Chapter 100: The Era of Wildflowers Blooming Across the Mountains
The demon race possessed naturally formidable physiques, requiring no marrow cleansing; their meridians were smooth and unobstructed, allowing them to directly absorb starlight and convert it into true essence. Yet precisely because of this, another flaw emerged. Many of the powerful cultivation methods created by humans were utterly unusable by the demon race. Even if occasional geniuses appeared, the methods they used, like Chen Changsheng’s teachings to Luoluo, could only be considered simulations. When they reached extremely high levels of cultivation, they would encounter great difficulties.
Human meridians were as intricate as a sea of stars. True essence flowing through them could imitate the heavens and earth, enabling the execution of countless exquisite techniques. However, human physiques were relatively weak, requiring prolonged starlight-induced marrow cleansing, and when breaking through realms, they were prone to bodily dissolution and the extinguishing of their methods.
As for the demon race, whether in physique, meridians, or intellect, they could be considered perfect, naturally excellent material for cultivation. But perhaps precisely because they were too perfect, even heaven seemed somewhat jealous. This race’s reproductive capacity was extremely low, and they also had some very troublesome issues to resolve.
There was no perfection in the world; regrets were everywhere. This was even more evident in Chen Changsheng’s case.
He had thoroughly read the Daoist canon since childhood. Reading a book a hundred times, its meaning naturally revealed itself within. Unbeknownst to him, his spiritual awareness had long been cultivated to an immensely powerful state. If he could successfully undergo marrow cleansing, there was no doubt he would become a second Gou Hanshi. Unfortunately, as things stood, he seemed unable to even break through the first barrier of cultivation.
“The Heavenly Dao is lofty and distant, difficult to assess. We must search high and low, diligently striving forward.”
Chen Changsheng said, “This is what my senior brother told me, and I have always kept it in my heart.”
“Your senior brother must be an extraordinary person.”
Jin Yulu praised, then looked at Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six and said, “You two will surely become extraordinary as well.”
Tang Thirty-Six was a gifted youth with a place on the Azure Cloud List, but earning praise from a legendary figure like Jin Yulu was due to his temperament. Jin Yulu greatly admired his determination in withdrawing from the Heavenly Dao Academy and his mindset when facing situations. With such a mindset, his future would naturally be remarkable.
Even Xuan Yuan Po, who was not present at the moment, was highly regarded by Jin Yulu. The demon youth’s talent was quite outstanding; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been admitted to the Star Plucking Academy. Now, studying under a wise teacher like Chen Changsheng at the National Academy, his progress would surely be swift.
Yes, what Jin Yulu valued most was Chen Changsheng, because he was the teacher of Her Highness Luoluo. He was well aware of how much progress Her Highness had made in the few months at the National Academy, and all that progress stemmed from this seemingly ordinary youth.
Most importantly, these three youngsters seemed to know neither fear nor discouragement. They had their own views of the world, and they were steadfast. Their minds were as clear as glass; when sunlight fell upon them, it refracted into even more dazzling brilliance.
Jin Yulu thought with emotion: The National Academy now appeared dilapidated and desolate, but with three such remarkable young students, as long as they weren’t suddenly overwhelmed by the storms from the outside world, the revival of the National Academy was truly within reach.
Hearing the elder’s praise, Chen Changsheng felt a bit embarrassed and repeatedly waved his hands. Tang Thirty-Six looked as if it were only natural, but at some point, he had again grasped Jin Yulu’s calloused hands, shaking them up and down incessantly, praising, “Senior, your insight is truly sharp as a torch.”
Jin Yulu withdrew his hands, clasped them behind his back, and walked out of the library, leaving behind a laughing remark.
“Each generation produces its own talents, each leading the way for hundreds of years.”
Yes, the development of this continent was never a straight line. The strong never appeared in orderly succession by the year. Sometimes, for over a century, not a single powerhouse at the Star Gathering Upper Realm would emerge. Other times, within a decade or so, several supreme experts at the Saintly Realm would appear in succession.
It was like the wildflowers on the hillside: none in summer, none in autumn, none in winter, until early spring, when they suddenly all burst forth. But the blooming period was tied to the climate. What, then, was the frequency of the emergence of the strong tied to?
This phenomenon was very strange, without any pattern or reason. Hundreds of years of prolonged calm seemed like a period of rest and recuperation, until at some point, the continent felt it had been lonely for too long and needed these strong individuals to appear—and so they did.
In the past thousand years or so, the Central Continent had experienced two bursts of powerful experts. When the Zhou Dynasty replaced the previous dynasty and subdued the four corners of the world, later establishing the state religion, the preceding centuries had been marked by chaos across the land, severe fragmentation of the continent, countless experts each dominating their own territories, fighting ceaselessly, and then passing away one by one, like falling stars. Hundreds of years ago, when the demon race invaded, His Majesty the Taizong Emperor joined forces with the former White Emperor, leading countless experts of the continent to resist the terrifying power of the demons. Again, countless stars fell—stars that had once shone brightly in the night sky.
Those were two great eras of shining constellations.
Her Holiness the Saintess, His Holiness the Pope, the current White Emperor, the Mount Li Sect Leader, the Southern Holy Maiden, including Jin Yulu himself, as well as Fei Dian, Xiao Song Gong… these were all the strong individuals left behind from the latter great era. That era was now hundreds of years in the past.
This continent had also been peaceful for hundreds of years.
Starting a few decades ago, more precisely, around the time Her Holiness the Saintess ascended the throne, the frequency of the emergence of powerful experts on this continent had noticeably accelerated. Of course, this didn’t mean that the continent suddenly gained many experts at the Star Gathering Upper Realm or even the Saintly Realm, but rather that many talented young people had appeared.
