Chapter 194: 187 The Little King of Light

Tang Zhao had once wondered, when his name was called, what kind of dashing and unique posture he should use to fly up to Zhuangyuan Tower?

By this moment, however, he understood. No extra movements were needed.

Just walking up quietly was enough.

The surroundings were very quiet, so quiet that any superfluous movement would seem out of place. Tang Zhao walked onto the platform, bowed slightly to Qi Yuheng to thank him for his long-winded praise, and then bowed deeply to the crowd.

Other than that, there was no further procedure. He turned and walked up the stairs.

Halfway up, a sound emerged from behind. It gradually erupted from a faint murmur into a roar, deafening to the ears.

The sound was familiar; what was it?

It seemed to be the sound of the tide he had heard in Maze City.

Upon reaching the top floor of Zhuangyuan Tower, the quietness faded away, and the clamor was suddenly right at his ears.

"Oh my god, Brother Tang, I knew you could do it! You really opened our eyes, like a small knife cutting a buttock!" As soon as he came up, naturally, it was Yun Xiyan's voice that was the loudest; one could hear him before seeing him.

Immediately after, Jiang Shenyi came up, slapped Tang Zhao on the shoulder hard, and said excitedly, "Junior Brother, I knew it was you! You are too valuable; we brothers have made a fortune!"

Many people came to greet him from behind. Although they were not as enthusiastic and close as Jiang Shenyi and Yun Xiyan, they still took the initiative to express their congratulations and admiration. Tang Zhao also caught a glimpse of Yue Shen, whom he had met once before, and the two exchanged smiles.

There were still a few people sitting motionless in the hall, and this group sat together, almost forming a world of their own, distinct from the others.

Tang Zhao did not know them, but he already had a guess in his heart: these were people from the Seven Great Factions!

Before he could think carefully, Tang Zhao exchanged greetings with the people on the floor one by one, messily exchanged names, and was then ushered to the upper seat. Tang Zhao wanted to decline, but even Yue Shen said, "Brother Tang, have you not heard that one should not yield when it comes to benevolence?"

Thus, Tang Zhao sat in the upper seat. He became the moon surrounded by stars. Opposite him were the disciples of the Seven Great Factions.

It was clear now; indeed, the Seven Great Factions and the other small and medium-sized factions had formed two camps.

However, these two camps were not balanced.

There were twenty-four people in total, twenty on this side and four on that side.

If it were the usual case, with the Seven Great Factions all present, there would be seven on one side and seventeen on the other, or they might even sweep the top seven places. With their usual reputation, they could not only stand on equal footing but also suppress the small and medium-sized factions.

But this time, not only were there only four left from the Seven Great Factions, but their rankings were not necessarily superior. There were four from each side in the top eight, two from this side in the top three, and the champion was also from this side. What did the Seven Great Factions have left?

When the Seven Great Factions had a clear advantage, this aloofness could be considered disdain for mingling with the mundane; in the current situation, it looked more like they were being ostracized by the majority.

Tang Zhao exchanged greetings with this side, looked at the four lonely people on the other side, and smiled, "Four friends, why not come and sit together? We have long known that the four senior brothers and sisters come from famous families and have profound attainments, and we have many questions about Rune Formulas that we would like to ask."

The four people had different expressions upon hearing this; it was clear that although the Seven Great Factions were listed together, each individual had a different personality.

Finally, the dashing Wu Yunfei stood up and said freely, "Since Brother Tang is willing to teach, how could we be unappreciative? It just so happens that I have some questions to ask Brother Tang in person." Although his words were three parts competitive, they were also well-intentioned, and he walked over directly.

As soon as he stood up, the cold-looking Zhuge Yudan behind him also stood up and sat directly next to Yun Xiyan. Chu Shanxia tilted his head; he did not stand up, but he moved his chair over a little.

Feng Fei of the Feng Clan, who was sitting at the very back, suddenly stood up and went straight downstairs.

Everyone was dissatisfied. If it were Wu Yunfei, who had a perfect score of one thousand, doing this, everyone would at most grumble in their hearts. With Feng Fei doing it, some people showed it on their faces. Others even thought: You are just a seventh-place, what are you being arrogant about?

Wu Yunfei was slightly embarrassed. He knew that Feng Fei was proud and arrogant, and that being ranked only seventh this time was a big blow, so he was acting willfully. But after all, the two had a friendship from meeting before, so he couldn't help but smooth things over for him: "Brother Feng is not a rude person. He is close friends with Xiao Guangwang, and he has something on his mind, so he is inevitably worried and irritable, leading to this lapse in manners. Please don't blame him."

This was a good topic, and Tang Zhao took the opportunity to ask, "By the way, the list does not include Yuanji Palace. Is it because this Xiao Guangwang did not come either?"

How could he know that this Xiao Guangwang from Yuanji Palace had taken the same road as him; he had intercepted Xiao Guangwang's opportunity, and Xiao Guangwang had taken the blame for him.

Wu Yunfei frowned and said, "He came. Although he arrived late, he arrived as promised. A few days ago, we were still drinking and having fun together. Later, everyone took their topics and worked separately, submitting their answers within the deadline, so we didn't have much contact. I didn't expect that Xiao Guangwang's name would not be on the list, and I haven't seen him for several days. Long Yuan invited us to check the list today, and he didn't come. Isn't that missing?"

Zhuge Yudan said, "It is very strange for him to be missing. This Jianzhou is neither connected to the sky nor the earth, clearly an isolated island in the sea. Since he has already arrived in Jianzhou, how could he disappear for no reason?"

