Chapter 62: Talent for the Seven Classics

Memorizing all the Seven Classics was quite the chore!

Fang Cun had read the Seven Classics before, so he naturally knew these seven scriptures were incredibly difficult to understand, dense with endless profound principles. After all, they were regarded by so many Great Qi Refiners of the world as the essential compendium for Qi refining; they couldn’t possibly be simple. The primary task for the students in this Study Pavilion was to memorize these seven classics thoroughly, whether they understood them fully or not, whether the concepts fully sank in or not. They just had to memorize them.

In terms of cultivation level, he was now in the mid-stage Refining Breath realm, almost touching the threshold of the high-stage Refining Breath realm. That actually wasn’t low. But when it came to comprehending and grasping the Seven Classics, he fell terribly short. Compared to others, he was practically a blank slate.

Most students, having been at the Academy for over two years, had already studied the Seven Classics, grasped their foundational principles, and would even select one from among them as their Destined Scripture. The so-called Destined Scripture meant that besides their cultivation practice, they would devote most of their energy and effort to delving deeply into this single scripture, studying it intensively to grasp its profound truths and skills.

Choosing this Destined Scripture had to start with memorizing all Seven Classics, to see which one held the most potential for them.

…

“Choosing a Destined Scripture is important, but the problem is…”

“I can cultivate with all Seven Classics…”

Fang Cun was privately pondering this too.

Staring at the long row of the Seven Classics laid out before him, Fang Cun felt another pang of thoughtfulness.

Memorizing the Seven Classics wasn’t an impossible task for him; it just needed time.

Fang Cun estimated his own memory was pretty decent. Relying solely on his own effort to memorize a scripture with tens of thousands of words, focusing on nothing else, would take at least three or four days per scripture. To memorize the Seven Classics, plus the need for repeated reviews to solidify the memory and ensure it wasn’t easily forgotten… well, that would take about a month, easy.

That was a bit of a time-waste. And, to some extent, it would also reveal the fact that he… wasn’t really a genius.

Not acceptable!

Considering this, was there only the option of using Merit to memorize?

Memorizing one scripture consumed three thousand Merit. But this wasn’t the time to be stingy. Fang Cun needed to confirm something.

Back when he used Merit to memorize the Classic of Spirits early on, Fang Cun had noticed a phenomenon.

He seemed unusually sensitive to the Classic of Spirits.

This wasn’t just apparent when reading Madam Lingxiu’s notes; it was the same at the Lan Shuang Pavilion. Although most students at the Lan Shuang Pavilion studied on their own, they sometimes approached Master Lan Shuang with questions. While listening in on Master Lan Shuang’s explanations for them, Fang Cun clearly noticed that when it came to the Classic of Spirits, his understanding clicked instantly; he grasped concepts effortlessly and made connections rapidly.

It was strange. These Lan Shuang Pavilion students possessed much deeper foundational knowledge than him. Yet, topics that confused them, requiring Master Lan Shuang to explain repeatedly, were concepts Fang Cun, with his previously shallow background, understood after hearing once, even gaining further insights effortlessly.

“Could it be that the Classic of Spirits is my Destined Scripture?”

Fang Cun felt deep down that things probably weren’t that simple!

Everyone naturally showed more talent for the Destined Scripture suited to them, but the difference shouldn’t be this vast. While his comprehension speed for the Classic of Spirits was incredibly swift, it shouldn’t lag too far behind for the other scriptures. And even if it was because he’d memorized the Classic of Spirits using Merit… well, he’d mostly memorized the Scripture of Arts by his own effort now too. Why didn’t he show the same level of profound insight into that one?

Because of this, Fang Cun silently made a decision: spend Merit power to memorize the Scripture of Arts too!

The contrast was immediate. Previously, memorizing the Scripture of Arts relied on sheer rote learning. He could recite every word, but it felt strained. Maybe he knew it now, but it might fade over time. Now, however, using Merit to memorize it, he instantly felt the scripture imprinting itself deeply into his consciousness, like it would never be erased…

This wasn’t just memorization; it was as if he’d spent a lifetime pondering, savoring, and comprehending every nuance!

Describing the difference… it was like the gap between reciting “Goose Goose Goose” and reciting “Sleep-Wandering Song on Tianmu Mountain.”

What startled Fang Cun even more was that after memorizing the Scripture of Arts, he immediately found that whenever Master Lan Shuang explained magical arts, spells, or certain mystical applications related to the Scripture of Arts to other students, understanding came to him instantly and effortlessly!

It felt like overnight, within the path of the Scripture of Arts, he transformed from… a regular genius to a top-tier one!

This was the wonderful effect of Merit!

Fang Cun could definitely confirm it now!

…

Master Lan Shuang had tasked him with memorizing all Seven Classics, meaning there was value in memorizing each one.

This also made sense. Each of the Seven Classics was vast and profound, containing principles someone could spend a lifetime pondering.

As for Fang Cun, as long as he used Merit to memorize the original texts of the Seven Classics, then when learning other knowledge related to them, his comprehension would be incredibly deep. Whenever he encountered some piece of knowledge, he could verify it against the meaning of the Seven Classics and instantly grasp it, gaining profound insights.

