Chapter 5: The Adorable Parrot: Jin Eryndor
It seemed unstoppable—Serene was brimming with excitement as she carried little Eryndor everywhere, pointing out anything and everything with a one-syllable name for him to learn.
At first, Eryndor had thought he’d mastered everything in just three days, but as Serene expanded their walks to cover a wider area, more objects and words were introduced. Eryndor didn’t mind the extra challenge. As long as Serene pointed something out, he would repeat it multiple times, working hard to commit it to memory.
Whether it was due to the layered effects of his transmigrated soul or the natural learning ability of a young child, Eryndor’s capacity for absorbing knowledge was remarkable.
For a week, the Skyshade Sanctum witnessed the emergence of a chubby, adorable “parrot” with a babyish voice, carried around by Serene Skyshade as he enthusiastically learned new words.
During these excursions, many inner and outer disciples noticed Serene with Eryndor in her arms. They bowed respectfully from a distance, their gazes inevitably drawn to the round, bubbly baby. Eryndor’s cute appearance and charming personality left a lasting impression on everyone who saw him, etching his image deeply into their memories.
At the Skyshade Sanctum Sect, Eryndor was considered something of a rarity. As cultivators advanced to higher realms, it became increasingly very difficult for them to have children. Most inner sect elders had disciples but no direct descendants. Among the entire inner sect, Serene Skyshade and Jin Valen were the only ones with a child, which made Eryndor the center of attention.
Though no one would openly monitor Eryndor’s every move, any news related to him spread quickly among the elders through various channels. His presence was subtly but keenly observed.
The Skyshade Sanctum, being a righteous and reputable sect, maintained a virtuous and harmonious atmosphere. Internal disputes and rivalries were rare, and the sect strictly prohibited ruthless infighting. This was a stark contrast to some other sects where chaos reigned, with disciples engaging in treachery, theft, and even violence against one another. The sanctum’s orderly environment offered a peaceful foundation for cultivation and growth, making it an ideal place for someone as young and as special as Eryndor.
Spending the whole day outside learning and repeating words left Eryndor feeling a bit tired, especially with his head feeling slightly strained from the effort. At just one month and three weeks old, he had already mastered speaking basic one-syllable words. When his father, Jin Valen, learned about this, he was overjoyed. Excited to see for himself, Jin carried Eryndor around, testing him by pointing at various things. Eryndor didn’t disappoint, flawlessly repeating every word with precision. Jin Valen was so delighted with Eryndor’s performance that he laughed heartily all evening, unable to stop smiling. The proud father’s joy lit up the entire household.
As the morning came, and a new day began. Little Eryndor, ever the picture of comfort, had slept soundly and woke up only after the sun was already high in the sky. His father, Jin Valen, was nowhere to be seen, likely off at the Artifact Refinement Hall.
After waking up, Eryndor followed his usual routine: washing his face, drinking milk, and getting ready for the day. Once finished, Serene Skyshade carried him to the living room to play.
Easton Seraphine was also there, sitting quietly with a book in her hands. When Eryndor saw the book, his eyes lit up. Struggling a bit in Serene’s arms, he reached out and, in his sweet baby voice, called out, “Book… book!”
His enthusiasm for learning continued to shine through, making everyone around him smile.
Serene Skyshade smiled warmly and, with a wave of her hand, retrieved a book from her storage ring and handed it to Eryndor to play with.
“Kids will play with whatever they like,” she thought to herself. “But Eryndor’s interests seem a little unusual, don’t they?”
Eryndor eagerly grabbed the book with his chubby hands and opened it. Of course, he couldn’t understand the characters inside, but that didn’t stop him from pretending to be fascinated. He stared at the pages with exaggerated enthusiasm, making it look like he was deeply engrossed.
Serene, accustomed to her son’s clever antics, pointed to one of the characters she had taught him during their wanderings around the sect the previous day. Eryndor’s eyes lit up as he immediately read the character aloud in his sweet, childish voice, giggling happily as if he were having the time of his life.
Serene paused for a moment, furrowing her brow thoughtfully, then pointed to another character and read it out. Eryndor once again repeated it right away, doing his best to commit it to memory.
Eryndor understood that learning characters wasn’t just about reading them once—it required repetition and practice. However, he felt confident in his memory and ability to learn quickly. His thoughts were clear and organized, and he suspected this might have something to do with being in a cultivation world, so vastly different from the mundane Earth he came from.
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Every word he learned felt like another small step toward mastering the language of this new world.
Seeing how smart Eryndor was and his eagerness to learn, Serene Skyshade became even more enthusiastic. She fully embraced the role of a dedicated mother, teaching him one character at a time. She took her time, ensuring that after every three characters, they would go back and review them to help Eryndor remember.
Thus, one taught while the other eagerly repeated. By the end of the morning, Eryndor had memorized about 70-80% of what Serene taught him.
At noon, it was time for milk and a nap. In the afternoon, they began reviewing what he had learned earlier. It only took three days for Eryndor to completely memorize all the characters Serene had taught him. Eryndor, wanting to improve his accuracy and memory even further, decided to start writing the characters. By now, he could lie on his stomach, a big improvement from his earlier stage of only lying on his back. Eryndor flipped onto his stomach and reached toward his mother, gesturing and babbling to ask for paper and a brush. His intent was clear—he wanted to start writing.
