Swim Against the Current, Bookworm!
Gao Moumou swallowed hard. He was certain that China person, regardless of the dynasty, would be able to recognize the characters in this illegible version of the Three Character Three Character Classic!
Even recognizing them is so difficult; one can only imagine how much effort and perseverance it would take to master these scribbles. It's truly remarkable that most of the people in the tribe could recite the entire Three Character Classic from memory.
They must have suffered a lot.
Tubo stroked his chin and murmured, "I remember that gentleman in the black trench coat mentioned... he said that if the primitive people made mistakes reciting the Three Character Classic, he would whip their palms hard with a pointer. If they made mistakes in dictation, he would hang them from the big tree in the island's tribe and whip them severely!"
Upon hearing this, all the passengers on the plane fell silent.
Gao Moumou's girlfriend Mei Yi, said, "These cavemen, were they all beaten up by that Mr. Trench Coat?"
The old professor said in a deep voice, "Definitely. Without immense pressure, how could these primitive people have fluently memorized this talisman-based version of the Three Character Classic?"
The passengers immediately pictured the island's natives nervously reciting the Three Character Classic while simultaneously scribbles out illegible characters. Then, if a native made a mistake, the man in the black trench coat would come over, make the native extend their palm, and then slap their little hands hard with a pointer.
If any native made a mistake in writing the illegible characters, the man in the black trench coat would drag them out and hang them up like dried chickens, while the whip would lash them mercilessly, eliciting heartbreaking cries of grievance from the natives...
It's so unfair to the natives; learning this illegible version of the Three Character Classic is many times more difficult than the normal version.
Holding the exam papers handed in by the indigenous people, the old professor sighed, "I feel that we should do our best to teach the indigenous people to learn Chinese characters, so that we can truly promote and carry forward the Chinese language."
"I also feel sorry for them. Let's try our best to help them before we leave the island," Gao Moumou replied. "Besides, if we teach these natives the Analects of the Analects sooner, perhaps we can go back sooner?"
The passengers fell silent again when the word "go back" was mentioned.
They inexplicably landed on this primitive island from a plane, and since the plane had no signal, they were completely unable to contact the outside world.
To leave this island, they could only wait for a rescue team to arrive; or, if they were lucky, a passing ship might take them away, but the latter was highly unlikely.
Or... that Mr. Trench Coat on the island seems to have some extraordinary abilities. Perhaps he has a way to get everyone off the island?
However, if you want Mr. Trench Coat to help everyone, you must first help Mr. Trench Coat teach the island's native people the Analects of the Analects.
Therefore, whether for the sake of the aggrieved natives on the island or for the sake of the passengers themselves, they must do everything in their power to help these natives learn the Analects of Confucius as soon as possible.
The old professor said in a deep voice, "The teaching task is more arduous than we imagined... The plan has changed. We'll start by teaching the natives to recognize basic writing. First, we need to make them completely forget those scribbled characters."
Teaching primitive people to read... what a long and arduous task!
"Go for it!" Gao Moumou clenched his fist.
"Go for it!" Mei Yi.
"Keep it up!" Tubo said.
"We can do it!" Lu Fei and her sister said.
All the other passengers clenched their fists and gritted their teeth, encouraging themselves.
At this time, at the residence of the Manor Lord Seven Lives Talisman.
With a cool expression, the Manor Lord Seven Lives Talisman was grinding the blood-red ink stick in his hand. As he ground it, he suddenly stopped.
"... So, it turns out there was something wrong with how I taught the island's natives to write?" The Manor Lord Seven Lives Talisman put down the inkstone and slammed his palm down. "No wonder! I've already finished teaching the Three Character Classic, but my grand ambition of 'teaching ten thousand illiterate people to learn Chinese characters' remains unfulfilled—so that's where the problem lies! I thought the Three Character Classic was too simple, not up to the level of my grand ambition, so I was preparing to teach the Analects... But now it seems, perhaps the problem really is with the characters I taught?"
The Manor Lord Seven Lives Talisman had been keeping a close eye on the actions of Gao Moumou, Tubo, the old professor, and their group. After all, it concerned whether his grand ambition could be fulfilled.
