Chapter 7: The Ruined County Academy
There is still a long time until dawn, and Yang Yun feels no drowsiness at all. Although he has not yet mastered the second layer of the Moonlight Scripture, the benefits are gradually becoming apparent. After his cultivation, Yang Yun feels refreshed, as if he has had a full night's sleep.
Unlike ordinary people, Yang Yun first quickly flips through the book, using the ability of the Moonlight Spirit Eye to go over the content, and then silently contemplates the meanings within. When he reaches critical points, he flips back to specific chapters to ponder them in detail. Once he understands the general idea to about seventy or eighty percent, he starts reading from the beginning again to see what parts he has forgotten or overlooked
Thank you very much, Brother Du. Yang Yun smiled faintly
Bowing slightly, Yang Yun replied, "I am Yang Yun, and I have just arrived from Wangshan Town today. How shall I address you, my friend? Do you often come to this library?"
Yang Yun glanced at him a couple more times, and the man approached with a smile, asking, "Is this your first time here, brother? How should I address you?"
The "True Art of Azure Water" requires cultivation at sea for faster progress, but Yang Yun does not wish to reside on the sea for long in this life, which is one of the reasons for his hesitation. In his previous life, he was able to reach the Tribulation Stage due to significant opportunities; it is not guaranteed that simply retrieving the original techniques will allow him to cultivate to the same level. Moreover, the True Art of Azure Water ultimately did not enable Yang Yun to overcome the Great Tribulation.
Moonlight is actually a form of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It is most abundant when the moon rises to its zenith; at other times, it not only weakens but also becomes less pure, making it unsuitable for the cultivation of the Moonlight True Scripture
It now appears that when I was practicing the first level, I eliminated twelve acupoints, which turned out to be a good thing. A person's time and energy are limited; if I were to follow the original cultivation method, it would likely take four to five decades to reach the peak of the first realm's tenth level. Cultivating to attain enlightenment is a struggle against fate; how could one afford to spend so much time refining acupoints at this one realm? With four to five decades of effort, one could have already broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage. By then, even if you are a martial arts master with abundant true energy, a single spell could turn you to ashes. The story of obtaining the Moonlight True Scripture in a dream is the best example of this.
It turns out you are Brother Yang. My name is Du Longfei, and I live in the county town. This county library is my favorite place to visit. Everyone else knows me, so feel free to tell me what book you want to see, and I will make sure to find it for you
Although what he can recall now is only the part before the Foundation Establishment period, it is likely that after his cultivation improves, he will be able to remember a significant portion of the subsequent techniques.
After reaching the second level, my reading speed will surely increase significantly, and at that time, the books in the library may not be able to keep up. Yang Yun has already noticed that the collection in the county library is severely lacking, with only a few hundred books in total, many of which are duplicates. What is even more troubling is that many books have missing pages and are damaged. As for the complete sets of books, Yang Yun has not found a single complete set; either the first volume is missing, or the last volume is absent, or in a set of several volumes, there is only one.
In this way, the two books were finished, and an afternoon had already passed. The library would close at 5 PM, and no one was allowed to stay inside at night. Yang Yun looked around; the room had already turned into five people. Among them, a newly arrived individual was tall and thin, with a square face, yet his pair of eyes darted around restlessly, making him look nothing like a scholar.
Yang Yun, with keen eyes, noticed that Du Longfei gave a signal to a student who had come to study, and the two of them turned into a side alley one after the other. After contemplating for a moment, Yang Yun shook his head and left on his own.
In this way, when accessing m.hetushu.com, the number of complete books available in the library is actually quite limited, and those complete works are often the most fundamental texts like the "Analects." Yang Yun's ability to pass the examination for a scholar indicates that his foundational skills are indeed solid; however, what is urgently needed now are those incomplete books.
I now have the sixteen acupoints in my head, and I am just one step away from the final Baihui acupoint. This acupoint is the ultimate gateway; once I successfully refine it, the second layer of the Moonlight True Qi will be considered accomplished, Yang Yun thought silently
At this moment, the old servant shouted in the courtyard, "The hour of You has arrived—"
Yang Yun entered the library, which actually consists of two rooms, an inner room lined with several rows of bookshelves containing books, and an outer room furnished with some tables and chairs, where one can sit and read.
Yang Yun pondered the Moonlight Sutra in detail and suddenly had a new insight
Yang Yun selected two books, sat down in the outer room, and began to read with great concentration
However, after waking from the dream, Yang Yun always subconsciously avoided practicing the Blue Water True Formula, as if a path had reached its end, and all the scenery along the way had been seen, leaving no interest in retracing the steps.
There are not many people reading outside; including myself, there are only four of us, and they all appear to come from relatively humble backgrounds. This is not surprising, as those from well-off families naturally go to the academy, where the collection of books is incomparable to what we have here, and there are also teachers who have passed the imperial examinations to provide lectures, making the conditions here significantly inferior.
One of the side courtyards of the county academy is the library. The gatekeeper is an old servant who, after verifying Yang Yun's identity documents, rambled on about a few rules: "Books in the library cannot be taken away; they can only be read inside. There is a well in the courtyard, and you must bring your own cup, but it is not allowed to be taken into the library. The library closes at 7 PM, and everyone must leave."
Yang Yun repeatedly deduced the subsequent changes of the Moonlight True Scripture, yet creating a unique martial art was not so easy. After a long period of deduction, progress was minimal. However, it was a good thing to confirm that many acupoints were omitted during the cultivation of the first layer, as this would save training time. Moreover, the true qi cultivated would be relatively pure, which would be beneficial for future breakthroughs.
... ...
It was originally thought that the Moonlight Scripture might be a foundational part of some cultivation technique. However, it now seems more likely that it was created by someone from the martial world, who possessed extraordinary talent and could sense the essence of the moonlight. This scripture is not grand in scope; it is always focused on how to enhance the power of true energy, spending excessive effort on refining some irrelevant acupoints. The resulting martial power is indeed substantial, but it is actually detrimental to cultivation and enlightenment. If it had been created by a practitioner, it certainly would not have been approached in this manner.
Everyone began to pack their books, and acquaintances greeted each other as they left the study
It seems that we still need to think of a way regarding Du Longfei. During this period, Yang Yun has already learned that Du Longfei can obtain many books, and numerous impoverished students spend money to buy them from him, at a price approximately half of the market rate
Unfortunately, the Moonlight True Scripture only has two levels of attainment; it seems I will have to change my cultivation method in the future said Yang Yun with a slight sigh
As the last ray of moonlight disappeared from the window, Yang Yun also concluded his practice
In the blink of an eye, half a month has passed. During the day, Yang Yun goes to the county's library to study, and at night, he practices the Moonlight True Scripture in his room. The window of his room allows moonlight to stream in during the first half of the night, making it very suitable for cultivation
Yang Yun briefly skimmed through and couldn't help but shake his head in disapproval. This library was rather dilapidated, containing only a few hundred books, many of which were duplicates
It is still more prudent to cultivate the "True Method of Azure Water," as this was the primary technique practiced by Yang Yun in his previous life. He is thoroughly familiar with the methods from refining the acupoints to achieving the Great Perfection of the Yuan Spirit, and even to the realm of transcending tribulations and ascending.