My construction materials are weird

Soon, the rogue cultivators all received their exclusive merit point tokens belonging to the Merit Hall.

When they received them, the excitement in the hearts of the rogue cultivators was hard to describe. The long wait and torment finally felt worthwhile at this moment.

They had finally become members of the Merit Hall, becoming immortals in the eyes of others.

Even the top ten cultivators from large forces revealed a momentary envy, as joining the Merit Hall truly offered a better position than being in a large force.

But they quickly dismissed the thought. The Merit Hall had its advantages, an unparalleled status.

While within large forces, they could make up for it in other ways, such as 'when one achieves the Dao, even their pets ascend to heaven,' benefiting their family and friends.

For example, although they joined a large force, it didn't mean they couldn't cultivate their own power.

This was allowed in large forces because large forces were composed of countless small forces.

This was something the Merit Hall couldn't provide.

Within the Merit Hall, only official members could possess a special status.

Even children or personal disciples needed to undergo strict tests to join the Merit Hall, let alone use the Merit Hall's resources to nurture their family and disciples. That was unlikely.

In short, each had its own advantages. The artisans from large forces didn't need to be envious.

If it weren't for this aspect, the large forces wouldn't be able to retain people. The artisans would have defected long ago.

"The top three winners, go back and prepare. Lord Zhongsheng will meet with you three days later. As for the things to pay attention to, I see that you all come from large forces, so you naturally understand what to do. I don't need to say more, right?"

Looking around, the top three were almost all from large forces, with only one or two from small to medium-sized forces.

They knew the rules.

"Reporting to Chief Manager Xia, we understand," the top three responded in unison.

"Good, as long as you understand."

With that, the second Hundred Arts Competition came to an end.

Of course, although it ended, the effects it triggered continued to spread.

The cultivators in remote areas who gained the most were both pained by the merit points spent watching the broadcast and satisfied with the gains they received from watching.

They unanimously announced their seclusion.

While secluding themselves, they emphasized one thing, after all, the little Daoist's post had caused quite a bit of discussion earlier.

In their view, this was dangerous.

Although they were local overlords in remote areas, they also understood that they were nothing in Qingyun Mountain, and the same was true in Nan City.

They didn't have much status even in big cities.

It was better to be low-key and cautious.

If they encountered a mentally unstable chuunibyou youth who felt that they were exploiting these little Daoists, and then became angry and decided to act on behalf of Heaven to cause trouble for them, that would be bad.

It couldn't be denied that there were such people in the cultivation world.

When it was time to be low-key, one must be low-key.

At the last moment of seclusion, they emphasized not to express opinions casually.

The Hundred Arts Competition greatly improved the overall progress of the Hundred Arts in the cultivation world.

This may be the greatest benefit of holding the Hundred Arts Competition.

As the wave of the Hundred Arts Competition gradually subsided, the influence of Bi Xia and his group began to stir up a new storm.

One by one, the moths were announced.

Bi Xia wasn't stupid either. The Four Super and Eight Great forces, large and small forces, and rogue cultivators were all announced. It wasn't specifically targeting a certain force for focused announcement.

It gave people the feeling that the entire cultivation world was rotten.

[I said long ago that heretical cultivators are a great scourge. Do you all understand now? Look, half of the moths are seduced by heretical cultivators, or have already become heretical cultivators, just hiding in the righteous groups. If heretical cultivators are not eliminated, our cultivation world will not be peaceful.] — Passerby A.

[I admit that I have caused you harm. Sanniang chose me and didn't choose you because I am the 'heretical cultivator' in your mouth, so you hate me and spread the harm of heretical cultivators everywhere? Not to mention anything else, is heresy defined by you? Who do you think you are? There are thousands of Daos, each with its own path. The Dao Lord has said this many times. Why do you say we are a scourge...] — Passerby B.

Good heavens, everyone thought he was a righteous person.

Unexpectedly, there was such a melodramatic plot.

Both of them were interested in a woman, and the woman followed Passerby B, so Passerby A became jealous and hateful. So that's how it is.

[Nonsense, you refine those damned insects all day long. No matter how you look at it, it's not something the righteous path should do. You...] Passerby A.

[Good heavens, Senior Wu Tong has been said by you to not be on the righteous path. My technique comes from Senior Wu Tong's 'Gu Poison Technique'. If you have the ability, go and tell Senior Wu Tong that he is a heretical cultivator.] Passerby B.

