Ze Tian Ji Chapter 145-146

Chapter 145 – Drawing Lots

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Chen Changsheng did not notice all the gazes focused on him at this time. After Luoluo had left for the Li Palace, he had not been treated this way for a very long time, but after returning to that past period in a single day, he very quickly became used to it. Moreover, he was currently pondering a few matters and his mind had wandered off.

He was confident that his grade in the literary test was at least in the top three. The problem was that Gou Hanshi’s grade was also in the top three, and even Tianhai Shengxue’s grade was probably not much worse. This being the case, if he wanted to take first rank of the first banner, he would at least need to reach the final round, so he still needed to win five more rounds. Of course, if Gou Hanshi, Tianhai Shengxue, and those four scholars from Scholartree Manor, who had also turned in their tests last, were all very quickly eliminated, he would be facing much less pressure. The primary difficulty there was that no matter how he thought about it, such a thing was impossible.

Guan Feibai, Liang Banhu, and Qi Jian were also potential threats, and there was also Zhuang Huanyu, who was particularly reticent today. But the one who made Chen Changsheng feel the most unease and wariness was still that thinly-clothed youth standing apart from the crowd.

The wolf youth had no grade in the literary test, so regardless of how well he did in the one-on-one matches, he could not possibly take first rank of the first banner; Chen Changsheng would not be directly competing with him for that spot. However, what would happen if he were to encounter the youth in one of the upcoming rounds? No one wanted to meet that youth in advance, probably not even Gou Hanshi or Tianhai Shengxue.

The short period of rest very quickly concluded. Guardian Li had the maids put away the lunchboxes, then left the grounds, and the second round of matches for the Grand Examination began. The area outside the Hall of Washing Away Dust slowly fell silent. Compared to the atmosphere from before the first round, it was even more tense and oppressive. This was because the top fifteen examinees would also join the ranks of participants.

The first fifteen examinees to cross the Qu River in the martial test were all very strong. There were the four people from the Mount Li Sword Sect, the two individuals from Star Seizer Academy, and the senior sister from Holy Maiden Peak. There was also Tianhai Shengxue standing coldly in front of the rest, Zhuang Huanyu calmly standing next to one of his schoolmates, and that wolf youth called Zhexiu still standing alone on the outskirts of the crowd. There was only one person that no one recognized.

Compared to the rules for the first round, the rules for the second round were mostly similar, with two significant differences. The first was that opponents were no longer decided by those who had ranked higher up, but it still had nothing to do with the examiners. Instead, it was done by the drawing of lots, and the matches for all the following rounds would also be decided by drawing lots. Which opponent the examinees would face was completely up to fate.

Secondly, with the beginning of the second round, the loser of the match would no longer be sent out of the Education Palace but would remain on the scene. This was because there were only sixty-four people remaining, so in order to ensure the final ranking for the Grand Examination and the candidates for the three banners, and given that the examiners could not be guaranteed to be absolutely impartial, it was highly likely that the losers might have to fight in a deciding match.

Before the matches could begin, lots would have to be drawn. From a certain point of view, the drawing of lots was even more important than the matches themselves. Drawing a weaker opponent basically meant advancing to the next round, but if one were to unluckily draw an opponent like Gou Hanshi, what could be done?

Several dozen gazes tracked the hand of the Li Palace priest in charge of drawing lots as his hand left the box of lots and fell on the paper listing the names of the examinees.

“Orthodox Academy, Xuanyuan Po.” The Li Palace priest took out a second slip of paper, glanced at it, then said, “Against Mount Li Sword Sect, Gou Hanshi.”

A deathly stillness settled in front of the Hall of Washing Away Dust. After a very long time, the examinees finally reacted, erupting with cries of surprise.

Everyone felt that since Qiushan Jun had unexpectedly decided not to participate in this year’s Grand Examination, the strongest participant of the Grand Examination was undoubtedly Gou Hanshi. They very naturally felt that his name would not appear until very late; no one expected that the examiner would pull out Gou Hanshi’s name on the very first match.

These cries of surprise were mixed with all sorts of emotions. Besides shock, there was also joy, as well as a hint of schadenfreude.

Just like how no one wanted to fight against the wolf youth, even fewer people wanted to fight against Gou Hanshi.

Now, none of them needed to worry, because the person fighting Gou Hanshi was Xuanyuan Po, the Orthodox Academy’s Xuanyuan Po.

The forest’s edge was very quiet. Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six looked at Xuanyuan Po, their eyes holding no sympathy, only questions.

