Preaching, Teaching, Resolving Doubts

For the people of Tao County, the past few days had been more surreal than the decades of life they had lived before.

First, rain fell from a clear sky.

Then came the Heaven and Earth Phenomenon.

And before they knew it, the distant, almost unreal figure of His Majesty the Emperor had arrived at South Mountain.

Even more unbelievable... Tao County had actually produced a Sage.

No one knew what had truly happened on South Mountain.

The imposing Imperial Guards cut off all prying eyes.

All people knew was that after a conversation whose details remained unknown, countless fast horses carrying command flags raced out from South Mountain in every direction.

Then, news that "Mr. Lin" planned to open a lecture hall on South Mountain spread through the entire small city.

And that was only the beginning.

The whole message was like a single pebble, dropped into a still lake on this unremarkable day, stirring up endless ripples.

Soon, more and more news began pouring into the tiny county seat.

"The Imperial Guards have set up camp at the foot of South Mountain."

"His Majesty the Emperor didn't even return to the city—he's staying down there."

"Not only that, I hear several of the accompanying court ministers are waiting there too, saying they want to be the first batch of students."

"Students? Surely... that Mr. Lin wouldn't dare accept His Majesty as a disciple?" someone said in clear disbelief, though the speaker had never seen the ruler either.

"What's impossible about that? He's a Sage..." another voice marveled.

"But... can a Sage really be that young?"

In tiny Tao County, over tea and after meals, talk like this fell as thick as snowflakes.

Even now, some still couldn't believe what they saw with their own eyes.

Until the Imperial Guards, with their troops, openly carried away large quantities of tables and chairs from the city.

Until rows of military camps really did rise at the foot of South Mountain.

"Good thing I prepared, or I wouldn't have been able to hold those people down."

At Lishan Martial Arts School.

Lin Tuo switched his consciousness back to his main body, rubbed his face, then stood up. He glanced at the Sandbox continent and couldn't help muttering to himself.

Thinking back to the scene just now, he had actually been a little nervous.

Though he had set up several layers of groundwork beforehand, proving himself before a ruler and his ministers wasn't something a simple appearance could accomplish.

After all, these people weren't stupid.

After having the Imperial Guards relay his message, the young emperor had brought several high-ranking ministers up the mountain to visit. Lin Tuo had no choice but to put on airs and hold a conversation with him.

Along the way, he used the prepared materials to give them a lesson, showing off some genuine knowledge.

Lin Tuo had even planned that if they still weren't convinced or couldn't understand, he would stage another "Heaven and Earth Phenomenon."

Fortunately, those contingency plans never had to be used.

Emperor Chi and those ministers were far sharper than he had imagined. Even though Lin Tuo only showed them the tip of the iceberg, most of them didn't fully grasp it either.

But that didn't stop them from recognizing the value of that knowledge.

"Learning a new body of knowledge requires a sufficiently sharp mind. I hope they can find enough smart people quickly—or at the very least, enough people to write things down."

Lin Tuo's plan was simple: use the lingering prestige of the Heavenly God to open a lecture hall, have the Chi Kingdom Ruler send over enough talented people capable of learning.

Then, he would transfer the knowledge to them himself.

In doing so, he would advance the development of human society within the Sandbox.

It might not succeed, but it was worth a try.

"I just hope this generation's ruler can live up to expectations. After all, given the current state of Chi Kingdom, the safest approach is still top-down reform."

As it turned out, this generation's ruler lived up to expectations even more than Lin Tuo had anticipated.

And he was even more serious.

Over the next two days, not a single moment of peace settled over Tao County.

Probably intent on squeezing every bit of knowledge out of this Sage, with Lin Tuo's tacit approval, the Chi Kingdom Ruler waved his hand and immediately ordered the expansion of the school.

The entire Tao County, and even the entire prefectural city, was shaken.

In just two short days, a flat expanse had been carved out below that rundown academy on Nanshan, with thousands of desks and chairs transported there and arranged in neat rows—a truly spectacular sight.

At a rough glance, the seating alone could accommodate at least a thousand people listening simultaneously.

