Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 9 Background
When Xu Xuan followed Professor Gu into Chongqi Academy, he realized why it was built in the mountains.

Because elegance and luxury are both subtly integrated.

Lofty mountains and towering peaks, lush forests and tall bamboos, and clear, rushing streams that flow around it—this is the place Wang Xizhi loved.

Mossy steps are green, and verdant grass filters through the curtains. Learned scholars converse and laugh, while no uncultured person comes and goes. One can play a simple zither and peruse Buddhist scriptures. There is no noise of stringed instruments to disturb the ears, nor the toil of official documents to weary the body. The sentiments expressed by Liu Yuxi through objects are also found here.

There are three enormous lecture halls, the dining hall alone is larger than the previous Jintian Academy, and there is also a flat outdoor practice area for playing the piano.
As for the pavilions and connecting corridors, needless to say, although they lack carved beams and painted pillars, they are scattered among the mountain shapes, giving a sense of harmony between man and nature.

So this is what a prestigious academy is all about.

Xu Xuan had never seen such a beautiful academy in either his previous or subsequent lives.

The beauty of the architecture is truly breathtaking, silently witnessing the changes of history and the inheritance of culture.

However, the amount of money required to build this place must have been enormous; the entire academy was originally a top-tier luxury item.

Professor Gu seemed to have noticed something, so he spoke calmly.

"The students here are all from prominent families, many of whom donated to build the school."

"It is not surprising that an academy was built up over hundreds of years."

"Moreover, such external things are not worth mentioning compared to the true value of the academy."

He then showed Xu Xuan the academy's rich history.

"Professor Sheng Yuanfu of the Mingfa Department, formerly the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, is now a professor of the Mingfa Department."

The old man, with a cold and stern expression and never smiling, glanced at the two of them, his hawk-like eyes seeming to see right through them.

After exchanging apologies, they took out a case file to look at.

"Professor Liu Zhongying of the Ming Dynasty's calligraphy department came from a family with a strong scholarly tradition. His regular script is characterized by its tight structure, sharp and distinct strokes, and decisive and powerful style. One of his inscriptions made paper in Jiangnan so expensive."

Professor Liu remained silent, continuing to wield his brush and ink, completely absorbed in his work. The room was already filled with countless calligraphy scrolls, all bearing the inscription "Chongqi Academy."

It seems to be an invisible competition with the inscription on the mountain gate.

"Professor Qin Jiushao of the Ming Suan Department, formerly the Vice Minister of Agriculture, authored 'Mathematical Treatise in Nine Sections' and created the 'Great Expansion Method for Finding One' and the 'Three Oblique Method for Finding Areas'. In the field of mathematical calculation, no one in the world can surpass him."

Professor Qin opened his eyes slightly, muttered to himself, and the counting rods in his hand seemed to dance in the wind.

The power of mathematics remains awe-inspiring even across time and space.

"Professor Kuang, a master of rites and music, was skilled in musical instruments, knowledgeable in etiquette, and wrote the 'Precious Talisman' in one hundred volumes."

Professor Shi, wearing a white tank top, was engrossed in playing the piano. The melodious music, like the gentle murmur of a spring, was captivating.

It is precisely this elegant and refined spirit of the Wei and Jin dynasties that Xu Xuan could never match.

"The professor of the Department of History, Taishi Mao, whose ancestors held the official title of Taishi, adopted this name as their surname."

Gu Wei lowered his voice considerably when introducing this person, indicating that this was the most formidable individual.

Compared to pavilions and towers, these people are the foundation of the academy.

If you trace it back a bit, it's like having acquaintances from almost half of the imperial court. The teaching staff is truly terrifying; no wonder those scions of noble families all wanted to become acting instructors.

If you can pull some strings, a meteoric rise to success is not an exaggeration.

"If you can pass the final test, you can enter Chongqi Academy as a teacher as a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), which will be a first in the history of the academy."

Xu Xuan was prepared for this.

