Chapter 50: Between Heaven and Earth, All Things Are Renewed
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The Grand Court Examination arrived as scheduled.
It was still held at the Li Palace.
Outside the Li Palace, the crowds were still as vast as an ocean.
The major gambling houses had long since made their preparations, and the storytellers were rinsing their mouths with the finest Maojian tea.
But there were still some differences. For instance, the expressions and gazes of the onlookers were no longer as fervent and excited as the previous year. Many people yawned incessantly, and the number of tourists rushing in from the various prefectures and counties was noticeably lower than the year before.
The reason for this was that last year's Grand Court Examination was a major event. Many of the young prodigies at the top of the Azure Cloud Ranking had come to participate. Compared to that, this year's examination was truly lackluster, with hardly any famous figures. And as for Xu Yourong, who had once been the hope of many, her appointment as the Holy Maiden had completely dashed any expectations.
In truth, neither the Autumn Mountain Lord nor Xu Yourong could possibly participate in the Grand Court Examination anymore. They had never needed the examination to validate themselves, and the few individuals qualified to compete with them on equal footing had already come last year—Chen Changsheng among them.
Of course, Chen Changsheng still came to the Li Palace, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the crowd, along with the incessant gossip that had persisted in recent days.
Could Little Dean Chen really be of imperial blood? Was he truly the Crown Prince Zhaoming? Well, that notion was too absurd. Then was he really trying to renew the engagement? Had he truly waited all night outside the Holy Maiden's hall? Wasn't the snow that night quite heavy?
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Tang Thirty-Six and Su Moyu led the three new students of the National Teaching Academy, who had barely passed the preparatory exams, into the Li Palace examination grounds.
Chen Changsheng, guided by a Red-Robed Cardinal, walked toward the deepest recesses of the palace complex. It wasn't that he was unwilling to shoulder his responsibilities as dean; it was simply that, in the first year of the academy's recruitment, the new students' foundations were far too weak. Passing the preparatory exams was already an unexpected delight, and he couldn't afford to place much hope in their performance during the Grand Court Examination. Moreover, since the Li Palace was now effectively the home ground of the National Teaching Academy, he didn't need to worry about encountering the same problems as last year.
He had more important matters to attend to.
Gazing at what seemed like an endless stream of clear water pouring from the wooden ladle into the basin of green leaves, he once again felt a question that had arisen before.
The Green Leaf World, like the Garden of Zhou, did not expand. So why was it so meticulously tended, allowed to grow so vigorously?
The Pope set down the ladle, took a soft cloth to wipe the water droplets from his hands, and gestured for him to sit. "Some rules may indeed be too outdated and need changing, but you must also understand: without rules, nothing can be accomplished. Living beneath the starry sky, how can one lack reverence? To live like Su Li is certainly carefree, but don't forget—rules are constraints for the strong, but for the weak, they are sometimes protection. We need to consider how this world operates, not just our own thoughts."
Earlier, Chen Changsheng had raised the issues of the Black Dragon and the Stele Attendants. The Pope had given a clear answer to the latter but hadn't mentioned a single word about the former. His stance was obvious.
"Uncle Master, your view of the world differs from Her Holiness the Empress's. Is that why these problems exist now?"
"You could see it that way."
"But…" Chen Changsheng wanted to argue further.
The Pope raised his hand to signal him to stop. Looking at him, he said, "Even if you want to put your vision of the world into practice, there's no need to rush."
Chen Changsheng thought of the shadow looming ahead and felt he had no choice but to hurry.
"Once you become Pope, you can do as you please. Then you won't need to come asking me."
"Uncle Master…"
"Hearing that, do you wish I'd die soon like Merisa?" the Pope asked, smiling at him.
Chen Changsheng had no idea how to respond.
"Don't worry. It won't be long now."
The Pope walked over to the potted plant and carefully wiped the water droplets off the green leaves with a handkerchief.
In that tranquil palace, Chen Changsheng received no good news. But shortly after leaving, he heard an unexpected piece of good news—the Grand Court Examination had officially concluded, and word came that the National Teaching Academy had actually placed two students in the top three ranks. Chu Wenbin, who had transferred from the Heavenly Dao Academy, even ranked seventeenth in the second tier.
That night, the taverns on Hundred Flowers Lane were brightly lit, and the teachers and students of the National Teaching Academy celebrated joyfully.
As for who took the top spot in this Grand Court Examination, aside from the inveterate gamblers, no one really cared.
What the world cared about most now was the unification of the North and South. Shortly after the examination ended, the negotiations between the two sides finally yielded a nearly perfect result. In autumn, the unification agreement would be formally signed. The southern sects, mountain gates, and aristocratic families, with their countless cultivators and immense wealth, would finally be incorporated into the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Though largely nominal, this was something even the late Emperor Taizong had failed to achieve. For a time, the entire continent sang the praises of Her Holiness the Empress.
