The Confucian School's Imperial Academy

Zhang Xuezhou also witnessed Huo Qubing Realm Entry while in the secret area of Shanglin Garden.

Huo Qubing was young, and his body's acupoints were not yet fully developed, so the number of acupoints he could utilize after Realm Entry was extremely limited.

Zhang Xuezhou originally thought that Huo Qubing had only entered a certain realm, and then waited for his body to slowly grow and develop, so that his cultivation could become normal.

But after not seeing him for more than half a year, Zhang Xuezhou noticed that Huo Qubing's body had become more vigorous and full of Qi and Blood, which was not at all like the appearance of Realm Entry.

He beckoned Huo Qubing into the main hall of the mansion and casually touched Huo Qubing's pulse.

"You are truly extraordinary for your age; your cultivation is progressing rapidly!"

Zhang Xuezhou looked surprised.

Huo Qubing's internal Qi and Blood was strong but weak, almost identical to the situation where his magical Law Power was imprisoned.

Zhang Xuezhou's problem was that he ate too much Cynomorium songaricum, while Huo Qubing's problem was that his body hadn't fully developed, his number of acupoints was extremely limited, and he had fewer points where he could exert force.

After Zhang Xuezhou experienced health problems, he chose to get married quickly to seek treatment, thereby eliminating the symptoms and returning to normal. Only then did he seek to further his spiritual practice.

Despite having a limited number of acupoints in his body, Huo Qubing was still able to improve his cultivation level.

After Realm Entry, there are the first three stages: Meridian Circulation Blood Penetration, and Body Control. Huo Qubing's current Qi and Blood strength is sufficient to be classified as the Body Control Realm.

This situation left Zhang Xuezhou no choice but to be surprised.

Even though the simplified version of the Confucian School classic "Zhongni Qiguan Shuo" has a simple cultivation path, it is not common to directly cross the first three realms in just over half a year.

"If only my uncle were as wise as you! He tied me up and beat me a while ago, saying that my haphazard practice was too risky and could even cost me my life. He only allowed me to study," Huo Qubing said resentfully. "He didn't think I had any extraordinary talent for cultivation at all!"

"You're already amazing!"

Zhang Xuezhou spoke the truth.

Regardless of what advantages Huo Qubing gained, his cultivation progress was enough to crush countless geniuses. The poor cultivators in Western Capital City who were struggling to Realm Technique would weep bitterly upon seeing Huo Qubing.

It wasn't that no one in Western Capital City practiced "Zhongni Qiguan Shuo"; Luo Gaogao and others simply chose the simplified version to promote it.

However, compared to Huo Qubing, even though they were already adults Luo Gaogao and others were not as good.

"I have never seen such a talented young boy as you," Zhang Xuezhou praised.

"Master of the East, you have the discerning eye to recognize a young man like yourself. You are truly the most remarkable person I have ever met," Huo Qubing exclaimed with delight.

After being praised three times in a row by Zhang Xuezhou, Huo Qubing finally realized that Zhang Xuezhou was genuinely praising him, which made him very happy. He then casually flattered Zhang Xuezhou and they went on to exchange compliments for a while.

"Your flattery is so poorly written; you really need to read more books!"

As soon as Huo Qubing uttered those words, Zhang Xuezhou knew what Huo Qubing was planning to do.

This guy was forbidden from cultivating by Wei Qing, obviously because he was bored with reading and wanted to find a way to break through with Zhang Xuezhou.

But Zhang Xuezhou had no teaching skills whatsoever.

Huo Qubing's physical condition was extremely simple, while Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation was complex; the two were completely opposite. Huo Qubing could not cultivate even a fraction of Zhang Xuezhou's abilities.

He made a sarcastic remark to Huo Qubing, which immediately caused Huo Qubing's head to droop like a deflated eggplant.

"As long as you don't bring up studying, we're still best friends who've been through thick and thin together," Huo Qubing said sullenly. "Those lousy books only talk about grand principles; not a single thing is practical!"

"Oh, what books have you been reading?" Zhang Xuezhou asked with interest.

