NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 191-197
Chapter 191: Seemingly Broken
…
Inside the Imperial Academy, Fang Zhengzhi had disappeared from the screen. The screen was filled with many candidates.
King Duan and Han Zhangfeng were staring at Xing Qingsui.
At this point, Xing Qingsui had just dispatched his opponent and entered the third round.
“Not bad, clean!” King Duan complimented.
“Mm, Xing Qingsui has indeed gotten some of Xing Hou’s battle prowess after following him around the battlefield for so many years. Even a Heavenly Reflection opponent did not manage to last a minute. These years were not wasted by him. Nobles with such thirst are rare now.” Han Zhangfeng nodded.
Xing Qingsui’s abilities did surprise him.
“This edition of the Imperial Examinations are very exciting. Official Han, why don’t you analyze who will come out on top. Will it be Xing Qingsui or Nangong Mu?” King Duan turned to look at Nangong Mu, who had also just made it to the third round.
“King Duan, my lord, that is difficult for me to say. Pardon my blindness, but Nangong Mu’s opponents have been too weak… almost as if he was purposely trying to conceal his powers.” Han Zhangfeng shook his head.
“Mm, this Nangong Mu…” King Duan did not continue, deep in thought.
The Ninth Prince also seemed to be deep in thought.
Han Zhangfeng did not engage King Duan anymore, looking at the time instead. Then, he happened to see the Ninth Prince deep in thought.
“Haha… what is the Ninth Prince thinking about?” Han Zhangfeng asked politely.
“Mm, I am wondering if Fang Zhengzhi can cross the broken bridge.” The Ninth Prince replied after some thought.
“The Ninth Prince thinks too much. The World of the Sage was created by the Sagely Battle God himself. His will is in each barrier. It is not very possible for a Heavenly Reflection State cultivator to break them.” Han Zhangfeng’s eyes glimmered as he heard the question. However, he still explained it patiently.
“Then is there no way to pass this barrier?” The Ninth Prince asked doubtfully.
“It is passable, but you need to find the right place. Those who had chosen the broken bridge have yet to find the right way and too many have failed trying to go up against it. However, to the best of my knowledge, never in history has a Heavenly Reflection State cultivator made it through.” Han Zhangfeng smiled and nodded.
“I see, then… I guess he won’t be able to break it either.” The Ninth Prince said disappointedly.
“It’s not a guess, it’s definite!” King Duan spoke up again, then sighed lightly.
His eyes seem to sigh with him.
“Ninth Brother, I am not trying to chide you, but you are of the royal bloodline as well. Sometimes, you must be more careful. Even though you’re just an assistant and Official Han is still the Chief Examiner, you should at least go read up on the World of the Sage right? It’s a good thing no one heard your question. How can a Heavenly Reflection State cultivator cross the Broken Bridge Barrier? That is simply the twisted idea of an arrogant youth.”
“My Lord, you are wise!” The Ninth Prince nodded as he listened to King Duan, but his eyes continued to think.
However, the screen was focused on the second round of the World of the Sage and he did not know how the First Round was unfolding.
…
Inside the World of the Sage.
Ping Yang’s voice had become more and more impatient.
Xing Qingsui and Nangong Mu are already through to the third round, and I am still here in the first round!” Ping Yang pouted in frustration.
Yan Xiu was still calm and icy, almost as if he never heard the announcements.
As for the three poor souls, they became more and more worried. The longer Fang Zhengzhi took, the higher the chances of them being pushed over.
Fang Zhengzhi looked the most relaxed amongst them all.
He was not overly serious or stern. He looked rather bored as he looked at the stones on the bridge and the thick mist on the opposite side.
He looked more like he was trying to enjoy the view.
From the moment he stepped on the bridge, he had been admiring it.
He had been looking at the stone plate for quite a few minutes. Then, upon stepping on the bridge, he looked at every stone, even every crack.
It must be said that the broken bridge showed signs of age. If this was his previous world, this would be a popular tourist attraction.
Since this was a barrier in the World of the Sage, what was so special about it?
Fang Zhengzhi could tell that the World of the Sage was different from the pocket dimension he was in during the River Of Trust Province Examinations.
Those barriers were linked by magical formations. However, the Broken Bridge was different. This was an exquisitely built bridge, with nothing else apart from its beauty.
He didn’t feel any pressure when standing on the bridge. There were no falling rocks, no hidden traps. It looked like an ordinary bridge.
But this was the World of the Sage.
This was a world created by the Sagely Battle God Meng Tian.
This was definitely not a normal bridge.
Fang Zhengzhi had expected to see some hints on the bridge, some words or patterns at the very least.
However, after more than an hour, he realized…
There was nothing.
This design was utterly intoxicating.
However, Fang Xhengzhi was not bothered. He was actually quite relaxed.
After all, if he couldn’t cross it, the solution was simple.
He would just throw someone off.
Since it was so simple, Fang Zhengzhi naturally did not need to be so stubborn about crossing the bridge.
Crossing it was a bonus.
There was no loss to him even if he failed to cross it.
Fang Zhengzhi had always been very willful. As such, after admiring the scenery, he began to look around the bridge, seeing if there were any floating reflections of sorts.
However, he was disappointed to find nothing under the bridge. There were no rocks or floating images. All he saw was the dark valley.
He could not see the bottom. Perhaps, there was no bottom.
“Even though there is no particularly beautiful scenery below, one still feels like god looking down on Earth.”
“Broken Bridge…”
Fang Zhengzhi looked at the blurry white mist and shut his eyes, enjoying the breeze. Then, a picture formed in his mind.
It was also a broken bridge.
Every time there was a snowstorm, the bridge would be covered by snow. As a result, it blended into the surroundings and the bridge would barely be seen. The snow would make it look like it was broken in the middle, but it was merely an illusion.
“A river runs through the heart of the lush valley.”
“The air is moist even though there is no rain, the sky is dim even though there are no clouds.”
“The Broken Bridge stands in the middle of it all as flowers wilt all around it.”
“The bells chime in the Northern Forest as I think about the view from my Western Window.” [1]
“The Broken Bridge during Winter is one of the ten greatest sights in the West Lake. Have I suddenly returned to my previous world? Wouldn’t it be cool to destroy a luxury car?”
Just as he was thinking about it, Fang Zhengzhi stiffened.
“Hang on!”
If he thought of the white mist as the the snow, then this would just be like the Broken Bridge on the West Lake. They were both ancient and had elements that prevented others from seeing it in its entirety.
The West Lake Broken Bridge was an optical illusion created by the snow.
The current Broken Bridge was obscured by mist, and this created a rather holy illusion.
It looked blurry.
It wasn’t actually broken!
Broken Bridge!
“I think I get it… no way?! Could it be that this broken bridge is…” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes lit up, almost as if he had been enlightened.
[1] adapted from a poem written by Zhang Hu.
