Chapter 217: Examining the Stele by Night (Part 1)
The night had grown deep.
Unlike the previous day, not so many people remained intoxicated before the stele, reluctant to leave. Those who still lingered before the Heavenly Book Stele possessed relatively strong spiritual perception, enabling them to persist until now. Chen Changsheng glanced around and saw two examinees from Star Plucking Academy, that senior sister from Holy Maiden Peak and the young girl named Ye Xiaolian, along with several examinees he had seen during the Grand Examination but whose names and origins he couldn't recall. The most conspicuous were the three scholars from Huaiyuan Academy in their plain robes, standing closest to the stele, their garments starkly visible in the night.
A casual glance revealed a pattern: the closer people were to the stele pavilion, the stronger their cultivation base. Whether this was an unspoken rule or the result of prior disputes was unclear.
The three Huaiyuan scholars stood nearest to the stele pavilion.
Zhong Hui stood before the pavilion, gazing at the stele in silence. His two classmates, however, stared warily at Chen Changsheng. Chen Changsheng was not surprised by this. During the Grand Examination matches, Zhong Hui had been defeated by Luoluo, and Huo Guang had been severely injured by him, unable to continue. The Huaiyuan Academy's hostility toward the National Academy was only natural.
Gou Hanshi and he had come after being stirred by Xun Mei's notes, feeling a sudden inspiration to examine the stele under the starlight. Naturally, they walked toward the stele pavilion. But as soon as they took a step, it stirred another commotion around them. Over a dozen pairs of eyes followed their movements, each filled with different emotions. To reach the Heavenly Book Stele, they would inevitably have to displace the three Huaiyuan scholars.
The two Huaiyuan scholars did not yield. They looked at Gou Hanshi and Chen Changsheng with cold expressions and said, "First come, first served."
This seemed reasonable enough, yet a cold sneer rang out from the crowd outside the pavilion: "Earlier, you said your senior brother was the top of the Grand Examination, so you demanded we make way. Why didn't you talk about first come, first served then? Now that the first and second place of the Grand Examination are here, can you refuse to yield?"
The two Huaiyuan scholars flushed with rage.
Only then did Gou Hanshi and Chen Changsheng learn what had happened earlier. They disapproved of the Huaiyuan scholars' conduct and continued forward, walking past the two scholars without even glancing at them, directly reaching the front of the stele pavilion and standing behind Zhong Hui.
The two Huaiyuan scholars grew even more furious. They wanted to retort, but recalling the voice from the crowd earlier, they found themselves unable to argue. As for starting a fight, they dared not.
Zhong Hui withdrew his gaze from the stele's surface, turned, and bowed respectfully to Gou Hanshi. When he looked at Chen Changsheng standing beside Gou Hanshi, however, there was no respect in his eyes.
Like many renowned young talents, Zhong Hui held a poor impression of Chen Changsheng. Even though Chen Changsheng had broken through to the Penetrating Obscurity realm during the Grand Examination, surpassing them in cultivation, they still believed he was merely lucky or had been favored by some powerful figures in the National Religion.
"I haven't seen you around these past two days," Zhong Hui said, his expression indifferent. "Are you that confident in deciphering the stele? Or have you realized your luck has run out and decided to give up entirely?"
In past years, the top-ranked examinee of the Grand Examination could decipher the first Heavenly Book Stele within five days at the latest. You are the top-ranked examinee of our cohort. If you take too long, you'll only embarrass us as well. I hope you won't disappoint me."
Chen Changsheng was studying the stele under the starlight, his mind absorbed in the intricate lines and their transformations. Hearing this, he was puzzled and asked casually, "We're not close. Even if I can't decipher this Heavenly Book Stele, what does it have to do with you? Why would you be disappointed?"
Zhong Hui was taken aback. He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and said, "Sharp tongue indeed."
Chen Changsheng didn't respond. He walked directly to Zhong Hui's side and said, "Excuse me, please move."
Zhong Hui was standing in the best spot before the stele pavilion—closest to the stele without blocking the starlight. Hearing this, he could no longer contain his fury and clenched his fists.
