226 Comprehending all the Monoliths of the Front Mausoleum in One Day

The twenty-eight characters that Chen Changsheng had seen on the stonemonolith formed a poem. “The foggy woods are reflected in the smoky river water,Houses with paintedeaves on the banks are adjacent to each other.Gently on the patches of lotusesshines the autumnal light.The pearl-woven curtains are bathed in the fragrantwind of ten miles.” This poem was written down by the leader of the Way two thousand years agowhen he had viewed the monoliths in the mausoleum. The first Heavenly Tomemonolith in the Mausoleum of Books was called Reflecting because of this poem. Chen Changsheng used the comprehension method to extract this passage ofmonolith inscriptions, and understood its meaning. This method of comprehension was actually very simple, and very primitive. Countless years ago, when the Heavenly Tomes landed on the continent, thestill-ignorant predecessors conquered their cowardice, and carefully arrived infront of this stone monolith. The predecessor, who had first understood this stone monolith, also used asimilar method. However, what he saw perhaps was a simple image. This imagecould be cows, sheep, or even dragons. Afterwards, some people saw even morecomplicated images in the Heavenly Tome Monoliths, with numbers and even moreinformation. As a result, there were characters. This method was also the cleanest, as it did not have any other distractingthoughts layering on top of it. At the very beginning, these predecessors definitely did not believe thatthese weird stones hid secrets that needed to be understood, and would notbelieve that there was any flow of true essence in those lines. Just like how he had discussed with Gou Hanshi before. The leader of the Way two thousand years ago saw a poem from this HeavenlyTome monolith. He thought that this poem was a question. In the countlessfollowing years, countless cultivators had all once tried to find the trueanswer from this poem, but they always gained nothing. Today, Chen Changsheng also saw the poem. However, this did not mean that hehad used the completely same method of comprehension as that peerless expertfrom two thousand years ago. This was because he did not believe this poem wasa question, and believed that this was what the Heavenly Tome monolith wantedto relay to others. The daylight varied in brightness. Some lines showed, while others did not.The incomparably complicated lines could reveal countless words. These words had countless permutations. They could form a poem, or they couldform a great verse. The stone monolith could not speak, and became a piece of text in itself. He had sat in front of this stone monolith for over twenty days, and did notknow how many characters he had seen. Now, he could find countless works ofpoetry that already existed in the mortal world. However, he understood veryclearly that these poems all originated from the inscriptions of this HeavenlyTome monolith. The comprehenders of the monoliths only needed to find it, see it, andunderstand it. They did not need other extra thoughts. Of the myriad of monolith comprehension methods in the world, no matter if itwas by idea, by shape or by moves, it was all to comprehend, learn, and copythe information on the monoliths. However, the Heavenly Tome monoliths never waited for people to comecomprehend, learn, and copy. The Heavenly Tome monoliths always waited for people to come to understand it. Chen Changsheng tried to demonstrate this point, and in the end, the Mausoleumof Books confirmed that his understanding was correct. As a result, he comprehended the first Heavenly Tome monolith, and then sawthe second monolith. Deep within the dense forest, there was a monolith within the hut, and by theside of the monolith, there was also an engraved poem. This poem was raised bya certain renowned scholar, and the poem was called Cloud Piercing Stone. TL: 贯云石, literal translation Cloud Piercing Stone, is an ancient Chinese poet. The second Heavenly Tome monolith was called the Cloud Piercing Monolithbecause of this. About twenty people sat on the outskirts around the monolith hut. Those peoplestared at the slightly flat and wide stone monolith within the hut. Some hadtheir eyebrows furrowed and were in deep thought, while others mumbled tothemselves. Chen Changsheng arrived in front of the monolith, and saw a few familiar facesin the group of people. That junior called Ye Xiaolian from the Holy Maiden peak raised her head asshe heard the sound of footsteps. Seeing that the person was him, she could nothelp but stare blankly. Some people also realized that Chen Changsheng had come, and stared blankly,just like her. In the past few days, those who had viewed the tablets in theMausoleum of Books had already gotten used to seeing Chen Changsheng outsidethe Reflecting Monolith hut. However, today, they suddenly saw him arrive infront of the Cloud Piercing Monolith, and actually could not respond in time. Only in the next moment did everybody realize. As it turned out, ChenChangsheng had finally comprehended the first Heavenly Tome monolith. There were some slight disturbances in the people outside the monolith hut,and afterwards, there were provocative discussions. “To only comprehend the first monolith now. What is there to