Chapter 4738 — The Judging Begins

"That little wretch is truly despicable!" Liu Ziqi was just as incensed when she heard it. As Ning Shanghe's close friend of many years, she knew exactly what the Thunder Mystic Vine meant to Western Island, and could not help asking, "But how did this Kang Jingming find the Thunder Mystic Vine? A route map that important surely would not have leaked, would it?"

"I find it strange as well. This matter must be investigated thoroughly until the truth comes out," Ning Shanghe said, her brows tightly knit.

To be sure, the presence of the Thunder Mystic Vine in the Western Island Trials was no secret; in fact, a good many participants had come precisely for it. But the exact location where the vine grew was the most closely guarded of all secrets on Western Island.

Even among Western Island's own disciples, only the handful Ning Shanghe valued most were ever given the faintest hint; the rest had no way of knowing at all. Even Liu Ziqi, for all her deep ties with Ning Shanghe, had only been told because she had once rendered great service to Western Island—before that, the secret had never been divulged to anyone.

And whether it was Liu Ziqi or those disciples Ning Shanghe favored, they were all absolutely reliable insiders. There was no normal reason for anyone to leak such a vital secret—so how did Kang Jingming come to know it?

"Could it be that this thing wounded Die'er and wrung the answer out of her?" Liu Ziqi was suddenly startled.

Ning Shanghe nodded thoughtfully as well. The participants in this Western Island Trial were mainly outsiders; very few were native disciples of the island. To guard against any leak of the Thunder Mystic Vine's secret, Ning Shanghe had given them no hints this time—which meant that among them, only Huo Yudie knew the vine's location.

By that reasoning, Kang Jingming had most likely gotten his lead from Huo Yudie, and this dovetailed neatly with Wei Zhao's injury. Perhaps Wei Zhao had been trying to save Huo Yudie, and that was why Kang Jingming had beaten him so grievously; and it was precisely for this reason that Huo Yudie had been willing to risk her life and her reputation to stay inside and keep him company!

In but a brief moment, Ning Shanghe and Liu Ziqi had pieced together a complete chain of events in their own minds. The more they thought, the more plausible it seemed—until they had all but accepted it as fact.

"That Kang Jingming truly deserves to die!" Liu Ziqi gnashed her teeth in fury.

Ning Shanghe nodded without a word, her face grim. She was far more furious than Liu Ziqi, yet as mistress of Western Island she was utterly powerless. After all, everything in the trials was left to fate, and killing for treasure was commonplace. Nor was there any rule beforehand forbidding anyone from touching the Thunder Mystic Vine. Even if she wished to take Kang Jingming to task, on what grounds could she exact revenge after the fact?

Kang Jingming's conduct was shameless, to be sure, but if Ning Shanghe truly blamed him for it, the whole of Western Island would become a laughingstock. Where the island's reputation was at stake, she could only swallow her anger.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had slipped by, and still there was no word of Wei Zhao or Huo Yudie. In truth, everyone knew the two of them were trapped inside with no hope of coming out. A cultivator at the great perfection of the Nascent Soul stage could last a month at most, and a full month and a half had already passed. If only for the rule that cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage could not activate the teleportation array, not even an immortal could dream of emerging now.

The Western Island Trials had stirred up a great clamor; it could not be dragged on indefinitely. Eventually a final verdict had to be rendered, or they would be seen as breaking faith with the world.

Though in recent days Ning Xuefei had pleaded with Ning Shanghe several times to find some way to stall a while longer—ideally until Wei Zhao returned. She, Han Jingyi, and Shangguan Lan'er all believed that once Wei Zhao recovered, he would surely find a way out!

But this was not a matter Ning Shanghe alone could decide. It was a grand affair for all of Western Island, and every sect and school of the Cloud Terrace Isles was watching. Doting on her daughter though she might, she could not gamble the reputation of all Western Island on it. Half a month's delay was already the limit; it truly could not be put off any longer.

As for this outcome, Ning Xuefei, who had only just begun to recover from the blow of Wei Zhao's grave injury, was truly left with tears but no words. She already knew who the destined victor would be—a person she loathed utterly, to whom she would rather die than entrust her life. Yet there was nothing she could do, for this concerned the credit and honor of all Western Island; a single word of refusal from her would not suffice.

After half a month, and amid everyone's anticipation, the Island Master's Palace finally opened its doors to the outside once more. All who had taken part in the Western Island Trials were invited to the side courtyard of the palace—within the very courtyard of the teleportation array—where today the final victor of the Western Island Trials would be publicly judged.

The reason they did not choose the grander, more formal plaza outside was chiefly to look after the participants. After all, the treasures they brought out for judging were to be carried away afterward, and wealth ought not to be flaunted. Had the judging been held in a public place outside, there was no telling what trouble might follow. Now, in the relatively secluded side courtyard within the Island Master's Palace, such troubles could not be entirely eliminated, but they would at least be somewhat reduced.

The side courtyard was heavily guarded and thronged with people. Gathered here were not only the participants, but also the branch managers of a host of top-tier merchant houses—the Hong Clan Merchant Guild, the Central Merchant Guild, the Great Houses Alliance, and others. As the most authoritative figures in the trade, they had been specially invited by Western Island to serve as the important judges.

After a brief opening address, the crowd quickly came to the long-awaited main event. A team of Western Island disciples brought out the registration records compiled earlier, and the participants came forward one by one to compare their finds before the assembly, while the panel of judges appraised them on the spot. Only the one with the highest valuation could laugh last.

This was, without question, a treasure appraisal gathering. Each time someone produced a rare natural treasure, a murmur would ripple through the side courtyard. Many knew they could not hope to match the other participants, but to see so many wondrous and varied treasures this time was an eye-opener in itself—well worth the trip.

Of course, some participants were rather high-spirited, confident that the rare treasures in their hands would earn them the chance to become Ning Shanghe's son-in-law and rise to the heavens in a single step. But when it came Kang Jingming's turn, everything came to an abrupt halt.

The Thunder Mystic Vine! It was actually the legendary Thunder Mystic Vine!

For an instant the whole hall fell dead silent. Only after a moment did a wave of gasps rise and fall across the crowd. Among cultivators of the Nascent Soul stage, there was basically no one who had not heard of the Thunder Mystic Vine; even if they had never seen it, they had surely heard of it. After all, its trait of flickering electric arcs was far too distinctive—one of a kind under heaven, with no imitators.