Way of Choices: Book II - Youths We Were, Schoolmates, Part 2

by Mao Ni

  Xuanyuan Po was not depressed, but happy. He couldn't contain his joy from getting onto the Proclamation of Azure Sky, but he didn't know how to express it. His body brimmed with energy and happiness with no place to vent it. Carrying Tang Thirty-Six on his back, he ran faster and faster, occasionally patting Tang Thirty-Six's back while running. He very quickly reached the main gate of the Li Palace.

  Chen Changsheng laughed and then ran after them. Smiling, Jin Yulu followed behind.

  Under the warm evening sun, the late autumn air, and the peace of the Li Palace, the three youths ran, occasionally quarreling with each other.

  This sight was seen by many people, and even after many years, it would still often be mentioned.

  No one noticed that at the top of the flight of stone steps that seemed as endless as the path of cultivation, on the balcony at the highest level of the Hall of Pure Virtue, Luoluo was watching them. As the sunset shone upon her petite face, she grinned with an expression of absolute joy.

  * * *

  The youths of the Orthodox Academy had left, so the crowd lining the Divine Avenue began to gradually disperse. Besides the sounds of their footsteps, there was no other sound, not even of whispered discussion. Many people were still in shock, while others were deep in thought.

  Those still in shock at the brilliance of the Orthodox Academy upon the Proclamation of Azure Sky were mostly students of the academies, while those deep in thought were some of their teachers and many priests of the Li Palace. As adults, they had more to think about than those youths, so they were perplexed by many things. They were especially confused by the commentaries from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets announced together with the Proclamation of Azure Sky.

  They did not question them. They just found that the commentaries the Elder of Heavenly Secrets had made for the three rankers of the Orthodox Academy were somewhat strange.

  Xuanyuan Po, for instance, had entered the rankings without fighting a single match out of anticipation for his future. This was certain to incite all sorts of discussion, but the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets did not seem to care. And in the commentaries for Tang Thirty-Six and Luoluo, the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets seemed to want to intentionally point out Chen Changsheng's role in their ranks.

  Some people began to indistinctly come upon an almost absurd possibility.

  Today's impromptu change of the Proclamation of Azure Sky was truly about Princess Luoluo's shocking leap in strength, but was the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets also intending to make Chen Changsheng's existence known to the entire continent?

  If this was true, why?

  Just as the crowd was partially dispersed, an elderly voice rose up from the forest.

  "Did all of you want to know what Tang Tang wanted to say at the end? He wanted to tell you all…"

  When they heard this voice, the people who were just preparing to leave came to a stop.

  The elderly voice continued, "…Chen Changsheng is the man destined to take the first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination."

  The forest exploded into an uproar!

  Chen Changsheng… wanted to take first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination?!

  The crowd turned in a daze toward the voice.

  Mei Lisha, Archbishop of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education, walked out of the forest with the support of Priest Xin.

  This elder who had lived for so many years had a stooped body, and the liver spots that covered his face were somewhat obscured by the wrinkles that similarly covered his face, but none of these could conceal the gratification and joy in his eyes.

  This gratification and joy were naturally for Chen Changsheng.

  Everyone quickly prostrated themselves, not daring to show the slightest neglect. However, the shock and incredulity on their faces from the archbishop’s words still remained.

  Even if the limitless radiance the Orthodox Academy had experienced today on the Proclamation of Azure Sky had to do with Chen Changsheng, just as Su Moyu and Chen Changsheng also admitted, he still had to take the stage himself in the Grand Examination. Chen Changsheng hadn't even succeeded at Purification yet, so how would he be able to handle the imminent Grand Examination? From every perspective, it was utterly impossible for him to enter any one of the three banners, let alone take first rank of the first banner!

  Priest Huo was expressionless, but there was a tinge of surprise in the depths of his eyes. Some of the Li Palace priests and teachers looked each other in the eyes and saw the shock of their colleagues.

  Their earlier perplexity seemed as if it was soon to receive an answer. Yes, some people felt that the pressure given by his performance at the Ivy Festival and his engagement with Xu Yourong was still not enough, and so that undercurrent that had been silently surging beneath the capital was about to burst through the firm earth.

  But why did all this have to happen?

  The archbishop said to the crowd, "There's no justification, and no reason is required. Since he says that he can take first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination, I will believe that he can do it."

  No one around the Divine Avenue dared to rise.

  Priest Huo and his fellow priests were also prostrating themselves.

  Whether they believed or not, since this was what the archbishop said, they could only listen.

  Before the archbishop, no one dared to question, no one dared to doubt.

  However, this declaration that the archbishop had made on behalf of the Orthodox Academy and Chen Changsheng would very quickly spread to the entire palace, the entire capital, and on to the entire continent. At that time, many people would undoubtedly express their contempt for this declaration, their ridicule and rage, and all of it would ultimately fall upon the Orthodox Academy and Chen Changsheng.

  It was still that question.

  Just why did all this have to happen?