Chapter 192: Jumping into the Valley
Blurry is a term usually used to describe something that is partially obscured and not very clear.
However, Fang Zhengzhi was not using that term in this regard. He was thinking of a stranger and more mystical meaning.
The design in front of him was not too difficult to guess.
Usually, all of the barriers in the pocket dimensions would contain some form of hints. At the very least, they would tell you what you needed to do to pass.
However, the Broken Bridge gave no such hints. From the words on the stone, to the construct of the bridge, everything was very normal.
It would be difficult to know where to begin.
This looked like a barrier which required raw power to go through.
But, this was a barrier, a barrier in the World of the Sage. There had to be more than one way through.
There was no hint. That meant that the hint had already been given.
That is because…
The hint is the broken bridge!
Fang Zhengzhi did not know if he was right. This was too daring and novel a move. Very few people would think of the same idea.
However, if it was the same principle as how he attained the Heavenly Reflection State…
Then it was not impossible.
If this bridge was a reflection, then there had to be a real stone bridge somewhere else.
As he thought about it, he turned around and left the bridge. He then walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked over.
“Is he planning to jump off the cliff simply because he can’t cross the bridge?” Ping Yang kicked her leg in the direction of Fang Zhengzhi, her expression doubtful.
“I don’t think so?” Yan Xiu had no idea what Fang Zhengzhi was doing. However, he knew that Fang Zhengzhi would not do something so extreme.
As for the other three poor souls, they sweat profusely as they looked at Fang Zhengzhi pacing about, “What is he doing? Is he trying to find a good burial ground for us?”
They wanted to cry just thinking about it…
Even though they knew that it was inevitable, they still felt sad when it came.
…
Fang Zhengzhi had no idea what Ping Yang and Yan Xiu were thinking. All he thought about was finding that other stone bridge. He walked the cliff, stamping his foot every now and then.
“No? No rush… there are still many more places to go.”
“No again?”
“What bad luck, still nothing?”
Every time he walked a few steps, he would extend his leg and step down, trying to see if there was a hidden stone bridge.
However…
Even after going around the entire cliff, he still did not step on anything solid.
Was he wrong?
Fang Zhengzhi felt that if the bridge they saw was a fake, then there should be a real one by the cliff side.
But there wasn’t.
“That’s not quite right? Isn’t there supposed to be a real one and a fake one?” Fang Zhengzhi cursed in his heart, his mind twirling.
Blurry.
It looks like it’s broken when it’s not…
This theory should still hold true.
So what was the problem?
Just as Fang Zhengzhi was thinking, he turned to look at the white mist at the other side. He began to observe the changes carefully.
Time began to pass.
A moment later.
His eyes glimmered.
“Broken Bridge… broken! I understand now, I thought that there was another real bridge, but there isn’t. Since this is named the broken bridge, it really is a broken bridge. There is another half on the other side, but they are not in a straight line. They are apart!”
This way, those not powerful enough will definitely fall to the valley.
Yes, this must be the case!
Two halves that are not placed in a straight line.
The broken bridge was the hint, hinting that there was a hidden half on the other side. As long as the direction was correct and one was powerful enough, one could reach the other side.
It was simple.
However, if one could not see the opposite side, it would be difficult to understand the logic.
It was a good thing Fang Zhengzhi could apply what he learnt.
So…
What was the correct direction?
Fang Zhengzhi began to look at the white mist once again. Very quickly, he found the position of the other half. The mist was a little thicker there.
This was a very ordinary scene. Mist would always be a little thicker at certain places.
Those who did not know why the mist would be thicker would not know that there was another bridge behind it.
What allowed Fang Zhengzhi to know that that was the location was that no matter the changes, the mist around that area was always thicker than the surroundings.
“Let’s go, we will cross the bridge!” Fang Zhengzhi turned to look at Yan Xiu and Ping Yang, smiling.
“Cross the bridge? How?” Ping Yang was taking a nap, her eyes snapping open in doubt when she heard Fang Zhengzhi’s voice.
Yan Xiu did not speak, but, he was equally doubtful.
“Of course we’ll jump, watch closely!” After Fang Zhengzhi finished, he did not explain any further, jumping off the cliff and towards the mist.
This shocked Ping Yang.
She never understood why Fang Zhengzhi would think of such a method after more than an hour examining the bridge?
Jump…
Was it so easy?
Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi did not jump from the broken bridge. He jumped off the cliff?
He really jumped off it!
“Fang Zhengzhi really jumped off the cliff!” Ping Yang’s jaw dropped.
“…” Yan Xiu’s jaw also dropped. He did not understand why Fang Zhengzhi would decide to jump off the cliff all of a sudden. Was he hallucinating?
The three poor souls also stared widely as they saw Fang Zhengzhi jump.
“Jump off a cliff?!”
“That’s his bright idea?”
“How did he manage to attain Heavenly Reflection? Who does something so dumb? If you gave me an hour to think, I would at least use a bamboo stick to help me jump!”
The five of them looked at Fang Zhengzhi’s disappearing silhoueete.
Fang Zhengzhi was floating in mid air, a light breeze supporting him. He was clearly controlling the wind elements around him.
This was something very normal.
It was not special at all.
It was the pedestrian nature of his actions that puzzled everyone.
So many people before him had tried the same tactic. Some of them had jumped from the cliff, the others from the broken bridge.
They all ended up…
The same way.
“Drop down!”
The three hostages shouted in unison.
No one expected Fang Zhengzhi to be able to cross the broken bridge. Never would they expect that the way to cross the bridge was by jumping.
Yan Xiu wanted to stop him, but, it was too late.
Fang Zhengzhi had already took the leap. He was incredibly quick and disappeared into the thick mist in an instant.
“So dumb! To think I trusted him so much!” Ping Yang scolded, then, she turned to look at the three hostages, almost as if saying, “So who wants to go first?”
“…”
The three hostages immediately understood what Ping Yang meant. They looked at each other. Since Fang Zhengzhi had jumped, one of them had the chance to live.
Under such a circumstance, no one was willing to step out.
The three of them did not move.
However, Yan Xiu moved. He looked at the white mist in the distance, his expression icy. Then, he also jumped in the same direction as Fang Zhengzhi.
Ping Yang was just about to choose yet another two people. Seeing Yan Xiu walk to the edge of the cliff, her jaw dropped once again.
“Yan Xiu, are you going to follow Fang Zhengzhi’s footsteps and jump? Don’t be dumb… this is the World of the Sage, I will never believe that this is the way to pass the barrier!” Ping Yang said in disdain.
“Since he jumped, I will jump too!” Yan Xiu’s voice was icy. He ignored Ping Yang’s advice and walked towards the spot where Fang Zhengzhi had jumped off
He squatted, then leapt into the air!
“No way?! He really leapt!” Ping Yang looked at Yan Xiu, who was in mid air, in disbelief.
