Wang Sheng handed over the secret manual and started to ponder where Huangtian should go next.
After all, Huangtian was also his Inheritor.
He didn’t rush to make a decision, but asked, “Huangtian, have you planned what you want to do in the future?”
Huangtian was a bit lost at first.
He had never thought about this kind of thing; until now, his only wish had been to have enough food and drink.
Seeing his state, Wang Sheng said again, “No need to rush. Take three days to think about it, and tell me once you have an answer!”
Anyway, they had already reached East Mountain City. It wouldn’t take long to return, even if they went back slowly, so a few days wouldn’t make a difference.
Huangtian went back to his room to think.
Wang Sheng had thought that Huangtian would only give an answer on the third day.
But the day after he asked the question, Huangtian found him and said, “Master, I know what I want to do now!”
“Let’s hear it!” Wang Sheng was curious to know what answer he had come up with so quickly.
“I want to change the status quo, to ensure people no longer have to endure what my sister and I went through. I want everyone to have enough food!” Huangtian’s tone was resolute, clearly showing unwavering determination.
Wang Sheng was a bit surprised—this wish was far from simple. In this world, it could even be called a grand ambition, something others would consider wildly fanciful.
“Why would you think that? Why not change your own living conditions first?”
“Sir, my entire village was in a similar plight. Those were all people I knew well. Now, only a few of them remain alive. I may not understand grand principles, but if I didn’t have the ability, that would be the end of it. But now… Sir, if I succeed in my cultivation, I should become very strong, right?”
Wang Sheng nodded, “If you succeed in your cultivation, you will at least be among the world’s finest.”
This was indeed true; reaching the Great Grandmaster level wouldn’t be difficult for Huangtian if he fully developed his spiritual power.
“So, that means I would have the ability to make a change?”
“Possibly,” Wang Sheng couldn’t be certain. The notion of “change” sounded simple, but in reality was very difficult.
“That’s enough for me!” Huangtian believed that a possibility was sufficient.
Wang Sheng looked at Huangtian’s somewhat youthful face, not sure what to say.
He wasn’t clear on how Huangtian had come up with this idea, but he could affirm that Huangtian’s thoughts were certainly not mature.
He mostly didn’t understand what representing such a cause entailed.
“Are you truly certain? To make such a change, the difficulty will be much greater than you imagine. Most likely, it will result in utter destruction with not even a trace left behind, becoming just dust in history.”
“Still, I have to try!”
Wang Sheng continued to question, “Have you considered that even if you succeed, in five hundred years, the same situation may recur? You must realize that when an empire begins, the people all live in peace and contentment, just like the current Dazhou that has led to your present circumstances.”
Huangtian fell silent, not because he planned to give up, but because he couldn’t comprehend it.
“Master, why does this happen? Is it fated?”
“Do you still want to continue with this?”
“Yes!” Still without hesitation. Failing to understand was one matter, but his conviction was unwavering.
Wang Sheng gave Huangtian a deep look.
Though it was fueled only by passion, that was enough.
Every great endeavor starts with such fervor; not knowing is not an issue, as some things can be learned. No one understands everything from the beginning.
“In the next month, I will teach you some things, including common knowledge for Martial Artists, how to read and write, as well as answer your questions.”
“Thank you, Master!” Huangtian knelt again and solemnly kowtowed three times.
“No need for early thanks; I am not sure whether teaching you this is good or bad.”
“I have no regrets!”
“Then go rest; your studies with me begin tomorrow.”
Huangtian left, prepared to rest and freshen up for the learning ahead.
Wang Sheng watched him and felt it was time to drop a bomb into this stagnant world.
“Let’s see if you can turn this world upside down, and also…” he looked up at the sky, “I wonder if you will appear?”
Huangtian’s arrival, he felt, might just be the so-called destiny.
He wanted to see if the storm could shake the “Heavenly Father.”
“If he’s going to be bait, then let’s go all in!”
He had intended to make a casual play, but with Huangtian’s mindset, it would be remiss not to stir the waters even murkier.
And he had a little bit of a personal agenda in it as well.
This journey had taken five months.
He thought this world was too boring.
What was the ultimate purpose of cultivation? To be carefree and enjoy life better.
To “enjoy” requires external conditions.
The previous ascetic-like cultivation was mainly due to a lack of a sense of security. In a world with stronger beings, you couldn’t talk about being carefree without strength.
Now, cultivation still needed to be the priority, and that wouldn’t change.
But if he could add more entertaining elements while cultivating, he would welcome it.
He planned to test Huangtian to see if some things could be revived.
…
Wang Sheng decided to stay in East Mountain City, and naturally, no one else objected.
On the contrary, Liu Jian’an and others were quite pleased; they could stay outside a little longer.
The next day, Huangtian’s formal studies began.
“Learning to read?”
“I had learned a little when my family was in better condition…” Huangtian replied honestly.
However, such a confession obviously meant that he knew very little.