In these sorts of moments, sympathy was meaningless.

Xuanyuan Po looked at a loss as he asked, “What do I do?”

Tang Thirty-Six replied, “Do you not see that we’re all waiting for you to make a decision?”

Xuanyuan Po turned to Luoluo and said, “Teacher, I heed your words.”

Luoluo turned to Chen Changsheng and asked, “Teacher, what do you think?”

Chen Changsheng turned to Tang Thirty-Six and asked, “Why don’t you make the decision?”

Without even thinking about it, Tang Thirty-Six raised his hand and called out to the Li Palace priest that was drawing lots, “We forfeit!”

The crowd exploded once more. No one had expected that the Orthodox Academy would forfeit right after the lots were drawn. This was a little too straightforward, or perhaps shameless? Laughter could be heard from the crowd, and Xuanyuan Po lowered his head, looking rather dejected.

Chen Changsheng soothed, “Save your strength. Later on, in the decider matches, you might be able to get back a little advantage.”

Tang Thirty-Six was in charge of external matters. He looked at those examinees laughing without end and said, “Is forfeiting surrender? If you’ve really got the skill, we can give this lot to you, and will any of you go and fight Gou Hanshi?”

It was naturally impossible to give away one’s spot, but his words reminded many people that if their goal was to enter the three banners of the Grand Examination, then forfeiting might be the best choice against an impossible opponent like Gou Hanshi. When they thought of how they might have to forfeit as well in a little while, those laughing examinees naturally fell silent.

The drawing of lots continued. The silence was broken by the Li Palace priest announcing the names of Tang Thirty-Six and Liang Banhu.

The examinees turned to the forest’s edge, not laughing at the Orthodox Academy, but beginning to sympathize with them.

Tang Thirty-Six had a calm expression, but his mood was absolutely disastrous. Using a voice that only the people near him could hear, he said, “What sort of damn luck is this?”

Xuanyuan Po’s meeting Gou Hanshi was extremely bad luck, and his matching up against Liang Banhu was also terribly poor luck. The drawing had just barely begun, but two of the Orthodox Academy had matched up against two of the Divine Kingdom’s Seven Laws, publicly acknowledged as the strongest group of young geniuses. No matter how one saw it, the Orthodox Academy was clearly having a bout of bad luck today.

The Orthodox Academy’s poor luck was not yet over.

The paper slip with Chen Changsheng’s name was pulled out by the Li Palace priest. Immediately after, the priest pulled out the name of his opponent.

Scholartree Manor, Huo Guang.

The crowd was abuzz with chatter. Even those examinees who had the poorest impressions of the Orthodox Academy could no longer take any pleasure from their misfortune.

Finally, the most shocking matter of all occurred.

Luoluo’s opponent was…Tianhai Shengxue.

The Hall of Washing Away Dust was quiet, making the voice of the priest drawing lots exceptionally clear.

The crowd, speechless, looked at the Orthodox Academy’s group in shock.

The Orthodox Academy’s group was also shocked speechless.

At this moment, people could be sure that the result of this drawing of lots had nothing to do with luck, but was a deliberate strike against the Orthodox Academy, because the odds of this result were far too small.

Xuanyuan Po had been matched up against Gou Hanshi and forfeited straight away. Tang Thirty-Six, although famous and regarded as a young genius, was still quite lacking in strength compared to Liang Banhu, so probably did not have much chance of victory. As for the third match…although that scholar from Scholartree Manor called Huo Guang had not entered the Proclamation of Azure Sky, based on the level he had shown in the martial test, he was probably the second-strongest of the group of four from Scholartree Manor. He was stronger than two of his schoolmates that were already ranked on the Proclamation of Azure Sky and was only beneath Zhong Hui, who was ranked ninth. No matter how lucky the encounter Chen Changsheng had, he could not possibly win against Huo Guang.

The most blatant evidence was Luoluo’s opponent. As she was ranked second on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, the only individuals she feared in this year’s Grand Examination were Gou Hanshi and Tianhai Shengxue, both of whom had already entered Ethereal Opening, yet she managed to pull exactly Tianhai Shengxue. More importantly, amongst all the examinees, only Tianhai Shengxue had a comparable background to Luoluo. At the very least, he could display his strength in his match against Luoluo.

……

……

Just like the area in front of the Hall of Washing Away Dust, the Hall of Shining Words was absolutely silent.

