Chapter 247: Chapter 105: Turning the Tables
The same scene unfolded throughout the Source World.
In an instant, more than a dozen first-rate and super first-rate powerful clans all began to stir, and numerous masters hurried towards the direction of the Zhou Yi Dynasty.
The more formidable the fragments of the heavens, the harder they are to inherit, because without formidable talent, one simply cannot withstand them. With suitable candidates so hard to come by, naturally no one wants to miss out.
As the person involved, Zhang Xuan was unaware that he had caused such a commotion. At this moment, he was staring dumbfounded at the ruins around him, his face full of speechlessness.
These guys are really troublesome; if only they were half as reliable as himself…
While he was feeling sentimental, an angry wail rose, “My Liuli porcelain bowl, my jade incense burner, my glass cup… Pfft!”
Following the sound, an old man spat out a mouthful of blood and fell from the sky, planting his head on the ground.
“Hall Master…”
Zhu Xun and the others were startled and hurried over, pulling him up from the ground, pinching his acupuncture points, and kneading him. It took quite a while for him to catch his breath.
“What on earth happened?”
Struggling to stand, Shi Yunjing could no longer contain himself.
The entire Heaven Mandate Hall had exploded; without thinking, he knew that the artifacts he had collected, except for some made of sturdy material, were basically ruined… There was no point in rushing to search for them now; it was better to find out what had happened first.
“This… I don’t know either, someone was being tested today, the tombstone suddenly broke, causing the test area to collapse, which then triggered the whole Heaven Mandate Hall!”
Zhu Xun recalled and explained.
“Nonsense, the tombstone is engraved from Celestial Bluestone, which has been operating for a hundred years without any mishaps. How could it suddenly break?”
Shi Yunjing scolded.
The testing tombstone, extremely hard, might not be as good as some celestial treasures, but it wasn’t much weaker; how could it just crack for no reason during a test?
Most importantly, even if it did crack, it wouldn’t cause the entire testing hall to collapse, would it?
“It’s true, we saw the tombstone flashing red constantly!”
“We saw it too… not only was it flashing red, but it also seemed to be burning.”
“After the red light flickered for a while, the Heaven Mandate Hall collapsed…”
Answers rose from those around.
“Flashing red constantly?”
Seeing everyone saying so, Shi Yunjing frowned and thought hard. Unable to figure out what had happened, he turned to inquire, “Who were the people being tested just now? Bring them over to me!”
Since the tombstone and testing hall were unlikely to have issues, then the problem must be with the people being tested.
“It’s them…”
Zhu Xun pointed to the people who had just walked over from the ruins.
Protected by Zhang Xuan, although they were crushed under the Heaven Mandate Hall, no one was injured. Instead, they looked spirited and extraordinary due to their breakthrough.
Unaware that they had been singled out, Luo Qiqi was full of concern, “Teacher Zhang, we absorbed too much and caused the Heaven Mandate Hall to collapse. If they blame us, there will definitely be danger; maybe you should escape first!”
“Escape?” Zhang Xuan blinked.
“Yes, whether it’s the Heaven Mandate Hall or the testing chamber, both are very precious. I’m a bit worried about the commotion we’ve caused…” Luo Qiqi’s eyes were full of seriousness.
“Madam Teacher, don’t be afraid. If they really make us compensate, we can just fight it out with them…” Bai Ruanqing said.
“Yes, there are more than ten of us in the Dharma Form Realm; together, we might be able to escape!” Dan Xiaotian nodded.
“Whoever dares to stop us, I’ll poison them all!” Wei Ruyan added.
“…”
Zhang Xuan rubbed his forehead, “You three aren’t sick, are you? Alright, shut up. Don’t speak later; I’ll handle it!”
To think they were still so fierce with such strength. It seemed he had protected them too well over the years.
Breaking someone’s property and then fighting with them about it…
Why so shameless?
Can’t we be a bit more low-key?
“In fact, it doesn’t need to be so troublesome. If worse comes to worst, we’ll just pay them off. With Young Master’s earning speed, even full compensation isn’t difficult, no need for violence…” Seeing the Young Master’s expression, Sun Qiang couldn’t help but speak up.
“That’s enough, you shut up too!”
Zhang Xuan didn’t bother to explain and led the group towards Elder Zhu Xun. Before they had gotten close, the elder cried out, “Zhang Xuan, this is Hall Master Shi. He has something he wants to ask you!”
“Hall Master?”
Unexpectedly encountering the biggest authority, Zhang Xuan’s eyes grew serious and he looked at the old man, bowing with folded hands, “Junior Zhang Xuan, pays his respects to Hall Master.”
To become the Hall Master of the Zhou Yi Dynasty’s Heaven Mandate Hall, one’s cultivation must reach at least 6-dan in the Star River. Such a figure was someone he could not contend with at the moment.
Therefore, what Bai Ruanqing and Dan Xiaotian mentioned about fighting their way out was nonsensical.
“Do you know what happened just now? Why has the Heaven Mandate Hall collapsed?” Shi Yunjing asked.
“Responding to Hall Master, I was in the testing hall the whole time trying to find my chance and fragments of the heavens. I had just succeeded when the room collapsed… I don’t know the specifics of what happened! I came here to inquire whether this counts as successful testing or not.”
