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Join the ServerAt that moment, Daoist Lin finished today’s lesson and instructed the young novices to practice writing the characters from memory.
He then walked over to Lin Yang.
“Well? Anything you don’t understand?”
Lin Yang lazily glanced at Daoist Lin before pointing at the sixtieth character in the Dao De Jing.
“How do you pronounce this one?”
“You’ve already started studying Chapter Two on your own? Not bad.”
Daoist Lin nodded approvingly.
Although this little uncle of his wasn’t particularly diligent, he was undeniably clever.
While the other novices were still struggling with the first chapter of the Dao De Jing, Lin Yang had already begun teaching himself the second.
Without wasting any words, Daoist Lin calmly recited,
“‘When all under Heaven recognize beauty as beauty, ugliness already exists. When all recognize goodness as goodness, evil already exists.
Thus being and non-being give birth to one another, difficulty and ease complete one another, long and short define one another, high and low depend upon one another, sound and voice harmonize with one another, before and after follow one another…’
Remember it?”
After reciting the entire second chapter of the Dao De Jing, Daoist Lin looked at him expectantly.
Lin Yang let out a quiet sigh and rolled his eyes.
“You read it that fast. How am I supposed to remember all of that?”
He couldn’t help feeling frustrated.
If he had actually studied the Dao De Jing in his previous life, even if the pronunciation differed somewhat from this era, he wouldn’t have been so utterly lost.
“It’s alright. No need to rush.”
Daoist Lin smiled.
“Just remember as many characters as you can. Ask me about anything you don’t know.”
With that, he turned and walked over to help the other children.
Lin Yang scratched his head helplessly before lowering his gaze to the Dao De Jing.
He carefully recalled the pronunciation Daoist Lin had just given each character, silently comparing every symbol while grinding his teeth in frustration.
If only these characters resembled modern Simplified Chinese even a little…
He wouldn’t be suffering this much.
As he studied, he repeatedly verified each pronunciation, engraving every character into his memory.
By the time morning reading finally ended, Lin Yang slowly let out a breath.
The progress bar on his system panel had reached 70.
Only thirty characters remained.
At this rate, he should finish within a few more days.
That thought alone eased his mind.
“Alright.”
“That’s enough studying for today.”
“Everyone, follow me.”
Daoist Lin clapped his hands, leading the group out of the classroom and toward an open clearing nearby.
The young novices lined up neatly in rows.
“Today we’ll continue practicing the Daoist Eight Brocades.”
“If you haven’t learned them yet, watch carefully. Ask about anything you don’t understand afterward.”
“If you’ve already memorized the movements, compare my form with yours and see what’s different.”
After giving his instructions, Daoist Lin began demonstrating the routine.
“Starting posture!”
“First Form—Raise Both Hands to Regulate the Triple Burner!”
“Second Form—Draw the Bow Left and Right Like Shooting an Eagle!”
“Third Form—Lift One Hand to Harmonize the Spleen and Stomach!”
“Fourth Form—Turn Your Head to Relieve the Five Strains and Seven Injuries!”
…
Watching Daoist Lin demonstrate each movement while the little novices earnestly copied him, Lin Yang suddenly felt as though he’d returned to elementary school, standing in the playground doing morning exercises with his classmates.
But he knew this wasn’t ordinary calisthenics.
The Daoist Eight Brocades were meant to regulate one’s qi and blood while strengthening the body’s foundation.
It was the preparatory stage before cultivating true internal energy and martial techniques.
If he wanted to become a scholarly martial arts grandmaster, he couldn’t afford to slack off during this stage.
Unlike his school days, where he could fool around during physical education class, neglecting these exercises now could leave him with a weak foundation.
If his internal cultivation failed because of it, regret would come far too late.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Yang carefully followed Daoist Lin through every movement.
By the time the routine ended, warmth had begun spreading through his body.
However…
He was still nowhere near the level Daoist Lin had described, where prolonged practice of the Eight Brocades would fill the body with vigorous qi and blood while improving one’s natural aptitude.
Thinking of that…
Lin Yang found himself looking forward to the system’s reward—
Qi and Blood Awakening.
If his qi and blood awakened first, perhaps practicing the Eight Brocades afterward would produce entirely different results.
By the time everyone finished the routine, the sun had fully risen above the distant mountains.
Morning had truly arrived.
Under Daoist Lin’s guidance, the children headed off for breakfast.
After eating, they followed him down the mountain and into the fields to work.
The tasks weren’t particularly demanding.
Wudang Mountain never expected these children to become its primary labor force.
The purpose was simply to teach them that every bowl of rice and every meal required hard work, preventing them from developing arrogance or taking food for granted.
Once the fieldwork was finished, the afternoon lessons shifted to medicinal herbs.
They learned to identify common herbs used to treat illnesses, as well as poisonous plants they might encounter in everyday life.
By the time the lessons ended, it was already noon.
After lunch, the afternoon was left for free activities.
Unlike the other children, who happily chased one another around the mountain, Lin Yang had no interest in joining them.
As a transmigrator with an adult mind, he simply couldn’t relate to a group of five- and six-year-olds.
They shared neither common interests nor common topics.
Instead, he took out his Dao De Jing and continued studying the characters.
From a distance, Daoist Lin quietly watched him and nodded in satisfaction.
…
Six days later…
Lin Yang finally completed the mission to recognize one hundred characters.
“Congratulations, Host!
You have completed your first mission: Learn 100 Characters!
Mission reward has been distributed!”
The instant the Academic Genius System announced his completion…
Nothing dramatic happened.
No dazzling light.
No violent surge of power.
No earth-shattering transformation.
Instead…
Lin Yang simply felt an incomparably faint current of energy begin flowing gently through his body.
It was as soft as a breeze brushing against his skin.
As delicate as the invisible force capable of lifting a feather.
Slowly…
Silently…
It circulated throughout his body.
As that tiny stream of energy moved, Lin Yang vaguely sensed his internal organs functioning like the gears of an exquisitely crafted machine, revolving in a perfect circular cycle.
The liver to the left.
The lungs to the right.
The heart above.
The kidneys below.
The spleen and stomach at the center.
It resembled a great wheel.
The spleen and stomach formed its axis, while the heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver revolved around them.
As the cycle continued, blood coursed through every corner of his body, nourishing every muscle, bone, and organ.
And at the very center of it all…
Was that tiny strand of qi.
Its movement drove everything else within him.
Feeling the mysterious changes inside his body…
Witnessing this extraordinary perspective from within himself…
A strange sense of fulfillment welled up inside Lin Yang.
It wasn’t something he could describe.
Yet it filled him with quiet joy.
“Congratulations, Host!
You have completed the first stage of your studies!
Having learned one hundred characters, you now rank among the top students of Wudang Mountain Kindergarten!
But this is only the beginning.
Stage Two Mission: Learn 1,000 Characters.
Reward: Qi and Blood +100.”
Lin Yang was still immersed in his amazement when the system spoke again.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
He remembered how painfully difficult it had been to learn just one hundred characters over the past ten days.
Now the system wanted him to learn…
Ten times as many.
His teeth almost ached just thinking about it.
As for the reward—
Qi and Blood +100.
He stared at it for a while without fully understanding what it meant.
Presumably, it simply increased the amount of qi and blood within his body.
But exactly how much “plus one hundred” represented…
He had no idea.
The mission had already been issued.
Although his heart was full of bitterness, the next morning Lin Yang obediently resumed his studies.
After all…
The Academic Genius System might assign brutally difficult tasks.
But its rewards were undeniably generous.
Once the lessons were over…
It was time to practice the Daoist Eight Brocades once again.
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