To put it simply, this feeling was like…

The Great Chieftain Xiao facing martial arts!

Wang Yuyan facing verbal spars!

Zhang Wuji facing courtship!

…or Fang Ping facing debt collection!

Essentially, it gave rise to a terrifying kind of talent!

Just like with the Scripture of Arts now!

Fang Cun had actually started studying the Scripture of Arts by himself long ago, practicing the Art of Object Manipulation within it. Though he had worked hard and his progress wasn’t slow, he still frequently hit obstacles that required slow, persistent grinding. But after using Merit to memorize the Scripture of Arts, it was as if he had grown wings in this path. All sorts of principles soaked into his mind like a sponge absorbing water, seamlessly integrating and unfolding.

Any obstacle was instantly penetrated with clear understanding, as easy as solving a primary school kid’s problem…

Alright, better say a kindergarten problem to be safe!

All Academy disciples, and even the Instructors, would choose one of the Seven Classics they were best at as their Destined Scripture.

But Fang Cun felt that as long as he memorized it through Merit, any scripture would be a suitable Destined Scripture for him!

That was truly terrifying…

Holding this idea firmly, Fang Cun soon knew exactly what he needed to do.

Not just the Classic of Spirits or the Scripture of Arts, he needed to imprint all the other five classics into his mind using Merit!

Memorized using the Merit consumption method!

However, doing this immediately created a problem: he didn’t have enough Merit on hand. He originally had about fifteen thousand Merit. After memorizing the Scripture of Arts, he only had twelve thousand left. Memorizing the other five scriptures required fifteen thousand more. He couldn’t very well take out a loan from the Celestial Merit Record! After pondering it, he could only memorize three scriptures first: the Herbal Canon, the Classic of Martial Arts, and the Classic of Calculations.

It was simple. The Herbal Canon contained pill formulas, useful in daily life.

The Classic of Martial Arts was crucial for life preservation; it couldn’t be neglected.

As for the Classic of Calculations, it had wide applications and was the foundational stone for many Qi refining paths; absolutely essential!

As for the remaining three – the Classic of Documents and the Scripture of Souls – he’d need to earn some more Merit first.

Though he still had three thousand Merit left, he couldn’t use it all up. First, daily cultivation required it. Second, he needed to keep some in reserve to handle sudden changes, like that time he stormed the bandit fortress – he couldn’t have done it without Merit!

…The only issue was, why did it feel like he was poor again!

…

Having figured out this use for Merit, Fang Cun was in a great mood that day. When school ended, the disciples respectfully saw off Master Lan Shuang and then dispersed. Second Young Master Fang also slung his book box over his shoulder easily, lazily humming a little tune, ready to head back to the manor.

Sitting at the front of the Study Pavilion, Meng Zhixue glanced back inadvertently at Fang Cun, seeming like she had something on her mind.

It seemed she’d made a significant decision. She slowly stood up and walked towards Fang Cun.

Fang Cun’s heart immediately darkened. ‘Oh great.’

Just seeing the look on her face told him she had something to say to him. He could even guess what it was. It gave him a headache. Over the past few days, Meng Zhixue had tried several times to talk to him about something, but he’d always managed dissuade her by putting on his ‘wholly devoted to sacred texts’ sage mode. He thought he’d succeeded, yet here she was again today and her determination seemed fiercer.

Seeing no way to dodge her this time, Fang Cun suddenly spotted He Zhenzhang, book box on his back, head down hurrying past. He quickly stepped over and grabbed his arm, laughing heartily. “Brother He! Two months ago, who’d have thought that one day, you and I would become classmates and friends? Truly, fate is mysterious! My cultivation is still weak, and I have questions to ask. Since you’re free today, how about the two of us head out for a chat?”

“Are we that close?”

He Zhenzhang’s expression was awkward, but he didn’t want to shake Fang Cun’s hand off, so he managed to say, “I have matters to attend to…”

“What matters? I know exactly what matters you have.” Fang Cun smiled. “Today, I’m taking you to the Flowing Moon Pavilion as my treat…”

“The Flowing Moon Pavilion…”

He Zhenzhang instantly flushed crimson, his eyes darting nervously around the area. Fang Cun seized the opportunity to keep his arm around his shoulder and steer him away.

Meng Zhixue, who had been walking towards Fang Cun, suddenly overheard them mention “Flowing Moon Pavilion”. She blinked in confusion at first, then swiftly understood. Her face instantly reddened, feeling too ashamed to approach further. She could only stand there and watch the two of them stroll past her.

“Second Young Master Fang, let’s… let’s avoid mentioning that place at the Academy in the future…” He Zhenzhang mumbled awkwardly once Fang Cun had dragged him out of the Academy grounds, looking slightly less embarrassed.

“Oh! I’ll remember that!” Fang Cun checked behind them. Seeing no one following, he let go of He Zhenzhang, flashing him a bright smile. “I’ve got things to attend to, so I’ll head back first!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he hopped smoothly into the carriage driven over by Xiao Qingliu.

The carriage started down the street with its soft clopping sound, leaving He Zhenzhang standing dumbfounded outside the Academy entrance. He muttered to himself, “I… I actually thought he really meant to treat me…”