Chapter 100 – The Generation of Wildflowers Blooming Across the Mountain and Fields
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Demi-humans were born with robust bodies and did not need to go through Purification. Their meridians were unimpeded and simple, so they could directly draw in starlight and convert it into true essence. However, it was precisely for this reason that a flaw appeared: demi-humans simply could not use many of the powerful cultivation techniques developed by humans. Even if an occasional genius would appear and use a similar method to the one that Chen Changsheng taught to Luoluo, it could only be considered an imitation. When cultivating to the highest level, they would encounter many challenges.
The meridians of humans were as complex as the sea of stars. True essence flowing amongst them could imitate the heavens and earth, could display countless masterly techniques. However, the const.i.tution of humans was much weaker, requiring long periods of time drawing in starlight for Purification, and when breaking through, it was easy for them to die.
As for demons, whether it was the body, meridians, or intellect, it was all perfect. They were naturally born with a body suited for cultivation. But perhaps because they were so perfect that even the heavens themselves felt somewhat jealous, the fertility of their race was extremely low, and they also had their own troublesome problems that required resolution.
The world was not perfect and regrets could be seen everywhere. This fact was made all the more evident on Chen Changsheng"s body.
As a child, he had become well-versed in the Daoist Canon, reading each book a hundred times and storing their meanings within his mind. Without realizing it, he had cultivated and refined his spiritual sense to an unimaginable level. If he could succeed at Purification, then it was without question that he would become the second Gou Hanshi. Unfortunately, it now seemed that for him, even the first gate was difficult to break through.
"The Heavenly Dao is high above and difficult to evaluate. We can only seek the world and diligently press forward."
Chen Changsheng added, "These words were said to me by my senior brother. I"ve always kept them in my heart."
"Your senior brother must be an extraordinary person."
Jin Yulu praised, then he looked at both Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six and said, "In the future, you two will also become very extraordinary."
Tang Thirty-Six was a genius youth ranked on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, but for him to receive a compliment from such a legendary figure was actually because of his personality. Jin Yulu deeply admired the resolve he had shown in withdrawing from the Heavenly Dao Academy and his att.i.tude in dealing with matters. With this sort of att.i.tude, he was bound to be extraordinary in the future.
He was even optimistic about Xuanyuan Po, who was not present at the moment. This demi-human had exceptional talent, or else Star Seizer Academy would not have accepted him, and after encountering such a brilliant teacher as Chen Changsheng at the Orthodox Academy, he was certain to advance with amazing speed.
Yes, Jin Yulu highly valued Chen Changsheng, as he was Princess Luoluo"s teacher, and Jin Yulu was also well aware of how much progress the princess had made in her several months in the Orthodox Academy. Moreover, all this progress had come from this seemingly ordinary youth.
Most importantly, it seemed like none of these three fellows knew what fear or discouragement was. They each had their own way of viewing the world, and they were firm, their thoughts as clear as colored gla.s.s. When the sunlight fell upon their bodies, it would reflect a most a most gorgeous and dazzling brilliance.
Jin Yulu thought with emotion, the Orthodox Academy seems broken-down and deserted right now, but with three such outstanding students, as long as they are not suddenly destroyed by violent storms from the outside world, the Orthodox Academy will certainly revive. It could even be said to be just around the corner.
Hearing this praise from their senior, Chen Changsheng waved his hand in embarra.s.sment. Tang Thirty-Six had an expression on his face that said that this praise was only right and deserved. At some point, he had once more gripped Jin Yulu"s two calloused hands, and incessantly shook them as he praised, "Senior truly possesses a blazing insight."
Jin Yulu withdrew his hands, holding them behind as he walked out of the library. Laughing, he left them with one final saying.
"Talented people appear out of the rivers and hills with each generation, each with their own works that will last for centuries."
(TN: This is a line from the short poem 其二 by Zhao Yi, a poet of the Qing Dynasty. The full poem is "The poems of Li and Du were once on everybody"s lips. Now they lack any freshness. Talented people appear out of the rivers and hills with each generation, each with their own works that will last for centuries". Li and Du are Li Bai and Du Fu, two famous poets of the Tang Dynasty. The meaning of the quoted line is that the fame of each generation will eventually supplant the last, pushing forward the world.)