At the same time, carriages and horses came pouring in from all over the kingdom.

Countless scholars, traveling from every corner of the land.

Among them were those from Kyoto, who had journeyed day and night without rest—Imperial Academy students, members of various schools of thought, and already-renowned scholars.

Others, having heard of the Sage's lecture, funded their own travel from prefectural cities to attend.

Some rode alone on swift horses; others came in groups.

No one was willing to miss the chance to hear a Sage lecture. Whether or not they could learn anything, merely participating in this event was an honor worth remembering for a lifetime.

For the people of Tao County, sitting by the teahouse window and watching scholars pour in from across the kingdom became a source of great amusement:

"Is that the Seven Sages of Mingzhou?"

"The Great Scholar of Dongliang!"

"The Top Scholar of Nanjiang!"

"Even the Little Poetry Immortal of Kyoto has come?"

"And that... could that be the former Prime Minister, who retired from office?"

Tao County was small, but it was not without knowledgeable people. As one renowned figure after another—great names that shook the kingdom—arrived, even the most composed could no longer stay calm.

Scholars from Tao County and the surrounding areas, taking advantage of their geographical proximity, had already secured their seats.

It was known that the Sage did not forbid auditing, and the reigning emperor seemed pleased with the arrangement. Though most of the "front-row" good seats had long been allocated.

But Nanshan was vast. Even if one couldn't get a desk or chair, bringing a stool, a cushion, or simply sitting on the ground was still an option.

In this strange and restless atmosphere, time arrived at the third day.

The day Nanshan Academy was to begin its lecture.

When the rising sun once again lit up the mountain ridges.

Nanshan, from top to bottom, was packed with a dense, impenetrable crowd of people.

The thousands of desks and chairs were already filled with "students"—some old, some young, some holding official positions, some renowned in the wilds.

Beyond them, packed tightly together, sat people on cushions who hadn't managed to get seats.

At the foot of the mountain, the Imperial Guards' banners fluttered, majestic and imposing.

A mountain breeze swept through, rustling the blank sheets of paper laid out on the desks and chairs, turning them over like waves of snow.

The area closest to the academy gate was occupied by the young emperor and the kingdom's high ministers. Compared to the rest, this area was more solemn, more dignified.

Everyone sat upright, robes neatly arranged.

Until the academy gate was pushed open from within, and Lin Tuo slowly walked out of the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over the thousands upon thousands of scholars covering the mountain.

The mountain wind suddenly ceased.

In the distance, the low murmur of conversation instantly fell silent. In this crude gathering of ten thousand people, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Ahem." Lin Tuo looked at the dense sea of heads, and almost imperceptibly, with his right hand behind his back, pinched his thigh. Using the pain to jolt himself, he tried to stay as calm as possible.

At the same time, he attempted to use a vocal technique from his family's martial arts, gathering Aether at his throat to amplify his voice as much as possible.

So that those at the foot of the mountain, who couldn't see the text, could still hear what he was saying.

Then.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, Lin Tuo, in his plain robe, slowly walked over to the wall that had been painted black with ink and left to dry.

This was the "Blackboard" he had ordered prepared in advance.

"So many people have come today. I ask that everyone please remain quiet. The first lesson will not accept questions; there will be a Q&A session later. Also, this lesson will be long. If you can't hold out, you may leave early."

Under the watch of ten thousand people, Lin Tuo's voice was calm as he spoke these words, which sounded somewhat strange to the people of the Chi Kingdom.

After a brief pause, he saw the emperor in his bright yellow dragon robe at the front row carefully raise his hand and ask:

"May I ask what Master Lin will teach today?"

Lin Tuo glanced at this well-behaved emperor, and gave a slight smile.

Then he turned around, picked up a piece of "chalk" made from lime that had also been prepared, and, word by word, stiffly spelled out a single "word" on the Blackboard using the script of the Chi Kingdom.

After writing it, he turned back to face tens of thousands of bewildered eyes, pointed at the two snow-white characters on the Blackboard, and said with a smile, using his vocal technique:

"For the first lesson, what I will teach... is science."