A Literary Path Takes Nascent Form, Qi Stirs the Mind in All Directions

The Eastern Capital vast, divided into the Imperial City, the Inner City, and the Outer City. At this moment, the surrounding Force of Order are trembling faintly!

Inner City.

In the vast mansion, servants thronged. In the study deep within the mansion, an elderly man, who was reading and sipping tea, raised an eyebrow, put down his teacup and book, and stood up.

This man had a thick, white beard, each hair like a needle. He was tall and strong, dressed in a dark cloak, like a fierce general on the Sand Battlefield. However, he did not have a fierce aura; instead, he was surrounded by unusual Literary Thoughts.

The old man walked to the window, his eyes flickered, and he looked up at the sky, where he saw an invisible pillar of energy shooting into the heavens.

"This direction... is it the Principle Sect? Another person from the Principle Sect has condensed their Literary Heart? Moreover, this person's path of establishing their heart is extraordinary. As soon as it took shape, it showed a tendency to take root in the world. This is to create their own Order and open a path that no one has opened before!"

Knock knock!

Lost in thought, I was interrupted by a knock on the door, and then a respectful voice came through—

"Sir, Miss Sun is back and insists on seeing you."

"Wei'er is back?" Upon hearing this, the old man's brows relaxed. "Let her come over." With that, he temporarily put aside his thoughts.

Outside the city, at the Thousand Books Studio.

"Interesting. I didn't expect to see someone condense their Literary Heart so soon after arriving! This Eastern Capital is indeed extraordinary, far superior to any remote and impoverished place."

A young man with his hair tied up in a headscarf jumped up from his seat. He had dark skin and a thin build, but his eyes were bright and piercing as he stared out the window with excitement.

"If I can defeat such a person in the Scholar Forest, I can demonstrate my Pang Da and thus benefit the world in the future!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a ruler struck him, the sound of it hitting flesh crisp and making him wince in pain.

Then, a stern voice rang out. "Why aren't you concentrating on your studies? The slightest noise can Soul Split you. How can you ever achieve anything great?"

"Hey, Third Uncle, stop hitting me, I know I was wrong."

City gate.

The white-robed scholar, whose documents were being examined by the city guards, trembled. Looking up, he saw the same pillar of energy.

This man had a long sword and a wine gourd at his waist, and a bag on his back. He looked extraordinary and had an upright posture.

Not long after, the soldier returned the document. He withdrew his gaze, thanked the soldier, took the document, and strode into the city, his steps exuding a bold and unrestrained air.

Outside the city, at the Spring and Autumn Academy.

In the center of the academy, in a tall, imposing, but somewhat dilapidated pavilion, an old man was slumped over a table.

The old man was dressed simply, his clothes patched. A book sat on the table in front of him; he leaned over it, pressing his face against the pages, staring intently at the lines of text with his cloudy old eyes.

Suddenly, the old man stopped what he was doing, raised his head, looked at the roof, and his lips moved as if he were saying something, but he quickly lay down again.

At the same time.

Inner City, many people noticed the vibrations of the Force of Order and then investigated.

What should have been an invisible pillar of energy was, in some people's eyes, nowhere to hide, and easily captured.

In an instant, people's opinions diverged.

"Um?"

In the center of the city, at the Imperial City.

When the Eastern Capital was still in turmoil, Dongdu was the capital of the Great Rui Kingdom. Later, when the world was unified, Emperor Taizu moved the Central Passes, and Eastern Capital became vacant and a secondary capital.

However, although the emperor is gone, the Imperial Palace remains. In the northeast of the Imperial Palace, a special area has been set aside for Grand Confucian to discuss and lecture.

This was built by Emperor Taizu after he established the dynasty and invited hermits from all over the world to join him. It was named Forest Altar Literary Hall and contains the Hall of Illuminating Ethics.

At this moment, the two elderly scholars in the hall raised their heads slightly and looked up at the sky through the doors and windows.

"Another Literary Heart has emerged during Principle Sect's reign; it seems Great Prosperity literary era is about to begin. But who is it?"

"I heard from the report that He Shuchang of Jiangnan recently became a disciple of the Principle Sect. This man is intelligent and, having received instruction from the two Chen brothers, is blessed with good fortune. It is not impossible for him to achieve Literary Heart."

"Indeed, this man comes from an extraordinary family, a scholarly household. If he were to pursue Literary Heart, he might be able to rival Bai Zhaoyuan."

"Bai Zhaoyuan possesses Past-Life Wisdom, and his vision and knowledge far surpass those of his peers. Recently, with his essay 'The way to win Human Path is to benefit them; the way to benefit them is to teach them governance,' he has clearly articulated the fundamental nature of Human Path' pursuit of profit. Even before the discussion began, he has already shaken the Sage Worthies Clay Statues and entered the Scholar Forest. He can be described as an unparalleled talent. Among the younger generation, there is no one who can rival him. He is clearly comparable to Grandmaster, and he will only need to wait for the Imperial Examinations to make his name known throughout the world."

The two fell silent again as they talked.

Leaving aside the reactions from all sides as this pillar of energy rose, the many students observing and discussing within the Principle Sect Academy and Heavenly Principle Pavilion were stunned, staring directly at one person—

Qiu Yan exuded Literary Qi that radiated outwards, inspiring many to feel a sense of enlightenment, much like the experience of listening to the lectures of the two Mr. Chens.

But who are those two people?

They were learned Celestial Person with their own doctrines and ideas, and they wanted to promote them throughout the world. It would not be an exaggeration to call them literary masters of their generation. When they lectured, they did not only simply explain the principles, but also conveyed their own feelings. The so-called teaching by example was to let people feel and then think and understand for themselves.

