Ze Tian Ji Chapter 143-144

Chapter 143 – The First Battle

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

(TN: Way of Choices will be on break from December 25th, 2017 – January 7, 2018)

At Xuanyuan Po’s words, the examiner’s face instantly changed. He impatiently waved his hand to indicate that Xuanyuan Po should quickly leave. Xuanyuan Po froze as he thought to himself, is there no need to announce me as the winner? Then did this match count or not? He glanced at his opponent still being treated next to the wall, scratched his head, and walked out of the Hall of Washing Away Dust in a daze.

Upon hearing the door to the Hall of Washing Away Dust close, the examiner wordlessly shook his head as he thought, this youth is just thirteen; how can he be so strong? Even if the demi-humans have special constitutions, it’s still a little too absurd.

The crowd was not too surprised to see Xuanyuan Po walk down the stone steps. After all, his name was on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, so defeating that obscure disciple from Yellow Mountain Valley was the expected result. The only surprising thing was that the battle had ended so quickly, even faster than the matches of the four scholars from Scholartree Manor. And there was also that clap of thunder; what was that about?

Yes, the sound-obstructing array of the Hall of Washing Away Dust was unable to block out all sound. When the volume surpassed a certain level, it would be heard outside. The boom unleashed by Xuanyuan Po’s fist that sent the disciple flying had broken past the sound-obstructing array’s limit and been heard by the examinees waiting outside, inciting all sorts of conjecture and discussion. The vast majority of examinees still present were victors of the first round. In a little while, when the second round began, they might have to face Xuanyuan Po, so the gazes they aimed at him were rather wary.

Tang Thirty-Six watched as Xuanyuan Po walked to the edge of the forest, and asked, “What happened?”

Xuanyuan Po still could not understand just what had occurred in his match within the Hall of Washing Away Dust. After pondering the events for a very long time, he gestured as he said, “He didn’t block.”

The simple and honest Xuanyuan Po could not understand how Tang Thirty-Six had been able to calculate all the particulars of the match. He thought that Tang Thirty-Six was acquainted with the Yellow Mountain Valley disciple and had convinced him in advance to give Xuanyuan Po the win. Thus, he was not very excited or proud at the moment, only perplexed and at a loss for what to do.

Tang Thirty-Six certainly could not understand what nonsense he was imagining. Upon hearing Xuanyuan Po’s hesitant explanation, he had a rough understanding of what had happened during the match. He sneered, “It’s not that he didn’t block, it’s that he didn’t have time to block. Battles are all about momentum. His strength was never up to yours, yet he still deluded himself into thinking that he could make a defensive retreat and engage in a brawl. His loss was assured, it was just a matter of how fast.”

At this point, the chatter of discussion in front of the Hall of Washing Away Dust began to die down. The sixty-first examinee had stepped forth. This examinee was from the Heavenly Dao Academy, so Zhuang Huanyu walked up to his side and whispered a few words to him. The examinee had a cloth bag tied to his back, but it wasn’t clear what was inside. He had an indifferent expression, and as he listened to Zhuang Huanyu’s words, he kept his eyes fixed in the direction of the Orthodox Academy’s group.

After Zhuang Huanyu finished what he had to say, he retreated.

The examinee stared at the several people from the Orthodox Academy for a very long time and finally chose Chen Changsheng.

Yes, he had chosen Chen Changsheng.

All was quiet in front of the Hall of Washing Away Dust, everyone looking to the forest’s edge.

This choice was rather surprising, but after careful consideration, it was the proper choice.

Su Moyu and Tang Thirty-Six were ranked thirty-third and thirty-second respectively on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, and Luoluo was ranked second. No matter how much this examinee from the Heavenly Dao Academy struggled, he could not possibly beat these three in a match. Although Chen Changsheng was quite well-known, when compared to those around him, he was undoubtedly the weakest. By choosing him, the examinee could at least ensure a chance of victory.

The Heavenly Dao Academy examinee looked at Chen Changsheng and said, “I don’t believe that you can beat me.”

He spoke with a deliberately calm tone and a deliberately indifferent expression, but everyone could hear the vicious energy in his words. As for why there was this vicious energy, it was naturally because he wasn’t confident enough. Only by acting viciously could he put his mind off certain matters like the Ivy Festival, the Proclamation of Azure Sky, and a name known throughout the capital.

The forest’s edge was very quiet.

