darknovel Chapter 3 Clues
Chapter 3 Clues
"Ahem!"
Zhao Cheng'an was immersed in the immense shock of discovering the world of cultivation when a sharp pain suddenly shot through his chest.
He bent over, covered his mouth, and coughed violently, a few drops of dark red blood seeping through his fingers.
He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the metallic taste in his throat, and used his fingers to open his shirt.
The bluish-black palm print on his left chest was still shocking, with purple veins bulging like a spider web. Fortunately, the signs of the poison spreading hadn't worsened, which eased his tense nerves slightly.
He buttoned his shirt back up, sat back in his chair, and his mind began to race.
Fragments of spirit stones, items used in cultivation, would actually appear openly in the market at the foot of Taixue Mountain. Considering the various legends about Taixue, where "imperial power does not extend beyond Mirror Lake," this academy definitely hides a huge secret.
There was also the master assassin who suddenly retreated from the blind man's quarters.
He had initially thought it was a coincidence, but now, looking back, he realized that the assassin was clearly wary of Qi Weizhao, the agricultural teacher wearing a straw hat.
How could a gaunt old man who could make even grandmasters flee in terror be an ordinary schoolteacher?
"Could it be...?"
Zhao Cheng'an's face lit up with excitement.
Previously, he had no idea why his father wanted him to curry favor with Chen Heng, but now he seemed to have a reasonable explanation.
……
Over the next few days, Zhao Cheng'an began to purposefully search for information about the Imperial Academy and study how to use his cheat system.
The main function of the cheat code is to synthesize items and retain the characteristics of two items to a certain extent.
For example, Zhao Cheng'an commissioned a blacksmith shop at the foot of the mountain to forge two long swords.
One longsword has the attribute "lightweight" on it, while the other iron sword has the attribute "sturdy".
When the two iron swords are combined, they become a single iron sword that is both lightweight and sturdy.
Besides that, there's the synthesis time.
If it is an ordinary item, the synthesis time is shorter; it only takes eight hours to synthesize two iron swords.
However, if the item contains spiritual energy, the time required to consume it will increase dramatically.
For example, it would take Zhao Chengan a full 36 hours, a whole day and a half, to synthesize the two spirit stone fragments he bought from the market.
Besides its ability to synthesize items, the Qiankun Cauldron also has the function of item identification. This function seems to be free, but unfortunately, I didn't find anything of particular value in the Blind Man's Shop, although I did buy some spirit stone fragments.
Given enough time, he might be able to synthesize a complete spirit stone.
Of course, Zhao Cheng'an wasn't quite sure how to use this spirit stone.
……
The Imperial Academy, the Sutra Repository.
The collection of books inside is enormous.
Zhao Cheng'an sat in the chair, carefully flipping through the documents, comparing them with his inner guesses, and sure enough, he discovered some unusual things.
First, there's the issue of history. The world's historical records only span seven or eight hundred years, leaving a blank space before the Seven Kingdoms period. Even the few tales of the strange and supernatural are filled with myths about a chaotic, undifferentiated world before the creation of heaven and earth.
In addition, there is the curriculum of the Imperial Academy.
The other academies in the seven kingdoms emphasized "learning both literary and martial arts to serve the emperor." They taught subjects like "Strategic Discourses" and "Poetry and Prose," which were about governing the country, or military skills such as "Military Formations" and "Archery and Horsemanship."
Because profound martial arts exist in this world, some academies will invite masters to teach some fist and foot techniques, or internal energy cultivation methods.
However, in the Imperial Academy, in addition to these regular subjects, there was a very special compulsory course.
Ancient teachings lesson.
The course was dry and boring, requiring students to sit up straight every morning and loudly recite those obscure and difficult ancient texts.
Not only are there strict requirements for pronunciation, pauses, and exegesis, but even the time of each class is strictly regulated, and it is not allowed to be off by even a fraction of a second.
The original owner used to find this class utterly unbearable, always feeling drowsy and completely baffled as to what the point of memorizing these awful articles was. Fortunately, the teacher didn't usually enforce discipline much; as long as people were present, that was enough.
Looking back now, Zhao Chengan realizes that this course was definitely full of hidden secrets.
Finally, and most importantly, there was the small-scale examination organized by the Imperial Academy.
For other subjects, one could have their servant take the exam for them, but for this course on ancient teachings, the student had to attend in person.
Furthermore, before the exam, there will be designated personnel responsible for verifying each item.
Zhao Cheng'an thought about it carefully. Chen Heng's grades in the ancient teachings course seemed to be very good, and it was said that she often received personal guidance from the teacher. As the daughter of a high-ranking official, Chen Heng's grades in almost every subject were excellent, making her a standard "good student".
Therefore, the original owner had never made any connection to this matter before.
Zhao Cheng'an silently calculated the time in his mind.
There are less than seven days left until the next quiz on ancient teachings.
The ancient teachings course is only tested once every six months.
The original owner had already been drifting aimlessly in the Imperial Academy for three years. If he missed this opportunity again, he might never have another chance.
Among the seven kingdoms, the Imperial Academy held a transcendent status. If a lineage of cultivation truly existed in this world, then the Imperial Academy would undoubtedly be the only gateway.
If he misses this small test, he doesn't know how much longer he'll have to struggle in the mundane world.
He had no idea how many more detours he would take or how much time he would waste.
Moreover, the Great Yin Dynasty is currently beset by internal and external troubles. His status as the third prince is not a shield, but rather a death warrant. The poisonous palm print on his chest, which could flare up at any moment, is like a sword hanging over his head.
Thinking of this, Zhao Cheng'an's fingers tightened, creating a deep crease in the page.
He closed the book, stood up, and prepared to leave the library to find a way to verify some of his earlier ideas.
But just as he reached the top of the stairs...
A voice, clearly mocking and sarcastic, suddenly came from the direction of the main gate.
"Oh, isn't this His Highness the Third Prince of our Great Yin Dynasty? Did the sun rise in the west today? Why didn't Your Highness go to deliver pastries to Miss Chen, but instead came to this library to pretend to be a scholar?"