Chapter 10: The Forest of Characters
Even Su Lin himself was instantly bound by a tremendous force of holy power. Although they knew in their hearts that Su Lin had attained enlightenment through the Holy Word, they could not bring themselves to speak it; the prohibition of the demigod held such power.
In the wilds of Tianren Continent, there exists a magical area known as the Forest of Characters. Any scholar who holds the title of Xiucai and enters the Forest of Characters will be granted a "Holy Character" that represents their moral character and personality.
Indeed, with the character 'diligence', my efficiency in studying and working has greatly improved, and even the operation of my spiritual power has accelerated by fifty percent. I wonder what character I will be able to obtain after I pass the examination for the scholar's degree and enter the wilderness of characters.
The holy light shone down, and the character "diligence" was absorbed into Su Lin's mind along with the radiance. Instantly, Su Lin felt a sense of comfort throughout his body, his senses became sharper, and the flow of his thoughts and ideas became even smoother.
The nine characters of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trust, forgiveness, loyalty, filial piety, and brotherly respect have been taken by the sages of nine nations, becoming the foundational words of their states. Confucius spoke of achieving benevolence, while Mencius emphasized the pursuit of righteousness. The State of Lu, having inherited Confucius's character of 'benevolence', is thus the most powerful, as Confucius once stated, 'The benevolent have no enemies.' The State of Zou, being the hometown of the sub-sage Mencius, is founded on 'righteousness', making it second only to Lu. The State of Zhou established itself on 'propriety', and again ...
Su Lin, accompanied by his sister Su Ru, arrived outside the examination hall. However, his appearance quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers who began to mock him. This was because these people were unaware that Su Lin had achieved enlightenment the day before, a remarkable event that had even startled the monarch and the temple, known as the 'Enlightenment of the Sacred Word'.
Indeed! At the age of fifteen, without any enlightenment, how can one waste the character 'diligence' to participate in the county examination? It would be better to sell the character 'diligence'; I have heard that in the black market, one character 'diligence' is worth a full one thousand taels of silver!
The saints smiled but remained silent; some shook their heads while others nodded. In the end, the rotating chief saint, Liu Yanfang, sighed, shook his head, and said: "The words of the saints enlighten the mind and are extraordinary. Regardless of whether it pertains to the great calamity of humanity, it is not something to be discussed with outsiders"
Although the "wordless heavenly book" in his mind allows him to search any classic texts and doctrines, it is merely a search engine and does not represent Su Lin's own thoughts. In the Tianren Continent, thought is paramount. Su Lin understands that, just like the four characters "a gentleman is not a tool"; if one cannot comprehend the underlying philosophical meaning, reading it a thousand or ten thousand times will be of no use.
You all take a look, that Su Lin from the Su family has indeed come to take the county examination. Alas, what a waste of the character 'diligence' that Scholar Su has!
Although Su Lin can access countless excellent literary works from the Huaxia culture, most of which have never appeared in the Tianren Continent, if Su Lin does not possess the ability to truly understand these poems and writings and grasp their underlying thoughts, then even if he were to plagiarize these works, they would not belong to him
The report was escalated step by step. Governor Yuan Tianzhang was taken aback, while Prefect Pang Shihua was greatly astonished. King Sun Jianshi laughed heartily, but the various semi-saints of the Holy Temple had mixed feelings. This was because, on the day when the sub-saint Mencius was on his deathbed, he left behind a prophecy: "If there is another wise person who opens the minds of others with the words of the Sage Confucius, a great calamity will befall humanity."
After speaking, Liu Yanfang used a pen to write words out of thin air, with golden characters flowing gracefully. There were only two characters in total: "禁" and "口".
