The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

Everyone watched until he disappeared from sight. The younger brother, holding a rotten egg, stared blankly and said, "Why can he fly...?"

Another henchman shouted, "I remember now! He's a descendant of the Great Ancestor! A descendant of immortals, walking on air is just a basic skill for him!"

Di Ge smashed the durian in his hand and wailed, "Damn it, why?! I've been in the Qitan class for two years and I still can't fly, so why can he fly right after entering school?!"

The younger brother timidly replied, "Brother Di, it's because you're a groundhog monster..."

"Hey! We groundhogs have a heart that yearns to soar through the sky too!" Di Ge angrily chewed on a durian shell. "It would be a disgrace if we didn't avenge this. When we get back, I'll report to the boss and get transferred to the fraud department. You'll all come with me to learn until you can fly!"

"Brother Di has ambition! We'll all learn with you!" "We must learn to fly!" "Soar into the sky, you bastard!"

After a brief period of dejection, the black-uniformed students regained their fighting spirit and enthusiasm for learning, then ran back to the Thousand-Year Cave while munching on durian and rotten eggs. A group of freshmen who were blocked from entering looked at each other in silence.

"What is this?" Velsa asked.

"Wen Jun encouraged learning, perhaps?" Faris said.

The first class of the morning began amidst the bewildered gazes of many new students.

·

"You know what? You've become the talk of the school." Faris said after class. "Everyone I met on my way from the cafeteria to the teaching building was talking about the great achievement of 'the first person in the school year to poop in a hole that's been flooded for a thousand years.'"

On the desk lay a newly printed special edition of the newsletter, its headline, "Top Student Cleverly Spreads Filth, Four Heavenly Kings Collapse into Demonic Possession," a headline that resonated deeply. The front-page photo was strikingly composed: in the lower left corner, the ancient cave submerged in sewage and the furiously roaring Fang Mo; in the upper right corner, three freshmen sat on a hillside.

They looked down at the filthy earth from their high vantage point, a few strands of hair fluttering in the evening breeze. Their expressions were as indifferent as could be, as inhuman as could be, like three evil masters scrutinizing the scene of tragedy.

“Cold-blooded, evil, cruel, and ruthless,” Versa commented, “It evokes an urge to condemn it.”

"Stop talking..." Ling Gong groaned.

Lu Wenjun slammed his fist on the table: "This report is completely off-topic! I'm the victim! I'm the one being targeted! We acted in self-defense, and things only turned out this way by chance, but he wrote it as if I deliberately threw shit into the Thousand-Year Cave!"

Faris nodded slowly, with an expression that said, "You don't need to say anything, the brothers all understand," which left Lü Wenjun speechless: "Keep your eyes to yourself, what do you know!"

Faris pleaded earnestly, "Brother Jun, I will never mess with you in my life. Please don't throw shit at my house."

Lu Wenjun rummaged through his schoolbag: "I'll give you a free one right now."

"Wow, he's about to unleash his power—you bastard, you're using joint locks!"

Faris screamed repeatedly as Lü Wenjun circled behind him and locked him in a double arm lock. Seeing the target so perfectly positioned, Virsa assumed a stance ready to throw a punch, eliciting a genuine scream.

Reiko, feeling dizzy from the noise of the idiots, went to the other side of the classroom. Pershka, sitting alone in the corner, was still organizing her notes.

Reiko tried to strike up a conversation: "What should we do, Pershka-kun?"

Pershka looked at her strangely: "You still have the leisure to care about these things?"

"Public opinion is very important, isn't it...?"

"We're so busy getting things done that we're afraid of being left behind."

She gave a brief reminder, then slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked away, leaving Linggong completely bewildered. Lu Wenjun asked curiously, "Did she get some kind of adrenaline rush today?"

"I don't know, she seemed very engaged in history class just now..."

The second period in the morning was alchemy class, and when everyone arrived at the lab, they were prepared for another round of grueling work. Earl Welton entered this time carrying a fire lizard, beaming: "Today we'll be discussing the properties of fire—who wants to participate in a small experiment to observe the flames?"

