Chapter 237

Chapter 237: Miss Ding!

Guanxuan Hall.

　　Ye Tianming stood in the center of the hall. The hall was vast, with almost nothing around it — clean and uncluttered.

　　This had once been Yang Jia’s preference. He liked things clean and simple.

　　At that moment, a young woman walked in.

　　She appeared to be only in her twenties, dressed in a light yellow gown, with a calm and elegant temperament and strikingly beautiful features.

　　Ye Tianming turned to look at her. The woman smiled and said, “Young Master Ye, hello. From now on, I am your deputy. You may call me Miss Ding.”

　　Ye Tianming said directly, “Miss Ding, I’d like to learn about the history of the Yang family, as well as the history of the Guanxuan Domain and the Xianbao Pavilion.”

　　Although he had learned some of it from Xiao Hun, it wasn’t enough for him.

　　Miss Ding smiled and said, “I’ve already prepared it for you.”

　　As she spoke, she opened her palm, and a scroll flew to Ye Tianming.

　　Ye Tianming glanced at Miss Ding without a word, then opened the scroll. A beam of light instantly surged into the space between his brows, and soon, streams of information flooded into his mind like a tide.

　　The information was comprehensive — from the era of the Blue-Robed Sword Master to the present day, including the origins of the Guanxuan Academy and the Xianbao Pavilion, all of it detailed and thorough.

　　After a long while, Ye Tianming opened his eyes and looked at Miss Ding. “There is no information about you in the records.”

　　Miss Ding smiled and said, “I’m not anyone important.”

　　Ye Tianming nodded. “Miss, I’d like to hear your suggestions first.”

　　Miss Ding smiled. “Why would you want to hear my opinion?”

　　Ye Tianming said, “The Yang family came to reason with me this time, and they clearly meant it sincerely — they weren’t toying with me. The Yang family has no reason to waste time on something like that. And they certainly wouldn’t send an ordinary person to assist me…… of course, I’m not sure whether you would assist me wholeheartedly.”

　　Miss Ding smiled gracefully. “Young Master Ye, rest assured. If I’m here to assist you, then I will do so wholeheartedly — no pretense, no deception — because…… there’s no need for it. Don’t you think?”

　　Ye Tianming nodded. “Good. Then I’d like to hear your suggestions now.”

　　Miss Ding understood perfectly — Ye Tianming wanted to see what she was made of. She smiled slightly, then said, “Although Young Master Ye now has some understanding of the Academy and the Xianbao Pavilion, I would not recommend launching immediate reforms right away, because whether it’s the Xianbao Pavilion or the Academy, the accumulated problems cannot be resolved in a short period of time.”

　　She paused, then continued, “We should take it step by step. The first step is to find talent — cultivate our own people, place them into the inner and outer cabinets as well as the various institutes. Only after we have full control of the Academy can we begin to reform, and even then, we must proceed with caution and move gradually, not rush things.”

　　Ye Tianming watched her, waiting for her to continue.

　　Miss Ding went on, “The biggest problem facing the Academy and the Xianbao Pavilion today is not just a matter of systems — there is also the issue of internal class conflict, meaning the wealth gap is growing ever wider, and as it does, the tensions and conflicts between the various classes grow ever greater……”

　　At this point, she looked at Ye Tianming. “Beyond the class conflicts, there is also the issue of education. The Academy is doing its best to give more people access to learning — everyone wants to join — but the number of spots in each area is limited. As a result, people compete in the shadows, and those competing are all people with status and connections!”

　　Ye Tianming fell silent.

　　All of these problems were plain to see.

　　Reform?

　　How?

　　Kill off a batch of people?

　　Would killing solve it?

　　He knew clearly that killing was no solution. People act in their own self-interest — that’s human nature. If you replaced them with new people, would those newcomers truly be selfless?

　　Ye Tianming remained silent, yet he also knew that reform meant bloodshed.

　　Miss Ding suddenly said, “If you don’t want to reform, you could simply dissolve the Guanxuan Academy and the Xianbao Pavilion outright!”

　　Ye Tianming looked at her. Miss Ding smiled and said, “If you truly want to do that — if you feel the Guanxuan Academy and the Xianbao Pavilion have no reason to exist — I will do my best to assist you.”

　　Ye Tianming fell silent.

　　If the Guanxuan Academy and the Xianbao Pavilion were dissolved, what would happen?

　　Without a doubt: chaos.

　　And not just any chaos — chaos across the entire universe.

　　At that point, there would be no order whatsoever, and only the truly powerful would reign supreme. Those who had been crying out every day for a new world order would be the first to live without dignity, because they would never understand that in chaos and war, it is always ordinary people who suffer.

　　Those with wealth and power would have long since fled.

　　Miss Ding fixed her gaze on Ye Tianming. “If you feel the Yang family is a dictatorship, you could also work to de-Yang-family the system.”

　　Ye Tianming remained silent.

　　What would happen without the Yang family?

　　Without a doubt — internally, every sect and noble house would immediately begin fighting for power and territory, throwing the entire universe into chaos at once; externally, outside civilizations would immediately launch wars, invading the Guanxuan Domain to seize its territory and resources.

　　Internal strife and external threats would erupt in an instant.

　　And only the Yang family had the power to keep the internal sects and noble houses — as well as the external civilizations — in check.

　　After a moment, Ye Tianming said quietly, “Miss Ding, I understand. This universe cannot do without the Yang family right now. When I spoke of revolution or overthrowing the Yang family before, it was just frustration born from personal grievances. The order the Yang family maintains has its problems, but without the Yang family, the problems would be far greater and far more numerous.”

