In a battle of the same realm, the Great Liang Dynasty's cultivators were virtually doomed when compared to foreign cultivators. There were many reasons and it was not just a problem of cultivation method. The foreign cultivator sects had legacies that easily stretched hundreds of years. Their foundation was far deeper than the Great Liang Dynasty.
The Great Liang Dynasty had many martial artists and few immortal cultivators, they were already innately lacking in this aspect. Hence, the rankings of the Great Liang Dynasty cultivators were always bad during each Myriad Willow Convention. It was also not their first time incurring the foreign cultivators' ridicule.
Chen Chao said with vicissitudes of emotion, "This time, we're going to lose face all the way home."
The Myriad Willow Convention would be held in the Divine Capital this time. If the Great Liang Dynasty still could not show any good performance, then it naturally could not be justified. While it was still okay for other things, their cultivation had been substandard in the past. Could they be up to par now?
Xie Nandu bit on the other half of the sweet potato and threw the skin into the stove before saying, "If it's possible, nobody would want to lose face. In reality, many people in the Divine Capital have been preparing for this day as early as ten years ago. I assume that the results this time will be better. But, it's still very hard to become champion."
Chen Chao rubbed his head and went to take another sweet potato to put on the stove before he said softly, "So, a warden who suddenly popped out whose mind is still considered meticulous and his cultivation realm is pretty good too, he naturally has some hope."
Xie Nandu nodded slightly and said after a brief silence, "According to the rules in previous years, the academy and Heavenly Imperial Institution naturally have to send people to participate. As for the other noble families, if they have outstanding juniors, they will be enlisted too. Plus the Warden Office, there's actually quite a number of people."
Chen Chao asked, "How many spots are there?"
Xie Nandu said, "There were only eight in previous years. But now, there's ten."
Chen Chao did not press for details. He naturally knew that since it was hosted in the Divine Capital this year, it would naturally be a little different.
"The Myriad Willow Convention is the biggest event for young cultivators in the world. Although it's not as lively as in previous years, there will still be many people taking part in it. It will last for a month."
Xie Nandu thought about some things and was absorbed in thought as she said, "Speaking of which, it's not just fighting too."
Chen Chao said, "I don't like to fight either."
Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao in surprise and had some thoughts in her mind.
Chen Chao said helplessly, "I'm skilled in killing demons, but they aren't demons either. I can't very well treat them as demons and kill them, right? I just killed a few qi refiners previously, I'm very scared now."
"As a matter of fact, it's because you fought one-on-four and killed four qi refiners. Furthermore, Guo Xi was also considered a famous existence among the southern qi refiner lineage's junior generation. Therefore, there are many people in the Divine Capital who are watching you now. I believe that you're also aware of what they want."
Xie Nandu said with a slight smile, "Originally, hosting the Myriad Willow Convention in the Divine Capital was already a non-trivial issue. Now, you caused such a major incident. What will the foreign land cultivators do? This matter is really quite delicate now."
"What's done is done, there's no need to worry when there's too much debt. Who cares about these?" Chen Chao reached out to flip that sweet potato. He became more and more proficient at doing this sort of thing.
Chen Chao suddenly frowned and said, "You aren't thinking about participating too, right?"
Although Xie Nandu was already a cultivator now, she had just stepped into Initial Realm. Her cultivation realm was meager, what use would there be if she participated in the Myriad Willow Convention?
Xie Nandu raised her brows slightly and said rather unhappily, "You think that I can't win?"
Chen Chao thought about it and said with a smile, "I'm just not too sure what the Myriad Willow Convention will compete in."
Xie Nandu said, "It naturally won't all be about fighting."
Chen Chao did not press on about the specific details. He just smiled and said, "Then I hope that you keep winning."
While talking, some wind arose in the courtyard and blew into the courtyard. This was the last spring wind. Hence, the two fell silent and did not open their mouths immediately. Chen Chao narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I stayed in the Court of Judicial Review's prison for over half a month. Forget about spring wind, I couldn't even see a glimpse of sunlight."
They were silent for a long time.
Xie Nandu said, "We'll be able to hear cicada cries before long."
Chen Chao asked, "Will this place get very noisy in summer?"
The courtyard was next to the lake and there were many trees by the lake. When summer came, there would definitely be many summer cicadas on the trees. At that time, when cicada cries sound out, it will probably be a little annoying.
Xie Nandu frowned and said, "There's no need to wait for summer, it's a little noisy now."
