Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

"Should I only learn one type?"

Chen Zhuo's heart skipped a beat. How come there are pitfalls everywhere in this literary cultivation?

"The reason is quite simple," Song Zhiyuan explained directly without keeping anyone in suspense.

"As we have discussed before, the essence of literature is a form of expression of the meaning of words in the universe, and each person has a limit to the amount of meaning they can bear."

"In terms of literature, this means that there is an upper limit to the amount of literature that each person can master."

"This upper limit is linked to comprehension."

"Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed right now? That's normal."

"Generally speaking, one can master a maximum of two literary arts before entering the sequence."

Upon hearing Master Song's explanation, Chen Zhuo suddenly understood.

So this is where the greatest benefit of his improved comprehension came from!

Moreover, he doesn't feel like he's reached his limit yet, and he still feels like he can master a lot more.

There's no need to say that out loud.

"Master, are there any methods to improve one's comprehension?"

Chen Zhuo looked at Song Zhiyuan with a curious gaze.

Now that he has tasted the benefits of literary skills, he naturally wants to master them as much as possible.

"There are two ways to improve one's comprehension," Song Zhiyuan said, taking a sip of his tea and shaking his head.

"One is the nourishment brought by the context during sequence advancement, and the other is relying on special natural treasures."

"The former is one of the reasons why we need to improve our sequence, while the latter is something that can only be encountered by chance."

Song Zhiyuan shook his head as he spoke, his face filled with reminiscence.

"Back when I was young, I had a stroke of luck and consumed a fruit that enhanced my comprehension, which led to my current status."

After leaving Song Zhiyuan, Chen Zhuo's mind kept replaying the content of their conversation.

My biggest advantage is that I can now master several more literary arts than others.

Therefore, the next goal is to master more literary skills.

While I'm at it, I'll collect some books with literary and philosophical connotations to see if I can find a stable way to increase my understanding.

Time flew by, and soon it was time for the supplementary examination for the young scholars.

It was a day off for the Faculty of Arts, and the usually bustling faculty suddenly became quiet.

Chen Zhuo followed the path to Minglun Hall.

Song Zhiyuan was standing to the side chatting with a man dressed in official robes.

When Gu Qing'e saw him, she jumped up and waved to him.

"Junior brother, over here!"

Chen Zhuo walked over quickly.

"Isn't today a day off? Why didn't you go to rest, Senior Sister?"

Gu Qing'e's gaze unconsciously drifted towards Song Zhiyuan. It was her father who had dragged her here as a laborer; she had originally wanted to attend the literary gathering at Jujiu Restaurant!

I hope it ends soon.

Of course, she couldn't say these words out loud, otherwise it would be an insult to her dignity as a senior sister.

"Of course I'll stay with you, Junior Brother! How about that? I'm so good to you, aren't I!"

"Let's not talk about this anymore, look over there," Gu Qing'e said casually before naturally changing the subject.

Chen Zhuo looked over and saw two people standing there. One was chatting and laughing with the people around him, while the other, dressed in official robes, was looking down and flipping through a book.

"Are they also taking the make-up exam?"

Chen Zhuo seemed to be deep in thought; he had assumed he was the only one there!

"You got it right! Junior brother is so smart!" Gu Qing'e made an exaggerated expression.

"The fact that the master wants to recruit students for the imperial examinations cannot be kept secret. When the county government and the Wang family heard the news, they naturally sent people over as well."

As the two were talking, a refined-looking young man walked over and gave a slight bow.

"Didn't Miss Gu attend the regular literary gathering at Jujiu Restaurant?"

Gu Qing'e also bowed in return.

"My father needs help with something and can't leave."

"That's a pity, it's said that today's radish is a piece of jade."

He then turned his gaze to Chen Zhuo.

"This must be the new disciple of Scholar Song. He is indeed an outstanding person."

Chen Zhuo looked at him and found that she had no recollection of him at all.

At that moment, Gu Qing'e's voice transmission came through my ear.