For example, the youngest few on the Carefree List now, like Qiu Shan Jun, Mo Yu, Xu You Rong, Gou Han Shi, that wolf cub from the north, Luo Luo… and many, many more.
In terms of the hundreds of years of lifespan for cultivators, they were all young. They might still be at the Thorough Darkness Realm now, insignificant compared to the senior experts, but everyone could see their potential, see their future, and knew they could go far.
In recent years, the Azure Cloud and Golden List, the Green Vine Banquet, the sword-testing events of various sects, and the Grand Examination had received increasing attention. The various sects and academies were paying more and more attention to their young disciples, precisely because everyone had noticed this trend.
Jin Yulu believed that, for one reason or another, these three youths of the National Academy might not progress as smoothly as those other young people, but they would surely one day shine with their own brilliance and burn with their own splendor.
Stepping out of the library and standing on the stone steps, this old man who had experienced the war against the demons gazed quietly at the star-filled night sky, thinking of another matter. His expression gradually grew solemn, and his heart grew heavier.
According to Zhou Dufu’s claim back then, the frequency of the emergence of powerful experts on the continent was closely tied to fate. In the hundreds of years since the war with the demons ended, the continent had enjoyed favorable weather, peace, and happiness, so the number of experts appearing was extremely small. Now that young experts were beginning to emerge in a burst, did it mean that peace was about to end?
Because the starlight-induced marrow cleansing had yielded no results, Chen Changsheng had stopped meditating all night in recent days. This wasn’t due to discouragement, nor was it giving up; it was simply a more efficient use of time. When he stopped meditating, Xuan Yuan Po also ended his body-tempering by the lake.
Xuan Yuan Po’s right arm was severely injured and temporarily unable to cultivate; he could only temper his body. Chen Changsheng felt sorry for the trees by the lake and naturally wouldn’t slack off in treating him. But Tianhai Ya’er had struck too ruthlessly. Xuan Yuan Po’s right arm’s meridians and bones were completely shattered. Coupled with the unique physiology of the demon race, treatment was very difficult. Even the imperial physicians were at a loss. Although Chen Changsheng had recalled a few methods from old medical records, curing him would take a lot of time and be very exhausting.
Warming his hands, wiping the sweat from his forehead, Chen Changsheng told Xuan Yuan Po to rest. But he himself, too fatigued to calm down and fall asleep immediately, saw that the starlight was just right tonight and went for a walk in the grove by the lake.
He climbed the large banyan tree and looked out over the streets and alleys of the capital beyond the academy walls.
Standing in the tree to view the scenery had become part of his daily habits and also a scene of the National Academy itself.
Countless stars filled the night sky, and ten thousand lights shone in the capital city, reflecting off each other. If you looked long enough, it was hard to tell which side was the sky and which was the earth.
He watched for a long time, trying to pinpoint which of the ten thousand lights marked the position of the Li Palace, wondering if someone there was also looking toward the National Academy.
Luo Luo had been gone for only a few days, but he had climbed the tree many more times.
Suddenly, he heard a faint sound from far behind him. Turning around, he saw only pitch darkness in the forest, with a dim light piercing through from a great distance. It should be the Hundred Herbs Garden; it seemed someone was there.
Startled, he thought: Luo Luo and her people had all moved to the Li Palace, leaving the Hundred Herbs Garden empty. It had been dark for several nights. Why was there suddenly light and voices now? He instinctively looked toward the academy gate. The light in the newly built small wooden house was as before; Chief Jin should still be inside. So… who was in the Hundred Herbs Garden?
Could it be Luo Luo?
He knew this was highly unlikely—if Luo Luo had truly left the Li Palace, she would have come to the National Academy first thing. But he still held onto a faint hope. Jumping from the tree branch to the ground, he walked toward the distant light.
Once he was on the ground from the banyan tree, that faint light was no longer visible, probably blocked by the high wall between the National Academy and the Hundred Herbs Garden. Following the direction in his memory, he continued forward, came to the wall behind the small building, and pushed open the door.
It was a door that Luo Luo had opened.
From the day that door appeared, the National Academy and the Hundred Herbs Garden had essentially become one.
Chen Changsheng pushed open the door, looked at the vine-covered stone corridor before him, was silent for a moment, and then walked through.
The National Academy and the Hundred Herbs Garden were separated only by a wall, with a door connecting them. But for certain reasons—he didn’t want to delve too deeply into Luo Luo’s life, and at the time, he didn’t want to know her true identity to avoid awkwardness between them—this was actually his first time entering the Hundred Herbs Garden.
As a former imperial garden, later managed by the Heavenly Virtue Hall of the State Religion for cultivating medicinal herbs and spiritual fruits, the Hundred Herbs Garden naturally had strict security, but it was concentrated near Baihua Lane and the walls on the southeast sides. There was no one near the side adjacent to the National Academy.
How many hundreds of types of medicinal herbs were planted in this garden? Under the starlight, Chen Changsheng could easily see countless rare herbs recorded in pharmacopoeias, as well as miraculous fruits like the Vermilion Red Fruit swaying gently on their branches in the night breeze.
He was no stranger to these herbs and spiritual fruits. Over the past few months, thanks to Luo Luo, he had eaten no small amount of them.
The ground in the autumn grove was covered with fallen leaves, slightly damp with night dew, and made no sound when stepped on.
He followed the naturally formed path through the grove, drawing closer and closer to that dim light.
Finally, he arrived before that light.
In the autumn grove was a crude stone table, on which sat an ordinary oil lamp.
Sitting by the table was not Luo Luo, but a middle-aged woman.
The oil lamp illuminated her face. Though it was an ordinary countenance, it gave the impression of being hard to see clearly, of being far from ordinary.
Or perhaps it was because the autumn grove was too dense, and the lamplight too dim?