21 The First Page

Even a bottomless abyss could eventually be climbed out of. The reason Xu Shiji had given Chen Changsheng's fate such a cruel and firm conclusion was that he was keenly aware that this abyss of the Orthodox Academy had two unbreakable chains: the Divine Empress and the Pope.

Even if the Pope—tolerant and benevolent, his hatred diluted by the passing of many years, once more thinking of the friendship of fellow disciples that he shared with that Principal of the Orthodox Academy and not able to bear seeing the Orthodox Academy truly become a part of history—was willing to close his eyes and ignore it, what of the Divine Empress? Back then, the Orthodox Academy had been the greatest source of strength for the old Imperial clan opposing her rule, so how could she permit the Orthodox Academy to once more unleash its radiance?

Everyone knew that the Divine Empress's dictionary had never contained the word 'forgiveness'. The countless members of the Imperial clan collapsed in pools of blood and the Lord Zhou Tong that could silence the cries of infants in the night were all evidence of this. The Orthodox Academy wished to obtain a new lease on life? Not unless the Divine Empress abdicated or died, but would the Divine Empress abdicate? Could someone possibly kill her? No, then the abyss would forever remain an abyss.

Chen Changsheng returned to the inn, and as usual, he used a quarter of an hour to wash his face and rinse his mouth. He then washed his clothes, shoes, and socks clean, and used a pure white towel to rub his wet hair dry. After putting on a fresh set of clean clothes, he carried along a pot of extremely weak green tea and sat himself down on a bamboo chair under a tree in a courtyard. Then, he began to look at the stars.

As a person who valued time the most, although the vast sky of stars was beautiful and enchanting, he could only permit himself a few glances. After drawing mental strength from the ever-unmoving positions of the stars, he took from his bosom the recommendation letter signed by the Pope and began to contemplate all that had happened today.

Only after standing in the hallway of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education did he remember this recommendation letter, did he truly understand what the Pope's signature represented. Priest Xin's switch from arrogance to deference had been far too obvious, which had brought him many conveniences, but inevitably many questions as well.

Why had that Nanny Ning given him this recommendation letter? If they just wanted him to keep his mouth shut, or even give up the engagement, he believed that those important figures who wielded power far beyond his imagination would possess countless methods, but just this sort of method was very difficult to comprehend. This recommendation letter…seemed to be compensating him for some sort of loss.

What did the other party want to compensate for? His silence about the engagement? Or was it that the Orthodox Academy really wasn't anything good? He remembered very clearly that Nanny Ning had said that this was the best choice for everyone, with him being the sole exception. Just what was wrong with the Orthodox Academy?

He understood the radiant history of the Orthodox Academy, but the major event that had resulted in the Orthodox Academy transforming into this ghost school had happened ten-odd years ago, too recently. With the Divine Empress reigning, it was naturally impossible for those matters to be recorded in the histories. He could only draw his own conclusions from Priest Xin's reactions. Priest Xin had switched from arrogance to deference, but it was very obvious that he still wanted to maintain some distance. The Pope's recommendation letter had not been able to display its full use there. This indicated that the problem of the Orthodox Academy was at such a level that it could neutralize some of the Pope's prestige.

He thought and thought, but he still could not understand. He decided to no longer waste any time on these conjectures. Even if there was a problem, he didn't care too much about it. What he wanted to obtain had never been what those important figures did not want to give him. He did not want this engagement, he only wanted the qualifications to directly participate in the Grand Examination. At the same time, he also needed many books.

The Six Ivies had many books. On this point, his master had not deceived him.

After waking up at five o'clock, he lived according to the schedule he had lived the past fourteen years of his life, washing his face and rinsing his mouth, eating breakfast, and making his preparations. He spent a little more time on packing his luggage and moving it to the carriage he had arranged for last night. With the rising sun to his right as his companion, he left the inn where he had lived for the past few days and headed north to the Orthodox Academy, located near the Imperial Palace.

He had not checked out of his inn room. He was not lacking in money, and he also knew that he would certainly return to this place. On the day he returned, he would not be standing on the terrace in the back of the inn, gazing blankly at the distant Mausoleum of Books, but he would definitely be able to walk into the Mausoleum of Books and see those legendary monoliths up close.

The depths of Hundred Flowers Lane were different from the past ten-odd years of desolation and stillness. Shouts could be heard everywhere as several hundred part-time laborers and women busied themselves, carrying all sorts of tools. Seeing the remnants of torches stuck in the lawn, he realized that these people had actually worked through the night and had not rested.

Chen Changsheng moved his luggage to the lake shore and realized that as expected, Priest Xin had not appeared, further confirming his speculations. Fortunately, nothing had gone wrong with what Priest Xin had promised him yesterday. This academy that was like a cemetery yesterday was now, with the gradual removal of the weeds and gradual retreat of the creeping vines, gradually being restored to its original appearance.

