The clamor of people outside the Orthodox Academy was like a great cauldron with water boiling within. Around the pergola erected on the street outside Hundred Flowers Lane, there were many shopkeepers and stewards busily accepting the bets of the populace. As long as the battle had not yet begun, one could place a bet at any time. But for some reason, the payout rates for both sides had not changed at all from yesterday to today.
Not everyone liked to gamble. There were even more people of the capital who had purely come to watch the excitement. After all, this was a grand occasion — after Chen Changsheng had taken over as Principal of the Orthodox Academy, he had entered the Garden of Zhou. This was his first appearance after returning to the capital. Today was very important to him, and similarly, today was also very important to the Orthodox Academy. If it could be said that last year, Chen Changsheng becoming the first student of the Orthodox Academy in many years was more of a symbolic significance, then today's battle was the first battle in which the Orthodox Academy had truly reappeared in the world.
If this was a story, then the following development would inevitably be Chen Changsheng obtaining victory, and the Orthodox Academy, which had been in ruins for many years, would announce its rebirth to the entire continent. Regretfully, everyone knew that today's story would not develop in such a way, because his opponent was a Star Condensation expert. The first battle of the Orthodox Academy's new students was highly likely to usher in a dismal conclusion.
The crowd looked at the tightly shut gate of the Orthodox Academy, looked at the expressionless Zhou Ziheng standing in front of the gate, and felt many emotions. Everyone knew that the new rules of the All-School Martial Exhibition were a method by which the powerful figures of the Tianhai clan and the new faction of the Orthodoxy had joined hands to suppress the Orthodox Academy and Chen Changsheng. And then they thought of the legendary wolf youth Zhexiu who was still imprisoned in Zhou Prison. Behind this matter, they could see the unreachable figure of the Divine Empress.
How could the Divine Empress give the Orthodox Academy any chance to truly mature? If there were no dissension within the Orthodoxy, perhaps the Li Palace would have responded even more strongly to this suppression, and the Orthodox Academy would not have been forced into such an awkward situation. It was a pity that even within the Orthodoxy, there were many people who were unwilling to see the Orthodox Academy truly revive — the two Sacred Hall archbishops who had proposed the new rules of the All-School Martial Exhibition had already declared their position to the entire continent. At the moment when the Pope had changed his mind, they still stood by the Divine Empress' side.
What made people sigh with sorrow was that these two Sacred Hall Archbishops had grown into the current Six Prefects of the Orthodoxy under the Pope's meticulous nurturing, becoming two towering trees. It was also because of the Pope that they had come into contact with the Divine Empress. Now that the Pope had changed his position, he could not change the position of everyone in the Li Palace. After all, the Li Palace and the Divine Empress had been extremely close for over two hundred years, how could they separate in a single day?
Archbishop Mei Lisha had died last night, and the Pope had lost his once strongest opponent, as well as his strongest comrade. Moreover, the Pope had to ensure fairness on the surface. No matter how many thoughts the Li Palace had, it was impossible for them to side with the Orthodox Academy in front of the gazes of tens of thousands. Thus, no matter how difficult today's battle, no matter how dismal the outcome, it still had to be fought by the Orthodox Academy itself. In the past year, under the care of the Li Palace, Chen Changsheng and the Orthodox Academy had not experienced many trials and had smoothly and healthily grown. Now, even if it was not their turn to shelter the Li Palace from the storms, they would at least begin to share the storms with the Li Palace.
Of course, this was not fair. The majority of the people on the street thought this way. Through the register of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education, the Four Great Markets had long since confirmed to the entire capital that the Orthodox Academy currently only had five registered students. Princess Luoluo had a special status and could not represent the Orthodox Academy in this battle. Zhexiu, who was considered by many to be the most valiant, was imprisoned in Zhou Prison. Thus, when the other schools issued a challenge, the Orthodox Academy actually did not have much leeway to choose, or perhaps space to maneuver.
There were no long-established experts or experts here, only young people.
The gate of the Orthodox Academy was pushed open and Chen Changsheng walked out, Xuanyuan Po and Tang Thirty-Six following behind him.
The street was in an uproar and then quickly became quiet.
For the first battle of the Orthodox Academy, the one to fight was naturally Chen Changsheng, because he was the principal.
Today, he wore a brand-new academy uniform, the stitches were fine and dense, the cuffs were neatly arranged, appearing very neat and tidy. His black hair was tightly tied up, his features were delicate, and he seemed very clean.
Walking up to the academy gate, he bowed from a distance towards the inn in Hundred Flowers Lane, then turned to Zhou Ziheng and nodded his head.
Compared to his sixteen years of age, he truly did seem a little too calm and steady, but he definitely did not have the slightest air of maturity or turbidity, giving off the feeling of a cool breeze.