Chapter 193: Into the Second Round
The three hostages were in utter disbelief. If Fang Zhengzhi was stupid to jump, Yan Xiu was clearly not some who would do something so dumb!
Furthermore…
Even if Yan Xiu thought that Fang Zhengzhi was right, he need not be in such a hurry to jump.
Since Fang Zhengzhi had already jumped, he could have waited for the announcement that Fang Zhengzhi passed before jumping.
But he jumped even before the announcement was made.
This was clearly irrational.
“Has he also become stupid from hanging out with Fang Zhengzhi?”
Just as they were thinking about it, a crisp voice rang out in the sky.
“Fang Zhengzhi is through to the second round!”
“Hahaha… Fang Zhengzhi is indeed out, which one of you will let me push you… oh? Hold on… he advanced to the second round?!” Ping Yang’s expression stiffened.
The three hostages were also shocked.
“Fang Zhengzhi advances to the second round?!”
“How is that possible?!”
“He really jumped over? Is that possible?”
The three hostages looked at each other, filled with disbelief. They found it hard to accept the truth.
Fang Zhengzhi did not push them off the cliff.
If he advanced to the second round, that could only mean one thing.
He crossed the Broken Bridge!
“He… he really crossed it?!” Ping Yang stared at the white mist, unable to bring herself to believe that this was true.
The Broken Bridge in the World of the Sage…
No Heavenly Reflection state person had ever crossed it in centuries.
But Fang Zhengzhi managed?
“What is his cultivation level? No way… no way he has broken through the Heavenly Reflection State right?” Ping Yang only had one explanation, but that explanation seemed even more ludicrous.
Just at that moment, a second voice rung out in the air.
“Yan Xiu advances to the second round!”
“What?!” Ping Yang’s jaw dropped. Her surprise and shock was even more than when Fang Zhengzhi had saw her naked.
The three hostages were also in shock.
If Fang Zhengzhi had passed because he had been hiding his true powers, then how did Yan Xiu make it over?
“You can actually jump over!” The three hostages could not believe it. But they had to, that was the truth.
It had happened right in front of their eyes.
…
Time passed slowly. By the time Ping Yang and the others reacted, minutes had past.
Ping Yang quickly looked to the three hostages.
“You all jump first!”
“What?! Please no… princess please!”
“If not, I will push all three of you down!” Ping Yang picked up the Blazing Qilin Spear, a raging flame around her.
She looked like she was bathing in fire.
The three of them looked at Ping Yang and resigned to fate.
“Your Highness… since we are going to jump, can I jump from here?” One of the hostages looked at the Broken Bridge. He felt that jumping from the cliff side was too crazy.
If he had to jump, he would rather jump from the Broken Bridge.
“Okay then, go ahead!” Ping Yang looked at the Broken Bridge, then at the cliff, her lips curling upwards into a sneer before nodding.
The hostage did not notice her sneer. Upon hearing that he could jump from the bridge, he heaved a sigh of relief.
He did not delay any longer.
He rushed to the Broken Bridge and leapt before Ping Yang could change her mind…
“Ah!” His screams could be heard as he fell.
…
“Song Zailin has been eliminated”
The crisp voice resounded through the air after a brief pause.
When Ping Yang heard the voice, her smile became even more radiant, “What an… idiot! You two, where do you want to jump from?”
“We will jump from there!” The other two hostages broke out in cold sweat upon hearing Song Zailin’s elimination. They chose to jump from the same spot as Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu without hesitation.
“Okay, you all can go ahead.” Ping Yang nodded.
“Young master Tang please?”
“Young master Li, I think you should go first!”
The two of them began to push each other forward.
“Enough nonsense. You, stay. If he is eliminated, I will push you down. You… go jump!” Ping Yang ordered them in exasperation.
The two hostages looked at each other. They knew that they had no other choice. At least they had a chance to live if they jumped.
As such, young master Tang grit his teeth and sprinted to the cliff. Then, he leapt into the white mist.
Ping Yang looked on nervously as she saw him disappear into the mist.
…
“Tang Jiming advances to the second round!”
The crisp voice rang out in the air once again.
“Hahaha… I am so smart. You have to jump from that location!” Ping Yang was excited when she heard the voice.
The other hostage began to sweat, “What has this got to do with your highness? Fang Zhengzhi figured it out.”
“What did you see?”
“Ah?! I said that your highness is smart and able to see through the trap!”
Do you really think I’m stupid? I just don’t want to kill you and stop me from going through using the Broken Bridge. Else, I would stab you right now with my spear.” Ping Yang walked towards the cliff, ignoring the hostage.
The hostage did not say anything else. He exclaimed to himself, “Your highness… you can only pierce with a spear!”
…
Inside the Imperial Academy.
King Duan and Han Zhangfeng were looking at the screen.
It was showing the third round of the World of the Sage. After intense competition, almost all of the candidates were in the third round, leaving only a few in the second round.
“I guess Nangong Mu will have to start showing his true abilities now?” King Duan sipped his tea excitedly.
Anyone who could enter the third round was probably in the Heavenly Reflection State. It would not be as easy to conceal one’s abilities now.
Just at this moment, a black robed messenger ran from the other room.
“Message for King Duan, Ninth Prince and Official Han. Fang… Fang Zhengzhi has already entered… entered the second round.” The messenger struggled to swallow his saliva as he delivered the message, clearly still recovering from his shock.
“What’s the use of being so flustered?” Han Zhangfeng was clearly displeased by the messenger’s demeanor.
“Yes… yes…” the Messenger replied, mouth agape.
“No worries, it’s over already. How many people are left in the second round?” King Duan waved Han Zhangfeng away and did not chide the messenger for his flustered demeanor.
“In… in reply to your highness, there were originally two left, but now, there are seven.” The messenger knew that he was slightly out of sorts. He took a deep breath before continuing his message. What he just saw was way too stunning.
“Two left? Haha… that’s not enough for the three of them. They’ll have to fight amongst themselves… hang on, you said seven?”
King Duan smiled when the messenger replied with two. But upon closer thought, it did not seem right. How did two plus three give seven?
“Messenger Wang, are you okay? You seem to be talking nonsense. How are there seven people in the second round? Didn’t you say that there was no one left in the first round?” Han Zhangfeng’s tone was icy.
“King Duan, Official Han, please forgive me! There is no one left in the first round. However, of the three people Fang Zhengzhi and his group captured, two of them passed as well, so there are seven in the second round.”
“What do you mean? You’re saying that two of his hostages passed… are you saying…” Han Zhangfeng seemed to finally see the light and his expression changed.
“They… passed the Broken Bridge Barrier!”
Chapter 194: Just Passing By
“What?!” King Duan’s teacup fell to the ground when he heard the news, “You said that they crossed the Broken Bridge? How is that possible?!”
“He really crossed the Broken Bridge…” The messenger was also in disbelief, but that was a fact.
