The attack on the sect's ship sparked a decade-long war between the kingdom and the sect, which will be noted in the history of surrounding kingdoms.
Ryan, still in the village, has no idea that the people he was with moments ago were attacked after leaving and barely escaped with their lives.
Ryan gave the brocade box to his grandfather for safekeeping and then headed to the school situated at the village chief's house.
The school was a two-story structure built from red bricks made in the village. The exterior was painted white, while the interior remained unpainted.
The top floor functioned as the headmaster's office and living quarters, while the ground floor housed classrooms where children aged 5 and above learned to read, write, and study the surrounding kingdoms and their history.
When Ryan entered the school, the teacher who was teaching the children to read greeted him and asked why he had come.
Ryan told her that the village chief had instructed him to go to school and start studying today.
The teacher quickly recalled the principal's earlier instructions about a new student starting today and to send him to the office upon arrival.
The teacher then asked Ryan to go upstairs and meet the principal, pointing to the staircase that led the way.
Ryan followed her instructions and went upstairs, where he found a young man seated behind a table, engrossed in a book.
"Sir, the village chief instructed me to come and register at the school today," Ryan said hesitantly.
The young man lifted his head from the book and saw Ryan standing at the door after knocking.
"Oh, you're the new student joining our school. Come in and provide your details so I can register and file them for future use," the young man said, welcoming Ryan.
Ryan hesitated as he entered the room, but after seeing the young man, he took the seat he was directed to.
Ryan introduced himself, and the young man quickly jotted it down on a sheet, filing it away to keep a record of his information. Noticing the doubt on Ryan's face, the young man encouraged him to speak freely without hesitation.
"Sir, you look like the village chief. Do you know him personally?" Ryan asked.
"Oh, he's my father. I studied in the nearby town and lost my legs in an accident while traveling the outside world, so my father built this school and handed over its operation duties to me," the young principal replies, showing his empty pants where his legs used to be.
"I don't want to spend my days in depression either, so I decided to educate the villagers by working here as a teacher," he explained.
"Alright, take this paper and give it to the teacher. It's your acceptance letter for joining the school. She'll teach you how to read and write properly," he said, handing the paper to Ryan.
Ryan picked up the paper and saw a few words written on it, with the rest divided into boxes for the teacher to tick off as the attendance sheet.
Ryan expressed his gratitude to the young principal and exited the room, gently closing the door behind him.
Then, Ryan went down to the ground floor and gave the paper to the teacher who was instructing the young children.
She took the paper, carefully checked the details, and placed it in a book for future reference.
Then, she grabbed a few empty books from the shelf, picked up a charcoal pencil from the desk, and handed them to Ryan for writing practice.
"Go and sit in the back where you can see the blackboard. I'll start the lesson, and you can note down the letters and practice them afterward."
Every month, there will be a test to assess your learning progress, and at the end of each year, there will be a final exam to determine if you will graduate from the school."
"You're in luck," the teacher reminded Ryan, "because new students will be joining the school during this period, and you can start without missing any lessons or falling behind."
Ryan carefully followed the instructions and walked to the back, where he joined the other students, sitting cross-legged on the floor.
The teacher noticed Ryan was well-behaved and polite, so she decided to give him some extra attention to help him catch up on the few classes he had missed.
Ryan watched from the floor as the teacher went up to the stage and started the lesson from the beginning, specifically for him.
The other students were noisy at first, but when she mentioned a proficiency test, they quickly settled down.
Ryan laughed at the student's antics and thought that exams are the ultimate enemy of students in any world.
He then began listening to the class, jotting down the words the teacher had written, and memorizing them at the same time.
Soon, a month passed by. Ryan attends classes in the morning and helps his grandfather in the evening by carrying water from the pond to the field, ensuring it is wet enough for ploughing in the next session.
He spent the entire month memorizing the words and catching up with the students' classes, then attended the exam with them the previous day.
Today was the day the results would be announced, and Ryan was confident he could score 100 out of 100, thanks to his perfect photographic memory.
When Ryan was tested with high comprehension, he didn't understand the meaning. Now he knew the photogenic memory is just the part of the ability.
Now, he will gradually learn how to form words and numbers throughout the year.
Next year, he'll attend classes taught by the principal, who will cover history, world geography and share his adventurous travel stories.
He spent the entire month trying different ways to open the brocade box, but nothing worked. Today, he'll give it one last try; if it doesn't work, he'll set it aside and revisit it after he starts his cultivation.
After his morning classes, Ryan went to the farm, helped his grandfather, and then returned to his own house. He decided to take a bath to relieve his tiredness.
He then sat cross-legged and started meditating, believing that meditation would help alleviate his fatigue, refresh his mind, and improve his overall health.