After setting down the inkstone, the Manor Lord Seven Lives Talisman towards the location of Gao Moumou others. His Grand Vow Oath to 'teach people to read' required his personal involvement in the teaching process.
"Once I fulfill this wish, I can prepare to advance to the Fifth-Grade Spirit Emperor. At that time, after trading with my friend Song Shuhang for that 'Blood God Diamond,' I can then attempt to break through to the Fifth-Grade," the Manor Lord Seven Lives Talisman said softly.
He's been stuck at the Fourth-Grade rank for far too long... But with this long period of accumulation, and with the addition of the 'Blood God Diamond,' when he breaks through to the Spirit Emperor and condenses his Golden Core, he'll be able to condense at least seven Golden Core Dragon Pattern. The Core will be of superior grade!
******************************
On the other side.
An isolated island in the Eastern Sea
As usual Song Shuhang completed his daily cultivation, practicing all the various techniques, spells, and incantations he had mastered.
After finishing his practice, he returned to the edge of the tent.
At this moment, Doudou and the little monk huddled in a tent, occasionally peeking out to peek, then immediately retreating back inside.
Song Shuhang rubbed his temples and quietly approached Doudou: "Is Senior White still making the 'Disposable Meteor Sword 001 Edition'?"
"Yeah," Doudou turned her head, sticking out her tongue, and said, "Woof, this is already the Sixteen one..."
Song Shuhang quietly glanced towards the woods.
The Venerable White was carving a wooden sword in his hand, inscribing array runes on it. Beside him, there were already fifteen 'Disposable Meteor Sword 001 Edition' piled up. The sight was enough to make one's heart tremble.
Song Shuhang's heart clenched. "Is Senior White really going to put on a meteor Shower?"
If Senior White were to actually unleash a meteor Shower, surely one of those meteors would have the surname Song?
"I guess they're going to put on a meteor Shower," Doudou said, sticking out her tongue.
The young monk Guoguo asked in a low voice, "Has something upset Senior White? Did we do something to anger him again?"
As he spoke, the little monk stared at Doudou.
"Don't look at me. I've been so well-behaved these past few days, woof woof, how could I possibly have made Senior White angry?" Doudou immediately denied.
The young monk looked at Song Shuhang with a puzzled expression.
"I'm not entirely sure... but maybe it was Soft Feather sent a file package in the group that caused the problem," Song Shuhang said in a low voice.
"A file package? What's inside?" Doudou asked curiously.
Song Shuhang his mouth, about to answer Doudou, when a streak of light flashed across the sky.
As the blade flashed, a tall man leaped down from it; it was Su Clan’s Seven had arrived.
A-Qi landed beside Venerable White, and the Heavenly Blade, seemingly sentient, flew back to his back. "Senior White, I've arrived!"
Venerable White raised his head, glanced at A-Qi, and gave him a gentle smile, "You arrived quickly."
"Because Sixteen urgently needed the 'Dragonbone Withered Vine,' I rushed back as fast as I could," Su Clan’s Seven exclaimed.
"Are you in a hurry?" Venerable White tilted his head slightly and asked with a smile.
"Yes, yes. We're in a hurry!" Su Clan’s Seven nodded repeatedly—they had to hurry, and it would be best to get the Dragonbone Withered Vine and leave immediately!
Venerable White nodded. "Then I won't waste your time. The Dragonbone Withered Vine is with my young friend Song Shuhang; he obtained it. Go and get it from him!"
"Where did young friend Song Shuhang get so many Dragonbone Withered Vine?" A-Qi asked in surprise.
Dragonbone Withered Vine is no ordinary herb; rare and precious medicinal materials of this caliber are usually guarded by spirit beasts or demon beasts, making them extremely difficult to obtain. Where did young friend Song Shuhang get 16 Dragonbone Withered Vine?
"Mysterious Island," Venerable White said softly.
Su Clan’s Seven was startled and said, "Mysterious Island? Does that mean my young friend Shuhang has lost his memory?"
Venerable White nodded. "Therefore, these 16 Dragonbone Withered Vine were hard-won, so you mustn't treat young friend Shuhang unfairly."
