Guan Bai was the greatest pride of the Heavenly Dao Academy in the last few years. His status was similar to Qiushan Jun's in the Mount Li Sword Sect, and he was known as the Famous Name Guan Bai.
This young expert endowed with cultivation had suffered a heavy blow several years ago, having one of his arms cut off by Wuqiong Bi.
Just when many people believed that he would sink into depravity, no one could have imagined that he would resolutely climb out of the abyss of despair, bitterly train to recover his strength. Coupled with the arduous battles with the demon experts in the north over the last few years, his cultivation in the path of the sword had constantly risen, directly breaking through the threshold of the upper level of Star Condensation. His position on the Proclamation of Liberation was already approaching that of Liang Wangsun and Xiao De at the very top.
If Chen Changsheng chose Guan Bai as Archbishop of the Hall of Illustrious Persons, whether it was his virtue or achievements, his background in the Heavenly Dao Academy, or his legendary experiences, he would receive the most widespread support. Even if someone wanted to question him, they would find it very difficult to say so.
"A choice that is unexpected is often a good choice."
Tang Thirty-Six slightly creased his brow. "The only problem is that his qualifications are still too shallow, and … he's Zhuang Zhihuan's student. Having a student manage a teacher is a rather strange feeling, and I think that even Guan Bai himself finds it very hard to accept. "
Chen Changsheng replied, "He will probably return during this Grand Examination. When the time comes, I will do my best to convince him."
In the Boiling Stone Summit of Mount Han, Guan Bai had fought with him. Chen Changsheng had returned to the capital heavily injured, indirectly triggering those world-shaking events that followed. Guan Bai, on the other hand, had gone to Snowhold Pass and persisted for three years in the world of ice and snow against the demons.
In these three years, Chen Changsheng had also been in the snowy mountains of the north, but he had not met Guan Bai.
The room suddenly grew quiet.
The name of Snowhold Pass and the Proclamation of Liberation that Guan Bai had thought of made Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six think of a person.
Xiao Zhang had been pursued by the assassins of the Great Zhou Army and the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets all over the world, ultimately being forced to head north. It was said that the two sides had engaged in a bloody battle at Snowhold Pass, and then he had vanished into the snowy plains. No one knew if he was still alive, and if he was, what he was doing.
As they thought of that chain over the valley, that tyrannical figure descending from the sky, that white paper flapping in the wind, and the fragrance of tea filling the city and those tea merchants who had sacrificed themselves, Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six fell silent for a very long time.
"Let's talk business."
Tang Thirty-Six did not like this kind of depressing atmosphere and said, "When are you going to give me the questions?"
Chen Chang Sheng was at a loss. He didn't understand what he meant.
Tang Thirty Six looked outside the palace and said in a low voice, "We don't need the written test, we need the combat test."
Chen Chang Sheng stared blankly for a moment before understanding. He widened his eyes and said, "You want me to leak the question?"
Looking at his clear, bright, and pure eyes, Tang Thirty Six felt a bit ashamed and then inexplicably angry.
"Don't forget that you are also the principal of the Orthodox Academy! What's wrong with doing something for the students? Back then, if it wasn't for Priest Xin purposely leaking questions to us, with your rigid and inflexible brain, would you have thought of borrowing Xu You Rong's crane to cross the river? "
If it was any other time, Chen Chang Sheng might have looked at him and asked seriously, "Is this what it means to be angry from embarrassment?" But today he did not speak, because he heard Priest Xin's name in this sentence, which reminded him of the county filled with the fragrance of tea.
Chen Chang Sheng walked to the window and looked out of the palace, remaining silent.
Priest Xin was dead, Archbishop Mei Lisha was long dead, and his martial uncle the Pope was also dead.
This Li Palace now belonged to him, but this Li Palace was strange to him, because those people he was once familiar with were no longer here.
The current Li Palace was rather cold and cheerless, but its will was even more unified. Still, it could not directly oppose the Great Zhou Imperial Court.
The most crucial problem was that his master Shang Xingzhou's prestige in the Orthodoxy was too high.
