Chapter 125: Rhetoric, Perfected at Last!

A golden certificate appeared within his field of vision, accompanied by the progress bar for his cultivation of Basic Philology. Shi Tiexin sat calmly on the edge of a flower bed, watching the elderly men practicing calligraphy and observing the water birds chirping as they flew to and from the lake. With a mere thought, a brilliant golden light erupted from the certificate.

Swish! As the golden light washed over the Philology progress bar, Shi Tiexin once again sensed the presence of that insurmountable barrier, and more clearly, he felt the heavenly golden light disintegrating it. The divine light acted like a powerful tunnel boring machine, piercing through every obstacle to carve out a golden path forward.

The elderly men around him showed no reaction, as if nothing had occurred. Shi Tiexin did not know the exact reason, but he felt that even if these men were reclusive masters, they would not be able to ignore the heavenly golden light. They truly could not see what was happening within his field of vision. When the divine light had descended from the heavens, he was at Fengming No. 1 High School, and since then, the system had kept it preserved. Now, as he refined and used it from his vision, the cultivators of this world seemed unable to perceive it.

What exactly was this vision? Where did it come from? And why was it attached to him?

Questions surged in his heart, but he suppressed them immediately. Regardless, he was in no position to investigate the reasons behind this. He was no supreme master looking down upon a thousand mountains; such system-related matters were not for someone like him, who could only land a job as a security guard in a modeling troupe, to worry about. The only thing he needed to do now was use the system's functions to become an overnight sensation.

Snap. The "perfect" barrier completely collapsed and shattered under the radiance of the heavenly golden light. The progress bar finally crossed its final mark. Amidst the explosive brilliance, the two characters for "Perfect" rose slowly, never to fall again, before darting into the azure sky to transform into a mysterious, eternal star. This star echoed the one representing his first stage of Basic Mathematics, symbolizing the rock-solid foundation Shi Tiexin had laid in Basic Philology.

[Basic Philology First Stage cultivation progress upgraded to Perfect]
[Activated Attribute: Sensitivity +1]

The text arrived as promised, only to be shoved aside by a massive marquee.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little stars, two little stars in the sky~ Only two? Don't you think that's too few? Let's have a few more!"

As if someone were forcefully pushing the marquee toward the camera, it expanded twice with a loud "duang" before disappearing, seemingly reluctant.

Too few? Heh, that was true; it was indeed a bit few. Shi Tiexin glanced at the progress of the other four subjects and nodded in satisfaction. After a period of studying in his dreams, the progress in these four subjects was quite gratifying. The original "Scholar Shi" was a genius in the sciences; for Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, a proficiency of ninety-five was not the upper limit of what he could achieve. As for Natural History, a subject that had troubled him, it was now advancing in leaps and bounds thanks to Liu Qigang’s words and the sporadic information occasionally provided by Little Gou Dan.

Before the Small Prefectural Examination, he would certainly be able to add a few more stars. However, this heavenly golden light seemed insufficient. Checking the reserves in the certificate, only twenty-five points remained, and the cost for Basic Philology had been ten. If each cost ten, he could at most perfect two more subjects.

As he thought of this, Shi Tiexin recalled that when he reached perfection in Philology, an attribute called [Sensitivity +1] had appeared. When he perfected Basic Mathematics, the activated attribute was Comprehension, which he understood. But what was Sensitivity? What was it for? Which aspect of his qualities did it enhance?

Shi Tiexin mulled it over but couldn't fathom it, so he set the matter aside. Philology was a core subject on par with Mathematics; the attribute it activated would surely not be trivial—it had to have an important role. Besides, even if he understood it, it was just a single point; it was unlikely to cause any earth-shattering changes. Moreover, it was already added, and there was no going back. Adding was better than not adding, so even if he didn't understand it, it was surely a good thing.

And now—Shi Tiexin slapped his knees and stood up—he looked toward the Cultural Affairs Office outside the park. The most important thing to do now was to register for the competition!

Three minutes later, Shi Tiexin arrived at the Cultural Affairs Office. After simple registration procedures, he joined the queue. Yes, one had to queue for a calligraphy competition. In Scholar Shi’s original timeline, calligraphy competitions seemed to be a rather niche and unpopular event. Most of his memories of them were from elementary school; after middle school, schools no longer held them, and they had little influence on society.

But this timeline was different. Philology was one of the six fundamental mental arts, a path of cultivation that could directly bring forth power. To become a student or a talent of even higher standing, Philology was a mandatory subject. Furthermore, Philology had an extremely high ceiling and a vast array of applications; it was a broad, celestial path, so many people practiced it diligently. Had he not seen those elderly men in the park, retired yet still refusing to give up their cultivation of Philology?

With a reward of one hundred thousand points at stake, there were countless people coming to register. Perhaps masters at the third stage of mental arts would look down upon such petty gains, but Shi Tiexin believed this prize was quite attractive to those at the second stage. Therefore, even though the Cultural Affairs Office had prepared more than a dozen desks, one still had to queue to have a chance to display their skill.

As Shi Tiexin waited, he could not see the situation at the front of the crowd, but from time to time, he could sense powerful auras erupting. Those sharp, cutting sensations permeated the entire hall. Indeed, there was no shortage of experts at the Sharpness realm here.

If he had come to compete immediately, Shi Tiexin might have been incredibly dejected and anxious, fearing that the money beckoning to him would be snatched away by others. But now, his heart was calm.

Practicing calligraphy could quiet the spirit. Although there were many people in line, the martial artists were direct and efficient, and it wasn't long before it was Shi Tiexin's turn.

The previous person's work was collected by an official, and a blank sheet of paper appeared before Shi Tiexin. He took out his inexpensive brush—the one he used to earn money to pay off his debts—and with a stretch of his arm, he put brush to paper. He intended to write the "Thousand Character Classic."

Before the brush touched the paper, his mind was filled with countless techniques. Once the brush touched the paper, his mind became vast and empty. Whether it was the effect of the +1 Sensitivity or not, as he formally began to write, Shi Tiexin suddenly forgot all the established methods of calligraphy. He did not know what he was writing, nor did he know what he was thinking. In a hazy, dreamlike state, the image of the short man from the recent prefectural examination flashed before his eyes, and he recalled the final move the short man had used during his desperate charge.

He had thought his emotions had settled, but he had not expected that the profound impact of that move would still be echoing in his heart.