Volume 1, Chapter 58: Changing Prejudices

I must admit that Mo Jiuyou's swordsmanship could be considered top-tier throughout the entire Central State, matching even the caliber of Lin Hongye.

It was hardly an exaggeration to say that he could rarely find a match in the Central State.

Yet, unfortunately for him, the one he encountered was Lu Chen, a sword immortal from the upper realm far beyond the Central State.

Watching Lin Yang shake his head with a chuckle, Lu Chen said worriedly:

"Oh dear, Master, stop laughing. What should I do now that I've completely shattered his confidence like this? He won't be utterly demoralized from now on, will he?"

Just as Lin Yang was about to speak, a system notification instantly popped up:

[Mission One: Change Mo Jiuyou's perspective on the righteous path]

Seeing this mission, Lu Chen instantly gasped inwardly. After all, persuading Mo Jiuyou to alter his view of the righteous path—even by the slightest fraction—would be exceptionally difficult.

However, it mattered not; Lin Yang had plenty of time to wear Zhou Xiao down.

Regaining his composure, he gave a couple of dry coughs and comforted Lu Chen:

"Rest assured, it's nothing major. You go on back first, and your master will handle persuading him."

Hearing that Lin Yang was stepping in personally, Lu Chen's mind was put at ease.

"Very well, then I'll leave it to you, Master. I'm going off to practice my swordsmanship now."

With that, Lu Chen directly flew away from Zhou Xiao's immortal cave. Lin Yang walked up to the entrance of the cave and shouted loudly:

"Zhou Xiao, come out!"

Yet, inevitably, there was no response.

Lin Yang shrugged, then threw a punch that blasted a massive hole right through the wall of Zhou Xiao's cave, stepping inside immediately.

He found Zhou Xiao sitting cross-legged on a straw mat, deep in cultivation. Seeing the rubble scattered at Lin Yang's feet, Zhou Xiao's mouth twitched, and he questioned irritably:

"Was the gate to my cave even closed?"

Lin Yang shrugged nonchalantly and replied:

"Your master was simply too worried about you! I was terrified that losing to a mere child would cause your beliefs to collapse, and in my sudden panic, I came straight in to check on you."

With that, he sat down on a nearby stone chair and looked at Zhou Xiao with curiosity:

"Hey, you're considered a prodigy of the demonic path after all. Surely a single defeat wouldn't completely crush your spirit and leave you utterly hopeless, would it?"

Zhou Xiao let out a cold snort and replied with disdain:

"Hmph, there isn't a single normal person on your Chiyang Peak. I've already made up my mind; until my cultivation is fully restored, I am not stepping outside."

Hearing Zhou Xiao's words, Lin Yang's mouth twitched as he mocked:

"Don't say I didn't warn you. With the talent of this body you're currently inhabiting, regaining your original level of cultivation will take you at least a thousand years."

"Hmph, a thousand years it is then. What does it matter if I wait a millennium?"

"Furthermore, do you have any other business here or not? If not, hurry up and leave my cave; I need to begin my cultivation."

Listening to Zhou Xiao's tone, Lin Yang was so exasperated he almost laughed. If not for completing the system mission, he definitely would have given this brat a thorough beating right then and there.

With no other choice, Lin Yang forced a smile and continued:

"Don't be so impatient. I still have some matters to discuss with you."

"You want to discuss matters with me? With me?" Zhou Xiao looked at Lin Yang suspiciously. "I hardly think there is anything for us to talk about."

"Regardless of everything else, we are still master and disciple in the open. What harm is there in listening to me, your master, say a few words?"

Zhou Xiao let out a helpless sigh and spoke in an impatient tone:

"Fine, fine, go ahead and speak. Once you're done, get out of my cave immediately."

Seeing that Zhou Xiao was willing to listen, Lin Yang nodded with satisfaction and asked:

"Zhou Xiao, do you really hate practitioners of the righteous path that much?"

Lin Yang's very first question nearly made Zhou Xiao laugh out loud. He couldn't help but sneer before counter-questioning:

"Lin Yang, you are a righteous cultivator, and I am a demonic cultivator. Don't you think asking that question is rather naive?"

Lin Yang shrugged and pressed on:

"My point is, putting aside our stances and prejudices, and looking at it through your own eyes, do you truly despise righteous cultivators?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Zhou Xiao nodded, "Of course, I still despise them deeply."

"Why?"

Without even pausing to think, Zhou Xiao reeled off his reasons:

"Because you righteous practitioners are hypocritical, fake, saying one thing to people's faces and another behind their backs. You are all nothing more than hypocrites, far worse than us villains of the demonic path who openly embrace our wickedness."

Lin Yang did not rush to refute him. Instead, he waited until Zhou Xiao had finished speaking before asking:

"So then, where did you learn about all these supposed flaws of righteous cultivators?"

Zhou Xiao was momentarily stunned by the question, then replied with a sullen tone:

"I heard about them inside the sect."

Lin Yang chuckled softly and continued:

"There you have it. You haven't let go of the prejudice in your heart; you're still looking at righteous cultivators through colored glasses."

"Who says so? I saw it with my own eyes!" Zhou Xiao retorted, pushing further:

"Before I seized this body, it was living near a battlefield, picking through garbage with a group of beggars."

"If you righteous cultivators are truly so selfless and righteous, why would you allow such young children to be out foraging for scraps?"

"You talk endlessly about protecting the common people, but after the common people are supposedly protected, what then? Have you made their lives any better?"

"In my view, this is merely an excuse you use to plunder resources. As for the actual lives of the common people, you righteous practitioners probably don't care in the least."

"Not like us in the demonic path. Although we say we don't care, at least we genuinely don't care at all, unlike you bunch of hypocrites."

Listening to Zhou Xiao's tirade, three black lines appeared on Lin Yang's forehead.

He swore that if not for the system mission, he would have definitely given this stinky brat a severe beating first before trying to reason with him.

This kid was simply too infuriating!

Taking a deep breath, Lin Yang continued:

"What you're doing is generalizing from a single instance. The process of war inevitably brings grief and death, but the purpose of war is to secure greater happiness and heritage for the future."

"Yes, you did indeed see a group of children scavenging for scraps, but that is merely the lingering fallout of war. All we can do is slowly repair the damage."

"Yet how could you possibly know whether even more people were saved because of it? Had this war not taken place, how many more people would have been left destitute and displaced?"

"We do have faults, but you cannot look only at the erroneous side. Everything in this world has two sides; viewing things through the lens of prejudice will only blind you to the broader picture."

Listening to Lin Yang's endless stream of arguments, Zhou Xiao fell silent.

After a long while, he let out a cold snort, "Even if it's truly as you say, what of it? I am of the demonic path, and you are of the righteous path; an insurmountable barrier will always exist between us."

"Besides, you've spoken of all the virtues of righteous practitioners, but where are these great virtues actually manifested? I simply cannot see them."

Lin Yang's lips curved upward into a smile as he continued:

"Distinguishing between righteousness and the demonic path has never been a matter of labels, but of actions. When judging a gentleman, one looks at his deeds rather than his intentions; if one judges purely by intentions, no human being is flawless."