"Of course! Young friend Song Shuhang has helped my Sixteen a great deal many times, how could I treat him unfairly?" Su Clan’s Seven nodded, then after a moment's thought, he said, "I remember that young friend Shuhang has already opened his Second Aperture, the 'Eye Aperture,' and is now opening his Nose Aperture, right? When I return, I will find several kinds of top-quality pills in the clan for opening the 'Nose Aperture, Ear Aperture, and Mouth Aperture.' The quantity will definitely be enough to push young friend Song Shuhang to the Dragon Gate Leap realm in one go! In addition, after young friend Song Shuhang advances to the Second-Grade, I will provide him with ten more opportunities to cultivate in the 'First Layer of the Heavenly River Secret Realm.' Senior, what do you think?"
Venerable White smiled, noting that Su Clan’s Seven was indeed willing to spend a fortune.
The pills that could open the nose, ears, and mouth were provided in unlimited Third Aperture. Considering that Song Shuhang had missed the best time for cultivation and did not have that 'Innate True Qi' in his body... the value of this batch of pills offered by A-Qi was almost equivalent to the value of 6 Dragonbone Withered Vine.
The remaining qualification to cultivate in the First Layer of the Heavenly River Secret Realm's is even more precious.
The Heavenly River Secret Realm is the foundation of the Heavenly River Su Clan. Legend has it that a massive Heavenly River Spirit Vein lies deep within that Secret Realm. Any cultivator who practices within the Secret Realm, bathed in the Heavenly River Spirit Vein, will have their physical body strengthened, and their cultivation speed will be five to ten times faster than outside. It is an ideal place for secluded cultivation.
The value of these ten opportunities to cultivate in the First Layer of the Heavenly River Secret Realm far exceeds that of ten withered Dragonbone Withered Vine.
"Your reward is worthy of those 16 Dragonbone Withered Vine, but... there's a problem," Venerable White said calmly.
Su Clan’s Seven: "?"
"Young friend Song Shuhang has already reached the First-Grade Dragon Gate Leap realm... He just needs to accumulate some time and seize the opportunity to break through the Dragon Gate." Venerable White smiled.
"What?! Song Shuhang's Xiao Long has already First-Grade Dragon-Gate Leap Realm?!" Su Clan’s Seven almost thought she had misheard, "What kind of cheat code did he use? This advancement speed is a bit exaggerated!"
"Recently, young friend Shuhang has had several fortuitous encounters and brushes with death. In short, since he has already reached the Leaping Dragon-Leaping Gate Realm, your reward is not quite appropriate. How about this... time is of the essence, go to Shuhang and get the Dragonbone Withered Vine to heal Sixteen's injuries first. As for what kind of gift to give young friend Song Shuhang, you can decide on that later," Venerable White said with a smile.
As he spoke, he lightly touched the Sixteen 'Disposable Meteor Sword 001 Edition', and it was completed!
Su Clan’s Seven laughed heartily, "This is a real headache. It seems I need to think of a more suitable gift to repay my young friend Shuhang."
Then, he smiled and walked towards Song Shuhang.
"Young friend Shuhang, we meet again." Su Clan’s Seven came to Song Shuhang and briefly sensed the power of Song Shuhang's Blood Qi and energy as well as his acupoints.
Holy crap, it really did open Fifth Aperture: heart, eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. The five major acupoints are now connected, transforming into a leaping Dragon Gate Leap.
Last time we met, my friend Song Shuhang was still quite Nose Aperture. And now, in just over a month, he's about to Dragon Gate Leap such great things... Is the Venerable White's cheat code really that powerful?
"Yes, we meet again, Senior A-Qi," Song Shuhang said, handing over the paper package containing the 'Dragonbone Withered Vine': "There are 16 Dragonbone Withered Vine inside, Senior A-Qi, please keep them safe."
Su Clan’s Seven carefully accepted the small paper package. "Young friend Shuhang, I am extremely grateful."
A-Qi was a man who wasn't good with words, and the gratitude in his heart could only be expressed in the heavy words "deepest gratitude." However, the sincerity and gratitude on his face were palpable without him saying a word.