Zhang Xuan shook his head, his internal Giant Wave Formation quietly on display, showing a hint of displeasure, “And… is there a problem with the construction of our Heaven Mandate Hall, which collapses just from a test? We are paying customers, and if even basic safety can’t be guaranteed, who will come here to test in the future? The Heaven Mandate Hall… owes us an explanation, doesn’t it?”
“???”
Wei Ruyan, Dan Xiaotian, Bai Ruanqing, and the others were all dumbstruck.
Teacher, is it really okay for you to deflect blame like this?
Even Luo Qiqi covered her mouth, gazing towards the young man not far away as ripples flowed in her beautiful eyes.
“This…”
Hall Master Shi, having intended to ask what exactly had happened, found himself questioned instead and displayed an awkward expression, “This… I will confirm later and give you an explanation…”
“It’s not a matter of giving or not giving an explanation. It’s about whether the grand Heaven Mandate Hall is constructed so shoddily that it collapses so readily. How can we feel safe?”
Continuing, Zhang Xuan surveyed the surroundings, “Everyone, I don’t know if my concerns are valid? Today it was our testing, and we were lucky to escape, but if someone else were fully focused on finding their fragment of the heavens and were interrupted, could they not possibly die here?”
“Yeah!”
“Definitely not okay, the Heaven Mandate Hall really should give us an explanation!”
“We’ve paid so much money, yet we’re facing life-and-death risks at any moment. This is something other Heaven Mandate Halls have never encountered… Hall Master Shi, you really need to get this sorted!”
Sure enough, following Zhang Xuan’s words, everyone around immediately became indignant.
“Uh…” Shi Yunjing’s brows furrowed, wanting to refute but unable to formulate a response.
Heaven Mandate Hall charged a significant price, 30 million Origin Currency, even a considerable sum for him.
For such a large amount of money, they failed to provide corresponding service, and even life safety wasn’t guaranteed, no wonder everyone was looking so impassioned.
Unable to hold back anymore, he turned and scolded, “Zhu Xun, I want an explanation!”
“I, I…”
Zhu Xun’s mouth trembled without words.
Truth be told, he had conducted the test by the book; as for why this happened, he genuinely didn’t know…
But with the Hall Master so angered, he definitely couldn’t shirk responsibility, and with a face full of frustration, he still nodded, “Responding to Hall Master, I will definitely find out…”
Just then, Zhang Xuan, looking eager to help, spoke up, “I might have a suggestion that could provide Elder Zhu with a direction!”
“Oh?”
Hearing him say that, Zhu Xun’s eyes lit up, “Please speak, Young Master Zhang!”
“It’s like this!”
Zhang Xuan looked sincere as he spoke, “When I entered the testing hall, I felt the formation was somewhat unstable. Could it be that something went wrong with the formation in the Heaven Mandate Hall, causing the collapse? Otherwise, even if the tombstone exploded, it wouldn’t have reduced such a large Heaven Mandate Hall to this state, right?”
Let’s lead them astray first. As for investigation… after the collapse, the formations had already been destroyed. If something could actually be found by following this direction, it would be ghostly indeed.
“Possibly!”
Shi Yunjing sank into contemplation.
For an explosion of such magnitude to destroy the entire hall, apart from this reason, it was indeed hard to find another.
After pondering for a moment, Shi Yunjing ordered, “Investigate the formation well…”
Zhu Xun nodded, “Yes!”
“Zhang Xuan, right? I am really sorry! This was our failure at the Heaven Mandate Hall…”
After giving his orders, Hall Master Shi bowed apologetically to Zhang Xuan.
“Hall Master, you are too kind!”
Zhang Xuan replied, “I only have one thing I want to clarify. I don’t know… whether our test counts as pass or fail? If we passed, can we be awarded the Fate Master’s emblem, and if we haven’t passed, should the testing fee be refunded to us?”
“Refund?”
Sun Qiang and the others twitched again.
They had seen shameless before, but never quite like this.
Arriving and smashing up someone’s den, not thinking about compensation, but instead wondering if they should get paid…
Truly a Young Master!
Outrageous.
To be learned from for a lifetime.
Shi Yunjing hesitated for a moment before ordering, “This was our mistake, compensation is definitely due, the full testing fee to be refunded! Elder Zhu, you handle this matter entirely!”
“Yes!” Zhu Xun nodded again.
Shi Yunjing continued, “As for the Fate Master’s emblem… if you don’t find it too troublesome, follow me to the Wanxiang Sect nearby. I just need to test whether you’ve truly become Fate Masters, and if there is an understanding of the heavens, the emblems will naturally be prepared for you!”
The Heaven Mandate Hall had collapsed, but the nearby Wanxiang Sect had no issues. With his status, borrowing their celestial treasure for the test was still possible.
“Then please trouble Hall Master Shi!” Zhang Xuan bowed.
“Elder Zhu, take them over first!” Shi Yunjing ordered.
“This way, please!” Zhu Xun hurriedly led the way, and Zhang Xuan and the others closely followed.
Seeing the group walk away, an elder couldn’t help but come over with raised eyebrows, “Hall Master, do you think… the sudden collapse of the Heaven Mandate Hall could have been caused by those few? Otherwise, why did it not happen during others’ testing, but collapsed when they went in?”
