She is Jianxiu

Someone like Si Queyi, who reached the eighth rank in his early twenties, would be considered a young genius even in the Three Thousand Worlds. But here in the Qianming Realm, he's only considered mediocre, far from being a top performer!

According to Zhao Chun's travelogue, there are many people who bear the title of "prodigy" and are born with literary talent. They are born with the body of a ninth-rank scholar. By the age of six or seven, they can read the classics and thus enter the eighth rank. Only when they reach the age of Si Que Yi and can break through the barrier of the sixth-rank scholar can they be considered true prodigies.

Zhao Chun was still somewhat unclear about what the sixth rank was, but she learned from Si Queyi that the current ancestor of the Si Que clan was a fourth-rank scholar of debate and criticism. With this level of cultivation, he was qualified to have his name registered at the Gu She Academy and be summoned to Li Jing to study.

Based on this deduction, it is not difficult to guess that the sixth rank is roughly equivalent to a Guihe cultivator. A Guihe disciple in his twenties is indeed quite astonishing.

Zhao Chun was inevitably surprised by this, but after reading through most of the miscellaneous books brought by Si Queyi, her doubts were easily resolved.

It turns out that the scholars in the Qianming Realm are far inferior to the Taoist cultivators of the Xuanmen in terms of lifespan!
It should be known that once a cultivator enters the Foundation Establishment stage, their lifespan doubles to two hundred years. After that, the Qi Condensation stage adds one hundred, the Profound Transformation stage adds two hundred, and if one cultivates to the Union stage, a lifespan of a thousand years is not surprising. Furthermore, if one cultivates a life-extending method, supplemented by various rare treasures and elixirs, living for several thousand years is quite common.

Compared to them, the scholars of this realm can be considered short-lived.

In Si Queyi's words, the ancestor of the Si Que clan had just celebrated his 260th birthday two years ago. As a fourth-rank scholar who debated right and wrong, his lifespan of nearly 300 years was already the limit.

For ordinary people, a blessed person is one who lives for sixty or seventy years without disaster or illness. If they are fortunate enough to have their literary talent awakened and have great medicine to nourish them, it is not uncommon for them to live to be over a hundred years old.

He studied diligently day and night until he had mastered the knowledge, attained enlightenment, and reached the sixth level of the realm, thus achieving a lifespan exceeding two hundred years.

I have also heard that the head of the Gushe Academy in Lijing City is the only second-rank scholar in Jinlai Kingdom who can live to be eight hundred years old without aging. However, Siqueyi knows little about this.

As for ancient monsters with lifespans of thousands of years, they are simply unheard of.

If Si Queyi knew that Zhao Chun's lifespan had already exceeded eight hundred years, he would probably regard her as a demon.

Once lifespan reaches this point, cultivators in this realm will quickly die of old age if they don't immerse themselves in diligent study. Even with powerful elixirs to nourish the body and replenish vital essence, which can regulate qi and promote health, thus extending lifespan, the cost is enormous and cannot be interrupted. Within the Sique clan, the cost of supporting the clan's members' studies alone is already astronomical. As for further health maintenance and replenishing qi, it depends on one's own aptitude and whether it's worth the clan's resources.

Zhao Chun lowered her head in thought, ignoring the argument between the Lu Zhu and Yue Zhu sisters. She didn't know how many hours had passed when she heard a series of rhythmic drumbeats coming from outside the courtyard.

As the saying goes, "the morning bell and the evening drum" are the way Si Que reminds the people in the mansion that it is evening.

In such wealthy and powerful families, everything must be done on time and in order. Now that the evening drum has sounded, it means that the Imperial Attendant should be returning from school.

Zhao Chun slightly raised her eyes, put the book aside, and just then, two figures appeared one after the other at the entrance of the courtyard surrounded by green bamboo.

Si Queyi walked quickly, his brows revealing his exhaustion. Although his companion Hua Ying followed behind in small steps, her face was also somewhat pale, and judging from her slightly reddened eyes, she must have shed tears of grievance.

Ultimately, she was only about the same age as Si Queyi, no more than two years older than Lu Zhu and Yue Zhu. She had never suffered any mistreatment or hardship. Si Queyi was kind and soft-hearted, treating the maids like sisters, let alone scolding or beating them. Therefore, Hua Ying's current grievances probably came from elsewhere.

"Don't cry. I will make you pay for everything you've suffered today." Si Queyi was still holding back his anger. He comforted Hua Ying while reaching out to wipe away her tears.

The Yuezhu sisters quickly surrounded them, filled with curiosity but not daring to ask. They could only hear Huaying hurriedly say no and then shake her head, advising, "Never mind, young lady. We've only just arrived; it's not good to make enemies."

However, even the usually mild-mannered Si Queyi was now so angry that he gritted his teeth and stamped his feet, saying bitterly, "I could tolerate anything else, but we're all from collateral branches, yet we're fighting amongst ourselves, acting as watchdogs for our own family! I'm only here for the first time, and I don't even know what I did to offend them that they're making things difficult for me like this. The instructor is biased too, making you the one to be punished in the end." It turned out that the Si Que clan's school also had rewards and punishments. Rewards were naturally given to the students themselves, but punishments were different. Generally speaking, minor mistakes were punished by having the student accompany the teacher, while major offenses were punished in full. However, a collateral branch descendant like Si Queyi couldn't have committed many serious offenses. A few minor mistakes in class were enough for someone to find fault with and complain to the instructor.

