Late Night Homework with the Olympiad Magic Blade

The system notification chimed faintly: [Taiyi Dharma Sword Sword Cry Quest completed, rewarded 200 Spirit Crystals.] [Root Stance Body-Tempering Log completed, rewarded 20 Spirit Crystals.]

With the soft prompts, Wu Ming followed his two senior sisters into the main hall and sat down for a simple dinner.

After a day of arduous training, the meal tasted doubly delicious.

The same hand-made Fruit Cakes by Zheng Lingxi, paired with Herbal Tea after a full day of cultivation, now carried an entirely different flavor. Not only did sweetness and freshness overflow between lips and teeth, but a gentle, non-scorching warmth seemed to ignite in his stomach.

The warmth spread through his body, radiating mild energy to every limb. His once gaunt frame, withered from long-term malnutrition, gradually became plump and full. Strength surged forth, and the fatigue and soreness accumulated from yesterday vanished without a trace.

If carrying the Sword Head and practicing the Root Stance was a form of efficient refinement—mainly to transform tendons, wash marrow, and improve aptitude—then this Fruit Cake and Herbal Tea was the most solid energy replenishment. In other words, it was the principle of three parts training, seven parts eating.

As for the remaining ninety parts, he'd figure that out later.

After downing two Fruit Cakes, Wu Ming was back to full health and mana. He wiped his mouth with lingering satisfaction, then turned to thank the Second Senior Sister, who was crouched nearby feeding sparrows with grain.

"Thank you, Senior Sister. Your skill is truly remarkable."

Zheng Lingxi turned her head and gave a simple, honest smile. "Hehe, after all, I am the senior sister~"

After laughing, she furrowed her brows slightly. "It's a pity the Youyou Fruits in the grove have all been picked. Who knows when we'll be able to make these Fruit Cakes again."

Wu Ming suggested, "If there are no Fruit Cakes, we could roast some wild game instead."

Zheng Lingxi froze for a long moment, then her face paled in alarm. "No way!"

"Have you heard of grilled bird, Senior Sister?"

"I don't want to hear it!"

Zhu Ying sighed. "You two, stop messing around. Wu Ming, finish the remaining cakes quickly. Don't worry about us. These Fruit Cakes are most useful for you right now; eating them would just be a waste for us."

But Wu Ming thought of Gu Bai. These Fruit Cakes were actually their master's favorite. After his injury from the fight with Liu Xi, he was weak and in need of nourishment, yet he had given the cakes to his disciples.

"Master is truly a good person."

Zheng Lingxi nodded vigorously. "Master is really, really good!"

Zhu Ying sighed with some relief. "It's good that you understand your master's intentions. Train hard and don't let down his high hopes for you."

Wu Ming readily agreed. "I'll head out for evening self-study right away."

For a professional first-clear player, nighttime was the most productive period. After the two training sessions during the day, he had also accumulated quite a few creative ideas, which he was eager to test one by one in practice.

But before Wu Ming could get up, Zhu Ying reached out and pressed him down.

At the same time, she placed two old books with blue covers on the table.

"You don't need to go anywhere. Tonight's training is right here. You wanted to read early this morning, didn't you? Now is reading time."

Zheng Lingxi shuddered at the sight of the old books, letting out a pitiful, thin whimper. "I, I'll go back first..."

Zhu Ying shot her a stern glare, instantly cutting off the whimper into a short, sharp hiccup.

"You're not leaving either. Tonight's reading training includes you!"

"Hic..."

Wu Ming curiously picked up the old book. The cover read Human Emperor Immortal Collection Annotation. Flipping through a few pages, its content was as expected—a True Person's commentary on the Human Emperor Scroll.

So, this was the supplementary textbook of the immortal cultivation world? For Wu Ming, who had recently left campus life, this evening self-study of the Human Emperor 5+3 felt oddly familiar.

On the other side, Zheng Lingxi was already begging for mercy.

"Senior Sister, can we switch to another book? Lingxi really can't understand this..."

Zhu Ying said angrily, "The Human Emperor Immortal Collection Annotation is already the easiest introductory commentary within the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages. If you can't even understand this, how can you cultivate the Human Emperor Scroll!"

