Chapter 144 — Brothers of the Same Lineage
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 4 of 4
I told him that the Imperial Academy's teaching suits talent picked one in a thousand, but not talent picked one in a hundred thousand or a million. So the Grand Libationer let me try it myself. I sought out Shen Wanyun and taught him alone for a time, and he did me proud, serving several years as senior brother of the Scholars' Quarter. It is proof enough that cultivating a man on his own surpasses the Academy's teaching. Shen Wanyun is just such talent, one in a hundred thousand or a million. " "So that is how it is. " Shen Mu frowned.
"But if that is so, how does the Imperial Academy differ from a sect?
" The Bashan Libationer sighed.
"That is why the Grand Libationer and the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping both fret over this matter. The Grand Libationer is about to resign his post; the one who frets most over it now must be the Imperial Preceptor. The Imperial Preceptor knows well that the Academy has the Academy's flaws, and so he has taken a few disciples himself and taught them with care. Yet the geniuses held back by the Academy are surely not few. " Shen Mu was stunned.
What the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping faced was whether to repudiate his own reforms—and yet repudiate them he could not. The elementary schools, the higher schools, and the Imperial Academy surpassed the sects by far in the matter of cultivating talent in great numbers; once the problem of nurturing genius was solved, they could surpass the sects in every respect!
"How does the emperor teach the heir apparent? In his youth the heir has Junior Guardians, Junior Mentors, and Junior Instructors; when grown he has Grand Guardians, Grand Mentors, and Grand Instructors.
These Junior and Grand Guardians are all figures of the rank of sect masters and faction leaders. So the heir apparent cultivated in this way has exceedingly great strength. I am now trying to take a few scholars in hand, teaching them cultivation methods and divine abilities, instructing each according to his ability. " The Bashan Libationer said, "The Grand Libationer's meaning is that once I find the knack, it can be spread abroad. The Grand Libationer says we should select the learned and gifted from among the scholars and have Libationers teach them specially, setting them apart from scholars of ordinary aptitude.
Junior Brother, you are the first Doctor of the Imperial Academy in our Academy—Doctor Shen. "①