Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

This is an important question because it relates to his future plans.

After a moment's thought, Chen Zhuo opened his panel.

After all these days of various minor literary enhancements, his literary energy value has now reached the 27-point mark.

I only have eight points of literary energy left to reach the 35 points required to learn the sect's wide range of literary arts. I estimate it won't be long before I reach that level.

And the minimum of 50 points of literary energy required to advance to the ninth rank of scholar is already more than halfway there.

So I'm not in a hurry right now; what I need to do is use this time to improve myself.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door.

Qingluo's voice came through the door.

"Young master, the bath is ready. Also, the mistress sent someone to ask if that scroll of scriptures would be suitable. If there is anything else needed, she can send someone to find it."

Chen Zhuo packed everything away.

"Report back for me, saying thank you for your concern, mistress." He paused, "The things are suitable."

Qingluo's footsteps faded into the distance.

Chen Zhuo reopened the wooden box, took out the "Stone Marrow Manual," and placed it under the lamp.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, unfolded the bamboo slip, and began to read it from the beginning.

Regardless, the scripture itself is true, and it just so happens to be what he needs.

The next morning, Chen Zhuo stretched while sitting at his desk.

He had faint dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes were full of expression.

The "Stone Marrow Manual" is indeed a good thing, as it records various kinds of knowledge about "stone" in various senses.

For example, the opening line states: "Stone is the bone of a mountain. Water erodes its surface, and wind carves its patterns, but the bone cannot be taken away. Therefore, when observing a stone, one should first observe its bone."

The first part describes how to look at stones.

Observe its texture, its stress structure, and how it connects to the mountain.

Only by understanding these things can we understand why stones are hard and why they can stand for thousands of years in feng shui.

The second half is the practical part: "Use literary spirit as water to nourish the stone's texture; use your mind as a chisel to sculpt its shape."

You infuse your literary talent into the texture of the stone like water, and then use your mind to shape it into the form you desire.

This method of releasing the spell was unlike any spell he had ever learned before.

"Sun" represents an outburst, "Moon" represents concealment, "Battle" represents a charge, and "Fast" represents movement; all are instantaneous, one-time releases of literary energy.

The "stone" is continuous and requires constant infusion of literary energy; once interrupted, it will dissipate.

Chen Zhuo silently simulated it several times in his mind, but did not actually unleash it.

He has only grasped the theory now; truly activating his literary skills will require a great deal of effort in practice.

Alternatively, try emptying your equipment slots to see if you can generate an automatically parsed affix.

Behind the entire passage, a later reader wrote a line of small characters in a blank space with a fine pen:

"The essence of stone lies not in its hardness, but in its ability to bear weight. Those who use stone skillfully do not use it as a shield, but as a foundation. The place where one stands is the base of the mountain."

The strokes of this annotation are neat and tidy, each stroke is written steadily, showing that it was written after repeated consideration.

The fact that he wrote it down so solemnly probably reflects some insights he gained from practicing the art of writing the character "石" (stone).

Chen Zhuo rubbed his head, trying hard to understand the sentence.

The significance of stone is not to resist, but to "bear".

A shield is for blocking, while a stone is for bearing, dispersing, and neutralizing force.

It's not about building a wall to enclose yourself, but about finding a point of leverage between yourself and the earth, allowing the enemy's attack to be transmitted to the ground from that point of leverage.

This is a more advanced approach.

This means that "stone" is not just a low-level physical defense technique.

If used well, it can be combined with the "war" character in calligraphy, such as concentrating a point of force under the feet during a charge to make the impact more concentrated.

Alternatively, it can resonate with the Mountain and Water Kung Fu. Observing mountains is not just about looking at their shape, but about looking at their skeletal structure, and applying this structure to every force applied in battle.

Thinking about this, Chen Zhuo suddenly realized that his previous understanding of defensive spells was somewhat superficial.

He thought defense meant "blocking," separating himself from the enemy with a wall.

But now he realizes that what he really needs is not a wall.

The wall will be breached. What he needs is a fulcrum, a foundation from which he can leverage his strength from any position.

Besides, another benefit he gained after reading this scripture was an increase in his literary talent.

Yes, after reading a scripture I had never encountered before, my literary skills improved by two points.

It's now 29 PM.

Just then, Qingluo quietly pushed the door open and entered.

She gently placed the tea and snacks she was carrying on the table, took out a name card from her person, and looked at Chen Zhuo.

His tone was somewhat troubled: "Young Master, someone is requesting an audience outside. They've been waiting in the side hall since dawn."

Chen Zhuo picked up the name card and glanced at it.

The name card had a name he didn't recognize.

He instinctively wanted to refuse, because a stranger often meant trouble that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Go back, just say I have class today—"

Halfway through her sentence, Qingluo took something else out of her sleeve.

It was a thin booklet with a new cover, but the edges of the pages were yellowed, so it was obviously not a newly copied copy, but a refurbished old book.

"The man said this was a gift for the young master."

Chen Zhuo took the booklet, and the panel appeared before his eyes.

[Qingshan Mining Records (Fragment, White): A compilation of historical records of mineral mining in Qingshan County. It records the geographical location, ore grade, and mining difficulty of major mineral veins in and around Qingshan County.]

Ordinary mining records, yet they contain literary and philosophical meanings, thus forming a hierarchy.

Chen Zhuo curiously flipped through it.

Suddenly, my eyes were drawn to a sentence written on it.

"An abandoned mine in the south of the city was discovered during the middle of its operation. The ore was unusually hard and its purpose was unknown. The mine was later abandoned, and the mining records were lost. Only fragments remain."

An abandoned mine in the south of the city. The image of the Originium he'd picked up from beside a pile of corpses flashed through his mind. That mine was located nearby.

Chen Zhuo remained silent for a moment.

Qingluo waited a moment, then cautiously asked, "Young Master, should I refuse him?"

"...Let him wait another half an hour." Chen Zhuo stood up. "I'm going to change my clothes."

He has decided to meet this person.

Despite the troubles the other party has, the value they've demonstrated is enough to warrant making contact.

But who is this person? Why would they come to visit him? Is it because he's gained some fame? Or is it because of Originium? Or is it related to the Great Vow?

The image of a believer in tattered clothes preaching on the street flashed through my mind.

Qingluo acknowledged and withdrew, gently closing the door behind her.

Chen Zhuo sat back down at his desk and carefully put away the two scriptures.

"A Travelogue of Guanshan" and "A Treatise on Stone Marrow" are placed side by side on the left, while Qian Xiu's notes on calligraphy are on the right.

He glanced at the "Qingshan Mine Records" again and placed it separately in front of him.