Chapter 83

"Having just entered the mountain gate for a year, I feel somewhat embarrassed to lecture to all of you," Fang Ling said calmly, his voice even and composed. However, as soon as he finished speaking, someone below shouted, "Since you know your knowledge is shallow, why don't you quickly get off the stage!"

"Get down, we came here to listen to a lecture, not to watch you waste our time!" "Get down quickly!" The voices rose and fell, merging into a cacophony.

Faced with these voices, Fang Ling's expression did not change in the slightest. Instead, he looked at Fu Jingbo, who was sitting beside him, with a half-smile.

To become the leader of a sect, Fu Jingbo's face had to be thick-skinned. However, he also understood that at this moment, he could not just sit by and do nothing. If Fang Ling were to lose his temper and step down, it would not only be embarrassing for him, but more importantly, his ability as the sect leader would be questioned.

After all, Fang Ling's first sentence was that he had only been in the sect for a year! A year, for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was just a few periods of seclusion. In such a short time, even core disciples could not learn much, and it was normal for them not to be able to give lectures.

"Anyone who continues to make noise will be expelled!" Fu Jingbo's gaze swept the crowd, his voice carrying a hint of severity. To become a disciple of a cultivation sect was a matter of several lifetimes of good fortune, so with just one word from Fu Jingbo, the noise below instantly ceased.

Fang Ling bowed to Fu Jingbo and said, "Senior Brother Sect Leader, this..."

"Junior Brother, don't worry, just go ahead and lecture." Fu Jingbo waved his sleeve, blocking Fang Ling's path to retreat. Bai Yuqi, who was sitting beside Fu Jingbo, nodded with a smile. This nod brought a smile to Fu Jingbo's face.

"Next, I will share with everyone my learning experiences from this past year." Fang Ling seemed completely unperturbed, speaking slowly and steadily. However, as soon as he said this, Fu Jingbo felt even more uncomfortable.

Your achievements in a year, can you not mention the word 'year'? But Fang Ling had indeed only been in the sect for a year, and this fact left Fu Jingbo with no excuse to stop him.

"In this past year, I have studied the content of the Five Elements' generation and overcoming, finding it incredibly profound. The method of the Five Elements' generation and overcoming..."

As Fang Ling mentioned the Five Elements' generation and overcoming, the three core disciples sitting beside the lotus platform all glanced at Fu Jingbo. This glance carried both dissatisfaction and mockery. Although Fu Jingbo understood the content of these glances, he could only respond with a smile. However, his gaze toward Fang Ling became even colder.

Five Elements' generation and overcoming, you damn it, you are actually lecturing on the Five Elements' generation and overcoming here. Even if you just entered the sect, how can you lecture on the Five Elements' generation and overcoming? Why is the True Dao Sect called the True Dao Sect? Isn't it because their array formation techniques are unparalleled? Even a servant disciple has some unique insights into array formations, let alone an outer sect disciple. The Five Elements' generation and overcoming is the foundation of array formations. Using the Five Elements' generation and overcoming as your lecture topic is like throwing in the towel!

Fu Jingbo glanced down and saw that more than half of the disciples had closed their eyes, and many were whispering to each other. Many faces were beaming with smiles. The meaning of these smiles was clear to him. It seemed that he, as the sect leader, would lose face along with Fang Ling!

He looked at Bai Yuqi, who was also looking at him. The smile in Bai Yuqi's eyes made him feel a bit more at ease. Bai Yuqi's meaning was that he would not forget his kindness today. Yes, not forgetting is good.

"The Five Elements are Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. The Five Elements generate and overcome each other. Using them correctly can elevate our array formations, but using them incorrectly can... " Fang Ling, as if he saw nothing, began to recite a large section of the most basic array formation principles of the True Dao Sect, the Five Elements chapter.

Bai Jingtao, sitting in the front row, could not help but say, "Is this a lecture or a recitation session?"

"Senior Brother, he might only be able to recite." A disciple sitting beside him chimed in with a grin.

This person was also one of those who had been disciplined by Fang Ling along with Bai Jingtao. His words made Bai Jingtao nod. Then he saw a disciple nearby actually taking out a book to read, and he slapped the disciple, saying, "Uncle Fang is lecturing, how disrespectful! Listen properly."

The disciple, who had been engrossed in reading, was about to curse when he saw the fierce-looking Bai Jingtao in front of him and quickly put the book away. However, he muttered, "Listen to what? A waste of time."

Bai Jingtao did not care about such complaints. On the contrary, he wanted everyone to join in the discussion, believing that by the end of the day, Uncle Fang's reputation would be ruined in the True Dao Sect.

