Chapter 8

When the incense burned out, a golden sound rang out, signaling the end of the students' exam. Chen Changsheng walked out of the building with the other examinees, ignoring the strange looks from others, and followed the instructions to the stone platform by the lake where the results would be posted, waiting for the final exam results at dusk.

Most of the others remained in front of the building, comparing answers or complaining about the difficulty of the exam. When he arrived at the back of the lake, the stone platform was still quiet, with only the young man in green who had previously shone brightly standing by the lakeside. Chen Changsheng thought that geniuses were often proud and did not approach, but unexpectedly, the other party walked over.

"My name is Tang Sanshiu," the young man in green said.

Chen Changsheng was somewhat surprised that the other party would take the initiative to talk to him. He tidied his clothes and politely replied, "I am Chen Changsheng, from the Chen family."

Tang Sanshiu was taken aback, seemingly not expecting the name of this young man to be so common. Even a wealthy farmer in the countryside would not name his son like this. After a moment of silence, he said, "This name is quite simple, I can't say it's bad."

Chen Changsheng thought, "You speak quite frankly, but your name is also quite unusual."

"I am called Chen Changsheng... because I was sick when I was young, and my master hoped I would live to be a hundred years old. What about you? Why are you called Tang Sanshiu? Are you the thirty-sixth in your family? How many people are in your family? Where are you from? With so many siblings, isn't it too noisy when you study?"

Tang Sanshiu was stunned. Asking about the origin of someone's name is not very polite, especially when he had a cold, distant face. Those who did not know the origin of his name, no matter how curious, would hold back and not ask him directly. However, this young man asked so casually and even brought up so many topics.

Actually, Chen Changsheng thought very simply. In the unfamiliar capital, in the Heavenly Dao Academy full of ridicule and cold eyes, the other party, who was clearly a genius, took the initiative to approach him. Therefore, he should naturally respond with more enthusiasm and kindness, at least take the initiative to chat about something. He had grown up with his master and senior brother, who rarely spoke, so he did not know how to make small talk, which made him seem somewhat awkward and stiff. Although he wanted to convey good intentions, it was easy to cause misunderstandings, just like in the Divine General's Mansion yesterday.

Interestingly, Tang Sanshiu not only did not dislike this, but also found Chen Changsheng very honest and sincere. Tang Sanshiu's greatest wish in life was to be a real person, but in the world, he encountered either mediocre people or hypocrites. Suddenly meeting someone like Chen Changsheng, he was very satisfied.

"There are indeed many of my generation in my clan. We study in our respective homes, so it's not noisy. I am called Tang Sanshiu not because I am the thirty-sixth in my family, but because I ranked thirty-sixth on the Green Cloud List when I was fifteen last year. I felt very ashamed, especially compared to that woman and that wolf cub... So I changed my name to Tang Sanshiu to remind myself of my current inadequate realm and strength. Well, it seems I have answered all your questions, yes, all of them."

This conversation was the first social interaction Chen Changsheng had after leaving Xining and coming to the bustling capital, and it was also the first social interaction Tang Sanshiu had after leaving Wenshui and coming to the capital. At that time, Chen Changsheng was fourteen, and Tang Sanshiu was about to turn sixteen. Both were somewhat naive and inexperienced, and this interaction was undoubtedly awkward, interesting, and even funny. However, many years of history proved that this interaction was extremely successful, and it could even be said that it was the most successful and important interaction since the alliance between Emperor Taizong and the leader of the demon race.

"How many questions did you answer?"

Tang Sanshiu asked. He was indeed interested in the answer because he always felt that although Chen Changsheng was an ordinary person, he was not an ordinary person. When he saw Chen Changsheng's pale face, he realized that his question was inappropriate. Those sea-like questions were even challenging for a genius like him, and it was clear that Chen Changsheng's mental and physical state was severely drained, and the results would not be good.

"There were some cultivation questions that I really couldn't answer, like divine consciousness, true essence, and gathering stars to burn the sun..."

Chen Changsheng said honestly, feeling a bit lucky. He had read the Daoist scriptures since childhood, and those seemingly profound academic questions were not difficult for him. It was the cultivation questions that he really had no answers to. Fortunately, it was just an admission exam, and the content of those questions was not too much.

As he listened, Tang Sanshiu felt something was not right. The questions he couldn't answer were only these... Could it be that this little guy answered all the other questions? At this moment, he noticed a teacher carrying a thick stack of test papers walking quickly to a certain place. The teacher seemed to be in a state of excitement and almost fell when climbing the stone steps. He couldn't help but be stunned and, thinking about Chen Changsheng's previous words, had a hard-to-believe conjecture. Could this little guy really give everyone a shock?

