The First Lesson

Science?

Upon hearing this unfamiliar term, the thousands upon thousands of gazes throughout Nanshan Academy grew even more bewildered.

Yet, what these students who had flocked from all corners of Chi Kingdom did not know was that this was merely the "beginning."

"Science, simply put, is a discipline that aids us in understanding and comprehending the world.

It is a system of ordered knowledge built upon testable explanations and predictions regarding the forms, organizations, and such of objective phenomena—a systematized and formalized body of knowledge..."

Lin Tuo narrated and explained calmly, following the materials he had prepared.

From time to time, he picked up a piece of chalk and sketched lines of text and diagrams across an entire wall of pitch-black stone.

Indeed.

For the first lesson to the Sandbox humans, Lin Tuo had decided to begin with science.

Of course, taking the "national conditions" here into account, aside from opening with a convoluted, hard-to-grasp, highly conceptual definition to establish an imposing effect, he then shifted gears, starting from the most basic, most intuitive methods of understanding the world.

Using a few simple physics experiments, he drew people's attention in, and then, one by one, he posed questions, employing mathematics as a tool to build a foundational "scientific cognition."

"What constitutes all things in the world?"

"How do we explain the essence of the natural phenomena we observe?"

"Spring, summer, autumn, winter—the changing of the four seasons—what patterns and logic do they follow?"

More and more text appeared on the blackboard. As Lin Tuo spoke, those dazed eyes gradually began to brighten.

Setting aside the auditors who had brought their own cushions, paper, and brushes, crammed at the foot of the mountain, in truth, those seated within Nanshan Academy were largely the most gifted minds across all of Chi Kingdom.

Even the ministers beside the sovereign, who appeared already advanced in years, were human elites who had fought their way up through the imperial examination system layer by layer.

Add to that Lin Tuo's deliberate focus on teaching only foundational knowledge, with the sole aim of instilling in these people a scientific way of thinking, and so, quickly, they realized that the things "Master Lin" spoke of—those seemingly bizarre and peculiar concepts—felt as though they were pushing open a door for them.

A door... a grand gate that the sages and worthies of old had never noticed.

Beyond that gate lay a brand-new world.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

A gentle breeze swept over Nanshan. Lin Tuo stood before the blackboard, his tone unhurried as he lectured.

Occasionally he paused, his eyes briefly glazing over as he switched his consciousness back to his original body, quickly jotting down content from the computer document, then switching back to continue speaking.

After absorbing the Aether, Lin Tuo found his memory had also improved, and he had prepared well in advance.

Thus, handling it all came naturally and effortlessly.

To the students scattered across the mountain, it only made Master Lin seem all the more unfathomable.

On the desks and chairs near the front of the academy, a section was occupied by a group of recorders. They had no need to listen to the lecture or understand the content; they simply wrote furiously, recording Lin Tuo's every word without pause.

For a time, the entire Nanshan was filled with nothing but the wind and Lin Tuo's voice.

An hour later.

Lin Tuo announced a break of one incense stick's time, allowing the students to rest and attend to bodily needs.

Then, the lesson resumed.

And so, one hour passed.

Two hours passed.

Four hours...

Six hours...

Before they knew it, the sky had shifted from early morning to evening. Among the seats scattered across the mountain, wave after wave of students rotated in and out.

Occasionally, someone would rise and leave their seat, moving as carefully as possible along the edges to avoid disturbing others.

Having undergone his life transformation, Lin Tuo's stamina far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

Occasionally, during breaks, he would switch back to his original body, order some takeout to eat, or lie down to rest for a bit. In this way, he lectured straight through an entire day without feeling particularly tired.

As for those below who couldn't keep up, it didn't matter much.

"After all, I have that much to say—no one can digest it all at once anyway. As long as the recorders take shifts and write it all down, that's enough."

Lin Tuo was well aware of this.

Just like the content he taught, the purpose of the science course was never to make these people understand physics, chemistry, and mathematics in a short time. It was merely to plant the seeds of a scientific way of thinking—nothing more.

"Have you heard? On Nanshan, that Lin Sheng has been lecturing for an entire day straight, with no sign of stopping."

"I heard several court ministers have already collapsed from exhaustion, and some even fainted in the classroom and had to be carried down."

After waking up, he just wolfed down a few mouthfuls of rice and had someone help him back to the schoolhouse... Tell me, isn't that insane?"

"You just don't get it, do you? Not only is the chance to hear a Sage lecture incredibly rare—miss it and you'll regret it for life—but even His Majesty is still holding on, so which minister dares to slack off?"

In a teahouse in Tao County, as dusk painted the sky, the topics of conversation among the people quietly shifted.

"When it gets dark, it should stop, right? Otherwise, even if every desk lit lamps, it probably wouldn't be enough..."

At the foot of the mountain, a eunuch in charge of logistics looked at the sea of students covering the hills and frowned worriedly.

"No matter. After nightfall, a Heaven and Earth Phenomenon will appear naturally." Beside him, the County Lord of Tao County stood straight in his official robes, speaking with a smile.

"Heaven and Earth Phenomenon?" The eunuch was taken aback, somewhat puzzled.

But soon enough, he understood everything.

As the last rays of sunset faded from the western sky, Lin Tuo was in the middle of an exciting point. He simply switched his awareness back to his main body and turned on the flashlight fixed to the stand.

Instantly, a massive beam of light descended from the pitch-black night sky, illuminating the entire South Mountain and even most of the county town.

The scholars who had rushed over from all directions were struck speechless with awe, while the people of Tao County paid it no mind, smiling and explaining with faces full of pride.

Time passed. Under the light, the entire night was even brighter than day. During this time, people continued to pour in from all over the Chi Kingdom, their numbers only growing.

The tiny Tao County simply couldn't provide enough lodging, but these people weren't angry. They quietly set up camp in the wilderness outside town, as if merely being able to listen to the Sage's lecture was enough to satisfy them.

These fresh arrivals replenished the ranks of those who had collapsed from exhaustion and temporarily left their seats.

Watching the faces in the audience constantly change, Lin Tuo noticed that the number of listeners was actually increasing rather than decreasing, and he felt a bit moved.

In fact, from what he had learned over the past few days, he realized that a trend similar to the investigation of things and extension of knowledge already existed in the Chi Kingdom.

However, first, it lacked a system and was extremely shallow; second, it went against tradition.

Take the basic introduction to science he was teaching today. If an ordinary person had given this lecture, not only would they fail to attract many listeners, they would likely be driven off the stage by the traditional schools.

But now, wrapped in the identity of a Divine Decree and a Sage, giving this lecture made both acceptance and subsequent promotion far too easy.

Moved by these thoughts, he didn't stop his teaching, continuing at a steady pace.

When midnight arrived, Lin Tuo finally tossed the chalk in his hand to the ground, clapped his hands, bathed in divine light, and looked down at the sea of students, all showing signs of fatigue, smiling as he said:

"What I've taught today is extremely basic. In the categories of science, it only counts as barely pushing open the door. As for what lies behind that door, I leave it to you and future generations to explore.

Alright, this concludes the first lesson on the content of science.

Everyone can go back and rest, recharge your spirits, or sort through what you've learned today. Tomorrow at noon, I will teach the second lesson."

"The second lesson?" The chief civil minister, who had been helped back to the classroom, couldn't help but stroke his beard and ask cautiously.

"Yes. As for the specific content, you'll know when the time comes.

Hmm, I can give you a heads-up: the content of the second lesson will be a bit more extensive, so please bring enough paper and pens."

Lin Tuo smiled, sweeping his gaze over the thousands of robed students, and spoke calmly.