Chapter 586: There Is Also a Black Stone Here
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When words fail, besides falling silent, one can also change the subject. Chen Changsheng was not skilled at conversation, but that didn't mean Gou Hanshi wasn't. Moreover, there were indeed some things he very much wanted to get a definite answer from Chen Changsheng about: "Was it really that one who entered the Cold Mountain?"
Chen Changsheng nodded.
Gou Hanshi was silent for a long time, digesting the shock in his heart, then said with emotion, "The Demon Lord personally made a move, and you still managed to survive. You are surely destined for great things in the future."
Chen Changsheng shook his head. He knew best that the Demon Lord had come to the Cold Mountain wanting to eat him. If the other party had only wanted to kill him... there was no way he could have survived.
From the small building by the lake, fierce arguing sounds occasionally came out, like the clashing of swords.
On the rooftop terrace, Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi stood shoulder to shoulder, their linen robes gently fluttering.
On a distant rock, Zhong Hui quietly watched the commotion over there, silent and brooding, no one knew what he was thinking.
By the lake, there were many cultivators from various sect gates. They watched Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi in the distance, and some also watched Zhong Hui.
Looking at these scenes, at the young people within them, whether it was the experts of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion or the elders of the various sect gates, they all felt a surge of emotion.
In the past two years, many outstanding young cultivation prodigies had emerged on the continent.
Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi, the two seemingly childish fellows arguing in the building, including Zhong Hui standing on the rock, were all among them, not to mention Xu Yourong and Qiu Shanjun.
In such a close age group, so many exceptionally gifted young geniuses had emerged; it was an extremely rare occurrence. Except for Wang Po's generation... no, even Wang Po's generation, at such a young age, were not as accomplished as these young people now. To make a comparison, one would truly have to go back a thousand years to that magnificent and turbulent great era.
It truly was an era of wildflowers blooming.
"I wonder, in a few years, which of these young people will be the most outstanding."
"No matter who ends up being the best, I think they should all thank Chen Changsheng."
"Why?"
"Because of that night of starlight in the Mausoleum of Books, which helped these young people break through that most difficult barrier."
The murmurs stopped, and the space fell into silence.
The elders of the various sects and the experts of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion recalled the life-and-death scenes when they and their peers had broken through the Penetrating Obscurity realm. When they looked at these young geniuses again, their gazes became somewhat complicated—a mix of envy and even jealousy. And all of this was because of Chen Changsheng.
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The Stone Boiling Conference, which had been forced to be postponed, finally officially convened on an ordinary day at the end of summer. It was held among the elegant and beautiful pavilions and towers by the Heavenly Lake. However, because of the Demon Lord's appearance on the Cold Mountain, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Moreover, compared to previous years, many famous figures were absent this year, making it seem somewhat dull.
Not a single one of the top ten powerhouses on the Carefree List attended. Some, like Hua Jia Xiao Zhang, regarded the Stone Boiling Conference as nothing. Others, like Liang Wangsun, were unable to attend for certain reasons. The worst off was, of course, the Yao (Demon) powerhouse Xiao De, who had been severely injured by the Demon Lord and had been sent back to White Emperor City a few days earlier.
Fortunately, the formation sent by the State Church this time was extremely grand. Besides the future Pope Chen Changsheng, there were also the two giants, Ling Hai Zhi Wang and Mao Qiuyu. The Southern Saintess Xu Yourong also personally attended, which was considered a great show of respect for the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and also gave much encouragement to the cultivators who had traveled thousands of miles to participate in the Stone Boiling Conference.
The host, the Heavenly Mechanism Old Man, sat in the very center. The most honored in terms of status, Xu Yourong, sat to his right, behind layers of white gauze. Chen Changsheng sat on the opposite side. For cultivators from all over, the Heavenly Mechanism Old Man's status was naturally noble and also very mysterious. Getting to see his true face today was a precious opportunity. Yet, the vast majority of gazes in the venue still fell on Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong.
Those gazes were filled with awe, longing, and, most of all, curiosity.
Especially for the cultivators who were not from the capital.
In the world today, everyone was very clear about everything concerning Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng.
This summer, he and she were not yet seventeen years old. They were the youngest ever to reach the upper level of Penetrating Obscurity.
Most importantly, she was the Southern Saintess, and he was the next generation's Pope.
To have such cultivation at such an age, and to hold such status, was rare in history.
They had once been betrothed. If not for some unexpected events, they should have become a married couple.
If this point was factored in, the story would seem even more legendary.
When people's gazes fell on Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, the voice of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion steward seemed to fade away, replaced by countless whispers.
This young man and woman were simply too famous.
Their story was also too famous.
The young Daoist entered the capital, was scorned by the Divine General's Mansion. The marriage contract appeared at the Green Vine Banquet. As times changed, the young man became the successor of the Pope. The Divine General's Mansion wanted to renew the old ties but was harshly rejected and forced to break off the engagement. However, after the battle in the wind and snow at the Bridge of Helplessness, the young man and woman met for the first time, and things seemed to take a new turn... Chen Changsheng seemed to want to change his mind and welcome the fair lady into his home, but was coldly rejected by Xu Yourong. Thus, many people learned of the scene of the young man standing in the snow before the deep palace on a snowy night.
Full of twists and turns, with climax after climax, if this were not a true story, everyone would think it was a play, and the most clichéd kind at that. And the most clichéd is often the most exciting, the most beloved by the common people. Today, many people finally got to see the male and female leads of this play. How could they not be curious, not excited?
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Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong did nothing but sit there, yet they captured ninety percent of everyone's attention and all the glory of the conference. But after all, this was the Stone Boiling Conference. No matter how much people wanted to stare at them, they had to temporarily shift their gaze to the black table at the end of the straight path.
On the table was an antique red lacquer tray, on which rested a black stone about the size of a fruit pit.
Black table, red tray, black stone.
The black and red contrasted sharply, exceptionally striking and eye-catching.
Chen Changsheng's gaze fell on that black stone, and he found it difficult to look away. His expression remained unchanged, but a slight ripple stirred in his heart.
This was not the stone he had seen in the sky a few days ago, nor was it the stone he could see everywhere in the lake water and on the cliffs.
In the Cold Mountain, celestial stones were everywhere—this was something Xu Yourong had confirmed to him. However, this stone was clearly different.
This stone was much smaller than those celestial stones, and it was carefully placed on that red tray, treated very differently.
Most importantly, he vaguely sensed a familiar fluctuation of energy from that small black stone.
He looked towards the layers of gauze not far away.
Xu Yourong sat behind the gauze.
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(Traveling is both hardship and blessing. These past few days, I've traveled several thousand kilometers across the beautiful rivers and mountains of my motherland, seeing quite a few stones. If I have the time and energy in the coming days to chat with everyone, I'll give a proper report. If not, I'll just keep it as my own life experience. In any case, traveling ten thousand miles is truly a wonderful thing.) r1148