spiritual sense on its own. Such a being is nearly indistinguishable from a god or demon. The four of us, joined together, still failed to truly kill him. He will return, sooner or later—and you know his methods. When that day comes, we may wish for death over life. Brother, why not join me? Let us seek a path to survival together."

But the Third Master shook his head, his expression calm. "A disciple killing his master is a grave sin. If that day truly comes, to die as one should is enough. I have no regrets."

Su Jing shook his head and laughed bitterly, his tone laced with mockery and resignation. "No regrets? I, Su Jing, cannot do that."

"The Master taught the four of us—seemingly selfless, yet all driven by selfish intent."

"He always believed we four were destined ones, seeking to steal our fortunes and ascend."

"If anyone in this world most craved ascension, it was the Master."

"He drifted like a wraith across the world for over a thousand years. His so-called immortality was nothing but a prison."

He paused, his voice growing colder: "Besides, immortality is not invincibility—it is merely agelessness. But how can an immortal remain ageless?"

"The Master has practiced corpse liberation five times already. According to our calculations, this is his final chance. If he fails to ascend this time, he will be trapped here forever."

The Third Master remained silent.

He had long known: a Primordial Spirit cultivator reaching the Yangshen realm could live beyond two hundred years, but faced a tribulation every decade—only corpse liberation could extend his life.

Su Jing asked softly: "Brother, when we four joined forces to kill the Master, Great Brother gained freedom, Second Brother gained that sword, and I gained the Master's corpse liberation method."

He looked up, fixing the Third Master with piercing eyes. "But now, I still don't know… what did you gain?"

Above the fourth floor, the air froze instantly.

This was precisely why Su Jing had long feared the Third Master.

The Third Master still said nothing; in the dim light, his face vanished into shadow.

"What I gained—you'll know the day you die."

Su Jing heard this, and merely smiled.

"We four agreed: the Master's corpse qi has poisoned the Great Qi for over a thousand years. Great Brother went far to the Sui to prevent the Master's resurrection there."

"Second Brother guards the Master's flesh."

"You guard the Academy, and I guard the Great Qi."

When the Master performs corpse liberation, his corpse qi spreads to his descendants and all those tied to him by karmic bonds.

All things in the world have their price; nothing is gained without cost.

Every sip and bite is predestined; all karmic connections carry retribution, without fail.

(End of Chapter)