Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 584 – There Is Also a Black Stone Here

When one couldn’t agree, besides just ceasing to talk, one could also change the subject. Chen Changsheng was not good at chatting, but that didn’t mean that Gou Hanshi wasn’t. Moreover, he really did have some matters that he desired precise answers for from Chen Changsheng. “Was it really that person that entered Mount Han?”

Chen Changsheng nodded.

Gou Hanshi needed a few moments of silence to process the shock in his heart. He sighed, “The Demon Lord personally appeared and you were able to survive. You’ll be blessed with good fortune in the future.”

Chen Changsheng shook his head. He was keenly aware that the Demon Lord had entered Mount Han to eat him. If he had just wanted to kill him…there would have been no way he could have survived.

The occasional sounds of fierce quarreling, like the clashing of swords, could occasionally be heard from the house by the lake.

On the top floor balcony, Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi stood side by side, their clothes gently swaying in the wind.

On a distant stone, Zhong Hui quietly gazed in their direction, silently thinking about something.

On the lake shore, many cultivators from various sects were gazing distantly at Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi, and there were also some people looking at Zhong Hui.

Upon seeing this scene, seeing these youths, both the experts of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets and the elders of the various sects were all deeply moved.

In the past two years, many outstanding young cultivating geniuses had appeared on the continent.

Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi, the two childish fellows arguing in the house, and even Zhong Hui standing on the stone, not to mention Xu Yourong and Qiushan Jun.

In just these few short years, so many brilliant and genius youths had appeared. This was an extremely rare occurrence. Besides Wang Po’s generation…not even Wang Po’s generation when they were young were as amazing as these youths. In order to make a comparison, perhaps one would really have to go back to that magnificent and surging generation of greats from one thousand years ago.

It truly was the generation of blooming wildflowers.

“I really don’t know, after many years, which of these youths will be the most outstanding.”

“No matter which one of them is most outstanding, in my view, they would all have to thank Chen Changsheng.”

“Why?”

“Because that night of starlight in the Mausoleum of Books helped these youths break through the most difficult pass.”

The discussion stopped and the scene grew quiet once more.

The elders of the various sects and the experts of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets recalled those life-or-death scenes when they and their peers attempted to break into Ethereal Opening. When they turned once more to those young geniuses, their gazes were complex, carrying admiration, even jealousy. And all of this was because of Chen Changsheng.

……

……

The forcibly postponed Boiling Stone Summit, on a certain unremarkable and ordinary day at the end of summer, formally opened, held amongst those elegant and ornate pavilions on the lake shore. Because of the Demon Lord’s appearance in Mount Han, the atmosphere was rather oppressive. Moreover, compared to the past, far fewer big names appeared, so it couldn’t but feel less interesting.

Not a single one of the top ten experts of the Proclamation of Liberation had attended. Perhaps they were like Painted Armor Xiao Zhang and regarded the Boiling Stone Summit as an empty affair, or perhaps they were like Liang Wangsun and could not come for various reasons. The most miserable was still the demi-human expert Xiao De. He had been wounded too seriously by the Demon Lord and had been sent back to White Emperor City a few days ago.

Fortunately, the Orthodoxy had sent an extremely impressive group this time. Besides the future Pope Chen Changsheng, there were also the two Prefects, Linghai Zhiwang and Mao Qiuyu. The Holy Maiden of the south, Xu Yourong, had also personally appeared. This was enough to give the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets face, and it also buoyed the spirits of those cultivators that had traveled long and far to attend the Boiling Stone Summit.

As the host, the Elder of Heavenly Secrets sat in the very center. Given her most exalted status, Xu Yourong sat to his right-hand side, concealed behind layer after layer of white curtains, and Chen Changsheng sat across from her on the other side. To the various cultivators, the Elder of Heavenly Secrets naturally possessed an honored status and was also very mysterious. Today, they could see with their own eyes his true appearance, a naturally precious opportunity, yet the vast majority of the gazes were still focused on Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong.

Those gazes were brimming with reverence, yearning, and of course, curiosity.

Especially those cultivators that were not from the capital.

The present world was exceptionally clear on everything concerning Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng.

This summer, he and she were not yet seventeen. They were the youngest upper level Ethereal Opening cultivators in history.

Most importantly, she was the Holy Maiden of the south while he was the next Pope.

At their age, they already possessed such a level of cultivation and such status. This was a sight scarcely seen in recorded history.

There was once an engagement between them. If not for a few surprises occurring, they would have become husband and wife.

If this point was added, this story seemed even more like a legend.

When the gazes of the crowd fell upon Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, the voice of the steward from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets seemed to fade into the distance, replaced with countless whispers.

This young man and woman were far too famous.

Their story was also far too famous.

The young Daoist entered the capital and was ignored by the Divine General’s estate. The marriage contract appeared in the Ivy Festival, and then with the changes of the world, the youth became the successor to the Pope. The Divine General’s estate desired the continuation of the predestined relationship, yet they only suffered a slap to the face and a forceful annulment. Yet after that battle amidst the wind and snow on the Bridge of Helplessness, the young man and young woman met for the first time, and the situation seemed to change once more…Chen Changsheng seemed to change his mind, wanting to marry this beautiful woman, yet he was met with Xu Yourong’s cold refusal. Thus came that scene known by many people, the youth standing in the snow before that palace in the late night.

So many twists and turns, one climax after another—if these were not things that had really happened, everyone would think it a play. Moreover, this would be one of the most conventional and cliché plays, but so cliché that it was brilliant and well-received by the masses. Today, many people finally saw the starring male and female of this play. How could they not be curious or excited?

……

……

Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong did nothing, only sat, but this was enough to capture ninety percent of the crowd’s attention and the entire sight of the summit. But still, in the end, this was the Boiling Stone Summit, and no matter how long the crowd wished to stare at them, they were forced to momentarily pull their gazes away to fall upon that black table at the very end of the straight path.

On the table was an extremely ancient plate, painted in red. On the plate was a black stone about the size of a fruit pit.

Black table, red plate, black stone.

The alternating black and red made them exceptionally distinct and abnormally dazzling.

Chen Changsheng’s gaze fell upon the black stone and found it hard to pull away. His expression did not change, but his mind began to churn.

This was not one of those stones that he had seen in the sky a few days ago, nor was it one of those stones that could be spotted in the lake, amongst the cliffs and scattered about everywhere.

Mount Han was covered all over in Heavenstones; this was a matter he and Xu Yourong had confirmed. Yet this stone was clearly somewhat different.

This stone was much smaller than the Heavenstones. Its treatment was also very different, having been placed carefully on the red plate.

Crucially, he could faintly sense a familiar ripple of Qi from the small black stone.

He gazed at the nearby canopy of curtains.

Xu Yourong was sitting behind those curtains.