fifth form

Chapter 3013 Confucian Imperial Academy
Zhang Xuezhou also saw Huo Qubing enter the country when he was in the secret place of Shanglin Garden.

Huo Qubing was young, and his body's acupoints were not yet fully developed, so the number of acupoints he could utilize after entering the realm was extremely limited.

Zhang Xuezhou originally thought that Huo Qubing had only entered a certain realm, and then waited for his body to grow and develop slowly, so that his cultivation could become normal.

But after not seeing him for more than half a year, Zhang Xuezhou noticed that Huo Qubing's body had become more vigorous and full of energy, which was not at all like the appearance of someone who had entered the country.

He beckoned Huo Qubing into the main hall of the mansion and casually touched Huo Qubing's meridians.

"You are truly extraordinary for your age; your cultivation is progressing rapidly!"

Zhang Xuezhou looked surprised.

Huo Qubing's internal energy and blood were strong but weak, almost identical to the situation where his magical power was imprisoned.

Zhang Xuezhou's problem was that he ate too much Cynomorium songaricum, while Huo Qubing's problem was that his body hadn't fully developed, his number of acupoints was extremely limited, and he had fewer points to exert force.

After experiencing health problems, Zhang Xuezhou chose to get married quickly to seek treatment, thereby eliminating the symptoms and returning to normal before seeking to further his spiritual practice.

Despite having a limited number of acupoints in his body, Huo Qubing was still able to improve his cultivation level.

After entering the realm, there are the first three stages: meridian circulation, blood circulation, and body control. Huo Qubing's current qi and blood strength is sufficient to be classified as the body control stage.

Zhang Xuezhou could not help but be surprised by this situation.

Even though the simplified version of the Confucian classic "Zhongni Qiguan Shuo" has a simple cultivation path, it is not common to directly cross the first three realms in just over half a year.

"If only my uncle were as wise as you, he tied me up and beat me a while ago, saying that my reckless cultivation was very risky and could even cost me my life. He only allowed me to study," Huo Qubing said sullenly. "He doesn't think I have any extraordinary cultivation ability at all!"

"You're already amazing!"

Zhang Xuezhou spoke the truth.

Regardless of what advantages Huo Qubing gained, his cultivation progress was enough to crush many geniuses. The poor cultivators in Xijing City who were struggling to cultivate their cultivation realms would weep bitterly upon seeing Huo Qubing.

It wasn't that no one in Xijing City practiced "Zhongni Qiguan Shuo"; Luo Gaogao and others simply chose the simplified version to promote it.

However, compared to Huo Qubing, even though they were already adults, Luo Gaogao and others were not as good.

"I have never seen such a talented young boy as you," Zhang Xuezhou praised.

"Master of the East, you have the discerning eye to recognize a young man like yourself. You are truly the most remarkable person I have ever met," Huo Qubing said with delight.

After being praised three times by Zhang Xuezhou, Huo Qubing finally realized that Zhang Xuezhou was genuinely praising him, which made him very happy. He then casually flattered Zhang Xuezhou and they went on to exchange compliments for a while.

"Your flattery is so poorly written; you probably need to read more books!"

As soon as Huo Qubing uttered those words, Zhang Xuezhou knew what Huo Qubing was planning to do.

This guy was forbidden from cultivating by Wei Qing, obviously because he was bored with reading and wanted to find a way to break through with Zhang Xuezhou.

But Zhang Xuezhou had no teaching skills whatsoever.

Huo Qubing's physical condition was extremely simple, while Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation was complex; the two were completely opposite. Huo Qubing could not cultivate even a fraction of Zhang Xuezhou's abilities.

He made a sarcastic remark to Huo Qubing, which immediately caused Huo Qubing's head to droop like a deflated eggplant.

"As long as you don't bring up studying, we can still be best friends who've been through thick and thin together," Huo Qubing said sullenly. "Those lousy books only talk about grand principles; not a single thing is practical!"

"Oh, what books have you been reading?" Zhang Xuezhou asked with interest.

