The Urban Dao Child

Yang Dao rode his flying sword after the result was announced and made his way directly to the residence of the sect master, the sovereign palace. The guards all knew his identity and respectfully bowed to him as the boy entered the premises. 

He did not need to ask anyone where to find his "master" he could just tell. It was as if Sun Eckhart was guiding him through his consciousness. After walking through the long corridors he arrived in front of a room. He knocked on the door gently and asked, "Master, may I come in?" 

A calm voice sounded in his consciousness, "Come in, Dao." 

The door opened on its own and Yang Dao entered. He spotted Sun Eckhart sitting on a cushion wearing his similar white clean robes. He took a step forward and bowed to the man. 

Sun Eckhart asked with a smile, "What brought you here today?" 

Yang Dao replied, "Ummm, I beg your pardon if I say something wrong master, but the sect administration system is a bit faulty and can be improved. I do not know if I should relay my thoughts to you." 

Sun Eckhart was surprised and asked, "What do you mean? Elaborate, do not worry if your thoughts can improve the sect then they will all be discussed." 

Yang Dao nodded and said, "Master, right now, a few from the top rank true disciples are allowed to stay here on supremacy. While the general disciples can only visit here for some special event by spending points. I want to ask, is it all because of cultivation talent?" 

Sun Eckhart nodded and said, "Yes, this is the world of cultivation, only the strong can enjoy a few things child. Vanity is not easy to afford." 

Yang Dao replied, "I understand that, Master. But would it be wrong that the sect is like a school which should not only teach you about cultivation but also about moral values between those who study together? So, that they can all develop together and help the sect if any problems occur?" 

Sun Eckhart nodded and asked, "Where are you getting with this? Did you find someone breaking the rules?" 

Yang Dao shook his head and said, "Master, a lot of things happen in the sect, but they all die before the light of truth is shed upon them. There is a saying in medicinal books, rather than dealing with the disease, deal with the cause of it. The cause of all this dark struggle is the administration." 

Sun Eckhart nodded and indicated Yang Dao to carry on. He was aware that the system was not impeccable but how will they abolish these shortcomings, they had no idea. Since this boy had come up with an idea, then let him put it on the table as well. 

Yang Dao nodded and said, "When a farmer cultivates crops, he will not sow the same seed every season. This is done to preserve the nutrition in the land. Sometimes they ever change to less valuable crops in order to help the land regain its nutritional value. If we look at the sect as a crop field. We should also change the crops we sow." 

Sun Eckart was surprised by this simple yet meaningful analogy, he could see where the boy was going but he still wanted to see, how deep his thoughts were. So he asked, "How do you change the crops before they have ripened?" 

Yang Dao said, "We will not change everyone, but only those with defects. What we sow in the sect is a cultivator with good strength both physically and morally. So, we conduct tests on both grounds. If they are discovered to have defects in any aspect then we do not discard them but send them to the refinery, where they can get rid of their defects as much as possible." 

Sun Eckhart smiled and said, "So, in short, we organize exams, where every disciple is tested and then sent out if they fail to meet the requirements. What do we do if they all pass? Will you be able to reward them all?" 

Yang Dao thought for a bit and said, "We can establish a ranking among those who pass, the higher the rank the better the reward. This way we will not have to worry. Also, Master, the test is for everyone, even the elder's council." 

This time, Sun Eckhart really was blown off. He did not expect him to say this. You know, he was also a part of the elder's council and this was akin to him betting on the seat of the sect master and elder supreme. Before he could ask anything, Yang Dao said, "Since prime disciples lead the general disciples by example, why can the elders not lead the other elders by example?" 

Sun Eckhart asked, "What do you mean?" 

The boy replied, "The elders in the sect had a lofty character, while some of them are good and kind to the disciples and help them, some are snobbish. They fear death and greed for life. Such people tarnish the environment and play sneaky moves in the shadows. So, they must be rectified. Also, imagine master, if the elder's council can spar with each other and re-arrange rankings while displaying there might in front of the overlord systems? What will be the effect?" 

Sun Eckhart nodded and Yang Dao continued, "With all this, the level of competition will increase and the level of effort will increase too. So, we will have to keep in mind that excessive load is a bad thing too, that can ruin the prosperity of the sect development. What do you think, Master?" 

The man said, "Give me some time to think about it. This must be discovered in the meeting of the elder's council. I alone cannot take such a big step." 

Yang Dao nodded and asked, "Can I come to the elder's council too?" he did not have any high hopes but Sun Eckhart nodded to him with a smile. 

He said, "You can but do not speak until you are asked to. Also, what is discussed in the council hall, must stay inside the council hall. Okay?" 

Yang Dao nodded his head like a chick pecking the grains. Sun Eckhart nodded and thought for a bit, then he waved his hand and the next thing Yang Dao noticed was that the room around him has changed. 

He was now standing in a brightly lit hall. The walls were covered with white marbles, with smoky black streaks on them. In the center of the hall, a big table was placed. At this moment, a few elders were sitting in chairs, they stood up. Yang Dao could recognize three of them very well, the rest were a bit unfamiliar so the boy stood behind Sun Eckhart in silence. 

Jing Shui noticed Yang Dao and with a faint smile she asked, "What is our future alchemist doing in the elder's meeting?" 

Yang Dao smiled faintly and bowed to everyone, "Disciple Yang Dao greets elders. Junior came here to witness the meeting and enrich my knowledge." 

The elders saw his attitude was polite but not bootlicking and they nodded to him. Sun Eckhart walked to the central chair and sat down. He gestured and the rest of the elders also sat down. Yang Dao stood beside Sun Eckhart in silence. 

After the daily propaganda, the sect master spoke, "I have something to propose..." 

Then he continued to describe the ideas put forward by Yang Dao. The elders were surprised and they all were interested. After Sun Eckhart was done speaking, Jing Shui spoke first, "Say, Dao, what will those who do not pursue the path of martial arts do? For example alchemists, Literacy Dao, etc?" 

Yang Dao smiled and said, "Everyone has the power to defend themselves. Literacy Dao is when the cultivators can invoke the power of the words they comprehend and defeat the other people. While those with formations can use array disks to confuse the enemy and fight. Alchemists go out to seek rare natural heavenly treasures and always face against spirit beasts at least two more times stronger than a human. How can you say that they are at disadvantage? 

The martial path is limited, once you take a step in a certain direction, you will have to pick up a lot of auxiliary branches in order to excel in that direction. For example, if I use a sword, then I need to learn speed, strength, endurance, comprehend sword intent. Martial arts is at a disadvantage Elder Jing Shui. However, only those with a strong will can purpose it in the face of overwhelming odds." 

His answer left all the people speechless. One of the elders commented, "You changed the view of this old man, making me realize that we have been underestimating the potential of our own dao. You have my gratitude. I am in favor of his proposal." 

Following that, all the elders voted in favor and the official announcement was sent out. Sun Eckhart wanted to disclose to everyone that this was Yang Dao's suggestion, but the boy said, "I have too many problems Master. Please do not send this weak child in front of these tigers." 

Sun Eckhart chuckled and then things kicked off.. The next morning the whole sect was shocked and they all looked forward to the timing of these examinations.