Zou Liu, full of righteous indignation, faced Chen Sanliang with passionate vigor, his voice full of tragic solemnity: "No one can run rampant on my Divine Land! You beasts can dream on!"
Zou Liu debated with Chen Sanliang and retreated after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, spitting blood from his mouth, following in the footsteps of the previous two.
Looking at Zou Liu collapsed on the ground, Chen Sanliang sighed softly: "Trying to protect the Divine Land by relying solely on eloquence is useless; one must have real talent and learning. Your talent and learning are not impressive, yet your slogans ring loud. It seems you are here to find me to seek false fame, truly contemptible."
Even after defeating his opponent, Chen Sanliang did not forget to taunt him: "It seems there is no one left in Jiangnan, since the likes of you, such a worthless person, can come to the fore. Truly, people’s hearts have changed."
"You..." Zou Liu, upon hearing these words, trembled with anger, his eyes rolling back, and at the next moment, he fainted from being scolded.
Hiding in the shadows, Zhang Chen shook his head upon witnessing this scene: "Chen Sanliang really despises the scholars of the Divine Land, but his opponent’s words are too vicious."
As Zhang Chen was pondering, someone from the crowd stepped out angrily, shouting: "Chen Sanliang, don’t be rampant! Even if you are talented, you lack virtue. What right do you have to bark wildly in my Divine Land? I challenge you!"
A middle-aged Confucian scholar stepped forward, looking at Chen Sanliang with an agitated expression, his voice filled with overwhelming anger.
"And who are you?" Chen Sanliang, calm and unperturbed, casually inquired.
Hearing this, the other person raised his head proudly: "Teacher of Chongzhou Academy: Wang Gun. Have you ever heard of my name?"
Upon hearing the name, Chen Sanliang’s heart stirred, and there was a bit more seriousness in his eyes. He had heard of this ’Wang Gun,’ who had once been invited by the Academy to lecture, to become one of the five teachers of the Academy. However, he declined the invitation because he was concerned for his academy’s students. This person was a formidable opponent, diligent in his studies and indifferent to fame.
"Wang Gun? Never heard of him. Where has this nobody come from to seek cheap fame here?" Chen Sanliang responded blandly.
These words caused Wang Gun to pause, just as he was about to rebuke him again, when Chen Sanliang said: "In any case, just someone seeking to show off. Since you wish to seek your own death, I’ll fulfill your wish. You, who pursue false fame, are unworthy to converse with me. Let us debate at once, don’t dawdle!"
As Chen Sanliang’s words fell, before Wang Gun could speak, the scholars and teachers watching were incensed, and they all rebuked angrily:
"Chen Sanliang, you, a frog at the bottom of a well, haven’t even heard of Mr. Wang Gun’s name. Truly ignorant and narrow-minded!"
"Chen Sanliang, you’re arrogant beyond belief!"
"Apologize to Mr. Wang Gun immediately!"
"Chen Sanliang, you have no respect, daring to insult Mr. Wang Gun like this?"
"Chen Sanliang, not having heard of Mr. Wang Gun, truly shows your ignorance!"
...
Upon seeing Wang Gun insulted, all the scholars felt indignant and enraged, their anger surging.
Chen Sanliang smiled lightly, a trace of disdain in his eyes: "Whoever Wang Gun is, get him out of here. I’ve never heard of him. If you want me to apologize, want me to bow, then defeat me with your scholarship. With such a big name, who knows if he’s merely someone living off false reputation or if he truly has real talent and learning? If the one with the loudest name is always right, we don’t need to debate; I should just bow to each of you, shouldn’t I?"
At this point, Chen Sanliang looked at Wang Gun: "Isn’t that right? Is there any sense in what I say?"
Hearing this, Wang Gun’s face sank, interrupting the indignant cries of the scholars behind him, his eyes revealing a hint of murderous intent: "Very well! Let us see who wins in debate."
Wang Gun was the first to challenge Chen Sanliang: "Chen Sanliang, you advocate for universal education, but as far as I know, you’re not truly practicing it..."
From afar, Zhang Chen watched the fierce exchange of words between Chen Sanliang and Wang Gun, a hint of admiration in his eyes: "Chen Sanliang’s skill in attracting hatred is top-notch."
Remaining motionless at the side, he listened to the two debate. After an hour, Wang Gun stood opposite Chen Sanliang, his face ashen, body trembling, lips quivering, unable to answer Chen Sanliang’s questions.
"Just another useless person! Earlier, hearing others praise you, I thought you had some real talent and learning. But as it turns out, your reputation far exceeds your capabilities; you’re merely a person with empty fame. Hurry and leave, so as not to sully my eyes. A person like you, seeking false fame, dares to debate with me?" Chen Sanliang, seeing his opponent stumped by his own questions, immediately launched into taunts.
"You... you..." Wang Gun looked at Chen Sanliang, blood slowly spilling from his mouth, and finally, he fell backward, collapsing straight to the ground.