Zheng Lingxi muttered in defense, "If it were the Star Lamp Collection, I could probably understand it."

"That's a picture book for children's enlightenment! How old are you!? Besides, the explanations in the Star Lamp Collection are full of biases and omissions. It's passable for enlightenment, but impossible for deep study."

"But, but I think the picture stories in the Star Lamp Collection make more sense than the Immortal Collection Annotation."

Zhu Ying fumed, "You think?! How many layers of the Human Dao Seal have you even reached, and you dare critique a True Person's annotated collection?!"

"But, but! The Immortal Collection Annotation says that we Desolate People are born with sin, and we have to do so many things to atone... But you, Senior Sister, are clearly a very, very good person."

"..." Zhu Ying fell silent, her face dark and terrifying.

Zheng Lingxi trembled. "If, if you could just not lose your temper, Senior Sister, that would be even better."

Zhu Ying wanted to scold her, but involuntarily lost her strength. All her words turned into a single sigh.

Some truths were simply impossible to explain to this scatterbrained junior sister.

Then Wu Ming spoke up from the side. "Second Senior Sister, this is actually easy to explain: the theory of original sin doesn't care about good or evil, only about the son paying for the father's debts. Back during the Desolate Barbarian Rebellion, the allied foreign tribes of Qiongzhou lost the war. So as descendants of those foreign tribes, the Desolate People naturally have to slowly repay the war reparations for their ancestors. If you really want to blame someone, blame the ancestors for not being strong enough. If they had won back then, it would be the humans studying Beast Blood Boiling now."

Before he could finish, Zhu Ying cut him off sharply. "Don't talk nonsense! Where did you hear such treasonous words?!"

Wu Ming answered seriously, "Germanic Winning Studies!"

"I'll win your head!" Zhu Ying was so furious she lost her composure, reaching out to grab Wu Ming's ear!

Seeing Zheng Lingxi nearby blinking with curiosity and whispering to Wu Ming, "What does 'win your head' mean..."

Zhu Ying's anger flared even more. She slammed the table hard. A chilling, intangible wave of cold expanded outward, freezing the unruly junior brother and sister on the spot!

"Both of you, sit properly and pay attention! No more interruptions!"

After that, Zhu Ying took from her sleeve a worn and creased copy of the Immortal Collection Annotation, coughed once, put on a stern face, and began explaining the basic theories of the Human Emperor Scroll and the Human Dao Seal to her two junior siblings.

This content could be called the foundational common knowledge of the Nine Provinces' Immortal Path. Even a newcomer like Wu Ming, who had crossed over, had already heard the master briefly outline it... But this Human Emperor Immortal Collection Annotation was truly worthy of being a senior sister's carefully selected teaching aid. It provided an extremely detailed and practical interpretation of the basics, leaving one refreshingly enlightened.

Regarding the original text of the Human Emperor Scroll, the Annotation did not translate it word for word. Instead, it heavily employed metaphors and deductive techniques, transforming dry, abstract words into vivid and interesting allegorical stories. Among these, there was certainly a large amount of discriminatory content against the Desolate People, stemming from the author's nature as a Winning Scholar, but its theories were indeed self-consistent and not lacking in persuasiveness!

After listening for just a while, Wu Ming fully acknowledged the value of this teaching aid. Regardless of the author's stance, its understanding and benefit to the Human Emperor Scroll were genuine!

As Zhu Ying's explanation deepened, Wu Ming became more focused and immersed. In his mind, the creation scroll of the Nine Provinces, built from the original text of the Human Emperor Scroll, was gradually becoming more vivid and colorful, as if evolving from low quality to medium quality... He was no longer just looking down from a high vantage point but could gradually focus on details, observing the evolution of every blade of grass and tree on the earth.

For a moment, Wu Ming was completely absorbed. Zhu Ying's clear, rhythmic chanting sounded like a stabilizing mantra, pushing Wu Ming further and further into meditation...

After an unknown amount of time, the chanting stopped abruptly, and Wu Ming snapped out of his trance.

For a moment, his focus dissipated, but he felt no fatigue, only refreshed and clear-headed. In his mind, it was as if several invisible obstacles that had blocked his path had crumbled and collapsed under the vivid evolution of the scroll.

