Chapter 52: The Path of Confucian Cultivation!

Upon hearing this topic, Qi Yuansheng's facial features instantly scrunched together, and his massive body shrank back, resembling a brown bear stung on the snout by a bee.

He said, "I ran away in secret this time, burning my bridges behind me and fighting for a chance at survival. I only hope to pass the academy's entrance examination after tomorrow's lecture so that I won't have to go home..."

It turned out there was an entrance exam tomorrow, and Qi Yuansheng's primary goal was to gain admission.

Xue Yuan immediately twitched the corner of his mouth and said with a hint of sympathy, "Your family... sounds terrifying?"

"Heh!" Qi Yuansheng scratched his scalp and said, "It's not exactly terrifying, it's just my second sister... she is truly a bit... well, Your Highness, if you ever happen to meet my second sister, you'd better be careful."

"Surely not," Xue Yuan chuckled. "I am a Prince, after all. Would she dare beat me?"

"Better safe than sorry!"

Looking at Qi Yuansheng's sturdy physique combined with his timid and vulnerable temperament, Xue Yuan's mind immediately conjured up an image of a ferocious female creature standing eight feet tall with a waist eight feet wide. He decisively dismissed any notion of talking to her second sister about educational issues.

What education could one discuss with such a savage? It would be a struggle just for her to find a mate and reproduce!

So he changed the subject and said, "Then let me wish you success in the exam first! If you study at the academy, I will come to check on you from time to time."

Of course, it would be even better if he failed. Why study books anyway? A talent like this should come to the Prince's Manor and quietly help him whip a formidable army into shape!

Qi Yuansheng nodded vigorously and said, "That would be wonderful! Oh, right, you saved me today, and I haven't thanked you yet!"

"Hey, why mention that! You and I share a mutual affinity and are bound by fate; naturally, I had to help you!"

Xue Yuan waved his hand and added, "Right, if you don't pass the exam, just come find me at the Prince Ning's Manor. I'll give you something to do; that's still better than going home! I suppose even your second sister won't be able to track you down there."

Qi Yuansheng was deeply moved and asked, "Does Your Highness mean it?"

"Don't call me Your Highness, just call me brother!"

"Alright, Your Highness!"

With nothing more to discuss, the two lay down on their respective beds to read.

Qi Yuansheng was reading a book on military strategy, while Xue Yuan flipped open the annotated edition of the *Great Meaning of Confucian Classics*.

The beginning of the book was relatively easy to understand, primarily introducing Confucianism's unique method of cultivation.

Making a comparison, Xue Yuan realized he was currently at the third step of the Book Mountain, corresponding to the lower tier of the seventh rank in Confucian cultivation.

Logically speaking, this cultivation level was not low; after all, the miraculous physician of the medical world, Zhao Huaihun, was only at the seventh rank.

However, Xue Yuan knew he could not compare himself to Zhao Huaihun. After all, that man had already achieved the state of selflessness and oblivion, and might step into the grand scholarly third rank at any moment.

He casually flipped further and came to the chapter titled "Confucian Divine Powers."

There were many Confucian divine powers. For example, Chu Yanxiu possessed "Divine Power at the Pen's Tip," meaning his calligraphy and paintings were imbued with sacred force. Thus, when he wrote the character "Seal" that day, it froze dozens of miles of land, and when he wrote the character "Break," it shattered Lin Shishi's formation.

It was somewhat akin to making things happen simply by uttering the words.

Xue Yuan used his divergent thinking to ponder: if Chu Yanxiu were to paint a beautiful woman, that woman might actually step down from the painting and do whatever she was told, as long as the paper didn't tear.

Tsk tsk!

Aside from these, Confucianism also possessed divine powers such as "Verbal Condemnation and Written Denunciation" and "Literature to Convey the Dao."

However, all divine powers could only be comprehended by Grand Scholars, and generally, each Grand Scholar could only master a single divine power.

As for those who converted to Confucianism from the Hundred Schools of Thought, the divine powers they could comprehend were related to their former professions and experiences. For instance, Military Strategists possessed "Spreading Beans to Form Soldiers," while Medical Practitioners possessed powers like "Resurrecting the Dead" and "Spring Hands Rejuvenating the Spring."

