Chapter 305: Special meal

Li Qi seemed to hear a voice calling in his ear: “The classroom is not orderly, three strikes.”

The voice was like a machine, without any emotion, like an electronic sound, not at all like a human's.

Then, smack, smack, smack!

Three consecutive strikes landed on Li Qi's head, momentarily stunning him.

Even though he had clearly blocked it, he still felt the impact; while it didn't hurt much, the sensation of being struck was real.

But with this, he heard the sound of the lecture around him stop.

Almost everyone immersed in the lecture immediately woke up, looking around in confusion, wondering why the lecture had suddenly stopped.

As for those who didn't understand, they all looked towards the source of the sound, which was Li Qi.

Li Qi also noticed.

The Dr. Tai Xue giving the lecture above…

Seemed, rather displeased.

“Student Li Qi, disrupting the classroom, distracted and not listening to the Dao. This is your first day of school, what is your intention?” The Dr. Tai Xue's gaze was displeased as he stared at Li Qi.

But Li Qi didn't feel scared or angry; he was just a little confused.

Was the Ruler just now wielded by this Dr. Tai Xue?

It didn't seem like it. The Ruler was clearly blocked by him. He had used mountain Qi, which could block external Qi, combined with Divine Qi to defend, and it was definitely blocked. But even though the Ruler was blocked, his head was still struck.

This method shouldn't be something this Dr. Tai Xue possessed. Although Li Qi didn't know the other party's true strength, his enhanced True Knowledge could already affect a Sixth-Rank.

That Ruler and this Dr. Tai Xue gave him completely different feelings.

However, despite this, Li Qi was still a bit embarrassed.

Was it… a conditioned reflex?

Looking around during class and making the teacher stop lecturing to call out and criticize him—this kind of embarrassment was already etched into Li Qi's bones.

Moreover, the current situation was a public lecture in a super-large classroom, with millions of people listening around, filling several blocks.

It could only be said that it was thanks to everyone being Cultivators, with sharp ears and eyes, that they could hear clearly.

However, there was no need to hide here. Li Qi immediately stood up under everyone's gaze: “Reporting to the Doctor, I just feel… that what you are lecturing on is contradictory and chaotic, so I merely have some doubts.”

When Li Qi said this, he was being honest, but his two classmates beside him, Mo Benglan and Li Lieqi, both turned to look at Li Qi, their eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty.

As for the other onlookers, their reactions were varied.

Some looked at Li Qi in confusion, seemingly not knowing what nonsense he was talking about.

Some were enraged, cursing Li Qi for interrupting the process, when they were just listening to the exciting part.

Others, fearing no chaos, watched with a desire for entertainment. Since they couldn't understand anyway, they might as well watch the show firsthand, so they started to jeer.

Some had expressions of disdain, seemingly thinking Li Qi was overestimating himself by daring to question a Dr. Tai Xue! They waited for him to be humiliated.

Of course, more people adopted a wait-and-see attitude, like passersby, simply observing.

In an instant, Li Qi suddenly became the center of attention for over a million people.

After Li Qi finished speaking, he looked calmly at the Dr. Tai Xue.

The Dr. Tai Xue had originally been angrily questioning Li Qi for disturbing the classroom. Li Qi thought he would probably be even more enraged after being contradicted, right?

However, to Li Qi's surprise, this Doctor actually calmed down after hearing Li Qi's defiant question.

“So you were simply confused, which is why you disturbed the classroom. Then I will overlook it this time. As for your questions, where do you find omissions, contradictions, or chaos? Speak them out, and I will answer them one by one.”

Li Qi didn't play coy. He bowed and saluted: “Then I shall speak frankly.”

“You said, ‘Essence and Qi form things; wandering souls transform.’ Yet, if essence and Qi form things, it means the combination of essence and Qi creates objects, where essence is the corporeal soul and Qi is the ethereal soul. Transformation, then, is the separation of the ethereal and corporeal souls. Why do you only mention ‘wandering souls’ and not the corporeal soul? What is the explanation?”

“You said wandering souls become ghosts and gods, differing only in aggregation and dispersion. Those that gather to form objects are gods; those that disperse to transform are ghosts. Does this not contradict your previous statement?”

“You said a Sage knows all things and their Dao benefits the world, which requires analyzing things, understanding the principles of darkness, light, life, death, ghosts, and gods, knowing both day and night. Yet, you also said that they encompass the transformations of heaven and earth without exceeding them. This implies the Dao of a Sage is the standard for heaven and earth. Is this not chaotic?”

Li Qi asked three questions in a row.

Actually, summarized, it was one question.

You said that heaven and earth are a chaotic crucible of molten gold, and a Sage pours out the chaos of heaven and earth, forging it into tools, making them a model for all, a standard for heaven and earth, and a rule for all things.

