Choose the sky

Chen Tang meets

Like every morning for the past fourteen years, Chen Changsheng woke up at five o'clock, opened his eyes immediately, spent five breaths of meditation, turned over, put on his overshoes, made the bed and folded the quilt, and began to wash. In the front hall of the inn, I ate a bowl of duck congee and four hot steamed meat buns from the first cage. After returning to the guest room, I rinsed my mouth again with last night’s old tea, adjusted my clothes in front of the bronze mirror, and then walked to the small courtyard. ——Now he is not in the small temple in Xining Town, and he does not need to chop firewood and carry water. He closes his eyes and begins to meditate in front of the early morning mist and the distant sky light. When you feel refreshed, you have completed your homework. Walk from the side door to the gradually bustling streets of Kyoto, merge into the crowd very unremarkably, and start your day's life. He had a list in his hand with the names of several colleges in Kyoto, and after asking Fangshi steward for the address of the first college, he quickened his pace. He didn't notice that there was a carriage following him behind him, and he didn't notice that the horse had unicorn blood

Not to mention the somewhat concealed blood phoenix logo on the shaft. Countless years ago, the heavenly book came to the world, the wisdom of the people was opened, and countless schools of mathematics were developed, but all changes remained the same, and their origins were all included in Taoist classics, agriculture, business and science, and the criteria for judging these , now recognized as the most authoritative, is the Great Zhou Dynasty's annual Great Court Examination. The Great Court Examination was created by Emperor Taizu of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Whether you enter the court as an official, join the army as a general, or enter the state religion as a priest, the results of the Great Court Examination are the most important criteria. The most important thing is that the Emperor Taizu made a decree that only those who entered the top three in the Great Court Examination are eligible to enter the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books to view the Books of Heaven—because of this regulation, many powerful people in the world will come to Kyoto at the beginning of each year—the first time that year. During a grand imperial examination, Emperor Taizu stood on the city wall, watching the geniuses from various sects in the mainland rush in like crucian carp, smiled and said a very famous sentence, which established the status of the grand imperial examination. The southern countries, especially the Changshengzong and other sects outside the world, are naturally extremely dissatisfied with this rule. In their view, although the Mausoleum of the Book of Heaven is located in the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Book of Heaven is a divine stone descended into the world, and of course it is the common wealth of the whole continent. For this reason, the South has boycotted the Great Court Test several times, and the relationship between the two sides has become extremely tense. It's just that the Tianshu Mausoleum is too important to practitioners. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty is strong, it has no way to risk the world's disgrace and monopolize it. The southern forces have no way to resist the temptation to enter the Tianshu Mausoleum to view the stele. Even after the demons are repelled During the years when the two sides drifted apart, the South publicly resisted, and there were still many powerful southern sects who participated in the Great Court Examination in their own names. After the supreme sage came to power, the Great Zhou Dynasty finally reached an agreement with the southern powers. The sects of the southern countries can send missions to participate in the Great Zhou Dynasty's Great Court Examination. The officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty were rewarded with honors, while the rest were treated equally. Furthermore, the Dachao Trial had a brand new name in this new agreement. For countless years, the Great Court Examination has selected countless strong men. It is said that the most powerful men on the mainland have all had the experience of coming to the capital of the Zhou Dynasty to participate in the Great Court Examination. The more well-known fact is: the contemporary state religion Pope, the Southern Saint The elders of Nvfeng used to be the best in the imperial examination, not to mention some geniuses of the Western Monster Race once incarnated as humans to participate in the imperial examination. The acting Pope saw through Xingzang, and directly suppressed it into green smoke with great magic. That was a story many years