Obviously, no one would raise their hand for this experiment, and the Earl had already picked up the list to call on students when he spoke. However, before he finished speaking, nearly 60% of the new students eagerly raised their hands, and the audience responded in unison: "Earl, I'm interested!" "I'm very curious about fire elements!" "I've been wanting to try being breathed on by fire for a long time." "Nonsense, you're a fish demon, you bastard!"

Lu Wenjun was dumbfounded. He was surprised to find Pershka among the people who had raised their hands.

The count was overjoyed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after teaching for so many years, you are the most enthusiastic class of learners I have ever taught! This passion for exploration deserves a toast."

He drank a small glass of wine, waved his cane, and each student had a fire lizard ready to pounce in front of them.

"How can we deprive students of the joy of exploration? Everyone has a chance to participate in the experimental part of this lesson!"

"Help!" Faris said.

Two hours later, they walked out of the laboratory with blackened faces and afros, and Faris opened his mouth to reveal a mouthful of black teeth.

"Am I still asleep, or has the world gone mad?" he asked earnestly.

Vilsa's face was ashen: "I don't understand. I don't think most people have been this motivated to learn before."

“It’s very likely an epidemic,” Lü Wenjun said, casually pouring some water into Ling Gong’s mouth. The latter was practically suffocating from the fumes.

The epidemic not only didn't stop, but it intensified. During the first period of the afternoon's yokai class, which focused on "Nyudo" type yokai, Ten'in Reika asked symbolically, "Does anyone know any Nyudo yokai?"

This time, Lü Wenjun observed Pershka and, seeing that she was about to take action, immediately raised his hand first.

"Wenjun, please."

“Nyudo are yokai with characteristics of monks. Common types include the one-eyed ‘Hitomo Nyudo,’ the ship-destroying ‘Umi Nyudo,’ and the pedestrian-blocking ‘Migoshi Nyudo.’ The formation of this type of yokai image largely stems from the unfamiliarity and hostility towards monks in ancient times…”

Lu Wenjun spoke eloquently; he had always enjoyed learning about various subjects, and he could easily talk about monsters.

Professor Ten'in nodded in satisfaction: "A comprehensive and clear answer is perfect as an opening to this class. If you maintain this momentum, your participation grade will be very good."

"Now, let's get down to business..."

When Lü Wenjun sat down, he felt extremely uncomfortable. When the words "class participation grade" were mentioned, almost everyone in the classroom stared at him intently.

What's going on here? It's just answering a question, and it's like I stole your points... When did our school become this competitive?

As expected, the second half of the monster study session was all about practical application, with a group of people leaping and bounding to deal with various bald monsters. Lü Wenjun (who entered the Dao by toying with monsters at high speed), Pershika (who entered the Dao by hacking the beast witch to pieces), and Versa (who fought their way from the teaching building to the laboratory building with their two iron fists) received special praise in this segment.

After class, a group of people glared angrily at Vilsa.

"Vilsa, is it you too!"

Vilsa was sharpening his fist with a whetstone when they finally came to their senses after they left: "...What do you mean?"

Ling Gong seemed to be deep in thought, while Lü Wenjun seemed to have figured something out and said to him, "We'll find out in the next class."

The last period of the day was Merdin's Druid class. All the new students arrived on time and sat upright behind the long table.

Merdin maintained his gloomy, hooded demeanor, and just like in the previous class, he first called out a student's number: "Number 121."

Ariel, the Gorgon, sprang to her feet, shoving her stool out with a loud thud. Everyone knew it was now her turn to hear the old druid's prophecy.

“You today…” Merding suddenly laughed, “Oh, sit down. We’ll talk about this prophecy later. Now turn to page 14 of your textbook, about the 12 commonly used herbal concoctions…”

He read from the textbook in that monotonous voice, and the lecture was so boring it was almost hypnotic; Faris's eyelids were visibly closing.

After reading for a while, when talking about the potion for exorcising demons, Merdin slowly said, "...the third auxiliary ingredient is called 'Fangji' in the original Eastern texts. Does anyone know this herb?"

A chorus of hands shot up from the audience, almost like a reflex, except for Lü Wenjun and Pershka, who were a beat slower this time. Merdin casually pointed and said, "Miss Eriel, please."

