: "Children's Book Discourse"

When Ning Zhuo arrived at the summit of Ink Dot Peak, Chu Xuangui finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But he didn't rush to start the test. Instead, he filled the blank spaces of the rice paper before him with ink.

Only after practicing on this sheet did he slowly raise his head, facing the dozens of cultivators at the peak, and solemnly announced, "The time has come. Let the test begin."

He pointed his fingers skyward, channeling his magic power to form the test question—using talisman-crafting brushwork to compose the "Children's Book Discourse."

As soon as the question was revealed, the cultivators present couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.

How bizarre!

This style of questioning was vastly different from previous years!

The content of the test was quite peculiar—it required using the brushstroke techniques of talisman-making to write a Confucian classic.

The "Children's Book Discourse" wasn't profound; on the contrary, its content was very elementary. The term "children" referred to启蒙儿童—enlightening children—as it was a book for early childhood education.

It served as a primer for calligraphy fonts, mainly covering four of the five major scripts: clerical script, regular script, running script, and cursive script. Seal script was intentionally excluded due to its difficulty.

The five major scripts essentially constituted the core content of calligraphy, applied to various Confucian works.

Talisman-making emphasized spells, the details of each stroke and pause of the brush, the selection of talisman paper and ink, and the cultivator's understanding of the spells.

Brushstroke style?

That had never been a consideration.

As long as the talisman worked, it was considered successful.

"Why use talisman-making brushstrokes to write Confucian works?"

"What exactly is Master Chu Xuangui trying to test?"

"What even is the font for talismans? I've been cultivating for decades and never once pondered this question."

These were two unrelated concepts. The cultivators couldn't immediately grasp why Chu Xuangui was trying to connect them.

Bai Jiyun, a representative figure among the Foundation Establishment Confucian cultivators of Feiyun Kingdom in this era, enjoyed traveling far and wide to admire beautiful scenery and was considered quite knowledgeable.

Even he felt puzzled: "Rumor has it that when Cangjie created characters, he used talismans as a reference, thus inventing seal script. But the 'Children's Book Discourse' specifically excludes seal script."

Liu Fushu, on the other hand, held Chu Xuangui in high esteem and thought to himself, "Master Chu must have a deeper meaning behind this move. It's just that my aptitude is dull, and I can't grasp it immediately."

Chu Xuangui scanned the crowd, taking in their bewildered expressions.

This situation was entirely within his expectations.

It was normal for them not to understand.

The real purpose behind Chu Xuangui designing this strange question was to promote Ning Zhuo.

Without giving everyone time to think, Chu Xuangui took a writing brush from his sleeve.

He channeled a stream of magic power, suspending the brush in the air to display it specifically to the crowd.

"The winner of this Feiyun Minor Test will receive this Comprehension Brush."

Ning Zhuo raised an eyebrow slightly: "A treasure-grade artifact?"

He was quite surprised. He hadn't expected such a significant reward to be offered in a mere Feiyun Minor Test.

The other cultivators around him buzzed with even more intense discussion.

"Heavens! Am I seeing things? Is that really the Comprehension Brush?!"

"What's going on with today's minor test? Why would Master Chu offer such a prize?"

"Crafting a Comprehension Brush isn't easy. Just obtaining the main material for the brush shaft, Heluo Jade, requires enduring a lightning tribulation."

"More than that. This brush is treasure-grade, meaning it must have passed at least three tribulations."

"The main material is usually Heluo Jade. Surviving the lightning tribulation means overcoming the heavenly tribulation. But the earthly and human tribulations still have to be passed. Otherwise, it couldn't possibly reach this level!"

Ning Zhuo remained silent.

Hearing the discussions, he realized he had still underestimated the importance of this brush.

Bai Jiyun narrowed his eyes, already aware: "This Feiyun Minor Test is anything but ordinary. Offering the Comprehension Brush... I'm afraid the Golden Core seniors will be kicking themselves when they hear about it."

There were many Feiyun Minor Tests. The Confucian cultivator group within the Myriad Phenomena Sect had always had a relatively weak presence, and the rewards had never been this substantial before.

"One can imagine that after this test, news of it will spread like wildfire both inside and outside the Myriad Phenomena Sect."

Liu Fushu was the most excited.

He stared intently at the suspended Comprehension Brush, clenched his fists tightly, his breathing grew heavier, and even a few blood vessels became visible in his eyes: "Rumor has it, the number of Comprehension Brushes is limited."

"Because when a cultivator uses such a treasure brush for copying, they can comprehend the author's deeper meaning from the work or copybook. Over time, this accumulation can enhance one's realm in a certain aspect!"

"Such a treasure brush can be considered a supreme treasure for cultivation. And this one here isn't just a tool-grade artifact; it's treasure-grade. For most cultivators, it could practically last a lifetime!"

