Chapter 113: A New Name on the Azure Cloud List (Part 2)
The voice was very clear, very bright, coming from the depths of the Divine Palace, most likely from the Preaching Hall, and it seemed to be using a sound transmission formation.
People were certain they hadn't misheard, so both sides of the Divine Path instantly fell into dead silence. After a moment, whispers began to arise, then exploded into a roar. It was only then that the people present fully came to their senses and understood what had happened. The news that red goose had brought from afar turned out to be the new Azure Cloud List!
"The Azure Cloud List has been updated!" many young students exclaimed in shock.
It was still deep autumn—why had the Azure Cloud List been updated now?
Countless years ago, when the demon race invaded from the south, to encourage young cultivators to train diligently and strive for excellence, various forces led by the State Religion began establishing rankings. Later, cultivators from the demon race were included, and the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion was responsible for compiling and publishing the lists. No one had ever doubted their fairness, because each list was ultimately personally reviewed by the Heavenly Mechanism Elder.
As the foremost among the Eight Winds and Rains, the Heavenly Mechanism Elder was revered by all for his unparalleled wisdom, profound knowledge, and lofty virtue.
Among all the lists issued by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, the three most famous were the Carefree List, the Golden Touch List, and the Azure Cloud List, known in folklore as the Heaven, Earth, and Human Lists.
To preserve the original intent of these rankings—to encourage young cultivators without causing human elites to weaken their combat effectiveness against the demon race through infighting over fame—the Carefree List had been circulated only orally within a small circle for many years, and the Golden Touch List was only posted on walls. Only the Azure Cloud List—meant to inspire young geniuses to strive forward—was announced to the world and appeared on stone walls outside the Six Ivy Academies and the Longevity Sect.
There was no fixed rule for when the Azure Cloud List would be updated, but over countless years, a convention had formed. It was updated once a year after the Grand Court Examination in the capital, and also after the Stone Cooking Assembly, held every three or five years. Essentially, it was a yearly list, with very few exceptions.
In the last twenty years, the Azure Cloud List had been updated early only twice.
Both early updates were due to special circumstances: the emergence of two geniuses so sudden and dazzling that if the list weren't promptly revised, the fairness of the Azure Cloud List would face immense doubt, and even the authority of the Heavenly Mechanism Elder would be shaken. Even the young geniuses already on the list would feel it was unjust.
The early update a few years ago was due to Autumn Mountain Lord; the most recent early update was due to Xu Yourong... After the Grand Court Examination concluded early this spring, the Azure Cloud List had already been updated once. There was no Stone Cooking Assembly this year, so why was a new list suddenly released in deep autumn? Could it be that another figure like Autumn Mountain Lord or Xu Yourong had appeared this year?
The exclamations on both sides of the Divine Path gradually subsided, but people remained astonished and puzzled. What had happened recently? The Ivy Banquet? No, the Ivy Banquet was held every year and was merely a rehearsal for the Grand Court Examination. It had never been known to influence the Azure Cloud List. Some instinctively looked at Xuan Yuan Po, their confusion deepening.
Xuan Yuan Po was also shocked. He was a simple young demon from a mountain tribe, raised in the wilderness, but even without much experience, he couldn't be ignorant of the Azure Cloud List—it was the list every young genius in the world dreamed of joining, and it had once been his goal. But even he couldn't figure out how he had made it onto the list.
Although he was ranked only 148th on the Azure Cloud List, likely the last place based on the announcement order and past conventions, and it seemed unremarkable, one had to understand that all young cultivators under twenty from both the human and demon races, except the demon race itself, were eligible to compete for a spot on the Azure Cloud List. Making it onto the list was incredibly difficult. In the capital's academies, there was a saying: "To want to climb the Azure Cloud List is hard; to actually climb it is even harder." Being on the list was already an extraordinary achievement.
Of course, exceptions existed for true prodigies like Autumn Mountain Lord, Gou Han Shi, and a few other monstrous young geniuses who had entered the Golden Touch List before turning twenty.
If Xuan Yuan Po himself couldn't understand why he had made the list, others were even more baffled. Many students knew Xuan Yuan Po as a highly valued new student at Star Picking Academy, but he had shown no performance on the first night of the Ivy Banquet before being crippled by Tianhai Ya'er. Even the imperial physicians and professors at Star Picking Academy admitted they couldn't cure him. How had he suddenly entered the Azure Cloud List?
Tang Thirty-Six stood on tiptoe and patted Xuan Yuan Po on the shoulder, startling the still-dazed youth awake. He remarked with emotion, "Not bad. What have you been up to lately? Did you sneak over the academy wall at night to fight someone? Did you go back to Star Picking Academy to settle scores?"
Many present shared Tang Thirty-Six's thoughts. It seemed Xuan Yuan Po's injuries had healed, and he had privately fought some young master on the Azure Cloud List, thus earning a spot on the new list. As for how the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion knew about private matters—that needed no explanation. With full support from the human world's forces and the White Emperor City, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion knew everything in the world.
