Chapter 34: The Six Arts of a Gentleman
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So that was how it was.
Seeing that Qin Xi seemed to understand, Bu Weiwei continued, “By contrast, the sects within Great Chu are equally difficult to learn about in Great Qi... Of course, that excludes sects that span both nations, such as the Joyful Union Sect.”
However, after saying this, Bu Weiwei secretly glanced at A Ling and noticed that she seemed rather at a loss over the subject.
How strange.
Qin Xi naturally noticed it as well, so he said, “Enough, enough. Perhaps she came to Great Qi against her will. What if she’s actually the Emperor of Great Chu traveling incognito?”
“???”
Bu Weiwei looked Qin Xi up and down for a while. “How did you even come up with that?”
“Isn’t it terrifying when you think about it? She and the Emperor of Great Chu have never appeared together.”
“...”
“Never mind, never mind. Let’s put geography aside for now. What exactly is this Three Thousand Worlds Book?”
On one hand, Qin Xi wanted to change the subject so that A Ling would not feel embarrassed. On the other, he was genuinely curious about this wondrous object. It looked incredibly high-level.
“It is the treasure that protects the Great Thousand Sect, and one of the reasons the sect is called the Great Thousand Sect in the first place...” The moment Bu Weiwei began speaking about it, she became thoroughly excited, like a storyteller performing at a stage in the capital.
“It is said that the Three Thousand Worlds Book can give rise to one, one to two, two to three, and three to all things. It possesses no inherent nature of its own, yet it can derive every possible nature! The most common use within the Great Thousand Sect is to assign one page of the Three Thousand Worlds Book to each disciple. That page can then, according to the nature of the disciple’s spiritual root, derive a cultivation method and a set of spells best suited to that person!”
In other words... it was basically capable of creating cultivation methods and spells from scratch?
Qin Xi’s eyes widened. This was truly a marvelous treasure. In the immortal-hero novels he had once read, spells created personally by the protagonist were generally outrageously powerful.
For example, combining two balls of fire into a nuclear bomb.
“Where did you hear all this?”
“From storytellers, of course!”
“And what they say... is reliable?”
Qin Xi had no way to verify it now. In any case, the object had been given to them by the Great Thousand Sect, so it ought to be of some use.
Still, this one was marked “Subsidiary Volume”... What difference was there between a Subsidiary Volume and the original?
Qin Xi had no idea. He simply sat down cross-legged and carefully examined the profound script upon the scroll.
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Can it derive a set of spells suited to my cultivation...?
He drew a deep breath. As a Confucian cultivator, he ought to choose a set of Confucian spells.
At that moment, a voice sounded in his mind.
“Hey, hey, can you hear me?”
“...What are you doing?”
“I’m helping you choose a spell! Otherwise, as a mere Energy Refining cultivator, how would you know which spells are powerful and which are trash? My host has to be perfect in every respect before he is worthy of hosting me!”
Jiang Baiqiu’s voice echoed through Qin Xi’s mind, impossible to dispel.
“Choose a spell? Isn’t this thing supposed to derive one automatically?” Qin Xi asked.
“If this were the true divine artifact, it certainly would derive one automatically. But you aren’t even an outer disciple. How could they possibly let you use the real thing? This is only a copy!”
After pondering it carefully for a moment, Jiang Baiqiu muttered, “The principle is actually as simple as it can be. It merely selects a suitable low-level spell from the Great Thousand Sect’s library according to the nature of your spiritual root and your method of cultivation.”
“Ah... So that’s how it is.”
That did make sense. The reward for the first trial had been a method for drawing spiritual energy into the body. It was probably a consolation prize for those who had passed the first trial without successfully joining the Great Thousand Sect—rather like a televised game show that refused to let you leave empty-handed.
The reward for the second trial probably would not be much rarer than the first. After all, he was not yet a disciple.
“If you choose a low-level spell that becomes completely useless once you reach a higher realm, it will be nothing more than trash occupying space in your spiritual consciousness... You absolutely must not choose that kind of spell.”
Qin Xi understood. It was like occupying a skill slot without getting anything in return.
“But you just said this thing can only give me a low-level spell. Wouldn’t that mean any choice is equally good?”
“Not at all. Have you ever heard of spells that grow stronger as their users advance?”
Qin Xi’s spirits rose at once. Wasn’t this exactly the sort of growth-type cultivation method or spell that novel protagonists loved most?
Something like the “X Seal Art” or the “Great Wilderness Imprisoning X Finger”...
“Although these spells begin at a low level, once their users grow stronger, they can unlock potential far beyond their original rank!” Jiang Baiqiu explained.
“So I need to choose a promising investment?”
“Exactly!” Jiang Baiqiu confidently patted her chest. “And do you know which spell is easiest to begin learning yet hardest to master among Confucian cultivators?”
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“Ah... Which one?”
“Why, the Six Arts of the Gentleman, of course!” Jiang Baiqiu looked at him as though he were some bumpkin. “They are the most fundamental skills a Confucian cultivator must master, and also the most important! No Confucian cultivator would casually give up practicing the Six Arts of the Gentleman. That is why I believe they are the most suitable choice for your current situation!”
After hearing this, Qin Xi nodded. It seemed that the Six Arts of the Gentleman were the equivalent of a Confucian cultivator’s basic attack—something one had to learn no matter what. He might as well learn them now and build a solid foundation. After all, even if he learned other low-level spells, they would not be of much use.
“Very well. I’ll help you find the Six Arts of the Gentleman!”
With that, Jiang Baiqiu rose from where she had been sitting nearby and took a seat beside Qin Xi. She then placed her hand upon the scroll in his hands.
The words “Three Thousand Worlds Book: Subsidiary Volume” on the scroll transformed into a streak of golden light and shot straight into the center of Qin Xi’s brow.
Before Qin Xi’s eyes appeared what seemed to be six ancient bamboo scrolls. Upon each scroll was a single large, vivid, shining character.
So these must be the fabled Six Arts of the Gentleman.
Yet when he looked at them, he felt something strange. Somehow, something seemed off.
“Six bamboo scrolls have appeared before your eyes, haven’t they? And there’s a large character above each one?” Jiang Baiqiu asked.
“That’s true enough...” Qin Xi answered, lacking confidence.
“See? This is how one learns the Six Arts of the Gentleman... But trying to chew more than you can digest will only leave you choking. You’ve only just entered the Energy Refining stage, so there’s no way you can master all six arts. I suggest choosing just one scroll.”
“Then begin with the Art of Ritual.”
Jiang Baiqiu temporarily became Qin Xi’s young teacher. “Ritual is the means by which one actively awakens the righteous energy within the body. Otherwise, right now you can only use your righteous energy instinctively when attacked... Once you learn Ritual, you’ll be able to take the initiative when facing demons, monsters, ghosts, and spirits!”
“However, the method of learning it is rather complicated. Watch carefully while I teach you step by step...”
Qin Xi stared at her blankly. “What ritual?”
“Huh? Aren’t the Six Arts of the Gentleman Ritual, Music, Archery, Charioteering, Calligraphy, and Mathematics? I mean Ritual—the first of the six.”
Jiang Baiqiu froze. Could it be that the Six Arts of the Gentleman had changed during the years she had been sealed within the treasure hall?
“Not at all... What appeared in my mind was something like ‘Canon, Filial Piety, Urgency, Music, Tension, and Victory’!”
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