Volume 1: The True Dragon of Purple Void, Chapter 18: Passing on the Legacy

In a certain city, a five-star hotel’s presidential suite.
“Third Master, didn’t we say we needed to endure hard training? Why have we been staying in luxury hotels these past few days? It seems like we’re on vacation, enjoying ourselves!” Tianyu said, his face slightly red.
Thecrazy scholar calmly handed Tianyu a high-end laptop without answering his question. “Tianyu, this is the most advanced laptop produced by Xunlei Technology. It uses China’s fifth-generation Tenglong processor, which is even more advanced than the technology used in NASA’s processors. Give it a try!”
Hearing that the computer was more advanced than those used by NASA, Tianyu forgot his earlier confusion and immediately started fiddling with it. He remembered having such devices at home when he was young, but his mother restricted his use because his second brother often used them to play games online. He himself had hardly ever used them. During their training with the second master, they had passed by internet cafes and seen street advertisements, but only glanced at them briefly. Now, the thing he had longed for was right in front of him, and according to the third master, it was the best one. How could Tianyu not be excited?
Seeing that he had successfully piqued Tianyu’s interest, thecrazy scholar waved his hand, and two people entered. One was in his middle age, around forty, wearing glasses, thin, and slightly bald—clearly a meticulous person. The other was a young man in his twenties, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, with a sunny smile—typical of a city youth.
By the time these two arrived, Tianyu had stopped fiddling with the computer. With his abilities, he had naturally sensed their presence. Noticing Tianyu’s puzzled look, thecrazy scholar smiled for the first time. “Tianyu, these are two teachers I’ve brought for you. This is Professor Wu from Peking University’s Department of Social Sciences, and this is the chief developer at Xunlei Technology…”
Ten days later, thecrazy scholar returned to the room and saw Tianyu engrossed in browsing the web. Seeing his master arrive, Tianyu quickly put down the computer, stood up, and bowed in greeting.
Thecrazy scholar nodded in satisfaction. “Tianyu, do you know why I found you two additional teachers?”
“To teach Tianyu knowledge, knowledge about society!”
“Oh, why do you say that?”

“Professor Wu was in charge of explaining to me the structure of modern society and current events, while Designer Chen taught me about computers and the Internet. To use his words, ‘Anything you can think of, true or false, can be found on the Internet!’ Since I only had a short time to learn, it was Tianyu who boldly tried to connect these different aspects…”
This time, thecrazy scholar remained silent, his face filled with approval. He thought to himself, “Heh, isn’t this still the same silly boy from before? The two who taught him said he was a genius, but I was skeptical. Even though his mind has recovered and his consciousness has awakened, he’s at most on the same starting line as ordinary people. It’s only been three years—how could he suddenly become a genius? It seems that Xianyun’s Taoist practices do have some merit after all. Heh, first there’s the Shaolin martial arts to strengthen the body, followed by Xianyun’s Taoist practices to sharpen the mind. Then our Xuanji Sect really has found a treasure! Hehe, by embracing evil and changing paths, our Xuanji Sect’s supreme art can finally have a successor again…”
Chu Tianyu looked at thecrazy scholar in confusion. After hearing what he said, his master stood there in silence, a faint smile on his lips. Not knowing what was going on, Tianyu gently called out, “Third Master, Third Master?”
Coming back to his senses, thecrazy scholar saw that his disciple was calling for him. Without commenting on whether Tianyu’s guesses were correct, he simply said, “Tianyu, these past few days, your master has taken you to various luxurious places to help you understand society through experience. This is actually the beginning of our Xuanji Sect’s cultivation. If your second master’s Yunmen path is about transcending the world to achieve enlightenment, then our Xuanji Sect is about engaging with the world, understanding it, and helping it!”
“Oh, Third Master. Then did the learning from the past few days count as a prerequisite for engaging with the world? And once we’re engaged with the world, how should Tianyu understand it and help it?”
“Tianyu, there’s no need to rush. We’ll take it step by step. Engaging with the world isn’t something that can be achieved just by studying for a few days. One must experience it personally and feel it. Only with such experiences can one reach a higher level of understanding of the world…”

