"Although no one has ever seen the Yellow Paper Umbrella with their own eyes, because of this matter, the umbrella is extremely famous. There are even people in the Pavilion of Divination who have said that if one day the Tier of Legendary Weapons were to be reconstructed, amongst the famous weapons and magical artifacts of this era, this umbrella should have the most qualifications to enter the Tier."
Zhexiu looked at him and continued, "Let alone the fact that you and Tang Thirty-Six are just friends … even if it was because you are now the Principal of the Orthodox Academy and Tang Thirty-Six is a student of the Orthodox Academy, the Tang clan would not need to take out this umbrella to curry favor with you. Besides … the Tang clan has always only bought people, not curried favor with them."
Chen Changsheng thought about the words that Tang Thirty-Six had said in the Mausoleum of Books when he had lost his temper, and he knew that these words were correct. Regardless of whether it was the Heavenly Dao Academy or the Temple Seminary, a third of their annual expenses were provided by the Wenshui Tangs. The Old Master truly did not need to treat the Orthodox Academy with any special regard, even if his most beloved grandson was currently a student of the Orthodox Academy.
But he was thinking about something else at the moment.
"If that Mount Li's Junior Martial Uncle saw that the magical artifact that he had poured so much blood and sweat into appear in the hands of a junior like me, would he not be happy?"
"If it were you, would you be unhappy?"
"Of course I will."
"So, of course, he will."
"Then … will he come to rob, or even kill for the treasure?"
"Don't think so lowly of seniors and experts. Besides, who among those priests would have thought that the Tang Old Master would give you a Yellow Paper Umbrella as a greeting gift? As long as the Tang Family and you don't say anything, who will know? "
"You know."
"…"
"Alright, but since it's a very powerful magic tool, it will definitely be useful in the future."
"We'll talk about it when we need it."
"I'm just worried that when I use it in the future, will it provoke the Mount Li Sword Sect?"
"The Ivy Festival, the Grand Examination, the engagement with Xu You Rong … Haven't you provoked them enough?
"That's true. Then the next question is, this … how do I use the Yellow Paper Umbrella? "
Zhexiu thought it over, then said to him, "Try pouring your true essence in."
This was the most common way of using magic treasures.
Chen Chang Sheng obeyed and released a sliver of True Essence, slowly entering the metal ball.
A wonderful feeling entered the metal ball along with the True Essence, and was reflected in his Sea of Consciousness.
In the metal ball, he sensed countless undulating surfaces that looked like hills.
Looking at it with his eyes, the surface of the metal ball was absolutely smooth, so these undulations should be on the inside of the ball.
His true essence slowly moved forward along the undulating surface, and finally arrived at a certain point in the center.
A ray of light flashed there, like a bolt of lightning, but also like the birth of a star.
A gust of wind blew in the hall, and the metal ball in his palm trembled slightly. The scale-like lines on the surface of the metal ball split open.
Accompanied by a burst of fragmented mechanical springs and light metal clashing sounds, the cracked metal ball continuously changed and reassembled.
Several film-like metal umbrellas appeared.
Next, it was the umbrella ribs, then the handle.
Not long after, an umbrella appeared in Chen Chang Sheng's hand.
This umbrella, from the surface to the handle, was entirely made of metal. It was incomparably bright, as if it was a piece of silver that had just been taken out of the furnace.
The cool breeze continued to swirl around the hall.
Soon after, something that made Chen Chang Sheng and Zhexiu feel uneasy happened.
Those bright metal surfaces, upon encountering the cool breeze, began to change. Some areas constantly darkened, while others constantly darkened. In the space of a few breaths, the originally incomparably bright surface of the umbrella had become incomparably mottled. It looked like an ordinary oil-paper umbrella that had been used for many years. It was covered in a thick layer of dust and looked extremely dirty.
"What's going on?" Chen Chang Sheng nervously asked.
He noticed that even the handle of the umbrella that he was holding had already become incomparably old and black, as if it was made of wood.
