Once Chen Yi understood the full story, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Mr. Yue Ming had certainly gone to great lengths just to get a sample of his Calligraphy.

But using Yunsong Paper—a fine material usually reserved for great clans—to teach Calligraphy was indeed extravagant.

Chen Yi looked at the students sitting primly before their sand trays in the study hall and realized they must be thinking the same thing.

He figured most of them would add the word "wasteful" right after "extravagant."

They were, by and large, unconvinced by him, their new Instructor.

After a moment of thought, Chen Yi didn’t launch into a long, classical lecture like the other masters he had seen the day before. Instead, he calmly poured water and began grinding the ink.

As he ground the pine-soot ink stick on the inkstone, he began to speak.

"Before we begin, I want you to consider a few questions."

"What is a ’character’?"

"What do you take ’writing,’ one of the Six Arts, to be? And what is the ’method’ within the art of Calligraphy?"

"Finally, what is the ’Dao’ in ’Calligraphy Dao’?"

Hearing this, the students were all taken aback. They glanced at each other, though they weren’t entirely surprised.

It was only natural for a new master to test them.

What they hadn’t expected was for Chen Yi to ask such simple, straightforward questions.

Soon, one student stood up, bowed, and said, "I believe characters are the foundation of the classics and the arts. Without characters, the many histories and texts of the ancient sages could not have been passed down to this day."

"’Writing’ is the act of recording characters, chronicling all things under heaven and on earth."

"The ’method’ in Calligraphy refers to the ’principles of writing,’ the six ways characters are formed: as pictographs, abstract symbols, combined ideas, sound-and-meaning compounds, transferred meanings, and phonetic loans."

"As for the ’Calligraphy Dao’..."

The mature-looking student paused, then shook his head. "I do not know. I ask for the master’s guidance."

Chen Yi nodded slightly and looked at the others, asking with a smile, "Are there any other perspectives?"

Immediately, another person stood to offer his own view.

One after another.

Some echoed the first student, some differed, and a few were even rather unconventional.

In any case, no one was just going through the motions; they all seemed to have their own understanding.

Even the youngest among them could articulate a reasoned opinion.

’Then again, it’s to be expected.’

’To be admitted to Guiyun Academy, they must have at least passed the County Examination to become Scholars. They’ve read many books and have a certain breadth of vision.’

When everyone had spoken, Chen Yi looked at their eager, questioning faces and said with a smile:

"You are all correct. It’s simply that your individual understandings differ."

With that, Chen Yi picked up a Wolf Hair Brush, dipped it in ink, and rose to stand before the easel.

He had no intention of forcing a single viewpoint on the students. It was both unnecessary and pointless.

After all, he wasn’t some old pedant who taught straight from a textbook, nor did he plan to follow convention.

’The Great Dao has a thousand paths, but they all lead to the same destination. In the end, my purpose is to teach the Calligraphy Dao.’

Chen Yi centered himself, then lifted his brush and, with a flourish, wrote three characters.

The first was a pictogram, the second was in Wei Qing’s Style, and the third was in Cursive Script.

The strokes were different, but they all formed the same character: the one for "writing."

But as he wrote these three characters, Chen Yi used his True Essence to channel the power of heaven and earth.

The moment his brush stopped, a brilliant fluorescent light appeared on the Yunsong Paper.

Not only that, but he had also intentionally imbued it with a trace of Dao Intent, giving the characters an air of cool detachment and freedom.

After finishing, Chen Yi stepped aside. He was about to speak when he saw that Ma Guan and the others were completely captivated by the Calligraphy.

The originally silent study hall was filled with faint murmurs.

"A manifestation of brilliance... that’s a sign of Accomplishment in the Calligraphy Dao."

"No, it’s more than that. There’s the master’s Mental Realm in it. The brushstrokes form a Painting... Great Success?"

"This must be Great Success in the Calligraphy Dao!"

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing at a tall, slender student at the back of the study hall. ’This one has some insight,’ he thought.