The archbishop slowly opened his eyes. When his turbid gaze fell on the result of the draw displayed on the mirror of light, it gradually turned cold.

Mo Yu drooped her eyes, seemingly thinking about something.

Prince Chen Liu arched his brows, displaying anger on his face.

Xue Xingchuan was somewhat surprised, and turned to shoot a glance at Xu Shiji.

Xu Shiji was expressionless, maintaining his silence.

The other powerful figures present in the hall all kept their silence.

None of the figures in the Hall of Shining Words was stupid. How could any of them fail to see that someone had intended this result from the drawing of lots? It was very obvious that the bias the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education showed for the Orthodox Academy had finally incurred the discontent of the Orthodoxy’s new faction. After patiently enduring for so long, in the final phase of the Grand Examination, they finally launched their counterattack, but nobody knew if this matter had been incited by the Divine Empress or the Pope.

“To use the south to beat down the Orthodox Academy, this isn’t a very good look.”

Mao Qiuyu, Principal of the Heavenly Dao Academy, sighed, then walked out of the Hall of Shining Words.

Several people in the hall, including the Principal of the Li Palace and two bishops of the Orthodoxy, appeared rather embarrassed at these words.

Mao Qiuyu’s status was above worldly matters. He could say what he wanted and leaven when he wanted, but he could not change the result from this drawing of lots.

The Grand Examination had to continue, and the drawing of lots also continued. The matches that were given the most attention were naturally the four matches of the Orthodox Academy. Guan Feibai, Zhuang Huanyu, and other such well-known young experts had drawn weaker opponents. Only Su Moyu’s luck was even worse than Chen Changsheng’s group, because his opponent…was that youth called Zhexiu.

Only upon hearing the Li Palace priest announce the name did the examinees present finally learn the full name of the wolf youth.

This youth was called Wofu Zhexiu.

‘Wofu’ was an extremely rare surname. Upon hearing it, one knew that this was not a person from the Central Plains but a person from a small tribe beyond the walls.

Tang Thirty-Six patted Su Moyu on the shoulder, saying, “Just concede. Who told you to stand next to us? Our bad luck has infected you.”

Was this really about luck? Of course not. Everyone knew this, but just like earlier, there was no evidence, so there was no means of opposing it.

One could only concede or attempt to obtain an inconceivable victory.

Tang Thirty-Six advised Su Moyu to take the former, while he himself intended to choose the latter.

Luoluo and Chen Changsheng intended to do the same.

Chapter 146 – Discussing Swords

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Regardless of what Tang Thirty-Six said, Su Moyu naturally had his own judgment and choice. As the student representative of the Li Palace Academy, he certainly could not directly concede. Moreover, his stubborn and wooden personality had decided that even if his opponent was the mysterious and formidable wolf youth, he would not lose confidence.

He bowed to the examiner supervising the matches and then walked to the stone steps of the Hall of Washing Away Dust.

The crowd gradually parted as Zhexiu walked over. Without pausing, he walked straight into the Hall of Washing Away Dust.

The examinees looked at this youth’s thin back with all manner of expressions. From morning until now, other than when he had spoken to the examiner, no one had heard his voice. They were all very curious to know just how strong this enigmatic wolf youth famed for his cold-blooded demeanor actually was, and what sort of person he was. As for the result of this match, no one was actually too concerned, because many people felt that the result of this match was already decided. Su Moyu, thirty-third on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, was certainly not weak, but his opponent was far too strong.

Chen Changsheng turned his head to glance at the pensive Luoluo as he recalled the mental blow the wolf youth had given him by turning his head for only an instant. He thought to himself, in a little while, if Luoluo were to lose to Tianhai Shengxue, it might actually be a good thing. At least she won’t have to face that youth and won’t encounter much danger.

The wooden door of the Hall of Washing Away Dust slowly closed.

After a short period of time, it opened once more.

The examinees were somewhat amazed. Although there should have been no surprises with this match, such a swift conclusion had still astonished them somewhat.

The first to walk out of the Hall of Washing Away Dust was probably the victor, the wolf youth Zhexiu.

He stood on the stone steps, looking at the Orthodox Academy’s group standing at the forest’s edge.

Over the course of the Grand Examination, this youth had always stood apart from the rest or walked at the very front, leaving people to mostly look at only his back. At this moment, quite a few people were seeing the front of him for the very first time.

He was dressed in a thin cloth shirt, with a cloth belt tied around his waist. His feet were bare and his pants ended three inches above his ankles. HIs attire was simple to the extreme.

