This round of trials, jointly organized by the Internal Affairs Hall and the Artifact Refining Hall, offers generous rewards and numerous stages.

The initial aim is to repair various facilities of the Wanxiang Sect’s Main Mountain Gate, while at the same time assessing the artifact refining skills of external cultivators, selectively recruiting the best. It is a move that achieves two goals with one action.

Xiao Juxia can mass-produce even leaves like the Inheriting Dao Jade Page, and their quality improves steadily; his artifact refining prowess is indeed grand.

These flags can be placed by the Peak Master of Zhaoyao Peak all over the mountain, emphasizing quantity over quality. Xiao Juxia repairing them is as easy as turning his hand.

Two hours later, the trial ends.

Xiao Juxia’s results place him in the second tier; he deliberately withheld his full strength, revealing nothing extraordinary.

The cultivator presiding over the trial announces the list of the top hundred, who can continue to the next stage of the trial.

Naturally, Xiao Juxia’s name is among them. His expression remains calm, yet his heart harbors doubt: "Strange, why didn’t Ning Zhuo come?"

"Could it be my previous calculations were wrong?"

Zhao Hansheng formally reads the Saint Thief Scripture.

The opening is a preface by Qin De—

Since my youth, I have read the books of sages, admiring the way of the predecessors. At age seven, I recited the Classic of Filial Piety, at ten, I understood the Analects, at fifteen, I mastered the Five Classics, by twenty, I had read thoroughly all the philosophers. Whenever reading "When the Great Dao is practiced, the world is for the public," I couldn’t help but close the book and sigh longingly.

However, as the years passed and my experience deepened, I realized many things in the world are suspicious.

Sages teach self-restraint and return to the rites, yet emperors use the rite system to bind all people; sages teach to sacrifice life for righteousness, yet officials in the temple halls use righteousness for personal gain; sages teach what is unwanted should not be imposed on others, yet disciples of the Confucian Sect exclude dissenters in the name of orthodoxy.

I was puzzled for twenty years, restless. One night reading Zhuang Zi, I reached the phrase "If the sage does not die, the great thief does not stop," as if struck by lightning, gaining sudden insight.

Thus I realized: sage and great thief are truly two sides of the same coin.

So I went into seclusion for three years, thoroughly examining history and classics, comprehending mysteries, and authored this scripture. Named the Saint Thief Scripture—not to slander the sages, but to illuminate them; not to encourage thievery, but to confirm the Dao. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Zhao Hansheng couldn’t help but sneer: "These so-called ’suspicious’ elements are not about the sages being suspicious but about those who read the sages’ books being suspicious. Qin De doubts the sages’ teachings with the actions of emperors and the personal interests of officials, thus masking intentions with appearances, letting the superficial obscure the essence, how absurd!"

"Moreover, this person is quite boastful, actually claiming to be able to ’illuminate the sages’ and ’confirm the Dao’? I want to see how you concoct your twisted reasoning and absurd theories!"

The Saint Thief Scripture contains two volumes in total.

The first volume is titled Saint and Thief Share Origins, the second volume is Thieves Also Have Dao.

"The titles are rather noteworthy," Zhao Hansheng glanced over with divine sense, then carefully investigated.

The first section of the first volume: Saints Steal Heaven and Earth

Qin De first quotes the Ritual Records: Ritual Operation: "When the Great Dao is practiced, the world is for the public. Select the virtuous and capable, emphasize trust and cultivate harmony."

To Qin De, however, this is: "The world is for the public" appears upright but hides profound mysteries. What is meant by "public"? It’s something shared by all. Yet things in the world originally have no ownership. By the name of "public," sages achieve the reality of "settlement"—settling rules, settling order, settling names and roles. Isn’t this "settlement" a form of theft?

Heaven and earth generate all things, naturally unnamed. With the emergence of sages, they use rituals and laws to steal the power of heaven and earth, dividing the sequence of human ethics. Rituals are the order of heaven and earth, also the thief of heaven and earth.

Qin De also quotes the Zhou Yi: Xi Ci: "The great virtue of heaven and earth is named life, while the great treasure of sages is named position."

For Qin De’s understanding: "Position" implies power or authority. Sages steal "life" for "position," "position" for "power," and "power" for "the world." Yet a sage steals it, calling it "received mandate from heaven"; a mortal steals it, is named "rebellion against authority." Same act of theft, how do sages and commoners differ?

Zhao Hansheng remained silent for a while, then refuted in his heart using the principles of heart learning.

"Heart learning says: ’Rituals are principles. Principles are nature. Nature is mandate.’ Ritualistic systems originate from the human heart and heavenly principles, how can it be ’theft’?

"For example, a farmer cultivates the land, planting and fertilizing, making the land grow all things. This is not theft of the land’s power, but compliance with the land’s nature. Sages creating rituals are the same—following the heavenly principles of the human heart to make each person achieve their rightful place. Qin De interprets it as ’theft,’ judging the benevolent heart with a distorted mind."

"The heart learning clarifies the principle of ’position’: position implies the responsibility of heavenly mandate, the duty of inherent knowledge. Sages occupy the position not as theft, but to enact the heavenly mandate. For instance, a head of household manages the family, not as theft of family power but as fulfilling familial responsibilities. Qin De interprets it with a mind of theft, seeing only gains in power and position, not the weight of responsibility."

"Qin De takes passages out of context to interpret as ’theft,’ truly despicable!"

Zhao Hansheng continued his examination.

He devoted himself entirely, immersing deeply, his expression changing constantly.

At times furious, at times frowning, at times exclaiming "ridiculous," at times showing solemn resolve, diligently pondering the flaws.

Having read the entire text, Zhao Hansheng closed the book and sighed deeply.

He had to admit inside that this absurdity of the Saint Thief Scripture has its internal logic.

Qin De’s arguments, supported by pertinent citations, are structured clearly. From Ritual Records, Zhou Yi to Mencius, Xun Zi, every citation is appropriate, and each deduction is logically tight.

"Although Qin De achieved internal consistency in logic, his understanding was erroneous from the start."

"This Saint Thief Scripture has only two volumes, its amateurish nature is evident, filled with flaws. I will defeat his argument, no problem."

Know yourself and your enemy, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles.

Zhao Hansheng used heart learning, deeply pondering, diligently thinking, already refuting the Saint Thief Scripture in his heart, thus greatly boosting his confidence.