Tang Thirty-Six then looked at Chen Changsheng and said, "When did you heal him? Why didn't you say anything? At least we should have had some drinks to celebrate."
"Drinking is bad for health," Chen Changsheng habitually explained, then came to his senses and shook his head. "Xuan Yuan's injuries are indeed improving, but he's not fully recovered yet."
Tang Thirty-Six frowned slightly and said to Xuan Yuan Po, "Since you're not fully healed, don't fight anyone. Striving for a temporary spot on the Azure Cloud List is meaningless."
Xuan Yuan Po shook his head and said, "I've been eating and cooking with you all at the National Teaching Academy every day. I haven't gone out at all."
Tang Thirty-Six was astonished. "Then how did you get onto the Azure Cloud List?"
Xuan Yuan Po replied honestly, "I don't know either."
Tang Thirty-Six was stunned into silence, thinking: This guy came from the demon race to the human world just half a year ago, is still seriously injured, hasn't fought a single battle, and yet he's on the Azure Cloud List. Could the Heavenly Mechanism Elder be senile, or is this guy the White Emperor's illegitimate son? Then he'd be Luo Luo's half-brother, but judging by how they interacted that night, that didn't seem likely...
His thoughts spiraled endlessly, and many others present had also drifted far in their speculations.
Thinking was always fast; in reality, not much time had passed. After a burst of noise, both sides of the Divine Path quickly quieted down.
The sound transmission formation in the Divine Palace's Preaching Hall continued to deliver voices.
The voice was bright and clear, as refreshing as the autumn wind.
The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion's commentary on Xuan Yuan Po was very simple and sounded equally refreshing.
"Abundant true essence, great strength, injuries can heal. If a secret method can be found, there is promise. Excellent fortune, meeting a wise teacher in the capital, thus placed at the bottom of the list."
The most important role of the Azure Cloud List was to inspire young geniuses to strive forward, so each time a new list was released, to avoid disputes, commentary—or reasons—were given. Those few brief lines were very simple yet very precise, and everyone accepted them because they were personally written by the Heavenly Mechanism Elder.
These words meant that his cultivation potential was considerable, his strength astonishing, and his right arm, crippled by Tianhai Ya'er, could be healed. After recovery, if he could cultivate a secret method suited to his demon race's strong cultivators, the future was promising. The most important information in these words was that he had met a very good teacher in the capital.
Xuan Yuan Po listened seriously, thinking that his teacher was Princess Luo Luo, who was naturally very, very good. And the princess's teacher... He instinctively looked at Chen Changsheng. At that moment, Tang Thirty-Six also understood the meaning of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion's commentary and looked at Chen Changsheng, shaking his head with emotion.
Only those from the National Teaching Academy knew certain things; others did not. Wondering who Xuan Yuan Po's teacher was, and hearing the phrase "secret method suited to his demon race's strong cultivators," some noticed Jin Yulu standing beside the three youths from the National Teaching Academy and suddenly had a flash of insight, thinking they understood the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion's commentary. Although many still didn't understand why the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion had included Xuan Yuan Po on the Azure Cloud List, hearing the commentary personally written by the Heavenly Mechanism Elder, even if some were dissatisfied, no one dared to voice doubts. Besides, at this moment, who had the mood to care about Xuan Yuan Po and the National Teaching Academy?
The grudges between the National Teaching Academy and the Ivy Academies, the engagement between Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, even the confrontation and probing between the old and new factions of the Great Zhou Dynasty—none of these were the focus of people's attention today. From the capital to White Emperor City, from Saintess Peak to the Boundless Valley, from Li Mountain to the Locust Tree Academy, and even the distant Snow Old City, everyone would only care about one thing.
As always, on the day the Azure Cloud List was updated, the entire continent's attention was drawn to this matter. Everyone could only hear the names on the list, one by one. Moreover, this year's Azure Cloud List was temporarily updated in deep autumn, which meant major changes were inevitable, so people were even more focused.
The autumn forests on both sides of the Divine Path were silent, with only the rustling of wind through the treetops and the pecking of birds. Teachers and students from several academies, including the clergy from the Divine Palace who had come to watch, all stared in the direction of the Preaching Hall, listening intently to the voices coming from there, afraid of missing a single word.
The voices from the Preaching Hall continued without pause, and the entire capital could hear the names of those youths.
Among those names were familiar ones and unfamiliar ones, young geniuses long renowned in the world, and fellows like Xuan Yuan Po who had emerged from some unknown mountain wilderness. A professor from the Divine Palace's affiliated academy even heard the name of a student who had joined the academy temporarily after passing the Grand Court Examination preparatory course. Overjoyed, he nearly pulled out his own beard.
Apart from these names, the entire continent was silent.
Today, at the Divine Palace, at the Locust Tree Academy, at White Emperor City, and in countless places across the continent, how many people were listening to these names, tense and hopeful? Some wept, some raised their arms in triumph, some were haunted by dreams, some driven to obsession. No one didn't want to be on the list, and those who had been on it could no longer bear the fate of falling off.
This was the Azure Cloud List.
(The next chapter will be a bit late; I'm working on it.)