Literature Carries the Dao

Inside the thatched academy.

"Heaven and Earth, Mysterious and Yellow, Universe Vast and Desolate, Sun and Moon Wax and Wane, Stars and Constellations Arrayed."

A group of children were reciting the Great Zhou Thousand Character Classic.

Among these children, the youngest was five years old, and the oldest was sixteen.

Shi Yi stood among them, head and shoulders above the rest, as his height had surpassed that of his teacher, Lou Xuanming.

Shi Yi recited along. He had already memorized all these characters, or rather, he had memorized them after the first day of reciting them together.

However, the Thousand Character Classic only covered basic and commonly used characters; many characters were not included.

Within the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were a total of 13,645 recorded characters, with uncommon and obscure characters making up 80% of them.

This number was slightly less than the over 100,000 Chinese characters in Great Xia.

It wasn't that the Central Great World lacked the accumulation of knowledge, but rather that the writing system of this world was somewhat special.

"Writing carries the Dao" was not just a saying; every character held special significance and bore the weight of civilization's history.

In the Central Great World, throughout history, those who could create new characters and define them were all earth-shattering figures, destined for eternal fame.

This information was what Lou Xuanming shared during his lessons.

Shi Yi had also specifically inquired about the great figures who created these characters.

Lou Xuanming mentioned names like the Sage Emperors of antiquity and the Sages of old. Shi Yi had never heard of any of them.

But seeing the reverence in Lou Xuanming's eyes as he spoke their names, Shi Yi knew these individuals must have been monumental figures in this world's history. He silently committed their names to memory.

This also reminded Shi Yi of Cangjie, the ancestral master from the Five Emperors era of Great Xia, who, like him, possessed the Double Pupils and was the creator of primitive hieroglyphic characters.

If his predecessors could achieve such a feat, he should be able to do the same upon arriving in this world.

The words "Sages of old" lingered in Shi Yi's mind for a long time.

"That's all for today's lesson. You may return the morning after tomorrow."

Lou Xuanming spoke slowly after the children finished reciting the Thousand Character Classic.

The elementary education here was not conducted daily; there was usually a day's break in between, and the students were expected to utilize this time for self-study.

Those who wished to learn would use this time to consolidate what they had learned and practice calligraphy.

"A person's character is reflected in their writing" was a widely accepted saying.

"Thank you for your hard work, teacher!"

After bowing to their teacher, everyone began to pack up and leave.

"Teacher."

Shi Yi did not leave with the others but followed Lou Xuanming into the study.

"Shi Yi, you've been learning very quickly these past few days, which is excellent. However, you must maintain a stable mindset."

"Being too impatient with your studies can be detrimental to learning."

Lou Xuanming looked at Shi Yi and spoke slowly.

He saw that Shi Yi had mastered the Thousand Character Classic in just a few days, with both recitation and writing no longer being an issue, which indicated Shi Yi's strong learning ability.

Even if Shi Yi had some prior knowledge and a stronger temperament than other ordinary children, achieving this level was beyond what ordinary people could do.

At least among the students he had taught, none could match Shi Yi's learning pace.

A good memory was indeed very helpful for studying.

"Here is the 'Great Zhou Myriad Character Classic,' which records all the characters of Great Zhou."

"I have provided annotations within. Following the method of recognizing characters that I taught you, you should be able to recognize most of them."

"You can take it back to copy. If you encounter any characters you still don't understand, you can come and ask me."

Lou Xuanming took out a thick book, one he had read many times. It contained numerous annotations he had made, with different annotations appearing at different times of reading.

He only brought it out because Shi Yi wanted to learn more characters.

He did not give the book to Shi Yi because books were precious, especially those with annotations.

Among scholars, giving away annotated books was usually reserved for those with very close relationships.

Lou Xuanming allowing Shi Yi to copy it was already a significant gesture.

The era of the Central Great World was different from that of Great Xia on Earth, and their attitudes towards books were also different.

"Thank you, teacher."

Shi Yi accepted the 'Great Zhou Myriad Character Classic' and expressed his gratitude.

There were techniques to literacy, and once these techniques were mastered, learning became much simpler!

The Thousand Character Classic was sufficient for common use, but for Shi Yi, it was not enough. This was because both the cultivation technique he held from the Five Tigers Gang and the characters within the Bodhi seed contained many characters not found in the Thousand Character Classic.

Therefore, Shi Yi needed to continue studying the 'Great Zhou Myriad Character Classic.'

"You are my student, and it is my responsibility to teach you to read."

"Even if you walk the Martial Path in the future, you should still read more. Reading can clear the mind, enlighten reason, and broaden your horizons."

"The famous Martial Path experts within the Great Zhou Dynasty have all read extensively."

Lu Feng didn't try to persuade Shi Yi to abandon his Martial Path cultivation and pursue scholarly endeavors instead.

Everyone has different choices. Forcing one's own will upon others will only lead to dislike.

If Shi Yi truly enjoyed reading, he wouldn't abandon it even if he didn't say so; he would dedicate himself to his studies.

"Your student understands."

Shi Yi nodded solemnly.

Afterward, Shi Yi left with the "Great Zhou Thousand Character Classic" and headed to the Anyang Martial Arts School.

Since breaking through to the Blood Essence Realm, his daily cultivation no longer required him to go to the front courtyard's training grounds. He could arrange his own schedule or go to the back courtyard for practice.

In the back courtyard of the Anyang Martial Arts School, there was a dedicated area for disciples like him to cultivate.

Compared to Shi Yi's living quarters, the cultivation area in the back courtyard was more spacious, so Shi Yi practically always went there to practice.

Not long after Shi Yi arrived at the back courtyard to cultivate, Zhao Cheng hurried over.

"Junior Brother Shi Yi, come with me to see Master."

Zhao Cheng pulled Shi Yi away.

This left Shi Yi feeling bewildered, unsure of what was happening.

"Master, someone from the Divine Capital Divine Constabulary has arrived. They say a Buddhist Treasure has been lost nearby and have asked the town magistrate to arrange for people to assist them in the search."

"The town doesn't have many people, so the town magistrate has asked our martial arts school to arrange for two people to help."

Zhao Cheng arrived at the pavilion where Lu Feng was and explained his purpose.

"Since it's the town magistrate's request, our martial arts school will arrange for you and Shi Yi to go."

Lu Feng said slowly after hearing Zhao Cheng's words.

Unlike Shi Yi, who was content to read and practice martial arts within Anyuan Town and paid no mind to outside affairs, Lu Feng was aware that many things had been happening lately. Some of these events hadn't spread within Anyuan Town, and ordinary people were unaware, but he had his own channels of information and knew the general situation.

Therefore, upon hearing Zhao Cheng's words, he understood the general circumstances.

The various martial arts schools in Anyuan Town had connections with the local government and sometimes assisted them with tasks.

He wasn't surprised that their martial arts school was approached for this matter of finding the Buddhist Treasure.

"Shi Yi, you haven't undertaken this kind of task before. Learn from your Senior Brother Zhao Cheng this time."

Lu Feng looked at Shi Yi and said.

After breaking through to the Blood Essence Realm, one could continue to practice at the martial arts school free of charge, but they were also required to help the school with certain tasks.

Some tasks came from the government, while others were based on personal connections, requiring them to lend a hand.

"Yes, Master. I will learn diligently from Senior Brother Zhao Cheng."

Shi Yi nodded solemnly upon hearing this.