Literary Excellence Pavilion

Each school of thought has its own strengths and weaknesses, and they have been competing for hundreds of years, but no school has been able to prove that it is the best in the world.

This involves the cultivation of different schools of thought, as well as the students of those schools.

Even though the royal family truly held power, the situation of the Han Dynasty royal family was extremely complex. They never publicly stated which school of thought the royal family belonged to, so the matter remained unresolved.

Within the Han Dynasty's royal family, members had different paths to self-cultivation and philosophies, learning according to their individual possessions and capabilities.

If one prince studies the teachings of the Purple Tenuity Sect, another prince studies the teachings of the Mohists, and the emperor studies the swordsmanship of the School of Diplomacy, all sorts of things could happen.

How did you know that the King of Huainan would have heard of Huang-Lao philosophy?

"The King of Huainan possessed a vast collection of bamboo slips, containing the teachings of various schools of thought. His collection was second only to the imperial family, so it was quite normal for him to include some Huang-Lao philosophy!"

"Could he send you the contents of this doctrine?"

"There's one advantage to him: as long as you register under his tutelage and showcase your talents, you might have a chance to visit the Wenying Pavilion!"

The carriage took five days to travel from Jiangxia to Huainan, but those five days were extremely peaceful.

As they approached the Huainan region, Dong Zhongshu began to mention some related matters.

Whether from the heart or in reality, Dong Zhongshu could no longer bear his 'misfortune'.

He needed to rest and recuperate after his long journey to this point, and to begin practicing the doctrines of Huang-Lao philosophy.

Whether it was useful or not is another matter, Dong Zhongshu felt that learning it would at least put his mind at ease and reduce his suspicious and paranoid mentality.

He then mentioned the King of Huainan and some of the King of King of Huainan's rules.

"If showcasing one's talents grants entry to the Wenying Pavilion for study, wouldn't it accommodate countless sects, allowing everyone to cultivate here?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"His collection is similar to what I've studied; most of it consists of incomplete and imperfect doctrines," Dong Zhongshu said. "Moreover, Wenying Pavilion maintains a one-in-one-out rule, so he doesn't lose money in this kind of business!"

"One in and one out?"

"This demonstration naturally requires some skill," Dong Zhongshu said. "This skill must at least be demonstrated by writing a book, and only then can one exchange it with the Wenying Pavilion for cultivation techniques of equal or corresponding quality from various people!"

"I see," Zhang Xuezhou nodded and said, "Then his Wenying Pavilion must be growing bigger and bigger!"

"I've heard of the King of Huainan's reputation for being studious even in Shu County. If I weren't unwell, I would have liked to show off my skills at the Wenying Pavilion," Zhao Liang interjected.

"Does the Wenying Pavilion have any theories of Yin-Yang School?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously.

What do you think?

Dong Zhongshu's question immediately piqued Zhang Xuezhou's interest.

He liked this exchange of giving and receiving.

For example, he could contribute Dong Zhongshu's fossil technique and then look at other equivalent techniques.

If they could find the complete doctrines of the Beast Taming Sect, they could exchange them for the doctrines of other schools of thought, and might even obtain more complete versions.

As the person Jin Chang sought refuge with, Zhang Xuezhou felt that Jin Chang must have made considerable contributions to the Wenying Pavilion.

He whispered a few words to Zhang Cigong, which made Zhang Cigong nod repeatedly.

The door of Confucian School was opened, but then closed again to Zhang Cigong. The door of Yin- Yin-Yang School was a dead end. Knowing what Zhang Xuezhou had learned and the situation he was in, Zhang Cigong felt that Zhang Xuezhou had fallen into a huge pit. Although he was anxious, he obviously would not follow suit and make a mistake.

More importantly, they do indeed possess the key to the Beast Taming Sect's secret vault.

Once they find the secret vault and obtain the inheritance, even if they cannot master the Beast Taming Sect's teachings, they can still exchange them for other teachings suitable for their own cultivation—it wouldn't be a loss.

With the half-ounce coin left on the bamboo raft, the group of five entered Jiangxia City, bought a carriage, and purchased some cloth and silk items, thus becoming itinerant merchants once again.