"What should my first written character be?" Eryndor thought, his mind racing with possibilities. "I’ve already been acting a bit too extraordinary. Hopefully, I won’t draw too much attention to myself. But to learn the language of this world quickly, I need to make an effort and pay the price."
He reasoned that he shouldn’t make it seem like he could write effortlessly, as if it came naturally. Instead, he decided to mimic the process of a child imitating adults—an acceptable and believable explanation for his actions.
"Yes, that’s it. Kids copy what they see adults do—it’s a universal truth. So, my first character should be the first word I learned. That’s right, it should be 'Serene'"
Having made up his mind, Eryndor prepared to write his very first word in this new world.
Eryndor’s chubby, underdeveloped hands, full of baby fat, made holding a brush quite challenging. He had no choice but to grip it with all five fingers. The result was shaky and uneven, but the character Serene was still recognizable.
When Serene Skyshade saw that the first word Eryndor chose to write was her name, she was overjoyed. She immediately scooped him up, showering his cheeks with kisses, leaving Eryndor smiling awkwardly, though he couldn’t help but chuckle internally.
The rest of the day was devoted entirely to writing practice. Their household had no shortage of paper, and a maid stood nearby to assist. Whenever Eryndor’s brush ran out of ink, the maid would promptly take it, reapply ink, and return it to him.
Fueled by enthusiasm, Eryndor continued his writing spree with full energy. His first goal was to write all the characters he had learned so far, and after that, to practice refining his handwriting.
Although his way of holding the brush was clumsy and far from proper, it didn’t dampen his excitement. He was fully immersed in his writing journey, determined to improve and master this new skill.
Early the next morning, Eryndor was lying on his stomach in the living room, practicing his writing, when his father returned, flying in on his sword.
“Haha! My dear, look what I’ve brought back!” Jin Valen called out loudly with a laugh as he entered through the door.
“Jin, what’s gotten you so excited?” Serene Skyshade asked, curious about his good mood.
“I went to the Ming Kingdom and spent tens of thousands of gold coins to buy these writings from a famous writing master. With these as examples, Eri will have excellent models to follow and write beautifully,” Jin replied, beaming with pride as he pulled out a stack of papers from his storage ring.
Each sheet was adorned with magnificent characters, every stroke elegant and precise, exuding the charm of dragons and phoenixes dancing on the page. The sight left both Serene and Eryndor intrigued.
The Ming Kingdom was the closest mortal nation to the Skyshade Sanctum, ruled entirely by mortals. It paid tribute to the Skyshade Sanctum and received protection from its cultivators in return. While cultivators didn’t interfere in mortal wars, they offered protection against rogue cultivators or other supernatural threats. To ensure this protection, the mortal royal family often paid tribute to major cultivation sects like the Skyshade Sanctum.
Tens of thousands of gold coins might seem like a fortune to mortals, but to cultivators, it was a trivial amount. Cultivators primarily used spirit stones as their currency, not gold. Moreover, as elite members of the sect, both of Eryndor’s parents were incredibly wealthy, with fortunes that seemed endless to mortals.
“This is wonderful! With these, Dori can quickly improve his writing skills. Let me find a good spot to hang them up for him to see,” Serene Skyshade said happily.
“Make sure to place them where Dori can easily see them,” Jin Valen added.
With the calligraphy as a reference, Eryndor no longer had to practice blindly. His writing improved rapidly as he focused on copying the shapes and strokes of the characters from the examples.
By carefully mimicking the elegant forms of the model characters, Eryndor’s progress in writing became smoother and faster, showing noticeable improvement in no time.
Some might wonder why Eryndor’s parents, or even the Sect Master with their profound cultivation levels, didn’t write examples for him themselves. Wouldn’t the writing of such experts be even better?
The answer lies in the nature of cultivators’ writing—it carries their personal will and style. For a small child like Eryndor, being exposed to such forceful intent could be overwhelming. Even if he managed to endure it, he might be influenced by their will, leading him to lose his own individuality by unconsciously imitating the essence of their Dao.
Cultivation is about pursuing one’s own path, the Dao that resonates most with oneself, not blindly copying the Dao of others. Mortal calligraphy, on the other hand, is ideal for this stage. It is beautiful and structured but devoid of the deeper meanings that come with a cultivator’s writing. This makes it a perfect model for Eryndor. In the future, as his cultivation grows, his writing will naturally develop its own style and intent. For now, focusing on the form is sufficient for his practice.
Immersed in his writing practice, Eryndor was tireless. The result of a full day of practice was clear—what started as shaky and uneven writing became more stable and legible. His progress was undeniable, and his handwriting was steadily improving.
In the end, he came to an important conclusion: proper posture, grip, and body positioning are crucial when writing. And of course, fine control over hand movements is the key to achieving precision.
For now, his grip was clumsy—using all five fingers to hold the brush—and his technique was far from correct. However, given his small, underdeveloped hands, this was the only method available to him. He resolved to continue practicing diligently, even with this awkward grip, slowly building his skills step by step with persistence and patience.