In the early morning, the sun rose from the east.
A Cheng slowly awoke from his meditation, rubbed his hands together until they were warm, and then pressed them against his face. The warmth from his palms made his cheeks, which had been exposed to the cold night air, feel comfortably soft. He slowly opened his eyes, continuously massaging his body with his hands. After sitting in meditation for so long, he still needed to pay attention to the circulation of his blood and qi. Only when his entire body had warmed up did he slowly uncross his legs and stand up from the meditation cushion.
At this moment, his glabella felt a slight warmth, and a white-patterned Epiphyllum Seal appeared. A Cheng closed his eyes, concentrating his thoughts in his mind, and immediately a robust middle-aged man appeared before him. It was a message left for him by His dad.
"You go make breakfast first, then bring a pot of water to the fields and leave it on the ridge. Don't forget to go to class. Your master told me that you've been making great progress lately. Don't get arrogant, do you hear me…?"
His dad was rambling, and A Cheng listened silently, not replying to the message, and then exited the Pure Land.
People are born with the ability to perceive the Pure Land; this is a gift from the Bodhisattva. Through the Pure Land, familiar people can exchange messages. Other than that, there's nothing particularly special about it. It is said that a long time ago, when heaven and earth first opened, people could have deep connections through the Pure Land, not only transmitting messages but also wills and cultivation. Everyone shared blessings and difficulties. However, that is merely a legend.
A Cheng went to prepare breakfast, cooking a pot of white porridge, then taking a few salted bamboo shoots from the pickle jar, washing off the surface salt, dicing them, and mixing them with sesame oil as a side dish.
While sitting behind the stove watching the fire, A Cheng didn't waste the time. Using the bright red glow of the firewood, he took out a classic text to read.
There are fourteen sects in the martial arts world, and they have established fourteen academies. These are not only on Virtuous Path Star but also on Evil Path Star, and in various places. Ordinary people can choose different academies to practice martial arts, learning up to seventh-tier techniques. To further their studies, they would have to join a sect.
A Cheng chose the academy of the Immeasurable Vajra Sect. He greatly admired the sect's founder, the man named Li Dingxun.
It is said that he was the greatest master of Vajra-type martial arts, with millions of Vajra brutes in the world, none could surpass him. He was truly a fierce man who could stand on a horse on his fist and break large stones with His chest.
A Cheng hoped he could also become a fierce man.
Unfortunately, he was the thinnest person in the academy.
So, he told others that he wanted to be a scholarly person, not a muscular Bald Donkey.
Therefore, his dean—a muscular Bald Donkey, in his words—had a lot of opinions about him.
A Cheng was punished with memorization for his disrespectful remarks.
"Big rat, big rat… Oh no, it's burnt!" A Cheng smelled a faint burnt odor and quickly lifted the pot lid. A good pot of porridge, full of white rice, the water hadn't completely dried up, but the bottom was already a bit scorched. A Cheng constantly stirred with a spoon, while still holding the Book of Songs and reciting furiously.
For now, young A Cheng's dream was to become a fierce man, the kind who could memorize anything at a glance.
…
The academy's cafeteria always offered abundant meals, and A Cheng was happy to eat there. At home, it was just him and His dad, who was engrossed in farming, and neither of them had exceptional cooking skills.
A-Zhi also ate with him; his build was much larger than A Cheng's, and his appetite was even greater.
"A Cheng, how is your meditation practice going these days?"
"Swallow your food before you speak, okay?" A Cheng wiped the rice grains from his face. A-Zhi's front tooth had been knocked out, and until the doctor fitted him with a false tooth, his speech was airy, and he spilled rice when he ate.
"I forgot."
A Cheng ate unhurriedly. His dad was very particular about table manners. At home, he couldn't even speak during meals, though there wasn't much for the father and son to talk about anyway.
A Cheng liked to chat in the cafeteria; His dad liked to chat in the Pure Land. Everyone has their talkative moments.
The academy's curriculum, besides teaching poetry, literature, and martial arts, also had other distinctive features.
Vajra Sect Academy and Shaolin Academy taught Buddhism.
Ran Mountain Academy taught numerology and miscellaneous studies.
Sword Forging Academy taught blacksmithing.
Xuan Nv Academy taught music.
Hundred Flowers Academy taught medicine.
Five Immortals Academy taught toxicology.
Empty Mulberry Academy taught toxicology and medicine.
Fulong Altar Academy taught culinary arts.
Wudang taught Taoist magic.
Yuanshan taught Taoist magic and Buddhism.
Emei also taught Taoist magic and Buddhism.
Jie Qing Academy taught numerology.
Lion Appearance Academy was quite impressive; these brutes had little culture, so they made up for it with various acrobatics, such as lion dances, dragon dances, breaking large stones with their chest…
Oh, and Li Dingxun, the founder of the Vajra Sect, was from the Lion Appearance Sect, so breaking large stones with His chest might be a traditional performance.
Each sect had its own style, and this style undoubtedly extended to their respective academies.
Initially, A Cheng was very fond of the Lion Appearance Academy, but he was afraid of becoming a folk artist, so he decided to lean towards the Bald Donkey side.
Contemporary Buddhism is still primarily based on the Heart Chan originated by the Bodhisattva, with various branches and schools of thought, but they all complement Heart Chan, and different paths all lead to the same goal.
A-Zhi scratched his head, "A Cheng, I can't enter meditation lately. Why is that?"
"You should ask the master, not me."
"But the master told me to ask you."
"That's because you're too stupid, and the master is too lazy to teach you."
"What?!" A-Zhi was shocked.
A Cheng glimpsed a group of monks in robes entering the cafeteria. Each of them walked with steady steps, their temples bulging high, indicating they were skilled practitioners in the martial arts world.
"It's Senior Brother Sangji," A-Zhi said with a look of admiration. The Sangji he referred to was the leader of this group of monks. These robed individuals were disciples chosen by the main sect, and their status was much higher than those in the academies.
"No need to envy them; you can go to the main sect too in the future."
"Every year, people go to the main sect, but there's only one Senior Brother Sangji." A-Zhi truly admired Sangji.
He was enthusiastic, skilled in martial arts, popular, and had found a new master in the main sect, reportedly of high status. Among the students of these recent batches, Sangji was the most outstanding.
He had only walked a few steps in the cafeteria before countless junior students greeted him.
If it weren't for the fact that the Vajra Sect Academy only accepted male disciples, Senior Brother Sangji would probably be surrounded by junior female students every day.
The Vajra Sect's techniques indeed provided a boost to men but were not as friendly to women.
A Cheng stared at the large piece of roasted meat on his plate, thinking that this was his future life—looking around, all he saw were shiny, muscular men.
Even someone as formidable as Senior Brother Sangji could only stay among men. Let alone him, a little rookie; he wouldn't even get a chance to be a hero saving a beauty when he roamed the martial arts world in the future.
For now, young A Cheng's dream was to become strong and then save a beauty as a hero.
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