"Precisely because such treasures can enhance one's realm and quickly nurture experts, they defy the natural order."

"The total number of Comprehension Brushes existing simultaneously in the world has never been able to exceed ten thousand! Every subsequent brush crafted brings about calamities. Only by overcoming them can the treasure be successfully forged."

"And the difficulty of crafting each Comprehension Brush keeps increasing."

Liu Fushu was skilled in calligraphy and knew all about the famous brushes in the world. Among the Thirty-Six Great Spirit Brushes, there was one called the Multifarious Comprehension Brush, ranked twenty-seventh.

The so-called Thirty-Six Great Spirit Brushes were the most famous treasure brushes throughout the history of the cultivation world, with the lowest quality being spirit treasure grade!

All Comprehension Brushes in the world were imitations crafted based on the Multifarious Comprehension Brush. Even though they were replicas, their scarcity made them rare and precious. Any Confucian scholar would pursue them with all their might given the chance!

Kong Ran's eyes gleamed intensely, his chest heaved, and his breathing became rapid: "A treasure, what a fine treasure!"

"This trip, joining the Myriad Phenomena Sect was truly the right decision."

"Many have said I have an affinity with Confucianism, advising me to specialize in it. Now it seems this brush was waiting for me here. Could this be fate's arrangement?"

Although Kong Ran was very young, his thinking was quite mature.

Even with his youth and comparatively less experience, he understood the political implications of the Comprehension Brush.

"Such a treasure is only used for daily cultivation, but its value far exceeds ordinary offensive magical treasures."

"Probably, there's only one like this in the entire Myriad Phenomena Sect."

"Whoever obtains it would undoubtedly be recognized within the Myriad Phenomena Sect's Confucian cultivator circles as a promising newcomer!"

"If I get this brush, I'd have a head start right from the beginning."

"No, more than just a head start? It would be by multiples, by multiples!"

Chu Xuangui saw the changing expressions on everyone's faces, all captivated by the heavy treasure he had revealed, and smiled inwardly.

Then, he pointed his fingers like a sword, channeled his magic power, and condensed characters in mid-air—eighty-eight copies of the character "永" (eternity).

"Copy the 'Children's Book Discourse' I provide. The fastest one who meets the standard wins."

"But if there's even one mistake during the process, it counts as starting over from scratch, rewriting from the first character of that section."

After quickly stating these rules, without waiting for questions, Chu Xuangui directly announced, "This Ink Dot Peak Feiyun Minor Test begins now!"

As soon as the words fell, Ning Zhuo took the lead, activating his magic power to form characters in the air.

Seeing this, the other cultivators jolted and immediately followed suit, scrambling to catch up.

Almost everyone started at the same time, but after a dozen or so breaths, someone pulled ahead, and the lead quickly widened.

It was Liu Fushu!

This young cultivator came from a poor background and had always practiced calligraphy diligently; it was his greatest skill.

It was precisely because of this standout ability that he had built a considerable reputation.

The first section of the "Children's Book Discourse" was the Song of the Eight Virtues of Yong.

In calligraphy, one must always learn the character "永".

The Song of the Eight Virtues of Yong not only explained the essential techniques for writing "永" but also promoted Confucian principles.

A dot like a benevolent heart stirring

Two horizontals like righteous swords pacifying borders

Three verticals as ritual staffs propping up the sky

A hook like a wise blade turning its edge

The "Children's Book Discourse" was widely circulated in the cultivation world. Almost all children studied this book when learning to write.

Liu Fushu was the first to finish writing the eighty-eight "永" characters, which for him was just a warm-up, done with ease.

Seeing this, Chu Xuangui immediately extended another finger, using magic power to write in the air, composing a poem in clerical script.

The entire "Children's Book Discourse," besides the eighty-eight "永" characters, included poems in clerical script, regular script, running script, and cursive script, with twenty-two poems for each style. Each poem was not only catchy but also served as an excellent copybook for practice.

Now, the one Chu Xuangui wrote was the third poem from the clerical script section.

It went:

Silkworm head starts the edge, embracing sea mulberry,

Swallow tail trims clouds, deep charm concealed.

Horizontal opens stone gate, taming dragon and elephant,

Bamboo scrolls for millennia, bearing the Dao's .

Liu Fushu knew this poem like the back of his hand. With just one glance, he buried his head in writing the poem.

Just as he was about to charge ahead vigorously, he made a mistake on the third character; the stroke no longer met the test's standard.

He had to start over from the beginning of the poem.

Soon, he erred on the seventh character and had to restart again.

Then, he made another mistake on the fifth character.

Three consecutive errors kept him stuck on the first line of the poem, unable to progress.

Liu Fushu was dumbfounded, hardly able to believe what was happening!

