I Can See Your Combat Power-Chapter 1749 - 184: The Dean’s Grand Lecture (End)

There are many in the world who cling to power and status, so most people examine one’s identity before listening.

The humble words of someone insignificant carry no weight, while the resounding proclamations of those with authority are worth their weight in gold.

Take the elder of the Unparalleled Institute for instance—already a towering figure in the martial arts world of Xiehe—but compared to the traditions of Xiehe’s martial arts circles, he remains barely a footnote.

After the elder departed, the heated debate focused primarily on the criticism of his radical theories. Even when some die-hard fans occasionally defended him, they were quickly silenced, flushed red in embarrassment, and retreated into prolonged silence.

The cultivation "Broken Mirror Technique" proposed by the elder was met with skepticism. It asks them to abandon martial arts, which was abundantly clear—an absolute impossibility!

Having left the classroom on the upper level, Tang Luo could still hear the voices trailing behind him, but all he could do was shake his head in quiet resignation.

As the first public lecture of the elder at Unparalleled Academy, he felt he had already clarified the most critical aspects of cultivation. Even if they were to attend the sermons of the Sacred Land King or the Saint Lord of Xiehe, the profundity would likely be on the same level.

However, judging by the lecture’s reception, its impact seemed extraordinarily limited. At least from the debates he overheard, even his ardent followers showed no interest in abandoning martial arts to explore the cultivation path he pointed to.

Perhaps this is why universal truths remain shrouded in dust—some principles, even when heard, are impossible to act upon.

"The high notes are exquisite but lack an audience; there’s none better to describe this."

"Darling, how did the lecture go? Were the students completely captivated, hanging onto your every word? This was a lecture from the Human King, a blessing they couldn’t hope to earn in several lifetimes. Their reactions must have been overwhelming!"

Just as he returned to the office, Yun Xiu greeted him, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she asked enthusiastically.

Looking at his wife’s exuberant expression, Tang Luo wanted to nod vigorously in agreement and go along with her excitement to boast a little.

But recalling the scene in the classroom at that time, he could only respond weakly, "Not too bad. Maybe I talked too much, and they didn’t quite understand."

"Ah, is that so? Then that’s truly a pity..."

"Nothing to pity. Just like Buddha’s Country’s meditative practices—they all claim to seek Nirvana and ultimate bliss, yet not a single one is willing to die, racking their brains to prolong their mortal existence indefinitely."

Tang Luo’s face relaxed as he added, "Humans, you see, never quite understand what they truly desire."

"If the students couldn’t comprehend,"

Yun Xiu hesitated, "then... will next month’s lecture still proceed?"

"There’s a saying back in my hometown: A teacher, by definition, spreads knowledge, imparts skills, and resolves doubts. Martial arts are by no means the sole path of cultivation. Someone must help the billions of cultivators in Xiehe validate this truth."

Tang Luo responded calmly, "But for those students already steeped in martial arts doctrines, there’s no need for them to attend the lectures. Starting next month, the lectures will only be open to Ignorant Children below the Mortal Realm."

"Ignorant Children? Could they even understand your teachings, dear?"

Yun Xiu fretted, "Besides, as the esteemed Human King, wouldn’t giving lectures exclusively to children be too much of a waste?"

"To nurture righteousness in the young—that is holy work."

Tang Luo replied with a smile. "This is what truly matters most for Unparalleled Academy; everything else is insignificant."

"Alright then, I’ll go speak with Palace Master Shentu to convey your intent. Next month, we’ll have all the Ignorant Children gather to listen to your lecture."

With that, Yun Xiu rose to change her appearance but was gently held back by Tang Luo.

"No need to be so formal. Just inform the instructors responsible for teaching Foundation Building. Starting next month, institute a monthly day off at the beginning of every month. Let them inform each class that students can choose to rest, visit the city, or attend the upper-level classrooms to listen to the lectures. Make sure to let the children make their own choices without any form of guidance or influence affecting them."

Grasping the woman’s sleeve, Tang Luo solemnly instructed her, word by word.

"If that’s the case..."

Yun Xiu hesitated, urging on behalf of the children, "They’re at an age to play and be mischievous. If you don’t clarify the importance, they’ll all run off to play. All your effort and sacrifice might end up being for barely anyone—a real pity!"

"Attending a lecture is the kind of thing that only sinks in when one genuinely wants to listen, especially for children. So I don’t want to pursue them. I want them to pursue me instead."

Tang Luo laughed and explained, "As for one’s dedication, it’s meant to be wasted. What’s there to pity?"

...

At the Unparalleled Courtyard

The two sect disciples who refrained from joining the heated discussions later had already left the upper-level classrooms and returned to their accommodations. Yet the two who had departed with confidence returned looking utterly dejected.

"Brother (little brother), I just received a message from the sect and need to return briefly. I’ll catch up later."

Both sect disciples bid farewell to each other in unison and hurried back to their respective homes.

Once their doors closed, each grabbed their pens and scribbled furiously before sending their jade slips out.

The shock delivered by this lecture had already surpassed what their martial arts comprehension could digest.

Tang Luo’s teachings nearly overturned the truths they had held as gospel for decades.

At this moment, they urgently needed the senior figures within their sects to provide wisdom and guidance to dispel their confusion.

Among the two true heirs, the one who felt this urgency most profoundly was Zhu Huolong, for he was almost convinced by the Unparalleled Elder’s theory: that demons came first, followed by spiritual energy!

Wushen Mountain is undoubtedly the oldest and longest-standing sect in Xiehe’s martial arts lineage, yet even in their most ancient records, transcendence was achieved through imitation and reverence toward the Demon Race.

The Twelve Ancestor Witches symbolizing the Wushen Mountain’s orthodoxy were human-shaped statues. Yet anyone who had carefully read the sect’s sacred texts knew that the original twelve Ancestor Witches referred to twelve great demons with diverse supernatural abilities.

It was only later, when humanity flourished and the mountain’s shamans mastered sorcery more potent and intricate than primordial demons, that human representations replaced the demonic icons.

So is it fair to say that human transcendence had its earliest origins in demonic beasts?

Zhu Huolong desperately wanted to uncover this answer, his urgency surpassing even his sect’s assigned mission.

Thus, he painlessly condensed his confusion into divine thought etched on a jade slip and quickly dispatched it to Chengzhou.

Meanwhile, in another courtyard, Lei Dong wasn’t as swift. Though he claimed to be contacting his sect, he stood frozen at his desk, holding an open jade slip while his divine thought drifted aimlessly.

This lecture was an unprecedented shock for the true heir of Qiyao Temple.

As someone with "average" martial arts talent, he had already exhausted every effort over the first forty years of his life.

But walking this path dominated by prodigies amounted to throwing everything in with little reward.

It wasn’t so much that Tang Luo had shattered his Dao Heart; rather, Lei Dong had already realized deep within that this was a dead end. Tang Luo simply became the perfect scapegoat.

His mad outburst wasn’t resentment—it was fury at his own inadequacy. More than anything, it was the anguish of abandoning cultivation.

But today, someone suddenly told him that martial arts and cultivation were not the same thing. Now, should he give it a try?

Gripping the jade slip tightly, Lei Dong’s chaotic emotions and flickering gaze betrayed his turmoil.