If that's the case, why bother studying natural science and ‘knowing all things’? The rules of all things are clearly based on the Dao of the Sage, so we should just study the Sage's norms. Why bother ‘knowing all things’? Isn't that a waste of effort? What's the point of studying it? Why doesn't the Sage just tell us what to do directly?

The Sage's method defines the status of ghosts and gods, defining the two states of human Spirit Soul after leaving the Physical Body as ghosts and gods: a dispersed Spirit Soul is a ghost, and a condensed Spirit Soul is a god. However, this conflicts with the earlier statement: ‘Essence and Qi form things; wandering souls transform.’

When essence and Qi combine, the ethereal and corporeal souls condense to form a thing. At this point, the Spirit Soul is a thing.

When essence and Qi disperse, the Spirit Soul disperses. Only then can it be considered the Spirit Soul as understood, but then the initial condition for the existence of ‘gods’ is gone. Is this not self-contradictory?

Li Qi asked several questions in a row, all of which were points he felt were incorrect from the vast Dao Resonance.

In reality, there were many, many such things.

Every sentence seemed correct when taken out individually, and a single chapter also seemed correct.

But the Dao Resonance contained far too much information, and many things didn't flow smoothly. Some statements were correct in one context but wrong in another.

This is why Li Qi felt increasingly uneasy as he listened.

Because for other listeners, these Dao Resonance allowed them to only hear the part they needed, to only understand what they could use and comprehend, as the information density was too great.

But Li Qi was different. Through the effect of True Knowledge, he could absorb at least seventy to eighty percent of the information from the lecture, if not all of it.

If one's cultivation was shallow, they would probably be directly overwhelmed by such an information flow and their head would explode.

But as mentioned several times, Li Qi was different. He was already accustomed to this kind of information flow being poured into his mind, and after achieving Seventh-Rank, his Spirit Soul and brain became even more resilient. The first of his inner body spirits he condensed was his Nascent Soul, which further strengthened his ability to receive information.

Therefore, he was able to discover various contradictions and loopholes within it, leading to numerous doubts.

After asking his questions, he quietly looked at the Dr. Tai Xue in front of him, hoping for an answer.

The onlookers who had previously shown various attitudes towards Li Qi, along with his two classmates Mo Benglan and Li Lieqi, basically quieted down after Li Qi asked these questions.

Of course, there were still quite a few people among the onlookers who still didn't understand what was happening, so they were still shouting their previous remarks, but soon people around them reminded them, causing these people to gradually quiet down as well, watching what was happening in the center of the venue.

Everyone understood.

This person who disrupted the class and interrupted everyone's listening to the Dao truly had something to him.

They just didn't know how much he had, or if he could win against the Dr. Tai Xue.

To be honest, everyone basically had no hope for this.

Who was a Dr. Tai Xue?

A Sixth-Rank Official, specializing in the study of classical texts and the Dao, a purely academic position.

To say they had studied for a lifetime was an understatement; some of them had researched these things for over a thousand years, and countless textbooks had their names listed as 'authors'.

Now, Li Qi had openly pointed out a Dr. Tai Xue's mistake. Although many people didn't understand, it didn't stop them from thinking Li Qi was about to be utterly defeated and humiliated.

As for the two classmates, they both sat up straight, ready to listen intently to the debate between the two.

Whether it was Li Lieqi, the Martial Artist and Military School of Thought Cultivator, or Mo Benglan, who specialized in the Human Dao and Legalist School, both knew the background of their classmate.

He came from Shaman God Mountain, which meant he must have his own unique insights into the theories of ghosts and gods, and what he brought up was precisely about ghosts and gods.

However, to everyone's surprise, the Dr. Tai Xue pondered for a moment and then directly nodded: “What you said makes some sense. There are indeed improprieties in this Dao Resonance. Although the knowledge within is vast, it is also complex and not suitable for you to listen to. It is our mistake, I am truly sorry.”

“For now, you need not listen to this lecture. Please go inside; there will be someone specifically to lecture you. As for those outside, you know it cannot be changed. This is more suitable for them.”

Li Qi was also dumbfounded.

Huh? What do you mean, sir?

So you yourself know that the Dao Resonance being broadcast outside is wrong?

But just as he was startled, he immediately reacted.

Li Qi understood.

This was precisely their plan!

The Dao Resonance being broadcast outside was never intended to convey 'absolute correctness,' but merely needed to describe 'relative correctness.'

It's like Newton's classical mechanics; it's correct to a certain extent, and that's enough. It's sufficient for middle school students, no need to go deeper.

As for subsequent inaccuracies, you will naturally discover them when you study deeper, and then you will be taught new knowledge, such as quantum mechanics. This way, it progresses gradually.

