Chapter 677: A Single Experience
Old Eunuch Lin’s face was deathly pale, blood streaming from his body, yet it could not conceal the dense sword wounds, making him look exceptionally wretched and miserable. At this moment, he no longer resembled the lofty figure he had been outside the National Academy; he was like an old beggar, pitiful to behold.
“What is this?” His voice trembled violently, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock, then grew somewhat vacant. Even now, he could not understand what had happened at the start of this battle. Why did that black pebble possess such terrifying weight? Or was it from the Divine Staff? But what truly shocked him, what he could not accept, was what followed. Once Chen Changsheng drew his sword, he found no opportunity to counterattack.
In that brief moment, the sword light illuminated the Scripture Library, and the battle was over. Chen Changsheng’s sword was too fast, his swordsmanship incomparably sharp, his sword momentum overwhelmingly powerful. His cultivation in the way of the sword had far surpassed Old Eunuch Lin’s imagination. He could not fathom how, even if this young man had begun learning the sword from the womb, he could have reached such a level in only seventeen years.
Moreover, in this battle, Chen Changsheng had displayed other incredible abilities—the quantity of his true essence, and his…
“Perfect Star Domain! How is this possible!” Old Eunuch Lin shrieked at Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng said, “Master may have forgotten some things. Thanks to him, my illness has been cured.”
More than three hundred faint starlights were fading into the depths of his academy robes, making it easy to imagine how beautiful the scene must have been when those stars had all shone together. Though he said “thanks to him,” his expression was flat, devoid of gratitude. But he spoke the truth. At the peak of the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, the Holy Empress had defied fate to change his destiny and cured his illness.
On Cold Mountain, he had already succeeded in gathering stars and condensed a perfect Star Domain. Now that his illness was healed and his true essence flowed freely, he naturally reached the perfect Star-Gathering realm. The meridians in his body were utterly unobstructed. Those mountain-like blockages had all transformed into flat, wild plains; those winding, difficult streams had become great rivers. Over the years, the starlight falling from the night sky had pierced the Scripture Library to enter his body, forming thick snowfields. Now those snowfields could burn freely and flow without restraint.
Two years ago, with his meridians blocked, he had still managed successive realm-breaking kills through his swordsmanship and Dao techniques. Days ago, while still severely injured and unhealed, he had nearly killed a powerhouse of Zhou Tong’s caliber using an endless array of magical artifacts and methods, Su Li’s sword, and Zhou Dufu’s blade—let alone now. It could be said with certainty that Chen Changsheng had finally gained the ability to contend with true experts in short bursts.
He was no longer the sickly youth who had come from Xining Town to the capital seeking medical treatment and a changed fate. He was now a genius who had thoroughly studied the Daoist canon, possessed vast knowledge, encountered wise teachers, and was endowed with extraordinary talent. He might still be unable to see what awaited ahead on his path of fate, but at least the shadow was gone, replaced by radiant light. Killing him now was an extremely difficult task. Against any opponent below the Divine Domain, even if he could not defeat them, he could at least hold out for a time.
Those who had not yet realized this, like Old Eunuch Lin, would receive a harsh lesson. Old Eunuch Lin had underestimated him, allowing him to strike first, and now he was covered in blood, sitting slumped on the ground, shocked into a daze.
Chen Changsheng walked toward the entrance of the Scripture Library, sword in hand, the starlight gradually fading into his clothes. Old Eunuch Lin, pale-faced, leaned against the half-broken doorframe. He opened his mouth to call out but found an invisible barrier separating the Scripture Library from the outside world.
The National Academy had only been recruiting students for a year, far from its former glory, and could not yet recover its past depth and strength. But as the dean, Chen Changsheng could always control a few formations.
“You’re afraid.” Chen Changsheng stopped before him, looking into his eyes with some confusion. “So you’re afraid of death too.”
Old Eunuch Lin was furious and humiliated. He roared, “If you’re going to kill me, do it. Don’t insult me.”
Chen Changsheng shook his head. “You misunderstand. I truly thought you weren’t afraid of death.”
Old Eunuch Lin was stunned.
Chen Changsheng looked at him seriously and said, “I’ve read many stories in books. Men of renown and loyal ministers like you all believe that with righteousness in hand, you don’t fear death, don’t you?”
As he said, it was a misunderstanding. He wasn’t deliberately humiliating the other man. But this calm tone only enraged Old Eunuch Lin further. Coughing blood, he said harshly, “Not fearing death doesn’t mean not being afraid of death. Everyone fears death because there are always people or things they can’t let go of—like His Majesty.”
