Gou Zai Qingluo Cave Heaven Cultivation

Zhou Clan Academy.

Chengdao Class.

During lunch break, spring is in full bloom, and the early summer breeze carries a hint of dryness.

Sunlight streamed through the carved wooden window, dappling Zhou Baoqing and making her radiant.

The seats by the window were particularly lively at this time.

Several tables were pieced together to form a large long table, around which several people sat.

Upon closer inspection, they were all familiar faces: Su Wan, Liu Xiaorui, Zhou Changping, and Li Hou, Wang Gou'er's follower.

Apart from Su Wan, who came to investigate the "enemy's situation," most of the others were just curious about Zhou Changping's rapid academic progress over the past two weeks, which had dispelled his academic slump, and they couldn't sit still any longer and wanted to catch up on their studies as well.

Zhou Baoqing now has to balance breathing exercises and talisman making, and doesn't have much time to tutor students individually, so he simply set up this tutoring class as a friendly gesture to answer their questions in a concentrated manner.

He was holding a pen and drawing a formation diagram on a piece of paper.

"Don't overcomplicate this 'Five Elements Water Generation Formation'."

Zhou Baoqing tapped the array's core with the tip of his pen. "Imagine spiritual energy as flowing water, and this array as a series of pipes. Metal generates water, and this 'Geng Metal position' is responsible for pumping the water up. But if the water flow is too large, the pipes will burst, right? So, at this 'Ren Water position,' a buffer spiritual energy node must be set up to release the flow."

When these dry and tedious knowledge points about formations were explained using simple analogies, the group suddenly felt enlightened.

Liu Xiaorui timidly raised her hand, "Then...if the buffer node can't withstand the pressure, can we reinforce the 'Gui Water Level' to divert the flow?"

"Smart! That makes sense. You can apply what you've learned to other situations. Xiao Rui, you have a real talent for formations." Zhou Baoqing replied with a smile, casually praising her.

Liu Xiaorui blushed.

Looking at Zhou Baoqing, who was speaking eloquently, his handsome face seemed to glow in the sunlight. Her heart skipped a beat, her ears turned bright red, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

Zhou Baoqing didn't know why this classmate was so easily shy, blushing like a bright red apple at the drop of a hat. However, after getting to know her, he found her to be a very well-behaved and intelligent girl.

Sitting to the side, Su Wan couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

As the top student in Chengdao Class, she naturally understood this problem and could solve it.

However, if she were to teach others, she would absolutely not be able to explain things so clearly and with such ease.

It's one thing to know something yourself, but it's another to teach others.

He couldn't help but think more highly of Zhou Baoqing.

"Alright, that concludes today's formation review. Tomorrow is the quiz, and I hope everyone does well. Feel free to ask me anything you don't understand."

Lunch break was almost over, so Zhou Baoqing clapped his hands and ended the tutoring session.

"Thank you so much, Brother Bao!"

"Brother Bao is so generous!"

The classmates thanked them and went their separate ways.

Li Hou tidied up the notes on the table, feeling a mix of emotions.

At first, he was also skeptical. He had come to see what kind of trouble Zhou Baoqing was up to and to gather some information for Brother Gou.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Baoqing's teaching method was really effective; even his blockheaded mind grasped it immediately, and his thinking became clear.

This is a godsend for these academically challenged students!

I had just finished tidying up my desk when a dark shadow loomed overhead.

When Li Hou looked up, he saw Dog Brother's face, which was as black as an iron pot.

"You little rascal, Li Hou!"

Wang Qingzhi gritted his teeth, pointed at Li Hou's nose, and demanded, "So that's why I couldn't find you! You've been hanging out with that brat Zhou Baoqing?!"

The boy felt both resentful and aggrieved, staring at his friend, thinking, "I was here first!"

Li Hou was startled and cried out, "Brother Gou, I'm innocent! I was just infiltrating enemy territory to gather intelligence!"

Then, he added ingratiatingly, "But Brother Gou, Zhou Baoqing's teaching style is indeed excellent, so why don't you..."

"Shut up!" Wang Qingzhi snapped. "Can't I tutor you? Why do you have to listen to him?"

Upon hearing this, Li Hou rolled his eyes at Wang Qingzhi, as if to say, "You figure it out yourself."

Enraged, Wang Qingzhi punched him on the shoulder.

After the two of them playfully wrestled for a while, Wang Qingzhi's anger dissipated.

Although he felt a little uncomfortable, he was not such a petty person.

He brought up something else: "Stop the nonsense, let's get down to business. Our 'Wind Chasing Club' is having a football match against the 'Raging Waves Club' next month."

Cuju, or football, has been extremely popular among young people from ancient times to the present.

Wang Qingzhi's Cuju (ancient Chinese football) club had a conflict with the neighboring club over the field, and the two sides agreed to settle the score on the field.

Li Hou's face darkened. "Huh? Another match? Didn't we just play last time?" He'd almost been shut out!

What a disgrace! What a disgrace!

In contrast to Li Hou's lack of enthusiasm, Wang Qingzhi confidently declared, "This time I've found some formidable opponents! We'll see who's the best on the court. Are we afraid of them?"