"The imperial court set up some kind of Imperial Academy, with Doctors of the Five Classics teaching the *I Ching*, *Book of Poetry*, *Book of Documents*, *Book of Rites*, *Gongyang Commentary*, *Guliang Commentary*, *Zuo Commentary*, *Zhou Guan*, and *Erya*," Huo Qubing complained. "I'm memorizing those books there every day, and I'm about to throw up from it!"

"To be able to read so many books, you must be incredibly learned," Zhang Xuezhou exclaimed in surprise. The classics Huo Qubing mentioned all originated from Confucianism, which Dong Zhongshu had mentioned to Zhang Xuezhou many years ago.

If one does not study the "Zhongni Qiguan Shuo" from the Confucian school, the Confucian methods of self-cultivation are found in these classic texts. By reading these classic texts extensively, one can enter a state of self-cultivation and thus gain enlightenment about one's own practice.

Zhang Xuezhou was somewhat surprised that the imperial court had established the Imperial Academy to teach Confucianism, and even created official positions specifically for this purpose.

This means that Confucianism became the official doctrine recognized by the imperial court.

It is highly likely that Dong Zhongshu and others who met with the new emperor were not aligned with the Empress Dowager, but rather sided with the new emperor. This was a significant event in the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Xuezhou somewhat understood why Tian Fen had to show off to everyone he met. It wasn't just Tian Fen's personality; this showing off also served to demonstrate the Empress Dowager's influence, thus preventing Confucianism from overshadowing the Empress Dowager.

"What do you mean by being learned and knowledgeable? It's more like being poor and ignorant!" Huo Qubing complained. "My mother spent a lot of money to get me a place at the Imperial Academy!"

"Money isn't important!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head.

If Dongfang Jia hadn't been so ridiculously young, Zhang Xuezhou would have also wanted to send him to the Imperial Academy.

He knew the quality of the Imperial Academy without even thinking.

This was not only backed by the imperial court, but also guaranteed by Confucianism. Any student who entered the Imperial Academy was supported by two forces, and the first batch of students were often made into role models.

If you want to invest in the future of young people, entering the Imperial Academy is definitely a shortcut.

"Money is extremely important. Only a wise person from the East has the magnanimity to regard money as dirt. I am far inferior to your level of cultivation!"

Huo Qubing was clearly still somewhat distressed that his family had spent too much money.

If it weren't for the fact that he had spent so much money and felt he had to study to recoup his investment, Huo Qubing would have run away long ago.

Huo Qubing's thoughts were very direct, leaving Zhang Xuezhou no choice but to shake his head.

The first batch of students at the Imperial Academy were not admitted simply because they had money. As a benchmark of Confucianism, any student who entered the academy had to either come from a family with top-level power or be a top genius.

Huo Qubing's entry into the Imperial Academy was not solely due to the money Wei Shao'er provided. Even though Wei Qing's position was precarious, the fact that he was able to secure Huo Qubing's place in the first cohort of admissions must have been backed by the new emperor's guarantee.

“If you want to graduate sooner, then pass the entrance exam for the Five Classics Doctors as soon as possible,” Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile. “Once you finish studying the Five Classics they teach, you will be free and will no longer need to study at the Imperial Academy!”

"Reading those lousy books is too difficult," Huo Qubing shook his head and said, "Rote memorization simply won't pass their entrance exams!"

"How can you memorize so many scriptures by rote?"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about Huo Qubing's ability to remember spells and felt that Huo Qubing might have applied this ability to his studies.

Simply reciting from the text is indeed useless. Even if Huo Qubing could memorize these scriptures by referring to the pictures and recite them from beginning to end, it would only be repetition, not Huo Qubing's understanding of the scriptures. It is normal that he would find it difficult to pass the test.

However, Huo Qubing's "borrowing" memory technique was unique in this era and could surpass 99% of people.

When one possesses something that others lack, Huo Qubing is bound to stand out.

Looking at Huo Qubing, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel a bit calculating.

Zhang Xuezhou's memory ability, guided by mental power, is already extremely strong. He can memorize complex content after reading it only once, but he cannot replicate it with just one glance like Huo Qubing.

He was also quite curious whether Huo Qubing could gain some special visual abilities if he enhanced his mental abilities.

Huo Qubing's current martial arts skills were of little use, but Zhang Xuezhou was very interested in the other party's special ability.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that he might even need the other party's abilities in the future.