Chapter 191: Seemingly Broken
Chapter 191: Seemingly Broken
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
...
Inside the Imperial Academy, Fang Zhengzhi had disappeared from the screen. The screen was filled with many candidates.
King Duan and Han Zhangfeng were staring at Xing Qingsui.
At this point, Xing Qingsui had just dispatched his opponent and entered the third round.
"Not bad, clean!" King Duan complimented.
"Mm, Xing Qingsui has indeed gotten some of Xing Hou’s battle prowess after following him around the battlefield for so many years. Even a Heavenly Reflection opponent did not manage to last a minute. These years were not wasted by him. Nobles with such thirst are rare now." Han Zhangfeng nodded.
Xing Qingsui’s abilities did surprise him.
"This edition of the Imperial Examinations are very exciting. Official Han, why don’t you analyze who will come out on top. Will it be Xing Qingsui or Nangong Mu?" King Duan turned to look at Nangong Mu, who had also just made it to the third round.
"King Duan, my lord, that is difficult for me to say. Pardon my blindness, but Nangong Mu’s opponents have been too weak... almost as if he was purposely trying to conceal his powers." Han Zhangfeng shook his head.
"Mm, this Nangong Mu..." King Duan did not continue, deep in thought.
The Ninth Prince also seemed to be deep in thought.
Han Zhangfeng did not engage King Duan anymore, looking at the time instead. Then, he happened to see the Ninth Prince deep in thought.
"Haha... what is the Ninth Prince thinking about?" Han Zhangfeng asked politely.
"Mm, I am wondering if Fang Zhengzhi can cross the broken bridge." The Ninth Prince replied after some thought.
"The Ninth Prince thinks too much. The World of the Sage was created by the Sagely Battle God himself. His will is in each barrier. It is not very possible for a Heavenly Reflection State cultivator to break them." Han Zhangfeng’s eyes glimmered as he heard the question. However, he still explained it patiently.
"Then is there no way to pass this barrier?" The Ninth Prince asked doubtfully.
"It is passable, but you need to find the right place. Those who had chosen the broken bridge have yet to find the right way and too many have failed trying to go up against it. However, to the best of my knowledge, never in history has a Heavenly Reflection State cultivator made it through." Han Zhangfeng smiled and nodded.
"I see, then... I guess he won’t be able to break it either." The Ninth Prince said disappointedly.
"It’s not a guess, it’s definite!" King Duan spoke up again, then sighed lightly.
His eyes seem to sigh with him.
"Ninth Brother, I am not trying to chide you, but you are of the royal bloodline as well. Sometimes, you must be more careful. Even though you’re just an assistant and Official Han is still the Chief Examiner, you should at least go read up on the World of the Sage right? It’s a good thing no one heard your question. How can a Heavenly Reflection State cultivator cross the Broken Bridge Barrier? That is simply the twisted idea of an arrogant youth."
"My Lord, you are wise!" The Ninth Prince nodded as he listened to King Duan, but his eyes continued to think.
However, the screen was focused on the second round of the World of the Sage and he did not know how the First Round was unfolding.
...
Inside the World of the Sage.
Ping Yang’s voice had become more and more impatient.
Xing Qingsui and Nangong Mu are already through to the third round, and I am still here in the first round!" Ping Yang pouted in frustration.
Yan Xiu was still calm and icy, almost as if he never heard the announcements.
As for the three poor souls, they became more and more worried. The longer Fang Zhengzhi took, the higher the chances of them being pushed over.
Fang Zhengzhi looked the most relaxed amongst them all.
He was not overly serious or stern. He looked rather bored as he looked at the stones on the bridge and the thick mist on the opposite side.
He looked more like he was trying to enjoy the view.
From the moment he stepped on the bridge, he had been admiring it.
He had been looking at the stone plate for quite a few minutes. Then, upon stepping on the bridge, he looked at every stone, even every crack.
It must be said that the broken bridge showed signs of age. If this was his previous world, this would be a popular tourist attraction.
Since this was a barrier in the World of the Sage, what was so special about it?
Fang Zhengzhi could tell that the World of the Sage was different from the pocket dimension he was in during the River Of Trust Province Examinations.
Those barriers were linked by magical formations. However, the Broken Bridge was different. This was an exquisitely built bridge, with nothing else apart from its beauty.
He didn’t feel any pressure when standing on the bridge. There were no falling rocks, no hidden traps. It looked like an ordinary bridge.
But this was the World of the Sage.
This was a world created by the Sagely Battle God Meng Tian.
This was definitely not a normal bridge.
Fang Zhengzhi had expected to see some hints on the bridge, some words or patterns at the very least.
However, after more than an hour, he realized...
There was nothing.
This design was utterly intoxicating.
However, Fang Xhengzhi was not bothered. He was actually quite relaxed.
After all, if he couldn’t cross it, the solution was simple.
He would just throw someone off.
Since it was so simple, Fang Zhengzhi naturally did not need to be so stubborn about crossing the bridge.
Crossing it was a bonus.
There was no loss to him even if he failed to cross it.
Fang Zhengzhi had always been very willful. As such, after admiring the scenery, he began to look around the bridge, seeing if there were any floating reflections of sorts.
However, he was disappointed to find nothing under the bridge. There were no rocks or floating images. All he saw was the dark valley.
He could not see the bottom. Perhaps, there was no bottom.
"Even though there is no particularly beautiful scenery below, one still feels like god looking down on Earth."
"Broken Bridge..."
Fang Zhengzhi looked at the blurry white mist and shut his eyes, enjoying the breeze. Then, a picture formed in his mind.
It was also a broken bridge.
Every time there was a snowstorm, the bridge would be covered by snow. As a result, it blended into the surroundings and the bridge would barely be seen. The snow would make it look like it was broken in the middle, but it was merely an illusion.
"A river runs through the heart of the lush valley."
"The air is moist even though there is no rain, the sky is dim even though there are no clouds."
"The Broken Bridge stands in the middle of it all as flowers wilt all around it."
"The bells chime in the Northern Forest as I think about the view from my Western Window." [1]
"The Broken Bridge during Winter is one of the ten greatest sights in the West Lake. Have I suddenly returned to my previous world? Wouldn’t it be cool to destroy a luxury car?"
Just as he was thinking about it, Fang Zhengzhi stiffened.
"Hang on!"
If he thought of the white mist as the the snow, then this would just be like the Broken Bridge on the West Lake. They were both ancient and had elements that prevented others from seeing it in its entirety.
The West Lake Broken Bridge was an optical illusion created by the snow.
The current Broken Bridge was obscured by mist, and this created a rather holy illusion.
It looked blurry.
It wasn’t actually broken!
Broken Bridge!
"I think I get it... no way?! Could it be that this broken bridge is..." Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes lit up, almost as if he had been enlightened.
[1] adapted from a poem written by Zhang Hu.