Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

Time flew by, and soon it was time to exorcise the demon outside the city.

Chen Zhuo got up early, only to find that someone else was up even earlier than him.

In the courtyard, Chen Tiansheng and Chen Zheng were diligently sharpening their longswords.

"Father, elder brother, are you going out?" Chen Zhuo looked at the two of them with some confusion.

In his memory, the two of them wouldn't have gotten up so early to sharpen their weapons if they weren't on a trade mission.

But the long night is coming, and the trade missions have already stopped, haven't they?

"Yes, aren't you guys going to exorcise demons today? Your older brother and I will see if we can help you kill some demons to earn points."

Chen Tiansheng paused, then added.

"I heard that these points can be exchanged for a lot of good things."

Hearing this, Chen Zhuo was both amused and touched.

My father and brother are really good; they truly help me when I need them.

But he still shook his head and refused, because the points redemption list at the academy was created by his master.

While one cannot use their identity to disregard the exchange rules, it is still permissible to know the items on the list in advance.

Those things were useful to him, but they were all dispensable.

For example, items like pens, ink, paper, and inkstones that carry literary or philosophical connotations.

He could have obtained it through other channels.

"Father, there's no need for that. Your injury hasn't fully healed yet."

As soon as Chen Zhuogang mentioned the word "injury," Chen Tiansheng reacted immediately.

"Injury? It's just a minor injury. Don't let my injury fool you, I can still take on a hundred of you..."

In the end, Chen Zhuo compromised and said, "Let them go if they want."

A martial artist at the eighth rank and a martial artist at the ninth rank, as long as they don't do anything reckless, will be perfectly fine.

After breakfast, Chen Zhuo got up and went to the academy to meet up with the others.

On the way, he stared at the "Marching Log" on the panel, which was still being analyzed, and seemed to be lost in thought.

[Current Analysis Progress: Language: Fast (92%)]

Based on the previous progress in parsing, it should have been successfully parsed by now.

Who would have thought that the progress would slow down more and more towards the end?

After reaching 90% progress, although the numbers continued to increase, the speed was simply appalling, like a tortoise crawling.

"It seems that without external help, we won't be able to exorcise the demon in time."

Chen Zhuo felt a little regretful.

But there was nothing they could do.

The panel data was right there; he couldn't think of any other way.

Fortunately, he wasn't going out to exorcise demons alone this time; he had colleagues to look after each other, so this kind of quick-travel technique wasn't really necessary.

"Junior brother! Over here!"

Upon seeing Chen Zhuo, Senior Sister Gu Qing'e waved excitedly.

Chen Zhuo quickly walked over and found that not only his junior sister, but also his senior sister and second senior brother were there.

"I didn't expect that in just a few days, Junior Brother Chen's scholarly aura has become even more profound! It's obvious that he has been putting in a lot of effort to study the scriptures recently."

As they approached, the second senior brother's slightly surprised voice rang out.

Chen Zhuo smiled and said, "Thank you for your praise, Senior Brother."

He then glanced at his attribute panel.

Name: Chen Zhuo

[Textual quality: 16 points]

[Literature: Sun (lv.2 Proficient), Moon (lv.1 Mastered), War (lv.1 Mastered)]

[Remaining equipment slots: 0]

Current Equipment: Marching Log (Green), Basic Jade (Green)

【Equipment Effects: 1. Increases movement speed by 10% after equipping. 2. Increases Qi accumulation rate by 20%】

Although he had been studying the scriptures diligently these past few days, this significant increase in skill level was partly due to the effects of Wen Yu's equipment.

This instantly transformed him from a promising young scholar into a prodigy.

As the group exchanged pleasantries, Song Zhiyuan, dressed in a formal suit, stepped onto the stage.

"Gentlemen, the long night is approaching. As is customary, before each long night, the academy will join forces with the county government to organize a cleanup operation."

"Everyone who is a member of the academy is required to participate in this operation!"

"At the same time, the academy and the county government will, as usual, provide some items as incentives, including all kinds of literary and artistic items, and even literary jade that can be exchanged."

"Enough with the chit-chat, let's set off immediately!"

At Song Zhiyuan's command, the other three instructors from the Academy of Literature each led a team out of the city.

Song Zhiyuan glanced at the four of them and then headed out of the city.

In his view, he had no need to worry about his four disciples.

Before the long night has fully arrived, the intensity of this action is extremely low.

Most of the wandering spirit-level demons can be easily dealt with by a novice, or even one who is not at the novice level.

The troublesome aspect of the Wandering Soul level demons lies in their sheer number.

As for higher-level beast-level demons, they generally will not appear before the long night has fully arrived.

Even if such a situation were to occur, each team would have a scholar in charge, so there would be no significant danger.

Moreover...

His gaze turned toward the direction of the aristocratic families in Qingshan County, where figures, like streaks of light, rushed out of the city.

"Senior sister, isn't this points-based redemption system just giving those powerful families a loophole to exploit? Theoretically, as long as you kill enough demons, you can get points..."

Looking at the points redemption list and settlement method in front of him, Chen Zhuo asked in confusion.

Points are earned based on specific parts of the demons, with no upper limit.

This means that even if you are not a member of the academy, as long as you know someone there, you can still exchange points for rewards.

Although he is also a beneficiary, his father and brother are probably hunting demons somewhere right now.

"This question?" Gu Qing'e hesitated for a moment. "It's a little beyond the scope of the curriculum."

She cast a pleading look at her senior sister, Zhao Xuelang.

"Of course, it's the specific parts of these demons that are useful! They can be used to craft things like elixirs, armor, and weapons."

"Most of the rewards here are issued by the imperial court; we are just the intermediaries. The exchange rates have been calculated, so you definitely won't lose out."

"For example, the most common Shadow Core can be exchanged for five points."

"But if a Shadow Core is refined into a pill, the imperial court can sell it for twenty points."

"So this is a semi-tacit, even encouraged, behavior."

Upon hearing their senior sister's explanation, Chen Zhuo and Gu Qing'e both felt a sense of sudden realization.

Thinking about it carefully, this can be considered a win-win-win situation.

The academy disciples received training, the noble families obtained supplies, and the imperial court also reaped rewards.

Incidentally, it can also reduce casualties caused by long nights.

"I'll tell you something along the way," Zhao Xuelang said mysteriously.

"Do not use these points to exchange for items on the academy and county government lists."

"After each demon-slaying ceremony, the imperial court will send over a batch of high-grade materials, which are full of treasures, but they require a lot of points."

"Is that really true?" Chen Zhuo was somewhat surprised.

Then came the relief that he had his father and brother to help him accumulate points, which was better than if he had to do it all by himself.

"Well, that's all for now. We need to hurry up and go out to hunt demons. Before the long night fully arrives, the number of demons is always limited."

Chen Zhuo nodded.

"Let's go!"