ago. Now people are more concerned about next year's imperial examination, whether Qiushan Jun of the Changshengzong will participate, how many of the Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom will be able to enter the first class, and whether Xu Yourong will make a breakthrough ahead of time, leave the Saintess Peak and return to Kyoto, who In the wilderness of the demons, will the powerful genius who is known for his coldness and mystery appear in front of the world for the first time, or will he continue to chase each other bloodily with the powerful demons? Apart from these, the people in Kyoto are most concerned about which talents will appear in the Kyoto Academy. Yes, there are many academies in Kyoto. The Holy Empress is in power, the government is strict, the officials are clear, and the people's lives are getting better. In the past few decades, Haiyan and Heqing have been called prosperous times. All kinds of academies have sprung up like mushrooms after the spring rain. Even a few years ago, there were many private academies specially aimed at the imperial examinations and secretly taught by the strong state religion. Of course, the most famous and powerful academies are the ones with the longest history, and two of them have a history even longer than that of the Great Zhou Dynasty. There were six academies on Chen Changsheng's list, and the Tiandao Academy he went to at this time ranked first. In fact, in the entire continent, Tiandaoyuan is qualified to be ranked in the top position - in the past two hundred years, the students of Tiandaoyuan have won the first place 24 times in the grand imperial examination. The students are all talented without exception. This academy has sent many important priests to the state religion, and has dedicated countless spiritual geniuses to various sects. The most important thing is that the contemporary pope of the state religion was once a student of this academy . Tiandaoyuan has the best score in the history of the Great Court Examination, and naturally it is also the most difficult to enter, but the number of applicants is still the largest. Chen Changsheng walked to the entrance of Tiandaoyuan, looked at the majestic and majestic black jade courtyard gate, and looked at the name of the courtyard inscribed by Emperor Taizu himself. Dispelled by the bustling environment of the courtyard like a vegetable market and the pungent smell of sweat and ink, he lowered his head subconsciously. When he left Xining, he had already calculated the time correctly. When he arrived in Kyoto, it was the spring enrollment date of the various colleges. He could also imagine that the number of applicants for the Tiandao Academy would inevitably be extremely large, but he did not expect that the number would be so terrifying. . Especially the group of young people at the gate of the courtyard who looked tired, stood crookedly, and pointed at the crowd, which made him a little uncomfortable. The clothes worn by those youths were similar in style, generally black, with a gold belt around their waists, which should be the uniforms of the Heavenly Dao Academy. Chen Changsheng knew that these people should be old-year students who failed the imperial examination at the beginning of the year.

Ping, for the freshmen who came to apply for the Tiandao Academy today, he would definitely not have a good face. Hearing those harsh words and seeing the mockery in the eyes of those young people, he lowered his head subconsciously. He bowed his head not because he was afraid of anything, but because he had some mild cleanliness, no matter physical or psychological, so he didn't want to smell the sweat smell from the crowd, and he didn't want to hear those words. "Look at that i***t, who looks like a pig, with a few pockmarks on his face, but still wants to stick a fan in his neck, thinking he is a moulting son? Don't even think about it, the thousand layers of meat on the girl's neck I almost broke my fan!" "That's right, seeing his sloppy footsteps, he has only just washed his marrow within two months at most, and he is afraid that his muscles and bones have not been beaten, yet he dares to apply for my Heavenly Dao Academy? He thinks Where are we here? Orthodox Academy? Haha... I don't understand what these idiots are thinking, do they think that they can understand Daozang with their weak and pitiful spiritual consciousness?" Don’t you dare to say this? You sympathize with that i***t for a while, but I sympathize with his parents. Humiliation for a while is the next best thing. The money spent before can’t be recovered. If I were that i***t Fatty’s parents, why don’t you use the money to go to the teaching altar to ask for some pills to eat, lose some fat, and at least marry a wife.” “So what if you marry a wife? Even Hanmei Dan will only take care of himself. Eight