Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Xuan Yuan Po walked in with a plate of food on his head. Since the people in the Herb Garden were gone, no one sent in the meals anymore. The Tradition Academy had to cook meals themselves and unfortunately, the Yao youngster was responsible for cooking in the first few days.

The starlight shone through the windows of the library. It was as bright as the meals were tasteless.

During lunch, Jin Yu Lu had tried Xuan Yuan Po’s dishes and told them that they didn’t need to wait for him to start the meal.

Tang Thirty Six put down his chopsticks, looked at Xuan Yuan Po and asked sincerely, “Did you forget to add salt again?”

Chen Chang Sheng looked at him and laughed, “Just as you say often, you switch the topic too suddenly.”

Tang Thirty Six didn’t change his expression. He defended, “That’s because your question was too ridiculous.”

After finishing the tasteless dinner, the three people started walking around the lake of Tradition Academy. Faintly, they could see the candlelight from the newly built house. They could also smell the tasty roast chicken and liquor from the opening of the door.

Sensing the smell, Tang Thirty Six was jealous of Jin Yu Lu’s dinner. He suggested to buy takeouts starting tomorrow because both he and Chen Chang Sheng had money. No matter how much Xuan Yuan Po could eat, their pockets wouldn’t be bothered.

Xuan Yuan Po wanted to accept the suggestion but Chen Chang Sheng objected. He argued that the food from takeouts were full of oil and salt which wasn’t good for their health. Although Xuan Yuan Po’s food was tasteless, its ingredients were healthy.

Tang Thirty Six and Xuan Yuan Po were used to Chen Chang Sheng’s strict and disciplined lifestyle. Besides shaking their heads, they didn’t bother arguing with him. The three continued walking around the late until the night darkened and stars illuminated the surface of the lake.

A tree’s branches reached all the way to the lake. It was shaking from the wind and it seemed like the branches were trying to pick up the reflections of the stars.

Chen Chang Sheng saw this scene and started thinking about Luo Luo.

Although they have only been separated for two days, he was missing her already. Is she happy in the Academy of Palace Li?

Who’s teaching her to xiuxing? Did she break the barrier in her Zuo Er Vein? Is she……thinking about this lake and the tree growing beside it?

Tang Thirty Six and Xuan Yuan Po thought about Luo Luo when they smelled the food from the small house.

Without Luo Luo, there was no one at the Herb Garden, no tasty food, and no pretty girl. It was sad that they couldn’t see the princess and that the troubles they were facing were so complicated. When are you coming back? Come back quickly, your master can’t hold it anymore Chen Chang Sheng wondered to himself.

After they were finished walking, Tang Thirty Six was ready to walk around the streets. But he saw Chen Chang Sheng entering the library to xiuxing and Xuan Yuan Po testing his strength on the trees around the lake. He felt embarrassed.

He thought for a moment, walked next to Chen Chang Sheng and sat down. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. His two hands rested casually on his knees and his palms faced the night sky. Tang Thirty Six started to meditate and xiuxing as well.

After a while, he opened his eyes and felt the flow of qi in his veins. He used his mind as his eyes and he carefully observed the situation in his body. This was the inner sense of Meditation stage. As the inner sense continued, a thin layer of light shined from his pupils.

Since the process of inner sensing could be detected from his outer form, it meant that he have achieved the peak of Meditation stage. A xiuxingist who reached the peak of Meditation stage at sixteen years old will be the focus of any faction or sect, whether it’s the Heavenly Academy or the Mountain Li’s Sword Sect. But now, he was just xiuxinging by himself at the Tradition Academy.

Tang Thirty Six didn’t regret his decision, but without a teacher guiding him, the process of xiuxing will slowed down and it will influence his confidence in breaking the barrier of xiuxing.

Just this moment, Chen Chang Sheng opened his eyes. Tang Thirty Six looked at him and thought, “Since you taught Princess Luo Luo, why would it bother me to ask for your mentorship?” As he was thinking, he asked several questions of xiuxing that bothered him for a while.

Chen Chang Sheng thought seriously for a long time and said, “……….I don’t understand.”

Tang Thirty Six was irritated, “You can solve such difficult problems like helping people of Yao race control their path of qi…..if it weren’t for Luo Luo and Officer Jin, I bet the White Emperor would have already ordered people to capture you and have you sent back to the Red River. Now you are saying you don’t understand my question?”

“Yao’s body structure is special and in Princess Luo Luo’s case, even more so. Due to her uniqueness, I was able to think of some solutions…..because I had already spent years researching the functions of one’s veins. But your question is about the inner sense of Meditation. I have yet to reach that stage, how am I to help you?”

Chen Chang Sheng looked at him and said, “To be honest, I don’t think you have to worry too much. You have already entered the peak of Meditation at such a young age, and the barrier of Heartseek is only inches away from you. You just need to xiuxing at your own pace and one day, you will break the limit. It’s best for you to not disturb your flow.”

“It’s not about the Great Trial.”

