Cultivation is Just That Scientific

“Father, it is already a great fortune to have obtained the second place in the examination. How could I dare to ask for more!” Li Shiming said with a smile to his father, Li Wenyuan.

He understood that with the exam papers from the autumn test, if there were no other factors involved, he would have had no problem securing the top position as the first place “Jieyuan” (Top Scholar).

From Li Wenyuan’s words, it was clear that because of his status as the son of the governor, the chief examiner had, in consideration of avoiding any suspicion, awarded him the second place, “Yayuan” (Second place scholar), instead of the first place, which should have been his.

“I’ve seen your answers. The first place is far below you!” Li Wenyuan shook his head and said.

Li Shiming was naturally aware of this. Not to mention the classics and commentaries, even the final strategy essay had been based on a former top scholar’s work.

Using a top scholar’s essay for the autumn test to suppress all the other candidates was completely normal.

“Originally, you participated in this autumn examination simply to gain more experience for the autumn examination three years later. I didn’t expect that at only fifteen years old, you would be leaving home for Zhongdu, and I am unable to accompany you from Nanling Prefecture!” Li Wenyuan continued with some concern.

This was also a fortunate dilemma—at fifteen, if he passed the spring examination and became a Jinshi (Doctorate), he would be considered a good omen for the dynasty. As a father, Li Wenyuan was both happy and worried about his son leaving home.

“Father, I’m not a child anymore!” Li Shiming quickly replied. He didn’t want his father’s concern to interfere with his plans to go to Zhongdu.

“I didn’t stop you from taking part in the spring examination. For your journey to Zhongdu, I’ll contact the navy’s official boats and also bring a team of guards. Take Siqin and Mo Yan with you. When you arrive in Zhongdu, stay at the old residence there. I’ll write a few letters for you to visit some of your uncles on my behalf!” Li Wenyuan spoke somewhat wordily, lacking the usual authority.

But Li Shiming could feel his father’s genuine affection for him. He had fused his memories and emotions with the original body’s, and to him, Li Wenyuan was his father in this world.

“By the way, this is tea that I personally roasted. It tastes quite good. Please drink it regularly, and I’ll have some back as well!” Li Shiming, sensing the awkward atmosphere, quickly changed the topic and pointed to the three tea jars he had brought with him, standing up to take his leave.

Li Wenyuan watched Li Shiming leave and shook his head slightly as he took one of the tea jars. He didn’t believe that Li Shiming could have made any good tea.

But this was his son’s gesture of goodwill. He took a little and brewed it.

A fragrant tea aroma spread out, reaching deep into his senses.

Li Wenyuan loved tea, and there was no way he couldn’t detect the quality of this tea.

He picked up the cup and took a sip. The taste was rich and slightly sweet, with a refreshing aftertaste. Yet, he could not quite identify what type of tea it was.

After swallowing the tea, a wave of warmth spread from his stomach throughout his body.

He felt a sense of relaxation that eased his long-sitting body, and his mind became clear.

“Eh?” Even if he didn’t know exactly what kind of tea this was, he could tell that it was not ordinary.

One cup of this clear tea made him feel as though his whole body had been soaked in warm water and then he had taken a long, restful nap. His body felt completely relaxed and full of energy.

He hurriedly placed the other two jars, along with the opened one, carefully into the cabinet and locked it.

“This child, he doesn’t explain things clearly!” He muttered with a smile, somewhat complaining.

Li Shiming had been without a mother since he was young. It was Li Wenyuan alone who had raised him. Seeing that his son now had such fine things and was still thinking of him made Li Wenyuan very happy.

Li Shiming returned to his courtyard, his thoughts turning to his upcoming trip to Zhongdu.

The day of departure wouldn’t be far off, and he needed to consider his own safety after leaving the protection of Li Wenyuan.

In Nanling Prefecture, his identity was a natural form of protection, but once he left, even with guards, he wouldn’t feel completely safe.

He had already encountered some terrifying beings in the short time he had been in this world—Chief Wang, who he had met before, the time when he used nitroglycerin to kill Xi Ming, and the two immortal beings whose whereabouts were unknown.

Of course, now he had gained some means to deal with people like Chief Wang.

But what if he encountered immortals again? How could he face them?

Although the probability of meeting immortals was low, based on his past encounters with them, he didn’t feel that the chances were small.

With that thought, he took out the long sword artifact he had obtained from Xi Ming.

When he first got the sword, his spiritual qi had been too weak to study the cultivation tools in detail.

Now, he carefully observed the sword. The material of the sword appeared to be iron, but when he analyzed it with his senses and gently tapped it, he transmitted the sensory data to the large server (IBMz15) and analyzed its structure. He discovered that the iron had a completely different internal structure from regular iron.

Due to his limited knowledge of cultivation, he could only analyze up to this point and couldn’t make an accurate judgment with the server’s assistance.

He then tried to use the long sword artifact to cut a stone. The sword left a deep cut about ten centimeters long in the stone.

He didn’t use much force, which demonstrated just how terrifying the sword’s sharpness was.

In any place, just long sword artifact could be considered a divine weapon in the mortal world.

He tried channeling a bit of spiritual qi into the sword. Immediately, the sword emitted a glow, and it felt as though the sword had come alive, exuding an indescribable aura.

Li Shiming once again used the glowing sword to cut the stone. This time, with similar force, he easily cleaved the stone in half, without even feeling any resistance from the stone.

He stared in shock at the two halves of the stone. If it had been a person, even if that person wore armor, the result would have been the same.

He put the sword away, deciding to make a scabbard for it to carry with him. This was a deadly weapon.

Although he was only at the second layer of Qi Refining and had not studied any sword techniques, with his physical reactions, strength, and speed, carrying this long sword artifact would allow him to ambush and kill any strong opponent.

He then thought about defense. Taking out the white robe he had also obtained, he noticed it had a similar spiritual qi fluctuation to the sword, suggesting it was also a cultivation item.

Based on his previous experience, he channeled some spiritual qi into the white robe. A faint white light began to glow on the robe.

Not daring to test it with the sword, he instead used a pair of scissors to cut and stab at the white robe. He found that the robe blocked all the cuts and stabs.

He speculated that the white robe might be a defensive cultivation item. Of course, without direct experience in the cultivation world, all his tests were based on worldly knowledge.

While the accuracy of this judgment could not be guaranteed, at least he could use these two cultivation items effectively.

With a little decoration, the white robe could be worn as a scholar’s robe, and with the long sword hanging at his waist, it would make for a classic scholarly look.