The group was now crammed into a carriage, with Zhang Cigong slowly driving it from the front, while Zhang Xuezhou would occasionally peek his head out from behind the carriage curtain.

Huainan was a vassal state within the territory of the Han Dynasty. Its capital, Shouchun, was not as prosperous as Chang'an City, but it was far superior to the cities of Shu and Ba.

In Shouchun City, Zhang Xuezhou could see cultivators mixed in with the crowds on the streets.

Just like ordinary people, these cultivators moved among the crowd, just like everyone else. Zhang Xuezhou was amazed by this harmonious scene.

Although cultivators are not high above others, he had never seen groups of cultivators wandering around in the bustling city.

"Those people must have all come from the Wenying Pavilion!"

Seeing Zhang Xuezhou's uncontrollable exclamation, Dong Zhongshu added a comment.

"Are we almost at Wenying Pavilion?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"There's still about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"

Looking at the slowly moving carriage, Dong Zhongshu would rather get off the carriage and walk than risk any mishap and ensure Zhao Liang's safety.

After traveling for an hour in Shouchun City, they were very close to the King of Huainan's Household.

This would also be something Dong Zhongshu would need to do along the way when traveling through Shouchun City.

"I'll go with Accountant Du to see what's going on!"

The carriage slowly came to a stop in an area where vehicles were lined up.

Zhang Xuezhou was astonished by the number of people coming and going from Wenying Pavilion. The dense crowd moving in and out of a large red wooden gate was comparable to the foot traffic of some medium-sized libraries in the real world.

He jumped off the carriage to join in the fun, and Zhao Liang could only nod in agreement. He then Zhang Cigong to tighten the curtain to prevent the people and valuables inside the carriage from being exposed and causing trouble.

Dong Zhongshu mentioned that the journey to Wenying Pavilion wouldn't take long, so Zhao Liang had no choice but to wait patiently.

"That Huang-Lao philosophy..."

When resting with his eyes closed, Zhao Liang would occasionally ponder the teachings of Huang-Lao and wonder why Dong Zhongshu mentioned the necessity of learning this skill.

At the far end of the venue, Zhang Xuezhou followed Dong Zhongshu and arrived at a registration area for his retainers.

Upon seeing Dong Zhongshu casually sign his name as Du Gou, without even checking the character for "section," and being invited inside to demonstrate his knowledge, Zhang Xuezhou also casually signed his name as Dongfang Bubai.

With the completion of his journey to the Northern Border, Dong Zhongshu will completely abandon his false name.

Zhang Xuezhou, however, could not live without the name ' Dongfang Shuo '. He needed a legitimate identity and needed to avoid potential investigations by Emperor Jing. These details made it difficult for Zhang Xuezhou to use his previous name.

After signing his name casually, Zhang Xuezhou followed them inside.

A few meters away from him, Dong Zhongshu was demonstrating the "Wind Summoning Technique," a low-level wind Technique Method whose main function was to exhale a gust of wind to cool and refresh the body.

These were also among the hundreds of useless low-level techniques within the Han Dynasty's territory.

Seeing the person conducting the inspection nod, give Dong Zhongshu a "Ding" badge, and then let Dong Zhongshu leave, Zhang Xuezhou was still somewhat puzzled.

"This in and out..."

"This Du Gou's Wind-Summoning Technique has been used by 449 people, and 12 bamboo slips have been preserved. There's no need to add another one. Dongfang Bubai, what have you learned?"

"My lord, I've learned the Yin Entity Tracking Technique!"

"No need to use any more tricks. Just take the tokens and go to the Wenying Pavilion to learn some useful skills. You can view your tokens for one hour, but be careful not to exceed the time limit, or you'll be in a difficult situation when you come out!"

After some conversation, Zhang Xuezhou, without even using his magic, also obtained a 'Ding' plaque.

Holding the plaque, he felt that the King of Huainan was far more generous than he had imagined.

Before they had even entered or left, they were able to view all the content in the Wenying Pavilion categorized under Gai Han's "Ding" class.

Although there is only one hour, it is more than enough time to learn some simple content.