The senior sister's Olympiad Magic Blade was truly remarkably effective!

But before he could thank her, he saw Zhu Ying take a familiar blue book from her sleeve—it was the Human Emperor Scroll he had studied earlier in front of Dinghuang Prefecture—and spread it open before Wu Ming, saying without room for argument, "Read quickly!"

Wu Ming said nothing more, took a light breath, recalled his focus, and immersed himself in the words of the Human Emperor Scroll.

Earlier, in front of Dinghuang Prefecture, he had memorized the first five hundred characters, which mainly established a historical view centered on sages and briefly described the history from the beginning of heaven and earth to the emergence of the Immortal Mansion.

After five hundred characters, the Human Emperor Scroll no longer followed history but began introducing the hundred races of the Nine Provinces, starting with humanity and gradually moving to other races.

As the new characters flowed into his mind, Wu Ming felt the scroll of the Nine Provinces silently evolving, everything becoming more vivid and lively. Among them, a few "Naked Apes" active in the mountains and forests were particularly eye-catching.

They were the ancestors of humanity. Though not very powerful, they were extremely spiritual, understanding reverence for heaven, earth, and nature, and sensing the profound principles of the universe.

The best among them, after witnessing celestial phenomena, could spontaneously begin cultivation, building a tower to the heavens bit by bit with their ephemeral bodies...

As his memory deepened, the pearl condensed on the scroll became more transparent and crystalline, with immortal light faintly emitting from within, like a bud waiting to bloom.

This reading went on for an unknown time, until the images in the scroll suddenly lost color, and Wu Ming finally snapped awake.

Unknowingly, the youth had once again touched the memory limit of his current stage... Compared to the previous time, he had memorized a full one hundred and ten more characters!

Opening his eyes, Wu Ming was about to thank his senior sister, but he saw her face wearing a very kind and gratified smile, her phoenix eyes curved like crescent moons, dimples rising on her cheeks, turning her into a genuine beautiful girl—a stark contrast to her usual expression templates...

Wu Ming's heart tightened, and he quickly reached out to pinch her cheek: "Senior sister, are you stuck?"

Bang!

On the flawless smile, a blue vein suddenly bulged, making one think of a program error alert sound... To avoid his senior sister's pretty face turning into a blue screen, Wu Ming quickly withdrew his hand, sat up straight, and cupped his hands in thanks.

"Thank you, senior sister, for teaching me. Wu Ming has understood!"

Zhu Ying gritted her teeth, touched her cheek, suppressed her anger, and nodded in praise: "Your comprehension is indeed extraordinary. With just one night of meditation, you've pushed your Human Emperor Scroll cultivation to the seventh level of the Human Dao Seal... Without even starting cultivation, two sessions of enlightenment, and you've memorized over seven hundred characters of the Human Emperor Scroll. Such talent is rare even in the Sanqing Immortal Sect!"

Wu Ming felt a pang of shame inwardly. He had actually only memorized over six hundred characters, and his Human Dao Seal achievement was purely due to the system's refinement boost... Both scoring seven hundred points, but one was on the national exam, the other on the capital exam.

As Spirit Crystals accumulated, if he later drew the Human Emperor Scroll again and stacked refinements, it might even go from the capital exam to the Hong Kong exam or even the Guinea exam... Fortunately, the weight of the Human Emperor Scroll's Heavenly Book characters made them hard to speak casually, and everyone only checked cultivation progress by the number of Human Dao Seals, which gave Wu Ming a chance to show off.

Zhu Ying, however, was still gratified and encouraged, saying, "At this rate, with two more meditations, you should be able to condense an eighth-level Human Dao Seal. After that, according to the master's arrangement, I will formally teach you the Spring Encounter Book as your core technique. It's one of the Yuqing Seventy-Two Introductory Techniques of the Sanqing Immortal Sect, ranked at the mid-to-upper level of the Qi Refining Stage."

"Its technique trait allows you to form an inner scene world early, nurturing Mystic Spirit Qi, so your Mana generates itself, allowing continuous accumulation even in places with scarce spiritual energy. It's the most suitable introductory art for us scattered cultivators in Qiongzhou..."

