Milky-White Radiance

Ordinary Confucian Cultivators had to first nourish Literary Qi with their vital essence, proceeding step by step. The beginning was the hardest; the farther they went, the faster it became.

But through the Dragon Survey Map, he had first opened his Sea of Consciousness Space.

The benefits he had gained were not limited to improved memory.

His sensitivity to Literary Qi was also far greater than that of ordinary people.

That was why he could nourish Literary Qi so quickly!

And he did not need to worry about consuming his blood essence!

Because he relied on his Sea of Consciousness!

At that thought, Zeng Anmin's heart felt as though a cat were clawing at it.

He suddenly opened his eyes and eagerly reached out to flip through the book.

"Rustle, rustle..."

He flipped through the pages with astonishing speed.

Before long, he had finished an entire book.

As he flipped faster and faster, several streams of warmth flowed from his mind toward his Sea of Consciousness.

"This..."

Zeng Anmin's attention was entirely focused on the book in his hands.

At the lectern.

The teacher watched the students with a faint, inscrutable smile.

It was as if he were waiting for something.

A moment later.

"Ah!"

"I have a nosebleed?!"

"My head hurts so badly..."

All the students were bewildered. They raised their heads in shock and confusion to look at the teacher.

"The beginning of Literary Qi lies in vital essence."

"The beginning of vital essence lies in blood and qi. A journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet."

"How could studying happen overnight?"

"You have not opened the Purple Mansion. Nurturing Literary Qi consumes the vital essence within your bodies. If you are insatiably greedy, when your vital essence is exhausted, that will be the moment of your death!!"

The teacher's expression turned stern, and his voice grew thunderous.

Like a clap of thunder, it rang in everyone's ears.

Every student's heart jolted violently.

The entire classroom fell silent.

Seeing that his warning had achieved its effect, the teacher's expression eased slightly.

Just as he was about to speak.

He heard the sound of pages rapidly flipping through the classroom.

It was especially grating in the silent schoolroom.

Within the Sea of Consciousness Space.

The phantom of the Dragon Survey Map still floated steadily in place.

To its right, a mass of aura flickering with a milky-white glow slowly grew larger.

With every page Zeng Anmin read, that milky-white aura grew a little more.

Before long, Zeng Anmin had finished flipping through the two books on the desk, Imperial Academy and Yi Zi.

The mass of Literary Qi within his Sea of Consciousness Space had grown into a perfectly round sphere three feet wide.

Just as he was about to pick up the third book...

Smack!

A rough hand pressed down on his hand.

Zeng Anmin looked up blankly.

He met the teaching master's exceedingly hostile gaze.

The authority he had so painstakingly established had immediately been cut in half by Zeng Anmin's antics.

How could he not be angry?

"Mr. Han?"

Damn it, I got carried away.

Zeng Anmin instantly came to his senses.

At that moment, every gaze in the classroom had gathered on him.

"What are you flipping through so carelessly?!" The teacher stared at Zeng Anmin expressionlessly.

His voice was icy cold.

"I was reading."

Zeng Anmin tried to explain.

"Is that how one reads the books of sages?"

The teacher's expression grew even uglier.

He had already subconsciously taken Zeng Anmin for the sort of scheming person who aimed too high and put on airs.

Zeng Anmin felt utterly miserable.

The feeling of that warm current rising had simply been too wonderful, and he had failed to hold himself back for a moment.

"My apologies, Teacher. Just now, I... I apologize to you."

Zeng Anmin looked somewhat embarrassed as he bowed to the teacher.

After all, it was the first day of school, and he did not want to attract too much attention.

But the teacher cut him off directly.

"Say no more. In today's class, you have disregarded Propriety and Law and shown no respect for your superior. You shall receive thirty strokes of the disciplinary ruler!"

The teacher drew a wooden ruler an inch wide from behind his back and said,

"Hold out your hand."

??

Things had unfolded far too quickly.

