A Bitter Scholar

"Just then, he heard someone behind him shout loudly: 'Brother Dongfang, was it truly you who ordered my arrest?' The voice was aged, but his Internal Energy was abundant. As he spoke, the echoes reverberated back from the hall, sounding immensely fierce. This man must be Tong Baixiong, the master of Wind and Thunder Hall..."

Chen Luo stretched lazily. In one day, he had finally written another third of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, drawing a step closer to the day when the book's spirit would coalesce.

Standing beside Chen Luo, Ji Zhong snatched the pages away and began reading with relish. His expression was exactly like Chen Luo's own childhood self, huddled at a bookstall reading "free books."

"You really are waiting for the author to update! By Blue Star's rules, you'd better throw in a Golden Alliance donation..." Chen Luo grumbled inwardly, but then he thought about how a master of the Poem Creation Realm had sold himself into service for a year, and he felt a bit more balanced.

During the writing session, Chen Xuan called him out for a moment, making him show his face before several dozen household retainers and servants. Chen Luo could tell that Chen Xuan was deliberately trying to boost his authority as the family head. Perhaps his performance over the past two days had impressed her, or maybe, because of her own eye condition, she was leaning toward handing over the reins of household management.

The apricot Wei Yan had given wasn't entirely useless. After eating it, Chen Xuan could perceive light, but that was all.

"The Barbarian Bone Pill..." Chen Luo's heart ached. In the short time since he had crossed over, he could feel Chen Xuan's unreserved devotion to him. Though part of it was due to this body, those emotions had truly settled into his heart. If there were no cure, he could let it go, but the medicine existed—just beyond reach.

"From a transmigrator's confidence, a single Barbarian Bone Pill should be a piece of cake!" Chen Luo thought. He stretched out his hand, and a small wisp of Seven-Colored Mist condensed in his palm.

Chen Luo had thought it over carefully. Whether it was Confucianism, Daoism, or Buddhism, all were founded on "Qi." His Seven-Colored Mist should also be a type of Qi, perhaps even the start of a new cultivation path.

That would fit the future setting of striking back against the Great Emperor and cutting off eternity.

Cough, he was overthinking it. He had no leads on this path yet...

Chen Luo turned his head and saw Ji Zhong, still reading the novel with an excited expression. An idea struck him. He hadn't been close enough to Advisor Li before to ask many questions, but now he had a Confucian genius by his side. It was time to get a clear picture of the true nature of Confucian cultivation.

As the saying goes: Stones from other mountains can polish jade.

"The Confucian cultivation path?" Ji Zhong looked up and glanced at Chen Luo. "Young Master doesn't even have Righteous Qi on him. Why ask about this?"

"This Young Master plans to study all schools of thought. Is there a problem?"

"I see. Is Young Master thinking of adding a Confucian master to this story?"

"Uh... yes, that's the idea."

"Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Ji Zhong's interest was piqued. "What does Young Master already know? So I know where to start."

"Hmm, I've heard Advisor Li from the county office mention the first three realms: the Self-Awareness Realm, the Writing Realm, and the Poem Creation Realm!"

Ji Zhong frowned slightly and shook his head. "That's not accurate."

"Young Master, the path of cultivation has major and minor realms."

"Major realms refer to breaking through one's original life limits, reaching another level of existence."

"Minor realms are the key advances made during that breakthrough process."

"As far as I know, for Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and even the Demon Race, the peak of cultivation is becoming a Sage, a Celestial Venerable, a Buddha, or a Primordial Demon. Before that, there are three major realms."

"Taking the Confucian school as an example, the three major realms are the 'Scholar Realm,' the 'Master Realm,' and the 'Great Scholar Realm'..."

"Within the Scholar Realm, there are three minor realms: the Self-Awareness Realm, the Writing Realm, and the Poem Creation Realm. Disciples in these three minor realms can all be called Scholars externally."

"After advancing through the Poem Creation Realm and accumulating enough knowledge, a Confucian disciple can break through to the 'Master Realm.' At this realm, a Scholar can see the Mountain of Books and gaze upon the Sea of Learning within their consciousness!"

Chen Luo was puzzled. "Mountain of Books? Sea of Learning?"

Ji Zhong nodded. "The Mountain of Books has paths, and diligence is the trail; the Sea of Learning has no shore, and hardship is the boat. Confucianism is a cultivation of scholarship. Unlike Daoism or Buddhism, Confucianism emphasizes reviewing the old to learn the new. So from the Master Realm to the Great Scholar Realm, cultivation is essentially the process of climbing the Mountain of Books and crossing the Sea of Learning. That's why Confucian disciples also call themselves Mountain and Sea People."

"What does the Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning look like?" Chen Luo asked.

Ji Zhong shook his head. "I haven't reached that realm yet. I can't see the Mountain of Books or the Sea of Learning. I've only heard about it."

"The Mountain of Books is a colossal mountain formed from countless texts. All the classics of Confucian sages throughout history can be found there. Only after reading a classic and gaining its recognition can that classic transform into a small path. You walk to the end of that path, then read the next classic, gain another path, and repeat until you cross the Mountain of Books."

Chen Luo thought: Isn't this just a cloud-based online library?

Ji Zhong continued. "After crossing the Mountain of Books, you can see the vast Sea of Learning. A Confucian disciple steps into the Sea of Learning, turning their mind into a boat. At this point, the disciple feels exhaustion, confusion, and mental strain—this is the hardship of study."

"As the boat moves forward, waves crash toward you. These waves are the doubts you had while reading on the Mountain of Books. If you're swept into the Sea of Learning, you must resolve those doubts in the agony of drowning before you can climb back aboard and continue."

"Only when there are no more doubts in your heart and the sea is calm can you see the end of the Sea of Learning."

"That is one Mountain and Sea."

"The 'Master Realm' has three minor realms, corresponding to three Mountains and Seas."

"Crossing one Mountain and Sea is called the 'Enlightenment Realm.' It allows you to enlighten young children, greatly increasing the success rate of 'thorough reading' talent."

"Crossing two Mountains and Seas is called the 'Opening Realm.' It allows you to awaken the intelligence of birds and beasts, prompting their Bloodline Awakening."

"Crossing three Mountains and Seas is called the 'Dao Transmission Realm.' It allows you to analyze classics and expound your own understanding. This is the beginning of being able to write your own works."

"After the Master Realm comes the Great Scholar Realm. I don't know much about that, but a Great Scholar's Mountain of Books and Sea of Learning are worlds apart from a Master's, giving birth to incredible divine abilities."

"This is the Confucian cultivation path as I understand it. Does Young Master have any more questions?"

Chen Luo smacked his lips. This cultivation path sounded incredibly grueling... climbing mountains, crossing seas. Sure enough, no matter which world, studying was hard work.

"Doesn't feel very useful as a reference!" Chen Luo thought. If his own cultivation path was designed to be this painful, his dream of enjoying a cushy life as a rich second generation would be shattered.

"I'll have to think it over some more..."

While Chen Luo and Ji Zhong were discussing the Confucian cultivation path, on the official road a hundred li from Wan'an County, a snow-white horse pulled a luxurious carriage forward. What drew attention was the horse's forehead, marked with a conspicuous blood-red pattern.

The horse pulling the carriage was actually a Demon Beast that had reached the Blood Refining Level!

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