sons and daughters will be fat and stupid like him. Is it a good thing to raise a litter of pigs?" The students laughed and talked about the applicants without any scruples. Controlling the volume, maybe even deliberately trying to make the person being discussed listen, is extremely hateful. The fat boy who was being discussed was blushing, but he didn't dare to resist at all, because those students were telling the truth, he had just washed his marrow more than ten days ago, and it was basically impossible for him to be admitted to the Heavenly Dao Academy. The most important thing is that even if he is lucky enough to enter the academy, he cannot offend these seniors. Chen Changsheng walked through the crowd, listening to those obscenities, raised his eyebrows slightly, thinking that if he was the one being talked about, he wondered if he could hold back. Fortunately, he lowered his head, and his breath was too ordinary, so inconspicuous in the crowd, it was difficult to be noticed, so he was lucky to avoid being ridiculed, passed through the gate of Moyu courtyard smoothly, and left go in. Because he was thinking about these things and lowered his head, he didn't notice that there were two huge stone walls on both sides of the stone path leading to the entrance of Tiandaoyuan, with strange flowers and gods carved on them, and hundreds of names densely written in the middle , it seems to be some kind of list, many eyes fall on those names, with enthusiasm and admiration. The family servants who came with the freshmen who applied for the examination were not allowed to enter the Tiandao Temple, so the environment suddenly became quieter after entering the courtyard. Chen Changsheng took out a clean white handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped off the fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and exhaled, feeling a little more relaxed. Follow the student in front to the back of the long queue. There are a lot of people applying for the Tiandao Temple, and the queue is very long. It looks like the legendary Baizhang Qi snake in the Western Demon Realm. It extends from the distant building to the grassland, and even passes a clear stream in the middle. The freshmen who applied for the exam were all standing on the wooden bridge on the river, blown by the cold wind in early spring, their faces turned livid. Soon, some people came out of that building. They were all teenagers and girls. Their faces were as green as their companions on the bridge. They were very ugly. Since they were not frozen, it must be that the exam was not going well. The people who were still waiting in line saw their distraught appearance and suddenly became nervous, and they were no longer in the mood to chat. Chen Changsheng didn't know anyone, so naturally he didn't chat. He looked at the building in the distance, and seemed a little curious. He only cared about the entrance examination of Tiandaoyuan now, whether it was the same method as mentioned in the book, and why did those who failed pass so quickly? Lost? Or is it true that the exams at the Heavenly Dao Academy have changed? The crowd kept moving forward, crossing the grass and the river, before approaching the building, they came under a row of bamboo sheds. Looking at the stern-faced Tiandaoyuan teacher behind the stone table, and at the black volcanic block on the table, Chen Changsheng recognized what it was, and remembered an old year's pile he had seen in the Dao scroll. Litigation, slightly startled.

When the incense burnt out, a golden sound sounded, signaling the end of the exam for this round of students. Chen Changsheng walked out of the building with the rest of the students waiting for the test, ignoring the strange eyes looking at him, followed the guidance to the place where the test results were released on Shiping behind the lake, and waited for the final test results at Twilight. Most of the other people stayed in front of the building, comparing answers with each other, or complaining about the difficulty of the exam. When he came to the back of the lake, the stone flat was still very quiet, only the young man in Tsing Yi who had shined so brightly was standing there. lakeside. He thought that a genius would inevitably be lonely, so he didn't go forward, but he didn't expect the other party to walk over. "My name is Tang Thirty-Six." The young man in Tsing Yi said. Chen Changsheng was a little surprised, he didn't expect that the other party would take the initiative to chat, he straightened his clothes, and responded politely: "Erdong Chen, Chen Changsheng." Tang Thirty-Six was startled, as if he didn't expect the boy's name to be so vulgar Even a rich man in the country probably wouldn't name his son such a name. After a moment of silence, he said, "This name is rather simple, so I can't say it's bad."

