Ordinary Confucian Cultivators had to first nourish their Literary Qi with their Essence Qi. They had to take it step by step, following a strict progression. The beginning was the hardest, but the process grew faster as they advanced.
However, thanks to the benefits of the Dragon Inspection Map, he had managed to open his Sea of Consciousness first.
The advantages he gained were not limited to an improvement in memory. He also had a much sharper perception of Literary Qi than ordinary people. That was why he could cultivate Literary Qi so quickly! Moreover, he didn't even have to worry about depleting his vital blood! It was all because he relied on his Sea of Consciousness!
At this thought, Zeng Anmin felt a relentless itch in his heart, like a cat scratching from the inside. He snapped his eyes open and impatiently reached out to flip through a book.
FLIP FLIP FLIP.
He turned the pages at an incredible speed. In no time at all, he finished flipping through the entire book. As his pace grew even faster, several warm currents surged from his mind into his Sea of Consciousness.
"This..."
Zeng Anmin's attention was entirely focused on the book in his hands.
At the lecture podium, Mr. Han looked at the students with a faint, enigmatic smile, as if waiting for something to happen.
A moment later.
"Ah!"
"My nose is bleeding?!"
"My head hurts so much..."
All the students were bewildered. Startled, they looked up at the teacher in confusion.
"The beginning of Literary Qi lies in Essence Qi.
"The beginning of Essence Qi lies in vital blood energy. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
"How can studying be achieved overnight?
"Since you have yet to open your Purple Mansions, cultivating Literary Qi means depleting your internal Essence Qi. If you are greedy and drain all your Essence Qi, you will lose your lives!"
Mr. Han's expression turned stern, and his voice boomed. It echoed like a clap of thunder in everyone's ears. The students' hearts trembled in unison, and the entire hall fell completely silent.
Seeing that his intimidation had worked, the teacher's face softened slightly. He was just about to speak when the sound of flipping pages, FLUTTER FLUTTER, echoed through the hall. In the quiet classroom, it was exceptionally jarring.
Inside the Sea of Consciousness.
The phantom projection of the Dragon Inspection Map remained steadily suspended in midair. To its right, a cluster of aura shimmering with a milky-white halo slowly expanded. With every page Zeng Anmin read, that milky-white aura grew a bit larger. Before long, Zeng Anmin had completely flipped through the two books on his desk, *Imperial College* and *Yizi*. The cluster of Literary Qi in his Sea of Consciousness had also grown into a perfectly round sphere three feet across.
Just as he was about to pick up a third book...
SLAP.
His hand was pinned down by a rough palm. Zeng Anmin looked up blankly, meeting the instructor's highly unfriendly gaze. The authority the teacher had painstakingly established just moments ago had its effect immediately halved by Zeng Anmin's commotion. How could he not be furious?
"Mr. Han?"
"Fuck, I got a little carried away," he thought, instantly realizing his situation. At that moment, everyone's gaze in the entire classroom was fixed on him.
"What are you flipping through so recklessly?!" Mr. Han looked at Zeng Anmin expressionlessly, his voice chillingly cold.
"I was reading," Zeng Anmin tried to explain.
"Is this how you read the books of sages?" Mr. Han's expression darkened further. Subconsciously, he had already pegged Zeng Anmin as a scheming, pretentious student who bit off more than he could chew.
Zeng Anmin felt deeply exasperated. The main issue was that the rising warm current felt too wonderful, causing him to momentarily lose control of himself.
"I apologize, sir. I was just... please forgive me." Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Zeng Anmin bowed to the teacher. After all, it was the first day of school, and he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself.
However, Mr. Han cut him off directly. "Say no more! For disrespecting etiquette and ignoring your superiors in class today, you must be struck thirty times with the disciplinary ruler!" He pulled out an inch-wide wooden ruler from behind his back. "Hold out your hand."
Things were escalating too quickly. However, how could Zeng Anmin not understand what was happening? In this first lesson, the teacher was using him to establish dominance. He was just unlucky to have stuck his neck out and been caught right at that moment.
