"Competing isn't bad, but what if it leads to the 'Severed Emotion Path'? Is that good or bad?" The Medical Elder had long given up on understanding Guan Feng’s intelligence.
In the Medical Elder’s eyes, Guan Feng was now nothing more than a pretty pillow filled with rotten straw.
"Severed Emotion Path? You’re mistaken. We cultivate the 'Ruthless Path.'" Guan Feng replied. Among the three thousand laws of cultivation he had studied, he had never heard of a "Severed Emotion Path."
"What is the Ruthless Path?" The Medical Elder asked, his expression solemn.
Guan Feng paused. "It means ignoring all other emotions, focusing solely on cultivation. Love and affection are superfluous."
"So, what you practice is not the Ruthless Path, but at best the Severed Emotion Path. You sever the seven emotions and six desires. You are comparable to Buddhist cultivators. I think you would be better off becoming Buddhist cultivators; your realm might even improve."
The Medical Elder spoke rapidly, giving Guan Feng no face at all.
Guan Feng hesitated slightly. He looked at the Medical Elder and asked, "Is what I said wrong?"
"Whether it is wrong or not, I do not know. I only know that you practice false ruthlessness and true severance.
You sever亲情 (family love), friendship, love, and gratitude. You also sever grudges and hatreds. Regardless of what emotion you sever, it is not that you lack emotion, but that you believe you have severed it cleanly.
Because you spend your energy on fighting, you become fighters.
Therefore, more and more of you are treated as goods for trade, because you no longer consider yourselves human."
The Medical Elder had not intended to speak so harshly, but he felt this was the best way to make Guan Feng understand.
Even if Guan Feng was confused, he was slightly startled by the Medical Elder’s words. He had never thought of it this way. He looked at the Medical Elder for a long time before speaking. "Is what you say true? Are we truly severing emotions, not being ruthless?"
"I am a healer. I speak the words of a healer." A healer aims to cure patients and does not casually exaggerate their condition.
The Medical Elder looked at the still-confused Guan Feng and sighed. He had known Guan Feng for many years and never expected him to be so unclear.
"I really don’t know what to say to you." The Medical Elder shook his head helplessly. "Think about it yourself. Is the current atmosphere in Shangmo Academy really good? Is fighting upon meeting everyone a normal phenomenon? And even if you fight, how much of the true essence of fighting have you understood?"
Guan Feng truly did not understand. He looked at the Medical Elder. "According to your method, what is the point?"
The Medical Elder smiled faintly and shook his head. "I will not say too much now. Go to the small competitions and reflect. Perhaps you will see this point clearly. If you do not, I will speak with you after the competition."
After venting his frustration, the Medical Elder was no longer angry. Sometimes, one could not blame others. Was it Guan Feng’s fault for not understanding? Not entirely. Some things are clear to insiders but unclear to others. This is what is called being blinded by one’s own position.
So, the Medical Elder decided to say no more for now. He would let Guan Feng reflect on his own. If he understood, good. If not, he would try to guide him later.
Guan Feng looked at the Medical Elder for a long time, then thought. Perhaps he had indeed misunderstood some things. If so, let it be.
Zhu Yanyi watched the Medical Elder’s actions. She had to admit that this was a way of dealing with people. From her past life to this one, she had not learned much about it, but she had learned a lot from the Medical Elder.
Sometimes, letting the other person find the answer themselves is better than telling them. This is also a skill of a healer.
The afternoon competition began with Yi Yunfei’s match.
As the senior brother of the Sage Academy, Yi Yunfei appeared particularly relaxed. Before going on stage, he asked his junior brothers and sisters, "What if I lose?"
"Treat us to a meal." Mi Xiao, the foodie, answered.
"Let me beat you up." Jian Feiyan, the war-loving one, answered.
"It doesn’t matter. Be my alchemy apprentice for a month." Ouyang Tianyun answered.
"…"
There were many varied answers, but basically, none of them said, "We will look down on you if you lose."
Yi Yunfei sighed. "They say having many junior brothers and sisters is a debt. I didn’t know before, but now I understand." He shook his head and went on stage.
Yi Yunfei’s first match was against Qiao Wenjian. If things went smoothly, he would need nine more matches.
The host, A Guang, went on stage again to draw the opponent card. Well, it seemed they were clashing with the Divine Emperor Academy again. It was the Divine Emperor Academy once more.
The Divine Emperor Academy was feeling aggrieved, so the person who went up was naturally a bit impulsive. "Divine Emperor Academy, Zhang Ming."
Yi Yunfei nodded slightly. "Sage Academy, Yi Yunfei."
Seeing that the contestants were in position, the host A Guang said, "Begin."
As soon as it started, Zhang Ming rushed directly toward Yi Yunfei. Yi Yunfei sighed. "I actually wanted to fight you for a while longer, but my junior brothers and sisters said that if I lose, I will become their junior brother. There is no way. To maintain my position as senior brother, I must defeat you quickly. Let’s go."
As he said "Let’s go," Zhang Ming was forcibly swept off the stage by Yi Yunfei.
Zhu Yanyi then realized that her senior brother had probably reached the mid-stage of the Divided Spirit realm. It seemed Yi Yunfei was also someone who hid her strength. Most importantly, Yi Yunfei was clearly a two-faced person.
"Divided Spirit." This was not only seen by Zhu Yanyi but also by Qiao Wenjian. She could not believe that the low-key Yi Yunfei had reached the Divided Spirit realm.
This shocked the other four academies. Cultivation was not easy nowadays. If someone entered the Divided Spirit realm, many schools would know. However, Yi Yunfei had entered the Divided Spirit realm and seemed to have stabilized his cultivation for a long time. Yet, no one knew that Yi Yunfei was a Divided Spirit expert. This could only mean that the people of the Sage Academy hid their strength deeply.
In fact, these people were truly wronging the Sage Academy.
When Yi Yunfei entered the Divided Spirit realm, Xi Muzheng had asked for his opinion on whether to host a banquet for the world. Yi Yunfei found it troublesome and declined.
Since Yi Yunfei declined, Xi Muzheng said nothing. However, during those days, the academy cafeteria served the top-tier dishes for a month, which was a private celebration for Yi Yunfei.
Yi Yunfei himself was a person who did not like to show off, so he had no need to boast. Thus, the matter ended there, and no one thought that Yi Yunfei had already entered the Divided Spirit realm.