There were no weapons on his person, yet he exuded an aura of extreme danger. He was like a sharp blade- no, he was the glimmer on the edge of the blade. Yes, his danger did not have a concrete shape, but a feeling. If one looked at him for too long, one might even feel their eyes beginning to ache.

Many examinees subconsciously drew back their gazes or turned to look elsewhere.

After a few moments, the wooden door of the Hall of Washing Away Dust slowly closed. Su Moyu had not come out.

The examinees were rather surprised at this. One examinee couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t you say that the losers could remain?”

The Li Palace priest glanced at Zhexiu and slightly frowned, then explained to the examinees, “The injuries that Su Moyu suffered were too severe. He was sent out of the Education Palace for treatment.”

Upon hearing this, the crowd outside the Hall of Washing Away Dust was cast into a deathly stillness. The examinees found it difficult to suppress their turbulent emotions and looked once more at the wolf youth.

There was shock in their gazes, and much more fear.

Su Moyu was the most outstanding student of the Li Palace, a young genius ranked thirty-third on the Proclamation of Azure Sky. Even if he was no match for the wolf youth, the battle had been so short, and there had presumably been many examiners watching, but the wolf youth had still managed to inflict such serious injuries on Su Moyu. Just how strong did he have to be to accomplish this?

……

……

Within the Hall of Shining Words, the Principal of the Li Palace Academy stared at the scene on the mirror of light with an incredibly gloomy expression.

The match that had taken place in the Hall of Washing Away Dust had concluded long ago, and so the only thing the mirror of light showed was sand, the ground. On the lower edge was the carving of a green leaf, and also a few bloodstains.

Su Moyu had suffered extremely grim injuries. As he was in the Li Palace, there was probably no danger to his life, yet who knew if these injuries might affect his cultivation in the future?

He was the Principal of the Li Palace Academy, and he had many reasons to be angry, but he had no idea how to vent his fury.

Zhexiu and Su Moyu’s match had begun too quickly and ended too swiftly. Let alone the Li Palace priests keeping control over the situation from the second floor, even if he were personally present, he would not have been able to stop that earlier scene of misery from occurring unless he had been on the stage in advance.

The opponents that the four examinees of the Orthodox Academy had drawn were the strongest possible, but he was well aware that this had been a rigged result. But Su Moyu, the student that the Li Palace Academy had placed their highest hopes on, had encountered a monster like Zhexiu in the second round. This could only be attributed to his awful luck.

Su Moyu’s heavy injuries meant that he would have to withdraw from the competition. Even if he had remarkable results in the literary test, he could at best enter the third banner. Advancing any further was an impossibility.

At this stage of the Grand Examination, all the students from the Li Palace Academy had been completely eliminated. Let alone the Mount Li Sword Sect, Scholartree Manor and Star Seizer Academy still had four students in the competition. How could he not feel awkward?

With an ashen face, the Principal of the Li Palace Academy stood up and left the Hall of Shining Words with a brush of his sleeve, no longer interested in spectating the Grand Examination.

Principal Mao Qiuyu of the Heavenly Dao Academy, displeased that several important figures had influenced the drawing of lots to push the Orthodox Academy to the brink, had already left.

In the Hall of Shining Words, only three principals of the Six Ivies remained.

……

……

The second round of matches for the Grand Examination continued. Punches howled and swords rained down, true essence surged about in unease, but these were all things that occurred within the Hall of Washing Away Dust, and rarely was this activity heard outside the hall. In the following matches, Zhuang Huanyu easily defeated his opponent, and the Mount Li Sword Sect’s Qi Jian and Guan Feibai also very quickly entered the third round. The next to fight was a young scholar from Scholartree Manor.

It was the youngest of the four scholars participating in Scholartree Manor, and also the strongest: Zhong Hui.

As he stood on the steps in front of the Hall of Washing Away Dust and saw the sight before him, he wore a nasty expression. In Scholartree Manor, he was naturally the focus of attention, and even in a gathering of experts such as the Grand Examination, he still should have attracted the attention of many examinees when it was his turn to fight. However, no one was looking at him, which made him extremely uncomfortable.

The other examinees were not looking down on him. The ninth-ranked expert on the Proclamation of Azure Sky was worthy of being highly regarded, but Zhong Hui’s opponent was quite obscure, and the next match just so happened to be one that everyone was focused on. Thus, the crowd was not looking at him, but at two other places.