  Chapter 117 – Starlight Between the Fingers (I)

  The archbishop said no more. Supported by Priest Xin, he slowly departed. In the twilight, the elder's stooped body seemed somewhat lonely. Unlike those three youths that had been running under the evening light, this elder was a true setting sun, and no one knew if he would be able to climb back up once he had set behind the mountains.

  After a very long time, the priests, teachers, and students finally dared to rise. Gazing at the archbishop's figure in the twilight, the crowd ran the gamut of emotions through their faces, yet none of them dared to show the slightest disrespect.

  In the late spring, the wrinkles on the archbishop's face had seemed to multiply, as had his liver spots. He had rapidly turned elderly. Humans remained middle-aged for a very long time, especially those masters who had met with success in their cultivation of the Dao. For them, it would last several hundred years. For the archbishop, it seemed like he had experienced these several hundred years in just a few months.

  Why had the archbishop turned old so quickly? It was naturally because he had too many things to worry about. In the view of some people, this was also a notice to the many people within the Orthodoxy and the continent that he was a member of the same generation as the Pope. He was the only priest with enough seniority to oppose the Pope.

  In the past, everyone had always felt that Archbishop Mei Lisha was the aide that the Pope could absolutely trust. Although his status as leader of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education was very high, the bureau was only one of the Orthodoxy's six Sacred Halls. As a result, he was not a very prominent figure, such that normal people didn't even know he existed. However, now, all of this had changed.

  The Orthodox Academy had once more appeared in the capital, and several elders and factions within the Orthodoxy had begun to voice their disagreement toward the Pope. And there was also the autumn rain that fell in front of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education, the crowd dispersed by charging horses, the blood flying into the air, the countless casualties—behind all these matters was the stooped figure of the archbishop.
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br />   Only now did people suddenly realize that countless people within the Orthodoxy were supporting him. He could now use the strength and resources allocated to him, and was quietly on the verge of threatening the Pope!

  Today, he had even appeared in the Li Palace, stunning Priest Huo and the other priests of the Li Palace. Yes, the archbishop was the real driving force behind the Orthodox Academy's revival, the greatest backer of Chen Changsheng's group. He viewed the Orthodox Academy optimistically, was optimistic on Chen Changsheng's chances of taking first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination, even announcing the matter for him. Presumably, he had his reasons, but were the radiance of the Ivy Festival and Xu Yourong's engagement not enough to bring attention on Chen Changsheng? To announce that Chen Changsheng was going to take first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination, the archbishop had placed a massive pressure on Chen Changsheng's shoulders, but why?

  "Pressure is force."

  A carriage was parked outside the Li Palace, illuminated in the sunset. Within the carriage, the archbishop sat across from Priest Xin and slowly explained, "The Proclamation of Azure Sky was just the appetizer while the Grand Examination is the main feast. Everyone will gather from all around, all eyes will be focused upon it. Only this way can we assist him in maturing quickly."

  Priest Xin muttered to himself for a few moments, then replied, "I am just worried that if the pressure is too great, Chen Changsheng will not be able to bear it."

  The archbishop did not give any further explanation, nor did he tell this subordinate he considered loyal that, contrary to popular belief, Chen Changsheng and the Orthodox Academy had never been some weapon used by him and some elders in the Orthodox Academy to oppose the Pope. Indeed, everything concerning Chen Changsheng had been personally decided by him and the Pope.

  Only this way could they have him mature as quickly as possible. Only this way could the entire continent know of his existence and some people would find it impossible to tear their gazes away from him. As for the pressure that this would bring to Chen Changsheng, he and the Pope were not too worried. They were both well aware that in the past few years, this youth had been constantly living under the most terrifying pressure, or perhaps shadow, in the world.

  * * *

  The stone wall placed at the gate of the Heavenly Dao Academy was surrounded by people. A military instructor of Star Seizer Academy was holding a sculpting knife and attentively engraving upon their own stone wall. With the changing of the Proclamation of Azure Sky, the stone walls placed before the gates of the great academies had to be remade. The very top did not need to be changed, as it was still Xu Yourong's name, but still many changes had occurred. The greatest winner of the impromptu autumn revision of the Proclamation of Azure Sky was of course the Orthodox Academy. The Orthodox Academy had only four students, but three of them had ranked on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, Baidi Luoheng even taking second place. How great this glory was!

  At the gates of the capital's academies, the crowd looked up at the names on the wall with all sorts of emotions, especially the young students who had participated in the besieging of the Orthodox Academy. Soon after the new rankings for the Proclamation of Azure Sky were carved on the stone walls, another piece of shocking news quickly spread through the capital, precisely that declaration the archbishop had made to the entire world on the Orthodox Academy's and Chen Changsheng's behalf!

  In the Grand Examination, Chen Changsheng wanted to take first rank of the first banner.

  When people first heard this news, they first felt that it was a joke and didn't believe it. However, after people began testifying to this incident, the vast majority of people were rendered speechless from shock. Of course, they still couldn't believe it.

