This morning, Chen Xu followed Wu Zhengze to the County School to register his name. During the time, he also inquired with Wu Zhengze about Confucian cultivation. Wu Zhengze had been a Scholar since the third year of Yonghui and, for some unknown reason, never proceeded to take the Advanced Scholar exam. Instead, he came to Jichuan County early last year to become an eighth-grade County School Instructor. Wu Zhengze had a serious and aloof temperament, often not casually engaging in close exchanges with students. But when questioned by Chen Xu, he did not refuse. Wu Zhengze pondered slightly for a moment and said, "Scholars cultivate largely relying on literary fame and literary fortune. The greater the fame, the faster the Qi cultivation; the stronger the literary fortune, the stronger the battle capability. However, most scholars actually have no chance to fight. Ordinary monsters and ghosts, upon seeing us with honors, naturally avoid us and won’t provoke us. As for disturbances by monsters or ghosts among civilians, it’s the Three Great Daoist Palaces and the Prison Control Department’s duty to handle them. Although Jichuan County does not have a local Prison Control Department office, the local area of Jichuan lacks Netherworld minerals and famous Ling Mountain products, being a barren place where matters of monsters and ghosts are rarely seen. If common folk truly encounter hardships, they can also seek out local Daoist temples for help. The Cloud-Sojourner Temple, for instance, is recorded among the Three Great Daoist Palaces and is responsible for handling local monster and ghost matters." Hearing this, Chen Xu found that similar questions, when spoken by different people, resulted in completely different conclusions and directions. In the world as Mr. Zhou described, even Immortals face struggles. Wang Mochuan, when talking about cultivation, only spoke of Qi cultivation and fame. Whereas Wu Zhengze, when discussing cultivation, immediately mentioned the Three Great Daoist Palaces and the Prison Control Department. While speaking, his brow furrowed slightly, though he kept asserting that matters of monsters and ghosts had nothing to do with scholars. Yet, his subtle expressions seemed to harbor countless unspoken words. Chen Xu asked again, "Master, can one only obtain the Qi Cultivation Technique after earning scholarly honors from the Imperial Court?" Wu Zhengze glanced at him, "Otherwise, you could also marry into an aristocratic family, and perhaps you’d gain access to the Qi Cultivation Technique early." Chen Xu was left speechless. However, Wu Zhengze seemed to grow interested, instructing him, "Do you know, though the world of Great Li is a dynasty’s world, it is, in fact, also a world of aristocratic families? The Li Family of Rift Mountain in the Northern Border, the Xie Family of Open Sun in the Eastern Region, the Bai Family of Kunlun in the Western Desolation, the Zhongli Family of the Witch Clan in the Southern Zhao. In our Seven Prefectures of Qingzhou, there are numerous large and small aristocratic families like the Cui, Wang, Ning, and Ouyang clans, intricately interwoven from top to bottom. If not for the Grand Ancestor founding the nation, dividing the Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist sects, and establishing Confucius Temples to gather the world’s literary fortune, the imperial examinations would have been hard to sustain for hundreds of years. Let alone the idea of common folks gaining enlightenment and farming and merchant families being able to pursue education; that would have been even more impossible." Chen Xu was slightly surprised, for the master in the school always taught books of sages or spoke of ancient matters, never discussing contemporary global matters. Unexpectedly, Wu Zhengze, a normally unapproachable instructor, after opening up was willing to talk about anything with Chen Xu. Chen Xu listened, feeling a broader world unfolding before his eyes. He couldn’t help but ask, "Master, so currently... is it that the major aristocratic families are unwilling for the exams to exist?" Goodness, one dare asks, and another dare answers. Wu Zhengze immediately raised an eyebrow, but then sat upright and said, "Young man, you jest. The Confucius Temple is established, and aristocratic families’ power is inevitably achieved through the exams. How could the exams be abolished? Abolishing them would be like abolishing themselves, wouldn’t it?" Seeing that Chen Xu wanted to speak