461 He Stands Amidst the Flowers

The Li Palace priest surnamed Lu said rather helplessly, "They're all justhere to watch, and it's not like we can drive them too far away." The awning on the street did not contain any important figures besides thestewards of the Four Great Markets, but the common folk of the capital that hadarrived to see the spectacle were already numerous. It was clearly only six in the morning, and it was even raining! TangThirty-Six felt extremely helpless, and also very furious. He thought tohimself, isn't it just fighting? Just what's so good about watching that? Is itworth it to get out of bed so early? The crowd gradually parted and then slowly became quiet. A middle-aged manwearing a black teaching gown expressionlessly strode onto the scene. Tang Thirty-Six tore open the letter and gave it a few glances. He confirmedthat today's challenger was actually a lecturer from the Li Palace Academy. His sword-like eyebrows slightly creased. It wasn't because his opponent wasan expert at the peak of Ethereal Opening, but rather because the perplexity inhis mind was growing ever deeper and he felt that this situation was gettingever stranger. Besides Star Seizer Academy, the other five Ivy Academies were all under thedirect jurisdiction of the Orthodoxy. Could it be that within the Orthodoxy,there were really so many people…who dared to go against the will of the Pope? …… …… The door to the library was pushed open, the breeze bringing a few drops ofrain inside with it, as well as Tang Thirty-Six. "I can't understand this matter," he declared to Chen Changsheng. Chen Changsheng shook his head and said, "In the present Orthodoxy, there aremany people, including many priests of the Li Palace, who experienced the chaosof the Orthodox Academy back then. They killed many of the experts who haddevoted themselves to the Imperial clan, but many of their hands are alsostained with the blood of the students and teachers of the Orthodox Academy.It's simply impossible for them to accept the Imperial clan’s return to powerand the reappearance of the Orthodox Academy. It actually has nothing to dowith going against the will of His Holiness." After a brief pause, he continued, "His Eminence said it very well. HisHoliness has turned too quickly. Even those loyal to him find themselves unableto turn with him for the moment." Tang Thirty-Six fell into thought, then mused, "That's reasonable, but I stillfeel that something's not right." Chen Changsheng was more concerned about more practical things. He inquired,"What level is that lecturer from the Li Palace Academy?" Tang Thirty-Six answered, "He's not Star Condensation, but the peak ofEthereal Opening. He's very old. With one glance, you can tell that he's gotsome desperate technique stashed away." Chen Changsheng fell silent at these words. He thought, this sort of opponentseems inferior to Zhou Ziheng, but his experience in battle is far greater thanZhou Ziheng's. He's not that easy an opponent to deal with. He asked, "What time did you arrange the match with the opponent for?" Tang Thirty-Six was a little taken aback, asking, "What do you mean, ‘whattime’?" Chen Changsheng was similarly taken aback, clarifying, "When will we befighting with that lecturer from the Li Palace Academy?" Tang Thirty-Six finally understood what he meant and very casually replied,"The fight's already finished." Chen Changsheng didn't hear it clearly, so he asked, "Finished?" "Yes, it's finished." "Eh…" This was completely beyond Chen Changsheng's expectations. For a moment,he was at a loss for what to say. Xuanyuan Po found it impossible to continue calmly studying as he looked overin shock. Even for Zhexiu laying on the ground, he couldn't help but perk his ears. "Who fought?" The answer was obvious, but Chen Changsheng still didn't quitebelieve it. Tang Thirty-Six felt that he was quite the idiot and said, "It was me, ofcourse!" Xuanyuan Po was so simple and honest, he had really believed that PrincessLuoluo must have returned. Hearing this admission, he inadvertently let slipthe question, "You…could you beat him?" That lecturer from the Li Palace Academy was at the peak of Ethereal Opening.Tang Thirty-Six had just entered the upper level of Ethereal Opening in theMausoleum of Books, so how could he possibly be a match for that lecturer? "Just what does that mean? Chen Changsheng can surpass cultivation levels todefeat Star Condensation, but I can't even take care of some rotten old man?" Tang Thirty-Six sneered, "Seeing my free and easy bearing like a jade tree inthe wind, my appearance so confident and carefree that not even rain couldstick on me, all of you should also know just who won." The library was completely silent. Chen Changsheng didn't know what to say. In the Ivy Festival and the Grand Examination, in terms of both cultivationand swordplay, Tang Thirty-Six was clearly somewhat inferior to the likes of QiJian and Guan Feibai, let alone Gou Hanshi. As the talented descendant of anaristocratic family, he ended up being so suppressed by these Mount Li SwordSect disciples from impoverished backgrounds that he couldn't even breathe,couldn't even raise his head…Chen Changsheng knew that although Tang Thirty-Sixacted as if it was nothing, as if he was still free and uncaring, wealthy andheadstrong with a