“He really crossed the Broken Bridge?!” King Duan’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. He kept staring at Han Zhangfeng. Han Zhangfeng was equally shocked by the news.
Both King Duan and Han Zhangfeng knew that Fang Zhengzhi had a high chance of passing the first round, but neither of them expected him to do so by crossing the Broken Bridge.
In so many years, no one had been able to find out the truth behind the Broken Bridge.
But now…
Fang Zhengzhi figured it out?
“How did he cross the Broken Bridge?!” Han Zhangfeng was in awe. In his many years as the Chief Examiner, he had seen his fair share of talents, but he had never been floored like this.
This was the World of the Sage.
A world created by the Sagely Battle God Meng Tian. How could it be solved so easily?
“He jumped. He jumped over…” The messenger’s voice became softer towards the end. Even he could not believe that one could jump over.
“He jumped over?!” Han Zhangfeng had expected a different answer. When he heard what the messenger had to say, he was completely stunned.
Was there an even more direct and simple answer?
This method must have been tried by others before him.
“How did he manage to jump over the Broken Bridge?” King Duan had expected Fang Zhengzhi to have a different method. He refused to believe that Fang Zhengzhi had used such a “stupid” method.
“He did not jump from the Broken Bridge. He jumped from the cliff side.” The messenger explained.
“From the cliff? This, this…”
King Duan and Han Zhangfeng looked at each other once again. As a king and a Chief Examiner, they could not be too liberal with their expressions in front of their subordinates.
That being said, they could not understand where they had went wrong.
“Okay, I got it. You… may take your leave.” King Duan did not say anything else.
As a king, he did not want his intentions to be too obvious. As such, he had to try to calm himself down, but his fists were clenched. He did not understand how Fang Zhengzhi could create miracle after miracle.
He was someone who had never ever been formally taught.
First, he had topped all the prior examinations. Then, he broke through to the Heavenly Reflection State at the Divine Constabulary, becoming only the second person under 18 to achieve that feat.
After entering Yan Capital, he completed the entire theory examination in four hours. Furthermore, his scripts were completely flawless, making him the top scorer in the Theory Examinations.
Now…
He managed to solve the unsolvable Broken Bridge?
And he jumped from the cliff!
Could he be any more crazy? Were these all coincidences? Or heaven’s will?
King Duan did not know, but for the first time ever, he felt threatened, almost as if there was a sword dangling over his head.
Han Zhangfeng looked at the leaving messenger. He too was unsettled. Ever since Ping Yang joined Fang Zhengzhi, nothing had gone their way.
Fang Zhengzhi had showed stunning abilities, knocking Su Donglin our in the first round.
And now, he actually managed to cross the broken bridge?!
This made him lose his cool.
He had to calm himself down. He no longer watched Xing Qingsui and Nangong Mu. He closed his eyes, deep in thought as he pondered the his next moves.
He needed to deliver a lethal blow.
“Fang Zhengzhi… the Broken Bridge. He managed to cross it… the Broken Bridge!” Han Zhangfeng kept repeating it to himself. He wanted to calm himself down and convince himself that it was all a coincidence. But when someone experienced too many coincidences, it was no longer a coincidence.
What now?
He cannot be flustered. The more flustered he was, the worse it will get.
This is a confidence, this must be a coincidence. He definitely cannot pass the second barrier, definitely not! Han Zhangfeng convinced himself as his breathing slowed.
The Ninth Prince did not even look at the leaving messenger. He did not say or ask anything from start to finish.
It was almost as if he did not even hear the messenger.
…
Fang Zhengzhi did not know what was going on inside the Imperial Academy. He was strolling along the Broken Bridge, enjoying the view as he went.
That’s right, he was still walking on the Broken Bridge.
However…
This side was surrounded by thick white mist. It was almost like a palace in the clouds. The view was outstanding, but he could not see what was ahead.
What he could be sure of was that this bridge was way longer than the one before.
If the two parts were like a sword, the first one would be like the sword hilt, and the one now was the sword blade.
A blade many times longer than the hilt.
“That is indeed the case! There is another bridge on the other side, but it is a much longer one!” Fang Zhengzhi finally understood why it was impossible to jump from the bridge on the other side.
When he turned to look behind, he could not see anything but white mist.
However, another figure quickly came through the white mist.
It was Yan Xiu, dressed in white.
“You’re here?”
“I’m here.”
Their conversations were rather simple. They did not need lengthy sentences to convey what they wanted to say to each other.
“Let’s go.” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Yan Xiu.
“Okay.” Yan Xiu nodded.
As such, the two of them began to walk slowly along the bridge. It was almost as if they were walking on clouds.
“Hahaha… so there is another Broken Bridge on this side. I actually managed to cross it. Father must have been shocked that I jump? Sister Yan would also not have thought of this, hahaha… I am to good, too smart.”
Just as Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu were waking, Ping Yang’s voice rang out behind them. Then, a red light shone through the white mist as she walked out, waving her Blazing Qilin Spear.
“Hey, Fang Zhengzhi! Why didn’t you wait for me?” Ping Yang chased from behind, looking rather discontented.
“Why did you wait so long before coming over?” Fang Zhengzhi replied without turning his head.
Ping Yang was stunned as she blinked. She knew what Fang Zhengzhi was driving at, but it was difficult for her to admit her mistake.
As such, Ping Yang laughed after her eyes darted around for a little bit.
“Hahaha… it’s like that. There was one person who insisted on jumping from the bridge. I tried very hard to stop him but to no avail. In the end, not only did he fall to his death, he also delayed me.”
After Ping Yang finished, the two hostages looked on in disbelief. What utter rubbish? Since when did you stop him? You agreed to let him jump!
But after some thought, they decided against calling Ping Yang out.
Fang Zhengzhi did not believe it either, but he chose not to call her lie. He continued walking ahead, but slowed down slightly for Ping Yang to catch up.
After all, he was not in a rush. He would just enjoy this scenery for a little longer.
…
There were two candidates left in the second round. The two of them were bruised and battered. Their breaths were labored and raspy, their eyes bloodshot. They held their weapons shakily.
The winner advanced and the loser was out.
This was the combat examinations, why wouldn’t they give it their all?
“Kill!” One of the candidates drew his sword. Just as he was about to go all out, he heard footsteps, accompanied by the laughter of a girl.
“Why are there other people?” The two candidates looked to their back suspiciously.
They saw five figures walking out of the white mist. The entire scene was rather weird.
Before long, the figures became clearer.
Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, Ping Yang, and the five others appeared.
The two candidates were stunned by what they saw.
“Fang… Fang Zhengzhi?”
“Princess Ping Yang?!”
“And Yan Xiu, young master Tang… what is going on?”
Fang Zhengzhi appeared from the mist. He heard his own name being called. When he turned his head, he saw two candidates staring at him.
“It’s been tough on you both. Please carry on, we are just passing by.” Fang Zhengzhi greeted the two candidates and walked on, ignoring them thereafter.
