Chapter 109 – Reunion
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"One flower contains one world; one leaf also contains one world. These are metaphysical descriptions, but they"re truthfully not accurate, or could we really be in a flower or a leaf? What we call flowers and leaves are all magical artifacts forged by our ancestors using grand divine abilities, gates that lead to spatial shards."
Tang Thirty-Six continued, "The larger the spatial shard, the more stable it is, and the more difficult it is to open a gate. A truly grand divine ability is needed to successfully create magical artifacts. Only at this point can we finally say that this is a miniature world that has a master."
Chen Changsheng thought to himself, that"s true, this argument is easy to understand. Xuanyuan Po had grown up with his tribe in the wilderness, so he had neither experience nor knowledge in this aspect. Hearing the two talk, he was very confused and scratched his head. "This place is so big; how can it be called a miniature world?"
Tang Thirty-Six said nothing, as he too had truthfully been stunned by the world before him. He had just not shown it. Compared to this beautiful world, the Wenshui Tang clan"s miniature world didn"t even count as a thatched cottage. They were two completely different concepts.
Chen Changsheng asked, "This miniature world is so large. Just who does it belong to?"
Tang Thirty-Six looked at him like he was an idiot. "His Holiness the Pope, of course."
Chen Changsheng came to his senses. Across the continent, the people who had the divine ability to control this sort of miniature world could be counted with one"s fingers, and since this was the Li Palace, who else could it be?
"The opening of a miniature world rests solely in the thoughts of the holder."
Tang Thirty-Six looked at the immortal cranes above and sighed, "There is nowhere safer for Princess Luoluo to live than here."
If the demons still had any desire to a.s.sa.s.sinate Luoluo, they would first have to kill the Pope so that they could enter this hall.
This was an impossible matter, so Luoluo"s safety was a.s.sured.
Chen Changsheng understood. Luoluo"s living here was the safest and most dependable choice, but when he thought of how this was the Pope"s world and her entry and exit were completely in another person"s hands, he felt somewhat uncomfortable, feeling that this was no different from being a prisoner.
However, when he thought of the a.s.sa.s.sination attempt that took place in the Orthodox Academy several months ago, he decided to remain silent.
They entered the magnificent and towering palace, climbing the stairs upwards. As they climbed higher and higher, they were able to see farther and farther, yet even at the twenty-ninth floor, they were still unable to see the edge of this world. Chen Changsheng was truly amazed, thinking, His Holiness truly deserves to be called one of the strongest on the continent.
There were still ten-some palaces flickering in and out of sight in the distance.
Chen Changsheng looked at those palaces and faintly felt that something was wrong. He walked up to Jin Yulu and whispered a few questions, and only then did he find out that there were actually many famous and meritorious priests of the Orthodoxy, as well as many experts, cultivating within the Pope"s Green Leaf World.
He voiced his concerns. "If the demons wanted to do harm to Her Highness, it would truly be impossible for them to destroy this world…but what if one of the priests of the Orthodoxy cultivating in this world has always been a spy for the demons? How do you guard against that?"
"What demon spy could possibly deceive His Holiness"s enlightened eyes? Even that old traitor Black Robe wouldn"t dare."
The guiding priest had heard Chen Changsheng"s question and coolly replied.
Chen Changsheng said no more.
After quite some time, the group finally reached the top floor of the building. Atop the roof, which was flat like the deck of a boat, was a small courtyard. Bamboo was planted within and without the courtyard, giving it a delightfully verdant aura.
Knowing that Luoluo was living in a place like this made Chen Changsheng"s mind slightly relax.
Jin Yulu sent the three youths to the gate but proceeded no further. Smiling at Chen Changsheng, he said, "The words of that priest definitely haven"t addressed your concerns. I just want to tell you, it"s impossible for me to take a single step into this courtyard, so what are you still worried about?"
Chen Changsheng knew that miniature worlds had a maximum capacity, especially very small spatial shards. If a person possessing an excessive quant.i.ty of true essence entered the s.p.a.ce, the spatial shard would collapse, bringing the person that entered with it into nothingness.
But this courtyard clearly lay within the Pope"s Green Leaf World.
Why couldn"t Jin Yulu enter?
And if this were true, wouldn"t it be even easier for the demons to a.s.sa.s.sinate Luoluo, only needing to send in a suicide soldier?
Jin Yulu explained, "In some worlds, the threshold is too high. In some worlds, the roof is too low. In some worlds, the door is too narrow…"
Chen Changsheng understood, but he recalled the description in the "Doctrine of s.p.a.ce and Void".
Some miniature worlds would be destroyed if someone with too much true essence entered. This was what was meant by the roof being too low.
Some miniature worlds were impossible to enter unless one had reached a certain cultivation level. This was what was meant by the threshold being too high.
Some miniature worlds, on the other hand, were impossible to enter if one surpa.s.sed a certain cultivation level. This was the door being too narrow.
Some miniature worlds had many rooms.
s.p.a.ce was forever the most unfathomable of objects, the laws governing it forever the most complex and abstruse.
The Pope"s Green Leaf world was obviously a world where the roof was too low. However, this world was too large, so even such a low roof was enough to hold an expert like Jin Yulu. However, all the places they had earlier pa.s.sed were just a part of the courtyard.
The courtyard at the roof of this palace was a real room of the Green Leaf World, and the roof of this bedroom was even lower, so Jin Yulu could not enter.
"Only those at Ethereal Opening or below can enter," Jin Yulu finally explained.
At last, Chen Changsheng was completely at ease. As Luoluo"s teacher, he was extremely sure that no one at Ethereal Opening or below could threaten her in the slightest.