"The Five Elements overcome each other: Water overcomes Fire, Fire overcomes Metal, Metal overcomes Wood, Wood overcomes Earth, and Earth overcomes Water. This overcoming, when applied, depends on the heart..." Fang Ling paid no attention to the actions below, continuing to speak to himself. His voice was even, without any rise and fall, and certainly not with any golden words! If evaluated, it gave people a drowsy feeling.

Zhao Ping was feeling a bit drowsy. For a busy servant disciple, he had to do many things besides cultivation. Being able to take a nap was a great thing for him. Today, he came early to the lecture, but listening to this common Five Elements' generation and overcoming was a waste of time. He would rather rest and cultivate well at night.

Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, he suddenly heard Fang Ling say that the Five Elements could not only directly overcome each other but also indirectly, thus forming a chain of generation and overcoming. This made his mind light up! Although he was a servant disciple, he had also studied array formations. Fang Ling's words instantly solved a problem that had troubled him for a long time. The more he thought about it, the more he gained, and he quickly opened his eyes wide, listening quietly to Fang Ling's lecture.

As a core disciple, Zheng Yueyan had only attended this lecture to give Bai Yuqi face. When Fang Ling lectured, she closed her eyes lightly and thought about the Li Fire Array she had been studying recently. This array was one of the top arrays on the Red Fire Peak. If thoroughly understood, it could even resist early-stage Golden Core cultivators. Zheng Yueyan had spent nearly ten years on this array, but unfortunately, there were three or four difficult problems that she could not solve.

To solve these problems, she had specially consulted her master, Xu Liqiong. Unfortunately, Xu Liqiong only knew how to set up the array, but could not explain the profound mysteries within.

After another futile effort, Zheng Yueyan felt her mind was a mess. She withdrew from her thoughts, feeling a bit uncomfortable. If not for Bai Yuqi's face, why would she think about array formations in such a place!

"Yang cannot last long, Yin reaches its extreme and Yang is born, the way of Water and Fire, generation and destruction..." A gentle voice entered Zheng Yueyan's ears. She was about to push these time-wasting things out of her mind, but the remaining problems instantly filled her heart.

At this moment, she suddenly realized that the problems she had been unable to solve for a long time seemed to be understood in an instant. A moment of clarity made her feel like dancing.

However, as a core disciple, she would not do anything that would lose her dignity. But then, she looked at Fang Ling with a grateful gaze. Regardless of whether this junior brother was guessing, she planned to thank him afterward. This trip seemed not to be in vain. If not for listening to Fang Ling, she would not know how long she would have been stuck.

Just as she was overjoyed, Fang Ling's words entered her ears again, this time explaining the previous sentences, which were even more profound than what she had thought. Another problem with the Li Fire Array seemed to be within reach.

Zheng Yueyan could not help but look at Fang Ling, quietly pondering every word he said. One could say this was Zheng Yueyan's karmic connection. The Five Elements' generation and overcoming that Fang Ling lectured on this time was the personal insight of a Golden Core cultivator from a thousand years ago. The Li Fire Array on their Red Fire Peak was also an array studied by that Golden Core cultivator who died on Thousand Buddha Mountain. In a sense, what Fang Ling had just lectured on transcended the general principles of the Li Fire Array and pointed directly to its essence.

Bai Yuqi was playing with a small jade pot, calculating the time in his mind. He was originally uncomfortable with Fang Ling, a mere core disciple. He felt that if the True Dao Sect were to have another core disciple, it should be him, Bai Yuqi.

Although Fang Ling was not valued, this did not stop Bai Yuqi from being hostile toward him. Therefore, when he heard that his nephew had been beaten by Fang Ling and that Fang Ling had not given him face, he decided to teach this arrogant young man a lesson, making him lose face in the True Dao Sect.

"My Mystic Ice Array is just a little off, the position of the Mystic Ice Flag seems a bit wrong!" Thinking about the Mystic Ice Array he was studying, Bai Yuqi began to frown. He looked at the time, feeling it was still early, and closed his eyes, preparing to think for a while.

Just as he was halfway through his contemplation, he heard a voice that seemed like a ray of light, guiding him out of his confusion. Some things he did not understand suddenly became clear.

He smiled, but then suddenly realized what this voice was—it was Fang Ling's lecture.

He could not help but look around and saw that the large lecture platform was silent. Whether it was the Foundation Establishment cultivators like Fu Jingbo or the ordinary disciples, they were all listening quietly to Fang Ling's lecture.

The content Fang Ling lectured on seemed ordinary, but he himself could not help feeling a sense of enlightenment constantly filling his heart.

What was going on?

ps: Request for recommendations and support!