"By the way, senior, is Sixteen's injury any better?" Song Shuhang asked.
On June 18th, Sixteen sent herself to him so he could spend a crazy afternoon with her, and then there was no further news of her. Song Shuhang didn't even know the extent of her injuries.
A-Qi sighed, "Her life is not in danger... but the extent of her recovery depends on herself. There's nothing outsiders can do. All I can do is try my best to collect some Dragonbone Withered Vine to help her heal more smoothly."
Hearing that his life was out of danger, Song Shuhang finally felt a little relieved... He hoped that Sixteen's injuries would heal quickly; he had already done his best.
"Young friend Shuhang, I'll accept these 16 Dragonbone Withered Vine for now. As for their reward, I'll think about it carefully when I get back and give you a suitable gift. Sixteen urgently needs the Dragonbone Withered Vine, so I won't linger any longer." After receiving the Dragonbone Withered Vine, A-Qi was eager to return home.
Song Shuhang nodded. "Senior A-Qi, you're too kind. Goodbye."
Su Clan’s Seven waved her hand, then turned around and said to Venerable White, "Senior White, I'll head back now. Time's a bit tight, so I won't linger any longer."
--Die early and be reincarnated, oops! I misspoke, I meant leave the island and get away from Senior White as soon as possible, so that Senior White won't remember the chat app 'avatar' thing and give him some exciting 'surprise' or something.
Leaving here as soon as possible is the Way of Kings.
At this moment, Venerable White's fingers were swiping across his phone... and it was vaguely visible that he seemed to be flipping through a map.
Upon hearing Su Clan’s Seven's farewell voice, Venerable White raised his head and revealed a bright smile, "A-Qi, since you are in such a hurry, let me see you off!"
Su Clan’s Seven thought that Venerable White was just being polite, so he laughed heartily and waved his hand, "Haha, no need to trouble you, senior. I Blade Flight back by myself. The Heavenly River Su Clan isn't far from here; I'll be there soon."
"No, no... let me see you off. My flying sword is incredibly fast." Venerable White narrowed his eyes, his smile growing even brighter.
As he spoke, he reached out and summoned a 'Disposable Meteor Sword 001 Edition' into the air...
"?" Su Clan’s Seven sensed that something was off about the atmosphere.
Inside the tent, Song Shuhang, Doudou, and the little monk all covered their eyes with their hands, unable to bear looking directly at the scene.
"This is my newly modified 'Disposable Meteor Sword 001 Edition.' Compared to the previous version, it uses the most advanced and fastest 'Spiral Ascension' method for takeoff; it employs an incredibly fun 'Curved Flight' during flight; and it uses an unprecedented 'Paratrooper-Style Descent' method, allowing you to enjoy the thrill and fun of bungee jumping during descent. Of course, to ensure personal safety, the flying sword will automatically protect its owner when it is within 0.1 meters of the ground, eliminating any worries. In addition, the flying sword also comes with a 'meteor' light effect. When flying, it looks like a meteor streaking across the sky, which is very beautiful! It combines all the advantages in one, awesome!" As he spoke, Venerable White gave a thumbs up!
The more Su Clan’s Seven listened, the more she felt something was wrong.
What is spiral ascension?
What exactly is Curved Flight?
What's with this parachute-style descent?
Meteor Glow Effect... what the heck is that?!
There are so many things to complain about, A-Qi doesn't know where to begin...
But now is not the time to complain—absolutely, absolutely not, can we let Senior White use this 'Disposable Meteor Sword 001 Edition' to send him home. Someone will die! Even if he is Fifth-Grade Golden Core Spirit Emperor, riding on this terrifying flying sword will still kill him.
"Senior, you're too kind! Please stay! I can go on my own. We'll take our leave now!" The Heavenly Blade on Su Clan’s Seven's back seemed to possess a spirit, and with a 'whoosh,' it landed at his feet.
Before Senior White could say anything more, A-Qi stepped on the Heavenly Blade, took off, and prepared to escape the island.
"Too late! Let me, your senior, escort you. I just checked the map and even set your destination. I guarantee I can send you back to the Su Clan Main House with a single flying sword." Venerable White chuckled and formed Sword Formula: "Go You!"
