Chapter 40 – The First Night
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
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?