Chapter 112 – The Proclamation of Azure Sky has New Entrants (I)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

By the time they had walked down the stone steps and reached the Divine Avenue, all the academies, excepting the guest courtyard where the southern diplomatic mission was staying, had already become hubbubs of voices. The autumn forest to either side of the Divine Avenue was crowded with people, and there were even people standing on the Divine Avenue. Teachers of the Li Palace Academy, the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green, and the Temple Seminary had all appeared, and even some priests of the Li Palace had come to see the spectacle. Naturally, it was so lively because in the early morning, Tang Thirty-Six had left those words for the crowd in front of the Hall of Pure Virtue.

The priest that had led Chen Changsheng's group out of the Hall of Pure Virtue had a quite significant status in the Li Palace. He frowned in displeasure at the raucous disorder on the Divine Avenue and spoke a few words of harsh reprimand. At these words, the teachers of the academies hurried to restore order, driving those students who were attempting to block Chen Changsheng's group to the side.

Chen Changsheng's group of three walked down the Divine Avenue while a crowd of several hundred young students watched them from the forest. It was very similar to the scene from this morning, though the gazes of contempt and disdain were now much more numerous. A student from some academy yelled, "Tang Tang, if you have the guts, don't go!"

These words were returning Tang Thirty-Six's words from this morning and attracted roars of laughter. Given Tang Thirty-Six's personality, he refused to walk any further, but then the priest gave him a cold stare. He didn't want to bring the Orthodox Academy too much trouble, so he could only angrily retort, "I just don't like being called Tang Tang."

Seeing Tang Thirty-Six swallow his anger, the young students were elated. They knew very well that the icy-faced priest handled matters with severity, so none of them dared to step on the Divine Avenue, but they also would not give up the chance to strike at the Orthodox Academy with their words.

"Chen Changsheng, can you do anything else besides hug Princess Luoluo's waist?"

"Is it true that without Princess Luoluo's arrangements, you didn't even dare come down those steps just now?"

"That's not necessary—he could still take out that marriage contract and use it as a protective talisman."

"That's right, Xu Yourong's fiancé…tsk tsk, who would dare offend him?"

The occasional harsh word or slanderous gossip would rise from the forests lining the Divine Avenue, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with scorn and derision, every one of them daring to offend him. Some people even began to heckle him as someone who lived off women.

Tang Thirty-Six's expression grew nastier and nastier while Chen Changsheng, on the other hand, slightly lowered his head and continued forward as if he had not heard anything. His two hands were concealed in his sleeves, making it impossible to see what shape they were in. Similar to the besieging of the Orthodox Academy in the autumn rain, he clearly understood where this hostility came from. It was not because of that war of words in the early morning, nor was it related to that junior sister of Holy Maiden Peak who had not shown herself. It was all because of her.

That girl called Xu Yourong.

Yet this matter still could not be blamed on her, as it had no relations.h.i.+p to her.

Then it seemed that all he could do was endure it.

Suddenly, the taunting and jeering receded like a tide. Chen Changsheng raised his head and saw a young student of gentle and n.o.ble air standing upon the Divine Avenue. Under the force of the priest's reprimands and the pressure of the teachers, the Divine Avenue was clear of people, wide, straight, and deserted, yet this student had decided to stand upon it.

It was Su Moyu of the Li Palace Academy.

Su Moyu first bowed to the priest, and then he clasped his hands at Chen Changsheng, with Chen Changsheng returning the gesture. His status in the Li Palace Academy was special, similar to the status that Zhuang Huanyu had in the Heavenly Dao Academy. Even the priest, who held real power in the Li Palace, had to give him a little face, so the priest only frowned but did not rebuke him.

"Their words are very rude. As representative of the Li Palace Academy, I apologize," Su Moyu said.

Chen Changsheng replied, "That's not necessary."

Su Moyu still stood on the Divine Avenue. It was evident that he was not yet prepared to yield the path.

Tang Thirty-Six slightly raised his brow, saying, "Do you intend to fight?"

Su Moyu shook his head and bowed once more to the priest dispatched by Luoluo. "With Divine Priest Huo present, do any of us students dare to act presumptuously?"

The priest surnamed Huo seemed slightly pacified and said nothing.