Yan Xiu and Ping Yang ignored the two candidates as well. They followed behind Fang Zhengzhi and walked towards the second round barrier.
The two candidates looked at the group in shock. They gently rubbed their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing.
“Just passing by? What is the meaning of that?”
“Was that really Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu? Are… are my eyes playing tricks on me?”
“We can’t both be blind right?”
“Then… can you tell me why there are five of them?”
“…”
“Could it be… that they crossed the Broken Bridge?!”
“My gosh, that’s… that’s impossible?!”
The two candidates were stunned. They simply could not believe that anyone could cross the Broken Bridge. However, it was a fact that they were traveling as a group of five.
Then…
There was only one possibility. They crossed the Broken Bridge, all five of them.
But why were they a group of five and not a group of six?
Chapter 195: Twin Stone Tablets
No one answered the questions of the two candidates. The group of five had already walked to a tall tree some distance away.
This was a rather dense tree, but there were no fruits on it.
It was a very normal looking tree, and there were two pitch black stone plates below.
“This is the second round barrier!” Ping Yang pointed towards the two stones underneath the tree and told Fang Zhengzhi.
“How do you know?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the stones.
These were too completely identical black rocks. The only difference was that the one in front had scriptures carved all over it whilst the one at the back was smooth as a mirror.
“Of course I know, how else do you think I got in here?” Ping Yang said contentedly.
“Oh? How did you get in here?”
“I had… ahem, that’s a secret. I’m not telling you!” Ping Yang caught herself in the nick of time.
“If my guess is correct, this must be the “Spiritual Chinese Scholar Tree” which let Meng Tian understand the Dao of Heaven. This would mean that the two stones are the “Twin Stone Tablets.” Yan Xiu spoke up suddenly.
“Yan Xiu is right. These are the twin stone tablets. However, they have never been solved by anyone all these years. They are very different tablets, one has words on it, the other doesn’t. However, the one with words will change every 15 minutes.” Ping Yang interjected.
“Then, how do we solve it?” Fang Zhengzhi did not want to destroy Ping Yang’s excitement.
Furthermore, he did not understand any of these.
“One has to memorize all the words in 15 minutes. Then, you have to copy them on the other board. You will only pass if you get them all correct. If you’re off by even one word, you’re out.” Ping Yang said arrogantly.
“So easy?” Fang Zhengzhi could not believe it.
“Simple? Who knows how many incredible talents have failed at this stage. The words on the tablet are from an ancient language, not something that we use now. Memorizing 3000 constantly changing foreign words with no rules to them is simple to you?” Ping Yang asked in disdain.
“Is that not simple?” Fang Zhengzhi replied condescendingly.
Ping Yang’s face immediately flushed red with anger.
“Humph. I can guess what you’re thinking. Many people have tried what you’re about to do. There have been many equally shameless people who tried to copy down the words on pen and paper. However, the words here are incredibly complex. Copying them down would take a huge amount of time. It would be impossible to copy them over to the other stone in time! I think that we should go kidnap the other two before one of them emerges victorious?”
Ping Yang snorted, then unconsciously looked towards the two seriously injured candidates. Her Blazing Qilin Spear began to buzz.
“I said that it was simple. We will definitely pass it!” Fang Zhengzhi ignored Ping Yang and took out pen and ink.
“What are you taking pen and ink for? I already told you copying is no use!” Ping Yang looked at Fang Zhengzhi with condescension.
“Did I say I was going to copy it down?” Fang Zhengzhi returned the condescending look.
“If… if you don’t plan on copying, then why have you taken out ink?” Ping Yang flung her hands in the air.
“To pour!” Fang Zhengzhi immediately splashed the ink on the stone. The black stone became even more black with ink.
This was blasphemous.
Utterly blasphemous.
Ping Yang was livid. She never expected that Fang Zhengzhi would do something so blasphemous. He was destroying the tablets!
More infuriatingly, after Fang Zhengzhi splashed the paint, he took out a huge brush and began scrubbing the stone.
Fire began to dance on Ping Yang’s Blazing Qilin Spear.
Just as she was about declare battle on Fang Zhengzhi, Fang Zhengzhi retrieved a few pieces of paper and began to join them together.
“Oh? What are you doing?” Ping Yang froze as her eyes revealed her confusion. What was he doing, joining the paper together?
“Do you know what is a letterpress?” Fang Zhengzhi did not even raise his head.
“What press?”
“Aish… with your intelligence, you won’t understand even if I explained it to you. Let me show you a mold.” Fang Zhengzhi continued to work.
Yan Xiu quietly watched by the side, not speaking.
The two hostages were quiet as well. They did not dare say anything.
Ping Yang was clearly on the edge of blowing up. They were certain that only Fang Zhengzhi had the audacity to speak to Princess Ping Yang like this.
“How dare you insult my intelligence? If you don’t explain to me what press and mold you’re making, I will challenge you in a fight to the death!” Ping Yang was furious.
“Sure, but you have to do me a favor.” Fang Zhengzhi said unhurriedly.
“What is it?”
“Lend me your Blazing Qilin Spear for fun.”
“Quit dreaming!”
“Then do you want to quickly enter the third round? Valuable time will be wasted if I don’t have the Blazing Qilin Spear.”
“Humph, don’t try to lie to me. I am smart enough not to fall for it.” Ping Yang snorted derisively as she pouted, determined not to fall for the trick.
Fang Zhengzhi did not say anymore. He picked up the joined up pieces of paper and pressed them on the stone tablet.
Before long, he turned around.
The white paper was filled with the words of the tablet.
Ping Yang was quickly mesmerized by the words. Her eyes darted around as she pondered over it. However, she couldn’t fully understand it.
“Do you plan to memorize them in advance? It’s no use. The words will change order in a while.” Ping Yang looked at the paper with the words. She still thought that this method was not going to work.
“Don’t talk so much rubbish, pass me the Blazing Qilin Spear!”
“You… humph, if you dare lie to me, I will fight it out with you!” Ping Yang looked at Fang Zhengzhi’s extended hand and unwillingly placed the Blazing Qilin Spear in his hand.
Fang Zhengzhi took the Blazing Qilin Spear in his hand and stabbed it into the ground.
A huge column of flames shot up into the sky. It’s domineering aura seemed even more intense in Fang Zhengzhi’s control.
“Boom!” A loud sound echoed out.
A huge hole appeared instantly in the ground.
“What… what are you trying to do?” Ping Yang was unsettled by this.
“Trying out its power? Do you have a problem?” Fang Zhengzhi spun it around contentedly before getting to work.
In his previous world, he would need at least a couple of days to build a three thousand word letterpress.
But it was much easier in this world.
Him, Yan Xiu, and Ping Yang could control the elements around them. As such, the five of them could easily change the shape of the soil to make a mold.
Building a letterpress would probably only take them 15 minutes here.