Tang Thirty-Six looked to Chen Changsheng, wanting to say something, but ultimately choosing to remain silent. He did not act as he did with Xuanyuan Po, constantly instructing him on what details needed to be focused on during the match and even drawing up a battle plan. This was because he also did not know what Chen Changsheng’s current circumstances were.

In the end, he asked the simplest of questions. “Can you do it?”

Chen Changsheng looked at this examinee from the Heavenly Dao Academy and mentally matched him up with the information that Priest Xin had sent to the Orthodox Academy a few days ago. He recalled that this examinee was called Liu Zhongshan, seventeen this year, a student personally taught by Principal Mao Qiuyu of the Heavenly Dao Academy. His strength was decent, at least the middle level of Meditation, and there was a high chance that he was carrying a powerful magical artifact with him.

“There should be no problem,” he finally replied after some thought.

Upon hearing this reply, Tang Thirty-Six instantly relaxed, no longer concerned. He knew that Chen Changsheng was a reserved and cool-headed person, so since he said that there would be no problem, there would absolutely be no problem.

“Teacher, use the Thousand Li Button,” Luoluo whispered on the side.

She was somewhat worried, even though she normally had such confidence, even blind faith, in Chen Changsheng. After all, this match was far too important for Chen Changsheng. With his grade in the literary test, as long as he could defeat this examinee from the Heavenly Dao Academy, there was a high chance that he would be able to enter the three banners of the Grand Examination and gain the right to enter the Mausoleum of Books.

Tang Thirty-Six heard her question and silently asked, just what sort of person are you?

The Thousand Li Button could be considered an almost legendary magical artifact. Even against an upper level Star Condensation expert, it could still be used to save one’s life, so its value was obvious. All cultivators yearned for it, but even obtaining one was enormously difficult, and Luoluo wanted Chen Changsheng to use one in an ordinary match! Wasn’t this too much of a waste?

Chen Changsheng looked at Luoluo and said, “It’s fine, I can do it.”

After saying this, he walked towards the Hall of Washing Away Dust. Under the guidance of the Li Palace priest, he entered the door together with the Heavenly Dao Academy examinee.

The examinees in front of the hall all silently watched as the door closed once more. Their expressions were complex, their minds occupied with their own thoughts.

……

……

Within the Hall of Washing Away Dust, the circular roof was like the mouth of a well, the blue sky seeming ever so far away.

Chen Changsheng and that student from the Heavenly Dao Academy called Liu Zhongshan also stood far away from each other, standing at the ends of the level ground in the center of the hall and staring across at each other.

“I admit that I’m inferior to you in terms of knowledge, but in battles, one ultimately has to rely on true strength to make their voice heard. I really want to know—have you succeeded at Purification?”

Liu Zhongshan spoke with an indifferent expression on his face, his seemingly flat voice concealing a faint sense of scorn.

Just like when he spoke with a concealed viciousness, this was also a method of strengthening his confidence.

Chen Changsheng did not lose track of his surroundings and blankly gaze at the blue sky like Xuanyuan Po, nor did he seek the figures of the examiners on the second floor. From the moment he entered the Hall of Washing Away Dust, he was quietly watching his opponent, focused and calm. He slowly released his spiritual sense, and true essence began to flow through his meridians, unable to link together but still able to warm his chest.

He answered, “I’ve succeeded.”

In today’s Grand Examination, many people had been able to make out that he had succeeded at Purification. Moreover, succeeding at Purification was just the initial step on the path of cultivation. It could not be treated as some secret weapon, so there was no reason to hide it.

Liu Zhongshan replied, “Is that so? I remember very clearly that during the Ivy Festival, you still could not cultivate. Even if you’ve succeeded at Purification, it can’t have been too many days, right?”

Chen Changsheng pondered this question, then replied, “Yes, it truly hasn’t been very long.”

“You only succeeded at Purification a few days ago, so you must have no understanding whatsoever of Meditative Introspection. I really want to know just how you can defeat me in your state. Without sufficient strength, what does it matter how famous you are?”

Liu Zhongshan lightly mocked him, then his right hand reached behind him and untied the cloth bag. He took an umbrella from the bag and opened it in front of him.

This umbrella looked like an ordinary oil paper umbrella, but after it was opened, it instantly began to glow with light, making it seem like precious yellow jade. A powerful Qi seemed to be flowing across its surface, and it was clearly no ordinary magical artifact. Because he was too young, Liu Zhongshan could not display the full might of this umbrella, but in the environment of the Grand Examination, very few examinees would be able to break through the umbrella with their own strength. This umbrella had been Liu Zhongshan’s last resort, but he hadn’t expected to face Chen Changsheng in the first round. To be on the safe side, he decided without hesitation to use it.

