Completed the Taiyi Dharma Sword's sword-song guide; received 200 Spirit Crystals as a creative incentive. Completed the Root Stance body-tempering log; received 20 Spirit Crystals as a creative incentive.
To the faint sound of the system's prompt, Wu Ming took his seat in the main hall with his two senior sisters and began a simple dinner.
Food tasted twice as good after hard cultivation.
It was the same fruit pastry Zheng Lingxi had made by hand, but after a full day of cultivation, it tasted completely different with the herbal tea. Sweetness lingered between his lips and teeth, and it felt as if a gentle, not-too-hot flame had been kindled in his stomach.
The warmth flowed through him, quickly spreading its gentle energy to every part of his body. His frame, gaunt from long-term malnutrition, gradually grew healthy and full, and strength filled his limbs. The aches and exhaustion accumulated yesterday vanished before he even noticed.
If carrying the Sword Head and practicing the Root Stance were efficient forms of tempering, primarily meant to strengthen his sinews and cleanse his marrow to improve his aptitude, then the fruit pastry and herbal tea were the most practical way to replenish his energy. In other words, cultivation was thirty percent training and seventy percent eating.
As for the remaining ninety percent, he'd figure that out somehow.
After eating two fruit pastries, Wu Ming was back to full health and mana. He wiped his mouth with lingering reluctance, then turned to thank Second Senior Sister, who was squatting nearby and feeding sparrows with grains.
"Thanks, Senior Sister. You're really good at this."
Zheng Lingxi turned and gave him a simple-minded smile. "Hehe, I am your senior sister, after all~"
After smiling, she furrowed her brow. "Too bad all the Youyou Fruit in the woods have been picked. Who knows when I'll be able to make these pastries again?"
Wu Ming suggested, "If there's no fruit pastry, we can roast some wild game."
Zheng Lingxi froze for a long moment, then paled. "No!"
"Have you ever heard of roasted birds, Senior Sister?"
"I don't want to hear about it!"
Zhu Ying sighed. "You two, stop fooling around. Wu Ming, finish the rest of the pastries. Don't worry about us. They're most useful to you right now; if we eat them, they'll only go to waste."
Wu Ming, however, thought of Gu Bai. The fruit pastries were actually his master's favorite, and after fighting Liu Xi while injured, he was weak and in need of all kinds of nourishment. Yet he'd given the pastries to his disciples.
"Master really is a good person."
Zheng Lingxi nodded vigorously. "Master is a really good person!"
Zhu Ying sighed with heartfelt relief. "It's good that you understand your master's intentions. Cultivate diligently, and don't let him down."
Wu Ming readily agreed. "I'll head out for evening self-study right now."
For players aiming to be the first to clear a profession, nighttime was the most productive time to work. After two cultivation sessions during the day, he'd also accumulated quite a few wild ideas, and this was the perfect chance to test them one by one.
But before Wu Ming could get up, Zhu Ying reached out and pressed him back down.
At the same time, she placed two old books with blue covers on the table.
"There's no need to go anywhere. You'll cultivate right here tonight. Didn't you get up early this morning because you wanted to read? Well, it's reading time now."
At the sight of the old books, Zheng Lingxi jolted and let out a pitiful little whimper. "I-I'll head back first..."
Zhu Ying shot her a stern glance, and the whimper abruptly stopped, turning into a short, sharp hiccup.
"You're not allowed to leave either. You're joining us for tonight's study session!"
"Hic..."
Curiously, Wu Ming picked up an old book. Its cover read Human Emperor Immortal Collection Annotation. After flipping through a few pages, he found that, just as he'd expected, it was an annotation on the Human Emperor Scroll written by a True Person who had attained the Dao.
So this was the cultivation world's equivalent of a study guide? For Wu Ming, who had only recently left student life behind, this evening's Human Emperor Scroll cram session felt strangely familiar.
Meanwhile, Zheng Lingxi was already begging for mercy.
"Senior Sister, can't we switch to another book? Lingxi really can't understand this one..."
Zhu Ying snapped, "The Human Emperor Immortal Collection Annotation is the easiest commentary to get started with in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages. If you can't understand even this, why are you cultivating the Human Emperor Scroll at all?"
Zheng Lingxi murmured in protest, "If it were the Star Lamp Collection, I think I'd understand most of it."
