Chapter 80: There’s Also a Black Stone Here
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When words fail, aside from falling silent, one can also change the subject. Chen Changsheng wasn’t good at conversation, but that didn’t mean Gou Hanshi was the same. Besides, there were indeed some things he very much wanted to get a precise answer to from Chen Changsheng: “Was it really that person who entered the Cold Mountain?”
Chen Changsheng nodded.
Gou Hanshi was silent for a long while before he could digest the shock in his heart. He said with emotion, “The Demon Lord personally made a move, and you still managed to survive. There must be great fortune in your future.”
Chen Changsheng shook his head. He knew best that the Demon Lord had come to Cold Mountain wanting to eat him. If the other party had only wanted to kill him… no matter what, he wouldn’t have been able to survive.
In the small lakeside pavilion, fierce arguments erupted from time to time, like the clashing of swords.
On the rooftop terrace, Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi stood side by side, their linen robes gently fluttering.
On a distant rock, Zhong Hui quietly watched the commotion over there, silent and lost in thought.
By the lakeshore, many cultivators from various sects and schools watched Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi in the distance, while some also watched Zhong Hui.
Watching these scenes, watching the young people in those scenes, whether it was the experts of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion or the elders of various sects, all of them were filled with many emotions.
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 pavilion, and even Zhong Hui standing on the rock—all of them were among them, not to mention Xu Yourong and Qiu Shanjun.
In such similar ages, so many exceptionally gifted young talents had emerged—it was an extremely rare occurrence. Except for the generation of Wang Po… no, even Wang Po’s generation, at such a young age, was not as remarkable as these young people today. To make a comparison, one would truly have to look back a thousand years to that magnificent and turbulent great era.
Truly an age of wildflowers in full bloom.
“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, it helped these young people break through that most difficult barrier.”
The murmurs ceased, and the scene fell into silence.
The elders of the various sects and the experts of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion recalled the life-and-death moments when they and their peers had broken through the Penetrating Obscurity realm. When they looked at these young geniuses again, their gazes became complicated—filled with admiration, even envy. And all of this was because of Chen Changsheng.
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……
The delayed Stone-Boiling Assembly was finally officially convened on an ordinary day at the end of summer, among the elegant and ornate pavilions and terraces by the Heavenly Lake. However, because of the Demon Lord’s appearance on Cold Mountain, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Moreover, compared to previous years, many famous figures were absent this year, making it seem somewhat dull.
None of the top ten experts on the Carefree List attended. Some, like Hua Jia Xiao Zhang, treated the Stone-Boiling Assembly as if it were nothing. Others, like Liang Wangsun, were unable to attend for certain reasons. The worst off was, of course, the demon clan expert 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 State Church had sent an imposing lineup this time. Besides the future Pope Chen Changsheng, there were also the two giants, Linghai Zhiwang and Mao Qiuyu. The Southern Saintess Xu Yourong also attended in person, which was enough to give face to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and also provided much encouragement to the cultivators who had traveled thousands of miles to attend the Stone-Boiling Assembly.
The host, the Heavenly Mechanism Old Man, sat in the very center. Xu Yourong, the most honored in terms of status, sat on 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 certainly 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 reverence, longing, and, of course, even more curiosity.
Especially for those cultivators who were not from the capital.
In the world today, everyone was very familiar with everything about Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng.
This summer, he and she had not yet turned seventeen. They were the youngest to ever reach the upper level of Penetrating Obscurity.
Most importantly, she was the Southern Saintess, and he was the next Pope.
At such an age, to possess such a realm and such status was rare in history.
They had once been betrothed. If not for some unexpected events, they should have become a couple.
If you added this point, the story became 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 couple was simply too famous.
Their story was also too famous.
The young Daoist entered the capital, was looked down upon by the Divine General’s Mansion, the marriage contract appeared at the Ivy 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 slapped in the face and forcefully had the engagement annulled. 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 beautiful woman 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 weren’t a real event, everyone would think it was a play, and the most clichéd kind at that. But the most clichéd is often the most exciting, the most beloved by the masses. Today, many people finally saw the male and female leads of this play. How could they not be curious, not be excited?
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Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong did nothing but sit there, yet they stole ninety percent of everyone’s attention and all the glory of the assembly. But after all, this was the Stone-Boiling Assembly. No matter how much people wanted to stare at them, they had to temporarily shift some of their gazes to the black table at the end of the straight path.
On the table was a red lacquer tray with an antique air. In the tray lay a black stone about the size of a fruit pit.
A black table, a red tray, a black stone.
Black and red interwoven, exceptionally striking, extraordinarily 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 or on the cliffs.
In Cold Mountain, heavenly stones were scattered all over the mountains and fields—this was something Xu Yourong had confirmed to him. Yet this stone was clearly different.
This stone was much smaller than those heavenly stones, and it was carefully placed on that red tray, treated very differently.
Most crucially, he vaguely sensed a familiar fluctuation of aura from that small black stone.
He looked toward the heavy gauze curtains 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 thousands of kilometers through the motherland’s magnificent mountains and rivers, seeing many stones. If I have time and energy in the coming days to chat with everyone, I’ll give a proper report. If not, I’ll keep it as my own life experience. In any case, traveling ten thousand miles is indeed a very wonderful thing.)