Chapter 477 – Sword Techniques Originate from the Mouth (I) (1/2)
Chapter 477 - Sword Techniques Originate from the Mouth (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The Orthodox Academy began its one day of enrolling new students and it only accepted applicants for one day. In the end, more than six hundred people applied.
With the Orthodoxy cavalry patrolling and guarding all sides, the Li Palace priests maintaining order, the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education personally drawing up the questions, and Priest Xin overseeing it all, both the application period and the exam on the next day went extremely smoothly.
Besides the grades from the examination, those who wanted to become new students of the Orthodox Academy had to pass through two more steps. The first was an investigation of identity, with the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education primarily responsible for this task. With the involvement of the Li Palace, investigating the details of these examinees was exceptionally simple. In the end, six examinees were eliminated in this phase. The second step was an interview, with Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six personally carrying it out. As for Xuanyuan Po, he had no interest whatsoever. It could even be said that he was so attached to the head chef of Clear Lake Restaurant that it was nigh-impossible to pull him away.
The contents of the interview were extremely simple. It was just a greeting and then a random chat. Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six's passing standards were also very simple. They just looked at the way the examinees spoke. Of course, what was most important was whether they liked the look of them or not. As he looked at the figures of those examinees who had been eliminated at the interview phase walk away while hiding their faces, Chen Changsheng thought of how, last year, he had also been one of these examinees. Upon thinking of how he had applied to school after school but had his efforts sabotaged by the Divine General of the East's estate, he couldn't help but sigh at how quickly the situation had changed. He had actually turned from an examinee to the examiner, and he felt it rather unbearable.
A hundred examinees passed these three assessments, and these became the new students the Orthodox Academy accepted this year. Rather surprisingly, the level of these new students was actually relatively good. Even though they originated from the more remote counties and provinces, they had all actually successfully undergone Purification. There were even forty-odd students that had successfully entered the initial level of Meditation. Chen Changsheng even felt that there were a few students with decent talent in cultivation. What was most shocking was that amongst these one hundred new students, twenty-some students were actually transferring from other academies.
It was shocking because the ‘other academies’ mentioned here naturally did not mean the regular schools of the capital, but rather the Heavenly Dao Academy, the Temple Seminary, and the other such schools of the Ivy Academies that were just as famous as the Orthodox Academy.
Gazing at those names on the list, Priest Xin was rather worried, wondering if this might cause some problems or stir up some trouble…
”These students are, for the most part, already in the initial level of Meditation. While they can be considered decent when compared to the students from the counties, they aren't much in a place like the Heavenly Dao Academy and definitely wouldn't be given any special attention. It's only because of that they would think about transferring to us. Since they weren't valued in the first place, these schools which they came shouldn't care that much,” Tang Thirty-Six concluded.
”But still…stolen food still tastes good.” Priest Xin choked his way through this rather graceless set of words, then continued, ”Moreover, the situation recently has been rather tense.”
”The so-called All-School Martial Exhibition is truthfully just the Tianhai clan using its authority to suppress others. It doesn't really have much to do with the schools themselves.”
Tang Thirty-Six added, ”In addition, Chen Changsheng is the future Pope, and the Six Ivies will all belong to him. If he were to ask for a few students in advance, what's so extraordinary about that?”
Hearing these words and then recalling how Tang Thirty-Six had stood in front of the Orthodox Academy and cursed two Storms of the Eight Directions while pointing at Bie Tianxin, Priest Xin realized that Tang Thirty-Six really didn't care. Shaking his head, he ceased discussing the topic.
Enrolling new students was naturally not so simple as just taking a test.
In the next few days, the Orthodox Academy became a hive of activity. The Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education sent over many artisans and laborers, transforming the once-lifeless school grounds into a humming construction site. Fortunately, the academy had already undergone a complete renovation in the spring of last year. The foundation had already been laid, so only a brief amount of time was needed to bring the project to a smooth conclusion.
The Orthodox Academy had vast tracts of unused land, but not all of it was needed. Only a small portion was needed to accommodate these one hundred new students. The small building that Chen Changsheng and the rest had grown used to living in, as well as the lake and forest which held a special significance to them, were partitioned off by a newly-built wall. It maintained for them a relative sense of independence, and it would also presumably be less noisy in the future.
The library had an array and the books within were not easily moved. As a result, it was left outside the walls, open for all students to use.
The gardens partitioned off by the wall, close to the Hundred Herb Garden and the Imperial Palace, now received a new name: the Separate (Bie) Garden.
The first time Priest Xin heard this name, he had the burning desire to ask whether this name had anything to do with that Bie Tianxin who departed in disgrace the other day.
Brand new bedding was sent over, brand new copies of the Orthodoxy's rules and teaching materials were transported within, and brand new school uniforms were distributed to the students. Smoke began to rise from the chimneys of the cafeteria and the fountain began to shoot water into the air, greatly cooling the sizzling heat of the summer nights. Everything had been made ready. The new students nervously and excitedly waited for the day when classes would formally begin.
Tomorrow, the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education would send over the lecturers and teachers it had selected in the past few days. Simultaneously, it would also be sending over a big list of expenses.
Tonight, Chen Changsheng took a stroll around the Orthodox Academy, looking to see if there was any place that wasn't right. It was only then that he realized that the Orthodox Academy was actually so big. He had lived there for an entire year, but he had only lived in an area tantamount to one-tenth of the school.
Seeing the brightly lit library and looking through the windows at those students eagerly studying the books of the Orthodox Academy, he felt very good.
His teacher was the previous Principal of the Orthodox Academy. He was the current Principal of the Orthodox Academy.
Under his teacher's hands, the Orthodox Academy had fallen into ruin. Now it seemed that the Orthodox Academy was on the verge of being reborn under his hands.
This sort of feeling really was very good, even though he still was completely mystified as to why Tang Thirty-Six wanted to do all of this.
Returning to the small building, he treated Zhexiu's injuries, and then he and Tang Thirty-Six gave a final lookover of the register of new students. Surprisingly, they saw a very familiar name on it and couldn't help but be shocked.
”Did he come?” Chen Changsheng pointed at the name and asked to Tang Thirty-Six.
”I didn't see the person. I heard he's still in the Mausoleum of Books. Apparently, he had one of his juniors of the Li Palace Academy come and apply in his place.”
Tang Thirty-Six offered, ”If you think it's against the rules, I'll have someone send a message and tell him not to come.”
Chen Changsheng replied, ”Other transfer students are fine, but if he really did come, the Li Palace Academy would definitely be unwilling to accept it.”