On that day, because of that Heavenly Dao Academy overseer's words and attitude, Chen Changsheng truly had been very unhappy, but with the passing of time, this unhappiness had long since been dispelled. To him, rather than wasting his time on anger, he would find it better used on more meaningful things, like reading and cultivating, or cultivating and reading.
He really didn't care much about the Ivy Festival. To make his name famous throughout the world in a single day, and cause those people that had belittled him to feel shocked and helpless, to strike a resounding a slap across their faces? In the first place, he had to obediently admit that it would be very difficult for him who had not even succeeded at Purification to do this, and even if he could…he didn't want to.
Of course, to obtain an undeserved reputation and undeserved glory was not a bad thing, but the problem was that if such a day really did come to pass, his calm life of cultivation would assuredly be disturbed. These past days in which he cared not for the world outside his window and placed all his time on cultivating and reading would certainly be unable to occur again.
What of Luoluo? First of all, no matter what Chen Changsheng thought, she would support him. Although she had been somewhat upset because he had not taken her strolling through the streets, one ice pop had been enough to pacify her, and so a formal and serious affair as this meant much less to her. As for using the Ivy Festival to make her name famous…with her family background and origin, there was no way she would consider these things.
This was the attitude Chen Changsheng and Luoluo held towards the Ivy Festival. They really did not care very much and wouldn't even care too much if they forgot about it. Based on experiences from the past few years, the Orthodox Academy being forgotten once more would be a very normal thing. However, there was a massive difference this year: the existence of Priest Xin.
After being reminded by the archbishop, Priest Xin had always been silently attempting to understand the essence hidden behind the Pope's signature. Although he as of yet had not understood anything nor seen any changes in the capital brought about by that new student of the Orthodox Academy, he would at least be unable to forget that new student.
One day in the early summer, a carriage was driven into Hundred Flowers Lane and into the Orthodox Academy. At dusk, under the rose-red twilight, this carriage drove out of the Orthodox Academy, drove out of Hundred Flowers Lane, and, following the roads of the capital, reached the Heavenly Dao Academy and entered through its black jade gates.
Luoluo raised a corner of the window curtain and looked around at both sides of the road at those pavilions and buildings, her eyes wide open in curiosity. She had visited the Heavenly Dao Academy many times before, but it had always been under the heavy escort of her clansmen and the Guardians of the Imperial Palace. She would noiselessly come in from the back gate of the Heavenly Dao Academy and quietly exit. Other than those professors and those outstanding students personally taught by those professors, she had interacted with nobody else, and this was the first time she had actually come in through the main gate of the Heavenly Dao Academy.
Chen Changsheng had come to the Heavenly Dao Academy twice. The first time was that extremely disastrous enrollment experience while the second time was when he had come with an incredibly wretched appearance, soaked from head to toe, also not a very good experience to remember. He had long since lost his respect and admiration for this academy, but he would not deny that it truly was very beautiful.
The pleasant shade of the trees, the winding of the stream, the dazzling beauty of the summer flowers…as Chen Changsheng sat by the carriage window and saw these beautiful sights, the melancholy brought about by having to attend the Ivy Festival, meet with strangers, and waste an entire night of cultivation was completely banished. When he thought about how he would meet Tang Thirty-Six in a little while, his mood improved even more.
Priest Xin did not know his personality, so when he saw him constantly looking out the window in silence, carrying about him an atmosphere of youthful depression, he couldn't help but misunderstand and grow somewhat concerned. Patting Chen Changsheng on the shoulder, Priest Xin soothed, "Just sit, it doesn't matter if you don't step on stage."
Chen Changsheng turned and nodded his head to indicate that he understood, and then earnestly gave his thanks.
After a momentary pause, Priest Xin added, "Don't concern yourself too much about the words spoken by Sir Overseer in the Orthodox Academy…I truly do advise that the two of you not step on stage to compete. This year's Ivy Festival is somewhat different from the past, you really have to be a little more careful."
Chen Changsheng knew that he meant well and said, "Sir should relax, I'm already prepared to sit for a night."
"Hm? One night?"
