I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 58 The System of Literary Style
Xie Haiya seemed to be deep in thought, "It's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't arrived yet."

When Uncle Song enters Canglan Prefecture, then we will have room to maneuver.

Remember, the officialdom is also a training ground. Brute force can solve problems, but it cannot solve the root problems.

When brute force is used to solve problems, that's when big problems arise.

Now that you have the protection of fame and fortune, you are safe and sound.

Once Senior Uncle Song enters Canglan Prefecture, then you and I can truly unleash our potential.

Xue Xiang reluctantly swallowed the empty promise and nodded in agreement.

He understood Xie Haiya's difficulties, and he was also reflecting on himself. Strengthening oneself is something that must always be practiced, but is it enough to just rely on one powerful figure?

"By the way, what kind of spiritual root did you say you tested? Five colors, inferior spiritual root?"

Xie Haiya finally realized what was happening.

"Talking about this is boring."

Xue Xiangjun blushed slightly.

Xie Haiya put his hand to his forehead, "Heavens above, my Tongjiang School, the Tongjiang School..."

“Senior brother, so what if your spiritual root is inferior? Our Tongjiang School can educate even peddlers and laborers. How could we judge our own disciples based on the quality of their spiritual roots?”

"You know how to use your mouth."

Xie Haiya smiled and said, "As for the gift the school will give you, you don't need to worry about it. I've already picked one out for you."

"what gift?"

Xue Xiang was getting anxious.

Before obtaining the literary energy, what he wanted most was a miraculous technique that could quickly draw spiritual energy into his body.

After obtaining the literary energy, he wanted to know things related to its application.

“Show me your literary talent.”

Xie Haiya's words were earth-shattering.

Xue Xiang was taken aback. "Senior brother, do you perhaps possess divine wisdom?"

Xie Haiya waved his hand, "I didn't mention that you could still climb the Qingyun Terrace. I just thought that with your level, even if you passed, it would be a bottom-tier result."

Unexpectedly, when the news came out, you ranked seventeenth.

Your talent in poetry and prose speaks for itself.

The trials of the city examinations, no matter how they go, still primarily test talent.

With your talent, it would be strange if you didn't get the literary talent.

With a thought, Xue Xiang released a stream of literary energy from between his eyebrows, which shone with golden light.

Xie Haiya's eyes widened. "Good lad, I knew you were extraordinary, you actually managed to refine golden literary energy."

Xue Xiangdao said, "So-so, third in the world."

I have come to see you today, senior brother, precisely to brush up on my knowledge of literary style. I humbly request your guidance.

"I will answer all your questions without reservation. I don't like long-winded lectures or rambling lectures. If you have any questions, just ask them."

But I remind you, golden aura is very rare, so don't show it easily. Since aura can take shape, try to appear in black or white.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother. May I ask, Senior Brother, what are the specific differences between the five colors of literary energy: gold, purple, black, white, and cyan?"

"Of course. Among the five colors of literary energy, gold is the most precious. High-quality literary energy, like a high-quality spiritual root, reduces the difficulty of activating the Heavenly Dao of Literary Meridians, while enhancing the level of illusions..."

"Wait, what does it mean to activate the Heavenly Dao of the Literary Lineage?"

"The reason why your poems and essays have such great power in the Trial Realm is because the Trial Realm has formed a unique literary tradition, and the literary spirit within it is abundant."

Your poems and prose have stirred the literary spirit of Heaven, and this literary spirit, acting upon the inner literary energy, has created a terrifying and awe-inspiring phenomenon.

In the real world, after a sage aligns his literary lineage with the Way of Heaven, he must activate the literary lineage and the Way of Heaven in order for his literary energy to exert its extraordinary power.

Golden literary energy has an innate advantage in activating the Heavenly Dao of Literature.

"Then what is the illusion level?"

"The so-called illusions refer to the fact that literary energy can manifest in countless forms. You can now use your thoughts to activate literary energy and manifest various images. However, without invoking the literary lineage and the Heavenly Dao, these illusions have no power."

Golden hues, when manifesting illusions, can create a grand scale and a specific atmosphere.

In the capital, there were lucky individuals who accidentally cultivated golden literary energy, but they did not aspire to rise step by step; instead, they preferred to linger in the marketplace.

Relying on their golden, refined air, they specialized in creating grand atmospheres and magnificent scenes. They frequented major commercial establishments to generate buzz and made a fortune, becoming instant darlings.

"In other words, my current literary aura is only capable of weaving illusions and acting as an atmosphere-maker. What conditions need to be met to unleash its true power?"

"All it takes is literary talent to activate the natural order of literature."

"How to do it exactly?"

“Refine your Qi into characters, connect characters into sentences, compose sentences into poems, poems into prose, and above prose is the formless state. In the formless state, words become law, and a single word can shatter mountains and rivers.”

"You mean I need to first gather my literary energy into written words, and then gradually develop it further?"

"That's right. For us Confucian scholars who have acquired literary talent, cultivation has always been a two-system approach."

One is the Qi cultivation system, and the other is the literary cultivation system.

Let's leave the Qi cultivation system aside for now.

The system of literary refinement consists of: the realm of words, the realm of sentences, the realm of poetry, the realm of prose, and the realm of formlessness.

"So what is the context of words, and what are its specific manifestations?"

"Using literary spirit as brush and ink, if the words you write can evoke the natural order of literature, then you have reached the realm of words. You may not understand if I explain it to you, but I will demonstrate it and you will see."

As he spoke, a wisp of black literary energy emerged from between Xie Haiya's brows. He used his thoughts as a brush, guiding the black literary energy to gather into the character "light." In an instant, the room was filled with light.

Xue Xiang clicked his tongue in amazement, "Truly wondrous!"

When he was in the Trial Realm, the phenomena he created were incredibly grand, but there was always an unreal feeling, like playing an online game.

At this moment, standing in the real world, he witnessed Xie Haiya displaying his literary and divine aura, which was truly awe-inspiring.

Xie Haiya withdrew his supernatural power, saying, "It's nothing, just a small trick at the initial stage of the Word Realm."

"How many levels are there in the realm of words? What are they?"

"The realm of words has three stages: the initial stage is the realm of all phenomena; the intermediate stage is the realm of self; and the advanced stage is the realm of no phenomena."

Xue Xiang was about to ask another question when Xie Haiya waved his hand to stop him, saying, "You don't need to ask, I'll tell you myself."

The so-called "phenomena" refer to the opinions of the general public.

For example, when I mention "light," the average person would only think of sunlight, lamplight, candlelight, and so on.

When you are in the initial stage of the realm of words, the light manifested in the literary energy can only be one of these.

The intermediate level of self-image is where your will takes precedence; whatever light you choose to take, you can become that light.

The prerequisite is that your literary talent and spiritual power can withstand it.

The third-order formlessness, taking light as an example, means that at this stage, you can generate light at will, even any light you imagine.

"Please wait a moment."

Xue Xiang felt a little indigestion. "You just mentioned spiritual power. Is there any connection between literary energy and spiritual power?"

Xie Haiya said, "This is a huge problem."

Spiritual power is the fundamental power of the world, existing since the beginning of creation.

Even today, when sages align their literary traditions with the Dao, spiritual cultivation remains the mainstream practice.

It is only by extracting the literary lineage from the primordial power of the sages and aligning it with the Great Dao that the literary energy system exists.

However, when we use our literary skills, we also need spiritual power to support us, in addition to literary energy.

For example, the light I just described using literary style.

Do you think you can conjure a beam of light out of thin air? That's merely the application of spiritual energy within the framework of the literary energy system.

"I see."

Xue Xiang cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

(End of this chapter)