Chapter 52 Closed Palace Closed Palace

Zhou Fuling was filled with apprehension.

But unlike her worries, Liang Bucheng and Qinghu Yue both looked happy.

When they arrived, they thought the fourth installment would undoubtedly be the final one, but now that they've managed to secure third place in the competition, it's enough to make them overjoyed.

Liang Bucheng said, "Xiao Fu, your knowledge is truly remarkable."

Zhou Fuling couldn't say a word.

Now that she has lost the intelligence test, she can only rely on the strategy test and the martial arts test. Who knows what will happen next?

-

But then, Shu Minglian from the third part was glared at fiercely by Liu Wuxing and then turned away.

Shu Minglian: "Minister, that Holy Blood Pill..."

Liu Wuxing said, "Spell cultivator, you'd better not think about the Holy Blood Pill anymore."

"But without the Holy Blood Pill, A-Yue won't survive..."

"This is your own business. What did your five small military units promise before? With such a ranking in the intelligence test, you can forget about the Holy Blood Pill." Liu Wuxing turned and left.

Only Shu Minglian remained, her hands clenched into fists.

"Minglian, don't force yourself." Someone grabbed her hand. Shu Minglian turned around and saw it was her fiancé.

The two looked at each other in silence. Shu Minglian turned her head, covered her eyes with her hand, and remained silent for a long time.

...

Zhou Fuling walked out of the Ten Thousand Scrolls Pavilion, her expression not pleasant.

Outside, in the first and third parts, apart from Shu Minglian forcing a smile, Ning Chaoxue was beaming with joy. Shu Minglian seemed to be trying to see Ning Chaoxue and Ning Chengshuang, but was turned away at the door.

The two were accompanying the Dragon Master and the Fire-Spelling Immortal Master, showering them with flattery.

In the second part, Ning Hong and Ning Bai had gloomy faces, but Ning Chengshan had no expression.

As Zhou Fuling passed by, Ning Hong sneered: "I used to think you were incredibly clever and capable of making a name for yourself, but now it seems you were too confident back then."

“Whether I’m satisfied or not is irrelevant,” Zhou Fuling said. “As far as I know, if the first team wins first place, they’ll target you first if they’re going to make trouble.”

"You should think about yourself."

After Zhou Fuling finished speaking, she turned and left, leaving Ning Hong furious and her face turning ashen.

However, even after saying this, Zhou Fuling felt somewhat uncertain.

She knew that if she had already failed the intelligence test, her chances of winning the martial arts test would be much lower. If she failed the martial arts test, and someone noticed her skill when she made a move, she would probably be in grave danger.

To break the deadlock, she had no choice but to take a gamble.

Zhou Fuling was feeling irritable when she suddenly saw someone sit down beside her, bringing a pleasant fragrance.

Zhou Fuling turned around and saw Xu Qingning. He sat down, holding a nine-inch-long bamboo flute in his hand.

Zhou Fuling was taken aback. When the two were wandering, Xu Qingning had carved a flute himself, saying that his mother liked the sounds of the flute and xiao. He often played it alone.

Zhou Fuling asked, "What are you doing?"

Xu Qingning remained silent, simply raising his bamboo flute and playing a tune. The lingering sound, which had initially caused distress, eventually became clear and ethereal, dispelling the restlessness that had been entangled in his heart.

Zhou Fuling felt her anger subside considerably.

The fourth installment surprised everyone who watched.

Zhou Fuling pursed her lips: "Why are you playing the flute for no reason?"

"What sounds do you still remember?" Xu Qingning asked.

"The clear sound at the end of the piece."

“Most things in this world are not perfect. If you only dwell on troublesome things, you will find it difficult to overcome them. Only by forgetting troubles can you produce pure sounds,” Xu Qingning said.

If someone else were present, Zhou Fuling would have thought this person was talking nonsense.

But for some reason, seeing Xu Qingning now made her feel inexplicably calmer, like a gentle breeze blowing through her heart, unlike the restlessness she felt before.

Zhou Fuling suddenly had a thought.

He just wanted to be alone with Xu Qingning for a while, to catch his breath during the Yun Ning Grand Competition.

[Villain's favorability +3%]

Xu Qingning was suddenly startled and looked at Zhou Fuling. He had been playing a tune to calm her down because he saw that she was extremely agitated and trying her best to hide it.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this notification sound, his breathing became inexplicably erratic for a few breaths, and he could only lower his head to hide his inner turmoil.

"Do you want to hear more?" Xu Qingning asked softly.

Zhou Fuling nodded.

Xu Qingning then played several more tunes, all of which were folk songs from the mortal realm.

His musical skills were superb, and his mind was pure; he played so well that people forgot their worries, and many people sat at a distance watching him.

Ling Fu was sitting with a disciple from the outer sect of the mortal realm. The two had an extraordinary air about them and looked like a couple.

Only Ning Bai saw it from afar, gritting his teeth.

