Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

In that carriage at the end of the street, the official was still writing his report. On this paper, he wrote, "According to the information from Xunyang City and the accumulated analysis, Su Li should have passed on three sword techniques to Chen Changsheng. One of them can help him quickly ignite his true essence. It possesses an enormous power. It had originally been surmised that he would use this technique. Unexpectedly, Zhou Ziheng's level was lacking and he was unable to force out this technique."

There was another official in the carriage who had similarly come from the Department for Purging Officials. Supplementing this report, he said, "It is possible that it has to do with Chen Changsheng's dagger being too sharp."

The official holding the brush fell silent, then said uncertainly, "But that sword clearly didn't give off any ripples of Qi. Is just sharpness enough?"

The other official also had no way of confirming this. Besides those legendary divine weapons, what sort of sword could so effortlessly pierce through the body of a Star Condensation cultivator?

At the moment, the street was very quiet. All gazes were fixed on the dagger in Chen Changsheng's hand.

That dagger looked very common and unremarkable, but everyone knew that it was definitely not as ordinary as it seemed.

For a long while, the painter that had come from the Pavilion of Divination could not draw his third picture, with the right hand holding his brush incessantly shaking.

He was already incredibly shocked. It must be known that the Pavilion of Divination was responsible for evaluating and choosing the weapons to be placed on the Tier of Legendary Weapons. His insight was naturally not ordinary. With a single glance, he was able to tell the extraordinary properties of that dagger in Chen Changsheng's hands.

Yes, the dagger did not exude any Qi. It was just sharp.

Anything, if developed to the absolute pinnacle, would be exceptionally frightening.

If a sword was sharp to an unimaginable degree, was anything else needed? Even the support of sacred Qi was not required.

What shocked the painter even more was that Chen Changsheng's dagger was obviously not an old object.

"Stainless…" The painter from the Pavilion of Divination thought in astonishment, could it be that a new name will finally appear on this year's Tier of Legendary Weapons?

The conclusion of this battle before the gates of the Orthodox Academy was quickly spread to the entire capital. At the top floor of Clear Lake Restaurant, Tianhai Chenwu was admiring the natural beauty of the lake and mountains. Suddenly, he felt somewhat annoyed. However, a powerful figure such as he took only a moment to recover. He calmly thought, it turns out that he already had the strength to surpass cultivation levels. Then it's fine to continue. My Tianhai clan is master of the four seas with countless powerful experts at its beck and call. I'm really interested to see just how long the Orthodox Academy can last by relying on this young principal.

Then he turned to the subordinate kneeling on the ground. Smiling, he said, "I no longer wish to eat. Finish off the dishes on the table. Don't waste any."

The subordinate raised his head in amazement. Gazing at the dozens of dishes on the table as well as the massive blue lobster, he thought in panic, just how can I finish it all?

Tianhai Chenwu's smile vanished. As he began making his way out of Clear Lake Restaurant, he emotionlessly said to his subordinate as he walked past, "If you can't finish it, then your entire family doesn't need to live anymore."

The lake of the Heavenly Dao Academy was similarly quiet and beautiful, except there was no restaurant on the lakeshore, only cliffs and willows.

Principal Zhuang stood beneath the willow branches, gazing at Guan Bai's back. He seemed to want to say something, but ultimately chose not to, only sighing.

Suddenly, several Heavenly Dao Academy students rushed over. Guan Bai halted his steps and turned his head.

"Chen Changsheng won!" A student yelled at Principal Zhuang from afar. Simultaneously, he turned to Senior Guan Bai with a face brimming with admiration.

Previously, Guan Bai had only needed to look at that hasty drawing to conclude that Chen Changsheng would inevitably obtain victory. This sort of insight and experience was truly extraordinary. Yet what took these students by surprise was that when Guan Bai heard the news that Chen Changsheng had won, his sword-like eyebrows leapt up. It was obvious that he was rather taken aback. This was because not even he had imagined that Chen Changsheng would win so quickly.

He had only disdain for Zhou Ziheng's swordplay and paid a great deal of attention to Chen Changsheng. However, there was still an entire cultivation level of difference between the two of them. He had originally believed that even if Chen Changsheng were to win, he would have relied on the mental technique of the old school of the Orthodoxy as well as the unswerving determination of his sword heart. Only after a long and bitter struggle would he finally be able to obtain victory. And yet…from the time the drawing of the first clash had arrived to his speaking a few words to Principal Zhuang, only a short time had passed. In such a brief span of time, Chen Changsheng was able to win?

