The Matchmaker System's task was to create trials for a couple and ensure their story became widely known. The Great Language System's task was to enjoy the art of debate and persuade others to accept one's viewpoint. Lin Bai, seeing readily available targets, decided to combine these two tasks. With so many people in Zhen City watching and Players live-streaming the current battle, the love story of Forget and Zhou Zhu was destined to spread far and wide along with his Milky Way. Killing two birds with one stone.
As for whether other Great Cheng cultivators might interfere during the debate, considering the precedent set by Zhou Zhu and Master Forget, any remaining Great Cheng cultivators would surely have to think twice before making a move! If anyone was truly blind to the situation, he could just toss another red thread…
Is it that simple?
The trial Lin Bai proposed took Master Forget and Zhou Zhu completely by surprise. The cultivation method of Spoken Law Follows was already well-known; it was merely about pushing a certain linguistic context to its extreme through words. Moreover, Lin Bai himself would be the main participant in the dialogue. Those cooperating with him wouldn't suffer any harm and, if they played their cards right, might even hinder his cultivation.
The most crucial point was that Master Forget hailed from the Buddha Spirit Sect and excelled at meditation. Trying to influence a member of the Buddha Spirit Sect through words was a miscalculation on Lin Bai's part.
"Is this true?" Master Forget asked.
"A promise is a promise," Lin Bai chuckled. "Master Forget, I cultivate the Heavenly Dao, and my Spoken Law Follows technique means I abhor going back on my word. Besides, there are so many witnesses down below."
"Very well, I accept." Master Forget glanced towards Zhen City and flew a bit closer to Lin Bai. Although the Milky Way still separated them, being nearer to his beloved gave him a greater sense of peace.
"Buddhist Revival System: Buddha is Enlightened. All sentient beings who attain great wisdom can become Buddhas…"
"Great Freedom Demon System: The demon resides within the heart; it is a trial for all sentient beings. Stepping beyond the Six Realms to test individuals on their cultivation path, it serves as a celestial trial-setter. Detected that the Host possesses the disposition of a Great Devil. Host is expected to soon realize The Way of the Great Devil."
"Initial Mission: Disrupt a cultivator's Dao Heart. Reward: Heart of Sky Demon."
The instant Master Forget drew near, two new systems suddenly appeared in Lin Bai's mind. Or, to be more precise, one new system appeared. The Buddhist Revival System flickered briefly—Lin Bai didn't even get to read its full description—before it fell silent again, replaced by the Great Freedom Demon System.
This bizarre occurrence left Lin Bai speechless. It was one thing for a Buddhist Revival System to pop up when Master Forget appeared, but for it to show up and then retract? What was that supposed to mean? Did it think he wasn't worthy?
And then, for the Great Freedom Demon System to immediately follow was even more insulting, just as humiliating as the Super Villain System.
Judge by actions, not by intentions. He had established the Justice League, regardless of whether it was for self-preservation. The byproducts of the League had spurred civilizational development, improved the common people's quality of life, and drawn the attention of Players and cultivators to him. Surely, that counted as doing good deeds, right?
Great Devil? Pah! Preposterous! He was clearly a genuine, bona fide good person…
"Let's begin!" Master Forget sat cross-legged at the edge of the Milky Way, cleared his mind, and focused all his spiritual energy to face Lin Bai. He had a persistent feeling that things weren't so simple; he needed to be wary of Lin Bai's underhanded tactics.
"Master Forget, may I ask, is a white horse a horse?" Lin Bai moved away from Zhou Zhu, using his Flight Art to hover above the Milky Way as he posed the first question. If one was going to engage in sophistry, it was best to start with familiar territory. Letting Master Forget speak first? Who knew what nonsense he might come up with.
Master Forget was taken aback. "A white horse is naturally a horse."