Chen Changsheng thought that you were honest, but your name was also quite strange. "My name is Chen Changsheng... because I had an illness when I was young, and Master hoped that I would live a long life. What about you? Why are you called Tang Thirty-Six? Are you the thirty-sixth in your family? How many people? Where is your family? There are so many brothers and sisters, will it be too noisy when reciting?" Tang Thirty-Six was stunned. It's not very polite to ask the origin of the other person's name face to face. What's more, he has a cold and unapproachable face. He didn't dare to ask in person, but he didn't expect that this young man would ask so casually, with so many topics attached. In fact, what Chen Changsheng thought was very simple. In the unfamiliar capital of Kyoto, in the Tiandao Temple full of ridicule and indifference, if the other party is obviously a genius, but he took the initiative to come to get close to him, then he should reciprocate more enthusiasm and love. Goodwill, at least should take the initiative to greet and talk about something. He lived with his master and senior brother since he was a child. The master seldom spoke, and the senior brother didn't speak much, so he didn't know how to conduct greetings, and he seemed a bit awkward. Although he wanted to convey his good intentions to the other party, he was very awkward. It is easy to cause misunderstandings, just like yesterday in the Shenjiang Mansion. However, the interesting thing is that instead of being displeased by it, Tang Sanshiliu felt that Chen Changsheng was very honest and genuine. What Tang Sanshiliu wanted most in his life was to be a real person, and what he encountered in the world was nothing but mediocrity. If they were some vain people, he was very satisfied when he suddenly met someone like Chen Changsheng. "There are indeed many peers in my family, and the endorsements are all in their own homes, so there is no quarrel. The reason why I am called Tang Sanshiliu is not because I am ranked 36th in my family, but because I entered Qingyun for the first time when I was 15 years old last year. Ranked thirty-six, I feel very ashamed, especially compared to that woman and that wolf cub... So I changed my name to Tang Thirty-six, to remind myself how unbearable my current realm is. Hmm , It seems that all the questions have been answered. Yes, all the answers have been answered." The above conversation was Chen Changsheng's first communication after he left Xining and came to the bustling capital, and it was also Tang Sanshiliu's departure from Wenshui. This is the first communication I have had since coming to Kyoto. At that time, Chen Changsheng was fourteen years old, and Tang Thirty-six was about to turn sixteen. They were both ignorant and immature in this regard. This communication was undoubtedly jerky, interesting and ridiculous, but many years of history afterwards proved that this This communication was extremely successful. It can even be said that this is the most successful and important communication since the covenant between Emperor Taizong and the patriarch of the Demon Race. "How many questions did you answer?" Tang Thirty-Six asked. He was really interested in this answer, because he always felt that although Chen Changsheng was an ordinary person, but... he should not be an ordinary person. It wasn't until he saw that Chen Changsheng's face turned pale that he realized that he had asked this question incorrectly. Those sea-like test questions, even a genius like him, felt a little strenuous. It was obvious that Chen Changsheng's mind was exhausted too much. Seriously, depending on the situation, the result should not be too good. "There are some questions about cultivation that I really can't answer. Divine consciousness, true energy, and gathering stars and burning the sun..." Chen Changsheng said honestly, feeling a little lucky in his heart. He had read Daozang thoroughly since he was a child. The academic question is not difficult for him, but it is a spiritual question, and he really has no answer. Fortunately, it is only an entrance examination after all, and there is not much content in that aspect. Listening to this, Tang Thirty-Six sensed that something was wrong. These were the only questions he couldn't answer... Could it be that this little fellow answered all the rest of the questions? At this moment, he noticed that on the other side of the lake, a teacher was walking towards somewhere quickly with a thick test paper in his arms. The teacher seemed to be in a turbulent mood, and almost fell when he went up the stone steps. He couldn't help being slightly startled, thinking about what Chen Changsheng said earlier, he couldn't help but conjecture that he couldn't believe it, could this little guy really want to shock everyone? "The rest... are you sure you answered it?" "I can't say for sure... There are two versions of the Taishangqing Mantra. It was edited and revised in the year when the state religion was first established, and everyone has been using it since then. The later version, but the date mentioned in the question was before 1573, so I didn't know which version to use for the answer, so I had to answer both versions in the end, for fear that the teacher would not like it. Points deducted." Hearing these words, Tang Thirty-Six couldn't help being silent.