A faint manifestation of brilliance is the mark of Minor Success in the Calligraphy Dao. A Mental Realm indicates Great Success.

Seeing their reactions, however, he was in no hurry to speak.

Only after the murmurs died down did Chen Yi, under the students’ gazes of admiration, reverence, and confusion, say with a smile:

"So, what do you think? Not too bad, right?"

"Uh..."

The expressions on Ma Guan and the others froze.

Academy Masters of this era were typically learned men who conducted themselves as gentlemen, prizing humility and solemnity above all.

Even if the three characters on the Yunsong Paper were truly magnificent, anyone else would have humbly said something like, "I must continue to practice diligently."

Who would be like Chen Yi, brazenly praising himself with a "not too bad"?

But Chen Yi’s next words left them even more stunned:

"You can do it too. It’s not actually that hard."

Though his voice was soft, it struck them like a clap of thunder. Most of them were too stunned to think of anything else, the words "do it" echoing in their minds.

’Not hard?’

’I can do it too?’

’If it’s not hard, then why, among all the famous Calligraphy masters in the Great Wei Dynasty, are there so few who can make their characters manifest brilliance?’

After a moment of muttering, Ma Guan was the first to recover. He stood up solemnly and performed a deep bow.

"Please, Master, teach me the Calligraphy Dao!"

Connecting this to the earlier questions, he finally understood Mr. Qingzhou’s intention.

’He doesn’t just want to teach us writing and its methods—he wants to pass on the Calligraphy Dao itself!’

Seeing this, the other students also realized what was happening. One by one, they rose and bowed.

"Please, Master, teach us—the Calligraphy Dao!"

Hearing their pleas, Chen Yi just nodded and gestured for them to sit down first. He said with a smile:

"The reason I asked those questions is because they are the foundation of the art of ’writing’."

"They also represent what I want to teach you, which naturally includes the Calligraphy Dao."

"Of course, I can only guarantee that each of you will gain something. Whether you can truly enter the gate of the Calligraphy Dao depends on both talent and hard work—neither can be lacking."

As he spoke, he scanned the room.

Seeing that the earlier disdain had vanished from their faces, he knew he had successfully navigated the trap Mr. Yue Ming had set for him.

"Now then, for the first lesson..."

For the remainder of the session, Chen Yi didn’t write another character, nor did he have the students practice on their sand trays.

He simply expounded on the questions he had posed earlier.

The Profound Mysteries he had gained from the Calligraphy Dao allowed him to clearly express the nature of characters, Calligraphy, and the Calligraphy Dao.

Soon, a bell rang outside the study hall. The students belatedly realized that an hour had passed so quickly.

Chen Yi knew this signaled a break, so he called Ma Guan over and had him distribute the Calligraphy practice workbooks.

The students, however, immediately noticed the evaluations written inside.

"Mr. Qingzhou gave me a ’Poor’ evaluation. ’Scattered form.’"

"You’re lucky. I got ’Extremely Poor’..."

Hearing the dejected murmurs, Ma Guan looked at the two words "Fair Minus" on his own workbook, a mix of emotions swirling within him.

He didn’t know whether to laugh or feel as dejected as the others.

Chen Yi took in all their reactions but had no intention of offering any words of comfort.

Instead, he tapped the Yunsong Paper and said with a smile, "Compared to this, aren’t my evaluations quite fair?"

"..."

At this, even the most optimistic student couldn’t help but lower his head, muttering complaints under his breath.

Before long, the break was over.

This time, Chen Yi didn’t give another long lecture. Instead, he went through the workbooks, critiquing each student’s Calligraphy one by one.

Not only did he point out their problems and offer suggestions for improvement, but he also used it as an opportunity to get to know each student.

At the very least, he could now match names to faces.

"Master, my name is Fang Huan, courtesy name Youda."

"Youda, your fundamentals are a bit weak. Your character forms and strokes lack balance and centering. Practice a hundred characters diligently every day."

