CHAPTER 185: CHAPTER 155 ENVIRONMENT (4K)_2

I attempted interpretations from multiple angles.

Firstly, there was a counter-argument to the "Tao Te Ching’s" vision of a small state with few people. The ideal state envisioned by a Saint—where people are self-sufficient, not interacting even until death, and the world is free of military disasters—can only be achieved if one possesses strength. Only then can others be prevented from waging wars and the common people from causing disturbances.

Secondly, there were limitations imposed by inherent kindness. The Moriao people, having never experienced war, hoped until their dying moments that their adversaries would have a change of heart and choose peaceful coexistence.

In fact, such debates had occurred within the Academic Palace before.

Some Doctors believed that exploration of the Endless Sea should be permanently halted. Demon beasts lurked there, alongside numerous incomprehensible and extremely dangerous Mutated Objects. Furthermore, some islands hosted indigenous tribes that had developed cultivation systems profoundly different from those of the Central Plains.

What if, at the far reaches of the Endless Sea, there existed an extremely powerful and belligerent Cultivator Kingdom?

They might also have Cultivators equivalent to the Candle Cloud Realm, possibly in greater numbers. Indeed, their Cultivators might not be limited to the Candle Cloud Realm.

Perhaps they were also exploring the Endless Sea from the opposite direction.

Perhaps, upon learning of our existence, they would spare no expense to dispatch troops and attack us.

Perhaps we should isolate ourselves: withdraw from the Endless Sea, blockade the coastlines, strive to conceal our existence as much as possible, and destroy anything that could bring disaster."

Su Feng shrugged and said, "Additionally, there’s the relationship between the mortal population and Cultivators.

"The examples from the Ten Thousand Desolate Mountains and the Endless Sea Island have proven that even sparsely populated tribes can produce powerful Cultivators.

"But only with a sufficient number of mortals can there be a large contingent of core Cultivators capable of passing down cultivation knowledge, preventing it from fluctuating and declining with each generation."

"Then, Dr. Su Feng," Li Leqing raised her hand and asked, "what was the content of the paper you ultimately submitted to Dr. Gongsun Lin?"

"Well," Su Feng smiled faintly and said, "environment dictates everything.

"The natural environment prevented the Moriao people from farming, forcing them to gather and hunt, which in turn limited their maximum population. This shaped their custom of resolving matters through negotiation and their unfamiliarity with warfare, leading to their lack of military capability and almost causing their annihilation by their ’brother’ tribe, from whom they had been separated for five hundred years.

"In the conclusion of that paper, I also attempted to use the theory of environmental determinism to explain the dynastic cycles of the Central Plains.

"Whenever temperatures plummeted for successive years, it would lead to frequent natural disasters and reduced crop yields. The Central Plains Dynasty would then have little margin for error, leading to frequent unrest. A slight misstep could result in complete failure, total collapse, and the ushering in of an era of chaos.

"Examples include the Han Dynasty, the Two Jins, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

"Even Cultivators, when faced with the formidable power of climate and environment, seem incredibly insignificant—they can look after themselves but not the vast multitudes of common people.

"However, this also highlights the importance and greatness of our Academic Palace.

"The Academic Palace is meant to contend with Heaven, with Earth, and with humanity. It strives to alter fate against the natural order, employing technology to transform nature, making disasters less terrifying for the common people."

The bell signaling the end of class rang. Su Feng clapped his hands, hopped down from the podium, and, while gathering his teaching materials, instructed the students, "Your assignment for this class is to write a paper based on the story I recounted about the Moriao and Limo people, with environmental determinism as the theme.

"You can choose your own angle.

"It can be about why there are always nomadic tribes in the Central Plains North, one wave after another.

"It could be about the correlation between harsh living conditions and the birth rate of Cultivators.

"Or even a plausible Illusion, such as what might happen if a perpetual winter descended, bringing a snowfall that lasted for over a decade.

"The requirement is at least five thousand words, and parallel prose is not allowed. You may go to the Book Collection Pavilion for more research materials. It’s due at the beginning of next month."

Upon hearing about another lengthy paper, a collective groan rippled through the classroom.

Li Wei, at the back of the room, slumped his head onto his desk—he was simply incapable of writing papers.

His previous paper on national history, which employed paper-padding techniques such as quoting, "The tree by my pond where I wash my inkstone is right next to my ink-washing pond," and "The situation is as it is; the specifics of the situation depend on the situation," had been singled out by Dr. Wang Wenlun, who taught national history, for severe criticism, nearly causing Li Wei social death.