Chen Chao was taken aback and lifted his head to look at the horizon. At this moment, it was the middle of the night and the world was silent. How could it be noisy?
Other than him.
He smiled bitterly.
Chen Chao said, "Looks like I shouldn't have come here to avoid trouble."
Xie Nandu glanced at him and knew that he misunderstood. But she did not want to explain and just said that she was tired, then got up and left.
Chen Chao looked at that sweet potato remaining on the stove. It was uncertain what he was thinking about.
……
……
The sky had just turned bright when many academy students appeared by the lake. Many of them did not have morning lessons. They also yearned for the morning scenery by the lake, so they gathered by the lake early in the morning. Especially over at the small pavilion in the heart of the lake, there were many students there.
In reality, what made them wake up early and even forsake the lectures of the academy's teachers to gather at the lake was not because of the morning scenery, but because of a recent story.
That Xie Family's girl who had been high-profile since she entered the academy only used an extremely short time to become the dean's final disciple. There was also an even more ludicrous segment in this short story: that was that before the Xie Family girl became the dean's final disciple, she met the dean by the lake, then became the dean's disciple just like that.
After this matter spread, many academy students lamented the Xie Family's girl's fate but overlooked the basis.
Ever since then, there were many more students by the lake. Although everyone knew that the dean had already fulfilled his lifelong wish of accepting 72 disciples, they were still hoping that the dean might change his mind one day and take in that 73rd disciple outside of those 72 disciples.
However, most people in the world were like this; only believing what they chose to believe in.
Even if hope was bleak, it would be like this too.
Huang Zhi's figure was very prominent in the crowd. He woke up early in the morning, but what he sought was different from the other students here. He did not come to accidentally bump into the dean, nor did he come to look at the morning scenery. He woke up so early in order to meet that girl as before.
At present, he had already become the man of the hour in the academy. It was not just because he took first place in several debates, it was because of his deep love for that Xie Family girl. Although there were many academy students who ridiculed him behind his back at the start, after his perseverance over this period of time, there were quite a few academy students who gradually developed a good impression of him. Especially female students who felt that this person was head over heels in love.
Gradually, Huang Zhi's reputation in the academy already became resounding.
They heard that there were already teachers who wanted to accept him as a disciple.
Passing through the crowd, Huang Zhi and Guo Fengjie two people went straight for that small courtyard by the lake. Guo Fengjie had sleepy eyes. He was dragged away by Huang Zhi early in the morning and was not in a good mood in the first place. At this moment, seeing his close friend walk so quickly, he could not resist asking, "Brother Huang, every day is the same, you also know how that girl thinks. Why haven't you given up?"
Huang Zhi's footsteps did not stop, he just smiled and said, "Fengjie, do you know that people don't have the same thoughts every day?" "If my heart doesn't change, no matter how iron-hearted Miss Xie is, she'll be moved too. If she's really willing to meet me, then she'll know what kind of person I am. At that time, everything will happen naturally."
Guo Fengjie was rendered speechless. He could only smile bitterly and say, "Then I hope that everything will be as Brother Huang says; where absolute sincerity can move a heart of stone."
Huang Zhi shook his head and said, "Miss Xie isn't stone."
Guo Fengjie smiled faintly and said no more.
The two people conversed all the way and arrived at that small courtyard by the lake very soon. It attracted many people's gazes again.
Guo Fengjie's face turned slightly red, he could not be undaunted yet. Rather, it was no longer Huang Zhi's first time. Hence, ignoring the students by the lake, he yelled loudly, "Nanxing's Huang Zhi, has specially come to visit Miss Xie!"
After opening his mouth, Huang Zhi who was already prepared for the door to remain shut was just about to speak once more, when he suddenly heard the courtyard door creak.
It opened?
Huang Zhi lost focus for a moment, his eyes instantly turning a little moist.
Over these many days, this door had never opened no matter how he shouted outside the door. But today, the door opened?
Why?
Could it be that his effort over these few days was finally getting rewarded today?
Huang Zhi simply could not believe what was happening now.
Would he be able to see that Miss Xie here in the next second?
He was a little excited and a little nervous as well.
But in the next moment, all of his expectations turned into disappointment.
And even anger.
Because even though the door opened, the one who pushed open the door and walked out was not that lady whom he kept thinking about.
But a youth wearing black.
He had a saber hanging at his waist and that pair of eyes were sizing up Huang Zhi who was in front of him. A moment later, he said with a relief akin to being freed of a heavy burden, "Turns out that you're the cicada in spring."
