Chapter 3688 — An Unexpected Interruption
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
In the Threefold Pavilion, whether or not one sat on the Elder Council, any elder was a power in his own right. Ordinary disciples could only tremble in their presence; a rule like that even someone with backing as deep as Young Master Xu's could not lightly overstep. Of course, elders who were on close terms with his grandfather were another matter altogether.
At Xu Lingchong's signal, Hu Yunfeng cleared his throat and announced loudly, "The final tally is now in. Meng Zhou, one thousand eight hundred points; Wei Zhao, one thousand eight hundred points. With identical scores, the two stand tied for first. But by the rules of newcomer trials in years past, there has never been any such thing as a tie. If two contestants finish with the same score, the elders stationed at the Rear Mountain Hall shall judge between them according to their conduct and bearing throughout the trial."
These three elders could actually observe each person's conduct during the trial? Wei Zhao was startled—but after a moment's thought, understanding dawned.
Since Hu Yunfeng had said this before everyone, it was unlikely to be idle fabrication; it must therefore be true.
With the formidable strength of these three elders, combined with the various seals and formations of the Rear Mountain, monitoring conditions throughout the mountain ought not to be too difficult. Their chief duty was, after all, to guard the Rear Mountain—and if they could not manage even the most basic surveillance, how could they guard it at all?
Still, Wei Zhao was confident that even their monitoring could not be overly fine-grained; at most they likely kept watch on the few spots where commotion tended to be greatest. The Rear Mountain was vast—if they truly fixed their attention on every corner at all times, then never mind three elders; send thirty or three hundred and they would only work themselves to death.
This put Wei Zhao quietly on his guard. If he ever entered the Rear Mountain again, he would have to be careful when making any big moves—otherwise, who knew when his secrets might be glimpsed and land him in real trouble.
At Hu Yunfeng's request, the two parties concerned, Wei Zhao and Meng Zhou, stepped forward one after the other into the open space ahead, so that the elders might recall how each had conducted himself during the trial.
As the crowd waited breathlessly, the bald elder at the center—the one with the greatest say—scrutinized the two of them carefully. Just as he was about to open his mouth and declare the result, a commotion suddenly broke out among the newcomers below. Then a small black-and-white creature darted out from the crowd and leapt straight onto Wei Zhao's back.
The bald elder's eyebrow twitched. He was about to bellow a reprimand—but the comely figure that came trailing after made him swallow the scolding whole. There was no help for it: this young girl's background was so deep that even he felt a chill of dread.
Xu Lingchong's grandfather, Xu Yuanzheng, was indeed a towering figure on the Elder Council—but this girl's grandfather was the master of the Rushing Heavens Pavilion, one of the top three figures on the entire northern island of Cloud Terrace Island. In both strength and authority, he stood head and shoulders above Xu Yuanzheng!