"The rest... did you answer them all?"

"I can't say for sure... The Supreme Qingxin Mantra has two versions. When the state religion was established, there was a revision, and later everyone used the revised version. But the year mentioned in the question is before 1573, so I didn't know which version to use. In the end, I answered both versions, fearing that the teacher would be displeased and deduct points."

Tang Sanshiu fell silent upon hearing this. He only knew one version of that question and only answered one version.

After a while, he looked at Chen Changsheng and said, "I always thought that I and that guy were the most arrogant figures of our generation, but I didn't expect you to be even more arrogant."

Chen Changsheng was puzzled, wondering where he was arrogant.

...

...

The list was posted.

Chen Changsheng's name was not on it.

Chen Changsheng stood under the list, silent for a long time.

The crowd looked at him with unfriendly eyes, filled with ridicule, mockery, and disdain. If not for Tang Sanshiu standing beside him, there would probably have been many unpleasant words.

"I don't understand," Chen Changsheng said.

Tang Sanshiu also didn't understand. He believed that this sincere and honest young man would not lie. If he said he answered most of the questions, he must have answered them. According to the score, even if he didn't rank at the top, he should have made the list.

Chen Changsheng found the teacher who was responsible for the initial stone test and said, "I want to check my test paper."

The teacher was busy with miscellaneous tasks and did not look directly at his calm and persistent gaze, saying, "Since you obtained the qualification for the exam through the rules, you should know... the test papers of our Heavenly Dao Academy are never rechecked. This represents respect for the Heavenly Dao Academy. If you didn't pass, you didn't pass."

Chen Changsheng looked at him silently for a long time and then turned to leave.

...

...

"He didn't say anything, but I know what he wanted to say... A little guy who is angry but doesn't say anything bad is really impressive," Tang Sanshiu said, looking at the young man's figure disappearing by the lake, and turned to mock someone, "The Heavenly Dao Academy dares not to accept such a talent, indeed impressive."

"You are only two years older than him, calling him a little guy is quite amusing."

The deputy dean of the Heavenly Dao Academy said, "More amusing is, how do you know what he wanted to say?"

"He wanted to say, 'You will regret it... I know this because if I were treated like him, I would definitely say it.'"

"Will the Heavenly Dao Academy regret rejecting an ordinary student?"

"He is not an ordinary student, he is a genius like me."

The deputy dean of the Heavenly Dao Academy was silent for a moment and said, "I have seen the young man's test paper. Without the washing of the marrow, he can have such extensive knowledge and strong memory, indeed a genius. He is not much worse than Wang Zhice in his prime. If it were under normal circumstances, I would definitely recruit him and teach him personally. Unfortunately, it's not possible this time."

Tang Sanshiu looked at him and asked, "Why not?"

"Because someone has spoken up," the deputy dean said.

"Who?"

"The Divine General's Mansion."

"In today's continent, there is one tyrant, five sages, eight storms, countless freaks on the Free List, not to mention the demons hiding in the wilderness. The thirty-eight divine generals are indeed powerful... but what is the Heavenly Dao Academy? How can it listen to the orders of the Divine General's Mansion?"

"Your father entrusted you to my care, so I won't hide this from you, but you must not tell anyone else... The Divine General's Mansion is not just any mansion. It is the Eastern Imperial Divine General's Mansion, and its master is Xu Shiji."

"Xu Shiji... even if he is favored by the Empress and is powerful, he is still just a divine general."

"But his family has a phoenix..."

Tang Sanshiu's cold and proud expression could not be maintained upon hearing the word "phoenix." He fell silent for a long time and muttered, "Chen Changsheng, that guy, actually provoked that phoenix? Who is he?"

The deputy dean said calmly, "It doesn't matter who he is. He is already fourteen, and even if he has an enlightenment, it is too late. There are too many geniuses in the world. No matter how much potential he has, what can he do? Comparing him to Wang Zhice earlier, if he really has Wang Zhice's perseverance and opportunities, it doesn't matter whether he is in the Heavenly Dao Academy or not."

...

...

Chen Changsheng did not know that his failure to make the list was related to the Xu family. He thought he probably took the place of a noble's child in the capital and was thus targeted. Although he was new to the secular world, he had already seen too many intrigues and dirty deeds in the Daoist scriptures and plays, so he could only remain silent. What else could he do now besides being silent?

He left the Heavenly Dao Academy and walked to the second college on the list, still not noticing that a carriage with a blood phoenix emblem was following him from a distance.

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