[Don't talk nonsense. When did I say Senior Wu Tong was a heretical cultivator? Can Senior Wu Tong be the same as you? Wu Tong... and you, you've learned a little bit of the surface, without any righteous appearance, full of yin and evil energy.]

Passerby A panicked. The hat the other party put on him was too big.

Although he also hated Wu Tong, was this something that could be said? Thinking about it in his heart was okay, but he couldn't say it out loud.

His current state was indeed caused by love, and he himself couldn't be considered a righteous person.

And the other party had almost the same cultivation level and comprehension as him before.

Because he took the heretical path, his cultivation level quickly surpassed him. Sanniang was very straightforward. She followed whoever was stronger. This was also a normal choice.

Only he was feeling sorry for himself here.

Everyone dispersed after seeing this. This post wasn't worth leaving a message. Neither of them were good people.

[Although Master Xuan has said many times that there are thousands of Daos, the Three Supreme Unparalleled Techniques are also the most top-level fundamental techniques. The greatest advantage is that while laying an unparalleled foundation, due to the different talents, aptitudes, abilities, etc. of the cultivators, they can walk their own unique path, but...]

The focus is on 'but'.

[But, having said that, the appearance of heretical cultivators has greatly polluted our environment, and they are still pressing closer step by step, challenging the limits of our tolerance time and time again. If this continues to develop, there will definitely be a terrible situation. I advise you fellow Daoists...]

A cultivator with a slightly higher status opened a post and said.

His words naturally attracted the attention of the real heretical cultivators.

[I may be the heretical cultivator in the mouth of the fellow Daoist. That's right, I agree with a lot of what you said, but there is yin and yang in the world. Where there is righteousness, there is evil. This is an inevitable trend. It can even be said that the appearance of heretical cultivators represents the maturity of our cultivators... We are not born bad people either. We also want to walk the righteous path properly, but we can't...]"

"We are all people of status and integrity, so let's speak frankly and openly, no need to hide anything... Fellow Daoists should know about fortune and destiny, and also understand inevitability..."

Another famous rogue cultivator came out to refute.

Because of their shared origins, the relationship between rogue cultivators and the orthodox sects wasn't yet one of mortal enemies.

It hadn't progressed to that stage yet; rogue cultivation was still in its nascent stage.

The orthodox and rogue paths hadn't yet accumulated a long history of unresolvable hatred, and they could still exchange ideas and discuss the Dao.

Therefore, rogue cultivators weren't universally condemned; they would also stand up and explain themselves.

Cultivators who reached a certain level of cultivation also reached a certain level of vision and insight.

They understood the fortune and destiny that the rogue cultivator spoke of.

The rogue cultivators' fortune was also part of the overall cultivation world's fortune, and their destiny was also part of the overall cultivation world's destiny; this couldn't be denied.

At the same time, they understood that where there was righteousness, there was also evil; both were evolutions of the Dao.

Without error, every poem, every hair, every inner thought, every appearance!

If one reached a certain high level, there would be no distinction between good and evil, and all would strive for the Great Dao.

As Xuan Huang said long ago, at a certain level, what difference does it make if a Dao seeker is a stone, a person, a world, or a magical treasure?

Similarly, at a certain high level, what difference is there between righteousness and evil?

They understood this point.

It was just that they were still fledgling cultivators, unable to remain unmoved by external gains or losses.

The well-known figure in the rogue path continued to expound, "Furthermore, aren't rogue cultivators still cultivators? How did the rogue path come about? Isn't it a workaround when there's no other option? It's people who have good and evil, not that the rogue path is inherently evil."

Directly touching on human nature was a bit much.

When the orthodox sects heard this, they naturally weren't happy. "Don't bring up those inexplicable 'existence is justification' arguments. Existence isn't necessarily justification. If that's the case, then the righteous exterminating evil is also justified... The world is ultimately a world that leans towards goodness. The beauty of this world was created by Xuan Shi. Xuan Shi saw all the suffering in the world, and that's why he spread the Dao to the world, giving all beings a way to transcend. Yet you insist on casting dark spots on this picturesque world created by Xuan Shi. You are the outsiders, even the polluters..."

The rogue path's discussion of human nature was outrageous, but the orthodox path was even more outrageous, directly using Xuan Huang to suppress all demons and monsters.