"If you don't want to fight but you don't want to stand aside, what's your intention?" Tang Thirty-Six squinted at him.

Su Moyu ignored him. Looking at Chen Changsheng, he said, "I have something to say to you."

Chen Changsheng said, "Please speak."

"Did you ever think about why everyone treats you so rudely?" Su Moyu asked.

Chen Changsheng did not reply, as the answer was fairly evident.

"The words everyone says are unpleasant, marred by envy, and very rude, but…that does not mean they are without basis. This is because what you possess is, from every angle, not something that you should be able to possess."

Su Moyu calmly gazed at him and judged, "Because you are not strong enough."

At these words, Tang Thirty-Six's and Xuanyuan Po's expressions slightly transformed. Even the teachers of the Li Palace Academy and the Temple Seminary showed expressions of disapproval.

"Yes, on the Ivy Festival, you and Gou Hans.h.i.+ discussed the Dao, and you seemed to a.s.sist the Orthodox Academy in defeating the Mount Li Sword Sect…but I don't believe this. I just think that your luck is good, that you have many strong companions. Princess Luoluo carries the blood and talent of the White Emperor clan, herself being a genius. Moreover, no reason other than luck can explain how you were able to get to know her. Friend Tang Tang here is also a young genius of the Proclamation of Azure Sky. If he were not so proud of his abilities as to break up with the Heavenly Dao Academy, why would he enter the Orthodox Academy?"

Chen Changsheng said nothing.

"What does it mean to be strong? For oneself to be strong and then to be strong together with your companions, that is what it means to be truly strong. I don't hold the extravagant hope that I can rank first, I only hope that the number of people from the Li Palace Academy on the rankings surpa.s.s the Heavenly Dao Academy and Star Seizer, letting it become…the head of the Six Ivies. At the very least, I will not drag down the Li Palace, but what about you? When the Grand Examination comes and you have to step onto stage to fight, will you still have as many tricks as you had during the Ivy Festival? What does it matter if you've read extensively? What does it matter if your knowledge is comparable to Gou Hans.h.i.+'s? If Gou Hans.h.i.+ were not at Ethereal Opening, what right would he have to be ranked second in the Divine Kingdom's Seven Laws and to have even Qiushan Jun respect him?"

Su Moyu said with a grave expression, "To only read and not know how to put it into practice, many of this sort of person can be found in the private schools of the countryside. You believe that you can help your companions, but no, they are the ones that are helping you. Without them, you would just be a useless scholar; you can only be the Orthodox Academy's burden."

Tang Thirty-Six taunted, "It sounds to me that you're more worried about the Orthodox Academy's grades than we are."

"Of course."

Su Moyu slightly raised his head, exposing his feelings on the matter for all to see. "I'm a very conservative person, and just like many conservative people within the Li Palace and the academies, I hold a boundless yearning and fondness for the glorious past of the Orthodox Academy. We all look forward to seeing the Orthodox Academy's revival. That is why I'm saying all this to you. I hope that you can work harder, and I hope that by the time of the Grand Examination, you can at least have succeeded at Purification. Even if you are still a burden on the Orthodox Academy, you don't have to put on too unsightly of a display."

After saying all this, he finally yielded the path.

Chen Changsheng very rarely saw someone so serious, grave, and even somewhat wooden. He felt very depressed and helpless, then suddenly thought about himself and thus began to sympathize with Tang Thirty-Six and the others.

Tang Thirty-Six did not think that Su Moyu and Chen Changsheng were the same type of person. Although they both seemed wooden and each had their own set of ideals and persistence, Chen Changsheng very rarely imposed his views on others.

He knew that Chen Changsheng was feeling somewhat downcast and so he found Su Moyu even more unpleasant. He thought, for what reason can you look down from on high and instruct us on the Orthodox Academy's future?

He sneered, "Is it interesting to talk such nonsense?"

Su Moyu proudly declared, "Once you surpa.s.s me on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, come and tell me again that what I said was wrong."

Tang Thirty-Six tidied his blue gown and proudly replied, "Then let's fight."

With a wooden expression, Su Moyu refused. "I won't fight with you."

Tang Thirty-Six froze, then asked, "If you don't fight with me, how can I surpa.s.s you?"