After seeing the level of the professors and instructors at the academy, he began to doubt why he was qualified to enter.

There are quite a few scholars among the students of Chongqi Academy, yet they have to find substitute teachers from outside. There must be something wrong with that.

Professor Gu stopped proudly when he reached the library, intending to broaden the young people's horizons and show them what true depth and substance were. This was also at the behest of the academician's wife; every professor who joined the academy was required to visit the library upon arrival.

"The number of books in this library is unparalleled in Jiangnan. Even the Jintian Academy by West Lake cannot compare to it. Only Bailu Academy surpasses it."

When the topic turned to the Jintian Academy, he gave the young scholar a strange look.

Xu Xuan was initially confused, but then it dawned on him.

Jintian Academy is just piggybacking on this academy's popularity. Master Li, you're truly remarkable.

"Ahem, the library also contains many original works by famous people, as well as rubbings of inscriptions."

"It is said that there are also rubbings of the sage's true words among them, but even I have not found them."

With a soft sound, the two wooden doors slowly opened.

As the gate opened, it was as if endless streams of air surged out, and the vast expanse of pure energy filled the world before us, embodying utmost yang, strength, greatness, and righteousness.

It is like endless waves cascading down from an unknown land, encompassing mountains, rivers, the sun, the moon, and the stars.

On the battlefield in the wilderness, a robust old man, ten feet tall and nine feet in circumference, sitting like a crouching dragon, standing like a bull, approaching like a phoenix, and looking like a fighting spirit, stood in the chariot, holding a bamboo scroll and speaking to his disciples beside him.

At fifteen, I set my heart on learning; at thirty, I stood firm; at forty, I had no more doubts; at fifty, I knew the will of Heaven; at sixty, my ear was attuned to the truth; at seventy, I could follow my heart's desire without transgressing the rules.

Deep within the palace, a young scholar said to the king, “They have deprived their people of their time to cultivate the land and support their parents. Parents are freezing and starving, brothers and wives are separated from their children. They have plunged their people into misery. If Your Majesty goes to punish them, who can stand against Your Majesty? Therefore it is said, ‘The benevolent are invincible.’ Your Majesty, please do not doubt!”

Inside the academy, the middle-aged scholar faced numerous dissenters without fear, and calmly stated: "Human nature is evil; what is good is feigned."

Scenes of history unfold before my eyes.

Finally, an old man riding an ox appeared faintly, with purple clouds stretching thirty thousand miles eastward behind him. And a butterfly, seemingly real yet unreal, flew past the giant fish.

A faint white light emanates from the depths of the soul, seemingly colliding with and absorbing the sparks of countless thoughts.

Time passed for an unknown period of time before it began to flow again.

"The library's collection is mainly Confucian, but also includes fragments of other works from various schools of thought."

"If you see these books after you get the job, you won't be able to leave even if you want to."

Professor Gu's voice echoed in Xu Xuan's ears again, and everything before his eyes disappeared, as if it had all been an illusion.

"Scared?"

"No, I feel as if I can see the ancestors of Confucianism and other schools of thought rising and falling in history, and I feel something in my heart."

Professor Gu chuckled.

"Hehe, young man, I said the same thing when I was studying here. After I came back to teach, I found that nearly 70% of the people here said the same thing."

Although he was a professor specializing in a major subject, he was also the most tolerant of young people.

That's why I take on trivial tasks like recruiting substitute tutors.

Professor Gu enjoys seeing new and younger generations appear, especially when they talk about random things, which makes him feel a sense of how wonderful it is to be young.

But he didn't realize that Xu Xuan's vision was different from theirs.

This trial is designed for those with extraordinary spiritual awareness, or for practitioners. No one, whether human, god, demon, or ghost, can hide from those with evil intentions.

Those whose cultivation is insufficient will be killed by the righteous energy brewing in the library, after all, Confucianism is the most domineering.

"Go this way, I won't be the examiner for the final test."

(End of this chapter)