The Orthodox Academy was very cold and cheerless, so quiet that it seemed like a tomb.
All of the teachers, students, and servants had already left. Su Mo Yu and Tang Thirty-Six were the last to leave the courtyard.
Su Moyu turned to look at the wall covered by ivy and worriedly said, "Just how is he going to fight?"
Tang Thirty Six's gaze fell on the depths of the Tradition Academy. He was silent.
This was the question that everyone wanted to know the answer to.
Before the Divine Path of the Mausoleum of Books.
Countless gazes fell upon Chen Chang Sheng.
Xu You Rong walked to Chen Chang Sheng's side with soft footsteps.
She did not stand at the front, nor did she deliberately fall back.
She was standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
Seeing this scene, no one felt surprised, nor did they feel surprised. Instead, their expressions became much more relaxed.
From the moment Chen Chang Sheng had proposed to battle Shang Xingzhou, many people had already anticipated this scene.
Whether in terms of seniority or cultivation level, Chen Chang Sheng was far inferior to Shang Xingzhou. There was no reason for him to challenge Shang Xingzhou head-on.
That kind of rigid fairness was truly unfair. Even his enemies would not make such a request.
He and Xu You Rong working together was a matter of course.
The entire continent knew that their combined swords possessed unimaginable might, even able to break through the limits of the Divine Domain.
Even so, no one was optimistic that they could defeat Shang Xingzhou.
Their combined swords had once pushed back Wuqiong Bi on Holy Maiden Peak, and in White Emperor City, they had clashed against an Angel of Sacred Light from a foreign continent.
However, their opponent today was Shang Xingzhou, the undisputed strongest expert on the continent.
Shang Xingzhou's strength far surpassed Wuqiong Bi's, and he had once torn the wings of an Angel in the sky.
Even if it was as Xu You Rong had predicted, that Shang Xingzhou had always had a hidden injury, he still held an absolute advantage against Chen Chang Sheng and her.
However, it was at this moment that Chen Chang Sheng said something very unexpected.
"This is a matter between us, master and disciple. I hope we can solve it ourselves."
He was looking at Xu Yourong as he spoke, but he was also speaking to Wang Po, the Mount Li Sword Sect, and the experts of the Orthodoxy.
Hearing this, the crowd was in an uproar. How were they supposed to fight?
Xu You Rong was also very surprised. She looked at him with a puzzled expression.
On the contrary, Shang Xingzhou quickly understood his meaning and indifferently said, "Alright."
Wang Zhi Ce also vaguely guessed Chen Chang Sheng's arrangements, slightly raising his eyebrows, he said: "I have no objections."
At this moment, the latest news from the capital arrived. The Orthodox Academy had already been cleared.
Hearing this news, people thought that they had figured something out.
The Orthodox Academy truly was the most suitable place for today's battle.
But in the next moment, people realized that they still didn't know how Chen Chang Sheng was going to fight.
…
…
Before going to the Orthodox Academy, Shang Xingzhou went to the Imperial Palace.
The two places were not far apart, and there was only a mottled and old palace wall between them.
The abnormal phenomenon was gradually disappearing, and there were still light snowflakes falling from the sky.
Shang Xingzhou stood in the square, quietly looking at the majestic hall.
Snowflakes fell on his hair and clothes, but they did not melt. Instead, they stuck to him, as if they had become an unreal existence.
More than a dozen eunuchs and palace maids knelt in the corridor or by the stone steps outside the side door. They lowered their heads and did not dare to speak. Their bodies trembled in extreme fear.
His Majesty was in the palace.
Shang Xingzhou looked over there quietly for a long time. In the end, he didn't enter the hall, but turned and left.
No one knew if his expression had changed at this moment.
After hearing Eunuch Lin's whispered report, Yuren's fingers gripped his book slightly tightened, his knuckles turning somewhat pale.
While Shang Xingzhou was standing outside the hall, he had been reading the entire time.
He was extremely focused, so his head was very low.
No one knew if he had taken in the contents of the book.
And no one could see if there had been any change in his expression.
The protective array around the hall had been closed long ago. A chilly wind blew in through the window, rustling the pages of the book and causing them to rustle.