In the days that followed, the Mad Scholar took Tianyu to various luxurious places, allowing him to indulge to the fullest. Then he took Tianyu on journeys to remote areas, where they experienced hardship. It took a full half year—during which time Tianyu experienced every aspect of life: from extravagant banquets with bird’s nest and shark fin costing tens of thousands to the meager existence of eating steamed buns with boiled water after losing one’s job; from the obese nobles to the emaciated miners; from hippies who went home to sleep at 5 a.m. with nothing to do to early morning stall owners getting ready to light their stoves at 4 a.m.

By the end of the half year, Tianyu no longer had the carefree, ethereal look of a young man; instead, his eyes were filled with heaviness.

“Tianyu, after these six months of experiences, I think you must have your own thoughts now,” said the Mad Scholar. He didn’t directly ask for Tianyu’s opinion but spoke in a speculative tone, hoping to give him time to organize his thoughts.

Tianyu lowered his head and relived those six months of experiences in his mind as if watching a movie. He sorted through the feelings he had kept hidden in his heart before looking up and calmly saying to the Mad Scholar, “Third Master, when I practiced with Second Master before, I also traveled through cities and villages, but back then I was more like a passerby, someone who was cultivating and seeking enlightenment. I never engaged as deeply, never observed or understood society as thoroughly as I have now. Third Master, during this time, I’ve seen a lot and thought a lot. At first, I was shocked at such extravagance and waste. Although I was born into the Chu family, I’ve never lived like this. Then I compared them to those who lost their jobs and struggled on the brink of poverty. I really don’t understand—why is the contrast so huge? It turned into anger and pity—anger toward the luxurious and decadent lives, and pity for the poor and vulnerable. But now, all I feel is heaviness and confusion.”

The Mad Scholar stared into Tianyu’s eyes and asked, “Confusion? Are you confused about how such a gap can exist?”

Facing thecrazy scholar’s gaze, Tianyu firmly shook his head and said, “No, Master. Tianyu isn’t confused because of the gap that exists; rather, he’s confused about how to maintain balance amidst that gap. In fact, the wealth gap isn’t the root of the problem—it’s actually a driving force for social progress. Without an attitude of striving for improvement and without goals for a prosperous life, people lose motivation, and society cannot keep moving forward. Professor Wu mentioned this as well. Back then, Tianyu didn’t have a deep understanding and couldn’t grasp it at all. Now that I think about it, every word Professor Wu said was true! So what troubles Tianyu is how to deal with this gap—whether it’s me, the master, or other people with a sense of responsibility, how to face it and solve it…”

Thecrazy scholar suddenly burst into loud laughter, interrupting Tianyu’s words. “Haha, good! Tianyu, you’ve passed this test. Tomorrow, the master will take you on true martial arts training!”

After saying that, he wondered to himself, “How should this be solved? Not to mention you’re just a teenager, even I can’t answer. Sigh, despite calling myself a celestial being and having the powerful Xuanji Sect behind me, with my martial arts skills at an advanced level, I’m still at a loss. Human effort is limited—all we can do is give our best…”

“Really, Master?” Chu Tianyu asked excitedly.

“Mm, Tianyu. Before that, the master must first take you through the Xuanji Inheritance Ritual, which all past sect leaders have had to go through, before you can officially begin your martial arts training. But don’t worry—it’s just a formality for you…”

…

The next day, thecrazy scholar took Tianyu to a seaside city. As soon as they got off the plane, a group of men in suits were already waiting outside. Tianyu could clearly sense the strong inner energy emanating from each of them—they were all martial artists with profound skills. These must be the members of the Xuanji Sect mentioned by his third master.

When thecrazy scholar approached them, a sixty-year-old man at the head of the group bowed slightly and called out, “Sect Master…”, but thecrazy scholar waved his hand, signaling him to wait and greet him later.

The group rode twelve Mercedes cars at high speed to a large seaside garden villa.