Although Qiu Yan has achieved some success in Literary Dao, he is far inferior to the two gentlemen in terms of his reputation. After all, the accumulation of knowledge is one aspect, and reputation and public prestige are another. The two Mr. Chen have achieved what they have today not only because of their outstanding knowledge, but also because of the recognition of scholars across the country and the gathering of public prestige. These are things that Qiu Yan cannot match.

However, the current situation is not unfamiliar to everyone. Some of them have experienced it before and know that Qiu Yan has formed his Literary Heart and has developed his own path.

In the moment when Literary Heart is focused, knowledge and memories flow and leak out, radiating outwards.

Literary Heart, also known as the Dao Heart of Nature Cultivation or the Fist Intent of Life Cultivation, represents a person's understanding and comprehension of the path ahead. It is not something that can be easily acquired; experience, reflection, and accumulation are all indispensable, and one also needs a bit of luck and to wait for the right opportunity.

Those who can unite people's Literary Hearts are extremely rare, even within the entire Principle Sect Academy, and each of them holds an extraordinary position.

Once this Literary Heart is concentrated, it has its own path. In the future, through deduction and refinement, it can become a school of thought. The Literary Heart of the Principle Sect Academy is rooted in the propositions of the two Mr. Chen. However, the different emphases of their individual understanding can bring different insights, forming new branches and thus continuously enriching the school of thought.

In its early days, Confucianism was merely the doctrine of the Supreme Sage Confucius. Later, it became the orthodox school of thought. Through the understanding and interpretation of generations of Confucian scholars, it became increasingly perfect and eventually spread throughout the world. Some of its doctrines even took a completely different approach, making it all-encompassing.

There was a saying among people at the time, "I interpret the Six Classics, Six Classics interpret me," and this is the root of the saying.

Ultimately, for a school of thought to develop, grow, and endure through the ages, it not only needs to have substantial content in its doctrines, but also needs successors, disciples, and their descendants to repeatedly study and extend its knowledge to all aspects, just like a tree trunk that branches out into hundreds of branches to form a lush canopy and remain evergreen for eternity.

Therefore, anyone who achieves Literary Heart will be valued and entrusted with important responsibilities by the Two Chens emperors. Zhang Huazhang was one of them, and he was able to take charge of the academy and become its head. The reason why he valued He Shuchang was that he believed that He Shuchang would definitely achieve Literary Heart within three years and add another general to the Principle Sect.

Similarly, after meeting Qiu Yan, Zhen Zhizuo also anticipated that the other party could Literary Heart, which is why he argued with Zhang Huazhang to bring Qiu Yan to the capital.

Now, inside the Heavenly Principle Pavilion, the two chosen by Zhang Huazhang and Zhen Zhizuo are debating face to face, and the outcome is already decided.

If Qiu Yan's remarks were not enough to refute He Shuchang's words, then his achievement in cultivating Literary Heart was enough to prove that Zhang Huazhang was inferior to Zhen Zhizuo in recognizing talent.

No matter how you look at it, He Shuchang's talent and reputation surpass Qiu Yan's, but Qiu Yan possesses Literary Heart and the aptitude to independently develop his own theories. For a school of thought, such a person is extremely important.

The difference in quality is immediately apparent!

Therefore, after realizing this, Zhang Huazhang's expression changed, revealing a hint of annoyance and regret.

He Shuchang's expression changed repeatedly; his composure and calmness vanished, replaced by a wooden face, with jealousy and disappointment in his eyes.

From childhood, he was the center of attention, but today, he has become a supporting character, or even a stepping stone. Now, no one cares about him anymore!

Even Cai Ying, who was standing next to her, looked embarrassed and felt awkward. She remembered that she had just said that He Shuchang would soon achieve Literary Heart and extraordinary success, in order to dampen Qiu Yan's arrogance. However, she did not expect that Qiu Yan would achieve Literary Heart in front of them. The contrast made her face burn with embarrassment.

The concentration of Literary Heart did not last long. Once the memories in the soul flowed and penetrated deep into the heart, many questions that could not be understood before naturally became clear, and the mind and body were transparent.

Then, Qiu Yan let out a long sigh, flicked his sleeves, and exuded a completely different aura—one of etherealness and the other of solidity.

Seeing him flick his clothes, the others finally came to their senses. By this time, few people cared about discussing philosophy anymore. In their view, the most urgent task was to keep this student who had cultivated Literary Heart in the academy.

"Zhizuo, take Young Master Qiu to Hall of Illuminating Ethics. I'll go there after I've dealt with things here." Zhang Huazhang gave the order. As the person in charge, although he had prejudices against poor families, he knew what Ning Literary Heart meant, so he naturally prioritized the overall situation and wanted to salvage the impression.

The others were sensible enough to make way for them.

Zhen Zhizuo walked up to Qiu Yan with a complicated expression and said, "Brother Qiu, please come with me." He knew in his heart that the possibility of Qiu Yan joining the Principle Sect Academy was extremely slim. Although they hadn't known each other for long, it was enough for him to understand Qiu Yan's character. If it weren't for He Shuchang's earlier remarks and Zhang Huazhang's disdain, Qiu Yan might have still been able to enter the academy, but now...

Scholars sometimes act on impulse, and Qiu Yan had already cultivated his Literary Heart, which was not influenced by the Principle Sect.

Just then, several exclamations suddenly came from the doorway—

"Teacher!"

"Master, what brings you here!"

Hearing the various titles, Zhen Zhizuo looked in the direction of the voices and saw a sprightly old man dressed in a deep robe.

ps:

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