In the shadows
Zhang Chen was stunned by this scene. He, skilled in the Blood Control Technique, could sense the changes in Wang Gun’s body; Wang Gun’s lungs had burst from rage caused by Chen Sanliang.
Wang Gun is dead! Even the Daluo Immortals could not save him!
"Teacher!" The scholars wailed one after another, rushing forward to surround Wang Gun’s corpse and lament continuously.
"Chen Sanliang, you have talent but no virtue. Even if your scholarship surpasses mine, I refuse to submit to you. I challenge you to a debate! Do you dare to bet your life? The loser shall behead themselves!" A scholar, seeing that Wang Gun had breathed his last, turned angrily to glare at Chen Sanliang.
"Heh, since you wish to die, how could I not grant your wish?" Chen Sanliang sneered coldly.
The two then commenced their debate, and after a short while, the young man’s face flushed red, sweat drenching his entire body, unable to speak.
"With such trivial skills, you think to avenge someone? Spare us your vainglorious display." Chen Sanliang mocked the scholar, a smirk on his lips. "Want to gain fame by my head, Chen Sanliang? You’ve chosen the wrong target."
The young man, hearing this, felt deeply ashamed, his body shaking more fiercely, and suddenly drew the treasure sword at his waist, slid it across his throat, and thus breathed his last.
In the corner, Zhang Chen was also stunned by this sight, and thought to himself, "Truly a fierce soul; with such people among humans, their legacy extends for millions of years."
Zhang Chen turned around, performed the Escape Technique, and departed. Although such ’slaughter’ was thrilling, it was as tragic as moths flying to the flame, a sight difficult to bear.
Zhang Chen’s figure appeared within his home, observing the quietly burning Soul-Forming Lamp. He carefully replenished the lamp oil, then gazed upon the souls within it, an inscrutable expression in his eyes, and after a long while, sighed softly, "All I can do is protect Zhou Qiucheng; as for the Confucian disciples in Jinling City, I must not ruin Chen Sanliang’s grand plan."
Zhang Chen closed his eyes, entering a meditative state, his Primordial Spirit venturing into the Spiritual World. There, he saw water bears battling corpse beetles, with the water bears’ numbers now equal to those of the corpse beetles. The immortal water bears thoroughly held the upper hand, the day Zhang Chen would seize Creation was not far off.
Time ticked by, a night passed in the blink of an eye, and as Zhang Chen had breakfast in the morning, Fox Fairy Nannan came to report: "Last night, the scholars debated with Chen Sanliang through the night without ceasing; now his courtyard has eighty-six more corpses."
Zhang Chen paused in his porridge-eating, stunned on the spot, "They fear not death?"
Fox Fairy Nannan sighed softly, a hint of shock in her gaze, "This is the difference between humans and demons."
Though Zhang Chen felt an inexplicable shock, he merely pondered for a moment before continuing to lower his head and eat.
By afternoon, Fox Fairy Nannan came again to report: "Today, Chen Sanliang and the scholars debated another full day, resulting in fifty losses and fifty more bodies on the ground."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen remained indifferent, "Just a few more bodies; what’s there to be shocked about? Chen Sanliang’s scholarship has reached a bewildering level; defeating him isn’t simple. Haven’t the academy’s teachers become like turtles hiding in their shells?"
Zhang Chen dismissed the matter with indifference.
"But since last night, Chen Sanliang has been debating a full day and night without ingesting a drop of water or a grain of food." Fox Fairy Nannan reminded from the side.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen paused, sensing something amiss.
"His opponents gave Chen Sanliang no time to rest, engaging in a cycle that began last night and hasn’t stopped yet," Fox Fairy Nannan’s voice tinged with urgency.
Being of the Fox Race, she naturally wished no harm upon Chen Sanliang.
As Zhang Chen continued eating, Fox Fairy Nannan knew not what occupied his mind.
Yet a sense of foreboding grew within Zhang Chen; he sensed this was no mere challenge, but a deliberate effort to exhaust Chen Sanliang’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit, to wear him down to death.
In this world, all blood cultivators, martial artists, and Divine Soul cultivators must eat, even Divine Dao cultivators unless they forsake their physical form.
Chen Sanliang hadn’t eaten all day; debating consumes a great deal of Essence, Qi, and Spirit, how much longer could he endure?
"This is an open plot! An unsolvable open plot!" A hint of horror flickered in Zhang Chen’s eyes.
Unless the debate ceases, Chen Sanliang might have the chance to eat and drink, otherwise, challengers keep coming, when would Chen Sanliang have time for water?
And what’s the use of only water? Water alone cannot fill hunger.
Yet Zhang Chen was puzzled, "How strange! Surely it wouldn’t be difficult for Chen Sanliang to drink during a debate? Why doesn’t he drink water?"
"Confucian cultivators differ from others; they still need to expel waste. If they drink water, how do they expel it?" Fox Fairy Nannan explained.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen felt speechless, wishing to comment but unsure how.