Chapter 100

Xuanyuan Po walked in with a food tray. Now that the Hundred Grass Garden was deserted, no one was delivering meals anymore, so the National Teaching Academy had to start cooking for themselves. In the beginning, the unfortunate person who was chosen to cook was this young demon.

Starlight filtered through the library windows, very pale, just like the food he had prepared today.

At noon, Jin Yulv tasted it and told them that they didn’t need to wait for him for meals from now on.

Tang Sanshi put down his chopsticks and looked at him seriously, saying, "Did you forget to add salt again?"

Chen Changsheng smiled at him and said, "Just like you often say, the topic transition is too abrupt."

Tang Sanshi said without changing his expression, "That’s because your standards are too high."

After a tasteless dinner, the three of them began to walk around the lake in the National Teaching Academy. They could faintly see the light from the newly built small house at the gate, along with the fragrant smell of roasted chicken and a hint of alcohol.

Smelling those aromas, Tang Sanshi was quite envious of Jin Yulv’s dinner and suggested that they order takeout from tomorrow onwards. After all, neither he nor Chen Changsheng was short of money, and no matter how much Xuanyuan Po ate, he wouldn’t eat them into poverty. Xuanyuan Po was somewhat tempted, but Chen Changsheng clearly opposed it—takeout food was greasy and salty, which was not good for health. Although the food Xuanyuan Po cooked had no flavor, it was nutritionally complete.

Chen Changsheng’s strict and even somewhat rigid lifestyle habits were something Tang Sanshi and Xuanyuan Po had already gotten used to. Apart from shaking their heads in regret, they were too lazy to argue with him. The three of them continued to walk around the lake until the night deepened and countless stars fell onto the lake surface.

The branches of the large banyan tree stretched over the lake, gently swaying in the night breeze, as if trying to pluck the stars.

Chen Changsheng looked at this scene and thought of Luoluo.

They had only been apart for two days, but he already missed her a lot. He wondered if she was happy at the Li Palace Annex, who she was learning cultivation from, whether she had broken through the true qi barrier in her left radial pulse, and if she remembered this pond and the banyan tree by the pond.

Tang Sanshi and Xuanyuan Po, smelling the fragrance from the gatehouse, also thought of Luoluo.

Without Luoluo, the Hundred Grass Garden was empty, with no delicious food, no pretty girls, and no sight of the prince, which made them feel melancholic. They had to face so many troubles, and they wondered when she would return. "Come back soon, your master is really struggling to hold on."

After the walk, Tang Sanshi was about to go for a stroll in the street but saw Chen Changsheng walk into the library, sit on the floor, and start meditating. Xuanyuan Po also began to wrestle with the trees by the lake, which made him feel somewhat ashamed.

He thought for a moment, walked to the opposite side of Chen Changsheng, sat down, closed his eyes, and rested his hands on his knees, palms facing the starry sky, and began to meditate.

After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes and quietly felt the flow of true essence in his meridians, using his divine sense as his vision to carefully observe the situation inside his body. This was the practice of inner observation. As the inner observation continued, a faint glow began to appear in his eyes.

Inner observation could manifest externally, proving that he had reached the upper realm of the Sitting and Observing stage. At sixteen, he would undoubtedly be a key cultivation target in any sect, whether it was the Heavenly Dao Academy or the Lishan Sword Sect. However, he could only cultivate on his own in the National Teaching Academy.

Tang Sanshi naturally did not regret it, but without a teacher’s guidance, his cultivation progress would inevitably be affected, and it would severely weaken his confidence in breaking through to the next stage.

At this moment, Chen Changsheng opened his eyes. Tang Sanshi looked at him and thought, "If you can teach Princess Luoluo, why not humble yourself and ask you to teach me?" Before he could finish thinking, he spoke, asking several cultivation questions that had been troubling him for days.

Chen Changsheng thought for a long time and then said, "… I don’t understand."

Tang Sanshi was somewhat angry and said, "You solved the difficult problem of the demon race’s true essence circulation… If it weren’t for Princess Luoluo and Jin Changshi, I bet you would have been taken to the Red River by Emperor Bai by now. Yet you say you don’t understand my problem?"

"Demons have special physiques, and Princess Luoluo is even more special. But because of her special nature, I could think of some methods… I have studied meridians for many years, but your problem involves the specific methods of inner observation at the Sitting and Observing stage. I can’t perform inner observation, so how can I start?"

Chen Changsheng looked at him and said, "I think you shouldn’t be so anxious. You are already at the upper realm of the Sitting and Observing stage at such a young age, and you are very close to the threshold of the Mysterious Grotto stage. Just follow the natural flow of cultivation, and you will eventually break through. It’s best not to let your mindset get out of control."

"It has nothing to do with the Imperial Examination."

