443 The Orthodox Academy's First Battle

It was noisy outside the Orthodox Academy, like a great cauldron in whichwater was boiling. Around that awning set up outside Hundred Flowers Lane, manystorekeepers and stewards bustled around, taking the bets of the populace. Aslong as the battle had not begun, one could place their bet at any time.However, for some reason, the odds for both sides had not changed once sinceyesterday. Not everyone was fond of gambling. There were even more people that had comepurely to see the spectacle. After all, this was a grand occasion—after ChenChangsheng had accepted the position of Principal of the Orthodox Academy, hehad entered the Garden of Zhou. This was his first public appearance afterreturning to the capital and today was a very important occasion for him.Simultaneously, today was also a very important occasion for the OrthodoxAcademy. If speaking of last year, that Chen Changsheng had become the firststudent of the Orthodox Academy in many years had a symbolic significance. Thustoday's battle would be the Orthodox Academy's first battle after it hadreappeared in the world. If this were a story, then the following development would be that ChenChangsheng would logically obtain victory and the Orthodox Academy that hadbeen in ruins for many years would proclaim its rebirth to the entirecontinent. Regretfully, everyone knew that today's story would not develop insuch a fashion because his opponent was a Star Condensation expert. The firstbattle of the newly-reborn Orthodox Academy was highly likely to end dismally. As the crowd gazed at the tightly-shut gate of the Orthodox Academy and theexpressionless Zhou Ziheng standing before it, they were filled with all sortsof emotion. Everyone knew that the new rule of the All-School MartialExhibition was a method for the alliance of the Tianhai clan and the newfaction of the Orthodoxy to suppress Chen Changsheng and the Orthodox Academy.Combined with the fact that the legendary wolf youth Zhexiu was still jailed inZhou Prison, the unreachable figure of the Divine Empress became all the morevisible behind this matter. How could the Divine Empress possibly give the Orthodox Academy an actualchance of maturing? If the Orthodoxy had not been internally divided, thenperhaps the Li Palace would have had an even fiercer response to thissuppression and the Orthodox Academy would not have been forced into suchhumiliating circumstance. It was a pity that there were even many people withinthe Orthodoxy that were unwilling to see the Orthodox Academy truly bereborn—those two Sacred Hall archbishops that had proposed this All-SchoolMartial Exhibition had already notified the continent of their stances. As thePope changed his will, they still stood by the Divine Empress. What made people sigh with sorrow was that these two Sacred Hall archbishopshad received the deliberate care of the Pope, thus allowing them to standamongst the Six Prefects and become two great trees that reached to the sky. Itwas also precisely because of the Pope that they associated with the DivineEmpress. Although the Pope had changed his own position, it was impossible forhim to change the positions of everyone in the Li Palace. When all was said anddone, the Li Palace and the Divine Empress had been closely joined for morethan two hundred years; how could this relationship be cut apart in a singleday? Archbishop Mei Lisha had died last night. The Pope had lost his once mostpowerful rival and also lost his most powerful comrade-in-arms. In addition,the Pope had to maintain his appearance of impartiality. Even if the Li Palacehad even more opinions, it was still impossible for it to assist the OrthodoxAcademy under the watch of multitudinous gazes. Consequently, no matter howarduous today's battle was, no matter how dismal the conclusion, the OrthodoxAcademy would still have to fight it itself. In this past year, Chen Changshengand the Orthodox Academy, under the care of the Li Palace, had not undergonemany storms or tribulations and had thus smoothly and healthily grown. Today,it wasn't necessary that the Orthodox Academy shelter the Li Palace from thestorm, but it would at least have to start enduring the storm together with theLi Palace. Of course, this was not at all fair, an opinion held by the vast majority ofthe crowd. According to the registers of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education,the Four Great Markets had long since confirmed to the capital that theOrthodox Academy had only five students. Princess Luoluo's identity was toospecial, making it impossible for her to represent the Orthodox Academy in thismatch. Zhexiu, who was thought to be the most valiant by many, was stillimprisoned in Zhou Prison. As a result, when the time came for the otheracademies and schools to issue their challenges, the Orthodox Academy truly didnot have many choices to pick from. It could also be said that they lacked thespace to maneuver. This place had no experts with long-established fame, only young people. The gate to the Orthodox Academy was pushed open. Chen Changsheng walked out,Xuanyuan Po and Tang Thirty-Six following behind. The street turned into an uproar and then swiftly grew silent. In the Orthodox Academy's first battle, the one to battle was naturally ChenChangsheng, because he was the Principal. Today, he wore a brand-new school uniform. The stitching was fine and dense,and the cuffs were tidied up in an extremely orderly fashion, on the wholegiving off a very neat appearance. His black hair was tied tightly behind, andhis delicate features looked exceptionally clean. Walking up to the area in front of the gate, he gave a distant salute to thatinn located within Hundred Flowers Lane. After that, he turned to Zhou Zihengand nodded his head. Considering his sixteen years of age, he truly was somewhat too calm andsteady. However, he