Chapter 275: Quietly Giving a Push

"Holy crap! My goddess is here?"

The entire forum erupted, drawing out countless lurking users.

Although Medusa was not a good person, she was the most popular villain. Many people used her as wallpaper and became her fans.

Many immediately voiced their opinions, growing serious.

"Given Medusa's personality, she's likely here to invade and destroy this world. Nothing good ever comes from her thoughts."

"Indeed, this world is one of myriad realms, capable of connecting to other worlds and allowing interdimensional travel."

"But seriously, that screenshot is beautiful! My goddess, the Wizard Monarch Emperor who slaughters all under heaven, disregards human lives, and rules an era of dark wizards, is actually eating candied hawthorn skewers – what an adorable contrast! This will be my new wallpaper."

"Mine too."

Cute Girl Wants to Evolve into a Dragon: "Cough, cough, cough! Medusa asked me to show her the local customs, various things, and explain the power system... I couldn't refuse! I'm afraid she'd beat me to death! But I have private screenshots of Medusa, all beautiful and adorable. I have shots of me taking her shopping, watching knights fight – everything. Five hundred sand coins per picture, and I guarantee super high resolution."

Everyone: ...

"You're truly something else! So this is what you were planning! This greedy woman was scared out of her wits, but still didn't forget to take screenshots and sell them to others for extra cash."

Everyone was furious. Cute Girl was profiteering off this crisis! Is this something a human being would do? And she's not even giving them away for free?

"Cough, cough, I'll take one."

"Uh, what? I want them all."

"Me too..."

Some people began to express excitement, and a large-scale fan sale commenced. Cute Girl instantly smiled happily.

Everyone understood very well that Medusa was very popular. Medusa appearing in this youthful form and eating might be a one-time event, so it had to be treasured!

Soon, the conversation gradually veered off track from discussing Medusa, and people started asking for screenshots and wallpapers. Some even shouted, offering large sums of money for Cute Girl to trick Medusa into saying one sentence:

"Zhang Qiang is my husband!"

This Zhang Qiang was clearly a rich patron, claiming he could pay thirty thousand, and could convert it into sand coins for payment.

"Perverts, begone!"

Cute Girl stated it was impossible.

Coaxing her to try various foods and witness local customs was a reasonable situation, and even that made her extremely nervous. But tricking her into saying strange things? Although this powerful figure was disguised as an innocent girl, her ruthless nature was real. If she angered her, she'd be instantly doomed!!

Her little heart trembled with fear.

Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, and she was accompanying the most terrifying Death Monarch Emperor in the history of the wizarding world!

She was currently in the Primordial World, with a chance to become a saint. It would be incredibly easy to achieve enlightenment through good fortune... How could she possibly seek death so recklessly!

"If I died, it would be ages before another species could evolve and enter. I absolutely cannot die." Cute Girl said with a serious expression, having made up her mind, before re-entering the Primordial World.

Outside, it remained lively.

"Cute Girl is doomed! (Medusa's death glare.jpg)"

"Cute Girl, she can only pretend not to know her now, and desperately fawn over her. She won't be able to tell us now how she secretly sacrificed her dignity to survive. (Wry smile)"

Everyone found it very tricky. Medusa had arrived, clearly alone, to investigate the conditions and systemic rules of this world.

But this world was not so easy to fathom, because the mortal realm was in decline, and the true power of the Primordial World resided in the Immortal Realm.

"Medusa came so quickly."

Xu Zhi pondered, "The Primordial World's development is still too slow. The ley lines haven't even been established, nations haven't gathered their fortune, and the immortal dynasty system hasn't formed. How can it contend with the mature Potion system?"

After all, both sides have a deity at the top who can check each other. The conflict would surely depend on the power below. If Medusa invaded, the potion practitioners accumulated over a millennium would create a one-sided slaughter. This was not the desired outcome.

Medusa's current entry was to explore this world, understand its civilization, and then return to prepare her nations for war. After all, knowing yourself and your enemy was essential.

"Her exploration would take at most a few years."

Xu Zhi's expression grew calm. "He had to find a way to advance the civilization of the Primordial World again."

The main issue was Cute Girl's disciple, Hu Renong, who wasn't performing well.

That ambitious young man from back then, though now a respected scholar, had still made no further progress.

But it was understandable.

Although both cultivated the path of incense, it had changed its form, becoming a brand new path. He was still exploring, as a new cultivation system was not easily pioneered.

"Ultimately, it was due to a low knowledge base and insufficient dedication." Xu Zhi turned to look at his small mirror image and sighed. "If he had the knowledge content and level of dedication of this mirror image of mine, it would have been developed long ago."

At this moment, the small mirror image was holding a blank book and studying. The book displayed projected text from the supercomputer.

He walked and paused alternately.

Sometimes he would practice sword forms, sometimes ponder deeply, sometimes leap. He continuously murmured to himself, immersing himself in various profound mysteries and the ocean of knowledge.

This separated mirror image had its three emotions severed, becoming as cold as a being who has forgotten all emotions, with only rationality remaining. Immersed in study, it naturally couldn't extricate itself and never felt bored.

It only learned, devoid of any emotions.

"Perhaps, while it studies itself bald... it could be of some use." Xu Zhi looked at the seemingly foolish mirror image and pondered.

In the Primordial World, after Duan Qianyu opened the Immortal Gate.

"Scholars are useless!"

