Chapter 928: The Sect Is a Microcosm of Society
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Han Yang looked at Tan Yunqing and said with a smile, "The result is the only criteria to assess the means. You say that I’m playing with fire. To me, however, reality proves that I have succeeded."
Tan Yunqing looked at him and slowly shook his head and said, "You may have won the bet, but this doesn’t mean that betting is right."
"If we must take risks, then I, as someone who is flexible and brave, will not shy away from taking these risks."
"However, if there’s a plan that’s safer, why must we still take risks? You may have won this time, but this does not mean that you will win every time. This also doesn’t mean that every single one of your risks will pay off. If you lose just once, then the consequences may be very dire."
Tan Yunqing walked before Han Yang and stared at him coldly and said, "Don’t tell me that you will take full responsibility. You are unable to shoulder the responsibilities for many things."
"Like this time. Had you failed, not only would you have endangered yourself, you would have endangered Senior Huang too."
"We have different paths and we have different takes on things. If you want to act alone, I will not interfere. However, if it directly affects someone else, then you cannot simply do things based on what you think is best. This is a principle that our masters and seniors had been telling us since the day we joined the sect. By being so selfish, not only will you hurt yourself but you will hurt other members of our sect too."
Han Yang laughed, turned to look at Tan Yunqing and said, "No, Tan Yunqing. It is you who cannot see the crux of the issue."
He smiled and said, "It is exactly because my partners are you that I trust you guys to catch up with me. Hence, I acted as such. I am confident of your abilities and hence, I believe that my plan is fail-safe."
"Had it been a weaker bunch of seniors and juniors, then I would not have acted in such a manner. If it were Tang Jun or Senior Zhou, or even Senior Liu, I will act in a different way."
Tan Yunqing said coldly, "You are too rash, Han Yang. Even if something can be done with a 90% chance of success, you will try and use the 70% method. If something has a 60% chance of success, you will try a method with 50%. Know that luck will not always accompany you."
Han Yang arched his eyebrows and his gaze became sharp. His gaze pierced into Tan Yunqing’s eyes sharply.
"Tan Yunqing, you still don’t understand," he said calmly. "I won’t deny that my luck is good. However, in any thing we do, luck is hardly the crucial factor. It’s only a matter of how much luck there is."
"Just as you said, my luck won’t be good forever, and hence…" Han Yang smiled coldly and continued, "If I did everything based on luck, I would long have been dead."
Tan Yunqing’s gaze flashed slightly as he stared at Han Yang. Han Yang nodded his head and said, "Now, do you understand? To you, while it may have only a 50-60% chance of success, it has 80-90% chance of success to me."
He laughed softly and said, "Hence, I stand by my original statement. If I dare to do it, it means that I am confident. To you, however, there may be a huge risk. To me, however, it is akin to walking on a flat road with minimal risk."
The two youngsters stood opposite each other and looked at each other straight in the eyes. Han Yang smiled. However, this smile was different from his usual mischievous grins. This time, his smile brimmed with arrogance and sharpness.
"That’s the difference between you and I. That’s also why you can never hope to beat me."
Hearing that, Tan Yunqing’s pupils shrunk.
During the third-sect opening ceremony of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, the three most powerful disciples that joined were Tang Jun, Han Yang and Tan Yunqing.
One of them, Tang Jun, was in the Foundation Establishment stage and hence, his start-point was higher than both Han Yang and Tan Yunqing. Hence, he was always ahead of the rest and he had already formed his Aurous Core by now. His mastery improved even faster than Huang Zhenting, Zhuge Wanqiu and the other disciples that joined the sect before him.
Between the other two, regardless whether it’s mastery of battling abilities, Han Yang was always better than Tan Yunqing.
To the disciplined, cool and collected Tan Yunqing, he did not allow this fact to make him jealous of Han Yang. Instead, the differences between Han Yang and he were purely ideological.
Also, it was also because he was not as strong as Han Yang that made him demand from himself and train even harder so that he could beat Han Yang one day.
On the other side of his cold side, Tan Yunqing was still someone with a desire to win.
However, in every single formal and informal sparring within the sect, Han Yang would always win.
Tan Yunqing looked at Han Yang and said, "Han Yang, you are too conceited and selfish. Your conceit makes you unable to recognize your own faults and your self-centeredness makes you unable to understand others."
Han Yang replied, "The person who cannot understand others is you, Tan Yunqing."
"You said that you are not someone who is inflexible or cowardly. When a risk must be taken, you will take the risk. I believe that. However, Tan Yunqing, you would always try to come up with a perfect plan that you have absolute control over. Only when there’s no choice will you try to take a risk."