To everyone present, Chen Changsheng's first remark was a clear dismissal, and his second was a seemingly polite but forceful demand. Even the person who had earlier mocked the Huaiyuan scholars thought Chen Changsheng was deliberately humiliating Zhong Hui. Only Gou Hanshi, observing Chen Changsheng's expression, guessed that he genuinely just wanted Zhong Hui to move aside.
Gou Hanshi shook his head and followed Chen Changsheng as he stepped forward in front of Zhong Hui.
His robes trembled in the night breeze. Zhong Hui was now at the peak of his anger, and the other two Huaiyuan classmates were equally incensed. The three of them were on the verge of attacking Chen Changsheng, but Gou Hanshi positioned himself between them and Chen Changsheng, forcing them to calm down. They recalled the difference between the Observation Realm and the Penetrating Obscurity Realm... They were no match for Gou Hanshi, and by extension, they couldn't defeat Chen Changsheng either.
If you can't win, anger loses its power. The two Huaiyuan scholars remained indignant, but Zhong Hui forced himself to calm down, stepped back a few paces, and made way for Gou Hanshi and Chen Changsheng. Staring at Chen Changsheng's back, he said nothing more, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his lips. As he had said earlier, Chen Changsheng had rarely appeared before the stele pavilion these past two days. In his view, it was surely an act. He simply didn't believe Chen Changsheng could replicate his Grand Examination luck here at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum. Could you really make flowers bloom from this stele?
...
...
Starlight fell upon the Zhaoging Stele, coating its intricate lines with a layer of silver, as if mercury were slowly flowing within them. An indescribable sense of vitality appeared before Chen Changsheng's eyes. He did not mobilize his spiritual perception, nor did he let the true essence in his meridians follow those lines, nor did he attempt to deduce any sword intent from their trajectories. He simply watched quietly, perceived, and absorbed. He confirmed once more that the scenes he had seen at dawn were real, and the images he had visualized with his spiritual perception in the courtyard that afternoon were also true. A faint smile gradually appeared on his face.
"Have you gained something?" Gou Hanshi asked, startled by the change in his expression.
Chen Changsheng nodded. "I had some doubts because I thought it was too simple, but a few lines in the notes reminded me."
Gou Hanshi said, "You still insist on using that most primitive method of interpretation?"
Chen Changsheng replied, "It might be clumsier and slower, but it suits me best."
The area around the stele pavilion fell silent. Everyone was listening intently, including Zhong Hui. Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi were universally acknowledged as the two who had thoroughly read the Daoist Canon. Their discussion on deciphering the Heavenly Book Stele was not to be missed. But what notes was Chen Changsheng referring to?
"What is the most primitive method? Turning lines into numbers?" The senior sister from Holy Maiden Peak, who was acquainted with Gou Hanshi, stepped forward curiously.
Gou Hanshi glanced at Chen Changsheng.
"We thought the most primitive method was to set aside true essence, spiritual perception, and techniques entirely. It's not about turning lines into numbers, but..." Chen Changsheng turned to face the young woman from Holy Maiden Peak and began to explain earnestly, ready to share his insights and clarify his view that the true meaning of the Heavenly Book should be hidden within the transformations of the stele's inscriptions. But then...
A cold, harsh rebuke cut through the night.
"Utterly absurd!"
A middle-aged man had arrived at the scene at some unknown time, his expression exceptionally cold.
Seeing this man, Zhong Hui and the other two Huaiyuan scholars showed joy on their faces and hurried forward to bow. "Greetings, Uncle-Master."
Chen Changsheng realized that this middle-aged man was the stele attendant who had sternly reprimanded him that morning. Only now did he learn that this man was an elder of Huaiyuan Academy.
The middle-aged man walked to the front of the stele pavilion, glared at Gou Hanshi and Chen Changsheng, and barked, "I heard you two youngsters have read through the Daoist Canon. I didn't expect you to be nothing but ignorant brats spouting nonsense!"
...
...
If you find Zhetian Ji enjoyable, please recommend our website's URL to your friends! lu5.lu5.**