The hidden currents that many feared might arise were tightly controlled by the court. In the Northern Military Command Alley, countless fingers were severed, and countless souls were added. Zhou Tong and the officials loyal to Empress Tianhai committed countless evils in the annals of merit.
As for the feared southern invasion by the demon race, it fortunately did not come to pass. It was said that heavy snowstorms had battered the demon domain's snowy plains, and the demon royalty and nobility in Snow-Covered City were entirely focused on relieving their own tribes and seizing opportunities to annex and attack, leaving them no time to glance southward.
Like all ordinary people, Chen Changsheng was also pleased. This meant the human world would be more united, stronger, and harder to defeat in the face of the demon race. It also meant Xu Yourong's position could be more detached. Moreover, it was said that the White Emperor and his consort would attend the signing ceremony, so Luoluo would return as well, wouldn't she?
The southern delegation gradually left the capital. The Southern Stream Monastery's carriage convoy was the last to depart, but it too had to leave eventually.
For Xu Yourong, the capital was her hometown, but Holy Maiden Peak would be the place where she would spend her long years of cultivation.
The wind and snow fell on the Bridge of Helplessness, as if returning to that day.
"See you at the Alchemy Gathering."
"See you."
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong stood on the snow-covered bridge, exchanging wishes of well-being before parting.
Holding his yellow paper umbrella, he watched her figure gradually disappear into the wind and snow, feeling little sorrow at parting.
The Alchemy Gathering would be in summer; they would meet again soon. And he would always go to the Southern Stream Monastery.
On the contrary, his heart grew calmer and steadier.
Not just toward her, but toward himself.
He firmly believed he could defy fate, live past twenty, and then past two hundred, year after year.
Because now, he was no longer alone. He wanted to live a long, long life with her.
Before, he had only thought about surviving, rarely considering—and certainly never experiencing—that living itself was a beautiful thing.
It wasn't until that day on the Bridge of Helplessness, when the white veil fell and he saw her eyes, that he understood something.
From that day on, he changed a lot. He still lived calmly and focused, but he lived more naturally and freely.
In other words, Chen Changsheng now lived more vividly, no longer as dull and wooden as before.
This change in his spiritual world also influenced his efforts to survive.
He continued to read, study, meditate, and cultivate. The five stone beads strung on his wrist, though they released not even the faintest trace of energy, were more useful than the most precious crystals. He continued learning the sword techniques Su Li had taught him and all the swords in the world, and he didn't forget to study the one hundred and eight saber techniques.
His cultivation level grew increasingly stable, nearing the peak of Penetrating Obscurity. Every night, the starlight he drew down slowly accumulated in his meridians and acupoints, waiting for the day it would shine brilliantly. And his future would surely be bright.
He had been in the capital for nearly two years.
It had been a year since he entered the Lingyan Pavilion and saw Wang Zhice's notes.
He had three years left.
In that year, he never once considered using Wang Zhice's methods to defy fate, even though he was now recognized by the world as the next Pope. In theory, he had the best opportunity and conditions to make the whole world dance and change the shape of the stars.
But he wouldn't do that, because it would cost too many lives.
He believed he could reach the Saintly Realm in three years, step into the divine domain, and attempt to reconnect his meridians.
It sounded impossible, an unachievable feat. But since he had gone from a country boy who knew nothing to a candidate Pope and a young powerhouse on the verge of the Star Gathering Realm in just two years, what couldn't he accomplish?
The word "impossible" meant nothing to him.
Because he couldn't afford for it to be impossible.
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Chen Changsheng was improving, and so was the world.
Truly, this was an era of blooming wildflowers. After the generation of geniuses like Wang Po, Xiao Zhang, Xun Mei, and Liang Wangsun, even more prodigies emerged.
The various rankings published by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion were officially updated in the spring of this year.
The changes in this ranking were very significant.
First, the Hundred Weapons Ranking, which had remained unchanged for years, finally saw a shift.
The Frost Remnant Divine Spear still held the top spot.
The Two Severance Saber was second.
The Wooden Sword Xiao Feng was third.
The re-emerged Heaven-Shrouding Sword rose to fourth!
Everyone knew this was because the sword's wielder was too powerful.
Indeed, no matter how mighty a divine weapon, it could only unleash its true power in the hands of a stronger person.
The national teaching artifact—Hidden Edge—which had been grayed out due to being lost, once again appeared on the stage of the cultivation world, its newly written ink characters exceptionally clear. The sword named Stainless ranked ninety-fifth, ahead of the Six Imperial Divine Armor, but still far behind the sixty-ninth-ranked Dragon Scale Sword, perhaps for the same reason.
The divine weapons on the Hundred Weapons Ranking naturally drew attention, but what people truly cared about were the people themselves.
The Carefree, Gold-Touching, and Azure Cloud Rankings were also updated.
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(The chapter title was originally "Many Updates," but I thought it would be drowned in spit, so I changed it to this more literary version…)