Su Moyu explained, "I promised the princ.i.p.al that before the Grand Examination, I would safeguard my mind and nurture my Qi, refusing any fights."

Enraged, Tang Thirty-Six asked, "Isn't this too shameful?"

At this question, the students of the Li Palace Academy began to berate him one by one, but Su Moyu's expression did not change. Seemingly indifferent to both praise and humiliation, he said, "We'll meet at the Grand Examination. What's the rush?"

Tang Thirty-Six angrily answered, "Then doesn't that mean before the changing of ranks for the Proclamation of Azure Sky, I won't be able to slap you in the face?"

Su Moyu calmly replied, "You can take it that way."

Tang Thirty-Six was on the verge of being so oppressed that he was going insane. He decided to ignore that Priest Huo and the teachers on the side, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword so that he could go and chop at Su Moyu once or twice.

Chen Changsheng's hand fell on his shoulder as he shook his head.

He could clearly tell that Su Moyu, this young genius of the Li Palace Academy, was not someone who liked humiliating his rivals. His nature was just somewhat awkward, too abiding of the rules, a conservative. He esteemed authority and saw the Proclamation of Azure Sky and other such rankings as extremely important. He also regarded promises with paramount importance. Without taking into account the fact that the many seniors of the Li Palace on the two sides of the Divine Avenue would not let Tang Thirty-Six attack, even if Tang Thirty-Six chopped his sword at him, Su Moyu, with his personality, might just stand there and let him do it.

Furthermore, there were still some inevitabilities in this matter. Even if Tang Thirty-Six chopped Su Moyu into a flower or spoke a mouthful of flowery phrases, he would not be able to resolve the inevitabilities that Su Moyu spoke of.

His inability to cultivate was his shortcoming, so his words lacked force, and so people looked down their noses at him and derided him as someone who lived off women. He had to think of a way to resolve his problems with Purification so that he could correct the prejudices and biases of the world, and it was only this way that he could prove himself in the Grand Examination.

Of course, there was an even more important reason for partic.i.p.ating in the Grand Examination besides just proving himself, and that companion of his required that he resolve this problem of Purification. Today, Su Moyu had done nothing more than bring this problem to light.

There was another person present who was in a foul mood. Xuanyuan Po stared at Su Moyu, unable to hold back his thoughts. "With that little chicken body of yours, you have the nerve to teach us what being strong means?"

"You? Talk to me once you get on the Proclamation of Azure Sky."

Su Moyu glanced at him, then turned and walked back to the Li Palace Academy as the crowd laughed at Xuanyuan Po.

Compared to the tall and st.u.r.dy body of this demi-human youth, the normal human youth that was Su Moyu seemed much thinner and weaker, but his words were still very forceful.

In the end, strength had nothing to do with one's body.

One was the thirty-third-ranked genius on the Proclamation of Azure Sky while the other was a demi-human youth who had just come from his tribe by the Red River to the flouris.h.i.+ng capital of humanity to begin his studies. How could the two possibly be compared?

Xuanyuan Po thought and thought, but realized that he couldn't find a way to refute Su Moyu.

Chen Changsheng gave him an apologetic smile.

Just then, Xuanyuan Po heard someone call out to him.

The voice was very far and very faint, but he could clearly hear that someone truly was calling him.

Bewildered, he turned to the depths of the Li Palace and asked, "Who's calling me?"

The hearing and vision of demi-humans was quite a bit stronger than that of ordinary humans. The human students by the Divine Avenue did not hear what he had heard and believed he was playing the fool to dilute the earlier awkwardness, so they couldn't help but laugh.

But soon after, that voice came from the depths of the Li Palace to the Divine Avenue.

It was a resounding voice that spoke with great clarity.

No one was calling Xuanyuan Po's name.

A person was announcing Xuanyuan Po's name.

"Xuanyuan Po, the capital's Orthodox Academy, one hundred and forty-eighth on the Azure Sky."

The autumn breeze blew through the forest, the yellow leaves rustling in response. All was quiet on the Divine Avenue.

Xuanyuan Po, his mouth ajar, was mystified as to what had just happened.

Countless gazes stared at him.

The young students in the autumn forest were utterly stunned.

The Proclamation of Azure Sky was changing its ranks?

How?

And how could this guy get on the proclamation?