be arrogantabout?” “Indeed. I always thought that my own talent in comprehension was bad, butlooking at it now, at least it is better than some people’s.” Chen Changsheng was not arrogant. However, his appearance brought a type ofpressure to the people outside the monolith hut. It was just like a student whohad extremely good grades suddenly place last in a certain subject. Thestudents of the lower half would laugh at his misfortune for several days,before suddenly discovering that that student was actually slowly catching up,how could they not be worried? Especially thinking of the mocking from several days ago, some people werebound to be slightly worried. In order to rid themselves of this pressure, to wipe away their worry, evenmeaner mocking obviously occurred. Chen Changsheng ignored these discussions, and continued forwards. Walkinginto the monolith hut, arriving in front of the Cloud Piercing Monolith, heraised his right hand. There were cries of alarm from outside the monolith hut. The news that Chen Changsheng had comprehended the Reflection Monolith waslike the wind. It spread out of the mausoleum with lightning speed, enteringvarious estates in the capital, and also spread to the royal palace and the Lipalace. Upon hearing this news, some people finally relaxed a little, such as thearchbishop, Mei Lisha, while Prince Chen Liu’s happy laughter resoundedthroughout the prince’s estate. Mo Yu currently held a pen, and was dipping itin cinnabar. Hearing the report from her subordinate, she was slightlystartled. She then said in a slightly joking manner, “Only comprehending thefirst tablet now. What sort of future does he have?” Many students of the Heavenly Dao Academy were in a feast at a restaurant, sothey naturally were bound to mention the Mausoleum of Books and comprehendingmonoliths. Just when they were laughing at Chen Changsheng and the OrthodoxAcademy, they received this news. The room immediately became silent, and awhile later, a student laughed at him, “With this speed, whether ChenChangsheng is able to comprehend the second monolith in this year is still aproblem. Senior Zhuang has already arrived in front of the third monolith. Howcan they be compared at all?” Another student said with a sigh, “Gou Hanshi is even more terrifying. Can hebe ranked within the top three in the past ten years?” Hearing Gou Hanshi’s name, the previous student stayed silent for a while,before saying, “If he can maintain his comprehension speed, then perhaps hecould be ranked with the top ten within the past hundred years.” Just at this moment, a student of the Heavenly Dao Academy hurriedly sprintedto the second floor. His face was full of sweat, and carried an expression offright that he could not hide. He said with a trembling voice, “ChenChangsheng……. has just comprehended the second monolith. Hearing this, several students of the Heavenly Dao Academy were greatlysurprised, and all stood up in a rush. They actually knocked over severaldishes of food and wine on the table. They looked at the student, and asked consecutively in an disbelieving manner. “What!” “How is that possible!” “Didn’t he just comprehend the first monolith? How can comprehend the secondmonolith so quickly?” No one was able to answer their questions. The restaurant immediately fell into a deathly stillness. Of the seventeen monoliths of the front mausoleum, the third was called theBent Osmanthus. It must be known that the further back the monoliths were, theharder they were to comprehend. He had only entered the monolith for twenty odddays, and had already arrived in front of the third monolith. It already couldbe said to be extremely outstanding. Seeing Chen Changsheng appear, people were very surprised. It was because thatmorning, he had obviously been seen outside the first monolith hut. Did thisnot mean that he used the period of half a day to consecutively comprehend twomonoliths? Tang Thirty-Six directly leapt up from the ground, and walked up toChen Changsheng. With his two eyes rounded, he said, “I say, what are youdoing?” It seemed to be slightly ill-mannered, but in actuality, his eyes that lookedat Chen Changsheng were full of joy. Chen Changsheng did not know how to explain. Zhexiu’s expression was still very indifferent. However, his eyes began toglow vaguely. He said, “There must be a reason.” Chen Changsheng thought a little, and said, “Firstly, the Heavenly Tomes,should be tomes.” Hearing this, some people outside the monolith hut seemed to fall into deepthought. Zhuang Huanyu instead gave out a cold sneer. Chen Changsheng said to Tang Thirty-Six, “I will be leaving first.” “You’re going to leave just like this? Well it is right, you should restproperly.” Tang Thirty-six said subconsciously. For Chen Changsheng to use the period ofhalf a day to comprehend two Heavenly Tome monoliths, it definitely would havetaken up a lot of his mental strength, so he indeed should return to the grasshut to rest. Chen Changsheng stared blankly, and pointed to the monolith hut. He said, “Iam talking about over there.” Tang Thirty-Six was stupefied. He stared blankly at him as Chen Changshengwalked to the front of the monolith and extended his hand towards it.. Seeing this, Zhuang Huanyu’s expression suddenly changed. Zhong Hui, who sat in the monolith hut and