Chen Changsheng glanced at the umbrella then paid it no more mind, instead completely focusing on his own body.

A trickle of true essence flowed through his fractured meridians and his powerful spiritual sense urged his energy to greater and greater heights, but also strangely caused him to become calmer and calmer. At the same time, an indescribable strength emerged from the deepest part of his bones and organs, spreading to every part of his body and bringing with it a sensation of power. This was a very mysterious sensation, very difficult to describe in words. This was not a sense of power that came from being strong. Even if only a tiny strand of this strength existed, it would still give the person an incomparably powerful self-confidence. It was better thought of as an instinct.

He was no stranger to this feeling.

After the day he had forced Meditative Introspection in the underground cavern and fallen unconscious, upon waking, he had discovered this extra strength, this extra Qi, and this powerful sense of self-confidence.

Because he had not been able to meet Senior Black Dragon since that day, he still did not know just what had happened on that day. But he did know that a set of outrageous transformations had taken place in his body. His speed and strength had increased by a terrifying amount. Even a perfect Purification would not have such an effect.

Most importantly, not a single person knew that he had undergone this sort of transformation.

“Come,” Liu Zhongshan said indifferently to him, the oil paper umbrella emitting a powerful Qi in front of him.

He was asking Chen Changsheng to come.

Chen Changsheng thought about how he should come, which way was the fastest. He then recalled how, on the day that he discovered these changes, he had jumped from upstairs into the snow and then leaped to the lake shore.

He raised his right foot and pushed against the ground.

There was a sound, a sound that was somewhat difficult to describe. It was like an anvil heated by the fire of a furnace suddenly doused by a pot of clear water.

Hiissss.

Chen Changsheng’s foot pressed against the ground.

His firm leather shoes instantly ruptured.

The sand beneath his shoes seemed to disperse as if fleeing for its life, exposing the stone floor beneath.

Several cracks, with his right foot as their center, spread out into the surroundings.

All this happened in less time than it took to blink an eye.

……

……

Many Li Palace priests were responsible for supervising the one-on-one match phase for the Grand Examination. Some were responsible for the process, some were responsible for proctoring, some were responsible for giving examinees emergency treatment, and some were responsible for miscellaneous tasks. Not all of them were required to be within the hall, and indeed, many of them had been outside the entire time, but now, they were all inside the Hall of Washing Away Dust.

They stood on the second floor and quietly watched the match. They were very curious as to just what level of strength this youth of the Orthodox Academy that the archbishop had placed such high hopes on had actually reached. Was it like in the rumors where he couldn’t even cultivate, or was he like one of those people from legends who would suddenly explode with unimaginable strength?

As they watched Chen Changsheng press his foot against the sandy floor and saw what happened next, the expression of all the Li Palace priests standing on the second floor instantly changed. The strength displayed by this youth from the Orthodox Academy had surpassed all their expectations. This didn’t mean that he was overflowing with true essence. In reality, they could clearly sense that Chen Changsheng had a very ordinary amount of true essence, even less than normal. But he was actually able to shatter the ground of the Pope’s Green Leaf World! Just how had he undergone Purification? How could he possess such terrifying strength?

……

……

Power of utterly terrifying proportions was sent back to Chen Changsheng’s body from the ground as sand filled the sky!

His figure broke through the sand, his dark Orthodox Academy uniform leaving behind a clear trail, making him seem just like a black dragon!

The Li Palace priests were no longer capable of restraining their surprise, and the second floor resounded with their cries of alarm!

They were very quickly suppressed by a sharp, even shrill howl!

This was because Chen Changsheng was too fast. His body rubbed against the air so quickly that it seemed like it wanted to tear it apart, releasing a sound very similar to the roar of a dragon.

In an instant, he arrived in front of Liu Zhongshan.

Liu Zhongshan simply had no time to respond or even think. Even though he wanted to drop his mouth in shock, he had only been able to drop it halfway.

Chen Changsheng’s fist smashed against the umbrella.

The umbrella instantly released innumerable ways of light, discharging a powerful Qi.

Yet immediately after, the light on the canvas of the umbrella instantly faded, becoming dull once more.

This was because the powerful Qi had been suppressed by a more powerful and even purer strength!

This powerful strength originated from Chen Changsheng’s fist.

With a whoosh, the umbrella was sent flying by the wind generated by the punch.

The fist continued forward, accurately striking Liu Zhongshan’s chest.

