This celestial master cultivates both physical and magical arts; why did you provoke him?

That day, Fang Zijian had nothing to do, so he rummaged through Xia En's things in the courtyard of Qingheju.

Of course, this is within the scope permitted by Shane.

He found an old box, opened it, and saw dozens of books neatly stacked inside.

It is not the Taoist Canon, not a talismanic catalog, and not the Thunder Magic Heart Sutra.

Instead, it includes courses such as Advanced Mathematics, Linear Algebra, Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics, University Physics, Theoretical Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Quantum Mechanics, Structural Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Computer Organization, Data Structures, Introduction to Algorithms, C++ Programming, Core Java, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Principles of Accounting...

"Holy crap! I've never even read these books before, oh my god!!"

Fang Zijian's hands began to tremble.

He flipped through the books one by one, becoming more and more alarmed with each turn.

These books are not just for show; every single one is worn out from being read so many times, with pages covered in dense notes.

In some places, there are also labels with words like "important", "difficult", and "must be on the exam".

He turned the box over to the bottom and found a few pieces of paper.

I opened it and took a look.

It is an academic certificate.

Jiangzhou University, Bachelor of Science, Applied Physics, GPA 3.9, ranked first in his class.

Jiangzhou University, Master of Engineering, majoring in Computer Science and Technology, GPA 3.8, ranked in the top three of his class.

There are also a few certificates.

First prize in the National Undergraduate Physics Competition, first prize in the National Undergraduate Mathematical Modeling Competition, and gold medal in the regional competition of the ACM Programming Contest.

Fang Zijian's hands stopped shaking.

His hands froze, and he stood motionless as if struck by lightning.

Liu Ruyan came out of the house and was startled when she saw his expression.

"What's wrong? Your face is so pale?"

Fang Zijian mechanically turned his head and handed her the certificates.

Liu Ruyan took it and looked at it; her pupils suddenly contracted.

She was also a graduate of Jiangzhou University, so she knew all too well what those certificates meant.

GPA 3.9, first in the grade, first prize in the physics competition, ACM gold medal.

This is an achievement that only the most outstanding students could obtain since the founding of Jiangzhou University.

"This...this is Xia En's?" Her voice trembled.

Fang Zijian nodded.

"He...he graduated from Jiangzhou University?"

Fang Zijian nodded again.

"Applied Physics? Computer Science Master's degree? And an ACM gold medalist?"

Fang Zijian continued to nod.

Liu Ruyan fell silent.

She looked at the certificates, then at the person lying in the yard, lollipop in mouth, gazing at the sky, and felt her worldview crumbling.

She has known Xia En for almost three months.

During those three months, she witnessed him smash evil spirits with palm lightning, seal ancient monsters with talismans, and blast the zombie king apart with a single punch.

In her mind, Xia En was a genius Taoist priest.

They can fight, they can endure, and they can make money.

But she never imagined that this person was actually a top student.

Not just any ordinary academic achiever, but the kind of super achiever who stands at the top of the pyramid, admired by everyone.

"Why...why has he never mentioned this before?"

Fang Zijian's voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.

Liu Ruyan shook her head.

She also wanted to know the answer.

The two men, carrying the certificates, walked up to Xia En.

Xia En was sunbathing with her eyes closed, a lollipop dangling from her mouth, looking quite lazy.

"Shane".

Fang Zijian's voice sounded a bit strange.

"Um?"

"What is this?"

Xia En opened one eye and looked at the certificate in Fang Zijian's hand.

"Oh, this. You went through my trash can?"

That's not the point!

Fang Zijian raised his voice, "The key point is, you graduated from Jiangzhou University? Majoring in Applied Physics, ranked first in your class? And you also got a Master's degree in Computer Science? And you won an ACM gold medal?"

Xia En sat up, took the lollipop out of her mouth, and calmly said, looking at Fang Zijian's ghost-like expression:

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Fang Zijian almost fainted.

"What's wrong? You're asking me what's wrong? You're a Taoist priest, you went to university? A prestigious university? A top student?"

"Can't a Taoist priest go to university?" Xia En retorted.

"It's not that I can't... but... you..."

"Is there a law prohibiting Taoist priests from attending university?"

Fang Zijian opened his mouth, unable to speak.

The law, of course, does not stipulate this.

But he just felt that something was wrong.