With a ruler that thick, a single strike would probably tear his skin open.
"Thirty times?" he thought. "Do you think I have the hide of a bear?"
"Well?" Mr. Han held out the ruler and waited for a long while until his arm grew sore. Yet, Zeng Anmin still hadn't reached out his hand. With everyone watching, Mr. Han was put in an awkward position.
Zeng Anmin explained, "It's not like I did it on purpose."
But Mr. Han refused to listen. His face turned even colder as he pointed his left hand toward the door. "If you are unwilling, that is fine too. Walk out that door and never return!" He was using his authority to crush him.
As soon as these words were spoken, almost all the students froze. Liangjiang Commandery was located right in the heart of Jiangnan, a region renowned for producing brilliant scholars in the Great Saint Dynasty. Therefore, Shuidu Academy was in no way inferior to the Capital Imperial College. It was no exaggeration to say that getting expelled from Shuidu Academy was the fastest way to make a name for oneself. The speed of such fame rivaled that of writing a timeless masterpiece. Even the Scholars of the neighboring Jiang Dynasty would hear about it. Of course, this fame would be sheer notoriety.
It was safe to say that from then on, his life would be ruined. An official career would be out of the question, and returning to his hometown would only bring mockery and ridicule. After all, this era had no internet; he couldn't just become an influencer and exploit his followers for cash.
"Classmate, there is absolutely no need to gamble with your future. Just hold out your hand," a kindhearted student couldn't help but advise Zeng Anmin.
"Yeah, Mr. Han isn't doing this on purpose. It's just that what you did earlier... sigh."
"Exactly. The teacher clearly told us not to be greedy, yet you kept flipping pages non-stop."
The voices of the students continuously drifted into his ears. Mr. Han didn't interrupt them; he merely stared at Zeng Anmin for a long time.
Zeng Anmin felt incredibly stifled. Even if a student flipped through a book inappropriately during class, they should only receive a brief scolding at most. How did it escalate into such a severe offense?
A look of disappointment crossed Mr. Han's face as he retracted the disciplinary ruler. "Considering this was your first offense, I originally only intended to give you a light punishment as a warning. I never imagined you would be so stubbornly unrepentant."
Just as Zeng Anmin had suspected, the teacher's original intention was merely to establish dominance. Therefore, he hadn't planned to strike him too hard. He just never expected this student to be so irredeemable.
At this, Mr. Han pointed toward the door. "Leave. Go back to wherever you came from. Shuidu Academy cannot accommodate you."
Silence.
As the teacher's words fell, everyone stared blankly at Zeng Anmin. This was the first time any of them had witnessed such a situation.
Zeng Anmin was so angry he almost laughed. Fine. Since the teacher insisted on pushing things this far, bring it on.
He slowly looked up at the teacher, a brilliantly bright smile blossoming on his face. "Sir, I merely had a moment of sudden enlightenment just now. How did that violate a taboo worthy of expulsion from the academy?"
Sudden enlightenment?! Let alone the students, even Mr. Han was taken aback for a moment. Then, his anger turned into a mocking laugh. "Then tell me, what exactly did you glean from this enlightenment?
"If you cannot give me an answer, then even if the Dean himself comes here today, he absolutely will not be able to save you!!"
SMACK! As he spoke, he slammed the disciplinary ruler fiercely against the desk.
The students jumped in unison, clearly startled. No one dared to breathe heavily. Everyone looked nervously at Zeng Anmin, and the atmosphere in the entire classroom grew eerie and tense.
Zeng Anmin slowly extended his right hand, grinning widely and revealing his white teeth. He flipped Mr. Han a long, slender middle finger.
"What are you doing?" Mr. Han's brows furrowed tightly. For some inexplicable reason, he felt a profound sense of humiliation.
But in the very next moment, his face went slack.
Because at the tip of that middle finger resting right in front of his nose, a milky-white glow flickered to life.