With a boom, Liu Zhongshan was sent flying like a rock over several dozen zhang until he smashed against the firm stone wall of the Hall of Washing Away Dust!

There were still a few fine cracks on this wall.

The Yellow Mountain Valley disciple that Xuanyuan Po had sent flying with his punch had also smashed into the wall in this place.

Now, Liu Zhongshan struck against the same spot.

Similarly, it was caused by a punch.

Liu Zhongshan vomited blood and fell unconscious.

At the start of the battle, he had disdainfully said one word to Chen Changsheng: “Come.”

So Chen Changsheng had come.

And Liu Zhongshan had collapsed.

From the start to the end, he had only said this one word.

He hadn’t even had a chance to use a technique.

The Hall of Washing Away Dust was deathly still.

Chen Changsheng drew back his arm, straightened his body, and turned his gaze to the second floor.

Those priests were so shocked that they had become somewhat dazed. Upon seeing his gaze, they came to their senses and hurriedly rushed to give aid.

The Li Palace priest in charge of the one-on-one matches phase walked up to Chen Changsheng, wanting to say something but ultimately choosing not to.

Chen Changsheng calmly clasped his hands in respect, then turned and walked out of the hall.

As he watched Chen Changsheng leave, the Li Palace priest found it hard to settle his emotions. He thought to himself,

Chapter 144 – Just What Did You Do in Your Past Life?

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

(TN: Way of Choices will be on break from December 25th, 2017 – January 7, 2018)

A punch, and then another punch, but it was still just a punch. It was not any sort of technique, disregarded any sort of magical artifacts, did not seem to use any true essence. It was just strength and speed. Just what sort of method was this?

It must be said that the Orthodox Academy of the past was certainly not like this. Both teachers and students all possessed exquisite and profound Daoist techniques. They conducted themselves with an unworldly air, exuding the aura of Daoist masters.

To many elders within the Orthodoxy, the Orthodox Academy’s beginning to take new students again was a symbol of many things. They had originally thought that ten-some years of time was just a grain of sand in the endless span of history and that many things had not changed. As long as the Orthodox Academy could revive, it would regain the grandeur of its past. They had not imagined that the present Orthodox Academy was no longer the Orthodox Academy they remembered. Although Xuanyuan Po and Chen Changsheng had gained consecutive victories, the style the Orthodox Academy once possessed had ceased to be. This thought inevitably inspired in the Li Palace priest and many other examiners in the Hall of Washing Away Dust a rather mixed set of feelings.

A mirror of light floated over the floor of the Hall of Shining Words. A few green leaves were carved on the bottom-right corner of the mirror, and the mirror displayed the events within the Hall of Shining Words. As the people within the hall watched Chen Changsheng leave, watched the door slowly close, they could not help but feel the same as those examiners.

At this moment, many powerful figures were present in the Hall of Shining Words: Prince Chen Liu and Mo Yu, Archbishop Mei Lisha, the principals and bishops of the capital’s Ivy Academies, the representatives of the military Xue Xingchuan and Xu Shiji, Lord Zhou Tong seated by himself in a corner, and a few representatives from the sects of the south. At this moment, they were all looking at Principal Mao Qiuyu of the Heavenly Dao Academy. His student had just suffered a miserable defeat at the hands of Chen Changsheng, and some people recognized that oil paper umbrella to be the magical artifact that Mao Qiuyu had brought along with him in his youth as he traversed the continent. Thus, everyone thought that his mood was probably quite poor. Yet, unlike what they imagined, Mao Qiuyu did not display any anger on his face. His expression was as calm as usual.

As the crowd did not see any change of expression on Mao Qiuyu’s face, they subconsciously turned to the archbishop, but discovered that this elder still had his eyes shut as if asleep. This was naturally a display of extreme confidence towards Chen Changsheng and the Orthodox Academy. Earlier, some people thought that this confidence might become a joke, but unexpectedly, Chen Changsheng had been able to win a clean and smooth victory in his first match, so they could not help but think that it was them that might become the joke.

Whether it was the examiners in the Hall of Washing Away Dust or the important personages watching the events through the mirror of light in the Hall of Shining Words, they had all been shocked by Chen Changsheng’s performance. They were all very confused. This youth of the Orthodox Academy had clearly succeeded at Purification not too long ago and possessed a mediocre quantity of true essence, so why did he possess such astonishing strength?

“His strength has nothing to do with how much true essence he has. It should be that he performed an almost perfect Purification, or else he had some sort of lucky encounter over the past few days. That is a pure and absolute strength.”