But how could Zeng Anmin not understand now?

On the first lesson of school, the teacher was using him to establish authority.

His luck had simply been bad. He had happened to become the nail that stuck out and been caught by the teacher.

With such a thick disciplinary ruler, one strike alone might split his skin and flesh.

And thirty strikes?

Do you take me for a bear?

"What?"

The teacher had held out the disciplinary ruler for quite some time, and his hand had grown sore.

Yet Zeng Anmin still did not extend his hand.

Everyone was watching.

Master Han was finding it difficult to save face.

Zeng Anmin explained, "I did not do it on purpose."

But Master Han would not listen to his explanation. His expression grew colder and colder as he raised his left hand and pointed outside.

"If you are unwilling, that is fine. Walk out that door, and do not return!"

Using power to crush others.

The moment those words were spoken, nearly all the students froze.

Two Rivers Prefecture lay at the heart of Jiangnan and was a place where the Great Sage Dynasty produced many gifted scholars.

Thus, Shuidu Academy was not inferior even to the Imperial Academy in the capital.

It was no exaggeration to say that being expelled from Shuidu Academy was the quickest way to become famous.

It was as fast as producing an immortal masterpiece.

Even the scholarly circles of the neighboring Jiang Dynasty would hear of it.

Of course, it would be infamous notoriety.

It could be said that from then on, one's life would be ruined.

Forget about an official career; even upon returning home, one would be mocked and cursed by others.

After all, this era had no internet, and he could not become an online celebrity fleecing the masses either.

"Fellow student, you must not gamble with your future. Hurry and hold out your hand."

Some kind-hearted students could not help speaking up to persuade Zeng Anmin.

"Yes. The teacher does not truly wish to do this. It is just that you... sigh."

"Yes, the teacher clearly said not to be insatiably greedy, yet you kept flipping pages without stopping."

The voices of the students continued to reach his ears.

The teacher did not interrupt them. He merely stared at Zeng Anmin for a long while.

Zeng Anmin felt deeply aggrieved.

Even if a student casually flipped through a book during class, at most he should have been scolded a little.

How had it become something so serious?

The teacher revealed a disappointed expression and withdrew the disciplinary ruler.

"Considering this is your first offense, I only intended a minor punishment as a warning. Yet I never imagined you would be so stubborn and incorrigible."

Just as Zeng Anmin had thought, his original intention had been to establish authority.

So he had not planned to strike very hard.

He simply had never expected this student to be so hopelessly beyond teaching.

At that, the teacher pointed toward the door.

"Go. Return to wherever you came from. Shuidu Academy cannot bear the burden of keeping you."

Silence.

As soon as the teacher spoke those words.

Everyone stared blankly at Zeng Anmin.

It was the first time any of them had encountered such a thing.

Zeng Anmin nearly laughed from anger.

Fine.

Since you insist on doing this.

Then let us do it.

He slowly raised his head to look at the teacher, an exceptionally radiant smile appearing on his face.

"Teacher, this student merely had an epiphany just now."

"How has that become the grave offense of expulsion from the Academy??"

An epiphany??

Not only the students, even Master Han was stunned for a moment.

Then he laughed in extreme anger.

"Then tell me, what did you realize?"

"If you cannot explain it, then even if the Dean comes today, he absolutely will not be able to save you!!"

Smack! As he spoke, the disciplinary ruler in his hand slammed viciously onto the desk.

All the students shuddered.

They had clearly been startled.

No one dared even breathe loudly.

All of them watched Zeng Anmin nervously.

The atmosphere in the entire classroom became bizarre.

Zeng Anmin slowly raised his right hand, grinned, and revealed his white teeth.

He held up a long, slender middle finger at Master Han.

"What are you doing?"

Han frowned deeply.

For some reason, he felt as though he had been insulted.

But the next instant, his expression froze.

Because at the tip of that middle finger raised before his nose.

A trace of milky-white radiance flickered.