Chapter 179 – The Glow of Sunset, But Also Dawn

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust was quiet, on both the first and the second floor.

No one knew how to evaluate this battle. Only after a very long time did Archbishop Mei Lisha finally sigh, "Outstanding."

The word 'outstanding' referred to both Chen Changsheng and Gou Hans.h.i.+. Chen Changsheng was outstanding because he was able to be so calm, even wooden, before the great terror that was death, making him all the more frightening. Gou Hans.h.i.+ was outstanding because he was able to, at the most important moment in all of his life of cultivation, calmly use his intelligence to convert the hotblooded pa.s.sion of youth into another type of strength, the strength to concede.

The final match of the Grand Examination had come to an end. With Gou Hans.h.i.+'s withdrawal, the first rank of the first banner had been decided, yet the important personages were still beset by an indescribably complex mixture of emotions.

The drizzle gradually halted as several clouds drifted in the sky of the Education Palace. The light gradually brightened, penetrating through the windows and falling on the faces of these personages. Mei Lisha was expressionless as if thinking of nothing. Mo Yu was expressionless, her thoughts inscrutable. Xu s.h.i.+ji was expressionless, but many people knew what he was thinking about. The two Sacred Hall archbishops were expressionless because they themselves did not know what they should be thinking about.

Gou Hans.h.i.+ walked out of the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust and stood on the stone steps. He paid no attention to the gazes cast towards him, nor did he rush towards his junior brothers and speak to them. Instead, he looked up towards the sky.

In the depths of the Li Palace in the real world, the Pope gazed at the beads of water on the Green Leaf and shook his head. He took a handkerchief from his sleeve and very carefully wiped those beads of water off.

With the slow movements of the Pope, the sky of the Education Palace began to change.

As Gou Hans.h.i.+ watched those rainclouds being wiped away and the sky regaining its azure hue, his mind also broadened once more, the negative emotions brought about by those final sword techniques in the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust gradually dissipating.

Outside the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust, all the examinees stared at that door atop the stone steps.

They saw Gou Hans.h.i.+ walk out. After a while, they saw Chen Changsheng also walk out…or to be more accurate, they saw the Li Palace priests carry him out on a stretcher, and then they heard a priest announce the final result.

Chen Changsheng had won?

This youth of the Orthodox Academy had truly taken the first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination?

An eerie stillness pervaded the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust's surroundings and then burst into an uproar.

Of the examinees still present, many of them had incredibly nasty expressions, especially those students of the Temple Seminary and Li Palace Academy that had incessantly jeered Chen Changsheng a few days ago on the Divine Avenue.

That young junior sister of Holy Maiden Peak, Ye Xiaolian, was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

Shouting could suddenly be heard from the forest's edge.

Tang Thirty-Six, Luoluo, and Xuanyuan Po ran over to the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust.

Upon reaching the hall and confirming the result of the match, Tang Thirty-Six fell quiet for a moment, then unleashed a roar of laughter. When he laughed, he intentionally held his waist and looked towards those examinees that had once treated Chen Changsheng with scorn. He laughed with particular arrogance, because he truly was very pleased, very proud.

Xuanyuan Po was very agitated, so excited that he couldn't speak, his face swollen and red, the light stubble on the face seemingly about to puncture through his skin. He raised his bowl-sized fist and sent it down at Chen Changsheng's chest.

Chen Changsheng was currently heavily injured. If he were to be struck by this fist, what would be the result?

Thankfully, Xuanyuan Po's fist was blocked by a small hand. Luoluo crouched next to the stretcher and put down her left hand. As she looked at the pale and blood-drenched Chen Changsheng, her small face was covered all over with concern.

"I promised myself and I promised all of you that I would definitely win."

Chen Changsheng gripped her right hand and said to her, "I won."

As he spoke, his lips drew back into a very foolish grin.

Tang Thirty-Six turned around, saw this smile, and said with concern, "He wasn't beaten silly, was he?"

At this moment, Guan Feibai's voice suddenly rose from the front of the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust. "What's going on here?"

His voice was very cold, very angry.

He found it impossible to accept that his second brother could lose to Chen Changsheng.

They had seen all sort of phenomena outside the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust, but regardless, he could not think of a single reason for his senior brother to lose to Chen Changsheng…and that wasn't even considering that Gou Hans.h.i.+ was currently only moderately injured and was still able to stand on the stone steps, while Chen Changsheng was covered in blood and lying on a stretcher!

In this sort of situation, how could Chen Changsheng have won?

The stone plaza outside the hall instantly fell silent.

Countless eyes were fixed on Gou Hans.h.i.+ and Chen Changsheng.

Many people thought the same as Guan Feibai. Only if Gou Hans.h.i.+ himself admitted that he had lost would some people be convinced. Otherwise, anyone would think that something was going on behind the scenes.

Gou Hans.h.i.+ raised his hand to indicate that his junior brother should say no more.

With Luoluo's support, Chen Changsheng sat up and said earnestly to Gou Hans.h.i.+, "Many thanks."

There was a very long pause as Gou Hans.h.i.+ replayed the battle in his mind. Only after confirming that he had not missed anything did he finally say, "It was only natural that you win, so why thank me?"

Chen Changsheng replied, "I'm inferior to you and was only able to win by taking advantage of you."

Gou Hans.h.i.+ understood what he meant and shook his head, refuting, "Something like battle tests all aspects. Even if you were inferior to me in ninety-nine out of one hundred aspects, as long as you surpa.s.sed me in one, it is still your victory."

All was quiet outside the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust. Guan Feibai, Qi Jian and Liang Banhu were all confused, puzzled as to his argument. How could being superior in one aspect and losing in ninety-nine be enough?

"Because it is the most important aspect."