Yes, progress in the continent had never advanced in a straight line, and experts did not appear year after year. At times, several centuries would pa.s.s before one expert of the upper level of Star Condensation would appear, and at other times, in the span of ten-some years, several supreme experts of the Saint Realm would appear one after the other!
It was just like the wildflowers growing on the mountain slopes. There would be none in summer, none in autumn, none in winter, but at the start of spring, they would all suddenly bloom. However, the flowering season was related to the climate, but what was the frequency at which experts appeared related to?
This sort of phenomenon was very strange, operating according to no laws or reasons. There would be a long period spanning centuries of calm, as if resting, and then at some point, as if this continent felt that it had been lonely for too long and experts were needed, experts would just appear.
In the past one thousand or so years, the Central Continent had experienced two periods in which the number of experts had exploded. The Great Zhou had replaced the previous dynasty and awed the world with its might, and behind it stood the Orthodoxy, but in the several centuries preceding its ascension, all under heaven was in chaos, the continent seriously fractured. Countless experts all took control over their own regions and fighting never ceased. Finally, they began to die off, one by one, crashing down like falling stars. Several hundred years ago, the demons invaded and Emperor Taizong allied with the previous White Emperor. Leading the countless experts of the continent, they resisted the terrifying power of the demons. Countless stars had fallen then as well. Those falling stars had all once twinkled brightly in the night sky.
Those were two great generations in which the stars had twinkled brightly.
The Divine Empress, the Pope, the current White Emperor, the Sect Master of Mount Li, the Holy Maiden, and also Jin Yulu, Fei Dian, Xiao Songgong…these were all experts left from that last great generation. Several centuries had pa.s.sed since that generation.
This continent had been peaceful for several centuries.
Starting from several decades ago, or to be more precise, around the time the Divine Empress ascended to the throne, the frequency at which experts appeared on the continent began to markedly increase. Of course, that didn"t mean that a bunch of upper level Star Condensation experts or Saint Realm experts suddenly appeared on the continent. What it meant was that many talented youths began to appear.
This included the youngest members of the Proclamation of Liberation, Qiushan Jun, Mo Yu, Xu Yourong, Gou Hanshi, the wolf cub in the north, Luoluo…and still many more.
Given the several centuries that cultivators usually lived, they were all youths. Perhaps they were still at the Ethereal Opening Realm and were still nothing much when compared to the experts of the previous generation, but everyone could see their potential, could see their future, and knew that they would be able to walk very far.
In these past few years, the Proclamation of Azure Sky and Proclamation of Golden Distinction, the Ivy Festival, the practice matches held between the academies, and the Grand Examination were being regarded with more and more importance. The various sects and schools were all paying more and more attention to their young disciples and students. It was all because everyone had taken note of this growing trend.
Jin Yulu believed that perhaps these three youths of the Orthodox Academy, for this or that reason, might not walk as smooth a path as those other youths, but their futures were certain to burst with their own sort of light, to blaze with their own sort of splendor.
Walking to the library and standing on the stone steps, this elder who had experienced the war with the demons quietly gazed up at the innumerable stars in the night sky. As he thought of another matter, his expression gradually grew solemn and his heart heavier.
Based on what Zhou Dufu had said back then, the frequency at which experts appeared on the continent was closely linked to fate. In the several centuries after the cessation of the war with the demons, the storms over the continent had calmed. All was peaceful and good, so the number of experts that appeared was extremely small. Now, with so many young experts beginning to suddenly appear, did that not mean that this peace was about to end?
Because his drawing in starlight for Purification still had no success, Chen Changsheng had not spent the entirety of the last few nights in meditation. He wasn"t discouraged, nor had he given up. It was just a means of more effectively using his time. When he stopped his meditation, Xuanyuan Po also concluded the honing of his body on the lake sh.o.r.e.
Xuanyuan Po"s right arm was heavily injured and it still could not be used in practice, so he could only hone his body. Chen Changsheng"s heart ached for the suffering of the trees on the lake sh.o.r.e, so he naturally would not slacken his treatment. However, Tianhai Ya"er had struck too fiercely. The bones and meridians of Xuanyuan Po"s right arm had been completely shattered, and pairing that with the special const.i.tution of the demi-human meant that treatment was very challenging. Even the imperial physicians in the Imperial Palace had been unable to do anything. Although he recalled a few methods from old medical cases, treating Xuanyuan Po would still require a long amount of time and much effort.
