Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

"Youths should be frivolous…I suddenly feel that there's a person rather similar to you," Chen Changsheng said.

Tang Thirty-Six asked him inquisitively, "Who?"

Chen Changsheng answered, "Su Li."

Tang Thirty-Six gave a radiant smile. "Grandfather said that I really am like him when he was young."

These two people that were talking with each other didn't know that outside Xunyang City, the Holy Maiden of the South had once said something similar to Su Li. Su Li was very wild, and Tang Thirty-Six was also very wild, but there were a few subtle differences between them. For instance, the wildness of Tang Thirty-Six was obviously much fresher and new.

As a young genius with such an outstanding background, Tang Thirty-Six's arrival at the capital from Wenshui attracted countless gazes. He became a valued student of the Heavenly Dao Academy, but at the Ivy Festival, he actually entered the Orthodox Academy that had been in ruins for so many years.

No one had imagined that the Orthodox Academy would so quickly obtain a new student, thus shocking the entire capital. But in the eyes of the common folk of the capital, the people that truly allowed the Orthodox Academy to slowly regain its famous reputation were that Chen Changsheng who had an engagement with Xu Yourong and the Princess Luoluo with her incomparably respected status. In both the Ivy Festival and the Grand Examination, their brilliance was dazzling beyond compare. The wolf youth, as a person who stood at the margins of the Orthodox Academy, was also extremely remarkable. By contrast, Tang Thirty-Six was actually rather ordinary.

And yet, just as many people thought that Tang Thirty-Six would gradually sink into silence in the Orthodox Academy and become an ordinary student, just as those young cultivators that had succeeded in breaking into Ethereal Opening in the Mausoleum of Books entered the Garden of Zhou to refine themselves, Tang Thirty-Six suddenly exploded.

He continued to view the monoliths and comprehend the Dao in the Mausoleum of Books, renouncing his life of luxury. He no longer had the appearance of loving comfort and hating work. He ate Guan Feibai's unpalatable meals of salted fish and raw vegetables, slept in his clothes, and began cultivating as soon as he woke up. In the short time period of a few months, he actually managed to successively break through two thresholds!

Right now, he was already at the upper level of Ethereal Opening. Looking as far as the eye can see, in the several hundred years after Su Li roared across the horizon, besides him and Wang Po and those other experts that had long since shocked the world, who had reached the upper level of Ethereal Opening at as young an age as Tang Thirty-Six? If it weren't for Qiushan Jun, Xu Yourong, and Chen Changsheng being far too freakish, what he had done would truly have been able to shock the world.

Just as the Old Master of the Tang clan had said, his sole grandson truly was very similar to Su Li. Then if this Tang Thirty-Six that was very much like Su Li were to walk out of the Orthodox Academy on the morning of the next day and once again see Zhou Ziheng, he would naturally not have a very good complexion.

"According to the rules of the Orthodoxy pertaining to the All-School Martial Exhibition, today is the final day for the Orthodox Academy to give a reply."

Zhou Ziheng looked at him and said, "We are all cultivators, and the future enemy for all of us will be the demons. There are many problems that can only be solved with the sword or spear. Could it be that you really think that as long as the gate to the Orthodox Academy is shut, the storms on the outside can't get in?"

There was no rain this morning. The wheelchair-bound Tianhai Ya'er who had been coming by the past few days did not appear, perhaps because the kick Tang Thirty-Six had dealt against him yesterday had been too savage. Only Zhou Ziheng stood in front of the gate.

People were like their names, and Zhou Ziheng was innately a very arrogant person. It was because he was a Star Condensation expert, his talent in cultivation was excellent, he was a teacher at the Temple Seminary and also a priest of the Hall of Subjugation. Even more importantly, he was an honored guest of the Tianhai clan.

With these three identities, he couldn't find a single reason to not be proud. Of course, he was keenly aware that his representing the Temple Seminary in challenging the Orthodox Academy was truly a loss to his identity as an expert. This was clearly the big bullying the small and was rather shameful. However, it was for precisely this reason that he appeared even more arrogant—it was like he could only be without a guilty conscience if he completely crushed the Orthodox Academy beneath his feet.

Tang Thirty-Six had to look into this person's two eyes before he recognized who it was.

Yesterday, Zhou Ziheng had blocked his path. He did not think that today this person would once again block his path.