Turning to the next page, he found the explanation of Confucian righteous Qi.

According to Chu Yanxiu, Confucian righteous Qi was different from martial true Qi and thus incompatible, meaning a person could only choose one between the Confucian path and the martial path.

Xue Yuan cursed out loud, "What the heck!"

He mentally performed thirty-two backflips in a row, then dropped to his knees at a forty-five-degree angle, gazing up at the firmament with tearful eyes, crying out, "My Xuanwu true Qi!"

The situation was indeed awkward now. Because he was too worldly and incapable of achieving a state of "selflessness and oblivion," he could never become a Grand Scholar.

Yet, having acquired Confucian righteous Qi, he could no longer cultivate the martial path!

"Looks like I'll never become a top-tier expert in this lifetime!"

Xue Yuan had to comfort himself: if he couldn't be a top-tier expert, he could at least be an ordinary expert. Qian Zhongxian was still stubbornly living on with only one or two percent of his functionality left, so he could just muddle through somehow.

Continuing to flip forward, he found introductions to various general Confucian techniques.

"Wind-Riding": Driven by righteous Qi, allowing one to ride the wind and move about freely. Learnable from the lower tier of the eighth rank!

"Poetry Summoning": Chanting specific poems can summon the power of heaven and earth. The deeper the comprehension and the higher the cultivation, the greater the might. Learnable from the lower tier of the seventh rank!

"Sacred Words and Great Meanings": Chanting specific sacred words can summon the power of heaven and earth. The deeper the comprehension and the higher the cultivation, the greater the might. Learnable from the lower tier of the seventh rank!

"Power of the Sacred Page": Using a single page from books left behind by the ruins of sages allows one to summon boundless and peerless might of heaven and earth. Learnable by Confucian practitioners!

"Power of the Pseudo-Sacred Page": Using specific autographed calligraphy and paintings by Confucian practitioners above the rank of Grand Scholar allows one to summon a certain degree of heaven and earth might. Learnable by Confucian practitioners!

...

The book only introduced a dozen or so Confucian abilities in total. It was unclear whether these were all the Confucian abilities that existed or if the book simply hadn't listed them exhaustively.

However, seeing this, Xue Yuan's mood improved slightly.

After all, Wind-Riding represented lightness skill. Who among men hadn't dreamed of leaping over roofs and vaulting over walls in their childhood?

As for Poetry Summoning and Sacred Words and Great Meanings, they also counted as forms of attack and must be quite dazzling to use, especially since there were many Confucian scholars in this world, but very few true Confucian practitioners.

"Anyway, I'm now a seventh-rank Confucian practitioner too. Beating up ordinary people is more than enough!"

Of course, he would not try out these skills at the academy. After all, cultivation was like one's little brother; it just needed to be formidable at the crucial moment, and it was better to keep it hidden at ordinary times.

Xue Yuan continued flipping and found that the latter section was a word-by-word interpretation of *The Analects*. Before long, he grew drowsy.

With a thirst for knowledge, he stubbornly flipped over.

And then fell fast asleep.

...

Early the next morning, Grand Scholar Chu gave his lecture.

Xue Yuan sat in the very last row. Because of the hot weather, he grew drowsy not long after the lecture began.

But thinking that he still had to give Grand Scholar Chu some face, he stubbornly adjusted his posture.

And then fell fast asleep again.

It wasn't until Academy Supervisor Zhou Wenfeng brought two men to drag him out of the venue and toss him outside the mountain gate that his trip to White Egret Academy finally came to a complete close.

Because of this, he left behind yet another laughingstock in the academy: "The fool who fell asleep while listening to the scriptures."

Not to mention the awkwardness when he was thrown to the ground, looked up, and saw Jian Qi holding his sword, looking down at him with an expression of utter contempt.

Xue Yuan scrambled up from the ground in one swift motion, brushed off the dust, and said, "Jian Qi, guess what? Just now, I was wandering through a wonderland in a dream and suddenly achieved sudden enlightenment on the great meaning of the Confucian classics!"

"If you're only doing this to ease the awkwardness, there's no need," Jian Qi said indifferently.

"Alright."

Xue Yuan patted his backside and strode down the mountain!

"No matter what, I must save Lin Shishi first. After all, she is also a Princess of Yeliang!"