Zhang Fei - The Abandoned Son

Chapter 961: Loyalty And Righteousness

”Didnʼt you want to defeat them? Why are you holding back against Tian Baitian?” Mu Ling suddenly asked.

Zhang Xiaolong [3] shook his head in response. ”I do want to defeat them, but your master said that itʼs not the time yet. Moreover, I donʼt have information about all of their abilities yet, so I want to know everything first, and their abilities are far beyond my expectations, especially Tian Baixing.”

”How did you know that Senior Jia is my master?” Mu Lin asked with a hint of surprise.

”Even though you used the transformation technique to transform yourself into a human, your beast scent is still strong, and my sense of smell is much stronger than you imagine.” Zhang Xiaolong [3] then looked at Mu Ling. ”Moreover, you are so respectful toward Jia Yuyan, so itʼs not difficult for me to guess that you are her contract beast, right, Willow-Whisker Elk?”

Mu Ling released a soft sigh as he nodded. ”Senior Jia saved my life from other beasts when I was little, but I have nothing valuable to repay her kindness. Therefore, I decided to become her contracted beast, and I have followed her ever since.”

”Here.” Mu Ling looked at him in confusion, but Zhang Xiaolong [3] grabbed his hand and passed the pill bottle to him. ”I donʼt know where Jia Yuyan got my basic pills from, but Iʼm sure she gave you a set. The pills in this bottle are only useful for beasts like us, but I never intended to sell them in my shop, so no beast can get them without going through me. I donʼt know you, but I can see your loyalty to her. For me, loyalty is everything, so I gave them to you.”

Mu Lin immediately received the bottle before asking again. ”How can you be sure that I am loyal to Senior Jia?”

”Letʼs just say I have the ability to look into the souls of others to find out their dark secrets.” Mu Ling looked incredulous about it, but Zhang Xiaolong [3] did not explain further and quickened his pace toward the next test room.

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Before long, they had arrived at the sixth test site, and Mu Ling immediately informed Zhang Xiaolong [3]. ”The sixth test is the loyalty and righteousness test; you will face random challenges in this test. I cannot explain to you in more detail, but I think you will have no difficulty passing this test. After this, you will undergo the last test, which is the Dao Test.”

”Yeah.” Zhang Xiaolong [3] then spoke. ”Honestly, Iʼve heard about all the tests in this realm from one of my fathers-in-law, who has passed them all and lived in it for hundreds of years.”

”Oh? Who is your father-in-law?”

”Xia Tian.”

Mu Ling was a little surprised to hear the name. ”Youʼre right, Xia Tian did live here for several hundred years, but he finally left after he read all the records in our library.”

”Haha.” Zhang Xiaolong [3] laughed softly. ”My father-in-law is different from us, and he doesnʼt like to stay in one place his entire life. Instead, he prefers to go on adventures, mainly because he wants to uncover all the mysteries hidden in this universe.”

”I know.” Mu Ling replied with a nod. ”My master likes Xia Tian because they share the same hobby, but she doesnʼt like to explore the universe by herself, and she explores it through many people.”

”Hmm?” Zhang Xiaolong [3] raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. ”Does that mean Jia Yuyan knows everything about me from other natural races spread across various realms?”

”Yes.” Mu Ling revealed this information as instructed by Jia Yuyan. ”My master has known about you since your first appearance in the Sky Jade Realm, and he has been following your progress ever since. He knows a lot about all your actions, from your actions in that realm, the Netherworld Realm, and various other realms.”

”Where did Jia Yuyan get my pills from?”

”My master bought them from the natural races in the Evergreen Spirit Haven Realm.”

Zhang Xiaolong [3] nodded in understanding, but he was curious about Jia Yuyanʼs reason for monitoring him for so long, and most importantly, he never knew that she had been doing so since he first appeared in the Sky Jade Realm. ʼWhat exactly does she want from me? Or rather, what does the person behind her want from me? Iʼm sure she watched me all that time not because of her wishes, and Iʼm certain there was someone else behind her. Moreover, she possesses extensive knowledge about the ten-tailed fox, including the specific conditions required for my evolution into the ten tails.ʼ

”Hey.” Mu Ling patted Zhang Xiaolong [3]ʼs shoulder, waking him from his thoughts. ”Trust me, my master has no ill intentions toward you, and she only wants to help you.”

”Who exactly is Jia Yuyan? What can she do for me?”

Mu Ling shook her head at him. ”I donʼt know what my master can do for you, but I can tell you that she is the leader of all the natural races in the three mortal realms.”

”Huh?” Zhang Xiaolong [3] stared at Mu Ling in shock. ”Are you serious about that? Is Jia Yuan really the leader of all the natural races in the three mortal realms?”

