Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Chapter 1314: Chapter 514: Supreme Quality

Qin De pressed his advantage: "You say ’When desires are unstable, the heart is unstable.’ I say ’When principles change, the heart also changes.’ Using your spear to attack your shield, Mr. Zhao, what do you think?"

Zhao Hansheng remained silent.

Behind him, the other Confucian Cultivators looked at each other, seeing shock on each other’s faces.

Zhao Hansheng originally thought that although Qin De had created the "Saint Thief Scripture," he had been imprisoned for so many years without seeing the light of day. Even if he infused Demonology into the "Saint Thief Scripture," how deep could it really be?

But now, when he made a tentative attack, he was surprised to find that Qin De’s Demonology not only was self-consistent but also had a distinctive depth, like a Cultivation Country with strategic breadth.

Zhao Hansheng’s first round of attack couldn’t even touch the opponent’s depths.

More troubling, Qin De wasn’t speaking in Confucian logic, yet he used Confucian rhetoric at every turn. He was extremely well-versed in traditional Confucianism. Thus, in the second round of debate, he ironically became even more knowledgeable about Zhao Hansheng than Zhao Hansheng was himself.

After failing in the first round of attack, Zhao Hansheng gritted his teeth, changing tactics, as if dispatching another army to attack from the left flank.

"You just said ’Acting upon desires is action.’ I ask you: If acting upon desires is action, then is murder and arson permissible? If actions based on desires lack distinction between good and evil, right and wrong, then how are humans different from beasts?"

"Mr. Zhao, this statement is deeply flawed," Qin De replied slowly, "When did I ever say there was no distinction between good and evil? When did I say there was no division between right and wrong?"

Qin De continued: "Acting upon desires is action—yet actions have good and evil, and desires also have good and evil. Murder and arson are evil desires; evil desires lead to evil actions. This isn’t about lacking distinction between good and evil; rather, it is about desire as action, heart as trace. How are humans different from beasts? Beastly desires are unaware of good and evil; human desires know good and evil and can be guided. This is the difference between humans and beasts; there’s no need for more words."

Zhao Hansheng furrowed his brow, wanting to refute, but needing deep thought.

Qin De didn’t give him time, continuing: "Your Heart Learning teaches ’A single thought in motion is action,’ how is this different from my theory? I merely pushed your theory to its extreme. You consider thought to be action, I regard desire as heart; you establish ’Achieving innate knowledge’ as doctrine, I set ’Achieving desire-heart’ as principle. Same furnace with different fires, same source with different streams, why call it Demon Path?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was deeply shocked.

What a fellow! Speaking like this, Demon Path and Confucianism have become one family!

Zhao Hansheng’s mouth was filled with bitterness.

He was shocked to discover that although Qin De had just come into contact with Heart Learning, after the first round of debate, he had already grasped the essence of Heart Learning.

Every counter-attack from Qin De was using your spear to attack your shield.

This wasn’t a chaotic attack by an amateur; it was a precision strike after knowing oneself and the opponent.

The strength Qin De exhibited far exceeded Zhao Hansheng’s expectations.

But at this moment, Zhao Hansheng had no way out!

Behind him was not only Gu Qing but also Chu Xuangu, Song Taosheng, Situ Gu, and others.

"I cannot retreat!"

"I must win!!"

Zhao Hansheng gritted his teeth, activating Confucian Skills, thoughts electrified, racking his brain, struggling with Qin De.

Zhao Hansheng attempted to find Qin De’s flaws, launching attacks again and again.

Every counter-attack from Qin De was highly effective, keeping him firmly in control during the debate.

Xiao Juxia, who lacked trial opportunities, was already in his rented Cave Mansion, unable to approach the heavy ground of the Cloud Prison. However, having already contacted Qin De, he secretly applied magic, easily observing the entire debate.

Xiao Juxia nodded slightly: "This Qin De is quite good, a promising candidate for cultivating the Demon Path!"

"When I encountered Ning Zhuo, my thoughts stirred, foreseeing that aiding this boy would be beneficial to my goals, ultimately coming down to Qin De."

"How laughable that Zhao Hansheng always underestimated Qin De, not realizing his Demonology comes from the ’Ten Thousand Methods of Falling Demon Technique’! His Demon Path theory is profoundly deep, far surpassing his imagination!"

If Zhao Hansheng chose defense, he could still maintain a standoff, at least without appearing so unsightly.

But he proactively attacked, attempting to dismantle Xiao Juxia’s mastery of Demonology, which was completely beyond his capability!

He himself was the weaker side, with fewer forces. Yet he insisted on attacking the heavily fortified territory of the opponent, naturally reaping no benefit.

The more Zhao Hansheng debated, the paler his complexion became. His forehead was soaked with cold sweat, and his body seemed on the verge of collapsing.

In contrast, Qin De was captivating and eloquent; no wonder he could independently create the "Saint Thief Scripture." Through the debate, his thoughts became increasingly agile, continuously applying knowledge, thus deepening his understanding of the "Ten Thousand Methods of Falling Demon Technique." The deeper the understanding, the more impactful the debate became.

Qin De even covertly restrained his power, deliberately attacking from different angles, sparing the enormous flaws Zhao Hansheng revealed.

He aimed to use this debate to deepen his understanding of the "Ten Thousand Methods of Falling Demon Technique"!

"The young man is teachable!" Witnessing this scene, Xiao Juxia stroked his beard, feeling quite gratified.

"No, I cannot lose!" Zhao Hansheng cried out inwardly, his tension compelling him to clench both fists.

"Desires mustn’t be indulged!" He widened his eyes, staring at Qin De, as if facing a flood monster, "It’s said that the unexpressed emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure are the essence; when expressed, they constitute harmony..."

Gu Qing, also tense and sweating all over, felt invigorated upon seeing this: "The teacher is striking back!"

Qin De quietly listened to the end, then casually replied: "The unexpressed state of anger, sorrow, and pleasure is nature. Nature is principle, principle is desire. The unexpressed when nature and desire are one, when expressed according to measure is principle; when expressed without measure is desire. You divide principle and desire; how can you know that originally there is no distinction?"

Gu Qing was stunned.

Later, Zhao Hansheng countered again: "The human heart is perilous, the path mind is subtle, only with refinement and unity can one hold fast to the center..."