Seeing Li Hou looking listless, he instructed, "After the quiz, you have to come for special training too!"

"Alright." Li Hou looked up at the sky speechlessly.

He'd rather study hard with Zhou Baoqing than get beaten up playing football!

…………

in the afternoon.

Talisman-making workshop.

Zhou Baoqing skipped his minor course and focused intently on drawing talismans at his desk.

After half a month of practice, he has become quite proficient in making basic talismans.

I pick up my brush, dip it in ink, and concentrate.

With practiced ease, he made ten "Dust-Cleansing Talismans" in a row before finally putting down his talisman brush with satisfaction.

Looking at the remaining talismans and Qingling ink on the table, he sighed inwardly.

I always feel like I'm missing out if I don't use "public funds" to practice; I have to use all the materials before I feel at ease.

Zhou Baoqing cleaned up the two discarded talisman papers. He succeeded eight out of ten times, a success rate that was extremely high among beginners.

However, they still had no clue about the Flame Talisman.

The fire elemental energy is too volatile and cannot stabilize the energy runes.

This thing is now like a flammable and explosive chemical substance; once the sparks ignite, it will explode on the paper, leaving a charred mess.

"To create offensive fire runes, traditional rune circuits are definitely not feasible. Perhaps we need to discover a new type of voltage-stabilized rune structure."

Essentially, the purification talisman also produces a gentle breeze by reacting chemically with external spiritual energy.

However, such reactions are very mild and easy to control.

Zhou Baoqing wasn't in a hurry.

Master Gan was a kind and generous man, and he did not rush the process.

With such a good environment and materials available for free to learn talismans, he naturally enjoyed it.

Research will eventually yield results.

He stuffed the ten Cleansing Talismans into his pocket and, as usual, took them home for his mother and grandmother to use.

As for tomorrow's quiz, the anxiety that once felt like the sky was falling is no longer a concern.

With his current knowledge base, getting a positive review is a piece of cake.

Zhou Baoqing stretched and looked up to find that his senior brother Chen Xuan, whom he rarely saw, was sitting upright at the desk, pretending to read a book.

Why do I say it's pretentious? Because my senior brother was holding his books upside down.

Although Senior Brother Chen often slacked off and left the difficult problems to him, he was still a good person. He would bring him snacks like "pine nut candy" and "spirit flower cake" when he came back from his outings.

He asked curiously, "Senior Brother Chen, why didn't you go out for a stroll today? Why are you here?"

Chen Xuan cracked open a melon seed and said, "Hmm? You didn't know there were spirit stones being distributed today? You didn't know you were still in the market?"

On second thought, this junior brother of mine isn't me, who would be eager to run around outside every day.

Like Senior Sister Liu, the other party was a study fanatic. Apart from the necessary major courses and cultivation, he spent every day in the talisman-making workshop reading books and drawing talismans, which was simply terrifying.

I have nothing in common with these book kings.

"Spirit Stone?"

Zhou Baoqing's eyes lit up instantly. Who wouldn't be happy to hear about getting paid?

However, after some calculation, I realized that I hadn't been at the talisman-making workshop for a full month, and according to the rules, I should only be able to get a few hundred spirit crystals.

Although it's not enough for a complete low-grade spirit stone, it's still a huge sum of money.

A short while later, Liu Yunzhi also came in, clearly waiting to receive spirit stones as well.

Before long, Master Gan entered with a smile.

"They're all here."

Master Gan walked to the main seat and sat down, taking out several small cloth bags from his sleeve.

"Yunzhi, these are yours, two of them."

Senior Sister Liu received two spirit stones.

"Chen Xuan, you've been slacking off again this month. If you don't hand in a few decent talismans next month, I'll deduct your pay."

Senior Brother Chen Xuan only had one, and he was currently frowning as he nodded in agreement.

After distributing the gifts to his senior brothers and sisters, Master Gan turned to Zhou Baoqing and handed him a small cloth bag.

Zhou Baoqing took it with both hands, thinking it would be very light, but he touched something hard.

He opened it and found a whole, crystal-clear, low-grade spirit stone inside!

"Master, I have been here for less than a month and do not deserve a whole spirit stone as payment," Zhou Baoqing said hastily.

Master Gan stroked his beard and smiled gently, "Take it. I've seen your diligence and comprehension over the past two weeks. Even some veterans might not be able to achieve the same success rate with the Cleansing Talisman."

This isn't a typical employment transaction; rather, it carries a hint of a master-apprentice relationship.

What's the big deal if a master gives his disciple some pocket money to encourage him to improve?

Zhou Baoqing was filled with gratitude and excitement, and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Master!"

He couldn't resist pouring the low-grade spirit stone into his palm and examining it closely.

The spirit stone is round and smooth, with a light green jade color throughout. It seems to have a cloud-like spiritual energy flowing slowly around it, and it feels warm to the touch.

He truly held a complete spirit stone in his hand.

The profound sense of fulfillment fills one's heart with joy.

This pleasant feeling lasted until school ended.

With his book box on his back, Zhou Baoqing walked briskly home, the gentle evening glow illuminating the sky. He had spirit stones and talismans tucked in his pockets. Humming an unknown tune, he made his way home.