Chapter 479: Sword from the Mouth (Part One)
In just one day of enrollment for the National Teaching Academy, over six hundred people had signed up.
The National Teaching cavalry patrolled the four sides of the academy, the Li Palace clergy maintained order, the Ecclesiastical Office personally set the exam questions, and Priest Xin oversaw the entire operation. Both the registration and the exams held the next day proceeded extremely smoothly.
Beyond the exam scores, to become a new student of the National Teaching Academy, one had to pass two additional stages. The first was identity verification, primarily handled by the Ecclesiastical Office, with the Li Palace’s backing. Investigating the backgrounds of the examinees was very straightforward, and in the end, six people were disqualified. The second stage was the interview, personally conducted by Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six. As for Xuan Yuan Po, he had absolutely no interest in this and could be said to have stuck close to that chef from Cheng Hu Lake, refusing to leave his side.
The content of the interview was simple: just meet face-to-face and have a casual chat. Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six’s criteria for passing were also simple: they looked at the examinees’ speech and demeanor. Of course, the most important thing was that they had to be pleasing to the eye. Watching the figures of those eliminated in the interviews covering their faces as they left, Chen Changsheng thought back to last year when he himself had been among those examinees. He recalled how he had applied to several of the Green Vine Academies, only to be maliciously thwarted by the East Divine General’s Mansion. Feeling a surge of emotion at how quickly circumstances had changed—from examinee to examiner—he also felt a twinge of reluctance.
One hundred examinees passed these three assessments, becoming this year’s new students of the National Teaching Academy. Somewhat unexpectedly, the caliber of these new students was quite impressive. Although they came from relatively remote prefectures and counties, they had all successfully completed Marrow Cleansing. Over forty had already completed the Initial Illumination stage. Chen Changsheng even discovered a few students with excellent cultivation talent. But the most astonishing thing was that among these one hundred new students, over twenty had transferred from other academies.
Since this was surprising, the “other academies” mentioned here were naturally not ordinary academies in the capital, but rather the Green Vine Academies, such as the Heavenly Dao Academy and the Ancestral Temple, which were on par with the National Teaching Academy.
Looking at the names on the list, Priest Xin worried whether there might be problems or trouble.
“Most of these students have already succeeded in Initial Illumination. Compared to students from the prefectures, they’re decent, but in a place like the Heavenly Dao Academy, they don’t count for much. They definitely weren’t valued, which is why they thought of transferring here,” Tang Thirty-Six said. “Since they weren’t valued in the first place, their original academies probably won’t care much.”
“But even if it’s… snatched up and eaten, it still tastes good,” Priest Xin said, swallowing that somewhat crude term with difficulty. “And besides, the situation has been a bit tense lately.”
“So-called academy martial exhibitions are really just the Tianhai family bullying others with their power. It doesn’t have much to do with the academies themselves,” Tang Thirty-Six said. “Besides, Chen Changsheng is the future Pope. The six Green Vine Academies are all under his jurisdiction. What’s so impressive about taking a few students early?”
Hearing this, and recalling how yesterday at the gate of the National Teaching Academy, Tang Thirty-Six had pointed at Bie Tianxin and cursed those two Eight Directions Winds and Rains, Priest Xin knew he truly didn’t care. Shaking his head, he dropped the matter.
Recruiting new students, of course, wasn’t just about exams.
In the following days, the National Teaching Academy became incredibly lively. The Ecclesiastical Office sent many craftsmen and laborers, turning the once-quiet campus into a bustling construction site. Fortunately, a thorough renovation had been done last spring, laying the groundwork in advance, so the entire project was completed smoothly in a very short time.
A vast area of the National Teaching Academy lay unused. Only a small portion was needed to accommodate the hundred new students. The small building where Chen Changsheng and the others were accustomed to living, along with the woods and lake that held special meaning for them, were separated by a newly built wall, maintaining relative privacy. Presumably, it wouldn’t get too noisy in the future.
The library had formations, and the books were difficult to move, so they were left outside, open to all students.
The separated garden area, near the Hundred Herbs Garden and the Imperial Palace, now had a new name: the Bie Garden.
When Priest Xin first heard this name, he couldn’t help but wonder if it had anything to do with Bie Tianxin, who had left in disgrace that day.
Brand-new bedding was delivered, brand-new standard National Teaching textbooks were brought in, brand-new academy uniforms were distributed to the new students, smoke rose from the cafeteria kitchen, and the fountain sprayed water into the sky, bringing much coolness to the sweltering summer nights. Everything was ready. The new students, nervous and excited, awaited the official start of classes.
Tomorrow, the Ecclesiastical Office would send over the carefully selected instructors, along with a large sum of funds.
That night, Chen Changsheng took a walk around the National Teaching Academy to check if anything was amiss. Only then did he realize how large the academy truly was. He had spent an entire year here, yet had only ever been in about one-tenth of the area.
Seeing the brightly lit library and, through the windows, the students eagerly devouring the academy’s books, he felt great.
His teacher was the former dean of the National Teaching Academy, and he was its current dean.
The academy had fallen into disuse under his teacher’s watch, but now it seemed it was about to be truly reborn in his hands.
This feeling was really good, even though he still hadn’t figured out why Tang Thirty-Six had orchestrated this whole affair.