Tang Sanshi looked at him and knew he had misunderstood something. He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the countless stars in the night sky. After a moment of silence, he said, "Cultivation is like rowing against the current; the further you go, the harder it becomes. I have already reached the upper realm of the Sitting and Observing stage, which is already quite good, but… that threshold is too difficult to cross."

Chen Changsheng remained silent.

When he was in the old temple in Xining Town, he knew nothing about cultivation. Now, after half a year of study at the National Teaching Academy, he understood what Tang Sanshi was saying. However, he had not even succeeded in the marrow washing, and the day of reaching that stage was still far away, so he had never seriously considered it.

The further one cultivates, the more difficult and dangerous it becomes. Entering the Mysterious Grotto stage from the Sitting and Observing stage is the first high mountain. Each subsequent breakthrough is like climbing an increasingly steep mountain. The most people fall at the first high mountain because they lack experience.

Countless years ago, when the Heavenly Books descended, human wisdom was awakened, and humans began to cultivate. Over the long years, countless geniuses emerged, who could easily wash their marrow and reach the Sitting and Observing stage in their youth or even childhood, but they ultimately fell at the Mysterious Grotto stage, paying with their lives.

Those geniuses, or names on the Green Cloud List, who did not cross that threshold, would be quickly forgotten by the people of the continent and replaced by new young talents after their deaths.

Why are people like Qiushan Jun, Xu Yourong, Gou Hanshi, and earlier figures like Mo Yu and Tianhai Shengxue considered true geniuses, even receiving special attention from senior experts, and being distinctly different from other cultivators? It is because they broke through to the Mysterious Grotto stage at a very young age.

These people have already crossed the threshold with the highest failure rate and death rate. Although they may still fall at other high mountains like the Star Gathering stage in their long cultivation years, their chances of becoming true experts are already much higher than others.

Tang Sanshi did not want to die, and he did not want to be forgotten. To break through the Sitting and Observing stage, to win the Imperial Examination next year, and to advance on the Green Cloud List, he left his hometown, came to the capital, and entered the Heavenly Dao Academy to study.

Only academies and sects with deep foundations and true strength, like the Heavenly Dao Academy and the Lishan Sword Sect, can significantly increase the success rate of disciples breaking through to the next stage.

Now, he had dropped out of the Heavenly Dao Academy and come to the National Teaching Academy, which had only students and no teachers. Who could help him?

Jin Changshi was indeed powerful, but he cultivated demon techniques, which made it difficult for him to help.

Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time and said, "If you trust me, or, I can try to see if I can find a method to help you."

Tang Sanshi forced a smile and said, "Are you planning to use me as a guinea pig?"

"Unwilling to accept?" Chen Changsheng asked with a smile.

Tang Sanshi said, "I have a lot of courage."

Chen Changsheng said, "I think you have a lot of confidence in me."

Tang Sanshi was speechless and said, "If I remember correctly, you haven’t even succeeded in the marrow washing, right?"

This kind of thing doesn’t need to be remembered; just a glance is enough.

Chen Changsheng’s hands and hair, exposed outside his sleeves, were no different from an ordinary person, as ordinary as could be. If a not very sharp knife were to cut his wrist, a thin red line would definitely appear, and blood would soon flow out.

"I don’t understand why."

For half a year, he had meditated every night, drawing starlight to wash his marrow. All the steps were correct, but there was no effect. Even with his strong will, he sometimes felt tired. He looked at the stars outside the window and shook his head, saying, "It might really be a talent issue."

After listening to his detailed account of the process of drawing starlight to wash his marrow, Tang Sanshi reached out and held his wrist, closed his eyes, and used his true essence to carefully perceive the situation inside his body. He found no trace of starlight in his body, which puzzled him.

He always believed that Chen Changsheng was a true genius. After learning about Chen Changsheng’s marriage contract with Xu Yourong, this belief became even stronger. He couldn’t understand how a confirmed genius could have a talent issue in cultivation or fail to wash his marrow.

"Or, it might be a meridian issue."

A voice came from the library entrance. Jin Yulv walked in, glanced at Chen Changsheng, and said, "We demons also bathe in starlight, but because our meridians are different from humans, our methods are different. I wonder if your situation is similar."

Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment and said, "Yes, my meridians have some issues."

Tang Sanshi was slightly surprised and asked, "You were just talking about talent."

"Meridians are innate, so they are also a form of talent."

Chen Changsheng didn’t explain in detail because it involved his biggest secret. If Tang Sanshi asked, he wouldn’t know how to answer. The pressure of that shadow was too great, and he was very clear that he didn’t want others to share the burden.

Jin Yulv looked at him quietly and suddenly said, "The way of heaven is never fair."

Indeed, the way of heaven is both extremely fair and extremely unfair, balancing excess and deficiency, all summed up in seven characters.

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**Note:** The last part of the original text seems to be a note from the author, which is not part of the story. It has been omitted in the translation.