“Nevermind, let’s have you cultivate for a few days, and I’ll assist you!”
Huangtian was indeed full of zeal; he couldn’t even fully recognize the characters.
This is also why he understood some truths, but the extent of his understanding wasn’t much.
However, one advantage for spiritual power cultivators is that, after learning to utilize their spiritual power, learning some simple things is very easy.
Wang Sheng had spent three days allowing Huangtian to cultivate, digesting a portion of spiritual power, and ultimately succeeded in reaching the Grandmaster level, which improved his learning efficiency.
Then came literacy. Huangtian already had some basics, and with the help of strong spiritual power, he recognized most characters in about ten days. The rest required accumulation, but now it was sufficient for use.
He adopted a force-feeding teaching method. As for comprehension, that would come with practice. The current task was to memorize.
He would only elaborate on some key points.
“Huangtian, how did you use to live?”
“We worked hard at farming, hoping to obtain more food to survive.”
“And the result? You nearly died in the wilderness. Where is your food?”
“Yeah, where is the food?” Huangtian was somewhat perplexed. They had worked so hard on their farm, yet there was still no food.
“Think carefully about where your food has gone!”
Huangtian fell into deep thought. Their harvest over the years shouldn’t have left them unable to afford even meals.
…
“This is called materialism…”
Wang Sheng passed on everything he remembered to Huangtian, of course mentioning that some things might not function perfectly.
The oppression of the weak by the powerful is naturally existent.
In a world where individuals possess great strength, many things can’t be implemented.
What to do next is up to Huangtian to decide.
This would be an extremely difficult process, and it might very well end in failure before his death.
Problems due to a mismatch with the environment were all too common.
Wang Sheng’s only responsibility was to teach; whether it led to success was a matter of fate.
In the event of failure, the worst outcome would be a return to the original state.
Time went by quickly, and this teaching session took Wang Sheng nearly two months, longer than he had anticipated.
Most of the content was memorized through rote learning by Huangtian.
Even so, Huangtian underwent a transformation from top to bottom.
He understood why, despite their efforts in farming, they still had no food.
He also realized how shallow he’d been before.
The task he wanted to accomplish was not something that could simply be described as “difficult.”
Seeing the completely changed Huangtian, Wang Sheng was very pleased. At least it proved his teaching wasn’t in vain.
However—
“I’ve taught you everything I had to teach. These are the ’human’ wisdom, very noble, but there’s one saying you must remember ’To learn from me is to live, to mimic me is to die’.”
“To learn from me is to live, to mimic me is to die… I understand, Master!”
After two months of learning, there were some words that Huangtian could comprehend.
“Since that’s the case, it’s time to part ways. How far you go from here will depend on you.”
With Huangtian’s aspirations and what he had learned, as well as the secret manuals and Divine Skills given to him, it was not suitable for him to follow Wang Sheng.
The best place for him was not elsewhere but this chaotic world.
“I understand, Master. Thank you for your teachings.”
Huangtian knelt once more, his head knocking heavily against the ground.
After nearly two months together, he had come to understand Wang Sheng’s character and knew that if anything were to happen to him, this would be their last meeting.
“It’s nothing. You should know, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The more I teach you, the more dangerous it gets for you.”
Huangtian didn’t respond to that.
He was clear on this point, but so what?
Even the casual help from his master had changed his fate; gratitude was something he could never skimp on.
In the end, Wang Sheng and Huangtian parted ways. Huangtian left to realize his ideals, while Wang Sheng continued to head towards Shuzhou.
Before departing, Wang Sheng gave him a gift, the “Mechanical Technique: Azure Dragon Chapter.” Although it wasn’t the entire content, if used well, it would be of great help to him.
Huangtian didn’t say much; he simply treasured it and bid farewell.
“I hope you can bring me a surprise, no matter what kind it is!”
Wang Sheng still hoped Huangtian would succeed.
But who knew when that would be.
In the end, he didn’t pass on the saying “The Azure heavens have perished, Huangtian should rise” to Huangtian.
After all, that slogan originated because Han dynasty officials liked wearing azure-colored uniforms, hence that particular rallying cry.
Since Huangtian wanted to change, it was better for him to come up with his own slogans.
“Let’s go, back to the village!”
…
Huangtian set out on the road with his sister.
Along the way, he encountered people with fates similar to his past.
“Do you want to join me?”
“Can I eat my fill?”
Huangtian was taken aback, realizing something, then said, “If successful, you can make it so your offspring eat their fill.”
“I’m about to starve to death, what does my offspring matter.”
At that moment, Huangtian’s sister took out a piece of dry food, wanting to help her brother, “Eat this, can you join now?”
The person wolfed down the dry food and said, “You’ve filled me up, so I’ll follow you. By the way, what do you want me to join, a religious sect?”
Huangtian thought for a moment and said, “Yes, a religious sect, eat and drink well, peace under the heavens, the Taiping Sect!”