Chapter 112: A New Name on the Azure Cloud Ranking (Part 1)
Descending the stone steps and arriving at the Sacred Way, aside from the guest courtyard where the southern delegation remained silent, the areas outside the other academies were already buzzing with noise. Figures filled the autumn woods along the path, and many people stood on the Sacred Way itself. Teachers from the Li Palace Affiliated Academy, the Azure Thirteen Divisions, and the Ancestral Sacrifice Office had appeared, and even priests from the main Li Palace hall had come to watch the excitement. The reason for such commotion was naturally the words Tang Thirty-Six had left behind in the courtyard before heading to Qingxian Hall that morning.
The priest who had led Chen Changsheng and the others out of Qingxian Hall held a considerable position within the Li Palace. Frowning at the chaotic scene on the Sacred Way, he sternly barked a few reprimands. Teachers from the academies quickly came out to restore order, driving the students who had tried to intercept Chen Changsheng and his companions on the Sacred Way to the sides of the path.
Chen Changsheng and the other two walked forward on the Sacred Way. Hundreds, perhaps even more, young students watched them from the autumn woods on either side. The scene was very similar to that morning, except now the students' gazes were filled more with disdain and contempt. Someone from an unknown academy shouted, "Tang Tang, if you've got guts, don't leave!"
This was a retort to Tang Thirty-Six's words from that morning, drawing a wave of jeering laughter. Given Tang Thirty-Six's temperament, he would normally refuse to back down, but the priest gave him a cold, hard look. Not wanting to cause too much trouble for the National Academy, he said irritably, "I just don't like being called Tang Tang."
Seeing even Tang Thirty-Six swallowing his pride, the young students grew even more spirited. They knew full well how strict and severe that frosty-faced priest was, so no one dared to step onto the Sacred Way. But they weren't about to miss the chance to verbally attack the National Academy.
"Chen Changsheng, besides relying on Princess Luoluo's backing, do you have any other skills?"
"If it weren't for Princess Luoluo's arrangements, wouldn't you have been afraid to even come down those stone steps just now?"
"Not necessarily. He could always pull out that marriage contract as a talisman."
"Yeah, Xu Yourong's fiancé... tsk tsk, who would dare to offend him?"
From the autumn woods on both sides of the Sacred Way, sour and sarcastic remarks kept coming, full of mockery and ridicule, showing no sign of fear of offending. Then someone started jeering that he was just a kept man.
Tang Thirty-Six's face grew uglier and uglier. Chen Changsheng kept his head slightly lowered, continuing forward as if he hadn't heard anything, his hands hidden in his sleeves, their shape unseen. Just like when the National Academy was besieged in that autumn rain, he knew very well where this hostility came from. It wasn't because of the verbal clash that morning, nor was it related to that junior sister from the Holy Maiden Peak who had never reappeared. It was only because of her.
That woman named Xu Yourong.
Yet this matter couldn't be blamed on her at all. She had nothing to do with it.
So it seemed he could only bear it in silence.
Suddenly, the sounds of mockery receded like a tide. Chen Changsheng looked up and saw a quiet, noble-looking young student standing on the Sacred Way. Despite the priest's reprimands and the pressure from the teachers, the Sacred Way was empty, wide, straight, and cold. Yet this student had come onto it.
It was Su Moyu from the Li Palace Affiliated Academy.
Su Moyu first bowed to the priest, then clasped his hands in greeting to Chen Changsheng. Chen Changsheng returned the gesture. Su Moyu held a special position in the Li Palace Affiliated Academy, similar to Zhuang Huanyu's status in the Heavenly Dao Academy. Even this priest, who wielded real power, had to show him some face, so the priest only frowned without scolding him.
"Their words were very rude. On behalf of the Li Palace Affiliated Academy, I apologize to you," Su Moyu said.
Chen Changsheng replied, "No need."
Su Moyu showed no intention of moving out of the way, still standing on the Sacred Way.
Tang Thirty-Six raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Does this mean you want to fight?"
Su Moyu shook his head and bowed again to the priest sent by Princess Luoluo. "With Priest Huo here, would we students dare to be so presumptuous?"
The priest surnamed Huo's expression softened slightly, but he said nothing.
"If you're not fighting and you're not getting out of the way, what do you mean?" Tang Thirty-Six's eyes narrowed.
Su Moyu ignored him and looked at Chen Changsheng. "I have some words I want to say to you."
