Chapter 293 Following
Fang Xingjian?
Hearing this name, the few people present were stunned for a moment before Norman smiled and asked, “Teacher Hoppes, you’re saying that Fang Xingjian came as well?”
“Why else would so many of us be here?” Hoppes waved his hand impatiently. He was a guy who was obsessed with sword arts to begin with, did not care about putting up appearances, and hated formalities. How could he have the patience to waste his time talking nonsense with these few youngsters?
And his abilities, status, and reputation, all allowed him to be so bullheaded.
After all, in Miracle World, only powerful Conferred Knights had the privilege to be bullheaded.
As he spoke, Hoppes had already pull James, the Headmaster from two generations ago, out, heading for the direction of the next stage.
Watching the crowd leaving without any hesitation, Norman smiled awkwardly toward Hoult, saying, “I never expected Fang Xingjian to be at the Killing Techniques Palace as well.”
Hoult nodded and said, “It’s fine. I had thought that I would be able to surpass him this time around since he hasn’t inherited a legacy and would probably require a lot of time to prepare for the second transition.
“To think that he has completed the second transition so quickly. Maybe he has transitioned into a more ordinary job.
“And even if he were to complete the job transition successfully and came to the Killing Techniques Palace, it shouldn’t be that much earlier than me. He might be at the second stage.”
Hoult was well aware of how fast he had attained the Heaven’s Perception and completed the second transition. In order to catch up to and surpass Fang Xingjian, he had been going through his cultivation crazily day and night for the past month. He had even used quite a number of extremely precious resources in order for him to be able to complete everything successfully within such a short amount of time.
According to his calculations, this was already the limit. Therefore, Hoult believed that even if Fang Xingjian was faster than him, it would not be by much.
There was still a chance for him to catch up to Fang Xingjian in the Killing Techniques Palace.
However, earlier, James, the Headmaster from two generations ago and current Head of the Sword Arts Department, and Hoppes, the sword arts expert, had both appeared. The appearance of these two men caused an ominous premonition to grow in his heart.
However, he subconsciously ignored this feeling. Or rather, he was not willing to think too deeply into it.
The few people who were with him said, “Shall we follow after them to take a look?”
“That’s right. Head of Department James and Teacher Hoppes are both here. Why don’t we go check out what has happened?”
Norman took a glance at Hoult. He had been following Hoult for a month and had a bit of an understanding of his temper. He knew that Hoult came from a reputable faction but could be relatively delicate emotionally. Therefore, he said, “The two sirs both asked about Fang Xingjian earlier. Fang Xingjian might have created trouble again.”
“That’s right, I’ve long heard that Fang Xingjian tends to act recklessly without restraint and was extremely audacious. Could he have barged into the Killing Techniques Palace? Or could he have injured someone?”
“He might not necessarily have hurt someone. This Fang Xingjian hasn’t even entered the academy for a month. For all we know, he could have been the one who has been injured.”
“That’s right,” Norman smiled and said. “He is after all, a Regional Champion, and has even resolved all of the mysteries behind the seven levels of the Pantheon Monument. If he were to be seriously hurt, it would be natural for Head of Department James and Teacher Hoppes to show such concern.”
After saying that, Norman secretly threw a glance in Hoult’s direction and noticed that the latter seemed to be in a much better mood now.
Therefore, he said, “How about let’s go and check it out as well?”
Hoult walked directly and said calmly, “Then let’s go take a look.”
Hoult and company followed behind James and the others. The two groups went on their way and arrived before a huge crater.
Looking at the tremendous crater before them, Head of Department James laughed and said, “Seems like he has cleared the second stage as well. Hoppes, do you remember how long you took to clear the second stage?”
The head of the sword arts team, Hoppes, was still checking out the situation of the valley with a solemn face, trying to assess the scene during the battle.
Hearing James’ question, Hoppes said, “Five days. I used five days before I learned the Mountain Shifting Sword and found the flaw of the instructor back then.”
“Hehe, Fang Xingjian probably only used one to two hours at most. The talent which can solve all the mysteries to the Pantheon Monument is truly amazing.” Head of Department James was still feeling an intolerable itch in his heart toward Fang Xingjian’s talent and the profoundness behind the Pantheon Monument.
Hoppes, on the other hand, was still seriously assessing the situation of the valleys and said, “The one on duty today should be Ronan. His Mountain Shifting Sword is already at level 15 and he has grasped the sword attack which can bear the weight of the earth. He’s able to connect himself with the entire stretch of valleys. Judging on how things look, he did this as well.”
“However, Fang Xingjian was still able to break through it and even destroyed the entire valley.” Head of Department James smiled and said, “Fang Xingjian is such a bully. He must have used that sword attack he learned from the Pantheon Monument.”
“It’s not just that.” Hoppes squatted down to touch the sand on the ground and said, “He first used that move which absorbs gravity to disrupt Ronan’s balance. He then unleashed it with an explosive force while lifting up the earth, combining two swords into one and defeating Ronan.”
James shook his head and sighed, “It’s a pity, a pity… If only he had come a few years ago.”
Everyone present understood what Head of Department James meant and they nodded as well. It was true. If Fang Xingjian had come to the academy a few years earlier, it would be hard to imagine how far he would have progressed by now. He would even be able to participate in the National Selection next year.
However, there was now only one year until the National Selection. With it being such an important one, it was too much of a pity that Fang Xingjian would be unable to participate.
Shaking their heads, everyone then headed for the next stage together with James.
Behind them, Hoult and the others looked in astonishment at the huge crater before them. Someone who was also trained in sword arts and had gone through the Killing Techniques Palace before looked at the scene before him and said, “This used to be a valley. Why has it been flattened?”
“What else could it be? Of course there must have been a battle.”
“Could it have been Fang Xingjian?”
Hoult’s expression suddenly plunged. If Fang Xingjian had cleared two stages in a row, even Hoult would not be confident of catching up to and surpassing him.
Norman laughed awkwardly and said, “Maybe there were some other seniors trying to clear the stage, and Fang Xingjian just happened to come by. Hahahaha…”
The others could only follow and laugh awkwardly, but none of them had taken it seriously. They were once again starting to reassess Fang Xingjian’s value to themselves.
In Hoult’s heart, a surge of resentment grew, and he thought to himself, slightly furious, ‘Is the talent between the fifth level of the Pantheon Monument and the seventh level of the Pantheon Monument really so great?
‘No matter how great the difference to our talent is, I must chase up to you.’
Thinking of this, Hoult did not say a single word but headed to the next stage. The people around him exchanged a glance and followed behind.
Although no one said anything, their curiosity as to which stage Fang Xingjian was now at surged. If they were to know that this was the first day Fang Xingjian had arrived at the Killing Techniques Palace, they would probably be even more curious.
However, even if they did not know about this, they subconsciously did not bring up the point of Hoult catching up with and surpassing Fang Xingjian. This made Hoult feel even unhappier.