”I donʼt need to lie to you, right?” Zhang Xiaolong [3] remained skeptical about that, so Mu Ling told him something else. ”In fact, there are several leaders of the natural races in this realm, and my master is one of them. However, the others almost never come to the surface, and my master represents them to communicate with the human cultivators in this realm.”

”Are natural races one of the founding fathers of this realm?”

”Yes.” Mu Ling nodded at him. ”There are several clans of the human race, and they are the Tian, ​​Leng, Shangguan, Qing, and Shi Clans. My masterʼs ancestor is one of the founding fathers of this realm, along with several representatives of the natural and beast races.”

”I see.” Zhang Xiaolong [3] himself had heard about the five human clans from Yuan Tianling, but she never mentioned the founding fathers of the natural and beast races. ”I want to talk to Jia Yuyan later, but I will finish the last two tests first.”

”All right, I will tell my master about it.”

Not long after Zhang Xiaolong [3] entered the room for the next test, Tian Baitian and Tian Baixing arrived in front of it, but they did not immediately enter it and waited for him to finish his test.

Mu Ling did not say anything to the two heavenly foxes, but he felt sorry for them in his heart, especially since they were destined to be the stepping stones for Zhang Xiaolong [3] to evolve into the ten tails.

Mu Ling then sat cross-legged, ignoring the two heavenly foxes, and swallowed Zhang Xiaolong [3]ʼs beast pills.

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Inside the room, Zhang Xiaolong [3] saw an old man sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, but he immediately realized that he was not a real person, and he was just a projection of something.

When the old man opened his eyes, Zhang Xiaolong [3] could feel that the place had become so quiet that he could hear his breathing clearly, and the entire area was filled with sparkling stars.

”What is loyalty?”

”Loyalty is a commitment to someone or something; it is often expressed through support, trust, and faithfulness even when itʼs difficult or inconvenient.”

”What does loyalty consist of?”

”Choice and consistency! Loyalty is not blind obedience but a conscious alignment of oneʼs actions with oneʼs values ​​or relationships.”

”To whom should we be loyal?”

”To ourselves and to all those who are loyal to us.”

”Are you a loyal person?”

”Depends.” The old manʼs eyes glowed as he stared at Zhang Xiaolong [3], who immediately continued. ”A person cannot judge their loyalty, and a personʼs loyalty depends on the opinions of others. Loyalty cannot be shown through words, and loyalty can only be judged by actions, so only others can judge whether a person is loyal or not. I can say that I am a loyal person, but others may not necessarily think the same, and vice versa; people can say they are loyal, but they are not necessarily loyal in my eyes.”

”How many women are there by your side?”

”Dozens.”

”Youʼre not a loyal person, so—”

”Who are you to say I am disloyal?” Zhang Xiaolong [3] immediately refuted the old man. ”You donʼt know me or all of my women, so your assumption about me being disloyal is unfounded. A manʼs loyalty is determined by how he treats women, not by how many he has. I love all my women, and I always keep them by my side. I always treat them fairly and equally, and we always help each other and grow strong together.”

The old man fell silent for quite a while, but he kept staring at Zhang Xiaolong [3]. ”Show me the proof.”

”How?”

”Imagine your relationship with all of them.”

Zhang Xiaolong [3] momentarily raised his eyebrows before imagining all his women, but he only imagined a situation where they were relaxing and gathering together as a big family. After all, he knew that the senior cultivators of that realm were monitoring him, and he didnʼt want them to see his intimate activities with them. Many images gradually appeared on the ceiling of the room, showing his relationships with all his women.

The images that appeared in the room shocked Jia Yuyan and the senior cultivators who were watching Zhang Xiaolong [3]ʼs test from another place; they didnʼt expect that the number of women would be so numerous, but they finally realized the reason behind his absurd cultivation speed. Unfortunately, they only guessed half right, especially since they didnʼt know about his other advantages, including his godly cheat in the form of a system.

The old man looked at all the pictures before removing them, and he immediately asked the next question. ”What is righteousness?”

ʼPhew.ʼ Zhang Xiaolong [3] sighed inwardly before responding. ”Righteousness is the quality of being morally right, just, or virtuous according to a particular standard of ethics, law, or truth.”

”Describe it.”

Zhang Xiaolong [3] frowned. ”We must uphold our principles by doing what is right, even when it is difficult or unpopular. We must uphold justice and integrity. We must act with honesty, compassion, and moral courage. It involves living in harmony with moral or spiritual principles. True righteousness is not self-righteousness, which is arrogance or superiority. True righteousness is humble and principled.”

”Are you someone who upholds righteousness?”

