All Heavens: Sharing Talents with Countless Mes

"The topic is—Ode to Snow," he said sarcastically. "Poor scholar, do you dare to compose a poem about snow?"

Chu Yang smiled slightly: "Why wouldn't I dare?"

He walked to the desk, picked up the brush, and dipped it in ink.

Countless classic poems about snow came to mind.

After a moment's thought, he chose a poem.

The brushstrokes flow like dragons and snakes, like clouds and water.

In no time at all, a poem appeared on the paper.

"The northern landscape is a scene of ice and snow stretching for miles..."

As Chu Yang wrote, he recited the text aloud.

The powerful and majestic words, like rolling thunder, shook the hearts of everyone present.

"Looking beyond the Great Wall, all that remains is boundless desolation; the Yellow River, both upstream and downstream, has lost its roaring flow..."

"The mountains dance like silver snakes, the plains gallop like wax elephants, vying with the heavens in height..."

"On a sunny day, behold the red-clad beauties amidst the white-clad figures, exceptionally enchanting..."

He eloquently recited a poem, "Qinyuanchun: Snow".

As the last word fell, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was stunned.

This poem is magnificent in its momentum and grand in its artistic conception; it is simply unheard of!

In particular, the line "wanting to compete with the heavens in height" elevates the scope of poems about snow to an unprecedented level!
"What...what word is this?"

"It's breathtaking... I've never read such magnificent and powerful lyrics!"

"With the release of this poem, all poems about snow in the world will become obsolete!"

A gasp of amazement erupted from the audience.

Those scholars who had previously looked down on Chu Yang have now all become fervent admirers.

Even Liu Fu was so excited that his face turned red, and he couldn't wait to rush up and shake hands with Chu Yang.

Only Cui Yuanlang's face was extremely grim.

He never expected that this poor scholar, whom he had always looked down upon, could write such an astonishing and extraordinary poem!
“This…this is impossible!” he shouted hoarsely. “You must have prepared this in advance! You cheated!”

Chu Yang looked at him indifferently, a mocking smile appearing on his lips.

"Young Master Cui, if you can't accept defeat, just say so. Why make up those lame excuses?"

"I composed this poem in front of everyone just now, so how can you say I cheated?"

"But you, you falsely accused me of cheating in the provincial examination, you falsely accused me of cheating in the poetry competition. How come in your eyes everyone else is cheating, and you're the only innocent one?"

Upon hearing this, a burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

Those scholars who had been humiliated by Cui Yuanlang finally got their revenge.

Cui Yuanlang was so angry that he trembled all over, but he was speechless.

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" Liu Fu led the applause and cheered loudly, "Young Master Chu is indeed exceptionally talented! With this poem, you are undoubtedly the champion of today's poetry gathering!"

"Someone come here! Collect the prize money!"

A waiter came up carrying a tray.

On the tray was a silver ingot, weighing a full one hundred taels.

Liu Fu held the silver ingot with both hands and respectfully handed it to Chu Yang.

"Young Master Chu, this is the prize for today's poetry gathering: one hundred taels of silver. Please accept it."

Chu Yang accepted the silver ingot, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"Thank you very much, Manager Liu."

He put the silver ingot into his pocket and turned to walk downstairs.

Cui Yuanlang watched his departing figure, his eyes filled with resentment and malice.

"Chu Yang! You just wait!" he growled through gritted teeth. "I, Cui Yuanlang, will make you pay a hundredfold for the humiliation you suffered today!"

Chu Yang seemed not to hear, and continued walking until he disappeared at the top of the stairs.

After leaving the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, Chu Yang let out a long sigh of relief.

The first step can be considered a success.

He now has one hundred taels of silver, which should be enough to solve his food and clothing problems for a while.

The next step is the second step – to find a safe place to stay and evade the authorities' pursuit.

"I definitely can't stay in the city," Chu Yang thought to himself. "Cui Yuanlang has suffered this loss, and he certainly won't let it go easily. I need to leave Chang'an as soon as possible and find a secluded place to hide."

As he pondered this, he walked towards the city gate.

However, he hadn't gone far when he sensed something was wrong.

Someone is following him!

Chu Yang felt a chill run down his spine, and his pace quickened involuntarily.

But the stalking presence was ever-present, impossible to shake off.

"Oh no, we're being watched."

He looked around and realized he had entered a secluded alley.

The alley is lined with high walls on both sides, with only two exits, one at the front and one at the back.