Chen Changsheng said, "Please, speak."
"Have you ever thought about why everyone is so rude to you?" Su Moyu asked.
Chen Changsheng didn't answer, because the answer was very clear.
"What people say may be harsh, tinged with jealousy, and very rude, but... that doesn't mean it's unreasonable. Because what you have now, no matter how you look at it, doesn't seem like something you should possess."
Su Moyu looked at him calmly and continued, "Because you are not strong enough."
At these words, Tang Thirty-Six and Xuan Yuan Po's expressions changed slightly. Even the teachers from the Li Palace Affiliated Academy or the Ancestral Sacrifice Office by the roadside showed looks of disapproval.
"Yes, at the Green Vine Banquet, you debated with Gou Hanshi, seemingly helping the National Academy defeat the Li Mountain Sword Sect... but I don't see it that way. I just think you were lucky, gaining many powerful companions. Princess Luoluo possesses the bloodline talent of the White Emperor's clan and is a genius in her own right. Your meeting her can only be explained by luck. Tang Tang is also a young genius on the Azure Cloud Ranking. If he weren't too arrogant and hadn't broken with the Heavenly Dao Academy, how could he have ended up in the National Academy?"
Chen Changsheng remained silent.
"What does it mean to be strong? Being strong yourself and also making your companions strong—that is true strength. In this Grand Examination, I don't expect to make the top list myself, but I hope the number of students from the Li Palace Affiliated Academy who make it will surpass the Heavenly Dao Academy and Star Picking Academy, making us the top of the Six Ivy Academies. But at least I won't drag down the Li Palace Affiliated Academy. And you? When you take the exams in the Grand Examination, can you still rely on clever tricks like at the Green Vine Banquet? What good is being widely read? What good is having knowledge comparable to Gou Hanshi? If Gou Hanshi hadn't already reached the Penetrating Obscurity realm, why would he be ranked second among the Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom, even earning respect from Qiu Shan Jun?"
Su Moyu looked at him seriously and said, "Only reading books without knowing how to use them—you can find plenty of such people in village schools. Do you think you can help your companions? No, they are helping you. Without them, you are just a useless scholar, a burden to the National Academy."
Tang Thirty-Six sneered, "It sounds like you care more about the National Academy's results than we do."
"Of course."
Su Moyu lifted his chin slightly, not hiding his emotions. "I am a very old-fashioned person. Like many old-fashioned people in the Li Palace and the academies, I have infinite longing and nostalgia for the National Academy's glorious past. We all hope to see its revival. That's why I specifically came to say this. I hope you can work harder. I hope that by the time of the Grand Examination, you can at least succeed in Marrow Cleansing. Even if you're still a burden to the National Academy, at least you won't look too disgraceful."
Having said this, he stepped aside.
Chen Changsheng rarely saw someone so serious, stern, and even somewhat dull. He felt stifled and helpless. Then, thinking of himself, he began to sympathize with Tang Thirty-Six and the others.
Tang Thirty-Six didn't think Su Moyu and Chen Changsheng were the same kind of person. Although both seemed dull, with their own set of beliefs that they stubbornly held, Chen Changsheng rarely forced his views on others.
He knew Chen Changsheng's mood was low, which made him even more annoyed with Su Moyu. Who did he think he was, looking down from on high and dictating the future of the National Academy?
He sneered, "Spouting all this nonsense—what's the point?"
Su Moyu said proudly, "When your ranking on the Azure Cloud Ranking surpasses mine, you can come and tell me that what I said today was wrong."
Tang Thirty-Six straightened his blue robe and said arrogantly, "Then let's fight."
Su Moyu replied woodenly, "I won't fight you."
Tang Thirty-Six was stunned. "If you won't fight me, how can I surpass you?"
Su Moyu said, "I promised the Dean that before the Grand Examination, I would guard my heart and nurture my qi, and absolutely not make a move."
Tang Thirty-Six was furious. "Isn't that too shameless?"
Hearing this, the students from the Li Palace Affiliated Academy shouted in protest, but Su Moyu's expression remained unchanged, showing a kind of indifference to praise or blame. "We'll meet in the Grand Examination. What's the hurry?"
Tang Thirty-Six raged, "Does that mean I can't slap your face until the Azure Cloud Ranking is updated?"
Su Moyu said calmly, "You can think of it that way."
Tang Thirty-Six was about to go mad from frustration. Deciding to ignore the priest surnamed Huo and the teachers by the roadside, he put his hand on his sword hilt, ready to slash at Su Moyu a couple of times.
