Chapter 449 - 441: Forth to Greet
"Go straight into the Inner Mountain? Is this a joke? Who made this decision? Old Dan, tell me, was it that bastard Dilaka? Hmph, even if it was that bastard, I, Old Zhu, would never agree to this! This is blatant favoritism! I will never bow to corruption..."
As Elder Zhu ranted, the faces of the mature woman and Shan Qiuhen darkened. Shan Qiuhen coughed dryly twice and said softly, "Ahem... Elder Zhu, the one who made this decision wasn’t Old Di. It was the Dean."
"What Dean? I don’t care who it is. Anyone engaging in favoritism must be sent to the Holy Punishment Field... Huh? Who did you just say?" In the middle of his passionate, righteous tirade, Elder Zhu suddenly froze and turned to stare blankly at Shan Qiuhen.
Shan Qiuhen suppressed a laugh and said with a straight face, "The Dean."
"Wha—?! The... the Dean?"
With a startled cry, Elder Zhu quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. He scanned his surroundings, and only let out a deep sigh of relief when he confirmed that the slovenly figure was nowhere to be seen.
"You know, Elder Zhu, the Dean doesn’t need to be visible to hear you," the mature woman said, covering her mouth as she chuckled. The gesture was full of natural grace.
"Er... forget it. But still, why?" Elder Zhu laughed awkwardly, his expression filled with confusion. "Do those kids really have some extraordinary talent? Or was this just a sudden whim on the Dean’s part?"
"Why? I doubt anyone knows. As for the Dean acting on a whim, that seems a bit far-fetched. Let me ask you: in all the time you’ve spent at Holy Tomb Mountain, have you ever known the Dean to do something on a sudden impulse?"
"Well... about that..."
Elder Zhu seemed unwilling to concede the point. He tried his hardest to recall past events, but after a moment, he gave up with a sigh. In the depths of his memory, he couldn’t think of a single decision the Dean had ever made on impulse. In fact, the Dean rarely even offered his opinion or made minor decisions. But when he did raise an objection or make a ruling, it always had an enormous impact. To this day, in a thousand years, he had never made a single mistake.
He sucked in a sharp breath. With a crestfallen look, Elder Zhu admitted, "Now that I think about it, you’re right. Never."
"Furthermore, every question the Dean raises or decision he makes has a massive impact. Following that pattern, he must have his reasons for this decision. Besides, you know the saying: birds of a feather flock together. If those kids were really just ordinary, I doubt Mu Chen would have formed a team with them," the mature woman analyzed, lowering her gaze and pursing her lips.
’That sloppily dressed figure, the one who always stood before them like a towering mountain peak, was the person she revered most in this world. So, whatever he said, she would instinctively believe it to be absolutely right and irreversible.’
With this in mind, when the mature woman looked back at the team on the screen, her eyes were filled with a gentle light and expectation. ’I have to see for myself just what kind of miracles these youngsters, so highly regarded by that man, are capable of creating.’
"Whew. Since the outcome of the assessment is settled, we should head over to the Sword Inscription Stele and wait for these lucky kids. Dilaka went there early this morning. Looks like he was confident Mu Chen would pass. Many factions from the Inner and Outer Mountains will be there to recruit fresh blood, too. I wonder which one that kid, Mu Chen, will join." Shan Qiuhen slowly rose to his feet. Without waiting for Elder Zhu and the mature woman, he took a step, his figure flickering for a moment before disappearing from the dark, secret room.
The mature woman and Elder Zhu exchanged a look and nodded. They followed suit, stepping into the void. The secret room, which had been lively just moments before, instantly fell silent. Only the Primordial Power screen continued its tireless work...