And the benefit of not needing to go too deep is that these Dao Resonance can accommodate many, many such pieces of knowledge, and then be broadcast widely through lectures, benefiting millions of people at once! Allowing millions of people to listen to the Dao and receive such benefits.

It doesn't need to be too correct, nor too profound. As long as these people can understand it, that's enough.

However, they hadn't expected Li Qi's theoretical knowledge to be so profound that he could detect the omissions in the lecture.

This made the Dr. Tai Xue look at Li Qi with new respect, and he immediately had him go inside to listen.

This single action stunned everyone listening outside.

They hadn't fully grasped the implications, they just suddenly realized that the Dr. Tai Xue… had conceded?

He didn't even argue, but directly let Li Qi go inside.

The people outside were shocked, and Mo Benglan and Li Lieqi were also stunned.

However, after Li Qi reacted, he immediately agreed and then scurried inside.

His thought was simple:

If someone offers private tutoring, who would still listen to a public lecture!

And so, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Qi quickly entered the Imperial Academy and disappeared from everyone's sight.

The Dr. Tai Xue cleared his throat twice: “Ahem, the lecture continues. The previous matter is unrelated to you all; do not overthink it.”

With that, he went back on stage and continued his lecture.

However, just because he said not to overthink it, did they not overthink it?

Over a million people were watching.

Chang'an, this entire generation, for several hundred years, had never seen anyone who, during a lecture, was invited in for a private lesson.

And now, everyone had witnessed it with their own eyes.

——————

At the same time, messages spread one after another. In the Imperial Academy, inside the central hall, a spry old man was playing chess with the Mayor of the Capital of Chang'an.

The Mayor of the Capital was a Third-Rank Official, so the person who could play chess with him as an equal would naturally also be a Third-Rank.

And in the entire Imperial Academy, there was only one permanent Third-Rank Official.

The Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, a Third-Rank Official.

Among the Dr. Tai Xue, those who were intelligent and highly respected, capable of teaching students various arts, were chosen to be the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

The reason it was called Chancellor of the Imperial Academy was because at banquets, the Elders must be honored, and wine was offered to ancestors, hence the name Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. This meant that the Imperial Academy’s Chancellor was the oldest, most prestigious, and most capable among the Dr. Tai Xue. He could teach students all skills.

And in reality, this was indeed the case.

If one had to use one word to describe the Imperial Academy’s Chancellor, it would be… omniscient.

He was proficient in all the Hundred Schools of Human Dao.

He had dabbled in Confucianism, Legalism, Names, Medicine, Mohism, Agriculture, Eclecticism, Military School of Thought, Yin and Yang, Diplomacy, and so on.

He had even deeply researched other paths, including Divine, Shaman, Spirit, Demon, and Buddhist Dao.

It could be said that whatever you knew, he knew.

What you didn't know, he probably knew too.

And now, this Imperial Academy’s Chancellor, who could be called omniscient, was playing chess and talking with the Mayor of the Capital.

The Imperial Academy’s Chancellor placed a piece and said: “So, behind this unrest in Chang'an, there are not only Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanationss but also the presence of a True Dragon?”

“It's unlikely to be a Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations, but I can't say for sure. The Demonic Overlord from the Desire Realm came to Chang'an last time and happened to encounter the previous Emperor shattering the Dragon Vein, suffering severe injuries. Will he come again now?” The Mayor of the Capital sighed.

It had been mentioned more than once before that the Central Plains had experienced an unprecedented catastrophe a few years ago. The rebel army almost attacked Chang'an, and the previous Human Emperor shattered the Dragon Vein and fought with his life to finally turn the tide.

Less than two hundred years later, the previous Human Emperor worked diligently and tirelessly, literally working himself to death. After that, the current Human Emperor ascended the throne, leading to the current prosperous era of Tang Nation.

And in that large-scale rebellion, there was the shadow of Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations behind it.

However, Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations was severely injured in that incident and should not have any further designs on Chang'an for a short period.

He couldn't be that forgetful, could he?

However, the Imperial Academy’s Chancellor seemed to have no intention of continuing on this topic, as it was not within his jurisdiction.

So, after placing another piece, he said: “Let's not talk about that. I just received news that a new student is coming to see me.”

“A new student? To see you?” The Mayor of the Capital frowned in confusion.

But he immediately realized something.

“A student has seen through the essence of the public lecture outside? Congratulations, this is the first time in 1,200 years, isn't it? Imperial Academy is about to produce another Sage.” The Mayor of the Capital congratulated him.

But the Imperial Academy’s Chancellor's expression was very subtle. He said: “It's someone from Shaman God Mountain.”

Seeing many people say my introduction is not good, I am soliciting introductions. Those whose introductions are adopted will be treated to KFC Crazy Thursday.