Priest Xin was just comforting himself over the fact that his good intentions had not been misunderstood when he suddenly noticed the problem in this statement. He shook himself from his daze and asked, "You don't know?"
At a loss, Chen Changsheng asked, "What?"
Priest Xin glanced at Luoluo who had just pulled her gaze away from the window.
Luoluo was also at a loss. "What should we know?"
"The Ivy Festival…is an activity organized by Ivy Academies, but in reality, it's a rehearsal for the Grand Examination. All of its rules are the same as the Grand Examination's. The Grand Examination is conducted for three days, so the Ivy Festival feasts for three nights. Did the two of you really not know? Then you must also not know that these three nights are not held together?"
Priest Xin stared at the two like they were freaks and asked, "Just what have you two prepared for?"
Chen Changsheng completely missed this question. All of his mind was on that previous statement, feeling very troubled. It actually wasn't one night, but three? How much time would that waste? How many fewer books would he be able to read? This was too inappropriate, wasn't it?
Luoluo saw him in a daze and said to Priest Xin, "Sir should relax. We have already made our preparations. We didn't even eat lunch, so we will definitely eat our fill tonight."
Priest Xin was speechless as he thought, what sort of freaks are these? Looking at Chen Changsheng, he said, "In short, tonight, the two of you have to be more careful. At the moment, I can't be sure, but I've heard news that a few unexpected people will also be attending the Ivy Festival. But they might not come as well."
At this moment, the carriage reached the primary meeting place for tonight's Ivy Festival.
Priest Xin said, "I still have some matters to take care, so I can only send you up to here."
Chen Changsheng and Luoluo said their thanks and descended the carriage. They saw that it was already dark, the previously verdant trees now shadowy demonic existences. He froze, feeling that in this academy, some faint and indescribable pressure seemed to be pressing upon him.
"This way please." A student dressed in the black uniform of the Heavenly Dao Academy very politely pointed the way.
At the end of the stone path was an enormous building, its exterior hung with three rows containing several hundred red lanterns that spilled their light in all directions. Worthy of the most acclaimed academy on the continent, although this building wasn't particularly unusual in the Heavenly Dao Academy, it was enough to hold several hundred to one thousand guests.
Seeing the dense mass of red lanterns, not only did Chen Changsheng not feel much better, he felt that the pressure had grown more real.
The curtains within the building lightly drifted. Several hundred young students were already seated at those tables constructed of fine-grained hardwood. These were all students who had successfully passed the Grand Examination pre-examination several days ago. They came from all over the continent, so not all of them were people of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and none of them were members of the Six Ivies. The students of the Six Ivies could directly participate in the Grand Examination and possessed the right to skip the pre-examination. It was like the students of the Six Ivies were automatically a level above these young students, so now when they were seated in the Heavenly Dao Academy, they couldn't help but be somewhat reserved and nervous.
Besides these hundred-plus tables scattered amongst these curtains, there was still an extremely large area fenced off by pear trees with yellow blossoms into a certain number of spaces. These areas were left for tonight's hosts, guests, and the students of the Six Ivies.
The Ivy Festival was nominally a ceremony held by these academies that represented the capital to welcome those students that had passed the Grand Examination pre-examination. In reality, it was a stage for these academies to display their strength. Every year, after the conclusion of the Ivy Festival, a few students that had passed the pre-examination would be recruited into the Six Ivies.
For these reasons, the students of the Six Ivies naturally had a different mentality from those students sitting amongst the tables. No reservation or tension could be seen on their faces, only undisguised pride, or indifference, or blank expressions. The gazes they aimed at their peers sitting amongst the tables carried a sense of examination.
This year, the best position was occupied by the Heavenly Dao Academy. Those students dressed in black uniforms had indifferent expressions, not intentionally proud, yet arrogant to the extreme. In the area next to them sat the students of Star Seizer Academy, their expressions calm and unrestrained, their postures as steady as mountains.
There were still three other academies next to them: the Temple Seminary, the Li Palace Academy, and the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green.
