The Woodcutter Sage accepted his bow with calm composure and said, "I haven't taken many disciples. In the past, I taught princes and crown heirs, but they didn't need to formally acknowledge me as their master. So, my only formal disciples are you and your First Senior Brother. Compared to him, you still seem a bit green—there's much you need to learn. I'm not teaching you to be crooked, only to avoid being taken advantage of."
Quinn Shepherd blinked, finding that the Woodcutter Sage felt less like a saintly teacher and more like one of the old men from Oldridge Village.
"Saint Teacher, what exactly is a saint?" Quinn asked.
"A saint is a state of mind."
They arrived at the base of the Execution Platform. The Woodcutter Sage studied the mountain, speaking unhurriedly: "I once told your First Senior Brother, to become a saint one must establish three things: words, transformation, and merit. Achieving these three brings one's state of mind to great heights—no one can rival it in that regard. A saint must have words; with words, one can establish transformation, teach and enlighten the masses, transmit the dao, resolve doubts, clear thorns, and open a broad path."
Quinn was stunned and blurted out, "Establish transformation? Isn’t that just founding the Cult of the Heavenly Saint and spreading the dao?"
The Woodcutter Sage shook his head. "It’s not founding a sect—it’s establishing transformation. Founding a sect is shallow; it leads to sectarian strife and disputes over doctrine, which undermines the foundation of establishing words. Isn’t that ruining your own roots? So when you call yourself Cult Master of the Heavenly Saint, I know your First Senior Brother’s path has likely gone astray."
Quinn’s mind buzzed. He suddenly recalled all the past Cult Masters of the Heavenly Saint lingering in Nether City, and couldn’t help but imagine them weeping with regret.
They had always taken pride in being Cult Masters of the Heavenly Saint, never realizing that, in the Woodcutter Sage’s eyes, their path was mistaken.
The Woodcutter Sage walked along the mountain, occasionally picking up massive boulders and melting them with his magic. He transformed them into stone pillars covered in raised patterns, arranging them in a mysterious formation at the foot of the mountain.
"Establishing transformation means reforming education, founding academies, spreading talents, doing real work, and researching dao-arts and divine abilities to serve the daily needs of the people."
He spoke gently, refining the teleportation pillars as he explained to Quinn, "If the state is weak, then reform its laws to strengthen it."
His refining technique wasn’t more sophisticated than the Mute Smith’s, but it was extremely swift. He inscribed the teleportation spell’s runes as marks, branding them onto each stone pillar.
"If the people are weak, then spread the dao to benefit them and strengthen the populace."
"If the army is weak, then reform weapons to strengthen the troops."
"If the ruler is muddle-headed, then remonstrate once, laying out the stakes and urging him to change. If he won’t, remonstrate again. If he still refuses, depose him and establish a new ruler."
"If heaven has no dao, then reform heaven’s law to suit the world. If heaven won’t change, seek transformation through reform. If it still won’t change, cut down heaven and establish the dao."
......
He spoke in detail, unknowingly having walked most of the way around the mountain’s base.
Quinn listened intently, memorizing every word. When the Woodcutter Sage finished explaining his ideals, Quinn suddenly asked, "Saint Teacher, these requirements for a saint are so demanding. Thinking back on everyone I’ve ever met or heard of, no one could meet them. Can you do all this yourself?"