At that moment, both exits were blocked.

Ahead, three burly men were staring at him menacingly.

Behind them, three burly men blocked their retreat.

Six people surrounded him.

"Chu Yang, you think you can escape?" The burly man at the head of the group sneered. "Young Master Cui has ordered us to give you a proper welcome!"

Chu Yang's heart sank, but he forced himself to remain calm.

"What do you want? This is Chang'an City, in broad daylight! Do you dare to commit violence here?"

"Murder?" the burly man scoffed. "We were just ordered to arrest a cheating criminal. What kind of murder is that?"

"Guards! Seize him!"

Six burly men attacked Chu Yang simultaneously.

Although Chu Yang was just a scholar, he was not flustered at all.

Memories of Chu Yang from other dimensions flashed through his mind.

Those memories contain all sorts of combat techniques and experiences.

Although he currently lacks cultivation and cannot use those powerful techniques and secret arts, he can still employ some basic fighting skills.

"Since you're courting death, don't blame me for being impolite."

Chu Yang let out a low shout and his figure flashed, barely dodging the two burly men who pounced on him.

He grabbed a wooden stick from the ground and swung it at one of the men's knees.

Snapped!
The burly man screamed in pain as the blow struck his knee, causing him to immediately fall to his knees.

Chu Yang did not stop. He swung the wooden stick again and smashed it hard on the head of another big man.

The burly man's vision went black, and he fainted.

"Good lad, you've got some skills!"

Seeing this, the remaining four burly men dared not be careless any longer and surrounded them.

Chu Yang dodged left and right, constantly wielding his wooden stick, each strike accurately hitting the enemy's vital points.

Knees, elbows, temples...

These are the most vulnerable parts of the human body; a single hit can instantly render an enemy incapable of fighting.

In the blink of an eye, all six burly men collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain.

Chu Yang threw away the wooden stick in his hand and patted the dust off his hands.

"Go back and tell Cui Yuanlang that if he dares to mess with me again, I'll teach him a lesson."

After saying that, he turned and left, disappearing at the end of the alley.

The six burly men lay on the ground, looking at each other in disbelief. Six grown men, defeated by a mere scholar?

Isn’t this too embarrassing?
……

Outside the city, on an official road leading into the distance.

Chu Yang carried a simple bundle and walked alone on the road.

The bundle contained the dry food and changes of clothes he had bought with the hundred taels of silver, enough to last him for a while.

"Cui Yuanlang won't dare to cause me any more trouble for the time being," he thought to himself. "After I beat those six thugs to the ground, he'll definitely be wary of my strength."

"However, this is only a temporary measure. To completely eliminate the threat posed by the Cui family, we need even greater power."

He looked up at the distant sky, his heart filled with anticipation.

"Venus..."

He murmured to himself, "I wonder when I'll be able to meet you again?"

As the sun set, its golden rays bathed the earth, casting a long shadow of Chu Yang.

His steps were firm and composed as he walked toward the unknown in the distance.

This ordeal has finally passed for the time being.

But he knew this was just the beginning.

In this Journey to the West world where gods and immortals roam freely, he, a mere mortal, has a long way to go if he wants to rise above others.

"But it's okay."

A confident smile appeared on Chu Yang's lips.

"I have plenty of time."

"One day, I will make the Cui family pay the price for what they have done today."

"And I, too, will carve out a place for myself in this world."

The official road winds its way into the distance.

Chu Yang walked alone on this road leading to the unknown, his mind racing as he quickly calculated his next plan.

Although he had temporarily escaped the threat from the Cui family, he knew that this was only a temporary measure.

To truly gain a foothold in this world, he must acquire the ability to cultivate.

Otherwise, a mortal with no strength to even kill a chicken would ultimately be nothing more than an ant in this world where gods and monsters roam freely.

"First, I need to figure out what point in time we are at."

Chu Yang stopped and sat down on a large rock by the roadside, beginning to organize the information in his mind.

Although he possesses the memories of Chu Yang from other dimensions, most of the information about the Journey to the West world in those memories comes from stories and legends, and cannot be completely certain about the reality.

"The main storyline of the Journey to the West world is Tang Sanzang's journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures."

"The journey to the West began when Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, dispatched the Buddhist monk Xuanzang to the Western Paradise."

"If I can determine how much time is left before the journey to the West begins, I can roughly estimate the current timeframe."

Thinking of this, Chu Yang stood up and walked towards a small town not far ahead.

