The atmosphere turned solemn immediately.
Zhao Yunxiao first exchanged glances with Gu Qiansi, then went on to ignore the nonchalant expression on Lu Zhiying's face.
What was considered orthodox?
This was a topic that Zhao Yunxiao had never pondered too deeply about before.
He belonged to the Black Tortoise Sect – a major orthodox sect.
Ever since he could remember, the sect had taught the disciples that unorthodox cultivators had strayed from the right path, choosing to take shortcuts that were prone to harming both themselves and others.
To prevent such actions from proliferating, it was the responsibility of the orthodox cultivators to take care of them, making sure that these unorthodox beliefs and ways would not be passed down to the next generation of cultivators.
That was a logic that had always made sense to Zhao Yunxiao.
But what about in this case?
Was it necessary to eliminate even the babies of unorthodox cultivators?
The killing of innocents had always been taboo in the cultivation world, something that the orthodox sects openly condemned.
But were the orthodox sects themselves partaking in such activities?
Was that not hypocritical of them?
In the end, did the concept of good or bad simply boil down to whatever the so-called orthodox factions claimed to be so?
No, that's not right.
Some traditionally orthodox factions might have strayed from their ancestral teachings, but Zhao Yunxiao refused to believe that the Black Tortoise Sect was one of them.
Some internal conflicts and schemes were inevitable within the sect, but the sect as a whole had always maintained a position of solidarity when it came to upholding integrity on the outside.
Even if the sect were to issue such a mission in the future, surely it would have already been deeply contemplated upon by the sect administrators, and was nothing but the last resort!
"I'm not entirely clear about your circumstances, so I can't say for sure. But have you considered that there might be a deeper reason for it?" Zhao Yunxiao commented. "Perhaps, by looking at the bigger picture, these babies who have lost their guardians are more likely to grow up as vengeful individuals. To prevent that from happening, it might be safer to just get rid of them from the start and end the cycle of vengeance."
"That's not right," Gu Qiansi disagreed immediately. "There's also a possibility of these babies growing up to be wonderful individuals. No one can really predict the future."
"I agree that there's that possibility, but what is the probability of that happening? I will say that the chances are low," Zhao Yunxiao argued. "If one day, you realise that your grandparents' deaths had to do with the Black Tortoise Sect... Regardless of the reason, will you still have as much of a sense of belonging to the sect?"
"Who is to say that the chances are low?" Gu Qiansi retorted. "If I realise that my grandparents have died because they had been committing crimes and were punished as a result, I will accept it as their just deserts. In fact, I might even be more motivated to do better, just so that I could make up for what they have done in the past."
"That only applies to you and a minority of others," Zhao Yunxiao responded. "Most people will not share your thoughts."
"That's just you being sceptical again," Gu Qiansi was unconvinced. "I believe that most others will think like me instead!"
"Aren't you two overthinking things?" Lu Zhiying interjected at this moment. "Who cares about what is traditionally right or wrong? Who cares about what others will do? Don't we just have to do what we feel is the right thing to do in the present? It's all good as long as we make sure that we all act in a way that we will not regret it in the future, isn't it? Even if these actions result in some unexpected results next time, we can simply deal with things as they come!"
"Haha! Sister Lu sure is free spirited!" Lin Xiao laughed.
"That is not always a good thing," Zhao Yunxiao rubbed his temples as he thought about all the awkward situations that had happened because of Lu Zhiying's unique character.
"Why is it not?!" Lu Zhiying protested with a pout.
"In any case, I believe that everyone is entitled to their own views, and every view has its own merits. To that end, I can't say that my sect is wrong either," Lin Xiao said. "That is the reason why I decided that I would like to see the world for myself – to formulate an opinion that I can truly call my own. If this opinion eventually aligns with the sect's teachings, that would be for the best."
"And if it doesn't?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.
"Who knows? As Sister Lu said earlier, I can simply deal with it when it happens!" Lin Xiao chuckled. "Maybe I will even end up leaving the sect and pursuing the path of an unaffiliated cultivator!"
"Just make sure you think things through," Zhao Yunxiao reminded solemnly. "It is not easy to be out on your own in this world. There are dangers lying around every corner."
"That's true," Lin Xiao agreed. "But depending on the situation, I do think that the benefits of independence could outweigh the costs at times. Just take a look at the Untethered Sage – despite being an unaffiliated cultivator, he still managed to achieve plenty while leading a life of absolute freedom!"
Zhao Yunxiao's eyes lit up upon hearing that.
The Untethered Sage – that was Jiang Taiming's alias.
Ever since realising that Lin Xiao was an admirer of Jiang Taiming, Zhao Yunxiao had been thinking of asking him about what he knew regarding the ancient cultivator.
Now that Lin Xiao had brought up the topic himself, Zhao Yunxiao was naturally not intending to let go of this opportunity!
"The accomplishments of the Untethered Sage cannot be understated, indeed," Zhao Yunxiao remarked. "Being able to create this many basic techniques to benefit the masses is an extraordinary task. Who knows what he experienced in his life to be able to do something like that?"
