"Your senior brothers and sisters are destined to eat soft rice for a few more days, so you must work hard." The tone was utterly irresponsible.
Zhu Yanyi pressed her forehead. Was being all-around capable a crime? Forget it. She decided to ignore them and start eating her barbecue.
Guan Feng watched them laughing and joking. It seemed noisy, yet there was no conflict. Instead, a warm atmosphere flowed among them, something he had not encountered for many years.
"Is this how students get along?" Guan Feng asked the Medical Elder.
The Medical Elder nodded, taking a sip of flower wine. "Our academy values freedom. That is why we only have seventeen students. We only accept those who follow their hearts. Some cannot enter the Sage Academy, not because of poor aptitude, but because they cannot see clearly. Their style does not fit, so we do not accept them."
"Is freedom so good? Don't you think this wastes your time?" Guan Feng frowned slightly.
The Medical Elder laughed. "How could it waste time? We are healers. We learn much every day, especially medical knowledge. There is no such thing as wasting time."
Guan Feng remained puzzled. The Medical Elder sighed. "Dean Guan, I do not understand why you think this wastes time. The world is vast. You should look outside. You will realize that the Dao is myriad. One plane cannot be controlled by a single Dao. That is wrong."
Guan Feng was stunned. This was the first time the Medical Elder spoke so directly. He was telling him that the Shangmo Plane should not only have demonic cultivators.
She knew the Elder meant well, so she did not blame her. But she still did not understand. "Demonic cultivation is what the Shangmo Plane pursues. Is that wrong?"
"Zhu Yanyi, Dean Guan asks if demonic cultivation is wrong. Please answer."
The Medical Elder saw Zhu Yanyi eating mushrooms and drinking wine comfortably, so she asked her to do something.
Zhu Yanyi swallowed her mushroom, took a sip of wine to clear her mouth, put down her food, wiped her hands, and held up both hands to Guan Feng. "Dean Guan, what are these?"
Guan Feng did not understand her action. "They are your hands."
"Yes." Zhu Yanyi smiled and turned her palms over. "Everyone has two hands. But can you find two fingers that are exactly the same?"
Guan Feng paused. "How can a person have two identical fingers?"
Zhu Yanyi lowered her hands, looked at the mushrooms, and took another bite. She smiled. "Exactly. There are no two identical hands in the world. We each have ten fingers, and none are the same. They differ in length and thickness.
Just like our Dao, they are all different. Even though we follow our hearts, the Dao each person pursues may differ.
Look at my Third Senior Brother. Besides being a healer, he is a culinary cultivator. Do not think culinary cultivation has nothing to do with healing. Know that medicinal cuisine combines healing and cooking. This is the Dao he found for himself."
Zhu Yanyi pointed at Yi Yunfei. "My First Senior Brother is a healer and a martial cultivator. Only a healer understands how a martial cultivator should best protect herself from injury. This is the Dao everyone pursues. They seem similar but are actually different. But what about your Shangmo Plane?"
Zhu Yanyi counted on her fingers. "Everyone is warlike and aggressive. They think knowing magic makes them invincible. They do not respect others. In their eyes, except for themselves, no one else counts as a person."
Zhu Yanyi looked at Guan Feng. "Dean Guan, do you think people like that are normal?"
Guan Feng paused again. Yes, a person has two hands with ten fingers, and the ten fingers are never the same. Thus, human thinking is also different. Different people have different thoughts. Different thoughts mean each person is an individual. If you restrict their thoughts, you erase their original minds. Can such people still be called human?
Guan Feng was startled. No one had ever told him this. He always thought making people in the Shangmo Plane practice demonic cultivation was a respect for it. But not everyone can practice demonic cultivation.
"Demonic cultivation is not something you can practice just because you want to." Zhu Yanyi said.
"What do you mean?" Guan Feng asked again.
Zhu Yanyi shook her head slightly. "I have been thinking. In many legends, demons are bad. But later I learned that the so-called bad demons are called evil demons.
Demonic cultivation and evil demons are different. Demonic cultivation is just a type of cultivator, like immortal cultivators. Immortal cultivators practice immortality. Demonic cultivators practice demons. The only difference between practicing immortality or demons is constitution. Some people’s constitutions can only practice immortality. Some can only practice demons. It is not based on a person’s wishes."
Zhu Yanyi paused. "Of course, this is just my deduction based on what I heard about cultivators. Whether you believe it or not, I do not know."
Guan Feng found Zhu Yanyi’s words strangely interesting. They did not feel wrong. It seemed her meaning was naturally so.
Guan Feng pondered. She felt Zhu Yanyi was right, but she needed to digest it. If her people could not practice demonic cultivation, what should she do with them? Can a path gone astray be straightened?
Zhu Yanyi felt she had said enough. The rest depended on Guan Feng’s own understanding. Besides, she did not think demonic cultivation was a big problem. It depended on how others thought.
Guan Feng sat for a while, finished the small jar of flower wine they gave him, and left. The Sage Academy remained lively until night, when everyone went to rest.
This day was calm. But after calmness comes the climax. The semi-finals had finally arrived.