These were the forest’s edge, where the Orthodox Academy’s group was standing, and the streambank, where the four disciples from Mount Li were standing.

Tang Thirty-Six would participate in the next match, and at this moment, Chen Changsheng was crouched on the ground and speaking to him. There was a branch in his hand which he was using to draw on the ground. Luoluo was crouched at his side, her hand supporting her chin as she earnestly listened. Xuanyuan Po was standing above them, using his tall and sturdy body to block out the gazes of the crowd.

Chen Changsheng was currently explaining the essentials of the Mount Li Sword Style. This was not some last-minute preparation, but a very focused and formidable instruction. This was because he was currently taking the essentials of the Mount Li Sword Style and comparing them to several of Liang Banhu’s famous matches. The lines drawn out on the ground by the tree branch were all sword moves.

Liang Banhu was precisely the opponent that Tang Thirty-Six was about to face.

“The quantity and purity of your true essence is assuredly not up to your opponent’s.”

Chen Changsheng put down the tree branch and looked at Tang Thirty-Six’s unconcerned face, earnestly saying, “Even if you stopped being as lazy as you were in Wenshui after coming to the capital, you know how bitterly the disciples of Mount Li train in the sword, so there’s no need to argue about this. You are inferior to him.”

Tang Thirty-Six spread apart his hands, indicating that he had no objections to this fact.

Chen Changsheng glanced at the streambank and then continued, “You and he are at about the same level of cultivation. As long as neither opponent has passed that threshold, the differences in the upper level of Meditation won’t have too much effect on the battle. Thus, if you want to win against him, you can only rely on your techniques.”

Tang Thirty-Six’s expression turned serious. “How should I begin?”

Chen Changsheng replied, “Be the first to attack.”

Tang Thirty-Six arched his brows. “Isn’t that the same strategy that you and Xuanyuan Po used in the first round?”

Chen Changsheng answered, “It’s not the same, because all first strikes are feints. You have to prepare at least twenty sword techniques that you can link together so as to not give Liang Banhu any time to think. Strive to cause an error in his judgment, then when your sword energy is about to reach its peak, he will definitely expect you to use the Three Forms of Wenshui. That is where we will find our opportunity.”

Upon saying this, he took up the tree branch once more and wrote a few words on the ground.

……

……

“Junior Brother, your and Tang Tang’s cultivation levels are about the same. As he’s studied with Chen Changsheng in the Orthodox Academy, it can be presumed that he’s also advanced some in his swordplay, so he won’t be much weaker than you in that aspect. However, he definitely will be weaker than you in quantity and purity of true essence, and he will also be inferior to you in terms of will.”

Gou Hanshi extended a hand into the stream and brought up some water to wash his face. He glanced at the Orthodox Academy’s group by the forest’s edge and then continued, “Tang Tang’s most remarkable aspect is actually his personality. He likes walking unusual paths, and he truly is rather interesting when he becomes resolute. If I were Chen Changsheng, I would definitely place my only chance of victory on techniques.”

On the side, Qi Jian was rather confused and asked, “Senior Brother, since both have about the same level of swordplay, how can they obtain victory through techniques?”

“Through the order, timing, and choice of sword techniques, and using sword techniques to build energy,” Gou Hanshi patiently explained.

Upon hearing these words, Guan Feibai recalled that competition of swords he had with Luoluo in the Ivy Festival and silently nodded.

Liang Banhu turned to the forest’s edge, his face, still a little childish, filled with self-confidence and calm as he said, “Chen Changsheng must be making a plan for him right now.”

“Correct.”

Gou Hanshi looked at Liang Banhu and said, “Chen Changsheng will definitely think of a method to have Tang Tang build up energy through sword techniques and then end with some extraordinary and unexpected method to seek out a victory. Earlier, I said that Tang Tang’s most outstanding aspect was that wild resolve of his, so I think that after he builds up energy, the sword technique he will use won’t be the Three Forms of Wenshui. Although those three techniques are very powerful, they aren’t resolute enough.”

Liang Banhu fell into deep thought, beginning to recall the sword manuals he had read in Mount Li’s Sword Hall.

Guan Feibai pondered the situation and realized that if it really was as his senior brother described, there truly was no good way of responding. If he were the one fighting against Tang Tang, he could probably just rely on his true essence and fight him head-on.

“Just fight him head-on,” Gou Hanshi advised Liang Banhu.

Liang Banhu was somewhat confused and Guan Feibai was astonished, thinking to himself,