Chapter 4304 — A Guide to Passing the Selection
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Then... then I will not go either." Huang Xiaotao was briefly taken aback, then looked at Wei Zhao earnestly and said so.
"Xiaotao, you had best think this through. I am not joking—I truly have no intention of going to the Eastern Continent. I am going back to North Island," Wei Zhao said to Huang Xiaotao, no longer jesting, his expression serious.
Indeed, after witnessing such a scene of the Morning Star Academy's experts gathered like clouds, Wei Zhao, like everyone else present, had felt his heart stir. But he was not the sort who, once swept up in impulse, cast all caution aside. Stirred he might be, yet he would soon recover his calm.
Fine as the Eastern Continent was, for the present Wei Zhao could not set North Island aside. After all, his purpose in coming this time had never been to take part in some Eastern Continent academy selection; as things stood, he was merely unable to leave for the moment because the docks were sealed off.
In North Island, Wei Zhao still had many ties that bound him. To simply walk away now would be utterly impractical. This trip, at most, was a chance to broaden his horizons and join the excitement along the way.
"You go back to North Island, and I go back to North Island too." Huang Xiaotao did not hesitate in the slightest, speaking with a steady gaze. Unlike Wei Zhao, she in truth had no such ties in North Island—but her greatest tie now was Wei Zhao himself, and in her heart there was only one conviction: that no matter what, she would be with Wei Zhao.
"Good." Wei Zhao nodded, somewhat moved at heart, yet he did not feel any great regret. Whether it was Huang Xiaotao or himself, with all his hidden cards and his golden finger, even without going to this Eastern Continent Morning Star Yellow-Rank Academy, they would still carve out a place for themselves in the end. Of this he was absolutely confident.
As the two of them were speaking, amid the clamor of discussion all around, a man suddenly came weaving through the crowd in a stooped crouch, crying his wares as he walked.
"A secret manual for passing the selection! One hundred spirit jades a copy—buy now if you need one! On my honor, honest dealings, guaranteed to raise your chances of passing! Do not miss it as you pass by! No need to ask the price, no need to haggle, no fear of being fleeced—one hundred spirit jades buys you no loss, one hundred spirit jades buys you no regret, truly a bargain beyond compare..." The man's voice was neither loud nor soft; shielded by the crowd's chatter, it was just loud enough for those nearby to hear, yet would not draw the attention of the Morning Star Academy guards outside.
Hearing this familiar and dear sales patter, Wei Zhao nearly spat out on the spot. What sort of petty peddler from the mortal world was this, who had wormed his way onto Cloud-Rank Island to ply his trade?
Looking closer, the man crying his wares about was not dressed like a merchant at all—a long robe and gown, a white paper fan in one hand, he looked rather more like a storyteller. Yet the jianghu air that seeped from his person struck Wei Zhao as faintly familiar, as though he resembled someone Wei Zhao knew, though for the moment he could not say who.
At this moment the man was going about hawking his so-called secret manual for passing the selection. One hundred spirit jades was, after all, not a steep price, and most present were experts at the Golden Core Stage or above—however tight their purses, none would begrudge so little. And with every one of them now surging with hope, dreaming of passing the selection and entering the Eastern Continent Morning Star Yellow-Rank Academy, many took the bait despite knowing full well the man was exaggerating. (To be continued..)