absolutely did not give off any feeling of sophisticationor muddiness. Instead, he gave people the feeling of a cool breeze. Solely on his bearing, he really did seem like a principal. Expressions of sincere praise came from every direction. The people who had come to see the spectacle were incapable of breakingthrough the imperial guards and Li Palace priests, so could only watch from adistance. Although they couldn't see clearly, they felt and more and more thatthis young principal seemed to be very comfortable. Last year's incident in the spring where the entire capital besieged theOrthodox Academy had already become a thing of the past. Even Archbishop MeiLisha was already dead and the bloodstains on the steps of the Bureau ofEcclesiastic Education had long since vanished. Who still remembered thosethings? After the Grand Examination, the Mausoleum of Books, and the Garden ofZhou, Chen Changsheng had become the pride of the Great Zhou. The capital wasthe capital of the Great Zhou, and the Orthodox Academy was in the capital.Naturally, the people of the capital viewed him as their own pride. There was praise, there was discussion, and there were sighs of sorrow. Frombeginning to end, the crowd had always believed this battle to be unfair. Theentire continent knew that Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong were the two youngestin history to enter the upper level of Ethereal Opening, cultivating geniuses.But ultimately, it was still just the upper level of Ethereal Opening. Hisopponent was Zhou Ziheng, a true expert at the initial level of StarCondensation. To be able to obtain victory through surpassing cultivationlevels was an extremely rare sight. In today's battle, if Chen Changshengwanted to obtain victory, he needed to surpass a massive gap in cultivation.Just how high was that threshold? "Last night, I heard a knowledgeable guest from the Pavilion of Divination saythat when Little Principal Chen was in Xunyang City confronting Zhu Luo, hedidn't retreat a single step. Zhou Ziheng is only at Star Condensation—who saidthat he's certain to win?" "Correct, I also heard that in Xunyang City, Little Principal Chen evenmanaged to take an attack from that madman Xiao Zhang. Although he was nomatch, he didn't suffer too much." The crowd was brimming with discussion. Surprisingly, the vast majority ofpeople were actually optimistic about Chen Changsheng, or perhaps it was notoptimism, but a sort of inclination towards him based on feeling. "Everyone, please! You've all got to understand, no matter how high the levelLittle Principal Chen displayed in Xunyang was, at his side were Su Li and WangPo! In addition, the entire situation was a mess, but now it's one on one."That person mocked, "I'm not going to argue with you all. If you really want tobelieve, then go and bet on the Orthodox Academy's victory." The crowd momentarily grew quiet. As expected, the crowd only hoped that ChenChangsheng could obtain victory, but weren't at all optimistic about hischances. Not even a few people went to bet on the Orthodox Academy's victory. "One to eleven, it's really impossible to bet on the Orthodox Academy." "If this were some other upper level Ethereal Opening cultivator challenging aStar Condensation cultivator, do you think those guys who are even greedierthan thieves would set odds? Let alone setting up an awning and dispatching somany people. It looks to me like the Four Great Markets also think LittlePrincipal Chen will lose, but he should at least be able to hold on for a longtime." "Even if Zhou Ziheng is only at the initial level of Star Condensation, if hewants to defeat an opponent a full cultivation level below him, does he reallyneed a very long time?" "Don't forget, back then when Wang Po was at the upper level of EtherealOpening, just how he managed to cut his initial level Star Condensationopponent into a madman." "Although I also think Little Principal Chen is very terrific, I don't thinkhe's up to that year's Wang Po. Don't you forget, it was in that very samebattle where Wang Po succeeded in breaking into Star Condensation." "And don't you forget, at the beginning of the year, Little Principal Chenonly entered Ethereal Opening at the very last battle of the Grand Examination." "It's exactly because I didn't forget that I think this is impossible. In theshort span of a year, how can he perform such a feat twice, unless it's amiracle." The spectators engaged in spirited discussion, fiercely debating with eachother, but only the amount bet and the number of people displayed their trueopinion. Just as the crowd had analyzed, amongst the Four Great Markets and thepowerful figures of the capital, not a one viewed Chen Changsheng in anoptimistic light, despite the shocking talent and battle prowess he haddisplayed in the Garden of Zhou and Xunyang City. This was because in thatbattle within Xunyang City, Chen Changsheng was not the main role. As for thebattles that took place before Xunyang City, those had no spectators. Clear Lake Restaurant's top floor today was clear of customers. There was onlyone person eating there because this person had always believed that admiringthe lake most necessitated not the weather, but peace and quiet. It wascurrently summer, so the famed crab banquet of Clear Lake Restaurant wasnaturally impossible to serve. However, the table was still densely arrayedwith dozens of dishes. Every dish was probably more expensive than the cost ofone year of a commoner's living expenses. Such an extravagant individual was naturally no ordinary person. In the plate in front of Tianhai Chenwu was a blue lobster from the GreatWestern Continent. Its flesh which was as white as jade, yet much more tenderand cold, had been sliced by the wondrous knife of Clear Lake Restaurant's headchef into the shape of chrysanthemum flowers. He brought up his