“I’m not afraid,” Chen Changsheng suddenly said.
Old Eunuch Lin was taken aback. “What did you say?”
Chen Changsheng looked at him seriously. “I’m not afraid of death.”
The Scripture Library fell silent again. Only the autumn wind surged through the broken doors and windows, rustling the pages and releasing the dusty smell of years, much like his words—a scent easily tinged with melancholy, full of hopelessness. A life without expectations was like a book untouched on a shelf; no matter how rich its content, it was meaningless.
If people feared death because they had people or things they couldn’t let go of in this world, then his claim of not fearing death meant he had nothing left to hold onto.
Old Eunuch Lin looked at Chen Changsheng but found no emotional fluctuation on his face. He was seventeen, in the prime of youth, yet he was as still as an old well, autumn water, fallen leaves, withered wood—deep and silent.
Old Eunuch Lin suddenly felt a pang of pity and sympathy for him and said nothing more.
But Chen Changsheng spoke an unexpected sentence. “Go. I won’t kill you.”
Old Eunuch Lin’s pupils contracted. He stared at Chen Changsheng and said coldly, “To kill me, this is your best chance—even your last chance.”
Chen Changsheng understood his meaning. Old Eunuch Lin was a true expert at the peak of Star-Gathering, nearly approaching the Divine Domain. If not for underestimating him and being ambushed by that black pebble, he would never have fallen to such a state. If he let him go now and they met again, Old Eunuch Lin would not be so careless. The gap in their cultivation levels would leave Chen Changsheng with no opportunity.
“In the future… we may not meet again easily,” Chen Changsheng said, looking at him. “Please take good care of my senior brother.”
Old Eunuch Lin was silent for a long time. “It seems you know very well what will happen today.”
Chen Changsheng said nothing.
Old Eunuch Lin continued, “Dean Shang has gone to the Li Palace. After today, you will no longer be the successor to the Pope. No one will help you. You will face the pressure of the entire world. Because of your position, the events in the capital over the past three years will make many people uncomfortable—and those people are the victors this time.”
Yes, whether it was the princes of the Chen clan, the Tianhai family, or the court officials, none of them wanted to see Chen Changsheng remain in the capital. It was a matter of interest distribution, of position, and also a matter no one dared to speak aloud. Seeing Chen Changsheng, people easily remembered the Holy Empress.
…
…
The Scripture Library was very quiet.
Old Eunuch Lin’s figure gradually faded away. Chen Changsheng never spoke again.
This battle, with no audience and no record, would rarely be remembered in the days to come, let alone mentioned. Naturally, it would not be recorded in history books. But in truth, this battle was very important. It was Chen Changsheng’s most perfect performance since arriving in the capital, and the foundational battle that made him a true expert.
He had won. He could have killed his opponent, but he didn’t—because this old man was loyal to his senior brother, and because he only wanted to defeat him. He just wanted to win once, to experience once what it was like to be without illness, to feel what it was like to live without constantly thinking about death. As for other matters, they truly didn’t matter.
Those people wanted the Holy Empress’s remains. He wouldn’t give them.
Those people knew he wouldn’t give them, so they wanted to use this as an excuse to condemn him, preferably to kill him outright. He didn’t care.
So be it.
He looked up at the sky above the National Academy and vaguely saw traces of several red eagles flying past.
Outside the National Academy, heavy hoofbeats rang out, like a torrential rain, like dense thunder.
The Black Armored Heavy Cavalry began their charge.
The sword formation of Nanxi Zhai naturally could not withstand them.
Not to mention the many chilling, murderous auras coming from the autumn woods of the National Academy—whether from the Qingli Department or the assassins of the Military Department.
In the next moment, countless people would flood into the National Academy, destroying its forests, lakes, banyan trees, and pavilions.
Chen Changsheng would not accept this.
He took a letter from his bosom.
Tearing open this letter would kill many people, and then he would probably die too.
But he was very calm, very steady. His hand holding the envelope did not tremble at all, showing that he cared nothing for any of this.
…
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(My mother’s surgery was very successful. Thank you all for your blessings… And today I realized that the leave notice I wrote in the book three days ago—I forgot to post it! This is really… haha, a dry laugh. I’m going to the hospital now for the night shift. Thank you again. Updates in the next few days may still be interrupted. This time, I won’t forget to ask for leave, and I won’t forget to post it… Also, an old friend, Lin Zhong Zhi Ma Jun, has started writing again. I warmly recommend it to everyone: mma.qq./ydq/index.wml?b=cp7hj1shgvqhjwlnryawsrmvjjk90hsh)