After using a warm towel to wipe his hands and clear the sweat from his forehead, Chen Changsheng had Xuanyuan Po go rest. As for himself, he was far too tired to immediately calm his mind and fall into sleep. After seeing that tonight"s starlight was just right, he decided to take a stroll in the forest by the lake.
He climbed up the great banyan tree and gazed beyond the walls at the streets of the capital.
To stand on this tree and take in the scenery had already become a part of his daily routine, had already become a sight of the Orthodox Academy.
The night sky above contained the numberless stars, and the capital contained the lights of myriad families, each adding to the brilliance of the other. After looking at it for too long, one would find it difficult to distinguish which was the heavens and which was the earth.
He looked for a very long time, wanting to make sure he knew which of these lights was from the Li Palace. He did not know if there was someone there who was looking towards the Orthodox Academy at this very moment.
Luoluo had only been gone for several days, but he had climbed up this tree many more times than that.
Suddenly, he heard a faint sound from far behind him. Turning around, he only saw a pitch-black forest and a ray of dim light from very far away. It was probably the Hundred Herb Garden. It seemed like someone was there.
He was somewhat surprised. Luoluo and the other members of her race had moved to the Li Palace and the Hundred Herb Garden was now empty of people. It had been dark for several nights, so why was there suddenly light and the sound of people coming from there? He subconsciously turned to the academy gate and saw that the lights were still lit in that newly built wooden room. Guardian Jin was probably still inside, so…who was in the Hundred Herb Garden?
Could it be Luoluo?
He knew that the chances were very small. If Luoluo had really left the Li Palace, the first thing she would do was a.s.suredly to come to the Orthodox Academy. However, he still kept a "just in case" in his heart. Jumping down from the tree, he began making his way towards that distant light.
After he jumped from the great banyan tree to the ground, that dim lantern light could no longer be seen, most likely obscured by the high wall between the Orthodox Academy and the Hundred Herb Garden. Following his memory, he continued forward. Reaching the wall behind his house, he pushed open that door.
The door that had been installed by Luoluo.
From the day this door appeared, the Orthodox Academy and the Hundred Herb Garden had become one.
Chen Changsheng pushed upon the door. He gazed in silence at the ivy-covered corridors of stone before him for a few moments, then walked in.
The Orthodox Academy and the Hundred Herb Garden were only separated by a single wall and were connected by a door, but for various reasons—he did not want to interfere too much in Luoluo"s life, he had not known of Luoluo"s true ident.i.ty and wanted to avoid embarra.s.sment between them—this was the first time he had entered the Hundred Herb Garden.
As a former garden of the Imperial clan and later a garden of medicinal herbs and spirit fruits managed by the Orthodoxy"s Hall of Heavenly Virtue, the Hundred Herb Garden was naturally heavily guarded. However, these guards were concentrated on the walls bordering Hundred Flowers Lane and to the southeast. There was no one standing guard around the Orthodox Academy.
How could only a hundred types of medicinal herbs be growing in this garden? Under the starlight, Chen Changsheng was able to easily see countless precious medicinal herbs that he had seen before in pharmacopeias. He even saw precious fruits with strange effects like vermillion fruit lightly swaying on their branches.
He was no stranger to these medicinal herbs and spirit fruits. In the past few months, with Luoluo"s blessing, he had eaten quite a few.
The ground of this autumn forest was carpeted in fallen leaves. Dampened by the night dew, they made no sound when he stepped upon them.
He followed a path that had been naturally stamped through the forest, getting closer and closer to that dim light.
He finally reached the light.
In the forest stood a simple and crude table of stone. On the table was an ordinary oil lamp.
Sitting at the table was not Luoluo, but a middle-aged woman.
The oil lamp shone upon her face. It was clearly an ordinary face, yet it gave off a very indistinct and very unusual feeling.
Perhaps it was because the forest was too dense and the light of the lamp too dim?