"That's an illustrated book for teaching little children! How old are you!? Besides, the Star Lamp Collection is full of biased and incomplete explanations. It's all right for introducing children to the subject, but you can't rely on it to study in depth."
"B-but I think the illustrated stories in the Star Lamp Collection make more sense than the Immortal Collection Annotation."
"You think so?! How many layers have you reached in the Human Dao Seal, and you dare to criticize a True Person's annotations?!"
"But, but! The Immortal Collection Annotation says that we Desolate People are born sinful, and that we have to do lots and lots of things to atone... But, Senior Sister, you're such a good person."
"..." Zhu Ying fell silent, but her face grew frighteningly dark.
Zheng Lingxi trembled. "I-if only you didn't get angry, Senior Sister, then you'd be even better."
Zhu Ying wanted to scold her, but her strength seemed to drain away. All she could manage was a sigh.
Some things were simply too difficult to explain to this naturally scatterbrained junior sister.
Then Wu Ming spoke up beside them. "Second Senior Sister, this is actually easy to explain. The doctrine of original sin isn't about good or evil; it's about the children paying their fathers' debts. Back during the Desolate Barbarian Rebellion, the coalition of foreign tribes in Qiongzhou lost. So the Desolate People, as descendants of those tribes, naturally have to slowly pay off the reparations for their ancestors' defeat. If you really have to blame someone, blame those ancestors for being useless. If they'd won back then, it'd be humanity's turn to study Beast Blood Boiling now."
Before he could finish, Zhu Ying cut him off sharply. "Stop spouting nonsense! Where did you hear such outrageous heresy?!"
Wu Ming answered earnestly, "Germanic Winning Studies!"
"I'll Germanic-winner your head!" Zhu Ying was so furious she could barely string her words together. She wanted nothing more than to grab Wu Ming by the ears!
Just then, Zheng Lingxi blinked with curiosity and quietly asked Wu Ming, "What does 'I'll Germanic-winner your head' mean...?"
Zhu Ying's fury flared even hotter. She slammed a hand down on the table. An invisible, soul-chilling wave of cold surged outward, freezing her unruly junior brother and junior sister on the spot!
"You two, sit properly and pay attention! No more interrupting!"
Afterward, Zhu Ying took a well-worn, dog-eared copy of the Immortal Collection Annotation from her sleeve. She cleared her throat, put on a stern face, and began teaching her two junior disciples the basic principles of the Human Emperor Scroll and the Human Dao Seal.
This material was basic knowledge of the Nine Provinces' Immortal Path. Even Wu Ming, a newcomer to this world, had already heard his master give him a simple overview... But the Human Emperor Immortal Collection Annotation truly lived up to Senior Sister's discerning choice of study guide. It explained basic knowledge in extraordinary practical detail, making everything feel fresh and illuminating.
Rather than translating the original text of the Human Emperor Scroll word for word, the Immortal Collection Annotation made extensive use of metaphor and elaboration, turning its dry, abstract writing into a series of vivid, entertaining fables. To be sure, its author had mixed in a great deal of discriminatory content aimed at the Desolate People, in keeping with the author's nature as a Winning Scholar. Yet the theories themselves were internally consistent and far from unpersuasive!
After listening for only a little while, Wu Ming fully acknowledged the study guide's value. Whatever the author's position, its interpretation of the Human Emperor Scroll and the help it offered were genuine!
As Zhu Ying's explanation went deeper, Wu Ming grew ever more focused and immersed. In his mind, the creation scroll of the Nine Provinces, imagined and constructed from the original text of the Human Emperor Scroll, was gradually becoming more vivid and colorful, as if its resolution were improving from low to medium... He was no longer merely looking down from on high, either; bit by bit, he could focus on the details and observe the evolution of the land, down to every blade of grass and every tree.
For a time, Wu Ming was completely immersed in it. Zhu Ying's clear, lilting chant sounded like Buddhist sutras helping him settle his mind, pushing him farther and farther into meditation...
He didn't know how long it had been before the chant suddenly stopped, bringing Wu Ming back to himself.
His focus faded, but he felt not the slightest bit tired. Instead, he was refreshed and clearheaded. In his mind, as the scroll's vivid evolution unfolded, several invisible barriers that had blocked his path crumbled to dust.