As the second-ranked Divine General of the continent, Xue Xingchuan was a seasoned veteran of many battles and had a particularly deep understanding of strength. Upon seeing the crowd’s perplexed expressions, he indifferently gave the above explanation.

As he spoke, he glanced at the archbishop. A perfect Purification was an extraordinarily rare sight, and if lucky encounters were so plentiful, they wouldn’t be called lucky. In his view, regardless of which method Chen Changsheng had used to obtain such pure and absolute strength, it must have been good luck granted by the archbishop.

But for Chen Changsheng to receive this luck and then digest it so well was also no easy task. Xue Xingchuan looked indifferently to his left at the silent Xu Shiji, thinking to himself, even if this son-in-law can’t match up to Qiushan Jun, it’s still not bad. Since we are the Divine Empress’s two most trusted Divine Generals, in a little while, shouldn’t I try and persuade Xu Shiji?

Chen Changsheng’s surprising display of strength had cast all of the Hall of Shining Words into silence. After Xue Xingchuan spoke, it was a very long time before someone else finally spoke. It was Mo Yu’s cold voice that eventually broke the silence.

“He won’t be able to get very far just by relying on strength alone.”

Silence fell over the Hall of Shining Words once more, as everyone present knew her words to be correct. Without the support of one’s cultivation, without support of a sufficient amount of true essence, the greatest strength could only display its might in lower-class battles. The moment one encountered someone of higher cultivation level, one would be crushed. If Chen Changsheng had no other tricks up his sleeve, he would never reach the end of the one-on-one matches. There was even a high chance that he would lose in the next round.

……

……

A sharp roar was heard outside the Hall of Washing Away Dust.

The examinees’ expressions all changed, but they could only speculate as to what had happened within the hall. Gou Hanshi and Tianhai Shengxue looked grave. It was very obvious that these two young experts who were already at Ethereal Opening could clearly sense more.

Not long after this howl, the door to the Hall of Washing Away Dust was opened once more and Chen Changsheng walked out. His right foot was bare, his shoe having disappeared, making him appear rather bedraggled. Other than this, however, there was no sign of an intense battle on his body. It was more like he had entered the hall to just take a stroll around.

There was absolute silence outside the Hall of Washing Away Dust. Not a single examinee spoke, all of them feeling a complex mixture of emotions as they watched him walk down the stone steps and all the way to the forest’s edge.

“You’re pretty good!” Tang Thirty-Six praised as he patted Chen Changsheng on the shoulder.

Xuanyuan Po watched him in silence, his gaze brimming with admiration.

Su Moyu thought to himself, even though that student from the Heavenly Dao Academy had a rather ordinary cultivation level and really couldn’t be considered strong, such that even I could very easily beat him, it would be very difficult for me to beat as him quickly as Chen Changsheng. It seems that the conjectures of my schoolmates made before the Grand Examination were right—he really has been hiding his strength this entire time.

Luoluo happily giggled, her laugh like silver bells.

She went to wipe his sweat, but realized that he hadn’t sweat a drop, imbuing her with an even greater sense of pride. She thought to herself, Teacher truly is no ordinary person, just like I thought a few months ago.

She really wanted to know how Chen Changsheng had defeated his opponent, so she asked. Chen Changsheng gave a simple description of the circumstances, but did not explain too much.

Xuanyuan Po offered two high-quality crystals to Chen Changsheng, but Chen Changsheng shook his head to indicate that he did not need them. In the match just now, he hadn’t used one drop of true essence, so he did not need to replenish it.

The examinees were still looking at Chen Changsheng. Not too long ago, he was just a beginner at cultivation who hadn’t even been able to succeed at Purification, but today, he had easily defeated a personal disciple of the Principal of the Heavenly Dao Academy. Logically speaking, they should have been even more flabbergasted, but after the Ivy Festival, and then the update to the Proclamation of Azure Sky, and then the archbishop’s declaration on Chen Changsheng’s behalf, Chen Changsheng had already been pushed up to a very high status. Although there was no proof, people still felt that he must be hiding his strength, so they had mentally prepared themselves, had anticipated this sort of display. Thus, although they were truly very shocked, they did not completely lose control over themselves.

What people were more concerned about was his true level of strength and cultivation and just what method he had used to defeat the Heavenly Dao Academy student in such a short amount of time. After all, the insightful young cultivator that was Gou Hanshi had long ago recognized that that umbrella was a very powerful magical artifact.