chopsticks, but in the next moment, shook his head and putthem back down. He had no appetite because of the reports in his hand. The bloody scenesdescribed in those reports were truly somewhat nauseating. These reportsdescribed the battles Chen Changsheng had with Divine General Xue He and LiangHongzhuang, as well as that tyrant of the north, Lin Pingyuan. The first twobattles had been personally described by Xue He and Liang Hongzhuang. The finalbattle, because all involved had been killed by Chen Changsheng, had beendeduced from the scene after the battle. After confirming something or the other, Tianhai Chenwu's mood greatlyimproved. He took up his chopsticks once again, pinched a morsel of lobsterflesh, and conveyed it into his lips. As he slowly chewed upon it, his mouthfelt sweet. "Now that you don't have Su Li, how can you possibly win?" In the entire capital, there was no one optimistic about Chen Changsheng. The archbishop that was optimistic about Chen Changsheng was at this verymoment peacefully sleeping amidst the plum blossoms. The Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education was laden with grief, but many priestscast their gazes in the direction of the Orthodox Academy. Luoluo sat at the edge of the plum blossoms, fulfilling her obligation as therepresentative of the Orthodox Academy. Suddenly, she heard a sound from thedistance. Walking to the window, she gazed in the direction of the OrthodoxAcademy, her two hands tightly curling into fists. Master will definitely win. Even if nobody else was optimistic about Chen Changsheng, she still believedthat Chen Changsheng would obtain the final victory. She had no reason. At some point, Mo Yu had come to the Orthodox Academy. She had not come to the Orthodox Academy's gate to spectate the battle. Therewere already many powerful figures there to oversee. At this very moment, XueXingchuan was in that tea house. There was no need for her to go over. Somehow, she appeared in Chen Changsheng's room. She did not sleep. She sat in front of the window, gazing at the luxurianttrees of the Orthodox Academy, thinking about something. Suddenly, a boom erupted from the front of the academy. She narrowed her eyes and turned them to that sound. Without the slightest omen, the Orthodox Academy's first battle had begun. Zhou Ziheng had taken out his sword. Chen Changsheng had taken out his sword. Each of them had launched an attack. The Li Palace priests responsible for recording the scene could not tear theireyes away. The several dozen painters and storytellers anxiously watched the battle. The several thousand spectators from the capital made absolutely no sound. In various parts of the capital, there were even more people waiting to hearthe latest news about the battle and see the latest drawings. The only organizations capable of this were the Four Great Markets. There were some painters with masterful sight who, in the instant that ChenChangsheng and Zhou Ziheng took out their swords, began to put their brushes tothe paper. Particularly, the painter from the Pavilion of Divination, who himselfpossessed the cultivation of the Star Condensation Realm who, with a hastyflash of his brush, produced a vivid image on the paper. Although it was donecarelessly, it had managed to perfectly capture the energy and movement ofthose two swords. After a moment, this image was transmitted via magical artifact to variousplaces across the capital. This was a sketch, extremely simple and hasty. If one did not know what thisdrawing was depicting, it could even be mistaken for the random scrawls of achild that had just learned how to write. The room was silent. The students of the Heavenly Dao Academy surrounded thetable, their minds filled with countless doubts. And yet, none of them dared tovoice them—none of them dared to disturb the man sitting before the table as heviewed the drawing.  Out of reverence, out of love and respect, no student of the Heavenly DaoAcademy dared to approach that person, because that person was Senior Guan Bai. If one were to say that Zhuang Huanyu who had committed suicide a few days agohad been the pride of the Heavenly Dao Academy for these past two years, thenGuan Bai was the pride of the Heavenly Dao Academy for the past ten years. Justlike all those other figures on the Proclamation of Liberation, Guan Bai hadhis own title: Famous Name Guan Bai. In these past few years, it was precisely because of him that the Heavenly DaoAcademy's famous name did not decline. Guan Bai's eyebrows were like swords and were slightly weathered. It was veryobvious that he had just returned from far away. When his gaze fell upon that simple scrawl on that piece of paper, it becamesharper, like a true sword. His finger hovered in the air, tracing the light stroke on the paper. Itswished as it went, as if there was sword intent on the edge of the finger asit flew through the air. After some time, he withdrew his finger, withdrew his sight, and then gazedout the window in the direction of the Orthodox Academy. With a complicatedexpression, he said, "A good sword." Finally, a student could no longer hold back his question. "Senior, just whowon in the end?" The moment this question was asked, it immediately attracted the countlessgazes of his schoolmates, and every one of those gazes was brimming withdisapproval. The battle between Chen Changsheng and Zhou Ziheng had just begun,and this drawing only recorded their first attacks. It was simply impossible todetermine the winner and loser solely from this. This question had disturbedSenior Guan Bai and was extremely stupid. None of these Heavenly Dao Academy students imagined that Guan Bai wouldactually make a determination. He gazed at the lines on the paper, the ink that had just congealed, thedragging lines of the brush. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with sword glow.