Those half-ruined towers naturally could not be repaired in such a short time, but with the round-the-clock work of these several hundred people, at least some shine had been restored to the exterior of these buildings. This was especially the case for those small houses in the forest. They had already been made relatively clean, and after the smell of mold was removed, they could be moved into straightaway.

The several hundred people industriously cleaning this academy were all lower level staff of the Orthodoxy's Hall of Heavenly Virtue. In the past, they were responsible for cleaning the Heavenly Dao Academy and the rest of the schools. Although they weren't quite clear on why they had to tidy up the long-abandoned Orthodox Academy, they worked with great proficiency. Even working through the night had not decreased their efficiency.

...

...

As the sun slowly moved across the sky, the work of cleaning the houses was generally concluded. Under the curious and respectful gazes of the laborers, Chen Changsheng carried his luggage into the house closest to the library. He was still assailed by the stench of mold. Although it was lighter than yesterday, he could still clearly smell it. It seemed that even with the light of the sun and blowing of the wind, quite a few days would be needed for this stench to be completely dispelled.

He really did not like the smell of mold. After putting his luggage away, he immediately left the house and walked to the library that was separated from him by only a wall.

According to his instructions from yesterday, the library did not need to be cleaned—the key was in his hands, so other people couldn't enter to clean. At this time, the laborers from the Hall of Heavenly Virtue were all busying themselves in the main hall and its attached buildings. It was quiet and noiseless around the library, as its surroundings were devoid of people.

He ascended the stone steps and stopped in front of the door. He took out the key he had obtained from the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education and inserted it in the old lock. With the insertion of the key, the green rust on the surface of the old lock curled up like wood shavings and then dropped to the floor with a clunk, sounding like a rock falling down. It just so happened to fall into a little hole filled with fine sand, so the sound was rather comforting.

The key gently turned, smoothly and without noise. Chen Changsheng could clearly sense that some springs within the lock had been activated and returned to their original positions. At the same time, he also felt that Qi was also slowly fading away into the deepest parts of the lock. This entire course of events was very mystical.

He pushed open the door and entered, and was immediately confronted by row after row of books. The shelves extended deep into the shadow of the library with no end in sight, giving an extremely intense visual stimulation. The bookshelves were brimming with books, a sight which brought him great joy. Upon realizing that there was not as much dust as he had seen yesterday, he grew even happier.

The Orthodox Academy had lain in waste for so many years that the desks and chairs within the other buildings had all been stolen and sold off. Not even the bedframes in the small houses of the dormitory had been left behind. This had caused Priest Xin to last night have the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education speed up the restoration and replenishment process. Because it had been locked, only this library was left rather intact.

Chen Changsheng took up some cleaning tools and performed a simple cleaning of his nearby surroundings. After cleaning, he realized that the floor was so shiny that it could reflect his face. It was actually made of the famous and expensive oiled sandalwood. He couldn't help but shake his head, thinking, back then in this academy's most flourishing period, it really was splendorous and majestic to the extreme. Who would have thought that it would fall into dust for so many years?

What should he do next?

He should cultivate.

...

...

Chen Changsheng found the register of books in a drawer of the library's side room, then he walked into the long and quiet bookshelves. It didn't take too long for him to find the first book that he wanted to find.

This book was called 'On Purification'.

This book's name was very simple. At a glance, one could tell that it contained knowledge related to Purification. It was precisely because it was so simple that it was so commonly seen.

In order to combat the incomparably powerful demons who possessed monstrous strength and were innately blessed with fighting talent, the human world forbade foundational techniques such as the initial steps for entering Purification from being secret. Of course, the various great sects all had their own more powerful methods. The foundational techniques for cultivation were like the Mausoleum of Books, appearing on their own before all.

This book, On Purification, was a cultivation technique that could be bought in every big city and small village.

But Chen Changsheng really had not seen it before, because in his past fourteen years, his master had always told him that there was no need to learn it, and for him to begin learning it when he should learn it would not be too late. When asked at what time he should begin learning it, his master never replied. Only before he departed from Xining and said to his master that he was descending the mountain and going to the capital, that he was going to see the Mausoleum of Books and Lingyan Pavilion…

On that day, his master finally said to him, "Then, you can now begin to cultivate."

He took this On Purification book and walked back to the door. He sat himself down on the clean floor and opened the first page under the sunlight coming through the open door.

Based on principle, he at least should have felt excited or nervous at this moment.

But he was not.

The entire time, his expression did not change. It was very calm, as if he had gone through this process many times before.

If someone else were to see this scene, they would definitely not have imagined that this was his first time reading a book on cultivation.

In the Divine General of the East's estate and the Heavenly Dao Academy, he had said the same thing: "It's not that I don't know how to cultivate, I just haven't started."

He had countless opportunities to begin cultivating, but the timing was not right.

He had waited a very long time, but when the day finally arrived, perhaps because he had waited too long, he actually had no sense of excitement. Only calmness remained.

He opened the first page of the book.

On this page, he saw only eight words.

"Read one hundred times, naturally grasp the meaning."

(TN: This line originates from a footnote in the Chinese history, 'Records of the Three Kingdoms'.)