Tang Thirty Six saw his eyes and knew he misunderstood. He stood up and walked to the window and glanced at the countless stars in the night sky. Tang Thirty Six was silent for a moment and said, “Xiuxing is like rowing a boat in an opposite stream. It will get harder and harder as you progress. Although I have already entered the peak of Meditation stage and my achievement may seem outstanding ……that barrier is hard to cross.”

Chen Chang Sheng was silent.

When he was in the old temple of Xi Ning Village, he knew nothing about xiuxing. Now that he had already studied for half a year in Tradition Academy, he knew what Tang Thirty Six wanted to say. But since he was yet to enter Purification, his distance to that barrier was still vast. Therefore, he never really thought about it.

It will be harder and harder to progress in the path of xiuxing, and it will get even more dangerous. From the inner sense of Meditation to the Heartseek stage was the first mountain that xiuxingists needed to climb. From that point onwards, xiuxingists climb an ever sloping mountain. However, most people fail at the first mountain because the xiuxingists at that time are inexperienced.

Countless years ago, the Scroll of the Way appeared in the world and people’s wisdom expanded. Humans began to xiuxing, and in countless years, countless geniuses appeared. Some of them were able to reach Purification and Meditation stage when they were youngsters, but they failed in front of the Heartseek barrier. They paid with their lives.

Those geniuses were just like Tang Thirty Six, their names were on the Honor Roll of Green Cloud and they were recognized by the world. But if they didn’t cross that barrier and died, within a short time, their names would be forgotten by the people in this continent and their spot would be filled by new youngsters.

Why are Qiu Shan Jun, Xu You Rong, Gou Han Shi and even earlier, Mo Yu, Tian Hai Sheng Xue treated as true geniuses and are treated specially by the elder generation? Because they were able to cross the barrier of Heartseek when they were very young.

These people were able to cross the most difficult stage. Although they could still fall during the path of xiuxing and their souls could vanish, the possibility of them becoming truly powerful xiuxingists was more probable than anyone else’s.

Tang Thirty Six didn’t want to die, neither did he want to be forgotten. In order to enter meditation stage and claim victory at next year’s Great Trial, in order to rank up in the Honor Roll of Green Cloud, he left his hometown to go to the capital and study at the Heavenly Academy.

Only truly prestigious factions and academies like the Heavenly Academy and Mountain Li’s Sword Sect could provide their students with the best resources to increase their chance of breaking the barrier.

Now, he left Heavenly Academy and switched to the Tradition Academy, a school with only students and no teachers. Who could help him?

Although Officer Jin is powerful, his path of xiuxing is of the Yao’s method. He can’t help Tang Thirty Six.

Chen Chang Sheng was silent for a long time and said, “If you trust me, then perhaps, I can try to find ways to help you.”

Tang Thirty Six forced a smile and laughed, “Are you trying to experiment on me?”

“Are you not willing to do so?” Chen Chang Sheng laughed and asked.

Tang Thirty Six said, “I’m very daring.”

Chen Chang Sheng said, “I think you are just very confident in me.”

Tang Thirty Six was wordless, “If I remember correctly, you have still yet to reach Purification.”

He didn’t need to remember anything, he just needed to see.

Chen Chang Sheng’s hands and hair were no different from any ordinary person, in fact, he couldn’t be anymore ordinary. If a dull knife slashed lightly on his wrist, a thin red line would definitely appear and he would bleed out a few moments later.

“I don’t understand either.”

For half a year, he meditated every night to absorb the starlight for the use of purification. Every step was precise and correct but nothing was gained. Even a person as determined as he was would eventually get tired of it. He stared at the stars outside of the window and shook his head,

“Maybe it’s just my talent.”

After hearing him describe all the details of absorbing the starlight to purify, Tang Thirty Six reached out his hand and grabbed Chen Chang Sheng’s wrist. He closed his eyes and carefully detected the situation in his body and noticed that there was no star energy in his body. He was confused as well.

He was always convinced that Chen Chang Sheng was a true genius and his belief grew stronger after learning of the marriage vow between Chen Chang Sheng and Xu You Rong. But he could never understand how a genius would have a problem in the path of xiuxing. How could he not be able to reach Purification?

“Perhaps, there’s problem with your veins.”

A voice was heard near the door of the library. Jin Yu Lu walked in and looked at Chen Chang Sheng, “Even when we Yaos xiuxing, we need to bathe in starlight. But since our vein structure is different from that of humans, our methods are different. I don’t know if it’s the same situation with you.”

Chen Chang Sheng was silent for a bit. Then he spoke, “Yes, there are some problems with my vein structure.”

Tang Thirty Six was confused. He asked, “But earlier you said it’s talent.”

“Vein structure is determined when you are born. Naturally, it’s a type of talent.”

Chen Chang Sheng didn’t explain all the details because that would reveal his biggest secret. If Tang Thirty Six kept asking, he wouldn’t know how to answer. That shadow would give too much pressure and he knew clearly that he didn’t want any other person to endure such a burden.

Jin Yu Lu looked at him quietly and spoke suddenly, “The heaven is truly never fair.”

Yes, the way of Heaven is always fair but never fair. One phrase says it all, “It harms the abundant and supplies the limited.”