"W-what's wrong with me?"

"Is this still me?"

"Am I too nervous?!"

Chu Xuangui took in this scene entirely. A glint of insight flashed deep in his eyes.

This was completely within his expectations.

The "Children's Book Discourse" was widely普及. Basically, anyone who had the条件 to attend school had practiced it many times.

This was especially true for Liu Fushu. Being so skilled in calligraphy, he must have spent a great deal of time and effort on it.

Every time he practiced the "Children's Book Discourse," he would strive to meet the requirements of every font and poem.

For him, he could not only recite these poems backwards, but also write them fluently from memory. Writing these characters was something he could do with his eyes closed; it was ingrained in his bones, becoming an instinct.

But now, Chu Xuangui's test requirement was to write the "Children's Book Discourse" using talisman-making brushwork.

For those who had practiced diligently, this was very difficult!

Liu Fushu had ingrained the writing of these poems into his very bones. The stronger this instinct, the harder it was to counteract now.

Especially since Chu Xuangui had revealed the Comprehension Brush before the test started.

This treasure-grade reward was too significant, inciting the Confucian cultivators to compete with all their might, afraid of falling behind.

In such a situation, Liu Fushu, coming from a humble background, would inevitably become tense, leading to an imbalance in his mental state. This made it easier for him to make mistakes.

Chu Xuangui scanned the crowd, secretly observing Ning Zhuo.

"Hmm, good."

Ning Zhuo's speed was decent, ranking in the top five.

Wen Ruanyu had mentioned some information about Ning Zhuo to her fellow Confucian cultivators.

Therefore, Chu Xuangui knew that Ning Zhuo was more proficient in talisman-making than calligraphy. The latter didn't know much about Confucian cultivation and probably wasn't aware of the important implications regarding the Comprehension Brush.

This made it easier for Ning Zhuo to maintain a normal state of mind.

Ning Zhuo needed to keep a steady mental state. With such a performance, he wouldn't reveal any flaws, allowing the Confucian cultivators to elevate him to a higher position without raising suspicion.

If there were suspicions, not only would the Confucian cultivators face criticism, but more importantly, the plan to help Ning Zhuo would fail.

Therefore, the Confucian cultivators hadn't informed Ning Zhuo of their specific plan. Firstly, they worried that Ning Zhuo, being young, might not act well; it was better to let him perform naturally. Secondly, communicating and plotting in advance could easily leave evidence.

If discovered by有心人, this evidence would land both the Confucian cultivators and Ning Zhuo in huge trouble.

Given the stakes involving the profits from White Paper Immortal City, many would certainly investigate this matter.

The safest approach for the Confucian cultivators was to not contact Ning Zhuo, not communicate beforehand, and directly hold the Feiyun Minor Test.

This tested the Confucian cultivators' ability to control the situation.

And this happened to be one of their strengths!

Starting over once again.

Liu Fushu looked around and found he had fallen far behind.

"No, no, no! How could this be? I should be the one far ahead!" Liu Fushu grew even more nervous, his eyes bloodshot, his expression extremely stiff.

The top three positions had stabilized for a short while.

They were Bai Jiyun, Kong Ran, and Ning Zhuo.

"Ning Zhuo is in third place... lagging behind the top two, which is reasonable." Chu Xuangui thought to himself.

He had some understanding of Bai Jiyun, Kong Ran, and Liu Fushu.

During every Feiyun Assembly, various organizations and factions within the Myriad Phenomena Sect actively recruited new blood. The Confucian cultivator group was no exception.

They kept a close watch on outstanding juniors, investing considerable time and effort.

Chu Xuangui wasn't anxious; everything was under his control.

The next moment, he wrote another copybook poem in the air—

Wandering silk ties the peak, meaning long and leisurely,

Slanting strokes sweep back, carrying dew's fragrance.

Withered and moist coexist, spring rain fine,

Brush severing mountains and rivers, continuing glorious s.

Liu Fushu was still writing the previous clerical script poem, but this one was from the running script poems.

Many among the cultivators were slightly taken aback.

According to the order, after clerical script came regular script, then running script, and finally cursive script poems.

But Chu Xuangui suddenly skipped regular script and went straight to the running script section.

"Good, this is the part I excel at." Bai Jiyun's spirits lifted; his favorite script was running script. At this point, he still hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation.

Sure enough, the next moment he made a mistake on the eleventh character.

He wrote too smoothly, unconsciously slipping into the style of running script.

Thus, he had to start over.

Mistake, another mistake, yet another mistake!

Bai Jiyun seemed like a repeat of Liu Fushu's earlier performance, making consecutive errors, his rank plummeting from first place.

"How could this happen?" The usually潇洒倜傥 (carefree and elegant) Bai Jiyun was utterly dumbfounded.

(End of )