A person who can punch a zombie king to death is sitting in a university classroom learning advanced mathematics and quantum mechanics.

No matter how you look at it, this scene feels jarring.

Liu Ruyan was calmer than Fang Zijian.

She took a deep breath and asked, "When did you go to university?"

"I was admitted to Jiangzhou University at seventeen and graduated at twenty. Then I studied for a master's degree for two years and graduated at twenty-two."

"and then?"

"Then I'll go back to Longhu Mountain and become a Taoist priest."

Liu Ruyan paused for a moment.

"Why don't you stay in the city to work? With your education and abilities, you could easily get a job at any big company. Huawei, Tencent, Ayun, take your pick. Starting salary is a million a year."

Xia En looked at her, thought for a moment, and said, "And then?"

"Then……"

Liu Ruyan paused for a moment, "Then it's work, promotion, making money, buying a house, getting married, having children..."

"and then?"

"And then..." Liu Ruyan couldn't continue.

She suddenly realized that there seemed to be nothing special after this "and then" question.

Work, promotion, making money, buying a house, getting married, having children.

Then comes getting old, retiring, and waiting to die.

This is the life trajectory of 99% of people.

But Shane is clearly not one of the 99%.

"My grades were indeed quite good when I was in college."

Shane lay back down in the wicker chair, looking at the sky. "Physics is interesting, and computers are interesting too."

"When I graduated, several companies offered me jobs, the highest salary being two million yuan a year. I hesitated for a long time."

"And then?" Fang Zijian pressed.

"Then I went back to Longhu Mountain."

Xia En said, "Master is old. The roof of the Taoist temple is leaking, and he can't climb up to repair it. The ground of the training ground on the back mountain is cracked, and he can't move stones to patch it. The pillars of the main hall are eaten by termites, and he doesn't have the money to replace them."

He paused.

"I saw him sitting alone in the back hall, staring blankly at the portrait of the Three Pure Ones. At that moment, I knew I couldn't stay in the city."

Fang Zijian and Liu Ruyan both fell silent.

"So you went back to Longhu Mountain?"

"Um."

"Don't you regret it?" Liu Ruyan's voice was very soft.

Xia En thought for a moment.

"What are you regretting? Regret not working for a big company? Regret not earning a two million a year? Regret not buying a house and a car?"

He smiled.

"Do you think I'm short of money right now? I earned five million in two months. Do you think I'm short of a house? The entire Longhu Mountain is my home. Do you think I'm short of a car? I can run faster than a car."

Fang Zijian's mouth twitched.

Running faster than a car? What kind of Versailles is this?!

"So what are you lacking?" Liu Ruyan asked.

Xia En looked at her and remained silent for a moment. "I lack nothing."

Liu Ruyan didn't believe it.

But she didn't ask any further questions.

Fang Zijian looked at the certificates and suddenly remembered a question.

"With such a high level of education, why did you become a Taoist priest?"

Shane put the lollipop back in his mouth and mumbled:

"Life is a journey of self-cultivation, do you understand?"

Fang Zijian was taken aback. "Cultivation?"

"Yes. Life is a journey of self-cultivation; if you don't move forward, you fall behind."

Xia En said, "Working in the city is a kind of spiritual practice. But that kind of practice is not suitable for me."

Why isn't it suitable?

"Because it's so boring."

Shane said, "Sitting in front of the computer writing code or doing physics experiments every day is certainly interesting, but not very interesting."

"The kind of spiritual practice I need is to face different challenges every day, to fight against evil, to protect ordinary people, and to use my abilities to do something truly meaningful."

He paused. "Besides, being a Taoist priest is a leisurely job. There's no fear of unemployment."

Fang Zijian's mouth twitched.

Leisurely?

You handle two or three paranormal cases a day, and you call that leisurely?

"Aren't you afraid of losing your job?"

Liu Ruyan couldn't help but laugh. "These days, even Taoist priests are afraid of losing their jobs?"

"Of course I'm afraid."

Shane said in a serious tone, "If there were no evil things in the world, I would be unemployed. But that's impossible, so I'm not afraid."

Fang Zijian and Liu Ruyan exchanged a glance, both seeing the same meaning in each other's eyes.

How does this person's brain work?

He's good at fighting, good at making money, and has such a high level of education.

He speaks eloquently, and his fallacies seem remarkably reasonable.

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