Just from his bearing, he truly did seem very much like a principal.
Sincere praises could be heard from all around.
The crowd that had come to see the excitement were unable to break through the imperial army and Li Palace clergy, they could only watch from a distance. They could not see clearly, but they increasingly felt that this young principal was very comfortable to look at.
The matter of the entire Capital surrounding and attacking the Orthodox Academy last spring had long since become a thing of the past, Archbishop Mei Li Sha was already dead, the bloodstains in front of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education were already gone, who would still remember those things? After the Grand Examination, the Mausoleum of Books, and the Garden of Zhou, Chen Changsheng had long since become the pride of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The Capital was the Capital of the Great Zhou, the Orthodox Academy was in the Capital, so the people of the Capital naturally considered it their pride.
There were sighs of praise, discussions, and regrets, the people still felt that today's battle was unfair. The entire continent knew that Chen Changsheng and Xu You Rong were the fastest cultivating geniuses in history to enter the upper level of Ethereal Opening. But in the end, it was still the upper level of Ethereal Opening. His opponent, Zhou Ziheng, was a true expert at the initial level of Star Condensation. To be able to surpass cultivation levels and obtain victory was already extremely rare, let alone today's battle. If Chen Changsheng wanted to win, he needed to surpass the gap of a large cultivation level. Just how high of a threshold was that?
"Last night, I heard from the receptionist of the Thousand Secrets Pavilion that in Xunyang City, Little Principal Chen did not retreat a single step before Lord Zhu Luo. Zhou Ziheng is only at the Star Condensation Realm, so who says that he's definitely going to win?"
"Correct, I also heard that in Xunyang City, Little Principal Chen and that madman Xiao Zhang exchanged blows. Although he wasn't a match, he didn't suffer any major losses."
Many discussions arose from the crowd. Somewhat unexpectedly, the vast majority were optimistic about Chen Changsheng, or perhaps it was not optimism, but some sort of emotional inclination.
"I beg all of you to understand that no matter how high Little Principal Chen's performance in Xunyang City was, at the time, he had Su Li and Wang Po at his side, and the situation was chaotic. Right now, it's one on one." Someone jeered, "I'm not going to argue with all of you. If all of you really believe him, why don't you bet on the Orthodox Academy's victory?"
The crowd momentarily fell silent. As expected, they only hoped that Chen Changsheng could win, not that they were truly optimistic. In reality, there weren't many people betting on the Orthodox Academy's victory.
"One to eleven, there's really no way to bet on the Orthodox Academy."
"If it were some other upper level Ethereal Opening cultivator challenging a Star Condensation cultivator, do you think those slyer than thieves would put out such odds? Let alone the fact that they've specially erected a pergola and arranged such a large array. In my view, the Four Great Markets probably also believe that Little Principal Chen will lose, but at least he'll be able to last for a very long time. "
"Even if Zhou Ziheng is only at the initial level of Star Condensation, do you really think he'll need a very long time to defeat an opponent an entire level lower?"
"Don't forget, when Wang Po was at the upper level of Ethereal Opening, how did he turn his initial level Star Condensation opponent into a madman?"
"Although I also feel that Little Principal Chen is very formidable, I don't believe that he can catch up to Wang Po. Don't forget, it was in that battle that Wang Po succeeded in breaking into Star Condensation."
"And don't forget, at the beginning of the year, it was also in the final match of the Grand Examination that Little Principal Chen succeeded in Ethereal Opening."
"It's precisely because I haven't forgotten that I think it's impossible. It's only been half a year, so how could it happen twice in a row? Unless it's a miracle."
… …
… …
The spectators engaged in spirited discussion, fiercely debating. Only the amount of money and the number of people wagered represented their true opinions.
Just as the crowd had analyzed, no one, including the Four Great Markets and many important figures of the capital, favored Chen Changsheng. Even if Chen Changsheng had already displayed his astonishing talent and battle prowess in the Garden of Zhou and Xunyang City. That was because Chen Changsheng was not the main character in the battle in Xunyang City, and the battles that had taken place before Xunyang City also had no spectators.
The top floor of Clear Lake Restaurant had been cleared out today. Only one person was eating, because he had always felt that what was most needed to admire the lake was not the weather, but peace and quiet. It was currently summer, so it was naturally impossible for Clear Lake Restaurant's most famous crab feast to be served. However, the table was still densely packed with several dozen dishes, each dish probably more expensive than a year's worth of living for the common people.
Such an extravagant person was naturally not an ordinary person.
On the plate in front of Tianhai Chenwu was a blue lobster from the Great Western Continent. The lobster meat was as white as jade, yet it was even more tender and cold than jade. It had been cut into the shape of a chrysanthemum by the chef of Clear Lake Restaurant with exquisite knife skills.