The Imperial Palace was extremely quiet, just like that lonely mountain in the clouds when it had yet to awaken.
After some time, the sound of running water could be heard from within the hall.
It was followed by Eunuch Lin's voice, trembling from heartache.
"Your Holiness, use a hot towel to warm your eyes."
… …
… …
The Orthodox Academy was surrounded by people.
This sort of situation had occurred many times before.
After the Ivy Festival, the idlers of the capital had besieged the Orthodox Academy.
Daoist Siyuan and Linghai Zhiwang had forced their way through the All-School Martial Exhibition, and countless experts had come to challenge the Orthodox Academy.
After the coup of the Mausoleum of Books, the Orthodox Academy had been besieged by the cavalry of the Imperial Court for three days.
But today was very different from the previous few times, because it was very quiet outside the Orthodox Academy.
Let alone noise or curses, not even the sound of discussion could be heard.
The entire Jingdou was also quiet at this moment.
From the nobles to the cultivators to the common people, everyone's attention was focused on the upcoming match between master and disciple.
This match had not yet begun, but it had already been written in the annals of history.
It could even be said that this was the most important match after the battle between Zhou Dufu and the Demon Lord.
The Grand Examination that had always attracted the attention of the entire continent had long since been forgotten.
Those examinees and the priests of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education were still in the Green Leaf World, so it was hard to say if they had sensed anything strange.
The Green Leaf was placed in a room in a restaurant outside the Orthodox Academy.
Tang Thirty-Six did not even glance at it.
He was looking outside the restaurant.
All the streets around the Imperial Palace were under martial law.
There were many people in Hundred Flowers Lane.
He saw Wang Po, the Prince of Xiang, the Prince of Zhongshan, the Old Lady of the Mutuo clan who had reappeared at some point, Linghai Zhiwang who had hurried over from the Heavenly Dao Academy, Daoist Siyuan who had hurried over from the Road of Peace, but he did not see Xu Yourong.
… …
… …
Xu Yourong went to the Orange Garden.
The Prince of Louyang's face was pale as he paced back and forth in his room, muttering to himself, "What do I do, what do I do …"
Mo Yu was also very worried. Seeing him like this, her mood worsened. She asked, "Just what is he thinking?"
Xu Yourong softly replied, "I don't know."
Somewhat annoyed, Mo Yu said, "Then you should be watching over there! What are you doing here!"
Xu Yourong looked at her and said, "I've come to remind you what you should do according to the agreement I made with His Majesty."
Mo Yu slightly creased her brow. "Even if you know that there's a high chance that he will lose?"
Xu Yourong calmly replied, "If he loses, then directly attack."
Mo Yu froze, thinking, as expected, only you have the right to be the Empress's successor.
… …
… …
There was no spring, summer, or autumn in the house.
The temperature in the room was extremely low, like it was in the middle of a bitter winter.
Chen Changsheng sat in front of the window, his eyes closed.
On the table was a bamboo dragonfly and the Divine Staff.
The little Black Dragon stood behind him, constantly exuding a dragon's breath.
No frost had formed on the floor, because all the cold was accurately landing on Chen Changsheng's body.
A low temperature could heal the smallest wounds, allow the body to maintain its strength, and allow the sea of consciousness to be even more tranquil.
In that stone room in the Li Palace, he had spent many days calming his mind and comprehending the sword, having already made many preparations.
But he knew that if he wanted to defeat a person like his master, no amount of preparation was enough.
After some time, he opened his eyes, took up the Divine Staff, and walked out of the room to go to a room on the first floor.
He put away the Divine Robe, then opened his wardrobe and took out that unlined garment to change into.
This room was Zhexiu's, and this garment was also Zhexiu's.
The front of this garment was very short and the sleeves were even shorter. It was extremely suitable for battle, even more suitable for putting one's life on the line.
After doing these things, he walked out of the house.
Shang Xingzhou was already standing by the lake.
Wang Zhice was not far away.
Chen Changsheng stretched out his hand and threw something over.
Wang Zhice caught it, glanced at it, and then sighed.
It really was that black stone. (To be continued.)
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