Chapter 53: Lin Ao Tian: Watch How the Rice Sage of Earth Stuns You!

Thinking of this.

Lin Ao Tian smiled, shook his head calmly, and said with deep eyes, “This path may be difficult for others, but it’s simple for me.”

“And this isn’t my path; it’s the path of the person I respect the most. As an unworthy junior, I just want to continue his path in this world!”

…

As he spoke these words, Lin Ao Tian’s eyes held genuine reverence and respect.

Liu Ruyan listened silently, not thinking he was arrogant but rather believing he truly had such confidence.

After all, she could see that Lin Ao Tian was genuinely acting like an ordinary person with no difference.

Even washing hands and pouring wine, he did himself.

He had entered the mundane very perfectly.

However, seeing his expression of respect, she became interested in the sage he mentioned.

Who could make such a talented genius adopt such a posture?

She could tell Lin Ao Tian wasn’t lying; that kind of reverence wasn’t faked.

Even in front of her, Lin Ao Tian stayed calm. Although respectful, it was far less compared to the sage he mentioned.

Ji Yue’er and Jiang Luoli were equally amazed.

It was the first time they saw Lin Ao Tian like this.

In the previous life, Lin Ao Tian had never shown such reverence to anyone.

This made them wonder who the sage was.

They couldn’t help but speculate.

Then, Liu Ruyan asked, “The sage?”

“Lin Yindao?”

Lin Ao Tian shook his head calmly.

“He’s not worthy!”

Next, countless immortal patterns swirled in Liu Ruyan’s eyes as she tried to deduce.

Everything was in chaos.

She was bewildered.

Are there so many people in Tianxuan Three Thousand Continents hard to deduce today?

After thinking for a while, Liu Ruyan spoke again.

“The sage you follow must be of a high realm then.”

“Immortal? Or one of the ancient emperors?”

In her context, ancient emperors refer to supreme beings of this world.

Not Immortal Emperors.

It’s known that in this world now, in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, there are no Immortal Emperors…

Even their relics are hard to find.

“You’re thinking on too small a scale.”

Lin Ao Tian said with a faint smile.

Liu Ruyan paused.

Could it be that he’s an Immortal King?

Or a Quasi-Emperor?

Just as the three women pondered, Lin Ao Tian spoke.

He smiled slightly and began calmly.

“There’s no need to overthink it. That sage is just an ordinary mortal.” Changing his tone, Lin Ao Tian’s eyes filled with fervor, “But to me, he is the most respectable sage in the world!”

“Mortal?”

Liu Ruyan was surprised.

Ji Yue’er and Jiang Luoli were even more shocked.

A mortal?

Ao Tian brother has such respect for a mortal?

Then, Ji Yue’er couldn’t help but ask, “Ao Tian brother, who is he?”

Lin Ao Tian looked at the cup of rice wine before him and sighed gently.

“He doesn’t belong to this world.”

Hmm?

What does he mean?

The women became even more intrigued, Liu Ruyan for the first time showing great curiosity.

No wonder I couldn’t deduce it.

Not from this world.

This…

Lin Ao Tian didn’t notice the women’s reactions, instead looking at the rice wine in his cup.

The crystal-clear rice floated in the wine.

“The highest good is like water.”

“Water benefits all things without striving.”

“Thus nearly attaining the Way.”

“That sage was the same, benefiting the world’s beings without seeking fame or gain, only following his Dao earnestly.”

“Thus, later generations revered him as the Rice Sage!”

Liu Ruyan appeared puzzled.

Rice Sage?

Ji Yue’er and Jiang Luoli also looked confused.

Lin Ao Tian suddenly lifted his head, golden rice scenes flickering in his mind, with an elderly figure among them, hunched over, inspecting each grain with unwavering determination.

“Do you know what it feels like for mortals to go hungry?”

Mortals going hungry?

Ji Yue’er and Jiang Luoli looked contemplative.

They were heaven’s favored daughters, born into extremely powerful, long-living families.

Even among numerous cultivators, they were envied.

In their daily life, they rarely encountered mortals.

Only occasionally when they traveled through the world did they come into contact with mortals.

Even then, the mortals they met were like emperors among humans, never ones who went hungry.

This feeling, they naturally didn’t know.

Liu Ruyan’s gaze, however, was calmer.

She had cultivated into human form from a willow tree, a difficulty unimaginable to others.

Before becoming a Supreme Immortal King, she too had traveled the mortal world.

She had seen much human suffering, sometimes saving people when she could.

The concept of mortals going hungry was not unfamiliar to her.

She remained silent, wanting to hear Lin Ao Tian continue.

Seeing Liu Ruyan silent, Lin Ao Tian continued, “This Tianxuan Continent is vast, and just the Eastern Wilderness Ancient Continent has hundreds of billions of mortals, with tens of thousands of kingdoms.”

“Constant warfare means new kings rise and old kingdoms fall every year.”

“High-ranking cultivators can only watch helplessly at these scenes, unable to intervene.”

“In the chaos of war, countless civilians are displaced, suffering from hunger and cold, sometimes even resorting to cannibalism in extreme cases.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan’s eyes deepened, as if recalling past events.

What Lin Ao Tian said was true!

In fact, he had understated it.

Only those who had truly seen war knew how brutal it was.

“Ao Tian brother, why do such things happen?” Ji Yue’er asked, still startled by the mention of cannibalism.

Then she added, “If it’s due to war, couldn’t a Saint unify these mortals?”

“Impossible!” Jiang Luoli frowned and shook her head.

“As Lin Lang said, mortals are too numerous and reproduce quickly. If unified, their numbers would multiply geometrically in a short time.”

“Once, a supreme tried to unify mortals in a continent. Within a century, the number of mortals increased dozens of times, consuming all the food of that supreme’s family.”

“In the end, the supreme had to give up. Continuing would mean insufficient food for the continent, leading to even larger wars!”

Listening to her explanation, Ji Yue’er suddenly understood.

Lin Ao Tian just nodded slightly.

“Correct!”

“War is the biggest reason, but not the only one. If a cultivator breaks through in a continent, the resulting celestial phenomena could greatly impact the mortal world, causing droughts, floods, volcanic eruptions, and more.”

“Should such things happen, their crops for that year would be ruined. Since each person’s allotted land produces limited rice, there wouldn’t be much saved. Once it’s gone, they’d go hungry…”

Saying this, Lin Ao Tian couldn’t help but feel deep sadness.

Then he sighed softly, “I’ve seen villages where the elderly, even if healthy, were sent to isolated mountains to die once they reached a certain age.”

Listening to his words.

Ji Yue’er and Jiang Luoli fell silent.

…

TLN : LET HIM COOK HAHAHAHA, Ao Tian is cooking some bed time story.