Moreover, one couldn’t hope to get by through ghostwriting or "borrowing" papers from previous Academic Palace Disciples.

Firstly, the Academic Palace’s scholarly style is completely different from that of any other academic institution, and non-Academic Palace Disciples simply cannot produce such material.

Furthermore, it was said that in the Academic Palace Dongjun Tower, there existed an insect-shaped Mutated Object called the "Bookworm Immortal."

It could permanently memorize the contents of books it consumed and regurgitate relevant information according to the user’s needs.

Although the specifics of this "regurgitation of relevant information" were unknown, the Bookworm Immortal was indeed used by Academic Palace Doctors as a backup for a massive library, a search tool, and an instrument for checking paper originality. Multiple Bookworm Immortals, when connected, could even form a vast network called "Weaving Net," which facilitated the transfer and sharing of data.

Bookworm Immortal, Weaving Net, your sins are enormous!

Li Ang didn’t need to guess to know the resentment simmering in his classmates’ hearts. He himself wasn’t bothered by writing papers; he had written far too many in his memories from the Otherworld.

"Dr. Su Feng."

Li Ang packed up the textbooks on his desk and caught up with Su Feng as he was leaving the classroom.

"Oh, Risheng," Su Feng said with a smile, "borrowing books again?"

"Yes."

Li Ang nodded. The Book Collection Pavilion of the Academic Palace had regulations for borrowing books, with requirements concerning the type of book, the Disciple’s age, Cultivation, grades, credits, and moral conduct.

Ordinary freshmen couldn’t access many books. They required a written permit, personally authored by an Academic Palace Doctor, to consult specific titles.

Li Ang had a good relationship with Su Feng and often asked him for borrowing permits.

"Which books this time?" Su Feng expertly pulled out a form from his bag, started filling in his own name, and casually asked.

"Three of them," Li Ang replied, "Nanzhou Sightseeing Tour, Tianzhu Geography, and A Detailed Study of the Transmission of the Middle Ages Zen Sect and the Existing Mutated Objects."

Su Feng, who was signing, looked up in surprise. "Why the sudden interest in Nanzhou and Tianzhu maps, and Zen materials?"

"Sometime ago, I watched a debate between Monks and Daoists in Chang’an City and felt a certain high monk was spouting nonsense. It was rather annoying."

Li Ang actually wanted to research books to understand the origin and purpose of the Dark Lotus.

He presented his prepared excuse without a change in expression, "So I want to look into the transmission route of Zen from Tianzhu to Nanzhou, and then to the Yu Country."

"Ah, I see."

Su Feng smiled upon hearing this and promptly signed his name to the form. As a Doctor of Science, he too disdained those Monks who exploited the faithful for money.

In fact, Su Feng had no fondness for Monks, Manichaeism, or Jingjiao, and he didn’t show much piety towards the Haotian Taoist Sect either.

This could be considered a tradition passed down from Dr. Gongsun Lin and even earlier Natural Science scholars.

Incidentally, although Dr. Su Feng was opposed to all religions, he never missed the annual debates between Monks and Daoists in Chang’an City.

Whenever the Monks or Daoists found themselves at a disadvantage in a debate, he would pretend to be a passerby, inciting the crowd from below the stage by quoting scriptures to attack the dominant side, thereby intensifying the debate—or rather, the quarrel—and he enjoyed it immensely.

If the Monks and Daoists started fighting on the spot, he would enjoy his dinner that evening all the more.

He was, one might say, a man who truly relished peculiar diversions.

"Here you go, the borrowing slip."

Su Feng handed the form to Li Ang and said casually, "By the way, Risheng, spending all your time in the Book Collection Pavilion after class isn’t ideal.

Academic Palace Disciples need to stay active. Even if you don’t like Military Attack and combat, you could still play Cuju or polo."

"That... we can discuss it later, later."

Li Ang chuckled, deflecting the suggestion. Cuju at the Academic Palace wasn’t a simple game of soccer; it required wearing Protective Talismans and using Flying Swords, Telekinesis, Magic, and other means to attack and impede opponents while trying to score.

It was a violent game combining intelligence, strategy, skill, and teamwork.

Groups of Cultivators would be on the field, slashing at each other with Flying Swords and using a ball made of special, indestructible materials. Occasionally, players would chant Forbidden Curses, unleashing area-of-effect Magic like thunderstorms and firestorms...

The scene was utter chaos.

Li Ang wasn’t particularly interested in such violent games, but it was indeed the most popular sport in the Academic Palace. Participating in matches could even earn extra credits—Li Wei’s recent goal was to join a senior team to make up for credits he had lost in regular courses.