My foundation in classical literature is not strong; relying on the unwritten heavenly book to cheat is merely a temporary expedient. If I wish to grow steadily in the Tianren Continent for the long term, I must adhere to the rules here, strive to enrich my thoughts, and use thought as my weapon, embracing and integrating the diverse philosophies of various schools of thought
Brother, hurry up... If we delay any longer, we will miss the county exam
This character "勤" was obtained by Su Lin's father, Su Jingtian, when he became a scholar and qualified to enter the Wild Character Forest, from which he acquired it.
Su Lin slowly processed the information in his mind; he absorbed the character for diligence, and his thinking became more agile, making him more efficient in his tasks
What kind of saint are you, to be so despicable and shameless? I am the ruler of the State of Wu; how can a mere half-saint like you issue a gag order?
With a whoosh
It is said that this time nearly one thousand candidates from Fengle County participated, yet only the top twenty will be selected as students. The competition is indeed fierce
This ... even the temple has personally issued a gag order, quite serious! Quite serious!
With a focused gaze, Sun Jianshi quickly summoned the national artifact, the Dragon and Snake Jade Seal. He observed that the words "Silence" struggled against the seal for a moment before ultimately succumbing and being absorbed into the Dragon and Snake Jade Seal. At this moment, the monarch Sun Jianshi was panting heavily, his eyes filled with terror, secretly contemplating: "The sacred words indeed possess extraordinary power, capable of compelling the rotating chief sage Liu Yanfang to issue the 'Silence Order'"
Recognizing his shortcomings, Su Lin resolved to make a change. For two days, he essentially shut himself in, diligently applying himself to his studies. With the assistance of the principles of "diligence" and the "unwritten book of the universe," Su Lin made remarkable progress in his studies, able to read ten lines at a glance, and his comprehension skills improved rapidly
In Su Lin's mind, the distribution of the various nations on the Tianren Continent gradually emerged. At the center of the Nine Nations lies the Holy Temple, where all scholars who have attained the semi-saint level of cultivation enter to practice. The edge of the Nine Nations is marked by the Great Wall, beyond which lies the wilderness, inhabited by the five major tribes: Man, Yi, Di, Rong, and Hu, as well as smaller clans such as the Qiang and Li tribes. These clans are not entirely human but are rather barbaric tribes resulting from the interbreeding of demon beasts and humans. The edge of the Nine Nations is marked by the Great Wall, beyond which lies the wilderness, inhabited by the five major tribes: Man, Yi, Di, Rong, and Hu, as well as smaller clans such as the Qiang and Li tribes. These clans are not entirely human but are rather barbaric tribes resulting from the interbreeding of demon beasts and humans.
Soon, the day of the county examination arrived. Su Lin had studied for two full days and nights, and not only did he not feel a headache or fatigue, but his mind became even clearer. From the words of the sages to the writings of the grand scholars, everything was articulated with precision. If anyone were to ask, Su Lin, utilizing the search function of the wordless heavenly book, could articulate a rationale for any debate topic.
Currently, there is a Confucian scholar from Wu State named Su Lin, who, at the age of 15, enlightened himself through the teachings of Confucius on the 'Way of the Uncarved Block.' What are your thoughts on this matter
It was merely the act of writing these two characters, yet Liu Yanfang seemed to expend considerable effort. As the characters took form, he directed his gaze towards the vast sky beyond the temple and emphatically uttered, "Go"
... ...
Governor Pang Shihua, Prefect Yuan Tianzhang, County Magistrate Xu Wenliang, County Assistant Li Ting, Scholar Xu Lingxiao, Dong Zijing, Dong Feng, Su Liu, Su Wen
Thank you, County Magistrate Xie. However, this time the Holy Temple has been alarmed, and a gag order has even been issued. Should I return to inform my stepmother, younger brother, and younger sister, so that they too may keep silent? Su Lin felt somewhat anxious; he did not understand how his enlightenment through the sacred words had actually disturbed the Holy Temple, leading to a gag order issued personally by the presiding saint of the Holy Temple.