They directly stated that their existence was not what Xuan Shi wanted for the world.

The rogue path was momentarily speechless.

They asked themselves, no matter what the orthodox sects said, they could always twist it around, but using Xuan Shi to suppress them? How could the orthodox sects be so shameless?

Note that there was a clear distinction between the orthodox and rogue paths. The orthodox sects called him Xuan Shi, while the rogue path called him Dao Lord.

The title of Xuan Shi was no longer simply a teacher's title, but had evolved to encompass Teacher of Heaven and Earth, Teacher of the Human Race.

By calling him that, the orthodox sects were somewhat flaunting themselves as the true inheritors of Xuan Shi.

As for the rogue path calling him Dao Lord, it was because, in their view, Dao Lord was more encompassing. Dao Lord was the Lord of the Dao, and since the Dao could be divided into countless paths, it was normal to have both righteous and evil paths under the Dao.

In their view, Dao Lord represented a broader meaning, blurring the lines between good, evil, righteousness, and wickedness. This title was very advantageous to them.

This differentiation occurred naturally.

Whichever was useful to them, they would take it up. These fellows were extremely pragmatic.

After a long silence, a high-level figure from the rogue path finally said, "Fellow Daoist's words remind me of Confucius and some of the corrupt descendants who claim to be successors of the sages. These descendants are best at using the guise of the sages to do disgusting things and are very good at distorting the sages' words, interpreting them in a way that benefits themselves... Are we also going to learn from these parasites? Are we going to use the name of the Dao Lord to attack dissidents and act like we're the only ones who are right?"

Arguing? It was just a war of words; no one was afraid of anyone.

One said they were destroying the world Xuan Shi wanted, the other said they were distorting the Dao Lord and using the Dao Lord to do dirty deeds.

In short, neither side gained any advantage.

"Why waste so much breath? Since ancient times, righteousness and evil have been irreconcilable. Kill them when you meet them. Why bother talking uselessly to these demons?"

A seemingly rash high-level member of the Martial Dao Alliance spoke up.

The Martial Dao Alliance? They were all about recklessness. Everyone was used to it.

However, after she said this, both the orthodox and rogue paths fell silent.

They thought to themselves, 'It's not that bad, it's not that bad. There's no need to risk our lives. It hasn't affected us. We're just venting our dissatisfaction and expressing our attitude. It's not to the point of fighting to the death.'

Even the so-called orthodox sects were still hesitating and contemplating, thinking about how to face the so-called rogue path.

In short, they hadn't made up their minds yet.

Martial Dao Alliance.

Inside a room, several high-level members of the Martial Dao Alliance were watching the debate.

"Haha, what do you think? I told you they were all just talking, but you didn't believe me. You can investigate the few who spoke so righteously and self-righteously just now. They're all trying to get ahead. I know them too well."

Wu Gang said nonchalantly.

That rash statement just now was a test he threw out.

Jin Ning didn't believe what he said, so he proved it to Jin Ning.

"Hmph, these disgusting fellows. Just from this, who can clearly say who is righteous and who is evil? Sigh!" Jin Ning sighed.

These self-proclaimed righteous people, seemingly righteous and awe-inspiring, but their goal is to get ahead, for fame and fortune.

Is this kind of behavior the righteous path?

But their identities are indeed righteous people.

This is all so true and false.

"Don't worry, it's not them who decide the development of cultivators. They don't have that ability. Let nature take its course. Time will give us the answer," Wu Gang said with a very open mind, looking relaxed.

They had survived such difficult situations in the past, let alone internal strife among cultivators.

This kind of strife was not even worth considering.

The bad situation had already appeared.

But there were also good aspects. Cultivators were getting stronger and stronger, the anomalies were no longer a threat, and the Sacreds couldn't come out in a short period of time. It was as if the cultivators had lost their cruel environment and their competitors.

This was not necessarily a good thing for cultivators. Great opponents make great people.

There must be an opponent. The supervisors had already thought of this. After a certain period of time, the internal strife among cultivators would be the eternal melody.

Growing and strengthening in mutual competition and killing would be the cultivation world.

Even to say something unpleasant, even if the rogue cultivators really gained the upper hand and became the mainstream.

Even so, would it have the slightest impact on Xuan Shi?

Not at all.

… (End of chapter)