Eriel was overjoyed. The little snakes on her head wagged their tails and helped her turn the pages of a mini version of "The Complete Book of Herbs": "Fangji is... that... a plant of the Aristolochiaceae family. It has a long vine and is produced in the southern region of the ancient country!"

Merdin stared back at her silently, and Eriel, feeling incredibly nervous, quickly flipped through her little book to add, "It has the effects of dispelling wind and clearing heat, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling..."

“Move down two lines and start reading from ‘but’,” Merdin said slowly.

"However, the medicine is toxic, and long-term use can cause irreversible damage to the organs..."

Ariel's voice grew softer and softer, her face growing redder with each recitation. Merdin then tilted his head back and finished reciting the previous prophecy to himself: "Number 121, you will be restless and blushing today."

When he finished speaking, Ariel blushed to the tips of her ears.

“This is an ingredient in a basic medicine. We include it in textbooks because it is easy to make and, if the dosage is strictly followed, it is harmless to most races, including humans. However, this medicine is obviously not suitable for long-term use. What shameful purpose did the school have in including it in commonly used medicines?” Merdin gestured. “Please sit down, Miss Eriel. Now we have a new question. Please raise your hand if you know the answer.”

Lü Wenjun, Pershka, and the tree spirit Tia raised their hands. Merdin called on Tia.

“Um… Eriel got it mixed up…” Tia whispered, “I think the medicine in the book is *Stephania tetrandra* from the Menispermaceae family, while the one she’s talking about is ‘Guangfangji,’ which is short for *Stephania tetrandra*…”

“That’s the correct answer,” Merding said. “And if you’re patient enough to wait until the end of this class and turn to the last page of this chapter, you’ll be surprised to find that this point is clearly pointed out in the endnotes and marked as ‘confusing’ in bright red font.”

He put the textbook back on the podium, tilted his chin slightly, and looked like a hissing, venomous snake.

"Now, young people, I'm going to say something unrelated to teaching. I suspect that you may have believed some rumors and are therefore eager for your end-of-semester evaluations. Since participation is part of the evaluation, you're itching to prove yourself in class."

"This kind of action is a complete waste of time. Regardless of how actively you participate in class, everyone's average score is basically at the same level. This is because, in the eyes of us teachers, most of you are all equally stupid."

Merdin smiled faintly as he surveyed the students in the classroom.

"Please note the words I used. Foolish, not ignorant. Ignorance is a flaw, and you are here to change it. But foolishness is a fault, a word used to describe those who overestimate their abilities, are impatient and reckless, and are short-sighted."

Even with vast knowledge and mastered skills, humans can still make foolish mistakes. And this is precisely what our educators strive to avoid.

"The three of you who know the answer, while you may not be considered sharp-witted, at least you haven't made a mistake."

Young people who didn't raise their hands, you are ignorant, but there is still hope for you.

As for the remaining foolish individuals, I sincerely hope you can understand the school's good intentions. If you don't actively correct your mistakes starting now, I'm afraid you'll struggle to become anything of value, let alone achieve anything significant, even by graduation.

The classroom was deathly silent; the faces of the "fools" looked as if they had just entered a morgue. Merdin picked up his book again: "We wasted five minutes outside of class. Please make up for those five minutes on your own."

He left promptly after an hour, as promised. The poor freshmen practically fled the classroom, not even bothering to study. Lu Wenjun and the others went over to comfort Erlier, who looked like she was about to cry.

“You know he’s always been mean-spirited and has a sharp tongue,” Lü Wenjun said.

“And vicious,” Faris corrected.

"Cold-blooded," Ling Gong retorted defiantly.

Eriel let out a loud wail: "I'm never going to embarrass myself again! Let whoever wants to take this stupid prize be! I'm done!"

Tia comforted her, "It's alright, Eriel-chan. The Emerald Catalogue is something we're not supposed to take anyway..."

"People see everyone else is working hard and want to try their luck too!"

Lu Wenjun was slightly startled, but he had vaguely anticipated this, so he simply asked, "What do you mean?"

"Lu Wenjun, stop pretending..." Tia said weakly, "Everyone knows that the school library has 'The Jade Record'!"