With a 'whoosh', the Disposable Meteor Sword 001 Edition burrowed under A-Qi's feet, lifting A-Qi and the Heavenly Blade together.
The next moment, the Disposable Meteor Sword 001 Edition took off!
Spiral ascent is highly efficient and fast!
Su Clan’s Seven started spinning like an electric drill.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh..." A-Qi made a strange sound as he spun and shot into the sky... Because he spun so fast, a terrifying storm formed around him, just like the Blademaster 'Sword Saint move "Blade Storm" in the classic game "Warcraft" from more than ten years ago.
The same swirling storm, the same swirling motion accompanied by crisscrossing sword energy!
And so, after 'Blade Storm' lifted Su Clan’s Seven into the sky, the second ability of Meteor Sword 001, 'Meteor Glow Effect', was activated. The sword emitted a dazzling light, turning A-Qi into a meteor that streaked across the sky.
The meteor's trajectory was rather strange; as it streaked across the sky, it kept moving up and down, left and right, twisting and turning...
"Ahhh... Ahhh..." By the fourth syllable of the scream, Su Clan’s Seven's figure had already disappeared from the sight of Song Shuhang, Doudou, and the little monk.
It was more than twice as fast as the Disposable Flying Sword 005 Version's that sent away the Copper Trigram Immortal Master.
How terrifying! Even Su Clan’s Seven, the strongest among the Fifth-Grade Spirit Emperor of the 'Nine Provinces Number One Group,' was completely powerless against the 'Disposable Meteor Sword 001 Edition,' and could only scream in agony.
Moreover, A-Qi was already Blade Flight, yet he still couldn't avoid the power of the 'Disposable Meteor Sword 001 Edition'.
Senior White has developed an incredibly terrifying flying sword!
Song Shuhang turned his head and secretly glanced at Venerable White. At this moment, Venerable White was holding up his phone and filming the scene of Su Clan’s Seven's 'Spiral Ascension'.
"Tsk, that's too fast. The footage taken with my phone is a bit blurry. The phone's camera needs improvement," Venerable White muttered.
Speaking of which... how about we leave a 'Spell Image Recording Technique' on the flying sword to save and transmit the image over?
Furthermore, Curved Flight can be a bit monotonous. If several Disposable Meteor Sword flew together, perhaps they could create Big Windmill -like flight pattern? Or perhaps they could fly in a V-formation like geese – that would be quite impressive!
Let's revise it again...
Next, making about twenty more 'Disposable Meteor Sword' should be enough, but it's best to make a few more just in case, because the number of fellow cultivators in the Nine Provinces Number One Group who are pre-ordering 'Disposable Meteor Sword' is increasing.
The Venerable White thought to himself.
"By the way, Shuhang!" Venerable White put away his phone, turned around and called out.
Song Shuhang's heart raced, and he replied, "Senior, what is it?"
"Don't be nervous. I just suddenly remembered that you've already reached the Dragon-Leaping Gate Realm. At this level, simply staying in seclusion won't be of much use," Senior White said with a smile.
Why did the topic suddenly shift to cultivation? Has Senior White's way of thinking started to run wild like a runaway horse?
However, it doesn't matter what the topic is, as long as it's not related to the 'Disposable Flying Sword series'!
So Song Shuhang replied, "Then, senior, what should I do?"
"The realm of Dragon Gate Leap is like Fish Leaping Dragon Gate; it's a process of going against the current. If you don't advance, you fall behind! What you need now is to find as many opportunities as possible to personally experience what 'going against the current' means. The more you sense it, the more beneficial it will be for your breakthrough to the realm of Dragon Gate Leap!" Venerable White said solemnly.
"To personally experience going against the current?" Song Shuhang pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "Senior White, do you mean for me to find a waterfall and experience the feeling of going against the current?"
The Venerable White said brightly, "Although there are some differences, it basically means the same thing!"
This is a 6,000-word chapter. I won't break it up. Please vote with your monthly tickets.
Happy birthday to Fellow Six Delusions (A-Qi)!