Returning to the small building, after treating Zhe Xiu’s injuries, he and Tang Thirty-Six made a final check of the new student roster. Unexpectedly, they found a very familiar name and were greatly surprised.
“Did he come?” Chen Changsheng asked, pointing at the name and looking at Tang Thirty-Six.
“I didn’t see him either. I heard he’s still at the Mausoleum of Books. He had a junior brother from the Li Palace Affiliated Academy come to register for him,” Tang Thirty-Six said. “If you think it’s against the rules, I’ll send word for him not to come.”
Chen Changsheng said, “Other transfer students might be fine, but if he really comes, the Li Palace Affiliated Academy will definitely object.”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “It’s not like we begged him to come. Why worry so much?”
Chen Changsheng thought that made sense, then asked, “What about Bie Tianxin?”
They both knew that Bie Tianxin, having suffered such humiliation that day, was surely holding his breath, waiting to get even in a duel.
Tang Thirty-Six pointed to the pile of challenge letters on the bookshelf and said, “There are already one hundred and thirty-four duels waiting for us. When you have a lot of fleas, what’s the point of scratching an itch?”
“Where does the Tianhai family get so many experts?” Chen Changsheng asked, puzzled. He thought, with so many powerful cultivators obeying the Tianhai family, couldn’t they just destroy a nation?
“If it were some small country in the northwest, the Tianhai family could wipe it out with a wave of their hand. But looking at the entire continent, it’s not that exaggerated. The Li Mountain Sword Sect could definitely send that many people,” Tang Thirty-Six said. “And it should be about enough now. After we deal with this batch, things should quiet down for a while.”
Chen Changsheng asked, “Can we handle it?”
“Of course not, especially with experts like Bie Tianxin among them,” Tang Thirty-Six said. “Otherwise, why do you think we recruited so many new students?”
Chen Changsheng thought it over and said, “It’s best not to fight. I’m worried about casualties.”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “Without experiencing battle, how can they grow quickly? Their foundations are already weak, so they naturally have to work harder. Besides, this matter mainly depends on you.”
After saying this, the two of them took down the pile of challenge letters from the bookshelf and began arranging them on the floor. Chen Changsheng carefully performed deductions and calculations, while Tang Thirty-Six recorded with a pen. First, they picked out all those at the lower Tong You realm, and then Chen Changsheng selected the corresponding students to fight. As for how he chose and why he chose that way, Tang Thirty-Six didn’t understand. As he had said, this matter depended on Chen Changsheng, because only he possessed the Wisdom Sword.
What Chen Changsheng was doing now was turning these hundred-plus duels of the academy martial exhibition into a single battle.
His sword was all the new students of the National Teaching Academy.
How those new students fought would depend on his swordsmanship.
Watching Chen Changsheng focus intently on his calculations, Tang Thirty-Six suddenly felt emotional and said, “You’re really lucky.”
This wasn’t the first time someone had said Chen Changsheng was lucky, nor was it the first time Tang Thirty-Six had said it.
Chen Changsheng knew Tang Thirty-Six was referring to his encounters and experiences—discovering the Sword Pool in the Zhou Garden, fighting those demon experts, meeting Su Li, and traveling south together, thereby learning those three sword techniques. He shook his head, then suddenly thought of something and looked up at Tang Thirty-Six, asking, “Do you want to learn?”
This naturally referred to those three sword techniques.
After all, when Su Li had taught him those three techniques on the road, he hadn’t said they couldn’t be passed on to others.
He even thought about incorporating those three techniques into the National Teaching Academy’s required curriculum.
As for whether Su Li would be angry if he found out, that was a problem for later…
Tang Thirty-Six didn’t show any surprise or gratitude. Instead, he looked at Chen Changsheng as if he were an idiot.
Chen Changsheng felt uneasy and asked, “What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?”
Tang Thirty-Six sighed and said, “If I didn’t know you well, I’d definitely think you were deliberately humiliating me.”
Chen Changsheng felt wronged, thinking, how could offering a kind gesture turn into humiliation?
“I can’t learn these three techniques,” Tang Thirty-Six said seriously. “So please don’t bring this up again to insult my intelligence, understand?”
Chen Changsheng’s eyes widened as he asked, “Why can’t you learn?”
Tang Thirty-Six angrily said, “I can’t stand that innocent look of yours! Why can’t I learn? You ask me, but who am I supposed to ask? You think just because you can learn it, everyone in the world can? Then why has Su Li only taught three people in his entire life? Besides you and Qiu Shan Jun, the third is his own daughter. Why hasn’t he taught his disciples and grand-disciples in the Li Mountain Sword Sect?”
Just then, Zhe Xiu suddenly opened his eyes on the bed, for some reason.
Tang Thirty-Six was in a bad mood and shouted at him, “Hearing her name and you wake up? Not pretending to be dead anymore? Pervert!”
Zhe Xiu thought for a moment and said, “When my injuries heal, I’ll come beat you up.”
Tang Thirty-Six wasn’t afraid and sneered, “Then hurry up and get better! Stop talking nonsense. Chen Changsheng and I are discussing business. You go back to sleep.”
Zhe Xiu was straightforward and knew when to let go. Seeing they weren’t talking about Qi Jian, he closed his eyes and continued resting.
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(There will be another chapter tonight… With saved drafts, I’m just that bold and heroic.) r1148