It was very quiet in front of the Imperial City. The conversation between the official and Xuanyuan Po was clearly heard by everyone.
The Orthodox Academy? Xuanyuan Po?
It was still quiet, but the silence didn't last for too long before it was broken by whispers. Then, the whispers grew louder and louder, and gradually became noisy. There were even many exclamations of surprise mixed in, and in the end, it became a roaring tide.
The crowd recalled a rumor from many years ago.
It was said that a talented bear youth had gone to the human capital eighty thousand li away and successfully entered one of the Six Ivies, Star Seizer Academy. However, he was beaten into a cripple by a young master of the Tianhai clan. Instead, it was a blessing in disguise and he entered the Orthodox Academy. It was even said that he had become Princess Luoluo's student!
In those two years, this rather legendary story was the talk of many people after their meals. That bear youth was the object of envy for many demi-human youths, but as time passed and the situation changed, especially the final conclusion, this story and that bear youth were gradually forgotten. Occasionally, when someone recalled this rumor, they would just shake their head and sigh.
Until today, when the Heavenly Selection ceremony, when the people of the lower city surged to the Imperial City like a tide, he stood at the very front like a reef, attracting everyone's gazes and telling everyone that he was that bear youth from the past, that he still represented the Orthodox Academy.
The entire crowd was in an uproar. Countless gazes fell on Xuanyuan Po, wanting to see just what the main character of this rumor looked like, wanting even more to know why he had suddenly disappeared in the last few years. If the rumor was true, hadn't he escaped from the Orthodox Academy? Why had he come to battle today as a representative of the Orthodox Academy? If the Pope were to learn of this matter, what sort of problems would arise?
There was a slight disturbance around the Imperial City as several dozen priests walked in from outside. Some of these priests were demi-humans, while others were humans. Most of them wore black robes, a few wore blue Daoist robes, and one wore a red Divine Robe. It was actually an archbishop.
Seeing these indifferent and dignified priests, many people subconsciously lowered their heads and bowed, then made way.
Starting from a few days ago, the gate of the Daoist Church of the Western Wastes had been tightly shut. Everyone in White Emperor City understood why, and they had even heard that the archbishop had torn up the invitations to the banquet to welcome the princes of the Great Western Continent. Why had these priests, including the archbishop, suddenly appeared in front of the Imperial City?
The Archbishop led dozens of priests towards Xuanyuan Po.
Looking at this scene and thinking about the ending of the rumor, the people became nervous, but also excited to watch a good show.
What happened next was beyond everyone's expectations.
The archbishop didn't do anything. He walked directly to Xuanyuan Po's side, and then stood there silently. Dozens of priests spread out, separating Xuanyuan Po from the crowd, especially from the Red River Beast Guard and officials, clearly assuming a protective stance.
Following that, there was another commotion outside the Imperial City. A few stewards of the Tang Family's Chamber of Commerce, who looked ordinary but gave off an extremely powerful vibe, walked in from outside, bowed to Xuanyuan Po and the archbishop, and stood behind them.
A few moments later, the officials of the Great Zhou embassy also arrived. Although their emotions were rather complex, even somewhat hesitant and conflicted, they ultimately walked over to Xuanyuan Po's group and stood on Xuanyuan Po's other side.
Xuanyuan Po was a member of the Bear tribe, but today, he was a student of the Orthodox Academy.
Whether it was the archbishop, the officials of the embassy, or the stewards of the Tang Family's Chamber of Commerce, none of them knew how the Imperial Court, the Li Palace, Wenshui City, or the south would respond, but at this tense and sensitive moment, they had to clearly express their stance.
… …
… …
In the ending of that rumor, that foolish and shameless bear youth saw that the Principal of the Orthodox Academy at the time, the current Pope, Chen Changsheng, was about to be killed by the Tianhai Divine Empress and that the Orthodox Academy was about to be destroyed, so he fled.
The appearance of the Great Zhou officials and the Tang clan stewards, especially the Archbishop of the Daoist Church of the Western Wastes, directly declared that the ending of the rumor was false.
Xiao De gazed at the distant Xuanyuan Po, his brows slightly rising.
He knew of the name Xuanyuan Po, but that was all.
The legendary story that the demi-human populace had once enthusiastically discussed was not even worth mentioning to an important figure like him.
In those few years of the Orthodox Academy, Xuanyuan Po was definitely the least famous person, extremely ordinary. Whether it was Tang Thirty-Six, Su Moyu, or Zhexiu, they were all far more famous, much less Princess Luoluo or Chen Changsheng.
Xiao De had not expected Xuanyuan Po to suddenly appear today and cause such a great disturbance. He couldn't help but feel a little wary. It seemed that Xuanyuan Po had been hiding in White Emperor City for many years. Could it be that Chen Changsheng and the Orthodoxy had long since made preparations for today's events?
Many important figures of the demi-human race had the same thought as Xiao De. The palace behind the Imperial City's observation platform became abnormally quiet. The Bear tribe leader ignored all gazes and slowly walked out of the hall. The Chief Elder seated at the highest position seemed to still be sleeping.
The only one qualified to sit at an even higher position was Madam Mu. She knew that Xuanyuan Po had been living in White Emperor City this entire time. At the very beginning, she had dispatched hidden guards to keep an eye on him for a very long time, but Xuanyuan Po had never shown any signs of activity, so she had gradually relaxed her surveillance. Only today did she suddenly see him again. But she thought differently from Xiao De, the elders, and the ministers. She was confident that neither the Orthodoxy nor the Great Zhou Imperial Court would have time to react, much less make preparations. Logically speaking, she had nothing to worry about, but she had clearly heard that voice just now.
"Orthodox Academy, Xuanyuan Po."
In the end, this fellow was still a student of the Orthodox Academy. Would he affect her plans?
A faint killing intent flashed through Madam Mu's eyes.
When the Heavenly Selection ceremony began, Luoluo looked into the distance from a high vantage point, calmly and thoughtlessly gazing at the nine Celestial Trees in the distant mountains.
As the battle raged on in White Emperor City, Luoluo began to take an afternoon nap. Using the freshest incense, she slept soundly.
As dusk descended and the candidates to enter the Celestial Trees to be baptized by the Wildfire were about to appear, she drank tea, appearing very calm.
She did not suppress her emotions, nor did she pretend.
This was because she was born with a noble air, and her teacher had once taught her that she had to be calm in every major event.
She was truly very calm, because she simply did not care about this Heavenly Selection ceremony. No matter what the final result was, no matter what her father and mother thought, no matter what the elders, ministers, and people thought, no matter what the demons and humans thought, as long as she was not willing, she would not accept it.
She had once heard Mo Yu say that the Divine Empress had once evaluated that … junior martial mother.
What her teacher's wife could do, she could naturally do as well.
She had never expressed any opposition, had always quietly waited, because she knew that opposition was meaningless. It was also because she had always been waiting for her teacher's arrival. If her teacher did not come, no, if her teacher could not come, no, if her teacher did not make it in time …
In the end, she had to leave, bid farewell to the Imperial Palace, to this city, and to the Red River, never to meet again.
She held the teacup and glanced at the stone pearl on her wrist as she silently thought to herself.
At this moment, Guardian Li hurried in and looked at her with a complicated expression, saying, "Seven victors."
"Of the nine Celestial Trees, why are there only seven?"
Luoluo thought to herself, there must be some scheme behind this. Rather annoyed, she took a sip of tea.
Guardian Li hesitated, then said, "One is Xuanyuan Po."
Plop! Luoluo spat out all the tea.
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