always stayed silent, also becameincomparably pale. The fourth Heavenly Tome monolith was called the River Guiding Monolith. Thismonolith just happened to be on the side of a cliff, so its location wasslightly dangerous. There were many people in front of the monolith hut. Since entering theMausoleum of Books to view the monoliths, nobody of the top three grades fromthe Grand Examination in the previous year had left. They were basically allthere. Qi Jian sat closest to the outer edge of the monolith hut. His skinny, weakbody was buffeted by the wind from the cliff. It always gave people a totteringfeeling. Chen Changsheng was slightly surprised. This youngest junior of the Mount LiSword Sect was actually had even faster comprehension than Guan Feibai andLiang Banhu. Of course, those who were the most surprised were still Qi Jian and the othersthere. Seeing him walk up to the side of Qi Jian and sitting down, people revealed ashocked expression. Compared to the previous three Heavenly Tome monoliths, the inscriptions onthe River Guiding Monolith were actually simpler. Speaking more precisely, itshould have been that the lines on the monolith were just as complicated, butthere already seemed to vaguely be some sort of rules. With rules, it was notnecessarily a good matter to those who viewed the tablets, as their mind wouldinstead be disturbed more easily, in other word, constraining them. After saying a few words to Qi Jian, Chen Changsheng focused his gaze on thestone monolith, and began to study it seriously. “Back then, how many days did it take us to reach the River Guiding Monolith?” In the empty great hall of the Li Palace, the voice of a Sacred Hallarchbishop resounded. He looked at the several dozens of sculptures of thevirtuous members of previous generations. His expression was slightlydisappointed, and there was also a sliver of shock visible in his eyes. Another Sacred Hall archbishop, who was also one of the prefects of theOrthodoxy, did not answer the questions, and only said after a period ofsilence, “Although the front mausoleum is easy to comprehend, this is just alittle too quick.” Perhaps, some people viewed it as Chen Changsheng had used over twenty days toarrive in front of the fourth Heavenly Tome monolith, however he who was suchgreat personage of the Orthodoxy naturally knew to not count in such a fashion.From comprehending monoliths to now, Chen Changsheng had only used the time ofhalf a day, so it was just half a day. “To reach Ethereal Opening in just a year of cultivation, and reach the RiverGuiding Monolith with half a day’s worth of comprehension…...He is worthy ofbeing the child His Holiness has thought highly of.” Conversations like this occurred everywhere in the capital. Only like thiscould it neutralize the wave that Chen Changsheng had created. The current Chen Changsheng was no longer like before, directly moving onafter comprehending a monolith. When the news of him sitting in front of theRiver Guiding Monolith was announced, many people relaxed at the same time.Those people did not antagonise Chen Changsheng, such as Prince Chen Liu andPriest Xin. They only felt that the whole thing was too unrealistic. At thismoment, Chen Changsheng had stopped his advance, and instead made them feelthat what occurred today was somewhat realistic. Gou Hanshi’s performance inthe mausoleum in those days already shocked the entire capital. ChenChangsheng’s current performance was even more flabbergasting. If he were tocontinue, who would be able to stand it? However, just like how it was often said, reality was often even moreunbelievable than imagination. Not long after, everybody within the capitallearnt a piece of news. Chen Changsheng stood up from the side of the cliff. He walked into the tablet hut. He had finished comprehending the River Guiding Monolith. Following closely, Chen Changsheng comprehended the fifth Heavenly Tomemonolith— the Fowl Language Monolith. Chen Changsheng arrived in front of the sixth Heavenly Tome monolith. This monolith was called the Eastern Pavilion Monolith. The person who placed first on the First Banner last year in the GrandExamination, Liang Xiaoxiao, the Third Law of the Divine Kingdom, had spent thepast couple of months trying to comprehend this monolith. When he saw Chen Changsheng, his cold and arrogant expression immediatelydisappeared, the only thing that remained in his gaze was shock and intenseconfusion. Chen Changsheng nodded his head towards him in greeting. However, his stepsnever stopped. In front of the seventh Heavenly Tome monolith, there was only Gou Hanshihimself. He currently gazed at the far away mountains. Hearing the sound of footsteps,he turned around to only realize Chen Changsheng had actually come. He couldnot help but slightly raise a brow. Chen Changsheng walked over to Gou Hanshi’s side. Gou Hanshi stayed silent for a while, before saying, “Impressive.” Chen Changsheng did not know what he should have said, so he did not speak. Looking at him, Gou Hanshi began to feel deeply moved. He said, “For the firsttime, I feel that you may be a possible rival of my senior.” His senior was Qiushan Jun. Even up til now, he had still felt that ChenChangsheng barely had the qualification. Chen Changsheng stayed silent for a while, before saying, “There