"This person is from the Xu family, named Xu Yi, a ninth-rank scholar. The Xu family has served as officials in the county government for generations, but their reputation is not prominent."

Having received a telepathic message from his senior sister, Chen Zhuo already knew what was going on.

"Brother Xu, you flatter me. I am just an ordinary mortal and dare not claim to be a dragon among men."

Xu Yi looked at him and nodded slightly, as if he thought so too.

He then took out a folding fan from his pocket.

When the folding fan is opened, the front displays the two characters "Xu Yi," while the back shows a dragon among men.

He strolled away, swaying and fanning himself with a folding fan.

The entire set of movements was so fluid and graceful that Chen Zhuo was completely dumbfounded.

"Senior Sister... is this person really that arrogant?"

Gu Qing'e sighed, "He does have the right to be arrogant. He entered the literary path at the age of 12 and became a student. The following year, he passed the county-level examination and became the youngest scholar in the entire Shengtian Prefecture."

"I estimate that he has already reached the threshold of becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)."

"Rumor has it that he is also researching how to cultivate martial arts, but it is unknown whether he has achieved any results."

Chen Zhuo thought for a moment and realized that she seemed to be 16 years old.

Indeed, geniuses are all unconventional.

"Then what is he here for?" Chen Zhuo asked.

Gu Qing'e shrugged. "I guess they're just standing up for that guy from the county government."

Chen Zhuo looked over and saw that Xu Yi had indeed walked up to the guy in the official robes.

On the other hand, Song Zhiyuan finished his conversation with the county magistrate's registrar and turned to look at the others.

"Now, the supplementary examination for the young scholars will officially begin. This examination will be presided over by Song Zhiyuan of Qingshan Academy, supervised by Duan Tian, ​​the registrar of Qingshan County Government, and recorded and witnessed by Wen Shu throughout the process."

As he spoke, a flash of Chinese ink appeared on his hand, followed by the word "record".

This is a two-character technique, which is more powerful but also more difficult to comprehend.

"Chen Zhuo, Wang Huan, Zhou Ping, come up to the Imperial Censor."

Chen Zhuo walked up to the stage, and as soon as he stood on the platform, he felt a strange power surge into his body.

This feeling is like being in the world of characters and words within the literary realm.

The power circulates through the body once and then exits.

Song Zhiyuan's voice came through.

"First test: Pass all the written expression tests. Next is the written skills test!"

The group then demonstrated their literary skills.

As expected, the people they displayed were all using the character "日" (sun).

Three beams of light appeared on the platform.

However, Chen Zhuo's aura was noticeably larger than the other two.

"This person's literary skills are truly masterful! Although he's older, he still has a good chance of becoming a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. Mr. Song has taken on a fine student!"

Upon witnessing this scene, the county clerk couldn't help but whisper his praise.

Although Song Zhiyuan didn't say much, the smile on his face betrayed his inner thoughts.

Next, we will proceed with the question-and-answer session on the meaning of the scriptures.

The topic this time is "On the Relationship between Scriptural Interpretation and Literary Theory".

Because he received the exam questions in advance, Chen Zhuo was well-prepared.

"The meaning of the classics is the root of literature and the Way, and literature and the Way are the blossom of the meaning of the classics. Without the root, the blossom will not bear fruit; without the blossom, the root will not be visible." This article successfully passed the test.

"This supplementary recruitment is now officially complete. Everyone has passed. Next step: to leave our mark on the cultural heritage!"

As Song Zhiyuan finished speaking, a pale blue vein of writing slowly appeared in the air.

Then Chen Zhuo felt a force of attraction coming from it.

Without resisting, Chen Zhuo followed this force and left his name on it.

The next moment, a force fell from it and washed over his body.

A message pops up on the panel at the appropriate time.

[You have received the nourishment of the literary tradition. Current sequence: Literary Dao Sequence Ten: Novice, Literary Qi +10, Equipment Slots +1]