"The imperial court established some kind of Imperial Academy, with Doctors of the Five Classics teaching the I Ching, Book of Poetry, Book of Documents, Book of Rites, Gongyang Commentary, Guliang Commentary, Zuo Commentary, Zhou Guan, and Erya," Huo Qubing complained. "I'm reciting those texts there every day, I'm about to throw up from it!"

"You've read so many books; you must be incredibly learned!" Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed in surprise.

The classic texts mentioned by Huo Qubing all originated from Confucian School, Dong Zhongshu had mentioned them to Zhang Xuezhou many years ago.

If one does not study the "Zhongni Qiguan Shuo" from the Confucian school, the Confucian School methods of self-cultivation are found in these classic texts. By reading these classic texts extensively, one can enter Realm Entry self-cultivation and thus gain enlightenment about one's own practice.

Zhang Xuezhou was somewhat surprised that the imperial court had established the Imperial Academy to teach Confucianism, and even created official positions specifically for this purpose.

This means that Confucian School became the official doctrine recognized by the imperial court.

It is highly likely that Dong Zhongshu and others who met with the new emperor were not aligned with the Empress Dowager, but rather sided with the new emperor, which was a significant event in the Great Han Dynasty.

Zhang Xuezhou somewhat understood why Tian Fen had to show off to everyone he met. It wasn't just Tian Fen's personality; this showing off also served to demonstrate the Empress Dowager's influence, thus preventing Confucian School from overshadowing the Empress Dowager.

"What do you mean by 'learned enough to fill five carts'? 'Learned enough to fill five carts' is what you really mean," Huo Qubing retorted. "My mother spent a fortune on me to secure a place at the Imperial Academy!"

Money isn't important!

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head.

If Dongfang Jia weren't so ridiculously young, Zhang Xuezhou would have also wanted to send him to the Imperial Academy.

He knew the quality of the Imperial Academy without even thinking.

This was not only backed by the imperial court, but also guaranteed by Confucian School. Any student who entered the Imperial Academy was supported by two forces, and the first batch of students were often made into role models.

If you want to invest in the future of young people, entering the Imperial Academy is definitely a shortcut.

"Money is extremely important. Only a wise person from the East has the magnanimity to regard money as dirt. I am far inferior to your level of cultivation!"

Huo Qubing was clearly still somewhat distressed that his family had spent too much money.

If it weren't for the fact that he had spent so much money and felt he had to study to recoup his investment, Huo Qubing would have run away long ago.

Huo Qubing's thoughts were very direct, leaving Zhang Xuezhou no choice but to shake his head.

The first batch of students at the Imperial Academy were not simply those with money. As a benchmark of Confucian School, any student admitted had to either come from a family with immense power or be a top genius.

Huo Qubing's entry into the Imperial Academy was not solely due to the money provided by Wei Shao'er. Even though Wei Qing's position was precarious, the fact that he was able to secure Huo Qubing's place in the first cohort of admissions must have been backed by the new emperor's guarantee.

"If you want to graduate sooner, then pass the entrance exam for the Five Classics Doctors as soon as possible," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile. "Once you've finished studying the Five Classics they teach, you'll be free and won't need to go to the Imperial Academy anymore!"

"Reading those lousy books is too difficult," Huo Qubing shook his head and said, "Rote memorization simply won't pass their entrance exams!"

"How do you manage to memorize so many scriptures by rote?"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about Huo Qubing's ability to remember spells and realized that Huo Qubing might have applied this ability to his studies.

Simply reciting from the text is useless. Even if Huo Qubing could memorize these scriptures by referring to the pictures and recite them from beginning to end, it would only be repetition, not Huo Qubing's understanding of the scriptures. It is normal that he would have difficulty passing the test.

However, Huo Qubing's "borrowing" method of memorization was unique in this era and could surpass 99% of people.

When one possesses something that others lack, Huo Qubing is bound to stand out.

Looking at Huo Qubing, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel a bit calculating.

Zhang Xuezhou's memory ability, guided by mental power, is already extremely strong. He can memorize complex content after reading it only once, but he cannot replicate it with just a glance like Huo Qubing.

He was also quite curious whether Huo Qubing could gain some special visual abilities if he enhanced his mental abilities.

Huo Qubing's current martial arts skills were of little use, but Zhang Xuezhou was very interested in the other party's special ability.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that he might even need the other party's abilities in the future.