Chapter 47: The Enrollment Storm (Part 1)
“Of course it is. This article was first published by.”
Tang Thirty-Six’s face showed no trace of frustration. “Have you noticed that although no one has stepped forward yet, more and more people are coming to watch us?”
Xuan Yuan Po was suffering greatly from the heat, panting heavily as he said, “What good does it do us if the entire capital comes to see our joke?”
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng couldn’t help but laugh.
“What a clumsy bear,” Tang Thirty-Six said to Chen Changsheng. “Take a closer look at the crowd. Don’t you see many more young people than before, with brighter eyes?”
Chen Changsheng looked at the crowd and realized it was true. Today, many more young people had come to watch the commotion at the National Academy.
“They’re not here to watch the excitement…” Tang Thirty-Six glanced at Xuan Yuan Po and said, “Nor are they here to see a joke. They’re here to see us.”
Chen Changsheng was slightly surprised and asked, “Do you mean they’re actually considering enrolling?”
“Exactly.” Tang Thirty-Six glanced at the teahouse not far away, then at the Tianhai family experts on the outskirts of the crowd who wore contemptuous expressions, and said, “Everyone has forgotten one thing. The preparatory exams for next year’s Grand Examination are coming up soon, and after that comes the Ivy Banquet. Right now, the capital is full of young students. Meridian Cleansing? Even Sitting Meditation Realm isn’t that rare.”
Chen Changsheng recalled the young scholars he and Luo Luo had seen on the streets around the time of last year’s Grand Examination preparatory exams and understood why Tang Thirty-Six had remained so confident.
Those young students from other prefectures or even the south, unlike the students of the Six Ivies, had no academy background, so their overall level was much lower. But that didn’t mean their talent was poor. In fact, every year after the Grand Examination preparatory exams and the Ivy Banquet, many students from outlying prefectures were recruited by the Six Ivies. Naturally, these young students also hoped to enter the Six Ivies, learn truly profound cultivation methods, follow renowned teachers, and gain a powerful academy background.
The National Academy was also one of the Six Ivies, so it must hold some appeal for these students from other prefectures.
“But… why won’t they come forward to sign up? They haven’t even asked a single question.”
Chen Changsheng looked at a young boy in the crowd who seemed nervous and naive, asking in confusion.
“Come on, today… no, this summer, the National Academy has been the focus of the entire capital. These poor country kids don’t have the guts to stick their heads out. Someone needs to give them a push.”
“Hmm… when I came to the capital last year, I was also a country boy.”
“The first thing you did when you entered the capital was go to the Eastern Divine General’s mansion to break off your engagement. Do you think everyone has a face as thick and guts as big as yours?”
Just then, Tang Thirty-Six noticed that the expressions of the young people in the crowd were growing increasingly anxious and conflicted. He felt more confident and said in a low voice, “The timing is right.”
The shade from the umbrella wasn’t enough, and the inkstone on the table had been scorched by the sun. When Xuan Yuan Po moved it, his fingers were red and sore from the heat. Hearing Tang Thirty-Six’s words, he thought he was mocking him again and would soon say something like “braised bear paws.” He was about to raise his fist and argue, but then he was startled.
With a rustle, Tang Thirty-Six jumped onto the table.
A wind rose, and the umbrella was blown aside.
The crowd suddenly fell silent. No one was talking anymore. They looked at the entrance of the National Academy, at Tang Thirty-Six standing on the table, wondering what he was about to do. At that moment, sunlight fell on him. His expensive, gold-embroidered robe fluttered in the wind. The Wenshui Sword at his waist glittered, and even brighter were the jade pendants tied to his sash and the gold bracelet on his wrist.
Chen Changsheng looked over and felt like his eyes were going blind. Only then did he understand why Tang Thirty-Six had dressed himself up like that this morning, and what he meant by a “signboard.”
“Listen up, we’re all young people here. Why be so shy? If you want to come, just come! Time waits for no one, my friends!”
Standing on the table, looking down at the young people in the crowd, Tang Thirty-Six called out enthusiastically.
Chen Changsheng felt so embarrassed he wished he could bury his head in the table. He roughly understood why the Tang family of Wenshui had become the richest place on the continent.
The crowd was silent at first, then burst into laughter.
After a moment, someone in the crowd shouted, “Why should we enroll in your National Academy?”
Far from being displeased, Tang Thirty-Six was delighted. He thought to himself that he had forgotten to have Tianxiang Workshop send a few professional shills yesterday, but unexpectedly, a volunteer had appeared. He said clearly, “Although the Grand Examination preparatory exams have been postponed, they’re still imminent, with only a few days left. Don’t you want to make rapid progress? Don’t you want to shine at the Ivy Banquet?”
A young student with a dark complexion, probably from some rural private school, gathered his courage and asked, “We could just enroll in other academies.”
