A sage of the literary path.
That was Wenquxing descended to earth, the equivalent of an exiled immortal reborn in the cultivation world.
He stood above great scholars and quasi-sages.
He was a true great sage who could make flowers bloom with every word and condemn an entire nation with his pen!
Though Lin Xuan did not cultivate the literary path, the water curtain beneath the statue of Wenquxing had erupted with Seven-Colored Holy Radiance.
It meant that Lin Xuan's words had won Wenquxing's recognition and approval.
Nothing could be more convincing than Seven-Colored Holy Radiance!
As long as Wenquxing recognized you, you were a genuine sage of the literary path!
Jiang Jiubai, Shen Yakang, and the others were all beside themselves with excitement.
"What a marvelous line: 'Cultivate yourself, regulate your family, govern your state, and bring peace to all under Heaven.' In just a few short words, it captures the lifelong mission of us scholars!"
"Emperor Consort... no! Mr. Lin has stunned the entire literary world with a single sentence, enlightening us as if with a heavenly dew!"
"To witness a sage's birth with my own eyes in this lifetime—I can die without regrets!"
"From this day forward, Mr. Lin is the foremost figure of the literary path in the Nine Heavens Lower Realm!"
When their impassioned speeches reached their height, Jiang Jiubai led the way, and the ten most renowned scholars all bowed to Lin Xuan.
Then the more than ten thousand scholars present bowed to Lin Xuan as well.
The grand, magnificent scene left Mu Youqing staring in stunned disbelief.
Xuanzhu covered her little mouth in surprise. "They bowed to Grandfather Wenquxing's statue, and now they're bowing to Daddy."
"That means Daddy is just as amazing as Grandfather Wenquxing!"
Xuanyuanxi beamed, her two dimples appearing deep on her cheeks. "That's right! Daddy really is the best!"
Xuanhan and Xuanyou were also full of joy and contentment.
Faced with the scene, Lin Xuan couldn't help shaking his head with a smile.
He hadn't expected that casually writing down a single sentence would cause such a huge commotion.
Come to think of it,
the Mysterious Absolute Heavenly Book really was incredibly useful in this fantastical world.
Even though he hadn't cultivated the literary path or gained a body full of righteous qi and the carefree wind that swept ten thousand miles,
the truth was,
with nothing more than the Mysterious Absolute Heavenly Book, his knowledge could crush that of every scholar throughout history.
Becoming a sage of the literary path wasn't such a big deal.
"Mr. Lin, when might you have time to visit the academies and schools across the land to teach the literary path?" Jiang Jiubai asked respectfully.
According to the rules of the literary world,
once you became a quasi-sage, you were qualified to travel to every academy and school under Heaven to expound on the Dao.
It was the highest honor imaginable, even more impressive than an emperor's progress through the realm.
Lin Xuan smiled calmly. "Perhaps when I have time."
He still had four adorable daughters to look after. How could he find time to travel to every academy and school under Heaven to teach?
Besides, taking care of his daughters brought both rewards and warmth. What could be better than a life like that?
Being a laid-back dad was the true perfect life!
Seeing that Lin Xuan wasn't interested, Jiang Jiubai and the others didn't press him.
Then, under the gaze of the entire crowd, Lin Xuan left with Xuanzhu and her sisters.
By the time they returned to the Crystal Palace, it was already late at night.
The little girls were all tired. Only after Lin Xuan coaxed and persuaded them for a while did they obediently bathe and climb into bed together.
Rumble~
Just after the little girls fell asleep, a clap of thunder rang out.
Lin Xuan saw all four of his daughters' brows twitch slightly.
The thunder had clearly disturbed them.
A second clap of thunder followed, louder than the first.
One after another, the little girls were startled awake by the thunder.
Four pairs of wide-open eyes stared at Lin Xuan in terror.
"Daddy, it's thundering!"
"Waaah, I'm so scared of thunder!"
"That thunder was so loud!"
"No, no! I have to hide my ears!"
Lin Xuan quickly turned onto his side and sheltered all four little girls. "Don't be scared, my darlings. Daddy's right here!"
With Lin Xuan protecting them, Xuanzhu and the others finally calmed down a little.
But the fear in the four little girls' eyes hadn't faded at all.
"Daddy, why is thunder so scary?" Xuanzhu asked.
Lin Xuan smiled. "Thunder isn't scary at all. It's actually quite fun."
With the Perfect Dad Tutorial, he knew that nearly all children were afraid of thunder.
When children were frightened by thunder, the most important thing for a parent to do was gently guide them.
With a clever approach, he could help them overcome their fear of thunder.
So Lin Xuan deliberately said the opposite of what he meant.
"Fun?"
Sure enough, at Lin Xuan's teasing words, the little girls' eyes lit up at once.
"Of course." Lin Xuan rubbed their little heads. "Thunder happens because Grandpa Thunder and Grandma Thunder are arguing."
What Lin Xuan was about to do was tell the children a beautiful myth.
He would help them accept thunder and overcome their fear of it.
"Grandpa Thunder? Grandma Thunder?"
"Daddy, that sounds so interesting!"
"Yeah, yeah! Daddy, tell us who Grandpa Thunder and Grandma Thunder are!"
Just as Lin Xuan had expected, the children's interest flared up at once.
Lin Xuan chuckled. "There's actually a really fun story about Grandpa Thunder and Grandma Thunder..."
Then he slowly told them the story from the Perfect Dad Tutorial.
The children listened with rapt attention, gradually forgetting the loud thunder outside.
Before long, Xuanyuanxi, Xuanhan, and Xuanyou slowly drifted off to sleep.
Only Xuanzhu still had her eyes wide open, looking not the least bit sleepy.
Lin Xuan drew her closer against him. "Darling, why are you still awake?"
Xuanzhu gave him a shy look. "Daddy, I'm still scared! Mommy said I'm even more afraid of thunder than Xuanyuanxi and the others."
"But I'm the big sister. I can't let them see that I'm the biggest scaredy-cat!"
Lin Xuan smiled faintly. "So you've been holding it in this whole time?"
"Mm!" Xuanzhu looked worried. "Daddy, are you going to laugh at me?"
"Of course not!" Lin Xuan shook his head and hugged Xuanzhu a little tighter, giving her a greater sense of security. "Do you feel better now?"
"Mm." Xuanzhu rubbed her little head against Lin Xuan's arm.
With Daddy here, she really wasn't as scared anymore.
Ding!
At that moment, the system's mechanical voice rang out in Lin Xuan's mind.
Your intimacy with your eldest daughter, Xuanzhu, has increased by 1 point. Reward: Emperor Realm cultivation!
Lin Xuan's heart leaped.
He had only comforted Xuanzhu a little, and he had already received Emperor Realm cultivation.
The system's rewards were far too generous!
Lin Xuan figured it was probably because Xuanzhu was so afraid of thunder.
In that situation,
even his simplest words of comfort might have meant a great deal to her.
As for Emperor Realm cultivation, countless cultivators spent their entire lives without ever reaching that level.
Now, Lin Xuan only had to nod, and he could become an Emperor-level powerhouse.
Ding!
Would you like to claim the reward?
"Yes!"
Emperor Realm cultivation successfully claimed!
The instant the system's notification vanished,
a boundless force, like the sea overturning, burst forth from Lin Xuan's dantian.
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