Scripture of Days Past

Chu Qiguang was rather taken aback to hear this, but he wasn't exactly disappointed. He had already read all the books in the study that the Ring of Ignorance was interested in, so he didn't want to waste more time here anyway.

However, after some thought, he suddenly asked, "Can I still come here in the future if I want to continue reading Daoist scriptures?"

Zhao Lingxiao was very moved by Chu Qiguang's earnest attitude, and he replied, "Of course you can."

Only then did Chu Qiguang reveal his true motive.

"I truly want to become a follower of the Profound Origin Dao Lord. If I still can't find my faith after reading all these Daoist scriptures, then can I trouble you to find some more for me? Maybe once I've read enough, I'll be able to find my faith."

This boy is only fifteen years old, yet he's so determined to find his faith! How could I give up on him? O mighty Profound Origin Dao Lord, are you giving me a sign?

A look of resolve appeared in Zhao Lingxiao's eyes as he nodded and replied, "Don't you worry. I'll leave the mountain next month to bring back more Daoist scriptures for you. You're free to come here and read anytime you like. Our Heavenly Master Religion will never turn its back on anyone who wishes to bask in the glory of the Profound Origin Dao Lord's infinite wisdom!"

***

During the afternoon martial arts lesson, Yang Ling began telling everyone about the monthly examination that was set to take place in three days.

"As I explained before, the top ten finishers in the monthly examination will be placed in the advanced school, while the rest will go to the outer school. Which school you enter is extremely important, so do not take this lightly. As you might expect, the results of your sparring matches will have a heavy impact on your final performance in the monthly examination.

“I've already taught you everything I can over the past month, so for the next three days, I'll leave you all to cultivate on your own. If you have any questions, I'll be here, and you can come and ask me. Remember, you're learning and cultivating for the sake of your own future, not for my sake."

A tense atmosphere settled over the entire training ground, and all the trainees began cultivating diligently on their own or approaching Yang Ling with questions.

In the Great Han Empire, the importance of martial arts could not be understated, and the imperial court had always selected talent through sparring matches.

There was even a tradition among many trade associations and gangs to decide ownership of businesses and territories based on the outcomes of sparring matches. Fights over land and water also regularly broke out in villages.

Hence, sparring matches were prevalent throughout the Great Han Empire at every level of society, from village disputes to imperial examinations.

The existence of martial arts and Dao arts granted cultivators unfathomable power. As a result, the people of the Great Han Empire had an innate sense of admiration and reverence toward those stronger than them. This was an integral part of the Great Han Empire's culture.

While Chu Qiguang was listening to Yang Ling, Cheng Ming was glowering at him with a resentful expression.

Over the past month, Chu Qiguang had been seeking out Cheng Ming to use as a punching bag whenever his condition flared up.

However, Cheng Ming possessed a rather commendable spirit. Instead of being mentally crushed by the constant beatings, he used the humiliation as motivation to drive him to work harder in his cultivation. At this point, his main motivation was no longer to do well in the selection trials. Instead, he simply wanted to surpass Chu Qiguang and exact vengeance on him someday.

***

During the next day's pill lesson, Li Jian had only just begun speaking when Song Ming entered the room and said, "Instructor Li Jian isn't feeling well today, so I'll be taking his place and teaching you all how to deal with grave ghosts."

Li Jian flashed all of the trainees an awkward smile before departing in silence.

Through his observation, Chu Qiguang had noticed that Li Jian seemed to be at the bottom of the pecking order among all the lecturers and instructors on Jade Face Mountain. Not only was he the weakest among them, but he was also frequently picked on by the others.

After the lesson, Chu Qiguang returned to his room to organize his notes.

Li He and Jiang Longyu were nowhere to be seen, so only Zhang Haizhu was in the room.

Zhang Haizhu was laying in bed with a blanket draped over his body, and he seemed very startled to see Chu Qiguang.

"Brother Chu? What are you doing here?"

Chu Qiguang noticed that one of Zhang Haizhu's hands was hidden beneath the blanket, and a knowing smile appeared on his face as he replied, "I came back to put my notes away. You can continue."

Chu Qiguang placed his notes into his cabinet before leaving, while Zhang Haizhu looked on with a sheepish expression.

Did he notice?

He lifted the blanket to reveal his other hand, which was holding a jar of water. It was the Ancestral Dragon Mountain spirit water that Jiang Longyu was constantly flaunting.

Initially, Zhang Haizhu hadn't been interested in the spirit water, but Jiang Longyu bragged about it every single day, claiming it could cleanse one's body, extend one's lifespan, enhance one's intelligence, and provide a whole host of other benefits.

Over time, Zhang Haizhu couldn't help but become curious about just how this spirit water tasted.

I'll try just a single drop.

Zhang Haizhu carefully poured a drop of spirit water onto the tip of his finger. It was a transparent green color, resembling a tiny emerald sitting on his fingertip.

However, as soon as Zhang Haizhu tasted it, his face instantly turned bright red, and he erupted into a violent coughing fit.

What the hell?! It's so bitter! I'd rather eat shit than drink this! This is the spirit water that Jiang Longyu keeps bragging about?! I can't believe he's been drinking this stuff for over ten years!

***

That night, when Chu Qiguang arrived at the archive building, he was greeted by Lin Lan instead of the old gatekeeper.

Lin Lan opened the stone gates with an expectant expression before inviting Chu Qiguang inside.

At this point, Chu Qiguang had developed a decent understanding of Lin Lan's personality. She was a very sheltered girl who longed to see the outside world, but she had barely been anywhere outside the archive building in her life.

Chu Qiguang was quick to capitalize on her curiosity about the outside world, often telling her interesting stories about the world beyond the archive building's walls. Her interest was quickly piqued.

On top of that, he would occasionally bring her flowers, pastries, and sweets. As someone who had never been treated like this before, Lin Lan quickly fell prey to Chu Qiguang's charm.

As Lin Lan led the way into the archive building, Chu Qiguang began telling her stories about his feats in Azure Sun County.

A look of amazement appeared on Lin Lan's face, and she exclaimed, "That's incredible! You can power spinning machines and looms with nothing but water? How did you even think of something like that?"

"When I was eight years old, I saw my mother working as a weaver, and it was back-breaking work, so I wondered if there were some way to make the work easier," Chu Qiguang explained. "One day, my sister fell into a river and was carried downstream by the current. That was when it struck me. Why can't we use the power of river currents to replace manual labor in the weaving process? It's really no big deal. I'm just a bit more observant than the average person."