Senior Sister's Olympiad Magic Blade truly was astonishingly effective!
But before he could thank her, Zhu Ying took a familiar blue book from her sleeve—the Human Emperor Scroll he'd studied earlier outside Dinghuang Prefecture—and opened it in front of him. Her tone brooked no argument. "Read!"
Wu Ming didn't say a word. He took a light breath, regained his focus, and immersed himself in the words of the Human Emperor Scroll once more.
Outside Dinghuang Prefecture, he'd already memorized the first five hundred characters. Their main purpose had been to establish a view of history centered on the sages and briefly recount the ancient history from the opening of heaven and earth to the appearance of the Immortal Mansions.
After the first five hundred characters, the Human Emperor Scroll stopped recounting history and began introducing the hundred races of the Nine Provinces, starting with humanity and gradually moving on to other species.
As the new characters continuously flowed into his mind, Wu Ming felt the Nine Provinces Scroll silently beginning to evolve as well. Everything grew more vivid and alive. Among its contents, several "Naked Apes" active in the mountains and forests stood out in particular.
They were the ancestors of humanity. Though not very powerful, they were highly perceptive and knew to revere heaven and earth, nature, and the profound principles hidden in the unseen.
The most outstanding among them could witness a celestial phenomenon and instinctively begin cultivating without a teacher, building a tower that reached the heavens bit by bit with their mayfly-like bodies...
As the memories sank deeper, the jewel embedded in the scroll grew ever more clear and translucent. Immortal light shimmered within it, like a flower bud about to bloom.
He read on, and who knew how much time passed, until the scene in the scroll suddenly lost its color and Wu Ming finally came to.
Unbeknownst to him, he'd once again reached the limit of his memory at his current stage... Yet compared to last time, he'd memorized a full one hundred and ten more characters!
Opening his eyes, Wu Ming was about to thank his senior sister, but he saw a deeply affectionate, relieved smile on her face. Her phoenix eyes curved like crescents, and dimples appeared in her cheeks. She had become a genuine beauty, an astonishing contrast to her usual expression...
Wu Ming's heart tightened. He reached out to pinch her cheek. "Senior Sister, are you lagging?"
Thump!
A flawless smile suddenly sprouted a green vein, bringing to mind the alert sound of a program error... To keep Senior Sister's pretty face from turning into a blue screen, Wu Ming quickly withdrew his hand, sat up straight, and clasped his hands in thanks.
"Thank you for imparting the Dao, Senior Sister. Wu Ming has understood!"
Zhu Ying gritted her teeth, touched her cheek, forced down her anger, and nodded in praise. "Your comprehension really is exceptional. After just one night of meditation, you've advanced your cultivation of the Human Emperor Scroll to the seventh layer of the Human Dao Seal... Before you've even begun cultivating, you've studied it twice and memorized more than seven hundred characters of the Human Emperor Scroll. Aptitude like that is rare even in the Sanqing Immortal Sect!"
Wu Ming felt ashamed. In reality, he'd only memorized a little over six hundred characters, and his proficiency with the Human Dao Seal was entirely thanks to the system's refinement bonus... At the same score of seven hundred, some people took the national exam while others took the imperial capital exam.
And as he accumulated Spirit Crystals, if he drew the Human Emperor Scroll again later and increased his cumulative refinement count, he might go from the imperial capital exam to the Hong Kong exam, or even the Guinea exam... Fortunately, the Human Emperor Scroll's characters carried the weight of the Heavenly Book and couldn't be easily spoken aloud. People only checked one's cultivation by the number of Human Dao Seals, which gave Wu Ming the chance to show off.
Zhu Ying, however, was still encouraged and delighted. "At this rate, after two more sessions of meditation, you should be able to condense an eighth layer of the Human Dao Seal. After that, as Master arranged, I'll formally teach you the Spring Encounter Book as your core cultivation technique. It's one of the Yuqing Seventy-Two Introductory Techniques of the Sanqing Immortal Sect, and its grade is among the better ones in the Qi Refining Stage."
"This technique lets you establish an inner landscape early and nurture Mystic Spirit Qi. From then on, your mana will generate on its own, allowing you to accumulate it even in places poor in spiritual energy. It's one of the most suitable introductory techniques for Rogue Cultivators from Qiongzhou..."