Back at his residence, Su Lin sat alone in front of the desk and books, taking out the character "勤" that Magistrate Xu had returned. In his mind, two streams of divine power flowed, and Su Lin shouted: "In the mountain of books, diligence is the path! Shouldn't the character for diligence quickly return to its rightful place?"
However, although the Great Wall stretches far beyond ten thousand miles, there are still weak and vulnerable areas. This often allows small groups of barbarian tribes to breach the defenses and plunder the people of the Central Plains, with the northern Hu tribes and southern barbarian tribes being the most active. Fortunately, each state has stationed troops at the passes, and they also send literati with scholarly attainments to eliminate the barbarians and suppress the demons.
Su Lin, invigorated, heard his sister Su Ru's call and left the house with nothing but the wind in his sleeves. The county examination is a grand event of the Nine Nations, a significant occasion on the Tianren Continent. Candidates may enter the examination hall empty-handed, as writing materials and even food are provided uniformly by the state.
Su Lin, please wait a moment. I will send a divine message to report the great joy of your enlightenment through the sacred words to His Majesty and the Holy Temple step by step. However, I believe that when you attained enlightenment, your spirit was soaring. Although ordinary people may not see this brilliance, His Majesty's imperial seal and the statue of Confucius in the Holy Temple can certainly sense it
After giving Su Lin a few more admonitions, County Magistrate Xu allowed Su Lin to return to his residence, reminding him to prepare well for the upcoming county examination in a few days
With significant progress in his cultivation, Magistrate Xu did not hesitate to expend his sacred power to create the Tianliang Pen from the fur and bones of demonic beasts. He wrote four letters in succession: the first addressed to Yuan Tianzhang, the governor of Jian'an Prefecture; the second to Pang Shihua, the governor of Jianzhou; the third to the sovereign Sun Jianshi; and the final letter, audaciously sent to the Holy Temple of the Nine Nations
In an instant, two golden characters swept across the vast sky, descending into the territory of the State of Wu. As the monarch Sun Jian was laughing and exclaiming about the emergence of such a talent in Wu, the golden characters floated down from the heavens, subtly carrying a hint of a chilling aura reminiscent of a * map * and * book *.
Liu Yanfang, as this year's rotating chief sage, frowned upon receiving the official document from County Magistrate Xu and sought the opinions of the thirty-one semi-sages seated in meditation around the statue of Confucius
Sun Jianshi possesses the national treasure of the Kingdom of Wu, the Imperial Seal, which can withstand the might of a Half-Saint; however, others are not so fortunate
No need for that. Su Lin, the power of the Half-Saint, including those of us who are aware of this matter, can no longer utter a single word regarding it. Rest assured! This matter is of great importance; the demon and barbarian tribes have a keen interest in our human race, and it absolutely cannot be known to them
In the wilderness of the continent, the characters of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trust, forgiveness, loyalty, filial piety, and brotherly respect are the unique 'sacred words' of the world, which cannot be derived from the character forest. However, sacred words such as diligence, courage, humility, strength, and wisdom, although not as powerful as the nine-character mantra, can continuously emerge from the character forest, each serving its own purpose
Magistrate Xu was taken aback, and after a while, the holy power within him circulated before finally calming down. He let out a bitter laugh, took out a golden character for "diligence" from the county magistrate's seal, and handed it to Su Lin, saying: "Su Lin, this is the character for 'diligence' that you submitted a few days ago. Now that you have gained enlightenment, you no longer need to expend this character to participate in the county examination. I am returning it to you now"
Some have the heads of snakes and the bodies of humans, while others have the heads of wolves and the bodies of humans. These barbaric clans do not cultivate thought, nor do they understand benevolence and righteousness; they rely solely on brute strength to plunder the human race, particularly delighting in devouring those who possess human ideals. They often serve as cannon fodder and vanguards for the demon race's invasion of humanity. However, thousands of years ago, Confucius united the various schools of thought and semi-sages, using sacred power to construct the Great Wall, completely isolating these barbaric clans in the wild world beyond the wall.