484 The Orthodox Academy Walks into a New Era

"You actually haven't forgotten about it…" Chen Changsheng was quite amazed atthis. "Both members of that couple are part of the Storms of the EightDirections—who wouldn't be interested in their matters? In fact, I even havesome suspicions that when Wuqiong Bi was in the Li Palace Academy, she mighthave had an affair with Daoist Siyuan. Or else why would she send her own sonto help Daoist Siyuan charge through enemy lines? And why would Bie Yanghong beso wary and have Su Moyu come to the Orthodox Academy to offer support?" TangThirty-Six began walking towards the lake as he spoke, "But anyhow, that idiotBie Tianxin is Wuqiong Bi's son, but in no way does it mean that he's BieYanghong's son. What do you think, could he be Daoist Siyuan's seed? Sigh. Butthis is a private matter, so you can't go spreading it around everywhere. SuMoyu especially is not allowed to hear this. After all, this is his own uncle;it must be so embarrassing." He turned to his side but realized that no one was there. At some point, Chen Changsheng had taken his leave and had already reached thegrass on the other side of the wall. As he looked over, Tang Thirty-Six asked in confusion, "What are you doing?" Chen Changsheng didn't even turn his head, waving his hand as he said, "I'mgoing to see if the food is done." The three matches of the early morning had concluded very quickly. Lunchtimecame early and there was even time for a small nap afterwards. Only after thesun had moved a little westward and the stuffiness was somewhat dispelled didthe Orthodox Academy's gate open once more. It was Tang Thirty-Six leading the group. The new students of the OrthodoxAcademy stood behind him on the stone steps, their faces filled with theintermingled emotions of excitement and unease. Without the slightest surprise, the first student to represent the OrthodoxAcademy lost. At the moment his opponent's sword seemed ready to fall, TangThirty-Six's voice promptly rose up, "We'll end it here." The second match was a loss, the third match was a loss, and the next fewmatches of the Orthodox Academy were all very straightforward losses. Thenormally exceptionally bustling scene was now pervaded with an oppressiveatmosphere. Only the voices of Tang Thirty-Six and the new students of theOrthodox Academy could be heard. "That's about it." "I said that's about it!" "I'm speaking so why aren't you listening?" These words were Tang Thirty-Six's and he was speaking to those people who hadcome to challenge the Orthodox Academy. The words of the new students of the Orthodox Academy were much simpler. Theybasically didn't exceed five words. "Concede." "I concede." "I’ve conceded." Only after they returned to the Orthodox Academy's gate, finally casting offthe tension and alien feeling they had felt in battle were they finally able tosay a little more. Standing on the stone steps, they chatted with theirschoolmates. "Was there anything wrong with the attack I made just now?" "The principal already said last night, your opponent's weakness is preciselyspeed, so your attack should have come out a little faster." "I was already going at my fastest." ”Perhaps that means you haven't practiced the Three Lanes of the Plum Blossomenough.” "The principal said last night that there was a sword style that could holdthat person down. What was it?" "The Three Chants of the Fisherman’s Song, an incredibly powerful sword styleof the Mount Li Sword Sect. I hear that not even Liang Banhu could grasp it.It's Gou Hanshi's unique skill. With yours or my cultivation, it's simplyimpossible to learn." As the Orthodox Academy students discussed with each other, there was no senseof defeat about them. The continuous losses seemed to have no effect on theirmood. That servant of the Bie family had truly spoken correctly. Blades and swordswere without eyes, especially in these battles where there was such a vastdifference in strength. No matter how sharp Tang Thirty-Six's gaze, how prompthis calls, there were still a few unavoidable accidents. However, thoseaccidents really could not be blamed on those experts challenging the OrthodoxAcademy. They were all basically the result of the new students of the OrthodoxAcademy being too nervous. By dusk, the Orthodox Academy had already lost ten-odd bouts. Six students hadsuffered injuries, with two of them being rather severely wounded. But none ofthese students complained, nor did they mention that promise Tang Thirty-Sixhad made that he would not let them be affected. On the contrary, their heartswere filled with gratitude. Because they understood more than anyone else justhow much they, with Chen Changsheng's guidance and these hard-to-findopportunities to engage in actual combat with experts, just how much they hadimproved. Just their outlook had been expanded many times from before they hadentered the Orthodox Academy. Today, the matches of the Orthodox Academy that had initiated such a massivestorm in the capital and had entertained the populace of the capital finallyentered a new stage. The Orthodox Academy began to lose, but no one believed them to be losers,because those who came forth to represent the Orthodox Academy were all newstudents they had enrolled a few days ago. Naturally, there weren't any victors either. The mood of the students of the Orthodox Academy was very good and TangThirty-Six was essentially satisfied with the current situation. However, thesehalf-hearted and routine matches were thoroughly uninteresting to thespectators. They became so bored that they grew agitated and some of them beganto doze off and yawn. The most depressed were those experts of the Tianhai clan and the IvyAcademies. They realized that they had been completely transformed intosparring partners. There were even some experts who truly had slipped theirhands and accidentally injured a student. Upon thinking of the threat TangThirty-Six had made this morning, they grew uneasy. Only when they saw thatTang Thirty-Six's complexion was normal did they relax, bitterly laughing asthey returned. As the twilight dimmed, the gate of the Orthodox Academy closed. The majorityof the Li Palace priests returned to their respective halls, leaving behind afew night guards and one squadron of Orthodoxy cavalry. The common folk of thecapital resentfully returned to their homes to prepare dinner. Under theawning, the stewards of the Four Great Markets gazed at the money made fromtoday's bets and tightly creased their foreheads. Those experts that had cometo challenge the Orthodox Academy suffered from the most indescribablyirritable mood. After dinner, the students and teachers of the Orthodox Academy began tosummarize their experiences. Simultaneously, they also made preparations fortomorrow's matches. After everything was done, Chen Changsheng and his group returned to theSeparate Garden. Xuanyuan Po had spent all of today with the head chef from Clear LakeRestaurant. In his view, that liveliness of the cooking pot in the kitchen andthose ways of handling ingredients that he had never even heard about beforewere far more important than the liveliness outside the gate. It was only attoday's summary that he learned what was going on with the matches taking placeoutside. Rather puzzled, he asked, "If conceding was all we needed to resolveour problems, why did we need to recruit these new students? We could justconcede on our own." Tang Thirty-Six said, "You've never had a complaint about the Orthodox Academyenrolling new students, so why now?" Xuanyuan Po replied, "You didn't see, at lunch and dinner, such good disheswere all picked clean by them." "You see, this is precisely why I wanted to do things this way." TangThirty-Six gave him a look and said, "Because you can lose to those people, butI can't." Xuanyuan Po didn't quite understand. After thinking about it, he realized thatthis sort of way of speaking was called punning. "I want to win fifty-eight consecutive victories. I can't just let it endright here," Tang Thirty-Six concluded.