In the land of Yue Country, Confucianism flourished. Other teachings like Daoism, Mohism, military science, law and so on were also learnt by lots of scholars.
As for what the school of thought conducted by Mister Purple was… it was Purple’s Philosophy.
After being softly admonished by the teacher, Ning Gu touched his head and awkwardly sat down. A brief moment later, the school was filled with the voices of the children reading the “Three Characters Immortal Classic” again.
As for Ning Fan, he grudgingly clenched his fists while standing outside the school.
“He is different from the rest of you… Let him stand!”
Recalling the words uttered by the mister within his mind, Ning Fan gently gnashed his teeth.
I think I’m going to fail again this time…
But why the teacher refuses to keep me? Why am I different from the other kids in this school? Why…
On top of the Dao Asking Cliff, Meng Xuanzi looked at Ning Fan who was standing amidst the purple mist with a frown.
“Today is the seventh day. Countless Peak Nascent Soul Realm would stop at this point of time… I wonder if this kid is able to stride this threshold… In the past, this old man’s illusory realm of the Dao Heart was about marriage. This kid’s seemed to be seeking knowledge… Seeking knowledge, will he be able to obtain any of it…”
Outside the old cottage, Ning Fan had stood there without knowing how much time had passed.
He could not stop pondering the reason why Mister Purple was not going to keep him. Mister Purple said that he was different from the others but he could not figure out in what aspects he was different from the rest of the children.
Gradually, his eyes flashed with a trace of abstruseness. That look on his face did not suit his age at all. In fact, it was not supposed to be on the face of a child.
But at the moment his expression experienced changes, the purple-robed young man within the cottage made a wee smile.
“This kid is starting to awaken…”
Different? Which part of me is different…
Dark clouds began to fill the sky. Eventually, frigid cold rain fell from the clouds in a continuous pattern.
Ning Fan stood below the eaves of the cottage, looking at the raindrops which joined together like chains of pearls. His gaze became even more mysterious. When it reached a certain level afterwards, they began to sparkle with clarity.
“Different. Yes. Of course I’m different from the rest of them… There is no one alike in the world in the first place. The same goes for the rain… Each raindrop is different from each other, not because of their shapes but mainly because of the path they took… The path the other children chose is to learn reading and writing in the Ning Village of Yue Country and then attain the scholarly honors or official ranks by passing the examination to become a government officer. As for me, my aim isn’t really about that… I want to seek for more knowledge and question the Dao but my ultimate purpose isn’t just becoming a government officer in the Yue Country… However, I can’t recall my purpose…”
In the seventh month, Ning Fan finally gained some insights from that mister’s words.
The purple-robed mister’s eyes crinkled, revealing a satisfied smile. He pushed open the door but he did not receive the eggs from Ning Fan. He lifted his hand and patted Ning Fan’s head gently instead.
“Bring this basket of eggs home. Let you mother consume them to replenish her body… As for you, you are now qualified to be enrolled into the school. But before that, there is still one more test…”
“Test?” Ning Fan raised his head, staring at the young man.
“Precisely. A test… My mortal name begins with the surname of Sun. But you don’t have to know about it. My immortal name is Purple Dou… They called me Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign…”
“Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign?!”
Ning Fan staggered a few steps backwards. As the young man’s voice fell, his previous memories came flooding back into his mind like an overflowing river that crushed the embankment.
Yes. I am in the illusory realm to question the Dao…
Yes. This place is the illusory realm…
But the purple-robed young man in front of me is called Purple Dou and he was crowned as the Immortal Sovereign!
All this while, am I seeking knowledge from the Immortal Sovereign?
“May I ask Immortal Sovereign…”
“Call me mister…”
“Yes. May I ask Mister if you are a real being or just an illusion?!” Ning Fan’s eyes turned stern.
“I am neither real nor illusory. In fact, I’m beyond the realm of reality and illusion. I’m at the end of the holy path… The Fourth Step! If you are lucky enough, you will discover it in the future. Now, there is only one thing that you have to do… Go home and show filial piety to your mum. You will only be qualified to attend the school after your mother has a comfortable life. If you can’t be a dutiful son, you aren’t qualified to be a human. If you aren’t qualified to be a human, you will never be qualified to ascend the mountain of Dao and become an immortal… Go now…”
“Yes!”
Ning Fan gave him a deep bow and left the place with the basket of eggs being pelted by the rain.
The rain originated from the sky and fell upon the earth. But when the raindrops approached his body, they abnormally altered their routes, avoiding him.
The purple-robed mister’s gaze lingered on Ning Fan who was walking in the rain and nodded his head.
“He is the descendant of Ancient Chaos? He’s really a man of great potential…”
As he was passing through the rain, his head slowly became clear.
In this illusory realm conjured by the purple mist – the Ning Village of Yue Country, he had been staying for seven months already. In the real world, it was just seven days.
The seven days that passed by had caused his magic power to increase to 1085 units from 1015 units. Yes. It was his magic power, not his demon power…
“Spending one month within this realm would be equivalent to increasing 10 units of magic power, huh…”
He remained silent for a moment.
That purple-robed mister is Purple Dou Immortal Sovereign, the expert whom the True Immortals can’t possibly look up to, the teacher of Ancient Chaos Emperor.
But I can’t even discern whether he is a true being or just an illusion due to my current cultivation realm. I’m just so weak that I can’t even distinguish the illusions created by the purple mist…
The only thing that I am able to notice is his poised and graceful demeanor. He told me to learn how to become a human before becoming an immortal. And to become a human, I must first be a dutiful son.
The word “filial piety” is rarely mentioned by anyone in the cultivation world. Moreover, some sects would erase their disciples’ memories immediately after they join them. Even if they can’t wipe out their memories, they will instruct their disciples to abandon their relations in the mortal world…
As for the Immortal Sovereign, comparing to cultivation level, magic power, potential and the comprehension of Dao, he placed much more importance on internal feelings and sentiments.
Thus, he gave me the chance to show filial piety to my mother…