further, Wu Zhengze sternly said, "Enough, go back and prepare well, gather at the North City Gate five days later at chen hour." Chen Xu felt a bit regretful but could only comply. Later, he registered his name at the County School with Wu Zhengze and went alone to the market in the afternoon, buying a lot of things. In the evening, after returning home, Chen Xu, while tidying up the various materials he had purchased, suddenly noticed that the accumulated likes on the Food Cauldron Celestial Book, as if riding on the Cyan Cloud Ladder, had soared upward significantly. [Accumulated Likes: 1472] [Free Attribute Points: 51] [Fireworks Value: 653] Suddenly there were more than four hundred additional accumulated likes, 20 more free attribute points, and the fireworks value increased similarly. Chen Xu was overjoyed and quickly checked the source of the likes. Only then did he find that a small portion of the likes came from the mille-feuille pancakes sold today, while most came from the event [You Cooked Human Demon with Blazing Fire]. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝗂𝗋𝖾⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥 It seems that the artificial beast affair has further spread among the people. Such strange tales are evidently more talk-worthy than culinary delights. Chen Xu estimated that even if he did nothing for a while, just relying on the talk of [Blazing Fire Cooking Human Demon], he would still gain considerable likes. As for the last portion of the likes, they came from Chen Xu’s hometown, likely because Chen Xu had previously had his younger brother Chen An take some pancakes back to distribute to neighbors. Though Chen An returned yesterday afternoon, for some reason, the neighbors’ likes were only given today. Chen Xu pondered this and decided to return to his hometown early the next morning. At night, Chen Xu sorted out the various recent purchases, stored most of the ingredients in the Fire and Smoke Kitchen, cooked the evening meal in the kitchen, and prepared the ingredients needed for the next morning, only then returning to his room. He had come to enjoy the tranquility of the night lately. Occasionally he could hear two Mouse Demons conversing chattering far away in the gaps, not noisy, but rather creating a peculiar contrast of "mouse chirping makes the night even quieter." That night, Little Mouse Ashi suddenly remarked, "Master Jiu, the scholar leaves food on the stove every night; why do I suddenly feel like something is off?" An aged voice sighed and said, "You’ve only realized now?" Little Mouse confusedly said, "Realized what?" "The scholar is kind-hearted; apart from that first night, the food left every night after was evidently intentional. Our return gifts, the scholar accepted them, didn’t he?" "Ah, our returns... they were but some grass and tree bark. The scholar is truly good-hearted, so kind..." In the darkness, Chen Xu listened to the two mice’s conversation and couldn’t help but smile. Now having cultivated to the Meridian Passage Realm, with a perpetual cycle of Innate Qi within, his sensitivity to the world had become increasingly sharp. In the past, when he listened to the two mice speaking, it felt as if the sounds were uncertain and intermittent, seemingly right at his ear but also strangely distant. It appeared as though the two mice resided not in the mortal world but in another peculiar realm. Now with his enhanced perception, when looking at this world, especially within the ten-zhang radius around him, there was a clarity as if a fog had been lifted. He distinctly felt that in the corner to the west side of the kitchen, there was a space resembling a bubble. When the world’s myriad energies flowed through the house, they would seep into that space, though there would be a momentary pause between the two. It was conceivable that it truly couldn’t be called "another world"; it depended on the reality of the great world. So, what exactly was it? Was it the legendary Micro-Dust Cave Heaven? The sun and moon within a jar? Or something else? With such curiosity in mind, Chen Xu consumed 100 Fireworks Value and entered the Fire and Smoke Kitchen. Curious as he was, Chen Xu couldn’t simply pry into the nest of the Mouse Demon just because of curiosity. The Mouse Demon knew to observe courtesy and propriety, understanding not to casually peep into other’s privacy. How could he, as a grown man, having read for decades in two lifetimes, be less sensible than two little mice?