...
Seeing Tang San's furrowed brows, Ning Rongrong knew without guessing what he was thinking.
She crossed her arms, pursed her lips, and said, "Little mistress, I can tell from that expression that you're probably muttering some nonsense about conditions not allowing it or your own difficulties."
"If anyone else had said these things to me, I wouldn't have bothered to say a word. But since you, Tang San, said them, I have to say something to you."
Ning Rongrong looked him up and down, her tone full of disappointment:
"It's not like you really lack the potential! Look at yourself, with the Blue Silver Grass, a martial soul universally recognized as a waste across the entire continent, you've managed to cultivate to the Soul Master level of over thirty at this age, and at such a fast pace! With that talent, if you had a slightly better martial soul, you would have taken off long ago!"
"Plus your unpredictable hidden weapon skills and bizarre poison techniques...
If you're willing to put aside your ridiculous pride and find a stable tree to lean on—like my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, or directly join Xuan Hao's Heavenly Fighting Self-Improvement Association."
"As long as you have a powerful backer, your future will be bright! Resources, connections, protection—you'll have everything you need!
Why would you need to worry about this and that every day like you do now?"
Seeing Tang San open his mouth as if to refute, Ning Rongrong immediately interrupted him, speaking rapidly:
"Alright, alright, I know what you're trying to say! You're probably thinking that you're a man, you care about your pride, you want to earn your own living, and that taking shortcuts is wrong and relying on others is shameful, right?"
Ning Rongrong gave a cold laugh.
"But I can tell you this with certainty today.
In this world, people who have shortcuts but stubbornly refuse to take them because they're too proud to do so aren't called principled; they're just plain stupid!"
"What do you think is the most important thing for a person to succeed in this world and reach the top?"
Ning Rongrong stared into Tang San's eyes, "You think it's hard work?
Don't be ridiculous!"
"I'm telling you, it's luck!"
"Life is all about luck from beginning to end!
Your birth is luck, your talents are luck, the environment you live in is luck, and the kind of benefactors or enemies you encounter when you go out is even more of a matter of luck!"
"Even every bottleneck you encounter during your cultivation, every near-death experience, or even surviving a falling rock while walking on the street—that's all luck!"
"Every step you've taken to get to where you are today is the result of countless lucky coincidences.
If you had been even slightly less lucky, you might have choked on a sip of water and died, and you wouldn't have the chance to stand here and talk about ideals and the future."
Seeing Tang San's clearly stunned expression, Ning Rongrong continued to ruthlessly tear away the veil of hypocrisy from this world:
"Therefore, to stubbornly insist on being down-to-earth and rejecting all external assistance is the most ridiculous and self-deceiving thing in the world!"
"What does it mean to be down-to-earth?
Just because you were born the son of a common blacksmith, does that mean you have to be a blacksmith for the rest of your life?
Just because your martial spirit is a blade of grass, does that mean you deserve to be trampled underfoot and never rise again?"
"Mistress, remember this: the rules of this world are always made by the strong, by those in positions of power!"
"If you, someone from the bottom, want to turn your life around, the only way is to break free from the rules specifically designed to restrict you, no matter what! Otherwise, you'll forever be stuck in the circle they've drawn, never able to climb out!"
"Think about it carefully. Since those in power already enjoy all the privileges, how could they possibly allow those below them to easily climb up through so-called hard work and offend their position, and divide up their vested interests?"
"All the dogmas, rules, and even so-called moral bottom lines that are proclaimed in this world are used by those in power to discipline those below them!"
The purpose is to ensure everyone is honest, hardworking, and content to serve as slaves for life, so that those in high positions can enjoy their wealth and comfort for generations to come!
Ning Rongrong snorted coldly.
"If you say taking shortcuts is wrong… then what about those royalty and nobles who are born with everything, including myself, Ning Rongrong?
Isn't our birth the greatest shortcut in the world?!"
"If we really want absolute fairness and hard work, why don't they abandon the protection of their sects and the royal family, go to the fields and the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, and start from scratch?!"
Hearing Ning Rongrong's almost treasonous words, Tang San fell completely silent.
The moral concepts ingrained in my mind seemed to be shattered by this torrent at this moment.
But surprisingly, deep down, he resonated strongly with this cold and cruel ideology!
Yes, what do rules matter? What do honesty and integrity matter?
In his previous life, he was just a low-ranking outer disciple in the Tang Clan of Sichuan.
According to the sect's ironclad rules, he was not even qualified to touch the core blueprints of mechanical hidden weapons in his lifetime, let alone cultivate the "Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record"—an inner sect secret technique!
If he had honestly followed the rules, if he hadn't taken risks and resorted to any means to sneak into the library to steal knowledge, how could he have mastered those astonishing skills?
In contrast, what about the inner disciples?
What about the direct descendants of the elders?
They are born with the privilege of accessing all classic texts, and they are born holding the key to the pinnacle.
But what are they doing?
What do outer disciples like him, who dedicate their lives to the sect with diligence and hard work, ultimately receive in return?
In return, they were trampled underfoot like dogs by those inner disciples, who shouted at them at will, and even their most basic dignity was wantonly trampled on!
Tang San may not have a good background, but as an outer disciple with no background or qualifications, he created the ultimate hidden weapon that no one in the Tang Sect had been able to do for hundreds of years—the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus—through his own hard work!
What about those so-called "geniuses" who have access to all the top resources from birth and are nurtured by their sects with all their might?
What are they doing?!
Aside from flaunting their birth and considering their bloodline superior, they are utterly useless!
A bunch of mediocre people who only know how to occupy positions without doing anything, just because they were born noble, they can comfortably occupy high positions and criticize him, a true genius, for being rebellious.
It's absolutely ridiculous!
Thinking of the scene in his previous life where he was forced to the Ghost's Bane by the elders and jumped off a cliff to prove his resolve, Tang San clenched his fists tightly in his sleeves, his nails digging deep into his palms, and a strong sense of ferocity flashed in his eyes.
On what grounds?
Whether it's the Tang Sect in the past or the Douluo Continent in the present, they are essentially the same.
Why is it that others have top-tier martial souls and the protection of powerful sects, while he can only struggle at the bottom with a useless martial soul, and even has to refuse the shortcut that is right in front of him for the sake of that ridiculous face and pride?
Ning Rongrong is right. The rules of this world are just shackles used to confine the weak!
A burning, resentful fire raged within Tang San's chest, growing ever stronger with each passing moment.
He is not convinced!
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