Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 85 - 86: Divergence

Next, it was time to clean up the battlefield.

The main thing was to tally up the spoils.

Although the Martial Artist Institute received financial backing from both the government and prominent families, any war trophies earned with their own hands were, of course, kept for themselves.

This was also something everyone had to learn on the battlefield.

"Number 36!"

As Lu Chang’sheng was picking through the field, he saw a noble passing by. He didn’t know who this person was, but still greeted him—almost out of character.

You know, once the mask was on, few people would ever open their mouths to talk.

Many people recognized each other, having trained on the drill ground year-round. Sometimes, the moment someone spoke, you could tell who it was by the sound alone. So, people just didn’t speak.

Thankfully, no one else came over to greet him, which made him breathe easier—he’d thought for a moment someone had recognized him.

By the time the battlefield was all cleaned up, nearly half an hour had passed. There weren’t many of them, and given their status, no one expected them to clean every last thing; the main goal was to check for anything left behind and deal with the bodies. The rest would be handled by others later on.

On their way back, Lu Chang’sheng looked around and noticed at least six or seven people missing from the group, plus more than a dozen injured.

Sure enough, real combat still came with serious risks.

······

Once back at the Martial Artist Institute, Lu Chang’sheng checked in with the instructor in charge of verifying identities, then returned home.

Even though it was nearly dawn, the lanterns outside his door were still glowing.

He knocked, and the guard at the gate was a bit annoyed at first, but remembering the old master’s instructions, he had to drag himself out of bed, muttering grievances as he opened up.

"Ah! Second Young Master is home!"

When he saw it was Lu Chang’sheng, he perked right up, about to call out in excitement.

But Lu Chang’sheng immediately stopped him.

"Don’t wake everyone. I’ll go in by myself."

He walked over to the house, thinking Nangua was probably sleeping deeply by now—how to get inside without disturbing her?

Maybe he shouldn’t go in after all—maybe just sleep in the side room for a while.

Just as he was about to turn away, he suddenly noticed a light on inside the house.

A figure sat at the table, head propped on one hand, half-asleep, half-awake.

As Lu Chang’sheng peered in, she must have sensed something, because she startled awake, rubbed her eyes, then hurried over.

"You come home and don’t make a sound!"

A trace of playful reproach on her face.

Then she sniffed the air, apparently catching the scent of blood on Lu Chang’sheng, her eyes flashing with worry.

"Does the Institute’s exam involve shedding blood now?"

"Yeah, they changed things at the last minute. But it wasn’t dangerous for me," Lu Chang’sheng replied, not wanting Nangua to worry.

"By the way, do you remember Zhang Village?" At that, Li Nangua leaned against him, whispering softly.

"Sure, I remember. Why?"

"He passed away yesterday evening."

Lu Chang’sheng’s brows lifted. "The old man may have had trouble getting around, but he shouldn’t have gone so soon, right?"

Back when Zhang Village came to Black Mountain Prefecture with him, he was almost fifty. Even after a decade or so, he’d only be in his sixties. Sure, when he lived in the village, always half-starved, he might not have lasted long. But these past years, he’d lived in comfort.

With that kind of outlook, he should have easily made it into his seventies, if not longer.

"They say he died fighting over a woman at Cui Xiang Building. Want to go take a look?"

Lu Chang’sheng was caught off guard—he hadn’t expected that.

"Forget it. He did pass on some of his skills to me, after all. Even if it was a trade, we managed to get established in Black Mountain Prefecture partly thanks to him."

The truth was, Lu Chang’sheng never thought much of Zhang Village. Back when things got dicey, the man wanted to bail on them, and Lu Chang’sheng stopped paying attention to him after that.

Now, more than ten years later, to hear about him again—there was already an unbridgeable divide between the living and the dead.

Li Nangua helped Lu Chang’sheng bathe, then they lay down to rest. He didn’t know that, at that very moment, the Institute was anything but peaceful.

After returning from Lei Mansion, all the Institute’s instructors gathered to hand over the exam records step by step.

The Scholars and professors from the Academy didn’t get involved in this—only the Mountain Master, Lin Shan, a handful of high-ranking professors, and the Institute’s own instructors and professors participated.

Inside the room, the Merfolk Lamp cast light over a busy group.

Instructors Qin and Zhou turned in their reports and then walked up to another instructor.

"Old Instructor, just wanted to ask you about something—"

"Not happening," the elderly instructor replied without even looking up.

He didn’t need to guess what they were after—they just wanted the identity behind some number from the exam.

It had only been about an hour since the exam ended, and groups like them had already come by several times.

"The Dean made the rules here. Don’t make things hard for an old man like me—my days left aren’t many. Let me have some peace, would you?"

With things said that bluntly, what else could Instructors Qin and Zhou do?

They could only turn around and leave.

Still, the itch in their hearts only grew stronger.

"Who do you think Number 36 really is? He wasn’t afraid to toss lime powder around, and looked so at ease—can’t be Zhao Liang or Xun Zimo, right?"

"Who knows. Maybe they’ve been through something on the battlefield these last few years and changed their ways."

Just then, two figures walked in.

"Mountain Master!"

"Dean!"

······

The newcomers were Lin Shan and Hong Yuan. Amid the flurry of respectful greetings, the two nodded back without pause, heading straight for the old instructor.

"Old Mo, give me the records,"

Hong Yuan said.

This time, the old instructor didn’t even think to refuse, passing the ledger hidden under his desk straight over.

Hong Yuan quietly leafed through it. In no time, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

After the battle ended, he’d spent some time making final evaluations for each of the exam participants.

For Number 36, both he and Lin Shan had given a Grade A—Lin Shan gave an A-, while he gave an A+.

Either way, that’s still an A—a top score among many years of candidates.

Both men were full of curiosity now.

You had to remember—even Xu Zhuqing, personally selected as a disciple by Fairy Ruyi, only managed a solid A on her evaluation.

"Well? Who was it?" Lin Shan saw the odd look on his face and snatched the ledger for a look, instantly stunned himself.

Because—

Number 36 was, in fact, Lu Chang’sheng!

"Scholar Lu—a talent among talents. Within three years, he’ll surely place high on the imperial exam list. Within six, he could make number one,"

Lin Shan declared with a snap of the record book, face solemn.

But—

"I, on the other hand, think he’s better suited for the Martial Dao," Hong Yuan said quietly.