"Hahaha! From the moment that Brother Zhao recited the famous quote of the Untethered Sage, I knew that I had found a fellow admirer," Lin Xiao laughed heartily. "If you are curious about the Untethered Sage's life, then you are in luck today! Let me tell you everything about him that I have gathered over the years!"
It was a great feeling to find someone who shared one's interests.
Seeing that Zhao Yunxiao seemed to be genuinely interested in learning about the life of the Untethered Sage, Lin Xiao suddenly felt like all the years that he had spent gathering resources and researching on the topic were for the sake of today!
He could not wait to share everything that he knew, all so that Zhao Yunxiao would understand the true greatness of the Untethered Sage!
No, not just Zhao Yunxiao.
It would be best if he could take this opportunity to convert Gu Qiansi and Lu Zhiying into fellow fans of the Untethered Sage as well!
"Please do. I've always wanted to learn more about the Untethered Sage, but I can't seem to find much information on him. Brother Lin sure is resourceful," Zhao Yunxiao could tell that Lin Xiao was eager to share, and tried to fan his passion.
In contrast, Gu Qiansi and Lu Zhiying merely silently listened.
They might not be interested in this Untethered Sage, but it would not hurt to listen, either.
After all, they still had a long night ahead of them.
And so began Lin Xiao's detailed lesson on the life of Jiang Taiming, also known as the Untethered Sage.
No one really knew much about Jiang Taiming's life before his dao debut.
Some said that he was from a regular merchant family.
Some said that he was brought up by spiritual beasts in the wilds.
Some said that he was the last remaining member of a small cultivation faction that had declined over the years.
But no matter which version of the story it was, they all had one thing in common – when Jiang Taiming suddenly burst into the scene during his dao debut, it was an event that took the entire cultivation world by storm!
As an unaffiliated cultivator, his techniques were relatively simple and crude.
However, he made up for that with sheer talent.
During the opening of a mystic realm, the young and unknown Jiang Taiming came out on top of all the famed geniuses of the same generation in what was considered a shocking revelation to the world.
All those famous characters belonging to powerful factions, including those who had made their debut long before him, were easily suppressed.
There were many who felt threatened and tried to put him down, but not only did he always emerge unscathed, he also became stronger after each brush with death.
Many factions tried to recruit him, but he turned all of them down, refusing to live a life that would be restrained by any official relationships or societal norms. This way, he had the freedom to treat anyone as a friend, or as an enemy in other cases.
On one day, he could be stepping in to eradicate an entire group of bandits who were unlucky enough to step in his way.
On another day, he could be stopping a group of cultivators from eradicating bandits who had been terrorising innocent civilians, for reasons as trivial as not wanting his rest to be disturbed.
No one could ever claim to read his current thoughts or predict his next moves.
This eventually earned him the title – Untethered Sage.
But because his behaviour deviated from the norm, there were those who considered him to be an unorthodox cultivator as well.
That did not matter to the Untethered Sage though, especially since he eventually became powerful enough to deter anyone from messing with him any longer.
Nevertheless, he did not abuse his strength.
In fact, he was known to have treated even junior cultivators with dignity and respect.
Be it good or bad, this man was a huge uncertainty in the cultivation world.
This was why many were relieved when, after becoming one of the strongest powerhouses in the cultivation world, the Untethered Sage suddenly went silent as he adopted a reclusive life, devoting his time to creating various basic techniques and spreading them throughout the world.
Most speculated that as he started to approach the end of his lifespan, the Untethered Sage wanted to make full use of the rest of his days by easing the difficult path of future unaffiliated cultivators who would follow in his path.
With that, peace returned to the cultivation world.
Or at least, that was the case until the appearance of Luo Qin, a powerful evil cultivator who practised a technique that could accelerate his cultivation rate through the devouring of souls.
To that end, Luo Qin had no qualms about sacrificing entire mortal kingdoms for his own selfish reasons, eventually earning him the infamous title of Soul Devil.
This drew widespread disgust and condemnation from the orthodox factions.
Not surprisingly, numerous orthodox sects came together to launch expeditions against him, wanting to take him down once and for all.
Unfortunately, he was just too slippery a character.
Even the expeditions joined by the more established sects did not manage to prevent his escape time and time again.
That was when the Untethered Sage suddenly abandoned his reclusive lifestyle to personally hunt down Luo Qin.
It was a sudden decision that caught everyone by surprise, and an extremely dangerous one as well.
But at the same time, no one found it entirely incomprehensible since such a behaviour was also in line with his character of always living a life of following his heart – doing whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted to do it!
And with the Untethered Sage personally taking action, it did not take long before there ceased to be any news of Luo Qin.
By connecting the dots, everyone believed that the Untethered Sage had single-handedly subdued Luo Qin. From then on, the masses hailed the Untethered Sage as a hero of the cultivation world.
Unfortunately, his ardent fans had no way to express their gratitude and admiration.
That was because, just like Luo Qin, the Untethered Sage seemingly vanished from the surface of the world soon after.
Many believed that he had suffered grievous injuries during the battle with Luo Qin, which eventually led to his demise.
If that were the case, then even in death, the Untethered Sage would truly have lived up to his name.
This was a life of doing whatever he wanted, and dying due to that same belief!