He picked up his chopsticks, but after a moment, he shook his head and did not move.
He had no appetite, because the dossiers in his hands and the descriptions of those bloody scenes were truly rather nauseating. These dossiers spoke of the battles between Chen Changsheng and Divine General Xue He, Liang Hongzhuang, and that great hero of the north, Lin Pingyuan. The first two battles had been personally narrated by Xue He and Liang Hongzhuang. In the final battle, because everyone had been killed by Chen Changsheng, the scene had been projected from the scene of the battle.
After confirming something, Tianhai Chenwu's mood was much better. He picked up his chopsticks again, picked up some lobster meat, and brought it to his lips. Slowly chewing, he felt a sweet taste enter his mouth.
"Without Su Li, how will you win?"
… …
… …
In the entire capital, no one favored Chen Changsheng.
The archbishop that favored Chen Changsheng was currently peacefully sleeping in the plum blossoms.
The Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education was in mourning, but many priests were looking in the direction of the Orthodox Academy.
Luoluo sat by the plum blossoms, representing the Orthodox Academy in fulfilling her duty. Suddenly, she heard a distant voice and walked to the window. Gazing in the direction of the Orthodox Academy, her hands slightly clenched into fists.
Teacher would definitely win.
Even if no one favored Chen Changsheng, she still believed that Chen Changsheng would obtain the final victory. There was no reason for that.
At some point, Mo Yu had arrived at the Orthodox Academy.
She did not go to the gate of the Orthodox Academy to watch the battle. There were already many powerful figures there, and Xue Xingchuan was in that tea house. There was no need for her to go.
For some reason, she had appeared in Chen Changsheng's room.
She did not sleep. She sat by the window, gazing at the lush and verdant forest of the Orthodox Academy, thinking about something.
Suddenly, a boom came from the front courtyard.
Her pupils constricted as she turned to the source of the sound.
Just like this, the Orthodox Academy's first battle began without any warning.
… …
… …
Zhou Ziheng attacked.
Chen Changsheng attacked.
They each attacked.
The Li Palace clergymen responsible for recording the scene stared intently.
Several dozen painters and storytellers nervously watched.
The several thousand people of the capital were absolutely silent.
In various parts of the capital, there were even more people waiting to hear the latest news on this battle, to see the latest scene.
The only ones that could do this were the Four Great Markets.
The painters with extremely deep skill and insight began to put their brushes to paper the moment Zhou Ziheng and Chen Changsheng attacked.
Especially the painter from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. He himself possessed a cultivation at the Star Condensation Realm. With a few careless brushes, a painting appeared on the paper. Although it was a sloppy scribble, it had already perfectly captured the trajectory and spirit of those two swords.
After a while, this painting was transmitted through magical artifacts to various parts of the capital.
… …
… …
This was a sketch, extremely sloppy and simple. If one did not know what it was, they would even think it was the work of a child who had just learned to write.
The room was quiet. The students of the Heavenly Dao Academy surrounded the table, their minds filled with countless questions, but none of them dared to ask, afraid to disturb the person viewing the painting.
No student of the Heavenly Dao Academy dared to approach that person, because of reverence, because of love, because that person was their senior brother, Guan Bai.
If Zhuang Huanyu, who had committed suicide a few days ago, was the pride of the Heavenly Dao Academy for the last two years, then Guan Bai was the pride of the Heavenly Dao Academy for the last ten years. Just like the other people on the Proclamation of Liberation, Guan Bai also had his own title: Famous Name Guan Bai.
In the last few years, it was precisely him that had allowed the great name of the Heavenly Dao Academy to not fall.
Guan Bai's brows were like swords, slightly weathered. It was obvious that he had just returned from a distant place.
When his gaze fell on that simple and sloppy piece of paper, it became even sharper, just like a real sword.
His finger lightly traced the lines on the paper in the air, giving off a hissing sound. The edge of his finger seemed to be piercing through the air with sword intent.
After some time, he drew back his finger, drew back his gaze, and gazed out the window in the direction of the Orthodox Academy. With a complex expression, he said, "A good sword."
Finally, a student could not help but ask, "Senior, just who won?"
These words instantly drew the gazes of his fellow students, all of them brimming with censure. The battle between Chen Changsheng and Zhou Ziheng had just begun. This painting had only drawn the first sword of both sides, so how could it be used to determine who had won and who had lost? How foolish was it to ask such a question to disturb Senior Guan Bai's viewing of the sword?
Yet what the students of the Heavenly Dao Academy did not expect was that Guan Bai really did make a judgment.
He gazed at the lines on the paper, gazed at the ink that was about to congeal and the drag in the withered brush, and a sword glow suddenly flashed in his eyes.
Then he said, "Chen Changsheng won."
… …
… …
(I will write the next chapter as soon as possible.)
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