Gou Hans.h.i.+ said to Chen Changsheng, at the same time explaining to his three junior brothers, "Just like the most important part of a cask is always the shortest stave, since I am inferior to you in that aspect, I will be inferior to you in all things."

What was the most important aspect? Only Gou Hans.h.i.+ and Chen Changsheng knew that it was one's outlook on life and death. After Chen Changsheng heard this, he fell silent for a few moments before saying, "I still need to apologize to you."

Gou Hans.h.i.+ laughed, but didn't respond. He said to Guan Feibai, "I…am a little hungry."

Guan Feibai still did not understand what had happened in this final match, but since his senior brother had conceded, his arrogant personality naturally would not allow him to continue pressing the issue. He was only concerned about his senior brother's mood and made his voice as calm and soothing as possible. "Senior Brother, what do you want to eat?"

Gou Hans.h.i.+ considered this question, then replied, "Porridge."

Liang Banhu answered, "It should almost be dark outside. I don't know if that will be easy to find."

Qi Jian softly added, "If it's left over from the daytime, it's probably gone cold."

Gou Hans.h.i.+ replied, "Cold porridge is ideal."

With this incredibly ordinary conversation, the four disciples of the Mount Li Sword Sect accepted the results of the Grand Examination and walked out of the Education Palace. They were youths that took pride in their power, so they were very proud.

The Divine Kingdom's Seven Laws were the Divine Kingdom's Seven Laws.

"Let's also go," Luoluo suggested.

Tang Thirty-Six and Xuanyuan Po took the stretcher from the Li Palace priests.

Mo Yu walked out from the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust and up to the youths of the Orthodox Academy. She first bowed to Luoluo, and then said to Chen Changsheng, "Congratulations."

Chen Changsheng replied, "Thank you."

Mo Yu's slender brows perked upward as if conveying some deeper meaning. "I only hope that it truly is a matter worth celebrating."

The other examinees already knew the ident.i.ty of this beauty in palace attire and bowed, but before they had a chance to step forward and give their greetings, Mo Yu drifted away.

Chen Changsheng and the others thought of the words she had left, their originally joyous mood now suddenly coated in a haze. However, they had no chance to ponder any more deeply, as another person quickly arrived.

Xue Xingchuan and Prince Chen Liu walked out of the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust and gave their congratulations to the four students of the Orthodox Academy. It was easy to understand Prince Chen Liu's well wishes, but Xue Xingchuan was the Divine Empress's most valued Divine General, so there was no reason for him to do this. His congratulations could not help but astound the youths of the Orthodox Academy even more.

When Archbishop Mei Lisha walked out of the Hall of Was.h.i.+ng Away Dust and up to them, everyone knew that no other important personages would be emerging from the hall, as the esteemed elder immediately said, "Let us leave the palace together."

It was not a question, but more of an invitation that could not be refused, and which they had no reason to refuse.

The entire continent knew that Chen Changsheng and the Orthodox Academy had been pushed forward as representatives of the Orthodoxy's conservative faction, and it had to be conceded that if this elder and the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education that he led were not safeguarding Chen Changsheng from the shadows, he would have had no chance of taking first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination.

Thus, regardless of whether they wanted to admit it or not, Chen Changsheng and the Orthodox Academy were already inseparably tied to this elderly figure, so all they could do right now was accept.

Luoluo's circ.u.mstances were special, so in this sort of sensitive moment, she could not possibly appear with Archbishop Mei Lisha in front of the crowd gathered outside the Li Palace. She represented the stance of the demi-humans, so she had to act with utmost caution towards the internal conflicts of the human world, not even able to express a position on the matter.

Chen Changsheng soothed her, "It's fine. You go back first, and we'll meet at the academy."

Luoluo's sadness was somewhat alleviated. She took his hand and said, "Teacher, rest well."

Having taken medicine and received treatment, Chen Changsheng no longer needed to lie on the stretcher. Supported by Tang Thirty-Six and Xuanyuan Po, he followed the archbishop out of the Education Palace.

Luoluo lived in the Education Palace, so she did not need to leave, only bid farewell.

In a short while, one elder and three youths emerged from the Hall of Pure Virtue.

Stretching before them was a sky dyed red by sunset, with darkness on the horizon. It was dusk of the next day. They realized that the Grand Examination had lasted for two days and one night.

The moment this thought pa.s.sed through their minds, they felt thoroughly exhausted, drowsiness sweeping over them.

A vast crowd was gathered outside the Li Palace.

The spectating populace were unwilling to leave, many of them grasping betting slips in their hands as they nervously awaited the final result. Around the stone pillars, the teachers and elders from the schools and academies waited for the examinees to come out.

The Grand Examination had finally concluded, and the final results were announced. Despite their shock, those teachers and elders were still concerned the most about their own examinees.

The examinees began to emerge from the Hall of Pure Virtue and followed the Divine Avenue out of the Li Palace, each encountering a different situation upon meeting their respective teachers and family members. Some examinees let out whoops of elation while their family members wept in joy, others had gloomy expressions while being incessantly soothed by relatives, and some appeared frustrated as their teachers harshly rebuked them.

As more and more examinees exited the palace, the Li Palace's surroundings gradually fell silent. The four disciples of the Mount Li Sword Sect had gone straight back to their guest courtyard after leaving the Hall of Pure Virtue and had not appeared again, but the crowd still seemed to be waiting for something.

The sun sank in the west, the dream-like sunset proceeding up the Divine Avenue and onto the endless stone steps.

Helped by Tang Thirty-Six and Xuanyuan Po, Chen Changsheng slowly walked down the stone steps.

The archbishop followed behind them.

The Li Palace, inside and outside, was absolutely quiet.

The sunset cast its glow over the steps, a warm red light indistinguishable from the dawn.