Hua Ying smiled and squeezed the girl's hand. The two of them then looked up at Zhao Chun at the same time, as if they had just realized that there were outsiders in the courtyard. After making a scene, they felt a little embarrassed.

Unfortunately, she suffered an injustice on her very first day of school. Si Queyi blushed slightly, her eyes darting to the ground, and she said in a low voice, "Miss Zhao, please forgive my rudeness."

Zhao Chun didn't care about this at all. She immediately waved her hand and said with a smile, "What's the harm? It's just some infighting among students trying to ruin Miss Si Que's studies. If you fall for their tricks and try to deal with these petty people, you'll only earn a low reputation in the lecturer's eyes. It's best to ignore them and let them make a fool of themselves. It won't be long before they calm down."

Si Queyi nodded, sighing and blushing, and said, "I understand what Miss Zhao said, but I can't swallow this anger, and I can't concentrate on my studies."

Before she set off, her mother had personally instructed her that if she were bullied by direct descendants, she should band together with her cousins ​​from collateral branches, for numbers are always better. Who would have thought that on the first day of school, those who bullied these outsiders were precisely from collateral branches, trying to use this incident as a ploy to curry favor with the direct descendants—they had no backbone whatsoever!
Thinking this, she suddenly heard Zhao Chun laugh loudly, raise an eyebrow at her and say, "Miss Sique, when did I ever ask you to swallow this insult?"

Zhao Chun always had a carefree air about her, which Si Queyi rarely saw in others. Now, with a wave of her sleeve, she exuded an indescribable boldness.

"You're only at the eighth rank now, so you naturally have no advantage over these seniors who have been in the academy for a long time. But they're so preoccupied with their own interests that all their knowledge is used to please others. These parasites may gain some benefits for a while, but they can't last long. Once you've achieved some success in your cultivation, they won't be able to bully you anymore. At that point, if you want to vent your anger, who can stop you?"

“But…” Si Queyi hesitated, looking rather apprehensive, and said, “But they still have their own family members backing them up.”

“No.” Zhao Chun shook her head in denial, and asked earnestly, “Miss Si Que, if you were a student of our clan, would you look down on these petty people?”

Seeing the other person frown and shake their head, Zhao Chun continued, "That's right. In the eyes of those fellow students, those who bullied you today are nothing more than a few lapdogs wagging their tails and begging for mercy. They bark a few times to amuse people and their masters will smile at them. If they were all gone, it wouldn't bother them at all. Why would they hold a grudge against others and incur public wrath?"

Si Queyi felt a chill run down her spine when Zhao Chun mentioned the words "gone." However, seeing the calm and composed demeanor on Zhao Chun's face, she regained her composure and agreed, "That's true. It's not the way of a true member of the family to stand up for students from other branches. I'll listen to you, Miss Zhao; we'll ignore them from now on. Once we've mastered our studies, we'll deal with them one day!"

She thought to herself that Zhao Chun spoke of these things so eloquently that she must not have had a pleasant time in that little grotto. So she softened her tone and asked, "Miss Zhao, are you from a prominent family? How do you know so much about these matters of power and lust?"

Zhao Chun shook her head and smiled, knowing full well that it wasn't that she was too insightful, but rather that Si Queyi was too young. However, everyone has a youth, and it is ultimately through trials and tribulations that one grows. Therefore, she casually replied, "We are not from any prestigious family. I started my studies early and have been away from home for who knows how long."

Si Queyi nodded secretly, thinking that there were also open and covert struggles within the academy. To force someone from a small grotto-heaven to a private crossing to the upper realm, it must have truly reached the point of taking lives. He sighed twice, thinking that although there were some biases within the clan, they still valued the lives of students from both sides very much. They always knew when to stop, and there were almost never any instances of taking lives.

After this incident, Si Queyi developed a certain respect for Zhao Chun. Considering that there would still be people stirring up trouble in the school in the coming days, and that even the older Hua Ying was having difficulty dealing with them, let alone the children like Lu Zhu and Yue Zhu, he began to waver on the matter of whether or not to bring Zhao Chun to school.

After ten days of such agonizing, just as the grand class ended, Si Queyi, unable to bear the disturbance any longer, became increasingly depressed and unhappy. After resting for a while in the courtyard, he took out a few books from the shelf and walked towards the side room.

When he pushed open the door, he saw Zhao Chun sitting on the ground, calmly reading a book, while Yue Zhu was lying on the bed, sleeping with her quilt. Si Queyi shook his head and sighed, and stepped forward and said: "Miss Zhao, after spending these few days with you, I know that you are no ordinary person. I can only assume that you are a true dragon from shallow water who has fallen into this place, which is why we have become acquainted."

"These books are for external use as primers, not the classics for our Si Que clan's education. You can rest assured to look at them. As for your schooling, the clan will only allow you to enter the school once your literary tradition is established."

Zhao Chun knew her plan was successful, but showed no outward sign. She simply nodded and accepted the book with a smile, preparing to glean insights into the lineage of this world. (End of Chapter)