The Heavenly Dao Academy did not need much introduction. Its history was long and it had always been hailed as the strongest on the continent. The current Pope and the previous Holy Maiden had come from this school. The Orthodoxy had no chief temple or palace hall as the Pope handled affairs and dwelled in the Li Palace, so the Li Palace Academy was naturally also very powerful. The Temple Seminary was in charge of sacrifices and managing the treasures of the Orthodoxy, so it was also naturally extraordinary.
Star Seizer Academy was the cradle for the generals of the Great Zhou Army. In the war where the humans defeated the demons, it had contributed the most, so its status was extremely unique.
The Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green were even more special. This academy was solely focused on the thirteen scriptures on guiding the Radiant Green, and consisted mostly of women. It was extremely close with Holy Maiden Peak in the south and they would often exchange students. When Xu Yourong had just reached enlightenment, she had studied and cultivated in this school.
This was the legendary Ivy League.
The ivy in front of the gates of the Li Palace was the capital's most famous sight, and the gates of the aforementioned schools were all covered in dense growths of ivy. This was proof of their history. In these countless years, besides those sects of the south, the remaining experts all basically had origins in the Ivy League.
The Ivy Academies occupied the best positions in the Ivy Festival. No matter how one looked at it, this was only right and proper, and people had long been accustomed to this fact. Those reserved and uneasy students had learned of this fact from their seniors, so they weren't surprised, but…a certain detail was different in tonight's Ivy Festival compared to those of the past.
Some people had already noticed this change.
Next to the excellent positions of the Ivy Academies, in an unremarkable corner, another area was partitioned off by pear trees carrying yellow blossoms.
This area was very small and contained only one small table.
But that position was on the same level as the Ivy Academies.
Position was a very important thing.
It was tradition.
More and more gazes turned to that area, to that small table.
Somebody recalled that before the Ivy League, before the Ivy Academies, the most common name, still passed around from mouth to mouth, was truthfully that name:
"The Six Ivies."
The Six Ivies naturally consisted of six academies.
The Heavenly Dao Academy, Star Seizer Academy and the others added up to only five.
What was the last one called?
A person recalled that the Six Ivies also had a school called the Orthodox Academy. It seemed that it was close to the Imperial Palace, that it was once very glorious, that it had been many years since any news was heard of it, and that there simply hadn't been a place for this academy in the last few Ivy Festivals. It seemed just like this academy had never existed.
An academy abandoned for so many years, on the verge of being forgotten by the world, actually had the qualifications to rank amongst the Six Ivies, and even received a place once more in this year's Ivy Festival? Why was this? Just because of that rumor, that this year, the Orthodox Academy finally managed to enroll a new student?
Yes, the reason was just this simple. This year, the Orthodox Academy had a student, so it had the qualification to participate in the Ivy Festival. The Great Zhou Dynasty had always respected tradition, and the Ivy Festival was exactly a tradition. Even if the Heavenly Dao Academy overseer materially responsible for the Ivy Festival really wanted nothing more than to light Orthodox Academy on fire until it was burned clean and thus push it out of the stage of history, he had no right to deny the Orthodox Academy's participation in the Ivy Festival, even if it only had two students.
The curtains swayed in the night wind as Chen Changsheng and Luoluo walked in. Following the instructions of that Heavenly Dao Academy student, they walked to the place all the way in the front.
The sounds of discussion could be heard in the building. None of the several hundred students seated amongst the tables recognized them, nor did any of the people in those areas fenced by the pear trees. Seeing the direction that they walked, some people guessed that this young man and woman were the students of the Orthodox Academy.
Everyone's gazes were fixed upon them, some shocked, and even more curious.
The rumor said that the new student of the Orthodox Academy was a young man, so most of the gazes were focused on Chen Changsheng. There were also people that noticed Luoluo obediently following behind him and who realized that this girl was extremely beautiful, like colored glass, and so their eyes instantly lit up.
At the Heavenly Dao Academy's table sat a young man, his appearance handsome and expression indifferent. Although he was sitting in the Ivy Festival, his mind was not there, and didn't even care about the matches that were about to take place. He did not deliberately reveal his pride, yet he was naturally proud.