Chapter 28 The Imperial Seal of the Magic World

"So that's all?" Faris exclaimed in astonishment. "Are they fighting for first place just to seize the original text? What are they thinking?"

"You sound like you already knew about this?" Lu Wenjun retorted.

They comforted Ariel for a while, and only started discussing things after Tia half-dragged her away. Faris tugged at his hair and pondered, "Using the word 'informed' isn't quite appropriate... Actually, it was during dinner the day before school started that my dad said he heard the school library had 'The Emerald Book,' and told me to try my best to sneak a look."

"Your father used the word 'steal' perfectly," Lü Wenjun said, giving a thumbs up. "What did you say?"

“I said, ‘Dad, you really want your son to succeed, why don’t you let me run for president?’” Faris said. “Then we started figuring out how to win the election within twenty years, and after calculating for a while we realized we didn’t have much funding, so I went back to sleep.”

“It’s clear you’ve inherited your father’s personality,” Lü Wenjun nodded. “And you, Wilsa?”

It seems that Virsa only just remembered this now.

"I was also summoned for questioning before the start of the semester..."

"Well, so you've come with a mission too!" Faris exclaimed.

“The elders in my tribe reminded me not to be arrogant, and that even if I won first place, I should choose a practical book,” Vilsa continued. “I think this is a down-to-earth idea. The Emerald Book is as far away from us as Asgard and Jotunheim are. One should act according to one’s ability.”

Ling Gong also bluntly stated yesterday that she was not worthy of the book. The most capable freshmen all showed a respectful distance from the book, which made Lu Wenjun curious: "In the end, is this book some kind of powerful original text? I only know that it has a very high status in the field of alchemy."

Velsa and Faris looked as if they had seen a refrigerator carrying an elephant doing a Thomas the Tank Engine spin.

Ling Gong pushed up her glasses: "Don't forget he comes from an ancient family line... Just a few days ago, he thought he was an ordinary person."

“Sorry, I forgot you’re practically an outsider. It’s the 21st century, living fossils are rare these days, so please don’t be offended,” Faris said sincerely. “Lu Wenjun, have you ever thought about this question? Why are the gods and monsters in history books busy wreaking havoc on the world, while in reality, we demons and monsters, and even descendants of gods like you, are all just studying books?”

"Because times have changed?" Lu Wenjun guessed.

“That’s right, it’s because times have changed.” Faris snapped his fingers. “Back in the day, our ancestors didn’t go to school. They made a living through ‘faith’ and ‘fear’!”

·

Long, long ago, the world was completely different from what it is now.

In those days, the power of the gods was enough to move mountains and fill seas, and the arrogance of monsters could overturn the heavens and the earth. The strong could summon wind and rain with a mere thought, and the terrain and environment were constantly changing as a result. The power of gods and monsters was immense, and the source of that power was people's fear and faith.

Fear, respect, faith, and longing—the essence of all these emotions lies in people's "belief." Just like the current circulation and antiquity of original texts, the more a story is believed and the more widely it is disseminated, the more power it can bring.

Belief is not only the source of power, but also the foundation of existence. If stories are no longer believed, or even forgotten, gods and monsters will disappear.

Everyone fears their own demise, so gods constantly manifest themselves to gain faith, monsters constantly commit evil to gather fear, and heroes among humankind fight against both sides. The ancient world was constantly ravaged by war, and all life lived on a precarious sliver of ice.

One magician believed that faith and fear could not last, and that relying on others for survival year after year would only plunge the world into a stagnation.

After much painstaking research, he finally developed a clever method: to solidify the power of stories in the form of "original texts." Any story that has ever happened can be recorded as an original text, and anyone who has studied the original texts is a recorder of the story.

In other words, as long as one still remembers their original source, the story can stand on its own merits as a believer. This solves the problem of stories disappearing due to forgetting.

Gods, monsters, and humans alike all praised this magnificent concept, believing it to be the greatest system of thought throughout history, as it fundamentally resolved the endless disputes among all parties.

Therefore, all living beings named it "Supreme Words" and called this system of original creations "Supreme Words Magic".