Rootless

Wugensheng remained silent for a while. It wasn't a feigned profound silence; he was genuinely choosing his words. He sat on the edge of the field, his fingers unconsciously twisting a dry straw around his index finger, making seven circles before finally speaking.

"In the past few years, I have integrated the Quanxing sect and set some rules. In the past, people in the Quanxing sect did whatever they wanted, without any rules or limits, and their evil deeds were inexplicable. I drew a line for them: it's not that they can't be evil, but that they can't be evil indiscriminately. They must have a purpose, a reason, and a cause and effect. Just like Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs, Heaven and Earth are also evil, but they have their own way."

He untied the straw from his fingers and then wrapped it back around them. "I originally thought this was quite meaningful. Since I took over Quanxing, the atmosphere has improved a lot. Those who did evil purely to vent their anger have either left or been dealt with by me. The rest are still evil people, but at least their evil is methodical."

"originally?"

"Originally. Until I heard the news of the Fire-Swallowing Daoist's breakthrough." Wugensheng raised his head, and Liu Jin noticed that his eyes were very clear, so clear that they did not look like the eyes of someone who controlled the evil people of the world. Instead, they looked like the eyes of a student who had solved an equation for a long time and found that there was no solution.

"The fragment you retrieved from the training ground, piercing through the void with a single finger, didn't belong to this world. You might not realize it yourself, but your ability to do this goes beyond the label of 'master.' You are the only 'exception' in this world. And you have the power to change anything with ease."

He threw the knotted straw on the ground and clapped his hands. "Then here's the problem. I've spent years integrating the entire sect, setting rules, drawing lines, and all that effort, yet it's less effective than an immortal lifting a single finger. Does what I've done have any meaning? If someone can change the world so easily, are we wasting our time, taking things one step at a time?"

Liu Jin didn't answer immediately after listening. He bent down, picked up a straw from the ground, twirled it between his fingers, and then pointed to the white smoke rising from the burning straw in the distance: "Do you know who's burning straw under that patch of smoke? No. I don't know either. But some people in this village know, the family burning the straw knows, their neighbors know, they all know what to plant on this land next spring. Believe it or not, even if I could pierce through the void with a single finger right now, I couldn't control what to plant on this land next year. Because that's their business. You can establish the rules of Quanxing perfectly, you can define the boundaries of evil, but evil itself won't disappear, because evil is rooted in people's hearts. No one can solve the problems of people's hearts once and for all."

Wugensheng didn't speak, but the mist in his eyes seemed to dissipate a little.

"Furthermore, think about it again. Why are you sitting on this ridge of the field talking to me about this today? It's not because of me. It's because you already had this thought in your mind, which led to this conversation. You came here on your own, not because I used supernatural powers to pull you here. You integrated Quanxing, relying on your own hands, your own mouth, and your own feet, not divine power descending from the heavens. This is what it means to make things happen by human effort."

He broke the straw in his hand in two, his voice unconsciously softening as if he were mentioning a name that had been buried deep in his heart for a long time. "From the time I began my cultivation until now, I have never interfered in the affairs of the people or the nation; I have always been on the path of cultivation. I know that some people's actions are destined to be recorded in history books, but I also know that intervening through personal power is only a step forward for that person's power, but it may not be so for the entire nation."

At this point, Liu Jin suddenly smiled, not in a polite way, but with a tone of respect and nostalgia.

"However, before going to the Zhuge family, I went to see someone. I glanced at him from afar, without letting anyone notice, not even using my divine sense to investigate. He was still in Shaoshan at that time, very young, wearing a gray cloth long robe, squatting on the edge of a field chatting with an old farmer. I stood quite far away, several fields away. The way he squatted on the edge of the field was similar to how you are now. When he got up, I flicked a wisp of Samadhi Spark into his collar. It wouldn't harm his body, but it could protect his heart meridian, making him immune to all evil."

Wu Gensheng's pupils contracted slightly. He roughly guessed why that person could command such attention from the person before him.

"Do you know what his greatest achievement was later? It wasn't any particular battle, nor any brilliant article, but rather the idea that inspired tens of millions of people to rise up and change the world." Liu Jin looked at Wugensheng.

"If someone can move a mountain with a single finger, that's impressive. But if someone can make billions of mountains stand up on their own, that's true world-changing power. The former is merely strength, the latter is true achievement. By integrating all aspects of humanity and establishing rules, you are essentially bringing order to disordered hearts. Order provides direction, and with direction, people can rise up on their own. Making wicked people learn to follow the rules is more effective than a celestial being defeating all the wicked. The reason is simple: you can get up again after you fall, and you won't lose what you've learned."

Wugensheng stared at the straw swaying in the wind for a long time, so long that most of the white smoke in the distance had dissipated. Then he stood up and patted the dirt off his backside.

"You've convinced me." He didn't deliberately emphasize his words, but each one was delivered firmly. "There's no need to think about it anymore. My path is the right one, not referring to Quanxing, but to the very act of 'turning disorder into order.' I wasn't sure before, but now I am."

Liu Jin also stood up and picked up the bamboo box. Wu Gensheng reached out and stopped him.

"There's one more thing."

"What?"

"I've finished explaining." Wugensheng lowered his hand, his clear eyes fixed on Liu Jin, revealing a pure, almost childlike expression. It wasn't about winning or losing, about fame, or even about verifying anything. It was simply pure curiosity. "I want to see for myself just how strong an immortal can be."

......

"Here it comes! The divine spirit versus the fire-swallowing demon!"

"Explain the reasoning and then fight; that's very much in line with the principles of the sect."

"But to be honest, Liu Jin going to Shaoshan to see his younger self was such a brilliant foreshadowing. He said he didn't care about state affairs before, so that's why."

"That Samadhi Fire Star protection is so reassuring. At least in this timeline, that person's health will be better."

"Stop talking! They're about to fight!"

"Wugensheng is serious. He just wants to see the difference between himself and the immortals. Not to win, but simply to know."

"The last person this curious was Zhang Zhiwei, and then he conceded defeat. Will Wugensheng concede this time?"

"It's hard to say. Wugensheng never falls for tricks; his divine spirit is specifically designed to counter all kinds of methods. Whether the Samadhi True Fire will be effective against him depends on whether his divine spirit will be effective."

"Stop analyzing! They're about to make their move!"

......