Ten-plus outstanding students of the Heavenly Dao Academy that were prepared to take part in the next Grand Examination were seemingly randomly seated around this young man, but it was very obvious that he was the center, like the constellation of stars surrounding the North Star. For these proud students of the Heavenly Dao Academy to naturally take up this sort of stance only increased this young man's extraordinariness.
The young man was currently thinking about the repeated warnings from the principal. If the Longevity Sect really did send somebody out, as the representative of the Heavenly Dao Academy's students, how should he respond? The Heavenly Dao Academy was supervising the Ivy Festival this year and he could not allow those southerners to snatch away the Great Zhou's glory.
Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of Chen Changsheng and Luoluo from the corner of his eyes.
His eyes glimmered and his expression subtly changed.
Those ten-plus students sitting around him all seemed silent, but had actually constantly been looking to him. Seeing his expression flicker, they couldn't help but be greatly alarmed—many young students had been stunned by Luoluo's beauty, but they still found it hard to accept that such a thing could affect their senior brother.
Yes, this young student of the Heavenly Dao Academy was the legendary Zhuang Huanyu, ranked tenth on the Proclamation of Azure Sky!
How could a person like this be moved by the beauty of some girl?
Just who was this girl? The group from the Heavenly Dao Academy all turned to Chen Changsheng and Luoluo. Several of these students had the same teacher as Zhuang Huanyu, and so when they saw Luoluo's face, they suddenly recalled something and whispered in shock, "Isn't this that junior sister? How did she come?"
...
...
The Heavenly Dao Academy had a long-established history and its schoolground contained countless ancient tales. Many outstanding young men and women had studied and lived together in this place, so many of these stories concerned the young and inexperienced. Of these stories, one had begun to be passed around two years ago.
In this story, a spirit dwelled in the forest behind the Heavenly Dao Academy, beautiful beyond description. Like a timid swan, it would occasionally appear before people. This spirit looked just like a cute girl and only the sincerest of people could see her.
The story was naturally not true, but it had a foundation in the truth. That beautiful spirit was precisely the Luoluo that would be escorted by her clansmen to the Heavenly Dao Academy so that she could inquire upon the Dao.
Zhuang Huanyu had a special status in the Heavenly Dao Academy, so he naturally would not believe this story. This was the case until one day, when his teacher was giving him and several other students private lessons, he saw a girl sitting by the window, the sun shining upon her face, her appearance as beautiful as colored glass.
He was infatuated with cultivating the Dao and had no mind for something like passionate love. In the academy, he had always been aloof and remote, disdaining to even return the adoring gazes of the female students with arrogant glances, but at that moment, he found it impossible to drag his eye away.
Later on, he saw her several more times at his teacher's place.
His teacher was the Principal of the Heavenly Dao Academy. He had heard the girl discuss matters of cultivation with his teacher and even be able to keep up with his teacher's thoughts, rendering him somewhat shocked. He then discovered that the girl's personal guards were all experts, proof that her background was not ordinary.
He was somewhat aroused, feeling that this girl was worthy of his love.
Yet after that day, he no longer saw her.
She no longer appeared and it seemed like she had never come at all.
He had never asked anyone about this matter, but because of her sudden disappearance, he had spent a long period of silent thought on it. Perhaps not being able to obtain it was for the best? Perhaps missing the opportunity would leave deeper memories? Or else why would he often think of her?
He hoped that she would reappear before his eyes once more.
For this, he was willing to abandon his pride and be the first to initiate a conversation with her.
At this moment, he felt that the heavens had heard the voice in his heart.
In the Ivy Festival, she really did appear!
Moreover, under the attentive gazes of countless others, she was walking in his direction!
...
...
Zhuang Huanyu tidied his uniform and stood up, calmly gazing at the approaching Luoluo.
The surrounding Heavenly Dao Academy students did not understand why their senior brother had stood up. Besides the scant few that had met Luoluo before and guessed at something, the rest all believed that he was representing the Heavenly Dao Academy in welcoming this young man and woman and couldn't help but be astonished, thinking, when did Senior Brother start caring about such ordinary affairs?