Then, Fang Zhengzhi began to delegate the work. The paper in his hand was torn into five pieces and each person began to make the mold.
Ping Yang was slightly unwilling. However, she began to become more excited after seeing Fang Zhengzhi’s demonstration.
Before long, with five people working on it, a mold as large as the tablet was formed.
Then, Fang Zhengzhi began to explain to Ping Yang and Yan Xiu how this mold was used.
At the start, Ping Yang was still doubtful and untrusting. However, after hearing it through, her eyes began to glimmer.
“That works? But… isn’t it too shameless?”
“Do you understand?”
“Understand.”
“Then I will demonstrate once. After I pass, I will leave the mold behind.”
“Go on.”
“There’s something I must say first. After we get out of this place, I want to patent this technology. Anyone who wants to use this must pay me silver. Do you all understand?”
“What is a patent?” Ping Yang was confused.
Fang Zhengzhi began to sweat. It looks like this world is really very different. Forget the patent, let’s just pass the Twin Stone Tablets.
He walked up to the tablet with scriptures. The moment the words changed, he quickly raised up the mold in his hand.
Seconds passed.
Ping Yang and Yan Xiu looked at Fang Zhengzhi nervously.
After about ten minutes, Fang Zhengzhi had completed his three thousand word mold.
Then, he began to stroll over to the empty tablet.
He brushed his mold with ink as he walked over.
“I press!” Fang Zhengzhi immediately pressed the mold against the empty tablet.
When Fang Zhengzhi lifted the mold, the tablet was filled with the 3000 words from the other tablet. They were naturally identical.
“Hum!” A bright, golden ray of light shot skyward.
…
Inside the Imperial Academy.
King Duan was clearly unsettled, his eyes glowing as he pondered.
Han Zhangfeng closed his eyes, silently sitting on the chair, not commenting on the third round as he had done before.
The Ninth Prince, on the other hand, was enjoying the third round competitions.
Then, he saw a figure appear in the picture. That was a figure who should not have been there. He simply appeared out of thin air in the middle of the raging battle.
His blue colored long sleeves were gently flapping in the breeze.
“Fang… Fang Zhengzhi?!” The Ninth Prince was so shocked by what he saw that he couldn’t help but exclaim.
“What is Ninth Brother yelling… oh? That, that is Fang Zhengzhi?! How… how did he advance to the third round?” King Duan was just about to chide the Ninth Prince about breaking his train of thought when the figure caught his eye.
He wasn’t the only one who was fascinated.
Everyone in the third round stood rooted to the ground.
They all looked at the youth dressed in the blue long sleeve. It was indeed Fang Zhengzhi.
Just at this moment, the messenger from before entered the room once again. He walked briskly, even forgetting some of the formalities in the process.
“King Duan my lord… Ninth Prince, Official Han, Fang… Fang Zhengzhi crosses the Twin Stone Tablets! He… he’s into the third round!”
“Hm?!” Han Zhangfeng’s eyes shot open. His sharp gaze scanned the screen, finally locking into Fang Zhengzhi.
He wanted to calm down, but he couldn’t.
Fang Zhengzhi had just crossed the Broken Bridge! And now he’s crossed the Twin Stone Tablets?!
If this was luck, how f*cking lucky was this guy?
“The Twin Stone Tablets… he actually cleared the Twin Stone Tablets! What… what is going on?!” King Duan, despite his temperament, found it difficult to calm down.
He could have attributed Fang Zhengzhi’s crossing of the Broken Bridge to luck.
But it was impossible to get lucky with the Twin Stone Tablets.
Furthermore…
Countless geniuses have failed to cross the Twin Stone Tablet barrier. It was too difficult, bordering on impossible to solve.
“How did he solve it?!”
By this point, King Duan and Han Zhangfeng were quite puzzled.
Even the Ninth Prince could not figure out how Fang Zhengzhi did it.
The messenger really wanted to respond, but he did not really know how to describe Fang Zhengzhi’s method of solving the Twin Stone Tablets.
“He… seemed to make a rock just like the Twin Stone Tablets… with identical inscriptions, then… he pressed it on the empty tablet. Then… he passed!” The messenger himself could not even understand what he was saying.
“Rubbish, the inscriptions on the Twin Stone Tablets change every fifteen minutes. How could he manage to make an identical one in that time?” Han Zhangfeng’s voice became incredibly icy.
“About that… I don’t know. But that was what he did. And Yan Xiu and the others…” Before the messenger could finish, a figure dressed in white appeared on the screen.
It was Yan Xiu.
Then, moments later, Ping Yang and the two hostages also appeared in the third round.
“Five… five?! They… they all passed the Twin Stone Tablets?! What… what is going on? How could all five of them memorize the 3000 words?!” Han Zhangfeng lost his cool.
He was seeing something completely senseless.
Fang Zhengzhi could be a genius. He could have incredible talents. But how did he manage to impart it all to the other four?
If only Fang Zhengzhi had passed the Twin Stone Tablets, one could attribute it to him being talented and having superb memory.
But…
All five of them passing?
That was beyond any logical explanation.
Chapter 196: Storm and Fire
Han Zhangfeng was not the only person to lose his cool.
The entire Imperial Academy exploded into chatter upon seeing Yan Xiu and Fang Zhengzhi appear on the screen.
No one could explain why Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and the three others could all pass the Twin Stone Tablets.
Could it be that they had managed to memorize all 3000 words on the first tablet and copy them over to the second one flawlessly?
How is that possible?
At this moment, everyone could only think of one possibility.
“Did they cheat?!”
…
What could they possibility have done to cheat and give all five of them superhuman memory?
No one could figure it out. The candidates of the combat examinations were also equally stumped.
Fang Zhengzhi was standing idly in the third round.
This was also a plain. There were rocks piled neatly on one side and a stone house stood to the east of the plain. It was surrounded by a forest of trees.
In the plains, each of the candidates were hurt rather badly.
However, they all stopped battling, staring in awe at the five figures who had appeared on the plain.
“Fang… Fang Zhengzhi?!”
“Five people?!”
“Why is it five people… how did they make it to the third round?”
All of the candidates remembered the three hostages that Ping Yang caught. They were thought of as being extremely unlucky. But now, two of them stood in the third round.
“Gulp!” One of the candidates swallowed his saliva with difficulty.
“Could it be that… they crossed the Broken Bridge?!”
“If it’s five people, wouldn’t it mean that they crossed the Twin Stone Tablets as well?” Another candidate added.
“How is that possible?! I will never believe that all five of them passed the Twin Stone Tablets!”
Their shock was possibly even greater than Han Zhangfeng and the others in the Imperial Academy. After all, they had paid in blood to get to the third round.
But Fang Zhengzhi and his group were unblooded.
They didn’t even have a scar.
“Oh, so you are only in the third round?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the surrounding candidates. He seemed slightly surprised, but a different kind of surprised as compared to the other candidates.
