Heading to Li Palace (Part 2)

The stone pillars did not prevent the passage of Chen Chang Sheng’s group, upon handing over their documents, they were quickly granted entry.  Those guarding the entrance did however pass strange glances over the group, their curiosity driven by the fact that Chen Chang Sheng’s documents indicated they were from the National Precept Academy.

National Precept Academy, the name was an obvious indicator of its relationship to the National Precept.  But this was history of decades past; since the previous principal’s involvement in the Imperial Chen clan’s rebellion and the academy’s subsequent repression by the Pope, this relationship had long since broken.

This was the first time in years that National Precept Academy had appeared before Li Palace.  The three students of this academy were already infamous in the capital, not to mention their equally infamous doorkeeper, Jin Yu Lu.

Morning rays blanketed the stone pillar’s upper region, faintly highlighting some patterns.

Chen Chang Sheng had previously applied at the Ancestral Temple, but the location was the Wang Jiang Branch, prepared especially for applicants, so this was his first time being here.

He retracted his gaze and followed Jin Yu Lu, heading forwards onto the divine avenue. Both sides of the avenue was lined a multitude of trees, though it was the height of autumn, and fallen leaves had stripped branches bare, it was still difficult to gaze past the thick of trees to see the view beyond.

Half past five, the morning meal of Li Palace, was also the time when the students of Li Palace sub-Academy, Ancestral Temple and 13 Jade Departments would have their morning cultivation practice.

Far away, near the walls of the complex, faint sounds drifted by of book recitals, from the two sides of the divine avenue, sword qi swept through the air, alarming countless birds.  Alternating auras of chill and heat also streamed through the woods.

Tang Thirty-Six upon seeing the flashes of swords, could feel the familiar presence, which roused his interest.  Amongst the students practising their morning cultivation, there were a lot of talented individuals, amongst them, he could also sense the presence of a few that were by no means weaker than himself, only, he couldn’t tell which academy they were from.

Chen Chang Sheng, as wont his appreciation of time and learning, was also interested in the scene before him, even going as far as to nudging slightly closer towards the place of interest.  But upon remembering the matter of Luo Luo, he didn’t still his step so that he may observe further, but rather increased his pace, heading towards the end of the divine avenue and the grand palace that laid ahead.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Jin Yu Lu and the other two youths also came to a stop.

This was because something strange had occurred.

On the two sides of the divine avenue, parallel to their position, where there were originally a flurry of sounds from blades slicing through the air, was suddenly strangely quiet.

Chen Chang Sheng looked off the side of the avenue path and continued advancing forwards, with Jin Yu Lu and the others following on.

In step with their own, the sounds from both sides of the avenue also slowly came to a stop, wherever they went, silence followed.

Akin to wind through the woods, bringing along a message; akin to a strange atmosphere slowly spreading.

As the group reached the half-way point of the avenue, with a fair distance still separating them from the dome-like palace ahead, the two sides surrounding the divine avenue was already completely silent.  Subsequently, a murmuring started, not the buzzing of springtime caterpillars feeding on the leaves of mulberry trees, but the sound of a multitude of footsteps.

Hundreds of young men and women came out of the woods, standing on the two sides of the divine avenue, gazing upon the group of Chen Chang Sheng.

These people were students from the Ancestral Temple, 13 Jade Departments and Li Palace sub-Academy.

Their lining was obviously not a welcome, but observance.

The gazes were varied in their emotions, including curiosity, vigil, disdain or loathing.

At the Ivy League gathering, with the National Precept Academy having won against the Li Shan Sword Sect, and Xu You Rong’s betrothal, Chen Chang Sheng was already famous.  Academy students that didn’t participate in the Ivy League gathering were incredibly curious of Chen Chang Sheng.

Since the National Precept Academy was off-limits, and Chen Chang Sheng’s group didn’t leave, there wasn’t any chance of approaching Chang Sheng’s group.  Upon hearing the news of students from National Precept Academy visiting Li Palace, including Chen Chang Sheng, they were scantly going to let this chance slip by.

They wanted to see for themselves the visage of Chen Chang Sheng, what kind of person was he, to want to marry Xu You Rong!

Yet, there were also a lot of gazes on Tang Thirty-Six, though these gazes had different emotions behind them than those that were gazing on Chen Chang Sheng.  The gazes were mainly filled with adulation, with the majority stemming from female students of the 13 Jade Departments.

A young genius from the proclamation of Azure Clouds, the young master of an established clan, dashing features, and an icy-cool attitude, no matter what angle you approached this from, Tang Thirty-Six was the manifestation of a maiden’s fantasy.  If one were to also include the fact that the Wen Shui Tang family had a wealth that was even the envy of the government, Tang Thirty-Six’s status in the hearts of these girls was possibly even above that of Gou Han Shi.

Tang Thirty-Six’s expression was ice cold, with an unwavering gaze, a look of indescribable pride and elegance.  Yet this look, aroused the fancy of several girls, almost prompting them to release excited cries.  Chen Chang Sheng and Xuan Yuan Po were slightly surprised, being used to seeing his lazy and mischievous side, they had almost forgotten that he was celebrity.

The gazes of the girls filled with adulation, lessened the effect of any hostility that was creeping in and out of the gazes from both sides of the divine avenue.  Chen Cheng Sheng calmed himself, ignoring the hostile stares landing upon him, and quietly carried on forwards, that invisible pressure was something only the one experiencing it can truly understand.

They first passed the woods directly outside of the Ancestral Temple, the gazes of students from this academy were the most hostile.

Tian Hai Ya’er was not a particularly sociable person, but he was still a student of the Ancestral Temple, students and teachers alike of the academy were relying upon him to stun the world in the following year’s Grand Examination.  Yet the result was his crippling at the hands of Luo Luo, after the Ivy League gathering, discussions in the capital was particularly harsh on the Ancestral Temple, it, alongside Li Shan Sword Sect, were the two biggest losers of the incident.

The teachers and students of Ancestral Temple didn’t dare to touch Luo Luo, therefore their grudges could only fall upon National Precept Academy, or more specifically, upon Chen Chang Sheng’s group.

Chen Chang Sheng ignored the gazes and passed by the grounds of Ancestral Temple.

Suddenly, at that moment, a sound arose from the group of people at the side of the divine avenue.

“So it’s only someone that can’t even achieve baptism.”