From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 386 Debating with a Group of Scholars to Promote Consensus

"Naive?" I laughed, the laughter echoing in the hall, carrying a hint of mockery, a hint of stubbornness, and a hint of... well, perhaps madness?

I do not know either.

Anyway, I feel like a gambler, betting all my chips on this high-stakes gamble.

“Elder Xuanfeng, you say I’m naive, but what I see is your stagnation and adherence to old ways!” I deliberately used some English words I brought from the modern world, not knowing if they would understand, but it just felt good!

I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself calm.

To be honest, my throat was practically on fire; it felt like I'd swallowed a handful of burning coals, and my throat was incredibly dry.

I licked my lips and tasted a faint metallic taste of blood; I must have bitten them open in my excitement.

But I cannot back down; I must win this debate!

"A thousand-year tradition? Ha!" I sneered, my gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall before finally settling on Elder Xuanfeng's wrinkled face. "A thousand-year tradition is certainly important, but it is not immutable! Times are changing, and the immortal sects are progressing. If we blindly stick to the old ways, we will only head towards destruction!"

My voice grew louder and louder, more and more powerful, as if it possessed a magical power, intimidating everyone present.

"You say that change will disrupt the balance of the immortal sects? I would like to ask, is there any balance left in the immortal sects now? Resources are depleted, disciples are becoming lax, and there are enemies all around. Is this the balance you speak of?"

I pointed sharply to the gray sky outside the hall. "Look outside, and then look at ourselves! What right do we have to cling to so-called traditions? Rather than waiting to die, we should fight for it! Change may bring growing pains, but it is our only hope!"

"You...you...you're talking utter nonsense!" Elder Xuanfeng was so angry that he trembled all over, his beard stood on end, and he looked like a cat with its fur standing on end.

"How dare you slander the millennia-old foundation of the immortal sect!"

“Slander?” I raised an eyebrow, meeting his gaze without flinching. “Everything I said is true! Elder, why don’t you ask yourself how long it has been since you’ve taken the time to truly observe this changing world?”

Just then, Junior Sister Chu's sharp voice broke in, "Xiao Yao, stop spreading alarmist rumors! What right do you have to talk about change? You're nothing but..."

Before she could finish speaking, I interrupted her, “What? A good-for-nothing without spiritual roots? An anomaly who only got to where he is today through unorthodox methods?” I chuckled self-deprecatingly, but my tone carried an undeniable firmness, “That’s right, that’s who I am! But I know better than any of you that to survive in this cruel world of cultivation, you must constantly change and break through! And my reforms are for the entire cultivation sect, for the future of all of us!”

As soon as I finished speaking, the hall fell into complete silence; you could hear a pin drop.

I could feel countless gazes fixed on me, some filled with doubt, some with admiration, and some with... hostility.

Deacon Wu shifted uncomfortably, his expression shifting between light and shadow, clearly still hesitant.

I glanced at him and sighed inwardly.

This guy is such a weathervane, he just bends whichever way the wind blows.

"Xiao Yao," Elder Xuanfeng's voice rang out again, this time his tone no longer as agitated as before, but rather tinged with a chilling coldness, "I have considered what you have said. But change... how easy is it? Do you think..."

He paused, his gaze sharp as a hawk's. "Do you really think you can control everything?" Elder Xuanfeng, that old fox, narrowed his eyes to slits, as if he were sizing up a lamb to the slaughter.

I heard his words clearly; every word felt like a fine needle piercing my heart.

To control everything?

Ha, what I want has never been control, but change, to bring this decaying immortal sect back to life!

I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the surging emotions in my heart.

The hall was eerily silent. I could hear my own rapid heartbeat, thump-thump-thump, like the beating of a drum.

A tense atmosphere filled the air, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

I could even feel several cold gazes, like venomous snakes, tightly coiling around me, sending chills down my spine.

"Control?" I repeated the word, a cold smile curling at the corner of my lips. In that smile, there was self-mockery, disdain, and above all, a resolute determination to burn my bridges.

"Elder, you misunderstand. I never intended to control everything. I only wanted to fight for a way out for the Immortal Sect and for ourselves!"

I paused, my gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall, and my voice was firm and powerful, “The inheritance I obtained from the ruins is not some heretical path, but the cultivation insights of an ancient immortal! It is more suitable for the current cultivation world and can better help us improve our strength!” I raised my hand, and a ball of pale golden light appeared in my palm. It was the power inherited from the ancient immortal, pure and powerful, which shocked everyone present.

"As for my personal experience," my voice lowered, carrying a hint of barely perceptible sadness, "Elder, do you know how much I longed to have spiritual roots? How much I envied those disciples with talent? I put in a hundred or a thousand times more effort than ordinary people to get to where I am today! I know better than anyone how much a cultivator without spiritual roots has to pay to gain a foothold in this cruel world of cultivation!"

My voice grew louder and more agitated, “And now, I have the chance to change all of this! I don’t want to see any more disciples like me buried because they lack spiritual roots! I don’t want to see the immortal sect decline because of its stagnation! Elder, are you really willing to watch all of this happen?”

As soon as I finished speaking, a buzzing discussion arose in the hall.

I can sense that more and more people are beginning to waver and start to think about what I said.

Fairy Mingyue cast an approving glance at me, and Senior Brother Lin clenched his fists excitedly, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope.

Even Deacon Wu, who had been hesitant, now showed a thoughtful expression.

I was overjoyed, knowing that I had successfully turned the tide.

However, at this moment, Elder Xuanfeng suddenly spoke. His voice was deep and hoarse, yet carried an undeniable authority: "Xiao Yao, what you said is indeed very reasonable. But have you considered that your reforms go against the wishes of the Ancestor?"

The moment he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall froze.

The rules of the patriarch are taboos that cannot be violated in the immortal sect!

My heart sank suddenly and a chill ran from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

"The rules of the ancestral master..." I murmured to myself, feeling as if a stone was stuck in my throat, dry and astringent, making it difficult to even breathe.

I looked up at Elder Xuanfeng's gloomy face, and a strong sense of unease suddenly welled up in my heart.

What exactly is this old guy trying to do?