Hundred Schools Aura

"Lin Zhengyang?"

Upon hearing this name, a glint of light flashed in Qiu Yan's eyes. This wasn't the first time he had heard this name, but compared to before, not only was the level of understanding higher now, but the knowledge was also extraordinary, which inevitably aroused some doubt.

"When one's cultivation reaches a certain level, one's existence becomes intertwined with Karma and effect and Fortune. No matter where one is or who mentions him, one will sense it. Therefore, ordinary cultivators and deities will not easily mention the names of high-ranking deities and cultivators. Judging from the deeds and traces left behind by Lin Zhengyang, this person is definitely not simple and must have exceeded a certain limit. Why are there still so many people who can easily mention his name? In addition, what does it mean that the history books dare not write his name?"

Lord Shi, sitting opposite him, clearly didn't intend to dwell on this issue too much. He didn't believe that Qiu Yan, given his age and experience, would know this person.

"In short, the origins of Outer-Heaven Will are diverse, but their purposes are all the same. This matter is not a secret among the upper echelons of the court. However, due to many restrictions, it cannot be spread. Just keep it to yourself. Anyway, there is a wisp of will imprisoned in your book. You may as well carefully investigate it in the future."

Lord Shi paused for a moment, then continued, "In fact, it is precisely because of this Outer-Heaven Will that the status of Grandmaster has risen day by day, and those who can write classic texts have become even rarer. This is why the Chen Brothers have gained such a high status and had the opportunity to make their school of thought a prominent one. Ultimately, it is because they are able to produce classic texts, making them outstanding among Grand Confucian."

Qiu Yan gleaned a clue from these words and asked, "Are there different levels of Grand Confucian?"

"In pursuing scholarship and accumulating knowledge, each has its strengths, and there is no inherent superiority or inferiority among them," Lord Shi first set the tone before continuing, "However, the Hundred Schools of thought represent the essence of Human Path. Those who can attain the titles of Grand Confucian Scholar Grandmaster are all outstanding individuals, possessing not only profound knowledge but also the blessing of the Human Path Order. They have an Innate Realm advantage in resisting Divine Ability powers, especially Outer-Heaven Will, but there are also some differences. Over time, those who are fond of such things will naturally rank them."

Qiu Yan nodded slowly and said, "There is no inherent superiority or inferiority among scholars, but in the eyes of others, these Grand Confucian Grandmaster can produce different effects when facing extraordinary power, which is why they are ranked."

"That's exactly right." Lord Shi nodded in agreement, his smile somewhat malicious. "To be honest, this matter is actually irrelevant to you scholars. Even if your knowledge is so profound that you can injure the true form of Outsiders with a single rebuke, so what? If someone with even a little martial arts skill gets close, it's just a matter of one strike."

"Without cultivating Divine Ability, one's body will naturally be weak, which will certainly have drawbacks. However, the Grand Confucian I have met in the past have all vaguely mentioned that cultivating Divine Ability. I wonder if Lord Shi is aware of this?" Qiu Yan looked at the other party and asked a question that had been on his mind for a long time.

Lord Shi pondered for a moment before saying, "I know a little about this matter, but Confucianism scholars are always very secretive and rarely reveal it. It seems to involve quite a lot, so what I know isn't certain. I've only heard that as the ultimate goal of a scholar, to achieve it, one cannot possess any signs of Divine Ability; otherwise, all one's hard work in old age will ultimately be nothing but a pipe dream..."

"The ultimate goal?"

Qiu Yan pondered the word, lost in thought.

Those who pursue learning are different from those who cultivate immortality. They do not seek longevity. They may appear to be studying, but in reality, they are spreading the word. Those who achieve academic success but then retreat to the mountains and rivers are few and far between, and most of them do not do so out of their own volition. They have various purposes, such as being disheartened, being forced by circumstances, or simply wanting to accumulate fame.

Therefore, the ultimate goal of a scholar is not simply to comprehend the principles; this is the opposite of what a cultivator would do.

Cultivators gather their own traces, existence, Fortune, and Karma into themselves and isolate themselves from the outside world. However, the purpose of a student is to do the opposite: to spread what they have learned, thought, and felt outwards and continuously disseminate it, preferably through oral transmission so that everyone knows it every day.

"In some respects, this behavior is similar to Divine Path, and this is the foundation upon which Humanistic Divine Path can be established..."

Seeing Qiu Yan deep in thought, Lord Shi stopped talking and looked around, his gaze landing on the cat and dog curled up in the corner, showing interest.

Since the Heavenly Hound's Nascent Soul was sealed, these cats and dogs have become much more restrained and no longer dare to make a fuss.

After a while, Qiu Yan spoke again, "I would also like to ask Lord Shi, how do those busybodies categorize people as scholars?"

Lord Shi regained his composure and laughed, "There's no precise division. Unlike cultivation realms, it's mostly about passing on knowledge privately. Over time, it's become accepted as such."

"I'd like to hear the details." Qiu Yan straightened up.

Without mincing words, Lord Shi said directly, "The most common ones are ordinary scholars. They read the Sage and write essays on their interpretations. When their minds are at peace, they are not afraid of ghosts and spirits, and they are in harmony with the righteous energy. But if they are not careful, they will be just like ordinary people, their hearts corrupted by Yin Qi and misled by evil spirits."

Qiu Yan nodded, knowing that his predecessor had reached this level before the Mystic Hair were planted.

