Chapter 4738 — The Judging Begins
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
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.