Ze Tian Ji

(TL by bbkgs)


Due to the fervent gazes of the female students, Tang Thirty-Six had to continue maintaining his look of icy refinement, upon hearing what words were uttered, his expression deepened further, with a steely gaze directed towards the source of those words and confirming that they were uttered by a student of Temple Academy.


Chen Chang Sheng extended an arm to block his advancement, shaking his head while doing so.


His purpose for coming to Li Palace today, was to meet Luo Luo about an important matter, he had no time for delays.


Though he couldn’t completely ignore the slights, he wasn’t about to erupt in fury over them. Anger, envy, grievances, heart-ache, sadness… all of these emotions were detrimental to health and a waste of time, and thus held little value to him.


Tang Thirty-Six gave the Temple Academy group a cold stare before following Chen Chang Sheng onwards.


Jeering started coming from amongst Temple Academy group, unhappy at the implications of warning from Tang’s stare, with one person exclaiming: “The truth is the truth, are we not allowed to state the truth? The National Precept Academy only restarted accepting students this year, yet you want to emulate the pressure tactics of the academy of the Divine Way?”


Seeing Chen Chang Shen’s continued indifference, Tang Thirty-Six took a deep breath and decided to ignore the taunts, “I’ll treat it like as if I am deaf today, but after finishing our business at Li Palace, if there are still people who dare to taunt me, I’ll be dealing with them then.”


In the palace complex ahead, Temple Academy, Li Palace sub-Academy and 13 Jade Departments were connected by a single wall and the bell tolls could be heard by all. Not long after pa.s.sing the Temple Academy, they approached the entrance to Li Palace sub-Academy.


Here, the two sides of the divine avenue was lined with green paG.o.da trees that didn’t shed leaves in autumn, the surroundings were blanketed in a haze of green, a fitting match for the status of the academy.


News of a visit from National Precept Academy had already spread across the campuses of the three academies, resulting in an ever increasing number of people rushing out from their respective schools and arriving at the divine avenue. Curious onlookers on both sides of the avenue gazed towards Chen Chang Sheng’s group, with the western side being especially crowded, creating a rather impressive spectacle.


Students of Li Palace sub-Academy were especially numerous, standing under the paG.o.da trees, staring at the group from National Precept Academy who were calmly advancing across the avenue. Some of the students couldn’t help but admire their actions, were it to be themselves, with how much difficulty would they be able handle the pressure of so many stares and yet maintain such a steady pace?


“Senior Su has arrived!”


This caused a slight commotion amongst the students of Li Palace sub-Academy, with younger students automatically moving aside to create a pathway.


A single youth, a clergyman, with an air of quiet and refined elegance emerged from the opened path, arriving at the divine avenue.


This youthful clergyman was representative of this generation’s students for Li Palace sub-Academy. His standing in this academy was a.n.a.logous to that of Zhuang Huan Yu at the academy of the Divine Way. In the recent Ivy League gathering’s second round, he was the one who achieved first place.


Achieving first place in the martial round of the Ivy League gathering was supposed to be a very prestigious achievement, yet sadly, for this year’s gathering, Luo Luo crippled Tian Hai Ya’er in the first round, while the third round was dominated by several brilliant battles. National Precept Academy had usurped all the glory and subsequently, very little attention was paid to the results of the martial round.


Even though Su Mo Yu didn’t express any of his thoughts on the matter, he was still of the younger generation and couldn’t have been pleased with the results.


“Gou Han Shi… was actually incapable of dealing with this person?”

Having observed the ordinary looking youth on the divine avenue, he found himself confused and said: “Could it be… the council of Divine Ordinance (Tian Ji Ge) were wrong on their evaluation of Gou Han Shi?”

In preparation of breaking through the upper stage of the zuozhao (Meditative) realm, he had to preserve his zhenyuan (True Essence) to use alongside medications supplied by his teacher. Due to this, he didn’t attend the third night of the Ivy League gathering at the imperial palace, missing the chance to witness the bout between National Precept Academy and Li Shan Sect. Only obtaining accounts through his other senior students and peers.


Though he had heard a lot of accounts about what happened, he still couldn’t understand how National Precept Academy obtained victory against Li Shan Sword Sect. Especially the youth named Chen Chang Sheng, how did he manage to go toe to toe against Gou Han Shi?


Having finally seen Chen Chang Shen in person, he could confirm that he had yet to successfully baptise himself. Without a successful baptism, no matter how mature or learned one may be, you cannot understand the intricacies of heaven and earth, let alone develop a strong spiritual sense. Yet Gou Han Shi still couldn’t achieve victory in the end…


Therefore he could only conclude that Gou Han Shi was not as able as rumoured.


“Senior Su’s words ring true, I dare say, in the coming Grand Examination, if senior were to be suitably cautious, there shouldn’t any problem in overcoming Gou Han Shi.”


Other students of the academy uttered their endors.e.m.e.nts of this view, yet, these were all learned people, and Gou Han Shi was doubtlessly still a member of the Seven Laws of the Divine Nation and ranked second amongst their number. Having managed to leave the proclamation of Azure Clouds and leaving his mark upon the Jade Heavens, he was naturally a gifted individual. Thus, they were measured in their encouragement to Su Mo Yu.


They were not so kind, however, in regards to the people of National Precept Academy.


“That Chen Chang Sheng can’t even successfully complete his baptism, the Ivy League gathering was probably just a fluke.”


The Li Palace sub-Academy student said, while looking at Chen Chang Sheng and shaking their head.


After observing female students of the 13 Jade Departments and some of the female students from his own school staring in adulation at the fluttering green garments of the youth from National Precept Academy, the student churlishly added: “In my view, that Tang Thirty-Six is also nothing more than a sham.”


Su Mo Yu, lightly frowned, replying in refutation: “If I am not incorrect, the three members of National Precept Academy who will partic.i.p.ate in next year’s Grand Examination, will all be strong compet.i.tors. Your att.i.tude of putting down others is not a good thing, Tang Tang is not someone you should underestimate.”


The fellow student knew of his senior’s adherence to propriety and quickly answered: “Senior’s instruction is correct.”


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