The System Identifies Supreme Emperors as Ants, I Crush Them Instantly with One Punch - Chapter 8:

Chapter 8: The Analects

Inside the bamboo house, everyone racked their brains, trying to figure out how to express their understanding of virtue.

Only Qin Tian wrote rapidly, his brush flying without pause.

Two hours—neither long nor short—but The Analects had over ten thousand characters, and Qin Tian couldn’t stop writing at all.

His swift and powerful writing astonished many. They stared, wondering if they were seeing things. Did a virtue exposition really require that much?

Some disciples who had written only a hundred words or so began to doubt themselves, wondering if they had written too little.

“What a clown. Understanding of virtue isn’t about piling on empty words,” the Golden-Haired Youth scoffed inwardly. But afraid of Qin Tian’s ruthlessness, he didn’t dare speak up.

Two hours passed in a flash.

Qin Tian shook his hand. If he hadn’t had some cultivation strength, he might not have been able to finish it.

Not knowing how to explain virtue himself, he had simply relied on The Analects.

Most held a single sheet of paper—two at most. Only Qin Tian held a thick stack.

“This brat… what does he think this is? He wrote a whole book?” the Great Elder couldn’t help but complain.

“Maybe his understanding is broader,” the Sect Master actually found it admirable. It was good to express one’s thoughts boldly.

The corners of the other elders’ mouths twitched. They had seen many try to express their understanding of virtue, but this was the first time someone practically wrote a book.

The 400+ disciples vanished once again. This time, they appeared in the Sect Hall.

Originally, the elders would select disciples based on both the second and third tests.

Now that the second test had been canceled, their decisions would be based solely on this final one.

The Absolute Righteous Sect inherited the path of the Sage of Confucianism. The deeper one’s understanding of virtue, the more they aligned with the sect’s ideals.

This third test was both a trial and an evaluation—it was the key to standing out.

Talent revealed potential, but comprehension couldn’t be tested directly. It could only be inferred from one’s behavior.

Over 400 disciples stood in the great hall.

Besides the Sect Master, Vice Sect Master, and Great Elder, the remaining nineteen elders all sat upright, exuding the grand presence of the Absolute Righteous Sect.

“Young ones, this is the final trial. Whether you can become a personal disciple depends on your explanation of virtue,” the Great Elder stood up and explained the rules.

Being accepted as an elder’s disciple meant elevated status within the sect—it was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

If no elder chose them, they’d be assigned to a peak and taken in by a steward or senior disciple.

If no one took them in at all, they’d simply follow the sect’s general arrangements and attend public lectures.

The sect regularly scheduled teachings from stewards and elders. But a disciple’s future achievements under that path depended entirely on their own efforts.

The Absolute Righteous Sect didn’t have the most disciples among the Six Great Blessed Lands, but it still had tens of thousands.

That was the result of years of accumulation.

Those who carved Immortal Markings could live up to 200 years, and over time, the number of disciples steadily grew.

Qin Tian scanned the crowd. Most elders appeared middle-aged. After stepping onto the immortal path, maintaining one’s appearance wasn’t difficult, but wrinkles were still visible. Clearly, they hadn’t kept themselves young for hundreds of years.

“Greetings to the Sect Master and honored elders!” Some socially savvy disciples knelt and bowed immediately. The others followed suit.

“Very good. A teachable bunch,” the Great Elder nodded in approval. Courtesy was also something the Absolute Righteous Sect highly valued.

While everyone else bowed, Qin Tian was trying to use the System to assess their cultivation.

[Ding! A group of old men with frail bodies. Not worth wasting effort.]

“What?” Qin Tian was stunned. These people looked like refined immortals. The Great Elder had just shown up—how could they be old and weak?

Was the damn System malfunctioning?

Or… were these elders just too strong for the System to scan?

Qin Tian figured it was the latter. The System couldn’t be faulty. He just knew nothing about cultivation yet—not even the realms.

The Great Elder’s gaze fell on Qin Tian. This guy… everyone else was showing respect, and he was just glancing around.

“You, young man. You go first. Bring up your… book,” the Great Elder said.

“What book? I didn’t write a book.”

“That thick stack of yours—if it’s not a book, what is it? You’ll be the first to be assessed.”

“How about someone else goes first? It’s only right to be humble,” Qin Tian said, feeling unsure. Honestly, he had only written what he remembered of The Analects from the internet in his past life. Thanks to his clear memory now, he could reproduce the full text. But he couldn’t really explain what many of the lines meant.

“Excellent. You understand the virtue of humility. A fine young man,” Second Elder Yu Xingxue praised.

“In that case, let someone else go first,” she added.

The other elders nodded in approval. This was very much in line with the Sage’s teachings.

The Great Elder’s mouth twitched hard, nearly pulling his ears. His lips moved, but in the end, he stayed silent, his face full of speechless frustration.

If they knew that Qin Tian once nearly killed someone over a harsh word, what would they think?

“Very well. Who wants to go first?” the Great Elder scanned the crowd.

“I will,” Cang Lanxing stepped forward. Dressed in black with a cold expression, he was like a frosty mountain that discouraged all approach.

“Tell us your understanding of virtue,” the Great Elder said gently, signaling him to begin.

“Feels like a job interview,” Qin Tian muttered to himself. “He only wrote a bit… how’s he going to read it all?”

Suddenly, he regretted writing so much. He should’ve just picked a few key ideas.

“Disciple believes that virtue is an inner cultivation—it is kindness, integrity, and tolerance,” Cang Lanxing said calmly, with only that one sentence, yet it shocked the elders.

The Great Elder nodded in praise, “Well said. Virtue is kindness, integrity, and tolerance. All things in the world are different—some strong, some weak. The strong must show kindness to the weak. As humans, we must act with integrity and be tolerant toward those beneath us.”

“Indeed excellent. This young man may appear cold, but his grasp of virtue far exceeds the ordinary. How about joining my sect?” Second Elder Yu Xingxue offered.

“Nonsense. He should join mine,” Fifth Elder interrupted.

To possess such deep insight into virtue promised great future potential—regardless of his talent.

“He’s a disciple of the Cang family from the Central South. His talent surely isn’t lacking,” Fifth Elder thought.

“Fifth Elder never moves unless there’s profit. He only takes in high-talent disciples. Something’s fishy,” Sixth Elder also chimed in. “Why not come under my guidance instead?”

“Enough. The assessment isn’t finished yet, and you’re already fighting over disciples. What kind of example is that?” the Vice Sect Master scolded sternly.