If the day of war really came, not to mention defecting, at least a third of the priests of the Li Palace would choose to remain silent or retreat.
As spring gradually approached, the ivy on the stone walls of the Li Palace gradually revealed its alluring green color.
As he gazed at these stone walls and recalled the scene before he entered the Orthodox Academy, Chen Chang Sheng felt somewhat emotional.
From a certain perspective, from his birth to the moment he entered the Orthodox Academy, his entire life had been arranged by Shang Xingzhou.
He felt very complicated about Shang Xingzhou.
He believed that Shang Xingzhou felt the same way about him.
He had originally believed that the matter of White Emperor City might be a turning point.
Since he had tacitly allowed him to return to the capital, whether it was war or peace between master and disciple, there had to be an explanation.
But who could have expected that Shang Xingzhou would go to Luoyang …
Does Your Holiness not even want to see me?
The cry of a goose roused Chen Chang Sheng from his contemplation.
A few bright red shadows streaked across the green vines and the azure sky.
It was a Red Goose Messenger.
"What happened?"
Tang Thirty-Six walked up to his side. As he gazed at those Red Geese that had landed in various parts of the capital, he suddenly felt a little uneasy.
Not long after, Hu Thirty-Two walked over and said, "The participants of the Grand Examination have arrived."
These words did not dispel the unease in Tang Thirty-Six's heart, only increased.
The Grand Examination was admittedly a grand occasion, but there was no need for both the Li Palace and the Imperial Court to simultaneously use Red Geese to send urgent messages.
"Just who has arrived?"
"The information I received on my end is not very complete."
Hu Thirty-Six glanced at Chen Chang Sheng and continued, "Quite a few people have probably arrived."
Not long after, Linghai Zhiwang rushed in from outside the Li Palace and said, "They've all arrived."
Even someone as cold and proud as him said these three words with a slightly trembling voice.
Of course, it was not fear, but excitement.
… …
… …
The students participating in the Grand Examination had arrived at the capital from all over the continent, many of them from the south.
The south had many cultivation sects, the great clans with deep resources and experts. In the last few years, with the appearance of the Mount Li Sword Sect and Scholartree Manor, the cultivation of the younger generation of cultivators had far surpassed that of the northern powers represented by the Ivy Academies. But this year, what had shaken the capital was not the pressure brought by the students of the south, but because they had too many teachers accompanying them, and their reputations were too resounding!
The Mount Li Sword Sect had only sent two disciples to participate in the Grand Examination, but they were accompanied by ten-some people. This was a stark contrast to the indifferent scene of Gou Han Shi and the others participating in the Grand Examination on their own, and this wasn't even considering the fact that Gou Han Shi, Guan Fei Bai, Liang Ban Hu, and Bai Cai were all famous young geniuses of the path of the sword. As for the rest, they were even more frightening. They were all upper level Star Condensation elders of the Sword Hall!
South Stream Temple had only sent one disciple to participate in the Grand Examination, but all the disciples of Holy Maiden Peak had come.
The fluttering white dresses of several hundred young girls stupefied the people of the capital.
The chief disciple of Gentle Stream Monastery, the new Sect Master of the Scorching Sun Sect, and thirty-some experts of the southern sects had also entered the capital.
The old lady of the Mutuo clan and the head of the Wu clan had once more entered the capital after the coup of the Mausoleum of Books three years ago.
In a certain mountain outside the capital, some people had even seen the carriage of the Qiushan clan.
Linghai Zhiwang's words were extremely accurate.
Other than the Sect Master of the Mount Li Sword Sect and those elders who had lived in seclusion for many years, all the experts of the south that the common people could think of had arrived.
No one knew that two Daoist nuns of indeterminate age had quietly entered the capital and taken up residence in the Prince of Louyang's old estate.
But everyone knew that Wang Po had already arrived with his blade.
Because a crack had suddenly appeared on the Luo River.
In a single night, the trees outside the Imperial Palace had turned yellow as if they had become ginkgo trees. (To be continued.)
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