are stillproblems with the method of comprehension. It is just that there is not enoughtime, so I can only first proceed and then see how it goes.” Gou Hanshi sighed, “First proceed and see how it goes? If someone else were tohear these words, other than resentment, what else would they be able to feel?” Chen Changsheng glanced at the monolith, and said, “I am about to leave.” Gou Hanshi did not misunderstand him like Tang Thirty-Six. He looked at himand said, “Looks like you have decided to go to the Garden of Zhou.” Chen Changsheng thought about it, and said, “I’ll first proceed, then see howit goes.” These words were said once more. To many monolith comprehenders, if they wanted to take a step forwards in theMausoleum of Books, it was as difficult as reaching the sky. However, to him today, it was like a casual stroll. There were two people in front of the eighth Heavenly Tome monolith. He had seen these two people. A few days ago, they had once specially come tothe Reflecting Monolith hut to see him, and said a few words to him. On that night, Tang Thirty-Six had told him the history of the surnames ofthese two people. Seeing Chen Changsheng, the two people looked as if they had seen the DemonLord. Their faces were full of shock. Chen Changsheng walked towards the monolith hut, and suddenly stopped. Heturned around and looked at them. He said, “You are Guo En and Mu Nu?” In front of the monolith hut that day, they had asked him, “You’re ChenChangsheng?” Chen Changsheng was not a timid, bun-selling young girl after all. He was anupright, youthful teenager, so how could he not have a temper at all? So before he left, he also asked that. In the lingering breeze around the monolith hut, Guo En and Mu Nu’s facesbecame incomparably red, in a heated flush. Arriving in front of the eleventh Heavenly Tome monolith, it finally becamequiet. The gurgling sounds of water from the nearby clear, small stream wasvery pleasant to the ear. With Chen Changsheng’s cultivation level, he did not know that there wereseveral Heavenly Tome Monolith Guardians looking attentively at him from afar. Ji Jin’s expression was extremely unsightly. That night, in order to helpZhong Hui break through, his consumption was extreme, which was very difficultfor him to recover from. Nian Guang looked at Chen Changsheng walking towards the side of the stream.He stayed silent, but his feelings were extremely complicated. The Orthodoxy had ordered him to look after Chen Changsheng in the Mausoleumof Books. He did not do anything, because whether it was before or now, he didnot need to do anything at all. Many years ago, he had been a student specially nurtured by the TempleSeminary. However, he was pressured by the group of geniuses from the OrthodoxAcademy so badly that it even limited his breathing. In the end, only after allhis hopes and dreams had been destroyed, he decided to go to the Mausoleum ofBooks to become a Monolith Guardian. Seeing Chen Changsheng comprehend tenHeavenly Tome monoliths in one day, he very naturally thought of the peoplefrom the Orthodox Academy. Speaking normally, he should have been somewhatfurious, but for some reason, he was slightly relieved. Just like over tenyears ago, after he learnt that those geniuses that had once pressured him tothe point where he could not even breathe were all killed, he did not feelhappy, but instead felt slightly sad. A Monolith Guardian said, “He is the fastest one in the past decade, evenfaster than Wang Po and Xiao Zhang all those years ago.” Nian Guang stayed silent for a while, before saying, “Not just faster, he ismuch faster. So fast that he has reached a universally shocking level.” Chen Changsheng walked to the side of the stream. He washed his face and feltmuch more awake, before continuing to comprehend monoliths. Seeing the breeze of the monolith hut begin to blow, the Monolith Guardiansdid not say anything. Naturally, there were many people that had walked even further than ChenChangsheng in the Mausoleum of Books. Ignoring a monolith comprehender like XunMei, there were still cultivators that had viewed monoliths for hundreds ofyears in the seventh mausoleum. However…. Chen Changsheng had only used a day’s worth of time. Ji Jin thought back to all those years ago when he first arrived at theeleventh monolith. He had used a whole seven years. For a long time, he couldnot help but be absentminded, with never previously existed doubt blooming inhis cultivation. His spiritual sense shook and was not calm. The injuriescaused by the consumption a few days ago began to act up secretly. He held ontoan old tree beside him, staggering and sobbing. Nian Guang and the others did not notice his abnormal action, as they werestill submerged in shock. “If he was not surnamed Zhou, then I really would have wondered if he was thedescendant of that person……” Twilight invaded the sky, and he finally felt a shred of fatigue. He gazed off into the distance, and also saw that the capital in the dusk wasincomparably magnificent. He stood there quietly for a while, before turning around. Facing the settingsun, he walked into the monolith hut. The front mausoleum of the Mausoleum of Books only had seventeen monoliths intotal. This was the final one. Before, there was Zhou Dufu. Today, there was Chen Changsheng.