Chu Shanxia sneered, "Maybe he got bored and went out on his own? I know his character; he is very strange and unsociable, yet arrogant and meddlesome. Maybe he found Jianzhou boring and went out to find some fun himself. You don't need to worry."

Worry? Who was worried about him?

Although Yuanji Palace was also one of the Seven Great Factions, it was far away in the Northern Sea, and they had no friendship with anyone. They weren't even nodding acquaintances, and Xiao Guangwang was not a likable person; no one really liked him. They were just using him as a topic for conversation.

Perhaps the one most worried among them was Tang Zhao. Tang Zhao was not worried about the Xiao Guangwang he had never met; he was thinking of the various accidents he had encountered along the way.

The Fierce Trace spread throughout Kungang, the giant stone that fell from the sky in Jiu Yuan, the mysterious person who inexplicably wanted to harm them, and finally the fishing net and crocodile that tried to drag him into the deep sea—each and every one of these things showed that this Rune Assembly was shrouded in clouds. He had been lucky enough to arrive in Jianzhou safely, but could this mean that everything had cleared up? I am afraid the real storm had not yet arrived.

Could the disappearance of Xiao Guangwang be a part of it?

Although he thought so, Tang Zhao was truly just a small character; many things could only be seen through a tube, and he could only worry in vain.

Here, they used Xiao Guangwang to open the conversation, and everyone brought the topic back to Rune Formulas. At this time, everyone present, except for Yun Xiyan, was the real deal, and there was plenty to communicate about. Once the ice was broken between them, those barriers gradually dissipated. Tang Zhao had a gentle temperament, was kind to others, spoke interestingly, and was the champion, so he naturally became a key figure in the small group of Talisman Sword Masters. For a time, there was lively conversation on the floor.

After a while, they saw Qi Yuheng come up from downstairs, bowing to everyone, and saying, "Congratulations to all students."

The twenty-four people on Zhuangyuan Tower stood up one after another and bowed, saying, "Head Libationer Yuheng."

After some pleasantries, Qi Yuheng smiled and said, "Everyone, the essence of this year's Rune Assembly is all here in our Zhuangyuan Tower. As you know, the Rune Assembly starts tomorrow and lasts for three days. The first day is the main theme exchange, the second day is free exchange, and the third day is for awarding prizes, distributing souvenirs, and touring Jianzhou."

Everyone nodded one after another. The Rune Assembly had always followed this process, focusing on exchange—otherwise, what? Bring everyone together to eat, drink, and indulge in romance? That's what playboys do, right? Would they travel thousands of miles to waste time like this?

The Rune Assembly was a place for young people to communicate and promote each other. The first day's main theme exchange was when the Libationer took the stage to teach his secret methods and insights; it was the most anticipated public lecture. To say that hearing one session was better than reading books for ten years was no exaggeration. On the second day, everyone chose their own topics to communicate with each other. One could publicly post topics that had long troubled them to recruit responders, or set up a stall to explain their own unique Rune Formulas and techniques. Or they could privately form groups to communicate and hold a "seminar" to discuss. On the third day, the Rune Assembly reached its end; everyone would receive their awards and go sightseeing, and then it would be time for real eating and drinking—eating and drinking with new friends and old acquaintances made at the assembly, building relationships, and gathering to say goodbye.

Thus, the Rune Assembly would come to a successful conclusion. If everyone ate well and had a good time, they would mostly have a good impression of the Rune Assembly. If the souvenirs received were generous enough, they would inevitably be grateful to the Host. If they really learned good things and gained something, they would be even more grateful and praise Long Yuan.

Tang Zhao also knew the process of the Rune Assembly and had prepared some small questions to discuss at the meeting. Of course, he didn't have "questions" in the general sense, because the Glasses were still very effective, but he had some pioneering and divergent ideas that he was willing to bring out for everyone to discuss. And then there was... a topic that Deputy Envoy Mai had given him on the road, about the Empty-Type Demon Cave.

Qi Yuheng said, "However, this Rune Assembly is different. The first day was originally meant for the Libationer to open the Apricot Altar alone, but the topic he chose today is too big, so it will be explained in two days, leaving time for everyone to digest in between. He will use the morning of the first day and the morning of the third day. The second day is naturally for free exchange. On the afternoon of the first day, I, Long Yuan, intend to continue the main theme exchange, taking turns to invite several young talents to take the stage to supplement and expand along the Libationer's theme, acting as lecturers. I wonder if any of you are interested in taking the stage? We only need five or six people."

Tang Zhao and the others were stunned, and then they all instinctively shook their heads.

It wasn't that they didn't want to take the stage, but this was too rushed, right? How could they be told the topic today and take the stage tomorrow? Even teachers in the school couldn't prepare lessons so quickly, right?

Qi Yuheng stared at one person in the seat and said, "Brother Wu..."

Wu Yunfei smiled and said, "Since that is the case, I have some insights, so I will not yield."

Zhuge Yudan smiled and said, "Since Brother Wu is going up, then this little sister cannot fall behind."

With them singing in harmony, everyone present realized—this had been agreed upon in advance.

Also, what kind of ordinary young talent would be qualified to lecture on the podium? Naturally, it was the exclusive domain of the Seven Great Factions. And since the disciples of the Seven Great Factions did not take the Sword Province Road, besides answering questions, wasn't the rest of the time spent preparing for this lecture? They even pretended it was a last-minute invitation to make it seem like they were exceptionally talented and could speak on the spot.

They were acting, and everyone else was just watching the show.

Then Chu Shanxia also responded, but Feng Fei of the Feng Clan had left and could not respond on the spot, but most likely he had a share as well.

Qi Yuheng said, "We are still missing one or two young people—Champion, what do you think?"