As Zhang Chen walked out of the courtyard, he understood why the servants were in an uproar: the water drawn by them was shockingly red as blood, reeking with a nauseating stench.
"Master, there’s blood flowing in the well!" A servant rushed forward to inform Zhang Chen upon seeing him come out.
"Blood in the well?" Zhang Chen paused in disbelief — how could there be blood flowing from the well?
He quickly walked forward, witnessing a group of servants surrounding the well’s bucket with cries of astonishment. Before he even approached, the overwhelming stench, belonging to decayed blood, filled his senses.
"Make way, the master is here!" The Steward shouted, and immediately the servants dispersed, standing respectfully at the side.
The Steward bowed respectfully and approached, "Master, the water in the well has suddenly turned to blood; we might have attracted something ominous. I implore you to decide the next step."
Zhang Chen stepped forward, glanced at the bloody water in the wooden bucket, then lowered his head to look into the well, his eyes revealing a trace of contemplation. Being the master of Blood Dao, he could naturally sense that the crimson water was indeed blood, seeping into the underground, polluting the water source.
"How many have perished in Jiangnan for the underground water veins to be tainted this way," Zhang Chen sighed softly.
Though he possesses the Blood God Child capable of evolving into a Sea of Blood, he cannot care for the entire Northern Land, only preemptively lurking beneath battlefields or populous areas. Yet even so, the blood from the deceased creatures continues to contaminate the underground water veins.
"There is no ominous presence in the well, but rather too many deaths in the land of Jiangnan, leading to the pollution of the underground water veins. Do not panic," Zhang Chen instructed.
Yet the underground spring water could no longer be consumed.
As he spoke, a drop of blood silently fell into the well water, instantly initiating the evolution of the Sea of Blood, absorbing the blood beneath Jinling City: "It won’t be long before the underground spring water is purified by Heaven and Earth; just wait patiently."
While talking, Zhang Chen dispatched all his Blood God Children, transforming them into Blood Lakes, traversing underground and absorbing the blood from the land of Jiangnan.
"In the future, Jiangnan will become fertile land, as it has undergone blood inundation which will make it incredibly rich in nutrients," Zhang Chen mused to himself.
Jinling City was ablaze with unease, the red blood throwing all hearts into panic; countless citizens discussed fervently, kneeling before Zhou Qiucheng’s tower, causing another surge in the intense and pure Incense Faith that Zhou Qiucheng harvested.
Zhang Chen manipulated the Law of Sound, his ears slightly twitching, capturing all sound waves within a hundred miles, and listening intently. In Jinling City, experienced knights identified the origin of the underground blood water, explaining to the surrounding populace. Upon learning that the blood was the result of the Demon Race’s massacre of the Human Race, soaking the earth and polluting the land, an unspeakable fear spread among the people, accompanied by that fear, their faith in Zhou Qiucheng’s Incense grew purer, driving countless individuals to pray before Zhou Qiucheng’s Exquisite Tower.
Following this, a Golden Light rose from Chongzheng Academy, magnificent divine rays gleaming brilliantly, as the Exquisite Tower within the academy grew another layer.
"Zhou Qiucheng has obtained a vast faith from Jiangnan Dao, further accelerating the restoration of the Divine Dao Magical Artifact, Exquisite Tower." Zhang Chen simply glanced, sparing little attention.
As the Exquisite Tower emitted radiant light, appearing increasingly miraculous, common folk’s faith became even more devout.
Though now the populace across Jiangnan Dao was anxious, negative emotions surged toward the Exquisite Tower accompanied by Incense Faith, causing an ominous premonition to rise in Zhang Chen’s heart.
Yet Zhang Chen couldn’t prevent it.
As time slipped away, countless moments fluttering by like a finger’s snap, they found themselves seven days before the agreed discussion between Zhou Qiucheng and Chen Sanliang.
Zhang Chen stood in his courtyard, gazing toward Chongzheng Academy, observing Zhou Qiucheng’s Exquisite Tower burgeon with twenty-four layers, doubling in size.
"A pity, it remains at the Eleventh Tier, unable to transcend into the Twelfth Tier." Zhang Chen watched the flowing divine light of the Exquisite Tower, his gaze filled with emotion.
He then directed his eyes north of Jinling City, where a grand, majestic purple aura drifted from the far-off void, stretching lavishly for eight hundred miles, resembling a celestial river suspended in the sky.
Watching the purple aura, Zhang Chen’s eyes conveyed caution — this was no ordinary purple aura visible to the naked eye but ’destiny.’ Any exposure of even a wisp was sufficient to grant a beast creation and transform into a Demon Beast.
"Chen Sanliang is incredibly fortunate, having arrived within the bounds of Jinling territory, expected to reach Jinling City tomorrow." Zhang Chen stood in the courtyard, a trace of hesitation in his eyes, "Should I go to greet him?"
In principle, Zhang Chen should go greet Chen Sanliang, for they shared a close friendship, and since the latter came from afar, he ought to welcome him. Yet, after pondering a while, Zhang Chen turned down the notion, entered his house, leaving only a sigh echoing in the small courtyard: "I must not hinder Chen Sanliang’s great journey."
His sole intention was to preserve Zhou Qiucheng’s life, nothing more, for if Chen Sanliang failed to surpass Zhou Qiucheng in knowledge, his journey would never reach Perfection.
