Volume One, Chapter 19: Forced to Study

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Mo Daoke was overjoyed upon acquiring Jin Minghe’s cultivation manual, "Cloud Dragon Soaring." He treasured it like a priceless gem. Unable to contain his excitement, he thought to himself, "With this manual, I can break through to the fourth stage of Blood Fusion, perfectly compensating for the shortcomings of my spiritual body. Taking down someone like Si Nanxi would be a walk in the park. Why did Master keep such a precious manual hidden away? It seems that old fellow still holds back when it comes to me."

As Mo Daoke flipped through the pages, each move and stance in the manual seemed to open a brand-new door to cultivation for him. He envisioned himself standing out among the inner peak disciples of Xuyu Seven Peaks, defeating one opponent after another who had once looked down on him, all thanks to the "Cloud Dragon Soaring" manual.

His heartbeat quickened with every annotation in the manual. The cave’s restrictions felt nonexistent to him as he immersed himself completely in his own world.

He imagined himself facing off against Hanshuangzi and Jin Chanhai, his movements elusive and his techniques agile and ever-changing. Each strike was like a dragon soaring swiftly and fiercely through the clouds. Every motion made him feel as though his body was gliding through air as effortlessly as swimming through water.

While Mo Daoke eagerly absorbed the "Cloud Dragon Soaring" manual, Si Nanxi also received two hefty volumes. Given Si Nanxi’s current status, it was clear these were not cultivation manuals gifted by a master.

After afternoon classes ended, Yan Jin personally handed Si Nanxi two large books, "A Five-Thousand-Year History of the Wildlands" and "Appreciation of Ancient and Modern Wildlands Poetry and Prose." She told him these subjects would be part of the academy’s mid-term exams and urged him to study hard. She promised to personally check on his progress the following afternoon.

Seeing Yan Jin’s expectant gaze, Si Nanxi could only nod resignedly, though in his heart, he had already forgotten about those two stacks of books.

The next afternoon, Yan Jin arrived as promised. She was greeted at the door by Little Liuli, and upon entering, she found Si Nanxi sound asleep.

The two stacks of books lay on the desk, untouched—no signs of being flipped through or memorized. He hadn’t even opened the first page.

Si Nanxi, however, looked innocent and unflustered as he gazed at Yan Jin with wide eyes. He even showed her his injured right hand, wrapped up like a dumpling.

"You have to understand, my hand’s injured, so reading isn’t convenient. We can talk about studying later," Si Nanxi said as if this was perfectly reasonable.

Yan Jin looked at his pitiful yet innocent expression, torn between anger and amusement, unsure how to respond.

Taking a deep breath, she told herself to stay calm and not get angry easily, then forced down her irritation.

"Fine, if you say reading is inconvenient, I’ll help you!"

Si Nanxi hadn’t expected Yan Jin to be so persistent. Looking at the towering piles of books, he reluctantly agreed.

Of course, he had no intention of studying seriously. He frequently changed the subject, asking Yan Jin about the inner peak disciples of the Spirit Appraisal Academy, since that was the system’s true mission.

As for the Wildlands history and poetry, Si Nanxi found no interest whatsoever.

Annoyed by his questions, Yan Jin pointed to the first volume of "Appreciation of Ancient and Modern Wildlands Poetry and Prose" and snapped at him, “If you can memorize the content of the first five chapters perfectly, I’ll answer any question you ask!”

“Really?”

“I’m not lying!”

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Si Nanxi disliked calling her ‘Master’ or ‘Teacher.’ Yan Jin had corrected him countless times but eventually gave up.

She thought to herself, if he won’t call me that, so be it. After all, she wasn’t that old-fashioned. Besides, according to the academy’s registration records, Si Nanxi was actually older than her. It wasn’t quite right for him to chase her around insisting on calling her ‘Master’ every day.

The literary works of this world were admittedly difficult for Si Nanxi to remember.