"I, however, believe that a white horse is not a horse," Lin Bai stated, looking at the stunned Chan Master from afar. He continued, "In this world, horses come in many colors—white, black, red, yellow, all sorts. Master, you agree with this, don't you?"
Master Forget nodded.
"Suppose someone borrowed a white horse from you," Lin Bai went on, "and the next day returned a black horse, telling you it's all the same since they are both horses. Would you agree, Master?"
"Naturally, I would not," Master Forget replied, frowning as he tried to discern the purpose behind Lin Bai's line of questioning.
"Conversely, if one says that 'horse' is equivalent to 'white horse,' and 'horse' is equivalent to 'black horse,' doesn't that imply that 'white horse' is equivalent to 'black horse'? Therefore, 'horse' is not equivalent to 'white horse.' Am I correct?"
Master Forget nodded again.
Lin Bai smiled once more. "Exactly. Since 'horse' is not equivalent to 'white horse,' what is wrong with my statement that a white horse is not a horse?"
Master Forget frowned. "You are engaging in sophistry."
Lin Bai glanced at him. "Master, this isn't sophistry. 'White' refers to color, while 'horse' refers to form. A white horse possesses both color and form, whereas 'horse' can only denote a type of form. Conceptually, the two cannot be equated. You can say a horse *is white*, but you cannot say a white horse *is merely a horse*. From any angle, my viewpoint is logical. Master, am I right?"
Master Forget carefully mulled over Lin Bai's words, finding his logic irrefutable. As a disciple of the Buddha Spirit Sect, failing to best an opponent in logical debate and resorting to mere stubbornness meant defeat. He looked at Lin Bai intently. "You are correct. A white horse is indeed not a horse."
At that moment, he understood what Lin Bai was cultivating with his Spoken Law Follows this time. Looking at Lin Bai, Master Forget smiled faintly. "I believe Lin Bai is a human."
Well, now! He certainly reacted quickly. This was a ploy to make me insult myself!
Lin Bai remained unfazed. "Master, you can say that I am human, but you cannot say that Lin Bai is human. To be precise, 'Lin Bai' is merely a person's name; it is not a human being."
Master Forget looked at Lin Bai and quickly followed up, "Alliance Hierarch Lin, I believe that everything the Justice League does is beneficial to the people."
Having grasped Lin Bai's intent, Forget had no intention of trying to win a debate against him. Lin Bai dared to use him to practice Spoken Law Follows; he must have come prepared. Once the debate began, he would fall into Lin Bai's trap.
Since that was the case, he might as well play along. Lin Bai wanted to argue, didn't he? Then all his propositions would target Lin Bai's weaknesses. If Lin Bai couldn't win the argument, his Spoken Law Follows cultivation would be impeded. If Lin Bai did win, his own Justice League would be negated by his own words. Either way, he wouldn't be the loser!
When Master Forget spoke, everyone understood his intentions.
He Qin, recalling his previous encounter, couldn't help but lament, "I was wrong. I should have been the one to assist the Alliance Hierarch in his cultivation. I was muddle-headed, but how could the Alliance Hierarch also be so confused? He could easily practice Spoken Law Follows with our own people. Letting us bear some slight would be of no consequence. Why did he have to seek out an enemy? An enemy will naturally try every means to obstruct him; how could they possibly go along with his wishes? And to do this in front of so many people…"
Wan Qifeng remarked, "Alliance Hierarch Lin must have his reasons for doing this. They are just commoners; do you really think Lin, the Storekeeper, cares about their opinions?"
Ma Changcheng said worriedly, "Sect Leader Wan, you are mistaken. Master Forget is only targeting the Justice League for now, but there's still a whole day and night left. Now that he's seized this opportunity, do you think he'll let Lin, the Storekeeper, off the hook?"
Wan Qifeng paused, then fell silent.