Inside the house, Zhang Chen added Yellow Spring Water to the Soul-Forming Lamp, carefully storing it away. After a slight hesitation, he walked toward Chongzheng Academy.
He wanted to see how Zhou Qiucheng’s preparations were going, so he could choose the right time to rescue Zhou Qiucheng.
When Zhang Chen arrived at Chongzheng Academy, he found the whole academy deserted, with even fewer disciples than the last time he had come.
"Logically, with all the nobles and academies in Jiangnan uniting against a common enemy, the number of disciples at Chongzheng Academy should have increased. Why has it decreased?" Zhang Chen was puzzled.
"Young Master Chen, you’ve arrived." Zhang Chen came across Steward Chen Qi, who quickly approached and respectfully saluted upon seeing Zhang Chen.
"Why are there fewer people in the academy?" Zhang Chen asked his burning question.
"All the disciples have been sent down the mountain by the teachers to spread faith across major cities and villages, organizing the common people to build temples," said Chen Qi.
"I see." Zhang Chen suddenly understood. He had thought all the disciples and teachers had run away, so he turned to Chen Qi:
"Where is the dean?"
"You came at a good time. The dean came out of seclusion yesterday and is drinking tea in the back yard," Chen Qi replied respectfully. "Please follow me."
Zhang Chen followed Chen Qi to the mountains in the back, heading to the backyard where Zhou Qiucheng was. He saw Zhou Qiucheng sitting in the yard, playing with chess pieces, with a cup of tea in front of him, looking leisurely and content.
Zhang Chen appeared at the entrance of the yard, and Zhou Qiucheng froze, setting down the chess piece in his hand: "Didn’t I tell you to go down the mountain long ago? Why have you come back?"
"I was worried about the teacher, so I thought I would come back to see if I could lend a hand," Zhang Chen said.
He initially expected Zhou Qiucheng to reproach him, but unexpectedly, Zhou Qiucheng laughed heartily: "I knew I had not misjudged you. You came back at just the right time. I’ve already found a way to defeat Chen Sanliang. You don’t need to go out again now that you’re back."
Zhang Chen was stunned by these words: "You’ve found a way to defeat Chen Sanliang’s philosophy?"
He couldn’t believe it. The philosophy of universal education of Chen Sanliang was so perfect; could flaws really be found?
"Of course!" Zhou Qiucheng’s voice was full of pride. "My philosophy of ’iron-faced impartiality’ may not be a match for Chen Sanliang’s ’universal education,’ but why do I need to confront universal education directly? I only have to find flaws in their philosophy and defeat its foundation. Even if Chen Sanliang breaks my philosophy, we would still be evenly matched at fifty-fifty, at best a draw."
Zhang Chen understood Zhou Qiucheng’s approach; according to the martial world masters’ way of dueling, it doesn’t matter how much higher your martial arts skills are than mine. As long as I can kill a thousand enemies at the cost of damaging myself eight hundred, I don’t need defense. At worst, I can exchange wounds with you.
"Moreover, I’ve already noticed the limitations of the ’iron-faced impartiality’ philosophy, and recently I’ve elevated it to ’selflessness of the human heart,’ which will surely catch Chen Sanliang off guard." Zhou Qiucheng’s voice was full of pride: "During this philosophical debate, we’ll be at least fifty-fifty."
"Selflessness of the human heart?" Zhang Chen froze, wondering if the human heart could truly be selfless.
"It’s just the inception of the philosophy, and it’s not completely perfect. I’m currently ill-prepared; otherwise, I could surely cause their philosophy to collapse and forever cease in Jinling City," Zhou Qiucheng’s voice was tinged with regret.
Although Zhang Chen had doubts in his heart, now was not the time to demoralize; instead, he started to praise: "Congratulations, teacher, you will certainly take the lead at the philosophy debate conference this time. If you defeat Chen Sanliang, perhaps you can resolve this crisis, and in the future, you’ll be a great hero of the human race."
Zhou Qiucheng smiled slightly: "If I manage to thwart Chen Sanliang, it will surely demoralize the demon race and suppress their arrogance; our Jiangnan prefectures may still have a glimmer of hope."
Zhou Qiucheng led Zhang Chen into the house, then took a few green plums, put them in the wine to simmer, and the two sat by the stove for a modest drink.
"I heard that Chen Sanliang is arriving in Jinling City tomorrow, and I want to first see how that fellow stands," Zhou Qiucheng said to Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen was surprised by these words: "Teacher, what do you plan to do? Surely you’re not going to send someone to assassinate him?"
"Now Chen Sanliang has become a top master between Heaven and Earth; if he doesn’t have a breakdown, who can assassinate him? I naturally have a way to ensure he won’t have peace in Jinling City," Zhou Qiucheng smiled confidently.
Just as they were speaking, Jiang Nan came in from outside the door, carrying manuscripts with a respectful face. She held a stack of manuscripts in her arms: "Teacher, I’ve already organized the philosophy of ’selflessness of the human heart,’ and please review it."
Jiang Nan’s complexion was rosy, looking as if she had been living well lately. Now, amid the turbulent times in Jiangnan, her affairs seemed to be overshadowed.
Seeing Zhang Chen, Jiang Nan raised her eyebrows but then instantly retracted her expression, as if she were looking at a stranger without any indication of recognition.
"Put them down; thank you for your hard work!" Zhou Qiucheng praised as he took the documents.