Chapter 139: The Wolf Tribe Youth
Upon hearing these words, Chen Changsheng knew who the youth in the pavilion was. From the time he first met Tang Thirty-Six until their days as classmates in the National Academy, he had heard the term "wolf cub" from Tang Thirty-Six's mouth far too many times. Only now did he realize that the little wolf had always been in the north.
Wolves are not dogs, so "wolf cub" naturally lacks the insulting connotation of "dog cub." Tang Thirty-Six and many other young prodigies on the Azure Cloud List habitually used the term "wolf cub" to describe that fearsome youth from the north. In truth, they deliberately tried to maintain a parallel perspective, to close some distance, while the hidden implication was... reverence.
Chen Changsheng first heard Tang Thirty-Six mention the term "wolf cub" at the inn in front of the Heavenly Book Mausoleum. Even then, he felt that Tang Thirty-Six's tone when uttering those three words was complex, carrying wariness and even a certain respect. For someone as proud as Tang Thirty-Six, even figures like Autumn Mountain Lord and Gou Hanshi could not earn his genuine respect.
He never asked Tang Thirty-Six who that wolf cub really was, nor did he inquire about the cub's origins or master. At the time, all his energy and time were devoted to cultivation and study. Moreover, judging by Tang Thirty-Six's tone when mentioning him, that wolf cub seemed to be at the ends of the earth, so he naturally paid him no mind.
Until today, before the Li Palace, facing the rising sun, his gaze fell upon this youth clad only in a thin garment and could no longer look away. Only now did he finally learn that this youth bore a unique name—Zhe Xiu. He suspected that even if he wanted to forget this name in the future, it would prove very difficult.
"Furious Zhe Xiu..." Luo Luo stood beside him, gazing at the youth beneath the pavilion, and said softly, "This is also my first time seeing him."
Chen Changsheng heard a slight tremor in her voice and looked down in surprise. Seeing the sympathy in her eyes as she watched that youth, he inexplicably felt a bit uneasy.
"I think everyone present should be seeing him for the first time."
Tang Thirty-Six looked at that youth, his expression complex, and said, "From birth to cultivation to hunting, he has always been on that cold snowfield in the north, never leaving. Even the people at Yongxue Pass rarely see his figure, let alone folks like us living in times of peace and prosperity."
Hearing these words full of emotion, Chen Changsheng was silent for a while, then asked, "What kind of person is he really?"
"He is a half-breed."
Tang Thirty-Six glanced at Luo Luo and said, "A true half-breed."
The alliance between the demon and human races was close, but intermarriage was extremely rare, and there were no tragic love stories to speak of.
This was because intermarriage between the two races often led to undesirable outcomes.
Half-breeds were the offspring of unions between demons and humans, blending the bloodlines of both races. They were naturally gifted in intelligence but often encountered insurmountable obstacles in cultivation.
Luo Luo's father was the White Emperor, and her mother was a human princess from the Great Western Continent. Strictly speaking, she too was a half-breed. Nominally, because she was female, she could not cultivate the White Emperor's violent techniques. In truth, only a few closest to the White Emperor's royal family knew that it was precisely because of her half-breed bloodline that she could not master the White Emperor's techniques to their deepest levels.
The White Emperor and his wife loved each other deeply, and the White Emperor would never take another consort. The couple doted on their only daughter Luo Luo and were unwilling to have more children. Since Luo Luo could not cultivate the White Emperor's clan techniques to their peak, she could not inherit the throne. This was the greatest problem facing the vast demon territory today. This was why great figures of the demon race like Jin Yulu and Lady Li treated Chen Changsheng like a clansman—not only because Luo Luo had taken him as her teacher, but also because they saw the prospect that with Chen Changsheng's help, Princess Luo Luo might solve this problem.
The youth named Zhe Xiu was very similar to Luo Luo. His father was from the wolf tribe, his mother human. However, his parents' bloodlines were not as powerful and noble as Luo Luo's parents. The paternal bloodline held a great advantage, so his cultivation talent remained relatively intact. Unfortunately, the problems he faced were also countless times more severe than Luo Luo's.
Two years ago, when the Great Zhou court discussed military merits, Her Holiness the Saint Empress and His Holiness the Pope had a conversation. The content of that conversation later leaked out, and the entire continent learned that this wolf tribe youth had a problem—a major problem that was very difficult to solve, one that even Her Holiness and His Holiness could not resolve. No one knew what that problem was.
In the end, some secret news came from Snow Old City to the Central Plains. Based on accounts from a few demons who had narrowly escaped from the wolf tribe youth, it could be roughly confirmed that the problem facing this wolf tribe youth was likely mental in nature. This was probably why, on that brutal snowfield, he was called "Furious Zhe Xiu" by both demon and human armies.
After hearing all this, Chen Changsheng once again looked at the youth beneath the pavilion and suddenly felt he seemed even more lonely.
Xuan Yuan Po said, "He's also very famous among the tribes in our region."
In the vast demon territory, most tribes still lived by hunting and held the finest hunters in the highest regard.
Furious Zhe Xiu was the finest hunter.
He did not interact with the human world, nor did he deal with the demon race. He walked the snowfield, making his living by hunting demons.