Jiang Qingqin frowned slightly. "Master is really something. Couldn't we have helped him cultivate? Why did he have to go to Master Forget? We clearly had the advantage. One careless move, and he's thrown away our advantage. Is he testing that old monk, or making things difficult for himself? He could have had the monk fight other Great Cheng cultivators! Why insist on using him to practice Spoken Law Follows? And Spoken Law Follows itself… it feels like it's getting harder and harder."
"Isn't it good that it's becoming more difficult?" Xu Longyun glanced sideways at Jiang Qingqin and said coolly, "Senior Sister Jiang, do you truly expect Master to have a smooth journey all the way to cultivating the Heavenly Dao?"
Her words left Jiang Qingqin stunned. She gave Xu Longyun an odd look, then turned her head away and muttered, "You're right. Why bother cultivating the Heavenly Dao? Being Cupid is actually quite nice. Master clearly has a greater aptitude for the Great Path of Love…"
"'Knowingly walking into the tiger's den.' Interesting." Ye Song stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming faintly. The longer he spent around Lin Bai, the more fascinating he found the Righteous Door. The cultivation of Laws truly followed an unconventional path.
"Not at all," Lin Bai said, looking at Master Forget, internally ecstatic. These were precisely the kinds of statements he enjoyed debating, far more engaging than arguing over something like 'hello.' Master Forget thought he was being clever, seemingly using Lin Bai's own words to discredit the Justice League. Little did he know, the propositions he was making were the exact opposite of Lin Bai's true beliefs. Persuading him would be incredibly easy, even simpler than arguing that a white horse is not a horse. After all, making truth sound false is difficult, but making falsehood sound true is all too easy. As long as he could complete the system's task, what did slandering the Justice League matter? Slandering himself wasn't even an issue…
Ultimately, Master Forget fundamentally misunderstood him, believing he relied on the Righteous Door and the Justice League. He had no idea that Lin Bai's true trump cards were his systems. If the Justice League fell, Lin Bai could form a Dark Justice Alliance in minutes and still attract a massive following…
"When I established the Justice League, my primary aim was self-preservation. Secondly, it was to promote the Laws. It was never truly for the benefit of the people.
"Before the Justice League was founded, the common folk lived in peace and contentment. The Seven Orthodox Sects and the Five Devil Sects coexisted without conflict. But after the Justice League's establishment, turmoil erupted everywhere, and the people knew no peace. While the Path of Laws seems accessible to all, it actually demands genius among geniuses and immense willpower. If farmers cultivate Laws, they neglect their crops. If scholars cultivate Laws, they neglect their studies. If merchants cultivate Laws, they will inevitably harm their businesses. And if cultivators cultivate Laws, they will invariably hinder their own original cultivation…"
Fearing he hadn't been convincing enough, Lin Bai meticulously denigrated himself point by point. After finishing, he even offered a summary: "In conclusion, the establishment of the Justice League has brought nothing but harm and offers no benefits whatsoever. Master Forget, I do not concur with your earlier statement. Do you now agree with my perspective?"
Master Forget was dumbfounded, staring blankly at Lin Bai, unable to process this for a long moment. Of course, everything you just said is correct from that twisted perspective, but you're the Alliance Hierarch of the Justice League! Is it really appropriate for you to speak about your own alliance in such a manner?
"What a brilliant tactic of feigning retreat to advance!" He Qin exhaled sharply. "The Alliance Hierarch appears to be disparaging the Justice League, but in reality, he's cautioning all sentient beings that pursuing the Path of Laws requires one to assess their own capabilities. One must first excel in their primary duties before considering cultivating Laws; otherwise, it will only bring harm to oneself and others. I'm truly impressed."
"But I feel like the Alliance Hierarch is just purely running himself down!" Xin Shang remarked softly. "And he seems to be rather enjoying it."
"That's because your understanding is shallow," He Qin said, looking at Xin Shang with disdain. "Believe it or not, once these words spread, the Alliance Hierarch's prestige will undoubtedly reach even greater heights."
