Chapter 28: Fang Conglong
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ye Sheng walked out of Xianyang on the road to Jixia Academy. He used the Typhoon Steps, which were very quick, so he wasn’t much slower than a horse and carriage.
The Qi within his dantian kept churning unceasingly. Ye Sheng had a much greater advantage than an ordinary person at Acquired Level Third Stage.
His Reincarnation Seal continued to solidify, and even though it wasn’t fully formed yet, it was still extremely powerful. This was one of Ye Sheng’s trump cards.
On his way to the Academy, Ye Sheng noticed what looked like a number of students also hurrying along as if they were also going to the school. fr(e)ewebn(o)vel
Ye Sheng covered over 100 miles in less than two hours because of his speed and soon arrived at the entrance to Jixia Academy.
A gigantic academy had been built in the middle of a mountain range. Countless buildings extended into the distance, and it was so beautiful it resembled a painting.
An enormous lake was at the entrance of Jixia Academy, and there were a few dozen boats floating on the surface, although nobody appeared to be rowing them. Ye Sheng froze momentarily when he’d arrived.
“Hello friend, are you also a student at Jixia Academy?” asked someone beside Ye Sheng as he stood there in a daze.
“Yes, I am. But there’s nobody to row these little boats. Are we supposed to row ourselves over?” Ye Sheng asked the man who had approached him.
“That’s right. This is one of Jixia Academy’s traditions. It was already like this way back during the Dragon dynasty. This lake isn’t a simple lake. There are many formations set up within the lake, and ordinary folk are unable to cross this lake. The students need to row themselves over, and on the way they’ll run into some strange encounters,” said the other student.
Ye Sheng looked at this student carefully. His face looked youthful, and he had a slim figure, wore a long white robe, had a faint smile on his face, and made one feel welcome immediately. He seemed very easy to get along with.
“Friend, may I know your name?” asked Ye Sheng.
“I’m Fang Conglong, and I’m from Xianyang,” he answered with a smile.
“I’m Ye Sheng, also from Xianyang,” said Ye Sheng as he clasped his hands together politely.
“Brother Ye, let’s take the same boat over then,” suggested Fang Conglong.
“Sure.” Ye Sheng nodded.
They found a small boat, and, after getting in, Fang Conglong started moving the boat along while Ye Sheng sat in the front of the boat.
“Brother Ye, did you get into Jixia Academy after finding a Master to take you as his disciple some days ago?” asked Fang Conglong curiously.
Ye Sheng shook his head and said, “I’ve been guaranteed admission into Jixia Academy.”
Fang Conglong was stunned for a moment. “There’s such a thing as guaranteed admission?”
“That’s right. Those with good results will be guaranteed admission,” replied Ye Sheng calmly.
“Oh, I’ve never heard of such a thing before,” said Fang Conglong as he shook his head.
“Well, now you know,” said Ye Sheng with a faint smile.
“Well, that makes sense. Brother Ye, what would you like to learn once you get to Jixia Academy?” asked Fang Conglong again.
“What does Jixia Academy teach?” asked Ye Sheng curiously.
“Jixia Academy is split into several faculties. There are high-level martial artists, great professors in literature and the arts, seniors in Daoism, high-level monks in Buddhism, and even powerful masters in Occult Sects. Every student of the school can choose which faculty they wish to learn from,” said Fang Conglong.
“They teach the ways of the Occult Sects here too?” asked Ye Sheng in a surprised voice.
“And why not?” replied Fang Conglong.
“The reputation of the Occult Sects isn’t very good,” Ye Sheng responded quietly.
“There are Four Great Sects that are part of the Occult, and they are extremely powerful in Great Qin. Jixia Academy claims that they are willing to admit absolutely anyone who meets their requirements, so how could they not offer these classes?” Fang Conglong explained to Ye Sheng.
“The Four Great Sects? Wasn’t one of them completely exterminated?” asked Ye Sheng puzzledly.
“You mean the Reincarnation Sect? After 17 years of development, Longevity Palace has risen up and replaced Reincarnation Sect to become a new member of the Four Great Sects,” explained Fang Conglong.