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 guy and I were the most arrogant figures in the younger generation, but I didn't expect you to be even more arrogant than us." Where is the arrogance? ... The list is posted. There was no Chen Changsheng's name on it. Chen Changsheng stood at the bottom of the list, silent for a long time. The crowd looked at him a little unkindly, with sarcasm and contempt. If Tang Sanshiliu hadn't stood side by side with him, there would probably have been a lot of ugly words at this time. "I don't understand." Chen Changsheng said. Tang Thirty-Six didn't understand either. He believed that this young man who made him feel cordial and sincere would not lie. Since he said that he had answered most of the questions, he should have answered them. According to the scores, even if he was not at the top, at least he should be more than enough to be on the list. Chen Changsheng found the teacher who was in charge of the sensory stone assessment at the beginning, and said, "I want to check the papers." The teacher sorted out chores, did not look directly at his calm and persistent eyes, and said, "Since you use rules and regulations, If you have obtained the qualifications for the exam, you should know... My Tiandaoyuan's test papers are never allowed to be rechecked, which represents respect for the Tiandaoyuan, and if you fail to pass the exam, you will not pass." Chen Changsheng looked at him and was silent for a long time After a long time, turn around and leave. …… "Although he didn't speak, I know what he wants to say... Such a little guy who is angry and doesn't speak evil words is really amazing." Tang Thirty-Six watched the boy disappear into the lake In front of him, he turned around to look at someone and said sarcastically, "Tiandaoyuan dare not accept such a talent. It's really amazing." "You are only two years older than him. It's really interesting to call him a little guy." Chang said: "The more interesting thing is, how do you know what he wants to say?" "He wants to say, you will regret it... I know because if I am treated like this by him, I will definitely say this sentence." Speak out." "Will Tiandaoyuan regret rejecting an ordinary student?" "He is not an ordinary student, he is a genius like me." After a moment of silence, the vice president of Tiandaoyuan said: "I have read the test paper of that boy. If you don't wash your marrow, you can be so knowledgeable and knowledgeable. You can indeed be said to be a genius, even compared to Wang Zhice back then. If it was normal, I would definitely recruit him into the hospital and teach him personally. It's a pity this time No." Tang Thirty-Six looked at him and asked, "Why not?" "Because someone said hello." The vice president said. "Who?" "The Mansion of the Generals." "In today's mainland, there is one single husband, five sages, wind and rain from all directions, and countless perverts on the Xiaoyao List, not to mention the demons who hide in the wilderness. The thirty-eight generals are certainly powerful... ...But where is the Heavenly Dao Temple? How could it obey the orders of the Divine General's Mansion?" "Your father entrusted you to my care, so I will not keep this from you, but you must not say anything about it... just the Divine General's Mansion, Naturally, it cannot affect my Heavenly Dao Academy, but that mansion is different, because it is the mansion of the Eastern Imperial General, and the owner of the mansion is Xu Shiji." "Xu Shiji... even if the queen is favored and powerful, he is only a general after all. " "But his family has a phoenix..."

The indifference and pride in Tang Thirty-Six's brows was difficult to maintain after hearing the word "Phoenix", and it melted away instantly. After a long silence, he murmured: "...that fellow Chen Changsheng actually provoked that phoenix!" Who is he?" The deputy dean said calmly: "Don't worry about who he is, he is already fourteen years old after all, it's too late even if he is enlightened again, there are too many geniuses in the world, no matter how potential he is, he can How? Compared with Wang Zhice before, if he really has Wang Zhice's perseverance and opportunity, what does it matter if he is in Tiandaoyuan or not?" Chen Changsheng didn't know that his failure had something to do with the Xu Mansion. He thought that he probably occupied the place of some powerful son in Kyoto, so he was used by others. Although he is new to the world of mortals, he has seen too many intrigues and filthy things in Daoist dramas, so he can only remain silent. Now, what else can he do besides being silent? He left Tiandaoyuan and walked towards the second academy on the list, but he still didn't notice that the carriage with the blood and phoenix emblem was following him from afar.