"Don't panic."
Seeing the changes to the metal umbrella, Zhexiu was at first somewhat shocked, but then he calmed down, his eyes seemed to burn even hotter.
He extended his hand and said to Chen Chang Sheng, "Let me use your dagger."
Chen Chang Sheng glanced at the dagger at his waist and shook his head. He thought to himself, since it's a treasure gifted to me by the Tang Old Master, I can't just break it.
"Even Qiushan Jun's Dragonscale Sword might not be able to break this Yellow Paper Umbrella."
Zhexiu expressionlessly said to him. He did not continue to insist and raised his right hand, saying, "Hold the umbrella tightly, I'm going to attack with all my strength."
Chen Chang Sheng hurriedly gripped the handle of the umbrella with both hands. Just as he finished his action, he saw Zhexiu's fist smashing towards him.
After breaking into Ethereal Opening while viewing the monoliths in the Mausoleum of Books, the current Zhexiu was even stronger than when he had fought in the Grand Examination.
Several perfectly straight lines tore through the air, directly attacking Chen Chang Sheng's face from under the umbrella.
At a certain moment, Chen Chang Sheng could faintly see the sharp claws at the front of the lines.
He even had a feeling that Zhexiu really wanted to kill him.
But at this moment, even if he did anything, it was already too late. He could only tightly grip the umbrella.
Whoosh!
The umbrella's handle trembled.
Five clear slashes appeared in the air before his eyes, and then those slashes gradually disappeared.
He could faintly sense that the terrifying power from Zhexiu's fingers had been completely absorbed and dissipated by some sort of ripple of Qi hanging from the edge of the umbrella. Afterwards, through some unknown method or channel, it had been transferred to the ground under the umbrella. It was to the extent that he did not even feel the slightest ripple of power.
As expected of a magical artifact that even Mount Li's Junior Martial Uncle could not afford.
The defensive ability of this Yellow Paper Umbrella was truly too strong.
Zhexiu looked at the claw marks that disappeared into the vertical plane of the umbrella and fell silent for a while.
Chen Chang Sheng looked at him and asked, "That's it?"
Zhexiu said with an indifferent expression, "That's still not enough?"
Chen Chang Sheng said, "This umbrella is so famous … I originally thought that its performance would be very impressive."
Zhexiu said, "Purely in terms of defense, this umbrella can withstand an attack from a Star Condensation expert. That's already very impressive."
Chen Chang Sheng thought to himself, even if your bloodline is abnormal and you cannot be compared to a normal Ethereal Opening expert, isn't it a bit too much to compare your attack to a Star Condensation expert?
Although he thought this, he naturally would not say it out loud.
After thinking it over, he said, "Do you think that this umbrella has some other use?"
Zhexiu said, "I don't know."
Chen Chang Sheng said, "Perhaps, I should go ask the Tang Old Master?"
This umbrella had already become extremely ordinary, just like a really old and dirty umbrella.
Zhexiu looked at the umbrella in his hand, and after a moment of silence, he said, "It's very obvious that after this umbrella was made, today is the first time it's been opened. I think … that not even the Tang Old Master is clear on all the uses of this umbrella. If you want to understand, you can probably only ask that Junior Martial Uncle of Mount Li."
Chen Chang Sheng didn't say anything more. With a thought, he withdrew his True Essence from the handle of the umbrella. Only a few cracking sounds could be heard as the Yellow Paper Umbrella left behind several afterimages in the air. It was quickly retracted, finally transforming back into a metal ball in his palm. However, the surface of the ball was no longer smooth and bright. It looked like a pebble that had just been dug out from the sand.
… …
… …
Northwest of Wenshui City was the Qinling Mountains.
The Qinling Mountains extended for over a thousand li, with a large river running through its northeastern foothills. The fertile soil on both sides was Tianliang County.
The place that Chen Chang Sheng's party wanted to go to was still very far from the capital of Tianliang County. However, the noble clans of Tianliang County had long ago dispatched countless experts to surround the area.