Indeed, besides the most famous Six Ivies, the capital had countless other academies.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at that rural young student and said mockingly, “Are you comparing those academies to our National Academy?”
At these words, whether they had come to watch the excitement or the joke, everyone nodded. They thought that no matter how decayed the National Academy had once been, now that it had reopened its doors, it couldn’t be compared to ordinary academies. Then someone else asked, “Then why can’t we enter the other five?”
“The Ivy academies, by convention, only recruit after the preparatory exams… Listen carefully… only our National Academy recruits new students before the preparatory exams!”
Tang Thirty-Six pulled out a folding fan from somewhere and, waving it, said, “If you can’t even pass the preparatory exams, which academy would take you? In the end, enrolling in our National Academy is the safest bet.”
“We don’t want safety.” A young scholar who looked somewhat steady shook his head and said, “Since we’ve traveled thousands of miles to the capital, we’re prepared to charge through thousands of troops. We’d rather wait until after the preparatory exams to apply to other academies.”
Clearly, this young scholar had some confidence in his own strength and learning.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at him and asked, “How old are you this year?”
The young scholar replied, “Twenty-four.”
“Still young, so why no youthful edge?”
Tang Thirty-Six raised an eyebrow at the young scholar, looking somewhat disdainful.
The young scholar wanted to argue, but Tang Thirty-Six didn’t give him the chance. He looked at the crowd and said, “Why must you enter the Heavenly Dao Academy? Just because His Holiness the Pope came from there? Why must you enter the Ancestral Temple or the Palace Annex? Just because they’re closer to His Holiness? Why must you enter the Azure Thirteen Divisions? Just because there are many pretty senior sisters there?”
Hearing this, the crowd burst into laughter.
“If you insist on entering the Star Picking Academy, I have no objections—only blessings and admiration. But if you originally wanted to enter those others…” Tang Thirty-Six closed his fan with a snap against his palm, looking at the crowd proudly, “Then why not choose our National Academy? Gentlemen, we are all young—fresh and bright, not falling into clichés, not taking the beaten path. Our National Academy is rising from the ashes, a blank slate, spotlessly clean. Why wouldn’t you come and join this grand endeavor? Besides, how do those other academies compare to ours?”
That young scholar felt as if the folding fan had struck his heart. He unconsciously became much more serious, taking in every word, and even found some truth in them.
The folk students from various prefectures or even the distant south had only heard rumors about the capital’s academies and didn’t know the differences well, so they didn’t find Tang Thirty-Six’s words particularly special. But for the Tianhai family experts in front of the awning and the officials and big shots in the carriages, these words were especially grating.
The Heavenly Dao Academy, the Ancestral Temple, the Palace Annex, the Azure Thirteen Divisions… none were as good as the National Academy? They should know that the dozens of cultivation experts preparing to challenge the National Academy today were mostly graduates of these four academies. Even Bie Tianxin, who hadn’t shown his face yet, despite his extraordinary family background, had always considered himself a disciple of the Palace Annex.
In the teahouse, Mao Qiuyu and Master Siyuan couldn’t help but frown. Master Siyuan was also a graduate of the Palace Annex, and Mao Qiuyu had been a student at the Heavenly Dao Academy, then a teacher, and finally the dean, spending centuries there. How could they admit to Tang Thirty-Six’s claim?
Sure enough, an extremely angry voice rang out from the crowd: “What makes you say that?”
Tang Thirty-Six didn’t even look at the speaker and continued, “His Holiness the Pope did come from the Heavenly Dao Academy, and the Palace Annex and Ancestral Temple are indeed within the Palace. But you need to understand: our National Academy’s dean is Chen Changsheng… You could study at the Palace Annex or Ancestral Temple for a lifetime and never see His Holiness the Pope. But if you enter the National Academy?”
He stopped there, smiling without speaking, looking quite meaningful.
Everyone knew the Pope’s attitude toward Chen Changsheng.
Many young students exchanged glances, whispering among themselves, seeming somewhat tempted.
“Let’s be more direct… Everyone, look at this sturdy little friend. His name is Xuan Yuan Po. He’s an ordinary youth from the Bear Clan in the Demon Realm.”
Tang Thirty-Six pointed his fan at Xuan Yuan Po and said, “No talent, no techniques, no background. You could say he has nothing. Even he felt so ashamed that he withdrew from the Star Picking Academy on his own… and then Chen Changsheng and Princess Luo Luo picked him up from the night market. And what happened?”
The crowd fell silent.
He was satisfied with this effect and continued, “What happened? He entered the National Academy, his injuries not even healed, didn’t even participate in the Grand Examination, and the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion ranked him on the Azure Cloud List!”
Hearing this, the young students from outlying prefectures fell into thought, looking at Xuan Yuan Po behind the table, even more tempted.
Many people knew about this, and it was indeed convincing. Was the National Academy really a place that could turn stone into gold?
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