"Ma Guan, your writing is the best in this study hall..."

Chen Yi spent half an hour giving pointers. For the remaining half-hour, he had them copy his example and write the character for "writing" in their sand trays.

"Remember, strokes and form are secondary. The root of the Calligraphy Dao lies within yourselves."

"When your brush can convey your intent, without a single sloppy or failed stroke, you will have crossed the threshold..."

...

「In a residence not far from the study hall.」

Mr. Yue Ming was sitting with Mr. Zhuo Ying and a few other masters, chatting idly and playing chess in a very congenial atmosphere.

Every so often, a Guiyun Academy Guard in a long black robe would run up and present them with a notebook.

One of the notebooks read:

Writing is writing, the Dao is the Dao.

Writing is like a Martial Arts Technique; it is a skill, a method.

The Dao is hidden within heaven and earth. If one’s thoughts, ideas, and actions are all in harmony with the Dao, one can attain the Dao.

The content was brief, but simple and easy to understand.

Mr. Yue Ming looked at the contents of the notebook, stroked his graying beard, and sighed in admiration.

"I knew teaching Calligraphy wouldn’t be a challenge for Qingzhou, but I never imagined he would actually teach the ’Calligraphy Dao’."

Beside him, the clean-shaven Mr. Zhuo Ying sat ramrod straight at the table, nodding with a smile.

"That magnanimity alone is beyond that of an ordinary person."

"But practicing the Calligraphy Dao is easier said than done."

"Just look at us. We’ve been writing for decades, and have our characters ever manifested brilliance?"

Mr. Yue Ming grunted in agreement. He looked thoughtfully at the notebook in his hand and said:

"Qingzhou’s perspective on the Calligraphy Dao is truly original."

"I’ll give it a try later. Perhaps I’ll make some progress."

Mr. Zhuo Ying nodded. "I’ll try later as well. I’ve always been constrained by rules and the axioms of the sages; I’ve never tried to just express my heart directly."

"Thinking about it, what Qingzhou says makes some sense."

The two old men playing chess beside them also nodded.

"It’s quite impressive. He isn’t selfishly hoarding his knowledge. That truly exceeded my expectations."

"Much better than certain calculating individuals."

Mr. Yue Ming saw the man’s glance and knew instantly he was the target of the jab. He lifted his head proudly and said:

"Rather than have Qingzhou waste his characters on a sand tray, I would rather spend some silver to keep them at the academy."

"If you’re unhappy about it, I’ll just keep the calligraphy sample for myself."

The other old man cursed good-naturedly, "Don’t even think about it! We agreed that we’d each get to keep the Calligraphy from one of his lessons."

"It’s just your bad luck today that Qingzhou only wrote three characters. You can’t blame anyone else for that."

"True enough..."

Just as the masters were joking around, another set of footsteps sounded from outside.

From a distance, they heard the stocky, black-robed Guard shout:

"Mr. Yue Ming, Mr. Zhuo Ying, it happened! It happened!"

"It happened!"

Mr. Yue Ming frowned, looking at the overjoyed Guard at the door. "What happened?"

"A student... a student succeeded!"

Seeing his excitement, Mr. Yue Ming exchanged a glance with the others, a single possibility springing to their minds.

"Are you saying a student has achieved success in the Calligraphy Dao?"

The black-robed Guard: "Yes, yes! I heard... no, that’s not right, I saw it! There was a faint brilliance on the character written by Ma Guan—Ma Heming!"

"Truly?"

"It’s the absolute truth!"

Mr. Yue Ming didn’t bother asking any more questions. He immediately stood and walked outside, a look of excitement also spreading across his face.

Seeing this, the others quickly followed.

"That Ma Heming kid’s Calligraphy is usually just by the book."

"But what if it’s true?"

"What’s there to even say? Our Guiyun Academy has struck gold!"

This treasure, of course, was not Ma Guan.

It was the man who could teach the Calligraphy Dao—Chen Yi, Chen Qingzhou!