Chen Changsheng reached out and pressed his arm, shaking his head.
He saw clearly that Su Moyu, this genius youth from the Li Palace Affiliated Academy, wasn't the type to enjoy humiliating opponents. He was just naturally awkward, too rule-bound, or rather, too old-fashioned. He respected authority and took rankings like the Azure Cloud Ranking very seriously, but he also kept his promises. Not to mention that with so many Li Palace elders on both sides of the Sacred Way, they wouldn't let Tang Thirty-Six make a move. Even if Tang Thirty-Six really drew his sword and struck, given Su Moyu's personality, he might just stand there and let himself be cut.
Besides, Chen Changsheng's own mood was also troubled. Even if Tang Thirty-Six cut Su Moyu into a flower, or talked him into a flower, it wouldn't solve the problem Su Moyu had raised.
His inability to cultivate was his fatal weakness, which was why he couldn't speak with confidence and was being called a kept man. Only by finding a way to solve the Marrow Cleansing problem could he correct the world's prejudice against him, or their preconceived notions, and prove himself in the Grand Examination.
Of course, above proving himself, he had an even more important reason for participating in the Grand Examination, which also required him to solve the Marrow Cleansing problem. Su Moyu had simply brought this issue to the surface today.
There was another person present who was also unhappy. Xuan Yuan Po stared at Su Moyu, and after holding it in for a long time, finally blurted out, "With a body like a little chicken, you dare to teach us what it means to be strong?"
"You? When you make it onto the Azure Cloud Ranking, then come and talk to me."
Su Moyu glanced at him, then turned and walked back toward the Li Palace Affiliated Academy. Laughter erupted at Xuan Yuan Po's expense.
Compared to the burly frame of the young demon, Su Moyu was just an ordinary human youth, naturally appearing much thinner and weaker. But his words carried weight.
Strength, after all, had nothing to do with physique.
One was a genius ranked thirty-third on the Azure Cloud Ranking; the other was a young demon who had just arrived from the Red River Tribe to the bustling human capital and had only recently begun his cultivation. How could the two be compared?
Xuan Yuan Po thought it over and found he couldn't think of a way to refute him.
Chen Changsheng looked at him with a slightly apologetic smile.
Just then, Xuan Yuan Po heard someone calling his name.
The voice was very far away, very faint, but he heard it clearly. Someone was indeed calling him.
He turned and looked into the depths of the Li Palace, asking somewhat bewilderedly, "Who's calling me?"
Demons had keener hearing and eyesight than ordinary humans. He had heard the sound, but the human students by the Sacred Way hadn't. They thought he was pretending to be crazy to cover up his earlier embarrassment, and they burst into laughter.
But a moment later, the sound reached them from deep within the Li Palace.
The voice was very clear, and the words were spoken distinctly.
No one was calling Xuan Yuan Po's name.
Someone was announcing Xuan Yuan Po's name.
"Xuan Yuan Po, Kyoto National Academy, Azure Cloud Ranking, one hundred and forty-eight."
The autumn wind entered the woods, yellow leaves rustled, and silence fell on both sides of the Sacred Way.
Xuan Yuan Po's mouth hung open. He didn't understand what was happening.
Countless gazes fell upon him.
The young students in the autumn woods were shocked into silence.
Had the Azure Cloud Ranking begun to update?
How was that possible?
And what had this guy done to deserve a place on it?
(I got home at 2:30 AM, took a shower, and continued the work I hadn't finished on the plane. Finally got the update done. I'm home now, everything is fine. I'll resume two updates a day starting tomorrow. I'll make up for the day I missed. As for that day... I'll talk about it tomorrow. Li Xiaomin, my wife and I are about to brew the tea you gave us. Wishing you a happy marriage. Xiao Bao, please pass on the message that the face mask has been delivered to the boss as well. Anyway, these past few days have been tough. Thank you all. I didn't get to see many friends in Shanghai, which is really a pity, but I've been incredibly busy these days... except for the night I got drunk. I'll explain that night tomorrow. Thanks again, everyone. The best news is that yesterday I figured out the most interesting parts of Ze Tian Ji from here on out. See you all tomorrow. Oh, and since I'm forced to use this Wubi input method again, which isn't very good, there might be many errors. Please bear with me for now. I'll correct them later. I'll get my original computer fully fixed as soon as possible.)