"But this book belongs to the orthodox Sanqing lineage, and it requires quite a high level of mastery of the Human Emperor Scroll. You need at least eight layers of the Human Dao Seal just to begin, and every subsequent breakthrough has the same requirement. So although its qualities suit Rogue Cultivators from Qiongzhou, hardly any of them can actually afford to cultivate the Spring Encounter Book."
As she spoke, Zhu Ying turned her gaze aside. Zheng Lingxi had already gathered squirrels, sparrows, and other small animals into her arms and was dozing against the table... Zhu Ying's face filled with exasperation.
"The Spring Encounter Book leans toward wood among the five elements. Those born with a wood Spirit Root cultivate it most efficiently. This child has a superior Spirit Root and would be considered first-rate even in Qingzhou, yet she has this sort of temperament... Zheng Lingxi!"
At that final shout, Zheng Lingxi jumped straight up in fright. The gathered animals scattered in every direction, abandoning their owner to die without a shred of loyalty.
"S-Senior Sister, I, I..." Under Zhu Ying's glare, Zheng Lingxi was terrified and could only stammer.
Wu Ming quietly coached her. "Say you were cultivating in your dreams."
"Oh, right! I was cultivating in my dreams just now!"
Zhu Ying was exasperated. "You dare talk back!? Copy the Immortal Collection Annotation ten times!" She then glared at Wu Ming. "Don't lead your Senior Sister Lingxi astray!"
Afterward, seeing that the night outside had grown late, Zhu Ying decided it was truly not a good idea to keep cultivating into the night. While Zheng Lingxi sobbed and bent over the desk to copy the text, Zhu Ying gave Wu Ming a brief explanation of some general knowledge beyond the study guide.
As it turned out, Zhu Ying was so anxious about Zheng Lingxi's cultivation of the Human Emperor Scroll because this genius Second Senior Sister's mastery of it had fallen far behind her actual cultivation.
According to the rules of Dinghuang Prefecture in Qiongzhou, every cultivator who set foot on the Immortal Path had to study the Human Emperor Scroll. There were also strict standards for one's mastery of it at every subsequent cultivation milestone.
For example, to advance from the Qi Refining Stage to Foundation Establishment, one had to accumulate twenty layers of the Human Dao Seal. If someone established their Immortal Path foundation without twenty layers of the Human Dao Seal to support them, they would be blatantly "overstepping the rules"... The consequences could be serious or mild, but at the very least, Dinghuang Prefecture would take them away for secluded cultivation. They wouldn't be released until they'd accumulated enough layers of the Human Dao Seal.
To progress from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation, one needed forty layers of the Human Dao Seal; after that, sixty for Nascent Soul and eighty for Spirit Transformation...
Zheng Lingxi had cultivated for fifteen years and reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment, close to the peak, nearly catching up to Zhu Ying, who had started cultivating five years before her. But her mastery of the Human Emperor Scroll had stalled at twenty-three layers.
Zhu Ying, by contrast, had already attained thirty-nine layers of the Human Dao Seal despite not yet breaking through to the middle stage. Her mastery of the Human Emperor Scroll was practically at Golden Core level and far surpassed that of her peers.
"Although there are countless paths through the Immortal Path, for cultivators from Qiongzhou, the Human Emperor Scroll is unquestionably the first one. Lingxi is naturally pure, which should make cultivation especially easy for her, but when it comes to the Human Emperor Scroll alone, she's stubborn and willful."
After sighing, Zhu Ying looked at the worn Immortal Collection Annotation in her hands and said, "The author of this book looks down on the Desolate People, and as one of them, do I enjoy reading it? Of course not. But there's no denying the help this book gives with the Human Emperor Scroll. We Rogue Cultivators from Qiongzhou simply aren't in a position to be choosy."
Hearing this, Wu Ming understood Zhu Ying's frustration.
"Haha, that's easy! Leave it to me!"
Zhu Ying looked at him in surprise. "How are you going to handle it?"
Wu Ming said, "Once I've mastered this book, I'll separate the wheat from the chaff and create a personalized Human Emperor Scroll Cultivation Guide Even Zheng Lingxi Can Understand for Senior Sister!"
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