Chen Changsheng and Luoluo reached the seating area of the Heavenly Dao Academy and were just prepared to follow the directions given by that other Heavenly Dao Academy student and head towards that area in the corner, when, unexpectedly, ten-plus students stood up at once in the Heavenly Dao Academy's area. This made Chen Changsheng feel somewhat helpless and inadvertently stop.
Zhuang Huanyu's lips slowly rose, a smile on his face as he prepared to speak.
He was prepared to say "Long time no see" to Luoluo.
Yet in the next moment, his smile scattered before it could rise and his eyes became as indifferent as before, perhaps even more.
Because Luoluo did not see him.
Luoluo was looking at Chen Changsheng.
After that night in which she jumped over the wall to enter the Orthodox Academy, as long as Chen Changsheng was there, her eyes would not be on books, but on Chen Changsheng's body, without pause and at every moment. This time was no exception.
She gazed at Chen Changsheng with a look of admiration.
Admiration and adoration were only a few letters off, so it was very easy to mistake one for the other.
Zhuang Huanyu did not know if he was mistaken or not, but his mood became exceptionally disastrous.
Having eyes only for a person whose eyes are only for someone else had always been one of the world's most infuriating matters.
When he saw out of the corner of his eye that her hand was actually grasped onto Chen Changsheng's sleeves, his fury reached its peak.
Zhuang Huanyu did nothing.
He was the tenth-ranked genius of the Proclamation of Azure Sky, the Eldest Brother of the Heavenly Dao Academy. He represented much, was burdened with much.
So he was not easily angered, and was even less likely to forget his manners because of such things.
He looked at Chen Changsheng and calmly raised clasped hands in greeting.
The height of his arm, the distance between his sleeve and wrist, it was all perfect.
But his eyes were too calm, too indifferent.
Chen Changsheng froze, and then calmly returned the greeting.
The height of his arm, the distance between his sleeve and wrist, it was all perfect.
His eyes were somewhat bewildered, somewhat confused.
It was extremely quiet.
Zhuang Huanyu unclasped his hands.
Chen Changsheng followed suit.
From some place came a voice like an anger that had been choked down for a very long time and was finally vented.
They had both acted with the most meticulous courtesy, but in the eyes of the crowd, Zhuang Huanyu's perfect confidence and Chen Changsheng's reserved unsophistication made the judgment easy.
In truth, this was only because he was Zhuang Huanyu while Chen Changsheng was just a nobody.
Zhuang Huanyu turned to Luoluo and said, "Junior Sister, long time no see."
He spoke very casually, but in reality, he was very solemn, more solemn than when he met his birth father for the first time.
Luoluo opened her eyes wide and looked at him for a while. She suddenly seemed to recall something and said with a smile, "Ah, it's you, long time no see."
This girl's smile was very cute.
Yet Zhuang Huanyu found it very repulsive.
He would rather prefer that she not remember him, instead of now, where she needed to think for a while before remembering who he was.
Who am I? I am Zhuang Huanyu.
Any person that has met me would never forget.
How could you forget me?
Why are you pretending that you don't know me?
Are you joking, or are you playing around with me?
While great storms raged in Zhuang Huanyu's mind, his expression was as calm as usual.
Just when he was prepared to say something like "If it wasn't for this, I would also have forgotten Junior Sister's appearance"…Luoluo grasped Chen Changsheng's sleeve and departed the Heavenly Dao Academy's seating area towards that corner, and was even happily chatting with Chen Changsheng about something.
Only her back was left behind for Zhuang Huanyu.
Zhuang Huanyu silently gazed at the backs of Chen Changsheng and Luoluo.
He paid no attention to the conversations around him as he thought, Junior Sister, since you're a student of the Heavenly Dao Academy, why do you have to leave?
But when he saw Chen Changsheng and Luoluo enter that area in the corner, he understood that they had actually come to represent the Orthodox Academy.
He asked, "That youth is Chen Changsheng?"
That Heavenly Dao Academy student that was responsible for giving directions had at some point hurried over, and now quietly whispered that this was the case.
"It truly is rather interesting."
Zhuang Huanyu said no more. Lightly raising up the front of his robe, he sat back down at the table.
His expression was still indifferent, but this was not the case for his true emotions.
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