Feng Jing gazed up at Lin Bai in the sky with profound meaning, letting out a sigh of relief. So, Lin Bai hadn't completely lost his conscience after all.
Master Forget felt he had fallen into Lin Bai's trap. After a moment of contemplation, he gestured and said, "Indeed, the Justice League is of no benefit to the people. Alliance Hierarch Lin, would you care to refute that?"
"For thousands of years," Lin Bai began without hesitation, "the Seven Orthodox Sects and the Five Devil Sects have obstructed the paths of advancement for ordinary people. The Justice League shattered the Cultivation World's oppression of the masses, giving them hope. When chaos descended with the arrival of the Sky-fallen, the Seven Orthodox Sects turned their aggression towards the Justice League, disregarding the common folk. The Justice League promotes the Path of Laws. Even if only one person among billions succeeds in its cultivation, they can represent the people, confront this chaotic calamity, and lead the people to save themselves. Someone who rises from the ranks of the common people will naturally view the world and its inhabitants differently than you aloof and superior cultivators. They would not abandon the people…" The Justice Weekly had already exhausted all praises for the Justice League; he didn't even need to think about such questions.
Master Forget looked down at Zhen City. The gazes of the people upon Lin Bai were already filled with reverence. He shook his head, sighed, and interrupted Lin Bai, "Alliance Hierarch Lin, say no more. I believe you. Let us change the subject. I believe the Great Path of Love is real…" Since arguments about the Justice League, whether positive or negative, all seem to benefit you, I will challenge you on your cultivation technique, on your very foundation. Let's see how you handle that!
"It's false," Lin Bai stated. "Throughout history, no one has ever successfully cultivated the Law of Love. Even within the Righteous Door, our understanding of cultivating Laws is merely conjecture. Not even the founding ancestors of the sect could guarantee that the Laws are real. Everything is a step taken in darkness, hoping to find a path to light. How can you, Master, be so certain that cultivating the Love Principle to its end will inevitably lead one to become Cupid? If you truly believe that, Master, then I fear your cultivation journey is destined to halt here."
Master Forget was momentarily speechless. "If it's false, then how do you explain the Milky Way?"
"The Milky Way is the Milky Way," Lin Bai replied. "It has nothing to do with the Law of Love. It is a product of Spoken Law Follows."
"If the Laws are false, then from where does your innocent heart, your deductions, originate? Why does the Justice League constantly assert that cultivating Laws to their conclusion will inevitably lead to their realization?" After several consecutive exchanges where he found himself on the losing end, Master Forget couldn't help but feel agitated. "It was clearly your Justice Weekly that proclaimed the Path of Laws to be absolutely true, that it would replace existing cultivation techniques and usher in the next era!"
"It is mere exploration," Lin Bai chuckled. "The path to truth is precisely a process of verifying falsehoods to find what is real. It is because my Path of Laws might be false that we must strive in every way to find the correct path from within it. There are countless people in this world. If Lin Bai's path is mistaken, perhaps some other ambitious individual will discover the true way. When that time comes, my sacrifice will not have been in vain. Master Forget, do you still believe the Laws are real?"
His argument was virtually unassailable. Qi and blood surged within Master Forget. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then suddenly opened them. "This Poor Monk is a man."
The moment he uttered these words, an uproar swept through Zhen City. Everyone looked at Master Forget with expressions of awe. What a move! To stump Lin Bai, he was willing to put his own identity on the line! A truly ruthless individual!
Alright! He's finally figured it out! Ironclad facts are the most difficult to argue against… However, the task involving Master Forget had already progressed significantly. Lin Bai certainly wasn't going to give up halfway. He looked Master Forget up and down and calmly stated, "No, I believe the Master is a woman."
WHOOSH!
An even greater commotion than before erupted. Some mischievous individuals even started whistling. Zhen City was abuzz with excitement, everyone gazing expectantly at the sky, wondering how Lin Bai would prove that Master Forget was a woman.