Chen Changsheng and the other two entered the courtyard. They wound their way around two clumps of green bamboo, and before there was any time for the maid to stand up, they saw Luoluo.
Luoluo was at the window, holding a brush and diligently writing something. Occasionally, she would pinch her slender brows or nibble on the tail of her brush, making her seem very adorable.
Seeing a corner of the paper stirred up by the wind, Chen Changsheng knew that she was following his instructions and writing down notes on cultivation. This was because this paper was still the paper that he had found in a cabinet in the recesses of the library, and each paper carried the seal of the Orthodox Academy.
His heart warmed at this sight.
Luoluo was just sending the brush into her mouth when she sensed something and turned around, the brush stopping at her lips.
"Ah!"
With a cry, she threw away the brush and charged at Chen Changsheng, her white dress dragging a blurred image in its wake. She was as swift as lightning, her momentum frightening, and the air rumbled before her!
Tang Thirty-Six quickly stirred from his daze and his complexion instantly changed. He hurriedly pushed Xuanyuan Po out of the way, leaving only Chen Changsheng in her path.
In the blink of an eye, Luoluo had charged from the window to Chen Changsheng. it was only at this point that she realized that if she did not drop her speed, her teacher might become the first person in history to die in an innocent hug, and her pet.i.te face instantly became as pale as snow.
"Ah!"
There was another cry, though this time a clear and forceful shout.
One of her feet stepped on the ground, and with a thud, a spider web of cracks appeared on it. A terrifying power spread to the surroundings and the entire hall seemed to slightly tremble as plumes of dust rose!
In the dusky light, the alarmed questions of the priest could faintly be heard outside the courtyard.
And then, there was silence.
The dust gradually settled and the room was clear and bright once more, though the green bamboo by the wall had been dirtied somewhat.
Chen Changsheng and Luoluo stood in front of each other.
Today, she was wearing a brimless hat, her hair tied into a thin braid. Because she had been running too fast just now, the braid had come undone. Her black hair was pressed down like wild gra.s.s under the hat, and because she had used her true essence too suddenly, her small face was thoroughly red. Once again, she seemed very cute.
A long time pa.s.sed.
"I pay respects to Teacher."
She very properly greeted her teacher in the manner of a student, not a single detail out of place.
She was still as short as she was back in the Orthodox Academy.
Chen Changsheng rubbed his hand on her head.
Luoluo giggled and stood on her toes, rubbing the top of her head against his palm.
Chen Changsheng used his hand to wipe the dust off her face.
Luoluo giggled again and then burrowed into his chest, rubbing her face against it. It didn"t take long before her face was clean.
Xuanyuan Po had gotten used to seeing this sort of scene. Although he still hadn"t accustomed his mind to it, he knew that he should keep his silence.
Tang Thirty-Six had not seen it before, so his jaw practically dropped to the floor.
His admiration towards Chen Changsheng was already as torrential as the Luo River, as unbroken as the Tan Stream.
Then he began to worry about Chen Changsheng—what would happen to him in the future?
Beyond the gate of the small courtyard, Guardian Li had a rather unsightly complexion.
From the moment Luoluo burrowed into Chen Changsheng"s chest, the hand she had placed on the gate had begun to shake.
Jin Yulu smiled but said nothing.
Guardian Li walked towards the railing, indicating that he should follow.
Jin Yulu glanced at the gate of the courtyard and saw the extremely deep impression left by the finger.
This place was the Pope"s Green Leaf World, and the palace was made of abnormally tough materials. That she was actually able to leave such a deep fingerprint signified that she had already reached the point where her rage was about to explode.
"We just managed to drag Her Highness from his side. Why did you bring him back?"
Guardian Li anxiously looked at him and said, "This really, really cannot continue."
Jin Yulu laughed and said, "There"s no problem, they"re all good kids."
This was the roof of the palace, already in the depths of the clouds.
Luoluo"s room was in the deepest part of the courtyard. Several plants were arranged by the door, but there weren"t any trees, and outside the window were the drifting clouds.
Luoluo sat by the window and looked at the paper before her. The ink was already dry, but it was clearly very new, so it had probably been written through the night. When she thought about how well her teacher treated her, she went into a daze, barely putting any attention into the words on the paper.
"Focus."
Chen Changsheng still acted as usual. He was similar in age to Luoluo, and he was still a youth, so he naturally wouldn"t put on the air of an elder or care too much about a student"s respect for their teacher. However, in the aspects of study and cultivation, he was always meticulous, even harsh at times.
Carefully considered, this was the first time the two had met after the night of the Ivy Festival.
He now knew that Luoluo was the White Emperor"s only daughter, but he still treated her with the same att.i.tude.
Luoluo really liked it when her teacher acted this way. With a grunt of a.s.sent, she began to carefully read the paper over.
After quite some time, she finished reading the words on the paper and raised her head to look at Chen Changsheng, prepared to receive his instruction.
"In the library, I found four-hundred-plus cases in total where cultivators failed in breaking into Ethereal Opening. Amongst them, three hundred thirty-three died. The rest either went insane and ultimately committed suicide or had their entire body paralyzed, suffering a fate more painful than death. The risks are enormous. I can"t really help all of you, but I can do my utmost to collect and summarize the experiences of those who came before. We can"t know the way to succeed in breaking through, but we can at least avoid the errors committed by those of the past. According to my calculations, the reasons for failure can be divided into three cla.s.ses and ninety-seven types."
Chen Changsheng walked to her side and pointed at the words on the paper as he earnestly explained. Luoluo earnestly listened, occasionally nodding her head. The sunlight was clear and mild, the white clouds quietly drifted by the window, and the green plants swayed outside the door. It was like they had returned to the Orthodox Academy.