"What sort of sword technique did he use?" Guan Bai asked.

"I don't know." The student shook his head, then he swiftly handed over the just-transmitted second drawing to Guan Bai.

Guan Bai took the drawing and saw countless lines drawn across the paper, in such disorder that it was hard to make anything out.

"From the drawing, it would seem that both sides attacked so many times that even the sir from the Pavilion of Divination could not draw it out clearly. It's just that no matter how you calculate the time, it doesn't match up," one student said in confusion.

Guan Bai gazed at the several hundred fine and faint lines on the paper. Wrinkling his brow, he said, "These aren't the trajectories of swords, it's a Star Domain."

The Heavenly Dao Academy students were even more shocked by this statement. They thought to themselves, Zhou Ziheng so quickly used his Star Domain? Just how powerful is Chen Changsheng? What stunned them even more was that Zhou Ziheng had used his Star Domain, but Chen Changsheng had still won. Just how had he done it?

There was still one more line on this drawing, coarse and faint, extremely uninteresting, but the strength of the stroke penetrated through the back of the paper.

Guan Bai gazed at this brushstroke. Abruptly, a sword glow flickered through his eyes. Several willow branches at his side were buffeted by the wind and then snapped into approximately a dozen chunks that fell into the lake.

"He still only used one sword technique,” he murmured. "This technique…"

He did not continue, instead shaking his head.

Previously, when he saw Chen Changsheng's first sword technique, he had said that it was a good sword.

Now when he saw Chen Changsheng's second sword technique, he realized that he didn't know how to evaluate it.

"Although his sword is fast, even if he were given ten years, he still wouldn't be able to catch up to you."

At some point, the principal had come to his side. Looking at Guan Bai, he said, "Is there any need to be so anxious?"

"The demons could invade south at any time. I will go to Snowhold Pass. Ten years later…perhaps I might already be dead, so before I leave the capital, I must bring this matter to a close."

Guan Bai calmly continued, "It was just that I didn't imagine that his sword would be so strong. If it's like this, I have to personally take a look."

With this statement, the willows by the lake rustled in the breeze, the summer winds gusted up, and his figure vanished.

The sorrowful mood of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education, with news of Chen Changsheng's victory, became very much less so.

In that room in the deepest depths of the great hall, Luoluo was actually very calm. She had never doubted that Chen Changsheng would be able to emerge victorious in this battle.

Similarly, the archbishop in his room of plum blossoms was also very calm, as if he was sleeping.

The priests of the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green were treating Zhou Ziheng's wounds.

Zhou Ziheng grasped his stomach, but blood had already ceased to flow from between his fingers. However, his face was as pale as a sheet of paper.

He knew that Chen Changsheng had gone easy on him. When that sharp dagger had grazed past his internal organs, it had only done so by a hair's breadth.

If Chen Changsheng's wrist had given the smallest shake, if the tiniest strand of true essence had been released, Zhou Ziheng's Ethereal Palace would have been completely destroyed and he would have died on the scene.

Thinking about Chen Changsheng's graceful sword technique that had broken through his Star Domain, Zhou Ziheng was taken hold of by a monstrous fear. With a shaky voice, he said, "This…just what sort of sword is this?"

Yes, he had asked not about the dagger in Chen Changsheng's hand, but about his sword technique.

Ultimately, he still walked the path of the sword. After such an excessively crushing defeat, this was what he most wanted to know.

Chen Changsheng naturally knew that he was not asking about the Vexing Night Rain that he had used in the final moment. Rather, he wanted to know how his Star Domain had been broken through.

Of course, Chen Changsheng would not give too extensive of an explanation. He only said, "This was a sword technique that Senior Su Li passed down to me."

Hearing the two words 'Su Li', the peaceful street suddenly became bustling again as the crowd erupted with discussion.

As it turned out…Chen Changsheng had used Su Li's sword technique!

The continent contained countless experts, not just those experts on the proclamations of the Pavilion of Divination. There were still many exceptional experts who stood above these proclamations. Who was weak and who was strong amongst these experts had always been the most interesting topic with the common people and also the matter which attracted the most commentary. There was only one matter that no one had ever questioned, that did not require discussion. It was a fact publicly acknowledged by the continent, and even in the past one thousand years, was a conclusion reached by the vast majority of the populace.