”Depends.” The old man squinted his eyes in response to Zhang Xiaolong [3]ʼs answer. ”If they uphold righteousness, I will be the same as them. If they uphold evil and wickedness, I will be more evil and wicked than them. If you think my answer is wrong, then you are not worthy to be a cultivator and live in a cultivation world filled with countless cruel cultivators. Blind righteousness will only cause us and everyone around us to suffer, so we have to behave appropriately depending on the situation in front of us, good or bad. If you forgive evil, they will repay you cruelly, and we must exterminate them before itʼs too late.”

”What is good or evil?”

Zhang Xiaolong [3] felt that all the old manʼs questions were too ridiculous. ”Isnʼt that easy? Good is anything that has a positive impact on our lives and those around us, such as helping us grow, giving us many benefits, and so on. Evil is anything that has a negative impact on us, such as loss, harm, injury, or even death.”

”You passed.”

The old man immediately closed his eyes again, causing Zhang Xiaolong [3] to shake his head and swiftly leave the room. ʼWhat a useless test.ʼ

An old man suddenly appeared in the room, but he was a real person, unlike the previous one. He waved his hand, and all of Zhang Xiaolong [3]ʼs memories appeared before him. ”Heʼs an interesting young man; itʼs no wonder all these women are happy with him, even though they have to share him with many others. I wonder what the higher-ups have in mind; why are they so eager to recruit him? They even ordered me to pass him regardless of his answers.”

The old man released a soft sigh, dispelled all those images, and disappeared from that place.

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Zhang Xiaolong [3] smiled faintly as he looked at Tian Baitian and Tian Baixing, but he paid them no attention and went with Mu Ling to undergo the final and most difficult test.

After they left, Tian Baitian and Tian Baixing immediately entered the room together, and they started their test together.

Before long, Mu Ling brought Zhang Xiaolong [3] to a location that was different from the previous tests; it was a field filled with various types of beasts and colorful plants.

”The final test is the Dao test.” Zhang Xiaolong [3] nodded to Mu Ling and floated to the center of the area. ”Will he pass this test? If he can successfully comprehend the Dao, he will become an even better cultivator, and all his abilities will also increase significantly. Additionally, understanding the Dao will smooth his future on his path of cultivation, and it will be easier for him to break through.”

Up in the sky, Zhang Xiaolong [3] had already closed his eyes and calmed his mind about all matters, waiting for the upcoming test.

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”Do you think this kid will succeed in comprehending the Dao?” Shangguan Yan asked the others.

Qing Huang shook his head slightly. ”His belief in loyalty and righteousness is indeed good, but the Dao is the most difficult thing to comprehend. Even so, I am confident that he will be able to comprehend the Dao, especially after witnessing him master the immortal-grade technique in less than a day; however, it will take him a very long time to achieve this.”

”I agree with you, Old Qing.” Shi Yan said with a nod. ”Back then, it took me a hundred years to comprehend the Dao, but this kid is different from me with my low comprehension. None of us have ever succeeded in learning that immortal-grade technique, but he has proven his high comprehension by successfully learning it. Therefore, I believe he will succeed in comprehending the Dao, even if it takes him a long time to do so.”

Tian Jingxuan looked at Zhang Xiaolong [3] through the Qi screen with a gaze full of doubt. ”Letʼs wait for his result, but I sincerely hope that he will succeed in comprehending the Dao, which will be very useful for his future.”

Leng Xueyan looked as doubtful as Tian Jingxuan, but she also hoped that Zhang Xiaolong [3] would succeed in the last test. ʼProve to me that you are a special young man by successfully comprehending the Dao.ʼ

Unlike them, Jia Yuyan did not seem the least bit worried about Zhang Xiaolong [3]ʼs situation, and she fully believed that he would succeed in comprehending the Dao. ʼKid, you are destined to be the peacemaker, so I believe you will not fail this test.ʼ

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Meanwhile, three people were standing in front of a portal: a middle-aged man, a middle-aged woman, and a ʼyoung manʼ.

A middle-aged man standing not far from them immediately spoke to them. ”Sect Master Luo and Madam Huang, this portal will take the three of you to the Star Tower. However, you should suppress your strength first, especially since the tower is located on a planet in the middle realms of the three mortal realms.”

”We know.” Luo Fenghan, Huang Xiaoyi, and the ʼyoung manʼ immediately suppressed their cultivation using special artifacts. Thereafter, the three of them walked into the portal after the middle-aged man activated it.

”Who is that young man? Why is he with them? As far as I remember, their two sons are Luo Zhenyu and Luo Jiaxuan, and Iʼve never heard of them having a third son.” The middle-aged man wondered to himself.

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Within a few minutes, the three had arrived at the top floor of the Star Tower, and the old man brought his three disciples to greet them. ”Welcome to the tower, Sect Master Luo and Madam Huang.”

”Where is Zhang Fei?” The young man, who was actually Luo Yunxiao in disguise, immediately asked the old man a question.

- To Be Continued -