“What do you mean by only?”
The candidates were completely thrown off by the comment.
“Then, you all can carry on!” Fang Zhengzhi did not see a need to explain himself to them.
He just snatched the mold from one of the hostages and placed it inside his Heart Protection Mirror.
This mold contained the 3000 characters on the Twin Stone Tablets and was of significantly higher value.
He wanted to keep it as a souvenir.
Furthermore, it was the key ingredient to press.
That being said, it was not that easy to make the mold for 3000 words in under 15 minutes.
If not for the abilities that he had gotten in this world, allowing him to form the mold so easily, he would not have finished it in such a short time.
If this was the previous world, he would probably take more than an hour to form the words.
Fang Zhengzhi did not explain this to the other candidates, and did not bother wandering the battleground. The number of candidates was less than he expected.
This meant that there were people already through to the fourth round.
There were only four worlds in the World of the Sage. Entering the fourth round meant that one was into the final round of the combat examinations.
“Is that the las barrier?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the stone house some distance away.
He had no idea what was inside. Everyone who entered had no memory of what had happened inside. Also, no one had every come out of the stone house…
…
The rain in the capital showed no signs of stopping. In fact, it grew in intensity, eventually turning into a downpour.
Very little people roamed the streets in this weather.
Even the guards of the city showed signs of frustration as they stood at the gates.
Just at this moment, a group braved the rain and walked towards the city. They were all armored soldiers. However, as they walked, it was almost as if the rain parted for them, never actually landing on their armor.
This scene alone was sufficient for others to know that they were all at least in the Heavenly Reflection State.
Each of the soldiers rode a fine stallion. Each one was pitch black and their hooves were covered in scales. They kicked up clouds of mist as they galloped.
The guards at the gate immediately rid themselves of their frustrations. Those expressions were quickly replaced with ones of respect.
They did not stop as they passed through the gates.
They were headed for the palace complex.
When this group of soldiers passed, the guards heaved a sigh of relief. However, their eyes glimmered with curiosity and nerves.
Calm seemed to return after the soldiers left.
But things were not as they seemed.
15 minutes after the group of soldiers passed the gates, a black robed man wearing a hat appeared in their field of view.
The guards tensed once again.
This figure was not as open with his cultivation level and abilities as that group of soldiers. However, the guards could tell that he was not a simple person.
In fact, anyone who was traveling alone in such torrential rain would attract attention. Furthermore, this person wore his hat very low, obscuring his face from view.
“Freeze, take off your hat!” Two of the guards reacted instinctively.
The figure stood still in the rain.
However, he did not take off his hat. He stood there quietly, almost like a black statue.
“Didn’t you hear me, I asked you to take off your hat?” The two guards bellowed once again, their spears raised. They glimmered after being washed by the rain.
A line of archers above them were also alerted to the scene.
They quickly drew their bows and tensed. They were ready to shoot at a moment’s notice.
Security at the capital was incredibly tight.
There were two guards outside the gate, eight more inside, and a line of archers above. There were no less than 20 guards.
No one dared to act rashly with such a troop guarding the gates.
But the black robed man moved.
After the bows were drawn, he began to move excruciatingly slowly. He raised his hands, almost as if he was surrendering.
The guards began to tense.
Their training told them that these people were always extremely dangerous. They would not let down their guard until the threat was gone. This man had to first take off his hat and announce his identity.
If it was someone suspicious, they would instantly raise the alarm, activating the guards in the city, including those in the guard camp.
“Take off your hat slowly. Do not try to resist. There are at least 10 arrows aimed at you!” The guard warned. This was both a warning and a test.
The black robed man did not speak. He raised his hand slowly and pointed it at the two guards.
“Fire!”
The guards’ expressions changed. They had already seen the black robed man draw something from his sleeves. His sleeves were pitch dark, but there was something glowing faintly.
That was a scary sight.
“Bang bang bang…”
The sound of arrows releasing pierced through the sky.
10 arrows pierced the rain without any loss to their momentum as their bright tips, glowing faintly in the rain, flew towards the black robed man.
“Hum!”
A ray of light shone from the man’s sleeves. In a swift motion, he broke all ten arrows and shot through the rain. He passed by the bodies of the two guards and left a small crack on the city walls.
It was a swift knife stroke.
The two guards looked at the black robed man in disbelief.
However, they could not speak. Their throats had already been slit. Each slit was as clinical and clean as the one on the city wall.
The torrential rain showed no signs of stopping.
A second wave of arrows was fired, but the black robed man had left.
It was almost as if he never appeared at the city gates.
He had killed two guards.
Then he had left?
This did not make any sense, especially for someone as skilled as him. But that was what he did, and he did it all without saying a single word.
…
On the banks of a lake, a red rock stood tall in the rain. It was almost like a raging fire in the rain and it looked like it was going to boil away all the rain in the sky.
A lady in a white dress stood atop this rock. She held a green umbrella in her hand. There was an ink painting on the umbrella.
However, this painting was clearly no ordinary painting.
From the stroke of the brush, to the red stamp at the back of the painting, everything about it screamed that it was worth more than jade or jewels.
However, this painting was drawn on the umbrella. And the lady was using it in the rain.
She raised her head slightly as she looked in the direction of Yan Capital. Her silky black hair flew in the wind as her white veil was blown up by the rain, revealing a beautiful face underneath.
“What a great view…” The lady seem to moan lightly. She sounded like she was talking to herself, but also like she was greeting the black figure walking towards her.
Chapter 197: Crumbling
The black figure came closer and closer, his hat cleaned by the torrential rain. His robe flapped as the wind blew.
Very quickly, the black figure arrived in front of the lady.
Then, he stopped, but he did not speak. He stood still like a black statue about two meters from the lady.
“Do you have something to ask me?” The lady asked as she looked at the black robe man.
“I wouldn’t dare.” The black figure shook his head. He didn’t say he didn’t have a question. He simply said that he wouldn’t dare in an icy tone.
“Ying Shan has another brother?”
“Yes!”
“Which other territory amongst the ten has a vacancy for vice ruler and above?”
“The Dark Territory.”
“Go see to it.”
“Yes master!”
The black figure left, leaving the lady standing in the torrential rain, her white dress dancing in the sea of red.
…
Inside the World of the Sage.
Everyone stared wide eyed at Fang Zhengzhi, who was standing in front of the stone house. Only now did they believe that Fang Zhengzhi had passed the Broken Bridge and the Twin Snow Tablets.
If not…
How could he think of entering the stone house?
Fang Zhengzhi stared at the outside. There was a wooden door.
It was not yet dark. Normally, one should be able to see the inside of the stone house through this door. However, it was pitch black inside.
Fang Zhengzhi could not see anything no matter how hard he tried.
He turned to look at Yan Xiu.
This time, Yan Xiu did not speak.
Then, Fang Zhengzhi turned to look at Ping Yang.
