We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real?

Chapter 104: It Has Been Unknown How Many Years Since Another Confucian Sage Has Emerged

Any new student at White Deer Academy had to attend general lectures at first.

After your learning showed some achievement, then you could study directly with the teachers at the academy.

Xiao Mo felt this was somewhat like the university from his previous life.

Undergraduates attended general lectures, while graduate students followed teachers directly.

Every day after half past the hour of the mao, Xiao Mo would get up.

By this time, Bai Ruxue had already woken up and prepared hot water for Xiao Mo to wash with, and made breakfast.

After eating breakfast, Bai Ruxue would escort Xiao Mo out of the courtyard.

Only after Xiao Mo disappeared at the far end for a long time would Bai Ruxue slowly withdraw her gaze, return to the courtyard to do housework, and wait for Xiao Mo to come back.

The location where Xiao Mo attended general lectures was at Classroom Nineteen on Three Provinces Peak.

Each classroom had about twenty new students.
They came from different countries, and Xiao Mo even encountered scholars dressed in Northern Mang fashion.

Among the new students there were both men and women, though there were fewer women and more men.

However, what puzzled Xiao Mo somewhat was that some of these men and women didnʼt seem very serious about their studies. They chatted and laughed on ordinary days, and sighed over the homework assigned by teachers, as if they had come to White Deer Academy to have fun.

Later, Xiao Mo learned that most of these men and women were royal children from secular dynasties.

Apart from the Confucian Academy, the four great academies all gave additional quotas to the ten great human dynasties, allowing the children of royalty and nobility to come study.

They would stay here at most four years, then leave after four years.

If someone had certain attainments in Confucian learning and wanted to stay to continue studying, that wasnʼt impossible either but such people were extremely rare.

Perhaps because Xiao Mo was quite good-looking and had an outstanding temperament, plus the matter of ”Xiao Mo taking Teacher Qi as his master” gradually spread, quite a few royal and noble children wanted to befriend Xiao Mo.

Especially many noble ladies, who looked at Xiao Mo with rather admiring gazes.

Toward these people, Xiao Mo neither distanced himself nor grew close, maintaining polite courtesy while keeping a certain distance.

The academy teacher who taught Xiao Mo was named Wang Quan.

Wang Quan was a good friend of Qi Daoming and served as Supervisor of Studies at the Academy.

He later came to White Deer Academy to serve as a teaching instructor.

After Wang Quan learned that Xiao Mo was Qi Daomingʼs final disciple, he invariably called on Xiao Mo during daily classes, testing his knowledge, and was stricter with Xiao Mo than with other disciples.

Fortunately, Xiao Mo always answered fluently each time, making Wang Quan very satisfied.

Regarding this Teacher Wang, although Xiao Mo felt he was somewhat stubborn and even had the air of an old fogey, his learning was unquestionable.

Moreover, Uncle-Master Wang Quanʼs research into ”investigating things to extend knowledge” was extremely profound.

But one day, three months later, Xiao Mo seemed to thoroughly anger Wang Quan.

In that dayʼs class, Wang Quan was inspired to explain to students some of his understanding of ”investigating things to extend knowledge.”

Teacher Wang emphasized that ”investigating things to extend knowledge” was recognizing universal heavenly principles through outward exploration, learning, and rational contemplation.

He spoke of ”preserving heavenly principle, eliminating human desires.”

He described how Confucian ethics like benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom were the core content of ”principle,” that nature is principle.

From investigating things to gain knowledge, to extending knowledge to achieve enlightenment, then to sincerity and rectifying the heart through internal transformation, finally to cultivating oneself, regulating the family, ordering the state, and bringing peace to the world.

After finishing his lecture, Wang Quan saw Xiao Mo frowning continuously, thinking Xiao Mo had doubts, so he asked Xiao Mo to voice his questions so he could resolve them on the spot but what Xiao Mo raised wasnʼt a question.

Xiao Mo presented his own different viewpoint.

Xiao Mo believed that the objectivity of ”principle” might lead to the externalization of moral practice.

In the classroom, Xiao Mo spoke of the concepts ”there is nothing beyond the mind, no principle beyond the mind,” ”innate knowledge” is heavenly principle, and the unity of all things.

After hearing this, Teacher Wang became furiously angry and engaged in heated debate with Xiao Mo.

Most students only half-understood the debate between the teacher and Xiao Mo.

Those noble children neednʼt be mentioned, they only felt that Xiao Mo seemed to have touched Teacher Wangʼs bottom line, actually making the teacher so angry.

”Xiao Mo, without broad accumulation through ʼinvestigating thingsʼ and deep understanding of heavenly principle, so-called ʼactionʼ is blind and lacks foundation. What youʼve said today is empty talk about mind and nature!”

”But Teacher, knowledge is the beginning of action, action is the completion of knowledge. True cognition necessarily contains the direction and motivation for action. True action is the natural realization and completion of cognition. The two cannot be separated. Knowing without acting is merely not knowing. If one knows but doesnʼt act, it shows this ʼknowledgeʼ doesnʼt come from the heartʼs innate knowledge, but is only shallow surface cognition or mere book learning.”

Xiao Mo countered.

”You... you...”

Teacher Wang pointed at Xiao Mo, unable to speak for a long time, finally just angrily flinging his sleeves.

”Todayʼs class ends here. Xiao Mo, you donʼt need to come tomorrow.”

Teacher Wang angrily left the classroom. All students quickly stood to see him off, and Xiao Mo also bowed with cupped hands.

After Teacher Wang left, everyone in the classroom looked at Xiao Mo.

That afternoon, Wang Quan came to Qi Daomingʼs courtyard.

As soon as he entered the yard, Wang Quan grabbed the teacup from Qi Daomingʼs hand and drank it all in one gulp.

”Youʼve really taken on a wonderful disciple!” Wang Quan sat beside Qi Daoming, saying angrily, ”In todayʼs class, he nearly angered me to death!”

Qi Daoming smiled, looking at his good friend, ”Is that so? But why do I see you looking very happy?”

”Do I?” Wang Quan glared at Qi Daoming.

Qi Daoming nodded, ”Mm, you do!”

Wang Quan stared at Qi Daoming.

After half a cup of tea, Wang Quan stroked his beard and burst into laughter, ”Hahaha... that boy Xiao Mo actually proposed ʼhuman nature is heavenly principle, knowledge and action must be unifiedʼ in class. Honestly, I had never even thought of it before. How interesting!”

”Yet you still cursed at him in class, calling his ideas heretical and crooked.” Qi Daoming gave his friend a look.

Wang Quan shook his head and sighed, ”Daoming, Xiao Moʼs concept poses quite a significant challenge to current Confucian learning. If he can succeed, he might create a new school of thought and walk a different Confucian path. But this path is extremely difficult to walk. If he cannot remain steadfast in his heart, and gives up just because I said a few words, how could he bear the overwhelming attacks heʼll face in the future?”

Wang Quan looked at his friend, ”Today, Iʼll write a letter about this matter and send it to the Academy. As for Xiao Mo, I have nothing left to teach him. Thereʼs no point in him coming to class anymore.”

Qi Daoming smiled and poured his friend a cup of tea, ”So do you think he can succeed?”

”Who knows?”

Wang Quan gathered his sleeves and looked up at the sky.

”Itʼs just that we Confucians... it has been unknown how many years since another Confucian Sage has emerged.”