　　A flash of admiration crossed Miss Ding’s eyes.

　　The thing people fear most is knowing they have a problem but refusing to admit it.

　　She hadn’t been trying to deliberately challenge Ye Tianming — she wanted him to voice the hidden “knot” in his heart on his own. If he didn’t bring it out, that would be the real problem.

　　Ye Tianming turned to look at Miss Ding. “But the Yang family needs to be kept in check.”

　　Miss Ding countered, “Young Master Ye, you’re looking at this from the perspective of all living beings — from your own perspective. Have you ever considered it from the Yang family’s own perspective?”

　　Ye Tianming’s brow furrowed.

　　Miss Ding smiled and said, “Have you ever considered this: the Yang family could simply wash their hands of all these living beings entirely. Without them, the Yang family would still live very well. On the contrary, during the crises of the past, had the Yang family not stepped forward, the universe below would have been reset many times over……”

　　She paused, then continued, “Every universe faces its tribulation — one that leads to a reset. But now, the Yang family, through their own strength and that of the Xianbao Pavilion, has forcibly resolved this ‘tribulation’ time and again, saving countless living beings.”

　　Ye Tianming said, “But the Yang family built this order. Having built it, shouldn’t they maintain it properly?”

　　Miss Ding smiled. “It’s always easy to demand things of others. Demanding things of yourself is far, far harder……. Now you are a member of the Yang family. You don’t need to demand anything of others — what you need to do now is demand it of yourself.”

　　Demand it of yourself!

　　Ye Tianming fell silent.

　　He was beginning to understand what the Yang family meant.

　　You think the Yang family hasn’t done a good job?

　　Fine!

　　You do it!

　　Ye Tianming suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of crisis. Why? Because his Law of All Beings, his Great Dao conviction — all of it was tied to living beings and to order.

　　If his ideals and his practice came into serious conflict…… what would the consequences be?

　　At that thought, a chill ran through him.

　　The Yang family was here to strike at his very heart!

　　Seeing the expression on Ye Tianming’s face, Miss Ding smiled slightly. “This game is a high-stakes gamble. As that young woman in blue said — if you lose, you bear the consequences yourself. But what if you win? For instance, what if your Great Dao conviction can be put into practice, and you actually succeed? At that point, your Great Dao would be far more than just a name on the Great Dao Rankings — it might even transcend the Dao itself!”

　　She paused, then added, “Boundless fortune or boundless catastrophe — it all comes down to you.”

　　The Yang family had never concealed their intentions. They were playing their cards face-up against you, Ye Tianming!

　　Ye Tianming fell silent.

　　Miss Ding could tell he was feeling somewhat lost, so she offered a reminder, “Merely reading a few books of sages, listening to a couple of ‘life philosophies,’ having some grand moment of enlightenment, or finding insight in gentle breezes and birdsong — believing you’ve grasped the Great Dao — is nothing but self-delusion. The moment something real happens, you’ll be knocked right back to where you started. Why? Because they’ve never put it into practice.”

　　Practice!

　　Ye Tianming’s gaze suddenly became resolute.

　　Yes!

　　Whether it was his establishment of the Dao, his Great Dao conviction, or the Law of All Beings — for now, they were all still just ideas. He, Ye Tianming, had never truly put any of them into practice.

　　A scholar who only reads and never acts is nothing more than a theorist.

　　What kind of scholar is truly formidable?

　　One who both reads and acts.

　　To comprehend the Dao, you must train through real affairs. To know your own heart, you must also train through real affairs!

　　Anyone can talk a big game.

　　Whether you’re the real deal or just full of hot air — go do something real, and others will know soon enough.

　　Seeing the look on Ye Tianming’s face, Miss Ding knew he had worked it out. She smiled slightly and continued, “I have some matters to report to you.”

　　Ye Tianming said, “Please go ahead, Miss.”

　　Miss Ding took out a thick notebook and began to read from it.

　　”In Ancient Prefecture, one of the Three Thousand Prefectures, a brawl broke out in a village called Nancun, leaving twenty people injured……”

　　”In a place called Shang Town in Ancient Prefecture, a robbery occurred, resulting in two deaths…….”

　　”A mine vein in Ancient Prefecture collapsed, resulting in three deaths…….”

　　”A family clan called the Ye family in Ancient Prefecture — six people died due to a Xianbao Pavilion demolition project…….”

　　Hearing this, Ye Tianming’s brow furrowed and he was about to speak, when Miss Ding continued, “A cloud vessel in Ancient Prefecture crashed due to a malfunction, killing one hundred and sixty people!”

　　Ye Tianming: “……”

　　Miss Ding continued, “In a remote area of Ancient Prefecture, one person cultivated a demonic technique and sacrificed three towns. Current estimates put the total death toll at one hundred and twenty thousand…….”

　　”In the True World, on a continent beyond the domain, two top-tier rogue cultivators arranged a duel. Neither managed to hold back, and they accidentally destroyed an entire continent. At least several million people died as a result……”

　　”The Shengu Continent was invaded by an outside civilization. An entire continent was forcibly erased by a cultivator at the Ancestor Realm, and over a hundred million living beings vanished…….”

　　By the time she finished, Ye Tianming was completely stunned.

　　What he felt in that moment was…… so many people had died, and to him, they were nothing but numbers!

　　And as for what had happened in Ancient Prefecture…… compared to what was happening out there, did it even count as anything?