Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

"Time for school, Ming-gege~ Time for school~~~!"

Early in the morning, just as dawn broke, Xu Ming had just finished breakfast when he saw Qin Qingwan bouncing in like a little white rabbit.

She had an empty little bookcase strapped to her back, and Lady Qin's personal maid, Cai Die, followed closely behind.

"Alright, let's go," Xu Ming said as he hopped off his chair, also carrying a small bookcase on his back.

After saying their goodbyes to Xu Ming's mother, Qin Qingwan grabbed Xu Ming's hand and happily skipped along as they made their way to Zhixing Academy.

The academy wasn't far—just one street away from the Xu and Qin manors.

When they arrived, Qin Qingwan saw several children about her age, and Xu Ming spotted his half-brother, Xu Pangda.

Xu Pangda was still a chubby little boy, his young age already belied by a stout figure.

What puzzled Xu Ming was that Xu Pangda had come alone, with no maids or servants accompanying him. He carried a small bookcase on his back, looking rather lonely.

Xu Ming and Qin Qingwan entered the classroom.

Inside, the desks were arranged in pairs, much like the classrooms on Blue Star.

"Ming-gege, here, here~~~!"

Qin Qingwan pulled Xu Ming to sit in the last row, her bright eyes sparkling as she surveyed everyone in front of her.

Xu Pangda entered as well, glancing left and right, unsure where to sit.

It seemed he didn't know anyone.

But soon, he noticed Xu Ming and Qin Qingwan in the back row and walked over, taking the seat to Xu Ming's right.

More and more children began to enter the classroom.

These children were dressed in fine clothes, and some carried an air of arrogance even at such a young age, like little lords.

It was only natural—after all, they were all born with silver spoons in their mouths.

However, many others sat obediently in their seats, some shyly glancing around with curiosity.

There were even a few lively children who had already begun making friends.

The entire classroom buzzed with energy, resembling a lively kindergarten.

But before long, the lively atmosphere abruptly quieted, like a turbulent sea suddenly freezing over.

A man who looked to be around 27 or 28 years old walked into the classroom.

He wore a Confucian-style blue robe, his face adorned with a gentle, refined smile.

"Greetings, little ones," the man said, bowing slightly to the children.

"From today onward, I will be your teacher. My name is Xiao Mochi."

"This is my name."

Xiao Mochi pulled out a scroll from his sleeve. As he unfurled it, the snowy white fabric stretched across the wall behind him.

Then, from within his sleeve, he retrieved a ruler. When the ruler glided across the white fabric, text began to appear.

It was like a magical, cultivation-world version of a blackboard and chalk.

"These are your books. Take good care of them," Xiao Mochi said with a wave of his hand.

One by one, books floated out from his sleeve, gently landing on each student's desk.

Xu Ming looked at Xiao Mochi's sleeve, marveling for the first time at a cultivation-world equivalent of a storage ring—or perhaps it was the mystical technique known as Sleeve Universe.

The books were six in total: The Analects, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Great Learning, The Book of Songs, The Book of Documents, and The Book of Rites.

Compared to the Four Books and Five Classics of Blue Star, these lacked Mencius, The Book of Changes, and The Spring and Autumn Annals.

Xu Ming opened The Analects and The Book of Songs to take a look. Many of the contents were strikingly similar, giving him an unexpected sense of familiarity.

It was like tasting your hometown's fried noodles in a foreign land.

As he nostalgically flipped through the books, a string of unfamiliar characters appeared in his mind.

[You read 100 words of The Analects, +2 Righteous Qi.]

[You read 100 words of The Book of Songs, +1 Righteous Qi, +1 Literary Qi.]

Xu Ming paused for a moment and opened another book, reading 100 words from each.

[You read 100 words of The Doctrine of the Mean, +2 Righteous Qi.]

[You read 100 words of The Book of Rites, +1 Righteous Qi, +1 Charisma.]

[You read...]

Every book Xu Ming read granted him two attribute points. Some solely increased Righteous Qi, while others added bonuses like Literary Qi or Charisma in addition to Righteous Qi.

"Everyone, please take out The Analects—this book here. We will now begin our lesson. First, let us read the first page together:

The Master said: 'To learn and practice what is learned regularly, is this not a joy? To have friends come from afar, is this not a pleasure? To remain unperturbed when others do not understand you, is this not the mark of a gentleman?'"

Xiao Mo-Chi's voice was like a gentle spring breeze, calming the young children, who followed along in unison:

"The Master said: 'To learn and practice what is learned regularly, is this not a joy? To have friends come from afar, is this not a pleasure? To remain unperturbed when others do not understand you, is this not the mark of a gentleman?'"

"First, let's understand these words. 'The Master said' means 'Confucius said.' As for Confucius..."

Patiently, Xiao Mo-Chi explained The Analects to the group of five-to-seven-year-olds.

To be honest, Xu Ming didn't think kids this young could truly comprehend much of it. At best, they might catch a vague sense of the meaning. But then again, this was ancient times—there wasn't a well-structured educational system like the Blue Ocean Star's.

[You listened to Xiao Mo-Chi's lecture for 10 minutes, +5 Righteous Qi.]

[You listened to Xiao Mo-Chi's lecture for 10 minutes, +5 Righteous Qi.]

Every ten minutes, five points of Righteous Qi flowed in.

By the end of the morning, with three thirty-minute sessions and a ten-minute break in between, along with the Righteous Qi gained from reading, Xu Ming had accumulated nearly 100 points. Yet, he didn't feel any significant changes in his body.

"That concludes today's lesson. You've all worked hard. Please review on your own when you return home, and I trust you'll gain a deeper understanding," Xiao Mo-Chi said.

As the teacher announced the end of class, the classroom erupted with excitement. One by one, the children grabbed their books and dashed outside, eager to relieve their brains, which had been abused by knowledge.

"Let's go, class is over."

Xu Ming nudged Qin Qingwan on the shoulder.

She had been asleep for half an hour.

Xiao Mo-Chi was quite tolerant—he wouldn't even scold students for sleeping in class.

"Mmm…"

Qin Qingwan rubbed her eyes, put her book back into her small bookcase, and clung to Xu Ming's arm, following him out.

Caidie, seeing her young mistress sticking so closely to Xu Ming, felt her heart melt a little.

"Ming-gege~~~ School isn't fun~~~" Qin Qingwan hugged Xu Ming's arm and rested her chin on his shoulder, half-asleep as she spoke.

"School isn't exactly fun," Xu Ming replied, wanting to pat Qin Qingwan's head but hesitating because Caidie was present. "Qingwan, do you dislike school?"

Qin Qingwan pouted as she leaned on his shoulder. "I don't like it. Does Ming-gege like school?"

Xu Ming thought for a moment. "I guess I do."

Qin Qingwan said, "Then Qingwan will like school too."

Xu Ming smiled. "Didn't you just say you didn't like it?"

The girl's eyes sparkled like ripples in the Luo River. "I didn't like it before, but if Ming-gege likes it, then I'll try to like it too~"