Beauties in Simulation Cross over into Reality

Chapter 132: Chapter 117: Then My Enemy Is the Entire World

Three more years passed after Xiao Mo returned to Bailu Academy.

After Mo Lake was built, the dean of Bailu Academy had been generous enough to grant ownership of the barren mountain to Xiao Mo and Bai Ruxue.

However, they never treated the mountain as their private domain.

The disciples of Bailu Academy were free to visit Mo Lake whenever they wished.

As for the Literary Dao Fortune concentrated in Mo Lake, they naturally couldn’t take it with them. The moment the water left the lake, it became nothing more than ordinary water.

However, thanks to Mo Lake’s existence, the Literary Dao Fortune on the once-barren mountain grew increasingly dense, even rivaling some of Bailu Academy’s main peaks.

The peak was also given a name: Baimo Peak.

Every spring and on snowy days, students from Bailu Academy would flock to Mo Lake for spring outings or to admire the snow, creating a rather picturesque scene.

During these three years, Xiao Mo continued his routine, occasionally attending classes in Mr. Qi’s courtyard.

Most of his time, however, was spent sitting in the bamboo grove, lost in thought.

Xiao Mo wanted to establish Mr. Yangming’s Heart Learning in this world.

However, Xiao Mo discovered that merely knowing something was not the same as truly understanding it.

After all, even back on Blue Sea Star, his own understanding of Yongming Heart Learning had been superficial.

Therefore, Xiao Mo decided to retrace Mr. Yangming’s steps.

He would start by investigating the bamboo.

But Xiao Mo’s investigation of the bamboo was not a simple one.

With the accumulated knowledge of two lifetimes, Xiao Mo had a profound foundation in the teachings of the Confucian School.

Although it appeared as though he was just staring at bamboo every day, Xiao Mo was actually contemplating all he had learned and its relationship to Mr. Yangming’s Heart Learning.

He was attempting to synthesize the two, using his own knowledge as the foundation and Mr. Yangming’s Heart Learning as his guide.

Bai Ruxue knew Xiao Mo was seeking enlightenment.

Therefore, Bai Ruxue did not disturb him.

She simply brought him his meals every day.

When she felt particularly bored, she would sit nearby, watching Xiao Mo from a distance.

Bai Ruxue loved watching the way Xiao Mo looked while deep in thought in the bamboo grove; she felt she could never grow tired of the sight.

To pass the time, Bai Ruxue even picked up a brush and ink, attempting to paint the scene of Xiao Mo seeking enlightenment in the bamboo grove.

However, she felt her paintings were terrible and didn’t do Xiao Mo justice. Since she didn’t want to ask Shang Jiuli for help, she eventually gave up on the idea.

Another six months passed. In the bamboo grove, Xiao Mo felt he was on the verge of understanding something.

But the feeling was like an illusory butterfly. It seemed within his grasp, yet it would always slip silently through his fingers.

Eventually, Xiao Mo sat amidst the bamboo as still as a statue, utterly motionless.

As the days passed, what he saw in his eyes was no longer the bamboo, but the Dao he had been searching for all along.

…

“How long has it been since Xiao Mo left the bamboo grove?”

One day, while teaching Luo Yang and Shang Jiuli, Mr. Qi posed this question to them.

Luo Yang shook his head. “Junior Brother hasn’t left the bamboo grove for six months. According to Miss Bai, he’s so absorbed in the process of Entering the Dao that he hasn’t eaten or drunk in all that time. She doesn’t dare disturb him.”

“I see…”

Mr. Qi stroked his beard.

“Forging an entirely new path is easier said than done. The road he has chosen is destined to be fraught with hardship.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” Shang Jiuli poured a cup of tea, a melancholy look on his face. “This world has too many rigid, old-fashioned scholars. To them, Junior Brother’s path is an attempt to destroy the one they have followed their entire lives.”

“But even so, Junior Brother will walk it to the end,” Luo Yang said, looking toward the bamboo grove.

“Enough of that,” Qi Daoming said, shaking his head. He produced two letters from his sleeve. “This is intelligence from the Demon Race’s World. The Human Race and the Demon Race are negotiating again. What are your thoughts?”

“What is there to think?” Shang Jiuli said, exasperated. “The talks will lead to nothing. It’s just that neither the Demon Race’s World nor our World of Ten Thousand Laws is ready. On the surface, they’re negotiating, but in reality, everyone is just preparing for an all-out war.”

“Talks and skirmishes… It’s been nearly twenty years since the rumors of war between the two worlds first started, and yet nothing has happened,” Luo Yang said, gripping his longsword.

Qi Daoming smiled. “This is a war between two worlds, after all. The larger the war, the more forces there are to coordinate, and the longer the preparations take. To ordinary people, twenty years is a very long time, but for us Cultivators, it’s merely the blink of an eye.

You should both make your own preparations. No one knows when the war will finally erupt.”

“Yes, sir!” Luo Yang and Shang Jiuli both stood and bowed to their teacher.

Just as they straightened up, both Luo Yang and Shang Jiuli sensed something and raised their heads, looking toward the bamboo grove.

At the same time, everyone in Bailu Academy turned to look in the same direction.

A cool breeze blew out from the bamboo grove, carrying the fresh scent of bamboo and the inky fragrance of the Book Flipping Wind.

Above the grove, dense clouds gathered, coalescing into the shape of an ink dragon.

Celestial music rang through the air, as if a Saint were reciting from a sacred scroll.

Most of the scholars who witnessed this sudden phenomenon had no idea what was happening.

But the academy’s teachers understood. Someone had just forged an entirely new path within the Confucian Dao.

Though this path of the Confucian Dao was still nascent, like a newborn infant, it symbolized new hope.

Whether this small trail could one day become a great avenue, no one knew.

Within the bamboo grove, the scholar in green robes slowly opened his eyes.

“Xiao Mo, you did it!”

Seeing Xiao Mo awaken, Bai Ruxue, who had been watching over him from nearby, felt her peach-blossom eyes light up with joy.

The aura Xiao Mo now exuded had reached the Golden Core realm, and his body carried a resonance of the Great Dao, giving off an exceptionally comforting feeling.

“I’ve only taken the first few steps. I don’t know if this path will ultimately succeed.”

Xiao Mo smiled and shook his head, looking directly into Ruxue’s eyes.

“Ruxue, now that I have found my path, I must follow Mr. Qi’s instructions. After enlightenment, I am to leave Bailu Academy, travel the world, and debate the Dao with its great scholars.”

“Mm-hmm. No matter where you go, I’ll go with you,” Bai Ruxue said with a nod.

“But Ruxue, my path contradicts the Confucian ideals many people hold dear. Many will denounce me, and countless people may stand against me. I’m afraid you’ll be affected.”

“I don’t care.”

Bai Ruxue looked directly into Xiao Mo’s eyes and stated it as a simple fact.

“If the entire world stands against you, then my enemy is the entire world.”