Chen Changsheng was very thankful that this first round of the one-on-one matches was a closed-door fight. The loser would be sent straight out of the Education Palace and would be unable to inform his schoolmates on the details of the match, so the methods used by the victor would never be known. This was an enormous benefit to him in preserving his secrets and techniques.

The Grand Examination continued. The sixty-second examinee helplessly chose Su Moyu, and the one after him chose Tang Thirty-Six. These two matches went very smoothly with no surprises. Su Moyu and Tang Thirty-Six obtained victory.

The examinees outside the hall were able to barely hear the angry roars of the two losers as they complained that this was unfair. They clearly had done well in the martial test, ranking in the upper half of examinees excluding the top fifteen, but they ended up meeting the young geniuses that were Su Moyu and Tang Thirty-Six. It was truly difficult to call this fair, but it could only be said that these two examinees were lacking in luck.

The first round finally reached its final moment. The final examinee looked to the Li Palace priest supervising the exam and asked, “Her Highness will not be counted in the final ranking, so how will this be counted?”

This examinee had a rather dejected expression. His appearance was quite pitiful.

The Li Palace priest expressionlessly said, “That is not something any of you need to think about.”

The examinee felt helpless and then turned to Luoluo, bowing as he said, “May Your Highness please instruct me.”

Several claps arose from the crowd. In this sort of situation, when confronting Princess Luoluo as his opponent, that this examinee did not just give up or concede was truly worthy of praise.

Sadly, whether he was worthy of being pitied or praised, neither of them could affect the final outcome.

A massive boom could be heard from the Hall of Washing Away Dust like a mountain collapsing.

Soon after, Luoluo walked out of the Hall of Washing Away Dust and up to Chen Changsheng with a joyful expression on her face. “Teacher, I also only used one punch.”

She was not flaunting her pride. As the second-ranked individual on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, her position in this generation of young cultivators was already at the peak, so defeating an ordinary examinee was truly nothing to be proud about. She was so happy because she had used the same method as Chen Changsheng to conclude her match.

Xuanyuan Po, Chen Changsheng, and Luoluo had each used a single punch to conclude their matches. The examinees outside the Hall of Washing Away Dust had heard three noises: a clap of thunder, the roar of a dragon, and a mountain collapsing.

Tang Thirty-Six had not used his fist. He had used the strongest move of the Three Forms of Wenshui. At the time, the sound the examinees heard coming from within the hall was that of a river flooding over its banks.

“Was that necessary?” Guan Feibai asked, his brows raised as he looked at the three young men and one girl standing at the edge of the forest.

If he or any of his other three martial brothers of the Mount Li Sword Sect had needed to step onto the stage, they naturally would have finished their matches as quickly as the Orthodox Academy, perhaps even faster, perhaps making an even greater ruckus. But just like he said, in this sort of ordinary match, was it necessary to make so much noise?

Regardless of what the spectators saw or thought, the four people of the Orthodox Academy had all successfully passed the first round and all sixty-four examinees entering the next round had been decided.

A few examinees were confident in their scores on the literary test and, assessing their performance as a whole, judged that they could probably get into the top forty-three. Their goal of entering the three banners of the Grand Examination completed, they finally relaxed, with happy smiles on their faces. Some examinees thought that they had gotten mediocre scores on the literary test, so they became silent and nervous, even anxious. If they wanted to enter the three banners of the Grand Examination, they needed to get an even better grade in the one-on-one matches, needing to win at least one more round to have any hope. However, these matches were just like cultivation: the further one went, the stronger one’s opponents, the more difficult it was to advance.

After the conclusion of the first round, there was a short rest period. Some examinees sat on the ground outside the Hall of Washing Away Dust and ate the rations that they had brought with them while other examinees took the time to meditate and recover some true essence.

Guardian Li, leading several maids, arrived in front of the Hall of Washing Away Dust, laid down a picnic blanket, and arranged several fine dishes atop it. They had been living in the Education Palace with Luoluo, and it was perhaps for this reason that no priests attempted to stop them.

Was this the Grand Examination or a picnic? As they saw this sight, the examinees felt the rations in their mouths gradually lose flavor. They felt deeply envious, especially when they saw Princess Luoluo half-kneel by Chen Changsheng’s side and feed him roast meat using ebony chopsticks, upon which their envy very naturally advanced into hatred.

As Guan Feibai watched, he gave a melancholy sigh. “This guy Chen Changsheng must have saved the entire human world in his past life.”

Gou Hanshi laughed and replied, “He must have saved White Emperor City first.”