In recent years, the number of demons who had died by his hand was incalculable.
Whether intentionally or not, he had solved many problems for the Great Zhou Northern Army, so when the Great Zhou court discussed military merits, his name was never omitted. When he wanted to participate in the Grand Examination under the name of a student from the Star Plucking Academy, the Great Zhou military, from top to bottom, extended the warmest welcome.
Just then, Su Moyu walked over, looked toward the distant pavilion, and asked, "You recognized him too?"
Chen Changsheng nodded.
"Earlier during the written exam, Gou Hanshi and Tianhai Shengxue looked at him strangely, which made me wonder if it might be him." Su Moyu bowed to Luo Luo and added, "I heard that His Majesty the White Emperor, like Her Holiness the Saint Empress, wanted to win his allegiance, but no one could find him. I never expected he would come to participate in the Grand Examination."
A wolf travels a thousand miles for meat.
Why would this wolf tribe youth, who had always kept to himself, leave the snowfield and come to the bustling capital for the Grand Examination?
"Is he interested in the Heavenly Book?" Chen Changsheng looked toward the direction of the Heavenly Book Mausoleum.
Tang Thirty-Six said, "Everyone is interested in the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, but if you converted all the demons he killed into military merits, it would definitely be enough for him to enter the mausoleum many times over."
No one knew why this wolf tribe youth had come to the Grand Examination.
By now, all the examinees knew his identity, but no one approached that pavilion, nor did anyone try to speak with that youth.
Even the examiners looked at him with reverence and were unwilling to get close.
Even Gou Hanshi and Tianhai Shengxue, who had already reached the Thorough Illumination realm and were the strongest present, did not walk over.
That youth stood there, still alone. The mountain and the pavilion became lonely because of him.
"He is very strong," Luo Luo suddenly said.
The wolf tribe youth was naturally very strong. He had always ranked second on the Azure Cloud List, only surpassed this year when the list was temporarily revised and Luo Luo overtook him. For the past two years, he had been second only to Xu Yourong. Many believed this was because he rarely showed himself. If it came to a life-and-death struggle, even Xu Yourong might not be his match.
Because this youth's greatest skill was killing.
At this moment, everyone on the south bank of Qu River—including examiners and examinees—combined had certainly not taken as many lives as he had.
From the direction of Zhaowen Hall came the clear, leisurely sound of bells, signaling the end of both the written and martial examinations of the Grand Examination.
After counting, the examinees who had not yet been eliminated numbered one hundred and thirteen.
The Grand Examination selected the top three ranks: the first rank had three people, the second rank ten, and the third rank thirty, totaling forty-three people.
This was the same every year.
Because there were only forty-three paths to ascend the Heavenly Book Mausoleum.
Entering the third rank and gaining the qualification to enter the Heavenly Book Mausoleum was the goal of most examinees participating in the Grand Examination.
Viewing the Heavenly Book to comprehend the Dao was the dream of all cultivators, and countless years of fact had long proven it to be the necessary path to becoming a true powerhouse.
The examinees were reordered according to the time they had crossed Qu River.
That wolf tribe youth naturally ranked number one.
People looked at him with complex eyes, knowing full well that the name Zhang Tingtao was false.
Led by the Li Palace priests, over a hundred examinees left the grassy meadows and sparse woods on the south bank of Qu River and walked deeper into the Chaoyang Garden.
Before long, they arrived before a green tree.
In early spring, the branches along the capital's streets and alleys had only sprouted tender green buds, but this tree was covered in countless green leaves, swaying endlessly in the slightly cold wind, like a smug fellow.
This green tree had much to be smug about—not just its lush greenery, but also its height.
A faint mist veiled the high branches, and the treetop was invisible.
The trunk was extremely thick, requiring at least a dozen people to encircle it.
At the base of the green tree was a hollow, dark and somewhat eerie.
The Li Palace priests actually led the examinees into the tree hollow.
Beyond the tree hollow lay a different world.
It was a sky of porcelain blue, even more perfect than the sky outside the tree.
Several layers of thin clouds floated in the blue sky.
In the distance, a few palaces could faintly be seen.
Chen Changsheng felt a sense of familiarity.
Luo Luo said, "Teacher, you have been here before."
Only then did Chen Changsheng realize that the venue for the Grand Examination's combat rounds was actually within the Lesser Li Palace, or rather, the Academy.
In the cultivation world, this place had a more famous name.
His Holiness the Pope's Green Leaf World.
Those examinees who had entered a small world for the first time opened their mouths slightly, their faces full of shock.
Just like Chen Changsheng and Xuan Yuan Po when they first came here.
Now, Chen Changsheng naturally would not again show the country-boy expression that Tang Thirty-Six had once mocked.
He was calm, and so he did not miss certain details.
Looking at His Holiness the Pope's Green Leaf World, many examinees were exclaiming in wonder.
That wolf tribe youth did not look at this world. He was looking at Luo Luo.
A strong sense of crisis suddenly arose in Chen Changsheng's heart.
(Only one chapter today. I need to prepare the details for tomorrow's combat rounds; some parts are not yet sorted out. Three chapters tomorrow.)