Chapter 55: Kong Sheng Academy

Wang Fuhai recounted what he had just seen and heard, his expression inadvertently revealing a hint of envy, but Cang Luo said, "Kong Sheng Academy? What is that? Is it an academy founded by Kong Sheng?"

Cang Luo inadvertently heard a familiar name again, the renowned Kong Sheng, the Sage Kong Sheng, so of course he had to ask.

Yet the moment the words left his mouth, he realized something was wrong; everyone looked at him as if they had seen a ghost.

Cang Luo felt a bit awkward; it seemed the Kong Sheng Academy must be very famous, indeed extremely famous, but what could he do? He was not from the Yuanwu Continent, so how could he be expected to know?

"Uh..." Cang Luo paused, then explained, "Before I came to the Profound Tianmen, I lived in a very remote place, tucked away in the mountains, knowing little of worldly affairs. I truly had never heard of the Kong Sheng Academy, though I do know of Kong Sheng."

"No way, Junior Brother Cang? You've never even heard of the Kong Sheng Academy?" Wang Fuhai was curious about where Cang Luo had lived before, to not even know of the Kong Sheng Academy.

Cang Luo spread his hands to show he truly didn't know, then glanced at Gan Lei sitting beside him, hoping he would explain what the Kong Sheng Academy actually was.

Gan Lei understood immediately and whispered, "The Kong Sheng Academy was founded by the descendants of the Sage Kong Sheng. Like our Profound Tianmen, it is an Emperor-level Sect."

"But it is stronger than the Profound Tianmen. It is the strongest power in the Chu Kingdom aside from the Xiang Imperial Family. The sect is located in the capital, facing the Imperial City from afar."

Taking a sip of wine, he continued, "The Kong Sheng Academy possesses five supreme arts that guard the sect: the Heaven-grade Upper Class mental cultivation method 'Spring and Autumn of the Sage Kong Sheng', and the Heaven-grade Upper Class martial techniques 'Spring and Autumn Sword Art', 'Spring and Autumn Palm Art', and 'Spring and Autumn Brush Art'."

"And the Heaven-grade Upper Class formation 'Spring and Autumn Interpretation'. Meanwhile, our Profound Tianmen has only three supreme arts..."

Cang Luo understood and nodded, saying, "So it is a martial arts sect..."

He never expected the Confucian school from Earth to have flourished on the Yuanwu Continent, and to be an Emperor-level Sect at that.

What is an Emperor-level Sect equivalent to?

Cang Luo felt that if this were on Earth, the status of the sect master of such an Emperor-level Sect would surely be on par with a national leader.

On Earth???

Wait, doesn't Kong Sheng on Earth have descendants?

Cang Luo suddenly thought of something; his head felt heavy, and he needed to sort out his thoughts.

Based on his speculation, the Yuanwu Continent and Earth are very likely parallel worlds, and their histories were identical until 2,491 years ago.

That is to say, at some point in the first year of the Yuanwu Continent and in 475 BC on Earth, the two worlds diverged.

That time was when nine strange stars appeared on the Yuanwu Continent, generating Yuan Power, allowing the humans of the Yuanwu Continent to cultivate.

As for Kong Sheng, he died in 479 BC on Earth, four years earlier than the time the nine strange stars and Yuan Power appeared on the Yuanwu Continent.

If this speculation holds, then aren't the descendants of Kong Sheng in Huaxia on Earth of the same lineage as the descendants of Kong Sheng on the Yuanwu Continent?

Perhaps, perhaps they even produced identical descendants!?

Although after 475 BC the two worlds entered different development trajectories, one developing martial arts and the other developing technology.

However, their genes share a single lineage, making it highly likely that descendants who are identical or similar could exist.

"Damn!"

Cang Luo couldn't help but exclaim, feeling he had discovered a tremendous secret, and immediately felt envious of the descendants of Kong Sheng in Huaxia on Earth.

Because once the two worlds connect, the descendants of Kong Sheng in Huaxia on Earth will surely receive special care from the Kong Sheng Academy on the Yuanwu Continent, rising to great prosperity, with the entire clan embarking on the path of cultivation...

Alas! Who could blame them for having such a good ancestor?

When one person attains the Dao, even the chickens and dogs rise to heaven. Emperors of every dynasty have revered their Confucian learning to the extreme, granting vast rewards, which is why the bloodline of the Kong family has been passed down to this day.

Seeing Cang Luo's look of anxiety, Wang Fuhai asked strangely, "What's wrong, Junior Brother Cang? Why the frown on your face?"

Cang Luo smiled bitterly, "Uh... nothing. I just didn't expect there to be a sect stronger than our Profound Tianmen."

"Though I am reluctant to admit it, that is the truth."

Wang Fuhai picked up the wine pot and shared a drink with Cang Luo, then continued, "Not only that, the current master of the Kong Sheng Academy, Dean Kong, possesses the cultivation of the sixth stage of Wu Di. It is said he is second only to the Retired Emperor. Moreover, the Kong Sheng Academy has more than one Wu Di; one can imagine how powerful they are."

