Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

There are four levels of proficiency in writing.

His skill in writing the character "stone" has reached the advanced stage of level 3.

It was just one step away from perfection.

Using this as an assessment tool for literary skills is naturally the most appropriate.

Before Chen Zhuo stepped onto the stage, the literary energy within his body slowly gathered along his meridians, and the last character "stone" emerged.

Then a stone shield appeared around him.

The protective shield flashed by, forming a close-fitting film.

This is a new usage that Chen Zhuo has discovered these days.

Once one has mastered the art of writing, one can slightly control the form of expression.

For example, both are protective shields, but one is an outer covering, while the other is close to the body.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages, but the latter is undoubtedly a manifestation of control.

Shen Ya's interest was piqued when he saw Chen Zhuo go on stage.

He wanted to see how well this guy, who was talented in sensing literary veins, mastered literary arts.

The moment he saw the character "stone" displayed, he nodded silently to himself.

"The character 'stone' inscription is so-so. What technique should it be paired with? A combination technique? A stacking technique? Or something else?"

But when he saw that nothing else came out after the character "stone," a sense of disappointment washed over him.

"It's a pity that a small place is a small place; even if someone has some talent, it's not much, a waste of such talent!"

He shook his head inwardly, but as soon as he turned his head, he noticed something was wrong.

"This proficiency in writing... seems to be at the highest level?!"

"Masterful and highly proficient writing skills?"

Shen Wenbi on the stage couldn't help but speak up, her gaze turning to Song Zhiyuan.

Song Zhiyuan simply watched the scene calmly without saying anything.

But a barely suppressed smile lingered at the corners of his mouth.

He has only mastered one level of literary arts at the Great Perfection stage, and if he could produce one at this stage, it would definitely shock a lot of people!

The second test ended quickly.

The final judgment will only be given after all three trials are completed in the entire Xiucai examination.

The third policy discussion was held in a quiet room next to the literary studio.

The exam questions were opened on the spot by the examiners from Shengtianfu.

Chen Zhuo glanced at the topic: "Examine the integrity of a scholar."

I knew the answer instantly.

He then picked up his pen and wrote the first sentence.

"Words depend on the bones, just as the body depends on the skeleton; emotions contain the wind, just as form contains the breath."

After establishing his theme, Chen Zhuo continued writing.

"The spirit is the soul of literature; the bone is the bone of literature. The spirit and the bone are not two separate things, just as the soul of a person cannot be separated from the bone, and the bone cannot be separated from the soul."

"A soul without bones cannot stand; bones without soul cannot move. Therefore, cultivating both character and spirit is the mark of a true scholar."

"..."

Soon, a lengthy article was written.

The timing was perfect the moment he put pen to paper.

The test questions were judged jointly by several examiners, and the results would be available in about an hour.

After the event, all the candidates waited in the square outside Minglun Hall for the final judgment.

More than thirty people stood in twos and threes at the edge of the square. Some were whispering about the test questions they had just taken, while others leaned against the pillars and closed their eyes to rest.

Several candidates from neighboring counties gathered together, discussing the topic of the third policy essay in hushed tones.

"My writing conveys moral principles, and expressing integrity through literature will surely win the favor of the examiners!"

"I derived from the word 'bone' to the integrity of scholars in the imperial court, quoting a saying from a great Confucian scholar from the previous dynasty in the capital."

Shen Ya stood alone on the other side of the square, not participating in any conversation. He would occasionally glance at Chen Zhuo, but quickly looked away.

Chen Zhuo stood to one side, waiting silently.

Looking to the side, he noticed that his junior sister kept glancing in his direction.

The moment he saw Chen Zhuo, he even winked.

Chen Zhuo returned the smile.

About half an hour later, the stone door of the Cultural Heritage Room slowly opened.

Song Zhiyuan stepped out, holding a list of judges in his hand.

A faint bluish halo remained along the edges of the pages.

The judgment of the literary context was completed the moment the paper was submitted.

It doesn't score every single word, but it measures the impact of each answer on the context of the text at the moment it's written.

This influence includes the purity of the writing style, the compatibility of the literary meaning, and whether the spirit and will contained in the answer sheet resonates with the cultural heritage of Qingshan.

The conversations in the square stopped the moment the stone gate opened.

Song Zhiyuan stepped onto the steps, unfolded the roster, and without any further introduction, directly read out the names of those who had passed.

"Chen Zhuo!"

"Shen Ya!"

One name after another was read from the list of literary lineages. With each name read, someone in the audience would let out a long sigh of relief or gently clench their fist.

More than twenty people were called out by name and walked to the front row one by one.

Song Zhiyuan put away the roster and said loudly:

"The Qingshan County Academy of Literature has conducted three examinations, and twenty-three scholars have been selected as candidates for the county-level examination. All students, line up and enter the Literary Heritage Room."

The stone door opened, and a profound aura of cultural heritage emanated from within.

The interior space of the cultural venue is much larger than I imagined.

A complete pillar of light, resembling a cultural vein, stands in the very center, extending from the ground all the way to the dome.

The pillar of light was pale blue, with countless characters slowly flowing inside. These characters were the scriptures and classics that had been integrated into the cultural lineage.

They flow slowly like a river made of words.

"Take your seats." Zhou Wenyuan's voice came from outside the door.

Twenty-three newly appointed scholars stood around the pillar of light in turn.

After Chen Zhuo stopped, he noticed that the stone slab he was standing on had a rune similar to the roadbed of the official road.

These runes are specifically designed to guide the flow of literary energy.

The moment he stepped on it, the rune glowed slightly.

Then, a very thin stream of spiritual energy split off from the pillar of light and slowly flowed into the runes beneath his feet, then seeped into his body along the runes' patterns.

The power of cultural heritage is like water seeping into parched soil, slowly seeping in along the veins of its veins.

Chen Zhuo closed his eyes.

He could feel his literary talent being slowly reshaped under the guidance of the power of the literary tradition.

His writing style was previously loose, but it is now being solidified.

If the literary talent of a student in their early years is a stream, then the literary talent of a scholar in their later years is a well.

Suddenly, he felt his feet sink into the ground.

I glanced at it subconsciously and didn't notice any change, but then I realized that what had changed was my own consciousness.

His spiritual power was gently supported by the pillar of light of the cultural lineage, and then he "saw" the history of the cultural lineage.

The shimmering text inside the pillar of light was arranged in chronological order, becoming older as you went down.

He saw the name of Song Zhiyuan, the name of Qian Wenbi, and the names of several earlier deans of the Faculty of Arts; their names still shone brightly deep within the pillar of light.

Then a realization dawned on me.

This realization collided with his own understanding.

All the literary skills he mastered were gradually being refined.

To be precise, all literary works are imbued with a hint of the word "stone".

The sun's rays are no longer just scorching, the moon's secrets are no longer just fading, and the charge of war is no longer just piercing...

Chen Zhuo immediately understood that he had entered a state that Song Zhiyuan called "literary cultivation."

This state is the integrative function that the cultural context automatically performs during the baptism.

All the literary skills mastered by the newly promoted scholars were systematically organized according to their respective meanings, eliminating redundancies and filling gaps.

In other words, it's called "comprehensive understanding".