The town was called Qinghe Town, a major commercial town outside Chang'an City, with many merchants coming and going and relatively good information flow.

He planned to go there to find out the current situation.

Qinghe Town is small, but it's lively.

Shops lined both sides of the street, vendors' calls rose and fell, and people came and went, creating a bustling scene.

Chu Yang found a teahouse that looked fairly clean and went inside.

"Sir, what would you like to order?" a waiter greeted him warmly.

Chu Yang sat down at a table in the corner and said, "Bring a pot of tea and a few plates of snacks."

"Alright! Please wait a moment, sir!"

The waiter responded and left, returning shortly with tea and snacks.

Chu Yang sipped his tea while listening intently to the casual conversations of the other guests.

Teahouses are the places where information is most readily available, and merchants coming and going always like to exchange all sorts of gossip and news here.

"Hey, have you heard? His Majesty has recently become obsessed with Buddhism, spending all his time chanting scriptures and reciting Buddhist mantras in the palace."

"That's right! I heard they even invited several eminent monks to the palace to give lectures!"

"Hey, did you know? It's said there was a young Buddhist monk named Xuanzang, whose knowledge of Buddhism was profound, and who was personally appointed by the Emperor to preside over the Water and Land Dharma Assembly as the main lecturer."

"Xuanzang? That's the eminent monk from Jinshan Temple?"

"That's right! I heard he's the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, born with innate wisdom!"

Chu Yang's heart stirred, and he put down the teacup in his hand.

Xuanzang...

Water and Land Assembly...

These keywords immediately reminded him of the plot of Journey to the West.

If I remember correctly, the opportunity for Tang Sanzang to go to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures was the Water and Land Assembly.

At the Water and Land Assembly, Guanyin Bodhisattva transformed into an old monk, presented Emperor Taizong of Tang with a cassock and a staff, and told Tang Sanzang that there was Mahayana Buddhism in the Western Paradise that could deliver the souls of the dead.

Emperor Taizong of Tang was overjoyed and sent Tang Sanzang to the Western Paradise to obtain Buddhist scriptures.

"In other words, the journey to the West should not be far off..."

Chu Yang frowned slightly, and began to make plans in his mind.

"wrong……"

He carefully recalled the words of those merchants and suddenly discovered a crucial piece of information.

"They say Xuanzang was chosen as the main speaker for the Water and Land Assembly, which means the assembly hasn't even started yet!"

"This means we're still in the stage before the pilgrimage!"

Chu Yang was overjoyed.

If this is still before the journey to the West, it means he still has plenty of time to prepare!
He can use this time to improve his strength and build connections, and then find a way to get on the good side of Tang Sanzang and his disciples when the journey to the West begins!
"etc……"

Chu Yang then thought of another question.

"If this were before the journey to the West, Sun Wukong would still be imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain, right?"

He carefully recalled the plot of Journey to the West.

After Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, he was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain by the Buddha Tathagata. He was only freed when Tang Sanzang passed by the Five Elements Mountain and broke the seal.

"wrong……"

Chu Yang frowned again.

"Sun Wukong was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain five hundred years ago. If there's still some time before the journey to the West begins, then Sun Wukong should still be imprisoned."

"But if it hasn't been five hundred years since Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace..."

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.

"Forget it, it's better to just ask directly."

Chu Yang beckoned to a waiter and asked, "Waiter, I'd like to ask you something."

"Please speak, sir," the waiter replied warmly.

"Do you know what the current reign title is? How many years has His Majesty been on the throne?"

The waiter was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Sir, you must have a very good memory. Don't you even know this?"

"It is now the Zhenguan era, and His Majesty has been on the throne for thirteen years."

The thirteenth year of the Zhenguan era!
Chu Yang immediately understood.

According to the Journey to the West, Tang Sanzang set off on his pilgrimage in the thirteenth year of the Zhenguan era!
In other words, the journey to the West is about to begin!
"Then do you know what major events happened five hundred years ago?" Chu Yang asked again.

The waiter scratched his head, looking bewildered: "Five hundred years ago? That's too long ago, how would I know?"

“However…” he lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously, “I have heard from the older generation that five hundred years ago, a stone monkey wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace and was suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain by the Buddha.”

"It is said that the Five Elements Mountain is located on the border of Xiniu Hezhou, and the stone monkey is still trapped under the mountain to this day!"

Chu Yang was startled. (End of Chapter)