Yama Rising

Gu Qing chuckled softly, revealing a cocksure attitude, “Lord Qin, I don’t want to boast, but do you know how governmental reports have traditionally been done? They’ve been scrutinized down to the tee, trading out all ambiguous and imprecise words with far more beautifully crafted synonyms. No matter how rigorous an academic paper is, can it truly hold a candle to the level of governmental reports and speeches?” (TL: Really? I would’ve thought that academic papers, especially scientific ones, are the most rigorous of them all. And perhaps the only governmental reports that can match up to scientific papers would be reports from the legislature that are intended to only convey a single meaning.)

It was certainly reassuring to have such a reliable general under his command. He truly experienced the might of talents right now. That said, this general represented “knowledge”, and mere knowledge would never be sufficient if he wanted the new Hell to rise from desolation and be restored to its former glory.

Over the next few days, Lin Han and Su Feng visited him several times, only to find a ‘do not disturb’ sign on his door. In order to remain under the radar, Qin Ye would leave his room for the cafeteria from time to time. Nevertheless, he spent most of his time in Hell.

Every paragraph and every sentence would see slight amendments and editorial changes to them, and yet it was these minor alterations that transformed the overall impression of the paper in its entirety.

It was still a similarly smooth and easy read, yet the experience was completely different. The entire thesis was being elevated and refined right before his very eyes, and Qin Ye’s confidence in securing a publication in Cultivators Weekly grew day by day.

“It seems like I’m getting old…” Gu Qing rubbed his temples, “To think that I’d spent so much time on reworking a three thousand word thesis. It would’ve taken no more than two days in the past.”

Precise, cogent, and logically watertight.

“Provided they aren’t blind as bats, I’m a hundred percent certain that this will get published!” Gu Qing responded with absolute certainty.

Gu Qing’s eyes flickered, “Lord Qin, the quality of this paper is definitely sufficient to justify a full page publication. But that said, there are a number of other variables to consider as well.”

“Furthermore, you’ll have to consider the preferences of the chief editor. This is why I’d chosen to revise certain portions of the paper where the choice of wording was sharp and incisive. Such sharp and incisive words can certainly strike a chord with some people, but they can equally also offend others. If it so happens that the chief editor finds himself aggrieved by your research paper… There’s no need to tread on such thin ice and make such risky bets. It would instead be safer to secure any publications we can get.”

Qin Ye sighed with relief and picked up the final product, “I’ll take your word for it. If everything goes well, then… you should be able to see the fruits of your effort by the end of June.”

Tao Ran was the only one in his office right now. He knocked on the door, and entered after Tao Ran responded. Then, he placed the file containing the draft paper onto the table, “Professor Tao, kindly review our paper.”

Perhaps that was one of the hallmarks of being a human being.

“You’re done?” Tao Ran was just reading the papers when he was startled by Qin Ye’s comments. He glanced at his phone, and then gazed deeply at Qin Ye, “Just twenty days?”

Tao Ran didn’t pick up the file immediately. Instead, he spoke somewhat profoundly, “Little Qin, the birth of a polished thesis paper is an incredibly laborious effort. Cultivators Weekly has high standards, and it’s going to be quite difficult to please their taste buds. Even our principals haven’t had many of their articles published on Cultivators Weekly to date. And yet… to think that you’re making your first submission in just twenty days’ time… You… are you certain you don’t want to review it again?”

Not even college thesis papers are completed in such a short amount of time, much less an academic paper that is intended to contribute to the cultivation academia!

But that said, it’s already incredibly rare to find good research papers drafted in just three months’ time. Twenty days? I’m afraid you didn’t even take much time to review your own work before your first submission, did you?

Tao Ran didn’t say another word. He put on his reading glasses and waved his hand, and the file immediately flew over.

He had once been young, and he was well aware that some lessons could only be learnt when one realized the folly of their ways. He, too, had once submitted what he thought was a flawless thesis paper to his instructor, only to be criticized harshly at every turn of the paper. It was only when one calmed his heart and focused their minds on reviewing and editing that they would finally discover just how many glaring errors they could find. These had only been omitted earlier as a result of their eagerness to submit their work and claim credit for it.

The room quietened down, and Tao Ran pulled out the thin document from the file. He skipped the title and went straight into the meat of the research paper.

There was a complex look on his face - so complex that not even Qin Ye knew just how to interpret it. The only thing he could sense from Tao Ran’s expression was that of inexplicability.

Yet Tao Ran simply remained taciturn. His expressions remained as unchanging as ever, almost as though it were etched in stone. He read through the entire research paper from start to finish in less than ten minutes. And then…

This time, he looked at it with a closer scrutiny than before. And when he was done, he looked up with a similarly confused and perplexed expression on his face. Finally, he slapped his hand down onto the table and spoke somewhat hoarsely, “This paper… was done by you guys?”

Tao Ran didn’t say much more. Instead, he simply lifted his chin at Qin Ye, “I’ll mull over it a little bit more. You may take your leave for now.”

But there was evidently no room for negotiation. After giving Tao Ran several pleading looks to no avail, he turned around and left Tao Ran’s room with his tail tucked between his legs.

Then, he rushed back to his seat like lightning and flipped open the thesis once more and read through its contents for the third time straight!

“Ah… that’s right, our existence itself isn’t scientific either… No! But this doesn’t even accord well with the fantasy world!”

Are you kidding me?

The wording is undeniably precise, the structure is compact, and the logic process is impeccably watertight. Not even I could write something like that!

He trembled as he picked up a sheet of paper and flicked it lightly, before gently caressing it as though it were a baby. His voice was shaky, “Perfect! Rigorous! Cogent and well-substantiated! Reading this paper had actually… caused me to feel a certain sense of ecstasy and accomplishment?”

Tao Ran was oblivious to the fact that this was in fact reviewed and edited by a provincial minister at that.

Suddenly, almost as though he recalled something important, Tao Ran grabbed his phone, opened his Momo app and looked for an ID with a profile picture that looked like a fish. He took several deep breaths to regulate his emotions, and it was only after his flushed appearances receded and his heart stopped palpitating that he finally began to type into the chat box.

That’s right… Little Qin and Professor Yu seem to be on rather good terms. Such refined language use and profound and professional writing style must be the handiwork of Professor Yu, right?

Tactful… I’ve got to be tactful… Professor Yu will know exactly what I’m talking about as soon as I send this paper to him.

It’s almost as though Professor Yu just wants us to praise his intellect and knowledge!