Ping Yang looked at Fang Zhengzhi, blinking her crystal clear eyes over and over again. However, her lips never parted.
“Okay then, I’m going in…” Fang Zhengzhi could guess what they were thinking.
If Ping Yang could not say anything about the stone house, it could only mean that there were absolutely no records about it.
Ping Yang nodded.
Yan Xiu stood icily by the side, neither shaking nor nodding his head.
Fang Zhengzhi stepped forward and pushed open the door.
Having made it into the third round, he was a lot more confident. He had already passed the examinations, ranking was secondary.
There shouldn’t be any threat to his life inside a pocket dimension, right?
Just as he thought about it, Fang Zhengzhi stepped into the stone house and blended together with the darkness in an instant.
…
Inside the Imperial Academy, King Duan felt slightly relieved as he saw Fang Zhengzhi enter the stone house.
Han Zhangfeng’s expression was much more complicated. He wanted to say that Fang Zhengzhi was not getting out of there, but, after the past two incidents, he was losing that confidence.
The Ninth Prince was the calmest of them all. As he saw Fang Zhengzhi enter the stone house, he raised his cup and sipped his tea. Then, he let out a puff of steam…
…
Fang Zhengzhi felt like he had entered a house.
This house did not seem very big. He was able to walk to each end within a few steps. It probably wouldn’t take more than a minute to finish going through the house.
That was what he had thought.
However, when he saw a ray of light in front of him, he realized that he was quite wrong.
The world in front of him was huge and he could not see the end.
Because…
This was a desert, a desert filled with endless sand.
But this was no ordinary desert. There were four doors in each of the four directions, North, South, East, and West.
Each door was made of the same yellow rock. More importantly, all four doors were completely identical.
“It looks like this round is luck?” Fang Zhengzhi immediately knew what this round was about. Choose one of the four. His chances did not seem bad.
A figure appeared in front of him.
This middle aged man wore an academic green tunic. He had broad shoulders, thick eyebrows, and large eyes.
He looked like a ferocious general on the battlefield, but he was a ferocious general dressed like an academic.
The middle aged man looked at Fang Zhengzhi.
Fang Zhengzhi looked back at the middle aged man, his eyes revealing a hint of surprise.
“Mirage? Or hologram?” Fang Zhengzhi could not figure it out and he did not have anyone to explain it to him.
“Choose one, choose one from four, it is very fair!” The middle aged man spoke flatly.
“It is very fair. So what happens if I choose wrong?” Fang Zhengzhi feigned interest.
“Naturally, you’ll be out.”
“Then what if I get it correct?”
“You’ll advance.”
“Can I not choose?”
“No.”
“If I don’t go through any door, I won’t be choosing.”
“You will have to go through the door.”
“You’re so sure?”
“There’s no other way other than to go through one of these four doors.”
“What if I simply defeated you?”
“A lot of people have tried, you can try to.” The middle aged man replied calmly, not at all surprised by Fang Zhengzhi’s question.
“I guess I have to choose one.”
“Yes.”
“Any hints?”
“No.”
“Okay then, goodbye.” Fang Zhengzhi waved to the middle aged man. Then, he turned and walked away. There was one more door, the door that he had come through.
“Hang on! I would like to remind you that you will be withdrawing if you go through that door.” The middle aged man called out to Fang Zhengzhi.
“You think I will believe you?” Fang Zhengzhi pushed open the door and stepped through without looking back.
…
The scene in front of him changed again. The desert, stone doors, and the middle aged man disappeared.
He was back in the third round, and there was a stone house right in front of him.
Yan Xiu was to his left, Ping Yang was to his right. He was back where he was. It was almost as if he had never gone through the stone door.
Fang Zhengzhi was confused, Is that all?
“Fang Zhengzhi, eliminated!”
At this point, a crisp voice rang out in the air.
Yan Xiu and Ping Yang were shocked. They looked slightly excited, but slightly disappointed at the same time.
The other candidates were all rooted in their positions.
However, they recovered quickly and stared at Fang Zhengzhi with condescension.
“Fang Zhengzhi has been eliminated?”
“Hahaha… he’s really been eliminated!”
“Can the stone house barrier even be passed? I guess he has no hope of topping both ranking rolls now?”
The candidates mocked.
Fang Zhengzhi’s body began to disappear slowly, almost as if a strong wave of force was drawing him out.
“I guess I am not very lucky…” Fang Zhengzhi’s lips twitched.
“Aren’t you angry?” At this point, the middle aged man’s voice rang out in Fang Zhengzhi’s mind. His tone was slightly mocking.
“Why should I be angry?”
“Don’t you want to advance?”
“I do, but advancing is not important to me. I value the process more than I value the result. I will… take the result as it comes.” Fang Zhengzhi had always been like that. It would be great to advance, but he didn’t really care even if he failed.
…
The scene changed once again.
Fang Zhengzhi felt that he should be in the Imperial Academy by now, but he wasn’t. He was still faced with the desert, the four doors, and the middle aged man.
“You chose wrong once, but, I think you have good character. I am giving you another chance to choose.” The middle aged man looked at Fang Zhengzhi calmly.
“Another choice?”
“Yes.”
“I never change my mind after I’ve made a decision.” Fang Zhengzhi turned around and walked through the door behind him without hesitation.
What the hell? Choose again? Do you really think I am stupid?
Fang Zhengzhi pushed open the third door.
He was still faced with the third round. Yan Xiu was to his left and Ping Yang was to his right.
Everything was the same as what he had just experienced.
The only difference was that Yan Xiu’s eyes were expressionless and showed no trace of surprise. As for Ping Yang, her jaw had dropped.
“You… how are you out?!” Ping Yang’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
“Fang, Fang Zhengzhi is out?!”
“How is that possible, how did he get out?”
“Stone house, he came out from the stone house?”
“Is he eliminated?”
All of the candidates were stunned when they saw Fang Zhengzhi exit from the stone house.
At this point, a shaky voice rang out in the air.
“Fang Zhengzhi, advances… to the fourth round!”
The voice was not as crisp as clear as before. It was almost as if the person behind the voice could not believe what was happening.
Even so, the voice rang out throughout the entire third round world.
All of the candidates were stunned by what they heard.
“Advance… advance to the fourth round?!”
“Boom!” Just as all the candidates were focused on Fang Zhengzhi, the entire third round world began to tremble. This was completely different from when Fang Zhengzhi had crossed the Broken Bridge and the Twin Stone Tablets.
It was almost as if the world was going to collapse.
Even the stone house and the trees were shaking vigorously.
The change in the environment caused many candidates to turn pale. They had no idea what was going on.
In the history of the Great Xia Empire, there was no record of a pocket dimension ever collapsing.
What’s going on?
What the hell is going on?
No one could explain why the World of the Sage was trembling. The World of the Sage was created by the Sagely Battle God Meng Tian, and even the Great Xia Empire had not uncovered all of its secrets.