"But this book belongs to the Sanqing orthodox lineage and requires a high level of Human Emperor Scroll attainment. Just the entry requires an eighth-level Human Dao Seal as a foundation, and every subsequent breakthrough is no exception. So, despite its technique traits being beneficial for Qiongzhou scattered cultivators, very few can actually afford to cultivate the Spring Encounter Book."

As she spoke, Zhu Ying's gaze turned to the side, where Zheng Lingxi had already gathered squirrels and sparrows into her arms and was dozing off against the table... Her face was full of frustration.

"The Spring Encounter Book leans toward the wood element in the five phases, so those with a natural Wood Spirit Root cultivate it most efficiently. This child has a top-grade Spirit Root, first-class talent even in Qingzhou, yet she has such a temperament... Zheng Lingxi!"

At the final shout, Zheng Lingxi jumped up in fright, and the animals scattered without loyalty, abandoning their feeder to face death.

"S-Senior sister, I, I..." Zheng Lingxi was terrified under Zhu Ying's glare, stammering.

Wu Ming quietly suggested, "Say you were cultivating in your dream."

"Right! I was just cultivating in my dream!"

Zhu Ying was exasperated: "Still talking back!? Copy the Immortal Collection Annotation ten times!" She also glared at Wu Ming, "Don't lead your senior sister Lingxi astray!"

After that, seeing that the night outside was already deep and it was truly not suitable to continue staying up for cultivation, Zhu Ying, while Zheng Lingxi was crying and copying at the desk, briefly explained some common knowledge beyond the teaching aid to Wu Ming.

It turned out that the reason Zhu Ying was so anxious about Zheng Lingxi's Human Emperor Scroll cultivation was that this talented second senior sister's Human Emperor Scroll attainment had seriously fallen behind her actual cultivation level.

According to the rules of Dinghuang Prefecture in Qiongzhou, every cultivator stepping onto the Immortal Path must cultivate the Human Emperor Scroll. Moreover, at every cultivation milestone, there were strict standards for Human Emperor Scroll attainment.

For example, to advance from the Qi Refining Stage to the Foundation Establishment Realm, one had to accumulate twenty Human Dao Seals. If one established a Foundation in the Immortal Path without twenty Human Dao Seals as a foundation, it was a clear violation of the rules... The consequences could be big or small, but at the very least, Dinghuang Prefecture would seize them for secluded cultivation, only releasing them when they had accumulated enough Human Dao Seals.

From Foundation Establishment to Core Formation, one needed forty Human Dao Seals; later, sixty for Nascent Soul, eighty for Spirit Transmutation...

Currently, Zheng Lingxi had cultivated for fifteen years, also at the early Foundation Establishment stage, nearly perfected, almost catching up to Zhu Ying, who had started five years earlier, but her Human Emperor Scroll attainment was still stuck at twenty-three seals.

In contrast, Zhu Ying, though not yet breaking through to the mid-stage, already held thirty-nine Human Dao Seals, nearly at the Core Formation level, far surpassing her peers in understanding the Human Emperor Scroll.

"Although there are countless paths in the Immortal Path, for cultivators from Qiongzhou, the Human Emperor Scroll is undeniably the first. Lingxi is naturally pure-hearted, which is very conducive to cultivation, but she is stubborn and willful when it comes to the Human Emperor Scroll."

After sighing, Zhu Ying looked at the worn Immortal Collection Annotation in her hand and said, "The author of this Annotation despises the Desolate People. As a Desolate Person myself, how could I enjoy it? But there's no denying that this Annotation's help with the Human Emperor Scroll is real. And we scattered cultivators of Qiongzhou simply don't have the luxury to pick and choose."

Hearing this, Wu Ming understood Zhu Ying's troubles.

"Haha, that's easy. Leave it to me!"

Zhu Ying was surprised. "How will you handle it?"

Wu Ming said, "Once I've thoroughly learned this book, I'll extract the essence and discard the dross, and tailor-make a <Human Emperor Scroll Cultivation Guide That Even Zheng Lingxi Can Understand> for you, senior sister!"

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