"However, nothing in the world goes as planned. As you constantly try to seek perfection and stability, many chances, some of them with 80-90% chance of success, are wasted by you. When you realize that you cannot be 100% certain, you will realize that you only have around 50-60% chance of success, which is lower than the all the opportunities that pass you by."
"At that time, all you can hope for is that your luck is good."
Han Yang laughed softly and continued, "Regardless whether your way is paved by others or yourself, you always prefer to take the path that has been perfectly laid for you. However, what do you do when you reach the edge of a cliff where you have to leap over? Or when there’s no more time left you to continue paving your path?"
Tan Yunqing looked at him sideways and said, "Ice and fire do not mix."
Han Yang’s arrogant look faded and his mischievous smiled returned as he said, "I didn’t start it."
Tan Yunqing shook his head slowly and said, "Sooner or later, you will be in trouble, Han Yang."
Han Yang smiled and said, "Perhaps."
Looking at his detached appearance, Tan Yunqing shook his head and said nothing. This was not the first time he saw this look from Han Yang.
Amongst the second-generation disciples of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, three in particular stood out: Ying Luozha, Han Yang and Huang Zhenting. These disciples broke the most rules.
Zhou Yuncong was not good at interacting with others and also rarely interacted with others. Thus, he did not have much chance to break rules.
Unlike Ying Luozha and Huang Zhenting, who were often punished for breaking rules, Han Yang was rarely punished. This was not because he hardly broke rules but instead, it was because this arrogant young person liked to exploit loopholes.
His understanding of the sect’s rules was in no way to inferior to Tan Yunqing, who was extremely self-disciplined.
However, even Li Yuantang, who was very familiar with the rules too, found it hard to punish Han Yang for anything.
It was because of his existence that the many loopholes later were closed. This amused Han Yang.
When he committed an infraction which he could not avoid the punishment, he would behave properly and show the right attitude. However, no one knew what he was thinking.
When Lin Feng’s Physical Spell Body saw this, he shook his head and laughed, "The same type of rice can truly feed 100 types of people."
The sect was a microcosm of society. Everyone grew up in different environments and had different personalities. Hence, their views on many things were different and differences would surely arise. It was impossible for everyone to truly treat one another with the same amount of love and respect.
Unless they were all brainwashed.
Hence, arguments because of ideological differences within his sect’s disciples did not bother Lin Feng too much as long as they were within limits and did not interfere with the normal functioning of the sect.
Neither Lin Feng, Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi, Li Yuanfang, Luo Qingwu and the others believed in indoctrination. They did their best to ensure that their disciples would not stray, but they did not expect their disciples to be all made from the same mold.
For example, the argument between Han Yang and Tan Yunqing were conducted completely telepathically. Hence, neither the Choucheng nor the Great Zhou Empire would be able to overhear it and laugh at them. Even Chu Yang was deceived.
Other than the other members of the Celestial Sect of Wonders, no one knew that so many things happened in their battle with the Choucheng. Hence, everyone thought that Han Yang and Tan Yunqing had the same plan.
While Han Yang and Tan Yunqing had different views, Tan Yunqing still cooperated when Han Yang chose to attack the Choucheng with his own method by casting the Eight Gates Star-Stabilizing Formation to slow their movements.
At the same time, Han Yang’s plan was to use himself as the bait. He would not allow the Choucheng to target Tan Yunqing, who was the easier target.
To what Lin Feng knew, Han Yang even saved Tan Yunqing saved once during a training conducted outside.
Of course, even that did not change the mutual dislike between the two of them. Tan Yunqing was thankful to Han Yang for saving his life, but he still could not stomach the way Han Yang did things.
However, as long as their competition were healthy, Lin Feng, Li Yuanfang and Luo Qingwu would not intervene. In reality, because of the existence of Han Yang, Tan Yunqing, who was normally a perfectionist, continued to improve and tap on his potential to shine even brighter.
This was something that delighted Lin Feng and the rest.
Han Yang’s mannerism was something that did not sit well with Li Yuanfang. However, Li Yuanfang, who was even calmer than Tan Yunqing, would not deliberate target Han Yang. Of course, he would still punish accordingly whenever Han Yang broke a rule.
The arrogant and free-spirited Han Yang disliked all sorts of rules and restrictions. However, he still respected Li Yuanfang’s orders because he was the epitome of justice.
However, the group of disciples from the River Abode were influenced by Li Yuanfang’s way of thinking. As such, Tan Yunqing’s unhappiness with Han Yang was only representative of their collective distaste.
Here, Lin Feng smiled slightly. He thought of the many cliques that were forming amongst the successive disciples.