  If Princess Luoluo were not the White Emperor's daughter, or perhaps if her identity were still undiscovered, then she could represent the Orthodox Academy in the Grand Examination, and perhaps she would have the ability to fight a single battle with Gou Hanshi and the experts of the other sects. However, the archbishop had specifically stated that the one to obtain first rank of the first banner was not the Orthodox Academy, but… Chen Changsheng.

  That Chen Changsheng that the entire capital knew had still not succeeded at Purification?

  The Orthodox Academy's performance on the Proclamation of Azure Sky and the commentaries of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets meant no one dared to believe that Chen Changsheng was trash, but still… he did not know how to cultivate. Even if fortune were to suddenly fall from the sky and he immediately succeeded at Purification, there were only around three months until the Grand Examination. How could he possibly surpass his strong peers who had equally astonishing talent but had cultivated for so many more years?

  No, even if he were Xu Yourong or Qiushan Jun and blessed with such talent, he would not be able to do it. Such a feat would completely violate the laws of this world.

  * * *

  Different people had different responses toward the brilliance of the Orthodox Academy on the Proclamation of Azure Sky and Chen Changsheng's intent to take first rank of the first banner.

  In a remote courtyard within the Heavenly Dao Academy, Zhuang Huanyu sat by an abandoned well. His entire body had been drenched in the cold and icy well water and his black hair was draped over his shoulders, dripping water onto the ground. He was like this because he had earlier been very hot, and he had been very hot because he had been very angry. He had fallen from tenth to eleventh on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, overtaken by Qi Jian. He found this very unfair. Qi Jian had lost at his hand, and his own goal was Qiushan Jun. Thus, after entering the top ten of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, he had not challenged a single person. Why did this happen? Didn't the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets always take the outcomes of battles between experts as the direct standard of judgment for making the rankings?

  His soaked black hair drooped over his eyes, cutting off his sharp gaze. When he thought of how his junior sister… no, of how Princess Luoluo was ranked second on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, he had a maddening impulse. However, he cooled back down in an instant, the only remaining sign being the slight reddening of his eyes. He had once believed that there was no need to prove his power to anyone else, but only today did he understand that he was wrong. That youth called Chen Changsheng wants to take first rank of the first banner? Junior Sister calls him Teacher? Very good… Zhuang Huanyu raised his head and realized that he had an overpowering desire for the Grand Examination to quickly come.

  In the mansion of the Tianhai clan, the current clan head, Tianhai Chenwu, and his son, Tianhai Shengxue, had carried out a simple conversation with regards to the Proclamation of Azure Sky and that declaration.

  "If Chen Changsheng really can take first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination, then perhaps he really might have a chance of marrying Xu Yourong… but he won't have a chance."

  "Yes, it's impossible."

  Tianhai Shengxue calmly replied to his father's words, his face seemingly carved from white jade showing no emotion. He simply didn't care about whether Chen Changsheng could succeed in Purification or not, or even if he encountered successive miracles. He knew that Chen Changsheng could never succeed—he had returned to the capital from the distant Snowhold Pass for only one goal, and that was the first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination.

  In the complex of palace halls at the front of the Li Palace, behind the forest of white pines to the side of the Divine Avenue, the guest courtyard where the southern diplomatic mission resided was as quiet as it had been during the day.

  Gou Hanshi sat on a bench on a porch, gazing out at the night sky cut out by the sky well of the courtyard. He remained quiet for a very long time, as if he wanted to see some sort of principle amongst the uncountable stars.

  Liang Banhu, Guan Feibai, and Qi Jian sat close by him in chairs, carrying out a whispered conversation between them. Elder Xiao Songgong had left, as had the Qiushan clan
head. Those elders who had come for the sake of the engagement had all begun the journey back south. As participants in the Grand Examination, they had remained. Without their elders at their side, these youths of the Mount Li Sword Sect were clearly much more relaxed.

  "Is there a chance?" Liang Banhu asked, his brow creased.

  After a long period of silence, Guan Feibai concluded, "No matter how I see it, there's no chance."

  Qi Jian somewhat cautiously shifted about, then asked, "Has anything like this happened in the past?"

  These three youths of the Mount Li Sword Sect were naturally discussing the matter of whether Chen Changsheng had a chance or not of taking first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination.

  As members of the Divine Kingdom's Seven Laws who could be said to have swept away all opposition on the rankings with a crushing momentum in the past few years, they were actually so seriously and prudently discussing a youth who had not even succeeded at Purification. If others were to see this, they would be flabbergasted. From this sight, one could see how much pressure Chen Changsheng had given to these proud and self-confident youths through the Ivy Festival and the commentaries of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets.

  Qi Jian asked about the past in search of stories, so these three martial brothers very naturally cast their gazes toward Gou Hanshi.

  Gou Hanshi drew back his gaze from the stars and smiled at his juniors. Shaking his head, he replied, "It's never happened before."

  His tone was very serene and did not seem intentionally resolute and decisive, yet it gave off the feeling that his words could not be refuted.

  For some reason, Liang Banhu and Guan Feibai both exhaled.

  Yet Qi Jian's slender face still carried an expression of concern. "That it's never happened before doesn't mean it can never happen."