They wanted to come and find out the truth, but because the test was imminent, there was no suitable opportunity.

After Xu Qingning finished playing the flute, he looked at Zhou Fuling.

Zhou Fuling then realized that she had been staring at his hands and face.

Zhou Fuling turned around and continued to review the strategy book that the Miao Mountain Lord had given her, and her mind calmed down a lot.

An hour later, Elder Ning Chenghan said, "The trial is about to begin!"

Zhou Fuling rose with Liang Bucheng and then saw the four ministers enter.

A giant cloud floated in the air, its surface shimmering like a mirror, with a thousand faces—the very entrance to the illusion.

The location for this trial is the "Myriad Mirror Palace".

Zhou Fuling had heard of it before. This was an illusion array passed down from the Liang Huo era, capable of predicting future scenes.

But for some reason, it can only be used for planning and testing.

The four members need to first enter the four realms within the illusion, untie the brocade pouches, obtain the questions, and then devise strategies from the golden book.

After this, the strategy for the illusion needs to be deduced in the "Mirror Palace of Myriad Phenomena". If the "Mirror Palace of Myriad Phenomena" can predict the disaster, then it is a poor strategy. If it can break the deadlock, then it is a strategy to break the deadlock.

Based on the results from the Myriad Realms Mirror Palace, the elders rated each strategy as "superior," "medium," or "inferior."

Zhou Fuling followed Liang Bucheng and the other man into the "Myriad Phenomena Mirror Palace," where they entered a dreamlike world.

Like a snowfield under the night sky, a starry night with cold snow, there is no chill, only the flow of spiritual energy.

Liang Bu Cheng picked up a brocade pouch and whispered, "This is the question."

Liang Bucheng opened the brocade pouch, and the illusion trembled.

Zhou Fuling looked up, but suddenly froze.

...What is the topic?!

*

A question appeared in the sky:

"The Central Continent is powerful, and under the guise of 'cooperation in defense,' the Immortal Chief Zou family intends to seize the thousand-mile-long spiritual vein in the northern part of the Southern Continent. This place is not only rich in resources, but also guards a strategic point. If it is lost, the northern gateway to Yun Ning will be wide open. Moreover, within Yun Ning, the four tribes are divided, and government orders are difficult to implement. How can we break this deadlock?"

After the question was posed, there was a moment of silence among the three of them.

Liang Bucheng shook his head: "This...this is difficult to handle."

Qinghu Yue shook her head, as if this was indeed something she wasn't good at.

Zhou Fuling frowned as well: "It is indeed difficult to handle."

This is because, although the question is small, it is also significant.

She had vaguely heard about this incident; it was a border dispute between the Southern Continent and the Central Continent. Ning Tingyue had always listened to Zou Lanci, so Zou Lanci attempted to infiltrate the Southern Continent's border.

But if it were just the border, that would be fine, but here it mentions... Zhou Fuling's gaze fell on "four divisions", and she remained silent for a long time.

...

Inside the main hall, many elders and cultivators also saw the questions for the intelligence test, which caused a great uproar.

"Is it that difficult?" Many elders stood up.

But one disciple asked, "How is it difficult?"

"Breaking the diplomatic deadlock is easy. But the difficult part is... these 'four divisions'."

The disciple who had just asked the question suddenly realized what was going on, raised his head, and his spirits lifted.

Xu Qingning also saw the question and frowned.

Indeed, as Yun Ningren said, examining only the case of the Thousand Mile Spirit Vein is relatively simple.

But the difficulty lies in the fact that the question mentions four separate regimes, which is probably the key to the question.

They appeared in the same question, testing the ability of people in various departments to resolve internal and external troubles. This made it even more difficult.

Xu Qingning shook his head.

Each of the four departments was given an hour to answer the question and write down the solution.

As everyone waited, they were all anxious, because the question was very difficult and closely related to the Southern Continent. They wanted to see how everyone would answer it.

Xu Qingning was also somewhat anxious, but could only wait, wondering how Zhou Fuling would respond.

An hour later, an elder announced that the four groups had finished answering their questions.

The questions cannot be written down; instead, they will be answered by drawing lots in turn.

"Part Three, please answer."

Liu Wuxing strode out of the illusion with his head held high, a hint of self-satisfaction on his face.

Shu Minglian followed behind, looking listless.

But Liu Wuxing said, "Please close the hall."

There was an uproar, but it was within everyone's expectations. "Closing the hall" was one of the traditions of the strategy test. It meant that the strategy was to be announced and only the elders of Yun Ning could hear it; outsiders were not allowed to know.

However, an elder unexpectedly said, "Minister Liu, Liang Huozhi has drawn up the results. This examination cannot be held in the palace."

The elder who spoke these words was none other than Liang Huo, who had requested a divination and prayer. This was also part of the traditional practice of seeking a divination to decide whether or not to close the temple.

This move caused an uproar.