Zhou Dufu, number one in the path of the blade.

Emperor Taizong, number one in the path of the spear.

Su Li, number one in the path of the sword!

At Chen Changsheng's words, the expressions directed towards him were all rather queer. This was especially true of those people under the pavilion that walked the path of the sword. Their emotions were extremely complicated: admiration, envy, frustration, resentment, and so on. Zhou Ziheng was even more wracked with remorse—if he knew that Su Li had actually taught Chen Changsheng sword techniques, how could he possibly have been so arrogant and self-assured!

Yes, the information provided by the Tianhai clan had mentioned and the entire continent knew of what had gone on in Xunyang City, but still no one believed that Su Li would pass a sword technique on to Chen Changsheng. Because Su Li was very lonely and very proud and his gaze was set very high, for him to pass down a technique was absolutely no trifling matter. In addition, Chen Changsheng was the successor to the Orthodoxy, a natural enemy of the Mount Li Sword Sect.

"So that’s it." Zhou Ziheng stared at Chen Changsheng and said resentfully, "Or else how could you surpass cultivation levels and defeat me!"

Chen Changsheng shook his head at these words. "No, by my knowledge, there are at least five other people who could defeat you while in Ethereal Opening."

Zhou Ziheng looked into his eyes and knew that this was not a lie. His sense of defeat grew even worse and his expression became as vacant as a fool's.

Chen Changsheng paid him no more attention. Turning around, he walked back to the Orthodox Academy's gate.

Seeing his back, many cries arose from the crowd. Some of them were asking him to say something while others were asking him to directly give the names of those five people. All currently on the street had come to see the excitement, so excitement was naturally what they loved the most. Upon hearing the final exchange between Chen Changsheng and Zhou Ziheng, it was a matter of course that they would thirst to know just which Ethereal Opening geniuses in Chen Changsheng's eyes could perform a similar feat, surpassing cultivation levels and defeating a Star Condensation expert.

Chen Changsheng did not answer their cries. Under the guard of the Li Palace priests, he passed through the crowd and returned to the Orthodox Academy's gate.

A carriage was already at the ready in front of the gate, Xuanyuan Po at the reins.

The carriage made its way through Hundred Flowers Lane and passed through the crowd, arriving on the street.

The crowd gazed at the carriage with great interest. The Orthodox Academy had just obtained victory in its first battle, but now they were going out? Where did they want to go?

The Orthodox Academy's carriage traveled along the street, but when it passed by the awning, it came to an abrupt halt.

The curtain of the carriage window was opened, revealing Tang Thirty-Six's face. This immediately attracted the cheerful cries of quite a few young ladies.

Tang Thirty-Six flashed a smile at those girls, then shifted his gaze to those people under the awning. "Yesterday you used six hours to set up this old awning. What a waste of time."

The awning had been erected to watch a show, but the time it took for this show to run its course had been much less than the time it had taken to erect this awning.

It was very ridiculous.

Tang Thirty-Six did not like these people that had come to watch this show, so he had made Xuanyuan Po deliberately stop the carriage here so he could laugh at them.

The many powerful figures under the awning had rather unsightly complexions, but the stewards of the Four Great Markets were unmoved.

Tang Thirty-Six drew the curtain back down and then gazed at the dagger at Chen Changsheng's waist. "Stainless, this name's not bad."

Back then at the Plum Garden Inn, he had wanted to take a look at this sword but he had been stopped by Chen Changsheng. He had always been rather upset by this.

Today, he finally roughly understood the reason.

Chen Changsheng was rather unsure about his naming skill, so asked, "Is it really not bad?"

Tang Thirty-Six answered, "The sword is like the person. It's really not bad."

Chen Changsheng gave a faint smile and was prepared to say a joke, like how the person was like this sword.

Although easily beating Zhou Ziheng was within his expectations, to finally conclude this matter was worthy of being happy over and he was very happy at the moment.

Just at this moment, his gaze fell over a gap in the curtain that had been raised up by the wind, and onto a certain place in the crowd on the side of the street.

A man stood there, his posture abnormally tall and straight. His expression was tranquil and indifferent, but his temples still had a few grains of dust, as if he had just ended an extremely long journey.

Chen Changsheng did not know who this person was. He just felt like this person was similar to the longsword at the man's side: extremely calm and extremely dangerous.