"The literati are weak!"

People in the martial world continuously spoke, and these words gradually became widely accepted truths.

Over the years, martial arts and scholarly paths both began cultivation at the same time. But a divergence gradually appeared. The martial path produced the Land Immortal Duan Qianyu, while the scholarly path remained stagnant...

"Knights use martial arts to defy prohibitions; the martial path's future is clear. So where is the scholarly path's future?" Hu Renong was now a prominent local scholar, his reputation rising, with countless disciples, yet his face showed bitterness.

In recent years, those martial boors, who couldn't read a single character, didn't understand self-cultivation, governing a nation, or bringing peace to the world... They only knew how to scale walls and roofs, constantly causing trouble in the villages. Meanwhile, scholars were helpless and unable to protect the villagers.

The Earth Mother Azure Vine had prepared a complete Nine Revolutions Profound Art for the little white fox.

But he...

had only been taught the method of the ley lines. The rest of the path required him to discover it himself.

"What exactly is incense (faith)?"

He went to seek out his retired teacher, the renowned scholar Xu Weifang.

Xu Weifang looked at his young disciple. "Do you still insist on the scholarly path? Renong, your talent is extraordinary. Countless martial arts sects invited you to join their ranks, yet you didn't cultivate martial arts. You clearly had the potential to become a Martial Immortal, yet you chose to become a great scholar, wishing to comprehend the principles of heaven and earth. Now, you are a weak literati; any knight can force you to lower your proud head."

Hu Renong remained silent, then said firmly, "Disciple still insists on the scholarly path. I beg Master to guide my way forward."

The elderly scholar suddenly spoke. "After half a lifetime of contemplation, I vaguely see the path ahead. If you wish to control incense (faith), first become incense. If you wish to govern the people, first become one of the people."

Hu Renong gradually understood.

To the astonishment of his countless disciples, he chose to dissipate his third-tier cultivation, and began to resign from office and retire.

He transformed into an ordinary young man, married and had children, gradually blending into the common populace, becoming a village teacher, living the life of an ordinary person, and serving as one of the citizens providing incense (faith) to the court.

Several springs and autumns passed.

Twenty years passed. Hu Renong had entered middle age, his hair streaked with white. His body bore the marks of time, giving him a calm and weathered appearance. Dressed in faded clothes, he continued to teach in the village, having experienced the many hardships and joys of ordinary people.

Gradually, he seemed to sense something from the incense (faith) emitted by ordinary mortals.

As a teacher, he took on many more disciples. His followers gradually adhered to his philosophy, and achieved considerable fame within the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Master, what should we do?"

"Should we establish ley lines?"

"Should we establish a scholarly sect?"

Even some court ministers gradually sought out his humble abode to discuss the Dao with him, benefiting greatly. Under Hu Renong's guidance, the Great Zhou began establishing ley lines, gradually alleviating its decline.

The Great Zhou Dynasty, 270 years.

Although the court established ley lines, they were extremely imperfect. Unlike the Western Epoch, where people worshipped ancient gods and cultivated, resulting in powerful, singular, and pure incense (faith), the vast quantity provided by modern mortals, combined with their mixed and complex incense, made it difficult for the ley lines to become pure...

Many great scholars arduously cultivated the ley lines. While their initial progress was swift, they gradually succumbed to qi deviation and died due to the complex and varied thoughts of the masses.

That winter was very cold. Many court scholars and cultivators successively reported their deaths.

Hu Renong listened to everything in a daze, and burst into tears.

Before winter was over, Hu Renong's wife gradually died of old age. Lying on her sickbed, she told him, "It's not your fault... It's not your fault... They were all scholarly literati who cultivated themselves, governed the nation, and sought to bring peace to the world, aiming to establish rules for all. You merely gave them direction; they were also exploring, just like you..."

Hu Renong silently guarded his wife until her life's end. His demeanor grew increasingly weak with age. Three days later, he whispered while looking at the grave, "My scholarly friends from back then, and every disciple who graduated, all cultivated because they trusted me. I could only kowtow at their weed-covered gravestones. Now I've sent you off too... Is the sacred scholarly teaching, the path of self-cultivation, family management, national governance, and world peace, truly wrong?"

"Father, you are not wrong." His daughter's voice was bitter; she knew her father well.

A month passed. Spring arrived, but Hu Renong remained silent.

He suddenly received news from his master, whom he hadn't seen in decades. For years, his master had been wandering outside with the little fox. The message said, "Recently, Master is said to have made a new friend, an exotic beauty who is very interested in the scholarly path and wishes to discuss it with me."

He naturally respected the Earth Mother Azure Vine.

But soon, due to the successive deaths of great scholars, the Great Zhou Emperor sent him an imperial edict, summoning the former great scholar Hu Renong, the top scholar of the eleventh imperial examination, to the capital to become prime minister.

"I will not accept the imperial edict; I wish to try once more." Hu Renong, still bewildered, left his home. He knew he had witnessed many separations and deaths, and he had to get used to them.

The white-haired old man rolled up his sleeves, and with his aged face, walked alone along the road. After several days, in a lush mountain forest, he encountered an extraordinary young man.

He showed no emotions—no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. His rational face seemed immersed in thought.

He held a blank book, continuously muttering. At times, inspired, he would gesticulate with his hands and feet. At other times, he would squat down and use a twig to draw many characters, making deductions. These contained many profound truths of the Great Dao.