Because this year, the Garden of Zhou was in Hanqiu City.
The Garden of Zhou was a miniature world. It opened once every ten years, and each time, it would appear in a different place. Sometimes it would appear in Jiangnan, sometimes in the Eastern Mountains, sometimes in the snowy plains, sometimes around the capital, sometimes outside Xuelao City, and twice in the vast ocean between the continent and the Great Western Continent.
When the convoy from the capital arrived at Hanqiu City, it was already evening. There was only one night left before the Garden of Zhou would officially open.
Ethereal Opening cultivators from all over the continent, including their teachers and elders, numbered at least several hundred. All of them were waiting in Hanqiu City.
To many people, this last night seemed especially long. Many young experts, impatient with waiting in the inns, had long since left the city and arrived outside the forest.
Beyond the forest, one could see snow-capped peaks burning in the twilight. There was nothing else.
Those young experts looked at the twilight and softly discussed something, but none of them dared to approach the forest.
Because outside the forest, there were several grass huts, and several important figures were sitting in these huts.
Sitting in these huts, suppressing the Firmament Insignificant — this was overseeing.
This year, overseeing the Garden of Zhou was an archbishop of the Sacred Hall of the Orthodoxy, two Divine Generals of the Great Zhou, and an elder of the Longevity Sect.
But the one that truly made those young experts afraid to approach was in the grass hut at the very front.
It was a middle-aged man with long hair draped over his shoulders. He had a confident bearing, and his gaze was extremely cold.
The cultivators from Hanqiu City respectfully bowed towards the grass hut from afar, but the middle-aged man completely ignored them.
No one had any objections to this.
Because the middle-aged man was the Sect Master of the Emotion-Severing Sect, as well as the head of the Tianliang Zhu clan.
The number one clan of Tianliang County was naturally the Great Zhou Imperial clan, the Chen clan.
But the Chen Imperial clan currently resided in the capital, and after Wang Po's Wang clan declined, the Zhu clan had become the number one clan of Tianliang County.
Of course, his status in the cultivation world was even more shocking.
Because he was Zhu Luo of the Storms of the Eight Directions.
Drinking Alone Under the Moon, Zhu Luo.
The Five Saints, the Storms of the Eight Directions, and the people on the Proclamation of Liberation were the true peak experts of the continent.
Compared to the Five Saints, the Storms of the Eight Directions did not have as much secular authority, but in terms of cultivation, they were not any weaker.
This expert was revered by the common people as Drinking Alone Under the Moon, not because he loved wine, but because three hundred years ago, he had journeyed to the snowy plains of the extreme north. Outside Xuelao City, he had personally observed the moon and composed a poem. After he composed that poem, he revealed the Saint Realm and killed the second Demon General in one fell swoop, shocking the world!
The Emotion-Severing Sect cultivated the art of severing one's emotions and destroying one's nature.
In that poem he had composed under the moon in Xuelao City, there was a line: 'Drinking alone does not make friends.'
Everyone knew that this expert of the continent did not have a good temper.
As a result, no one dared to approach that grass hut.
… …
… …
Even the Pegasus seemed to sense the terrifying pressure and cold aura coming from that grass hut, lowering its head to express its submission.
Chen Changsheng lightly stroked its wings to comfort it. He silently gazed at the thin and tyrannical figure within the grass hut.
Some people noticed the insignia of Li Palace on this group of carriages and guessed at their origins. The quiet scene began to stir, and one could faintly hear someone whispering to ask who Chen Changsheng was. At dusk, the scenery was dim, and the snow-white Pegasus was very striking. Many people looked over, thinking to themselves, could it be that this seemingly ordinary youth is that person?
At this moment, a cold and indifferent voice arose from beneath the grass hut: "You are Chen Changsheng?"
… …
… …
(I've finally written about an expert of this level, haha … the Pope and the Divine Empress are obviously not included … see you tomorrow.)
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