mouth full of obscenities, in reality, he was very muchirritated by his situation. So in the Mausoleum of Books, Tang Thirty-Six had been exceptionally diligentand hardworking. Ultimately, he was able to catch up to and even surpass GuanFeibai, and then shockingly directly entered the upper level of EtherealOpening. But Chen Changsheng had not imagined that he would actually have made such agreat leap that he could defeat a senior at the peak of Ethereal Opening. He glanced over Tang Thirty-Six and, upon confirming that he truly wasuninjured, asked, "What was the situation in the end?" Tang Thirty-Six sat cross-legged on the floor. His clothes were a little dampand his hair still had a few drops of water. He did not immediately answer Chen Changsheng's question. He spent a fewmoments in silence before saying, "I cut off one of his hands." Chen Changsheng took a few of his own moments of silence, then replied, "Alittle severe." Tang Thirty-Six said, "I have to make the opponent pay some sort of price…orelse what would we do if we got a letter of challenge every day? Are you justgoing to keep fighting? If you were to make a mistake once, they would alsodare to just cut off your hand." He spoke calmly and firmly because this was something he knew was absolutelygoing to happen. Chen Changsheng noted that his face was rather pale, and then he remembered,although Tang Thirty-Six upon entering the capital had yelled that he was goingto cripple Tianhai Ya'er, in reality…he had lived his entire life in Wenshui,growing up with a golden spoon in his mouth. Upon coming to the capital, he wasunder the care of Principal Zhuang. Only after he left the Heavenly Dao Academyand came to the Orthodox Academy did he truly begin to confront the trials andtribulations of human life. Just when had he ever actually crippled someone?Besides the battles of the Grand Examination, he hadn't even seen blood before. Chen Changsheng did not voice any of these thoughts. Taking out ahandkerchief, he handed it over and said, "Wipe." Tang Thirty-Six was somewhat stunned and Xuanyuan Po was exceptionallystunned. Even Zhexiu mustered the strength to open his eyes. They were the people in the world most familiar with Chen Changsheng. They allknew that Chen Changsheng was exceptionally serious and had an obsession withcleanliness that he did not usually display. "Just for the rain water." In a rather more serious tone, Chen Changshengexplained, "If you want to use it to wipe the blood on your sword, then youdon't need to return the handkerchief to me anymore." …… …… Tang Thirty-Six's hand was heavy, but the rains of summer were even heavier.The drizzle of the morning suddenly transformed into a torrential downpour atdusk. The bloodstains in front of the Orthodox Academy's gate were very quicklywashed away. Besides making the maidens of the capital think him even morecool, and thus making them even more smitten for him, this matter had nolasting effects, for either the Orthodox Academy or its opponents. On the morning of the second day, the Orthodox Academy received three moreletters of challenge. Unlike the day before, the Orthodox Academy's gateremained shut. Only the faint sounds of debate and even quarreling could beheard. Finally, at twilight, the gate was pushed upon. Watching as TangThirty-Six walked out of the gate, the spectators that had waited for theentire day—the idlers, the stewards under the awning, and the people in thecarriages on the street—were all roused from their stupors. Today was truly different from yesterday. There was no pouring rain today,only a sky suffused with the glow of the sunset. The Wenshui Sword was pulled out of its sheath, the sword reflecting thetwilight. Simultaneously, it seemed to possess a sort of magic, completelyabsorbing the light of the sunset in the west. The street grew dark and thenbrightened once more. Tang Thirty-Six had used the mightiest move of the Three Forms of Wenshui! As the evening clouds gathered, the sword intent rose up. The remnants of the rain in the numerous depressions in the ground before thegate seemed like countless tiny lakes. With the majestic rise of true essence, a vast and mighty sword energyemerged. Those lakes were suffused with a golden glow and then vanished in theheat. In the lane, there was a dense cacophony like a sword harshly whistlingthrough the air countless times! That swordsman who on the surface seemed to come from the Temple Seminary, butwas actually an expert of the Tianhai clan, plunged backwards and heavily fellon the street. With a slap, those small lakes were pulverized by some figure, and the goldenlight transformed into countless scales. That swordsman's body was crisscrossed by ten-odd sword slashes. Blood flowedout everywhere and he was powerless to stand. Tang Thirty-Six didn't even pay him another glance. Grasping the Wenshui Sword, he looked into the crowd and said, "Next." The crowd was absolutely silent, and then spread apart with a bang. They were struck silly, especially those maidens of the capital. They shoutedhis name with all their might while tossing over the flowers in their hands. Flowers were thrown in an unending rain to the area in front of the OrthodoxAcademy. The ground was soon covered in a thick layer, like a sea of flowers. And he stood amidst this sea of flowers.