Treading upon Dragon Spring

At the foot of Plum Mountain lay the Jade Bamboo Grove. From its entrance to its exit stretched roughly a thousand zhang.

Every foot along the ground, a palm-sized spirit stone had been embedded, each engraved with a single character of Archaic Edict Script. At a glance, the entire bamboo grove appeared to contain over a hundred thousand such edict spirit stones, packed so densely that merely looking at them made one dizzy.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth within this bamboo grove seemed to have been imprisoned, unable to escape. It gradually rose above the grove, forming a veil of spiritual mist that shrouded the entire bamboo forest.

At the entrance stood an old pavilion, within which hung an ancient bell.

A scruffy, unkempt middle-aged scholar was dozing, his snores rumbling like thunder. One moment, he smacked his lips; the next, he picked his nose with his right hand, occasionally scratching his backside. He possessed none of the bearing or refinement a scholar ought to have.

At that moment, a young scholar rode the wind down from Plum Mountain. He stepped into the pavilion, leaned close to the middle-aged scholar, patted him, and called softly, "Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle!"

"Ah—!" The middle-aged scholar shuddered and jolted awake, tumbling from the stone chair in the pavilion and coating his scholar's robe in dust. He hurriedly braced himself against a stone pillar and climbed to his feet, straightening his ceremonial cap as he snapped irritably, "What are you doing? Trying to scare me to death?"

The young scholar gave a wry smile. "Fourth Uncle, stop sleeping for now. Today is the academy's opening day. The children are coming."

"As if I don't know. Do I need you to remind me?" At this, the middle-aged scholar's eyes widened like saucers. He raised his head to check the sky, then pointed at the young man and said crossly, "Only two hours have passed. How could they arrive so soon? Can't I take a short nap?"

"Fourth Uncle, if Master finds out..."

Before he could finish, the middle-aged scholar cut him off and barked, "You brat, showing no respect for your elders and disturbing your teacher's quiet cultivation—you deserve punishment! Go back to the academy at once and copy the Thousand Branches Script one hundred times. Immediately, right now!"

"Fourth Uncle Yan..." The young scholar scratched his forehead, his face full of misery.

"Enough nonsense, get back already!" Growing impatient, the middle-aged scholar gathered up his black robe, lifted a foot, and kicked at the young scholar's backside. The latter panicked and fled in the wrong direction, hastily riding the clear wind and soaring away on clouds.

Even after his figure disappeared, the middle-aged scholar was still dissatisfied, muttering curses beneath his breath.

This man was named Yan Qing. He was Master Xun's fourth direct disciple, known to all as Fourth Uncle Yan, and also called Fourth Mister.

Master Xun had presided over Shangyin Academy for a full sixty years, yet in all that time, he had accepted only thirteen direct disciples.

The First Mister now served in the Imperial Capital's Grand Secretariat; the Second Mister guarded the Great Wall at the Northern Wasteland border; the Third Mister had died deep within Mang Mountain years ago, supposedly after accidentally consuming a Nine-Inch Sky Centipede and succumbing to its poison.

Now, within Shangyin Academy, aside from Master Xun himself, this Fourth Uncle Yan could be called the "Second Master."

"What a damned bastard, disturbing my sweet dream." Recalling the dream from moments ago, Yan Qing narrowed his eyes as though savoring it. Stroking his chin, he raised his head and sighed to the heavens, "A grand dream leaves no trace, no trace at all!"

As he spoke, footsteps and heavy panting came from nearby. Chu Tianzhao was drenched in sweat, his face flushed red. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the ground and asked weakly, "What do you mean, no trace at all? Mister, is this the Plum Mountain Bamboo Grove?"

"Good lad, you're the first one here." Yan Qing studied him closely, then walked over and crouched before Chu Tianzhao. "See that bamboo grove ahead? So long as you make it through, you'll have entered Shangyin Academy."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianzhao endured the ache in his body and forced himself up. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he looked toward the bamboo grove wreathed in spiritual mist and asked in astonishment, "Mister, are the characters carved into those spirit stones on the ground Archaic Edict Script?"

"They are." Yan Qing nodded.

"How could anyone unravel such an ancient formation without being proficient in ancient script?" Chu Tianzhao's expression darkened. "Mister, isn't this deliberately making things difficult for us?"

They were only boys and girls of fourteen or fifteen, and they had come to Shangyin to study. Without having studied ancient script, how were they supposed to break through?

"I think so too, but Master Xun set the rules. There's nothing I can do about it." Yan Qing shook his head helplessly. He patted Chu Tianzhao's shoulder and added, "Still, since you were the first to arrive, I can offer you a hint. As the saying goes, the great road lies open beneath heaven—so long as you can cross the bamboo grove, any method will do. You need not necessarily decipher the edict script."

Chu Tianzhao froze for a moment, as though he had understood something.

He suddenly gritted his teeth and sprang forward. Clouds and mist formed beneath his feet as he charged into the bamboo grove like a caged leopard unleashed!

If he had to decipher the edict script, he would not solve it even if he racked his brains until his skull split.

"Ah!"

A scream soon rang out from within. Chu Tianzhao stepped on one of the edict spirit stones, and a few breaths later, an old bamboo in the grove bent down without wind. In an instant, it lashed across his body. With a soft bang, he was sent flying out of the grove and crashed heavily onto the ground, a distinct bamboo welt visible on his face.

"What a reckless lad." Yan Qing raised a brow and remarked casually.

Before long, more and more students gathered outside the bamboo grove.

Some, like Chu Tianzhao, tried to force their way through, but without exception, they were whipped back out by the jade bamboo. The cries of young men and women rose from every direction, unceasing.

Other boys and girls immediately took out brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, trying to decipher the edict script with agonized expressions, scratching their ears and rubbing their cheeks.

Yan Qing leaned within the pavilion and looked up at the sky. It seemed nearly noon, and he prepared to ring the old bell.

Xu Yan arrived just before noon, timing it precisely. Breathing lightly, he muttered to himself, "My practice of the Li Clan Body Tempering Art from the Ancient Solar Record wasn't for nothing after all."

As the old bell rang three times, its ancient Dao chime echoed through the mountains and forests, startling countless birds into flight.

Several thousand people had left the city, yet only a little over eight hundred had reached this place. They whispered among themselves, discussing how to pass through the bamboo grove.

"An Archaic Edict Script Dao formation?" Xu Yan paced to the entrance of the bamboo grove and looked at the spirit stones scattered across its floor. Each one glowed softly, the edict characters engraved upon them vivid and lifelike. A single glance was enough to make one's vision swim.

Watching them, Yan Qing spoke up. "Time is limited. You have only twelve hours. If you have not crossed the bamboo grove by noon tomorrow, leave on your own."

At these words, some of the boys and girls grew even more anxious, their faces and ears flushed crimson. Those forcing their way through ignored the pain in their bodies and charged inward with all their strength, while those deciphering the text sent their brushes flying like rain.

Xu Yan, however, remained unhurried. He sat cross-legged, his consciousness sinking into the ancient jade. An instant later, he abruptly opened his eyes.

His gaze swept across the edict spirit stones on the ground. After thinking for a while, he raised a foot and paused for several breaths before one particular spirit stone. He looked at the edict character, then stepped down upon it.

"Dragon Spring," Xu Yan murmured.

"Hm?" Yan Qing's ears were sharp. The moment the words "Dragon Spring" reached him, his expression changed, and he immediately looked up at Xu Yan.