To be precise, the poems and verses he was familiar with didn’t exist at all in this world, yet many names of poets and lyricists overlapped, and even their styles were strikingly similar.

For example, the poem “Dreams of the Fairyland”:

The wind blows willow blossoms over the tower,
Drunkenly lying on fragrant grass, watching clouds unfold.
A fleeting dream passes like flowing water,
Laughing at the sorrows of the mortal world.

In his original world, this poem did not exist or wasn’t passed down. But in the Wildlands, it was authored by a Li Bai, a famed poet from the era of unified kingdoms centuries ago.

Another example is “Drinking Alone Under the Moon, Part One”:

How long has the bright moon hung in the blue sky?
Tonight, I pause my cup and ask it.
The boundless sea of clouds stretches endlessly,
Only flying cranes dance at the horizon.

Upon seeing the name, Si Nanxi naturally associated it with the famous poem by the Immortal Poet Li Bai. During the academy’s entrance exam, he had recited it as such. Unsurprisingly, he scored no points.

Fortunately, the first five chapters Yan Jin gave him were relatively introductory. He still had some vague memories of them from another life. In just a short while, Si Nanxi had memorized nearly all ten or so poems.

When Yan Jin randomly quizzed him on several from the first five chapters, he answered fluently.

Si Nanxi’s performance stunned Yan Jin into speechlessness. After a long pause, she realized she had been tricked.

“You obviously have seen and memorized these already. Are you just playing with me for fun?”

Usually cold and aloof at the Spirit Appraisal Academy, Yan Jin was still a girl of eighteen or nineteen, and her innate innocence instantly showed.

Si Nanxi smiled guilelessly, propping his face on his left hand.

“When have I ever played with you? I really haven’t opened a single page of these books, but that doesn’t mean I have no idea what’s inside, right?”

“That’s nonsense. You clearly worked hard to memorize it.”

Si Nanxi shifted the conversation, no longer arguing over whether he had memorized the content.

“Fine, since I’ve met your conditions, a master’s promise is unbreakable. Now it’s my turn to ask questions.”

“Heh, you always call me ‘Hey, hey, hey’ in private, so naturally and effortlessly, yet you refuse to call me Master Yan. Now that you have to keep your promise, suddenly you know how to call me Master?”

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Si Nanxi teased shamelessly with a smile.

“No matter what I ask, you can’t think about it. Just give me your immediate reaction, okay?”

Yan Jin frowned, half-angry, half-curious, her gaze fixed on Si Nanxi. She was more intrigued by his questions than genuinely upset.

“If you don’t answer, I’ll take that as agreement!”

“Age?” Si Nanxi pointed at Yan Jin.

“Si Nanxi?! If you want to ask something, can it at least be related to studying?”

“Alright, alright, as you wish. Have you ever thought about becoming the most formidable female master of the Spirit Appraisal Academy?”

Yan Jin furrowed her brow and pursed her lips like an unripe cherry. After a moment’s thought, she answered seriously, “Yes.”

“Have you ever fantasized about becoming the head of the academy one day?”

Yan Jin considered for a moment and replied solemnly, “Yes!”

“Do you think you’re a great beauty?”

Seeing the subtle change in Yan Jin’s expression, Si Nanxi quickly added, “People who lie never get what they truly desire!”

Biting her lip, Yan Jin confessed helplessly, “Yes, yes, yes…”

Si Nanxi then asked a series of trivial questions. Yan Jin’s answers grew quicker and quicker, and the faster she answered, the more mistakes she made.

“Have you ever dreamed about me?”

Yan Jin instinctively replied, “Yes.”

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized Si Nanxi had tricked her. Annoyed, she grabbed a book from the desk, intending to throw it at him.

Just then, Little Liuli, who had been about to bring tea and snacks from outside the room, peered through the window and saw the two of them laughing and playfully teasing each other, puzzled in her heart.

“When did the young master and her become so close?”