Ye Sheng nodded as if he were deep in thought. He looked at Fang Conglong and asked, “Which one do you want to enter?”
“Daoism. I want to learn all the Dao techniques. They are so mysterious and otherworldly, and I think they’re fascinating,” said Fang Conglong excitedly.
“I hope you get what you want.” Ye Sheng encouraged him in advance.
“Thank you so much. Before Jixia Academy started its admissions processes, I had already indicated my interest in learning Dao techniques,” said Fang Conglong happily.
Ye Sheng nodded, but he was wondering which one he ought to go into.
While they were conversing, the little boat had already reached the center of the lake. The lake was calm and sparkled brightly and continuously under the sunlight as the waters undulated. Ye Sheng went into a daze watching the reflection of the sun in the water and witnessed a mirage.
There were scholars in a debate, martial artists dueling, Daoist priests cultivating, and even occult masters practicing techniques. Countless images started appearing one after another.
Fang Conglong excitedly said, “This is the scene of what Jixia Academy used to look like. Different disciplines were able to flourish and display their abilities freely, and each one was good in its own way. The current emperor has revived Jixia Academy because he also wanted to revive the scene of the various disciplines fighting to become the best they could be.”
Ye Sheng quietly sat in the front of the boat and watched the mirage before him. It seemed to be a projection as the figures floated and didn’t seem real. But as he watched them, Ye Sheng felt as if he could hear people talking, arguing, and debating. But when he listened more carefully, it seemed more like a sutra that he couldn’t understand at all, and this puzzled Ye Sheng.
“Do you hear any sounds?” Ye Sheng asked Fang Conglong.
Fang Conglong shook his head. “Brother Ye, do you hear something?”
“It sounds like someone is talking, but when I try to listen carefully, it’s a complete mess. It’s as if 1,000 people are arguing about something and the volume is very soft,” replied Ye Sheng honestly.
“That’s the Voice of the Sage! Brother Ye, listen carefully to it. If you manage to chance upon the recitation of an ancient sutra or an ancient technique, then it can be a great blessing to you,” Fang Conglong said both joyfully and enviously.
Ye Sheng quickly shut his eyes and emptied his mind to listen carefully.
But the sounds were still too chaotic. He frowned in concentration, but simply couldn’t tell the voices apart.
“Dantian, Earth!” Ye Sheng suddenly thought of something and activated his dantian. Everyone on Earth could now hear everything he was hearing.
In an instant, everyone on Earth stood terribly shocked. They all looked up to the sky and had no idea where all this noise was coming from.
But there were also some people with extraordinary perception skills. They immediately started recording everything that Ye Sheng could hear and was allowing the Earthlings to hear.
This change in the scenery ended after an hour.
After the sounds stopped, Ye Sheng opened his eyes and looked around to see that they had reached the other side of the lake.
“Brother Ye, did you manage to get anything out of the voices?” asked Fang Conglong.
“It was too messy, and my brain was very confused.” Ye Sheng shook his head regretfully.
“That’s such a pity. I purposely spent a longer time on the lake because I saw that you were frowning so deeply. But I know that comprehending these things is difficult,” said Fang Conglong with regret in his voice. He believed what Ye Sheng had said. Many people could hear the Voice of the Sage, but those who comprehended anything and received manuals from this voice were very few, perhaps one in 100 or less.
Ye Sheng stood up and said determinedly, “I can’t force such things to happen, so let’s go register ourselves.”
“I agree.” Fang Conglong immediately nodded.
The two of them got out of the boat and were now able to see that Jixia Academy had really been beautifully built. The pavements were of cobblestones, there was greenery all around and colorful flowers everywhere. The fragrance of the flowers filled the air, and there were many bees and butterflies hovering around the flowers.
Ye Sheng and Fang Conglong weren’t the only ones waiting at Jixia Academy’s entrance. There were at least 300 or 400 people gathered in this place, and they were all from this year’s intake.
Among them were many descendants from rich families and some students from unknown families. But they were all geniuses without any exception.
Ye Sheng took a look around and found that his cultivation level was the lowest and his aura was the weakest. An Acquired Level Third Stage among these people was very conspicuous and drew a lot of attention.
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