"Next are those with some literary talent, slightly better than ordinary scholars. They have Literary Thought in their hearts, can compose poems and couplets, or have talents and speak eloquently. With their Literary Qi, even unintentionally, ghosts and monsters cannot invade them. Moreover, if they calm their minds and shout, they can make evil spirits retreat! However, they can also go Fanatical Devotion and be taken advantage of by evil spirits."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan knew that he had planted Mystic Hair to replace the life of his predecessor, and after a few days of reflection and integration of his knowledge, he had actually reached this level. He was also the scholar You Zui, whom he had met in the wild who was bewitched by the painting of the Heavenly Hound Wisdom Soul. He was also like that, and was also bewitched by evil spirits.

"The third tier consists of those who have condensed their Literary Heart and can inherit the school's way. They are an indispensable part of the school's inheritance and hold a high position even within the academy. Such individuals can already harm ghosts and gods, and even cultivators with Divine Ability will not underestimate them. Moreover, when their Literary Thought thoughts are surging, they can also damage the Outer-Heaven Will and are not easily corrupted."

Qiu Yan nodded and said, "That's right. It's like a cultivator gaining the Literary Heart Daoheart Fist Intent. It's a clear watershed moment, distinguishing him from ordinary scholars."

These words came from genuine feeling. Those who can cultivate Literary Heart are all outstanding individuals. Take Wen Zhizhen and He Shuchang, for example, who are known as the talented scholars of Jiangnan and are clearly above the masses. However, when He Shuchang first entered the Principle School Academy, he only showed signs of cultivating Literary Heart. He only truly achieved it after going through many twists and turns. This shows how precious people with Literary Heart are.

Lord Shi continued, "Above the Literary Heart' and below the level of 'Grand Confucian,' there is not much difference. However, before one is about to become Grand Confucian, as one's learning deepens, there will be a bottleneck, which is actually the peak of the Literary Heart.' Beyond that, one must comprehend an Order, which is not easily achieved. And those at the peak of the 'Literary Heart,' not to mention anything else, can manipulate Order with their Literary Qi alone, causing great damage to the Outer-Heaven Will."

The Force of Order is not mysterious. Even an ordinary scholar can mobilize it by taking advantage of Heavenly Timing, Earthly Advantage, and Human Harmony, and people. When Qiu Yan first rose to prominence, he met Song Yuan and Zhao Bingcheng in Wuxin City. He used the situation and his own special abilities to activate the Force of Order and change his fortunes with just a few words. Although it was only a superficial understanding, it was still quite remarkable.

Of course, Qiu Yan had already grasped the Sage Spirit in the "Exhortation to Learning" essay, and with his Nature Cultivation, he was sensitive to the Force of Order. Ordinary people would not have had such an opportunity, but it was not uncommon for him to unintentionally mobilize a trace of the Force of Order.

Forget the preface, after Lord Shi finished speaking about the pinnacle of Literary Heart, he picked up the cup on the table, took a sip to moisten his throat, and then continued, "The rest is the difference between Grand Confucian. As for what it feels like to comprehend the Force of Order, this old man has no idea. You are much more familiar with this aspect. However, the imperial court and many study rooms and academies have Sage Paper. This paper is quite mysterious. When a great Grand Confucian writes on it, incorporating his own insights and a trace of Order, the characters can emit an aura, which is called the Hundred Schools Aura."

He stared into Qiu Yan's eyes and smiled, "You must be familiar with this halo. You must have experienced it when you created your classics. At that time, it was the manifestation of the principles of heaven and earth. But in reality, it can also be created using the Sage Paper. The paper itself is condensed with pure white spirit and thoughts, which can guide Order and make the Hundred Schools Aura appear, thereby distinguishing the Grandmaster' levels. Of course, my Military School calls this light the Military School Aura, and the Confucianism calls it the Confucian Aura."

"The Hundred Schools Aura? I see." Qiu Yan nodded, the various pieces of information connecting him, and his thoughts suddenly became much clearer.

"The halos are formed in rings, each different. As far as the old man knows, there are five rings in total," Lord Shi recalled briefly. "The Chen Household brothers, for example, have three rings, while Ma Yang and Wang Fu have two. As for those in this ring, such as the Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio, there aren't many of them. In fact, this is a forced division, and scholars don't care about it at all."

"The Chen Household brothers refer to the two gentlemen, Great Chen and Junior Chen. These two also wrote classics, so they have a three-ring halo. As for the two prime ministers, Ma and Wang, their scholarship is profound, and they are both on the path of writing books, so they manifest two rings. In that case, the Master of Nine-Rhyme Studio should simply be Thought-Convergent Order, without having the intention of writing a book, so he is only a one-ring..."

As Qiu Yan pondered, the figures of several Grandmaster and Grand Confucian in Eastern Capital flashed through his mind again. He secretly speculated about them, but after a while, he suppressed his thoughts.

"I just don't know what the fourth and fifth rings represent. To be honest, as Lord Shi said, this division is from an outsider's perspective on scholars. From the scholar's own point of view, whether it's the first or third ring, it doesn't matter much. What they really care about is spreading their theories, leaving a legacy, and benefiting the world."

As he was thinking, the carriage suddenly shook, the tea table moved, and a scene appeared on the smooth surface, twisting and combining to form a picture out of thin air. It was the image of their caravan, but ahead, there was billowing dust, and a group of riders dressed as herdsmen were galloping towards them.

The group of riders was moving extremely fast and was about to leave the convoy when suddenly one or two people turned their horses around and pretended to hijack them!

"We're almost in the territory of Great Rui, how did this cavalry suddenly appear?"

ps:

Thanks for the tip from "Sui Shi"!