Yesterday, he had been returning to the Orthodox Academy. Today, he wanted to go out of Hundred Flowers Lane and again buy some soy milk and youtiao. He didn't like to eat the breakfast that Xuanyuan Po made. Even if it was the best porridge, with Chen Changsheng forbidding him from adding sugar or even eating it with a few salted vegetables, just how could it taste good?

He was already angry from getting up from bed, and then he was prevented from eating breakfast as he liked. Tang Thirty-Six would naturally not treat Zhou Ziheng with much manners.

"Hey, idiot, move aside," Tang Thirty-Six said to him.

Yesterday it was these four words, and today was the same.

Zhou Ziheng was enraged yesterday, and he was even more so today. His right hand once again gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist. Still like yesterday, a yawn arose from that inn on the street, the priests encircled him, and the soldiers raised up the divine crossbows in their hands.

The area in front of the gate to the Orthodox Academy was in disorder, but the source of this disorder, Tang Thirty-Six, had no reaction. He directly began to walk out of the street.

For him, the soy milk and youtiao sold in that old store were far more important than this person called Zhou Ziheng.

"There's no school out there that can be run by closing its doors."

Zhou Ziheng looked at his back and said in a cold voice, "No matter how deep Chen Changsheng’s and your backgrounds are, if you really plan to continue delaying, then that will only serve to ultimately make the Orthodox Academy a joke in the capital!"

Tang Thirty-Six ceased walking and turned his head. "Just what is it you want to tell me?"

Zhou Ziheng's expression suddenly grew apprehensive. Thinking of what he had experienced yesterday, he knew that this youth relied on his status as the sole grandson of the Tang Old Master. His behavior was unbridled and fearless. From those slightly raised eyebrows of his, Zhou Ziheng could guess that this youth was going to shamelessly start messing around again.

"There's no need for me to speak to you."

He looked at Tang Thirty-Six and expressionlessly said, "I want to speak to Chen Changsheng."

"As it turns out, you also know that Chen Changsheng is the Principal of the Orthodox Academy." Tang Thirty-Six looked back at him and said, "Then what sort of identity, what sort of status, does a little asshole like you have that you can meet Principal Chen whenever you want?"

Only then did Zhou Ziheng realize that even if he took those three identities which made him so arrogant and added them together, they still wouldn't be enough for him to have the slightest qualification to request an interview with Chen Changsheng. On the contrary, solely based on the fact that he had directly addressed Chen Changsheng by name, the Orthodox Academy had ample justification to request that the Hall of Subjugation punish him for his crime.

With this thought, his face became somewhat ugly.

Just at this moment, the gate to the Orthodox Academy was pushed open from within. Xuanyuan Po's voice rang out like a bell, "You're just buying some soy milk and youtiao, why are you taking so long? Hurry up! Or else Chen Changsheng is going to notice and lecture us again."

Tang Thirty-Six said irritatedly, "I'm using my own money to buy it, it's none of his business."

Xuanyuan Po somewhat anxiously waved his hand, "The soy milk is whatever, what's important is the youtiao…"

"Youtiao is very tasty, but it’s fried in oil. It's not good for your health." Chen Changsheng had arrived faster than they had imagined. Walking out of the gate, he gazed at Xuanyuan Po and said, "Drag Tang Tang back and then go buy something else."

Tang Thirty-Six was furious at these words. "I just want to eat youtiao! You really are acting like a principal! Getting involved in everything!"

"Didn't you already eat it yesterday?"

Chen Changsheng was prepared to continue his exhortation when he suddenly espied Zhou Ziheng and unconsciously stopped.

Zhou Ziheng looked at him and said, "My Temple Seminary…"

Chen Changsheng replied, "I have time tomorrow. May the Temple Seminary please choose a place."

The area in front of the Orthodox Academy was deathly still.

Zhou Ziheng thought he had misheard, asking, "What did you say?"

Chen Changsheng answered, "I, as representative of the Orthodox Academy, accept your challenge."

The crowd that have come over the past few days to catch the fun suddenly scattered apart with a rush.

Ten-odd people rushed off to the big streets and small alleys of the capital.

In not much time, the entire capital knew of what had occurred this morning.

The Orthodox Academy had accepted the Temple Seminary's challenge.