Cang Luo nodded, then suddenly remembered something else. What did Gan Lei just say?

The Emperor of the Chu Kingdom bears the surname Xiang?

Xiang... Xiang...

Xiang Yu!!!

Cang Luo filtered through historical figures with the surname Xiang in his mind and thought of only one: Xiang Yu.

Is the Chu Emperor a descendant of Xiang Yu?

But the kings of the Chu Kingdom during the Warring States period on Earth bore the surname Mi!

Could it be that the Chu Kingdom on the Yuanwu Continent was usurped by Xiang Yu?

Cang Luo nodded to himself. The Xiang family were nobles of the Chu Kingdom, warlords, and Xiang Yu was one of the greatest heroes in history in terms of martial prowess, strong enough to lift a tripod.

In this world where martial arts are supreme, he would likely be terrifyingly strong. Seizing an imperial throne would surely not be difficult for the Xiang family.

Never mind, I'll learn more about it later. Asking too many questions might make people suspicious.

Cang Luo raised another toast to Wang Fuhai and asked, "Brother Wang, why have the people from the Kong Sheng Academy come to the Profound Tianmen?"

The other junior brothers present also wanted to know why the people from the Kong Sheng Academy had come to the Profound Tianmen. The two sects were separated by four or five thousand li; no one had heard of a martial arts tournament being held between sects.

"I don't know."

Wang Fuhai shook his head, then suddenly his gaze sharpened. He pointed with his double chin toward the direction of Profound Heaven Town, frowning and saying, "They are coming. It seems, it seems they are heading straight for us?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look. They saw over thirty young men and women dressed in silver-white combat attire, with proud demeanors, walking gracefully toward the group's barbecue spot. They were led by two inner sect disciples of the Profound Tianmen and a black-clad youth with an extraordinary aura.

Behind them followed a group of outer sect disciples of the Profound Tianmen, the vast majority of whom were female disciples.

Cang Luo had seen the two leading inner sect disciples of the Profound Tianmen before. One was the sect master's daughter, Xuan Qingqing, and the other was an elite inner sect disciple, Li Haoran. The two had been ordered to host the group of disciples from the Kong Sheng Academy.

The black-clad youth was Murong Ye, an elite disciple of the inner courtyard of the Kong Sheng Academy. The group of young men and women aged fourteen or fifteen behind him were outer courtyard disciples of the Kong Sheng Academy.

Murong Ye was tall and handsome, with starry eyes and sword-like eyebrows. Set against his black robes, he appeared exceptionally cold. From the moment his feet stepped into the Profound Tianmen, he attracted the attention of many young women from the Profound Tianmen.

These young women were at the stage of first awakening to love. Compared to improving their own strength, they would rather have a handsome and dashing man of high strength to protect them.

And this elite disciple from the inner courtyard of the Kong Sheng Academy, Murong Ye, was exactly the person who met these conditions. Of course, Li Haoran also met them.

However, because Li Haoran was already well-known to the young women, while Murong Ye was being seen for the first time and was quite rare, all the young women were currently discussing Murong Ye, even comparing him to Li Haoran.

This made Li Haoran very displeased. If the sect had not ordered him and Xuan Qingqing to accompany and host them, he would not have come.

Li Haoran looked straight ahead, his gaze unswerving, and said, "Senior Brother Murong, when do you plan to return?"

Murong Ye held his sword in both hands, not even looking at him, and said coolly, "This visit to your sect has two purposes: to deliver our dean's invitation, and to bring my junior brothers and sisters to Tongzhou's beast forests for training, so we plan to leave tomorrow."

Li Haoran nodded, saying nothing more—he wished Murong Ye would leave as soon as possible.

Both were exceedingly proud men; he said nothing, and he did not respond, so they walked in silence.

But Xuan Qingqing, walking between them, felt awkward—she sensed the two clearly did not get along.

So she changed the subject, pointing to the southwest corner of the training ground: "Smells delicious—someone's grilling up ahead. Shall we go take a look?"

"Indeed, it's entirely up to you, Sister Qingqing."

Murong Ye gave a faint smile on his face, but inwardly he looked down on the Profound Heaven Sect—how could one grill and drink in a training ground? And no one stopped them?

If the lower beams are crooked, the upper ones will be too. Before arriving, I heard from my master that the Profound Heaven Sect's top elder, who holds the Wu Di realm, still hasn't recovered from old injuries—now it seems the rumor is true.

Hmph! The Profound Heaven Sect is declining.

Murong Ye silently shook his head, resolved to leave the Profound Heaven Sect as soon as possible, lest his junior brothers and sisters behind him pick up these bad habits.

As they walked, Murong Ye suddenly stopped, staring fixedly at a Profound Heaven Sect disciple grilling ahead, and murmured in confusion, "Cang Huangwu?"

"Senior Brother Murong?" Xuan Qingqing looked at him in puzzlement, not understanding why he had stopped.

"Oh, nothing—I mistook someone for a top disciple from my own academy."

As he spoke, Murong Ye pointed to the man in the crowd ahead, eating a grilled chicken wing—Cang Luo...