A few seconds later, over a dozen powerful figures rushed out from various parts of Langya Pavilion. They arrived before the collapsed palace, staring at the giant stones falling from the sky, completely bewildered.
"Where did this big rock come from?"
"Could it be a meteorite from outer space?"
"This is so bizarre, a meteorite falling from the sky, it's an omen of misfortune," one of the powerful figures said worriedly, seemingly unaware that someone had kicked it up from the foot of the mountain.
Seeing that no one from the mountain had come down to confront him, Zhou Hong became dejected. He had expected that after kicking a rock up, strong figures from Langya Pavilion would quickly descend to settle accounts with him. To his surprise, there was no reaction at all.
"Fine, I'll just go up myself," Zhou Hong decided and walked towards the Langya Pavilion mountain.
At this very moment, in a training room within Langya Pavilion.
A man sat on a bed with his eyes closed, meditating. This man was none other than the young master of Langya Pavilion, named Wu Tiande.
Beside him, two women dressed as maids were doing chores.
If Zhou Hong were present, he would recognize one of the maids as Qiao Xiaoyu at a glance.
Just then, the young master of Langya Pavilion suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Qiao Xiaoyu, who was cleaning, asking, "Xiaoyu, you truly cannot fall in love with me, can you?"
Qiao Xiaoyu stopped her work and nodded, saying, "I'm sorry, Young Master. Having seen the ocean, I can hardly think of rivers as water; having been to Wu Mountain, I have no desire for other clouds. I know you are excellent, superior to him, but...!"
"You don't need to say more. I'm very curious, what exactly did you and that person go through that makes you unwilling to forget him, even when given better options."
"I'm sorry, Young Master."
"Heh heh, it's okay. My journey to the mortal world was for worldly experience. It's just that, for every woman I've encountered, they've developed feelings for me without me having to express any. Only you are different. Therefore, my worldly experience hinges on you. My trial will only end when you fall in love with me."
Qiao Xiaoyu remained silent, but she knew clearly in her heart that apart from Zhou Hong, she could not fancy any other man, even though she and Zhou Hong were now considered kin.
Just then, there was a commotion outside.
The young master of Langya Pavilion quickly called out, "Why is it so noisy outside?"
A servant ran in and said, "Reporting to the Young Master, a meteorite suddenly fell from the sky and smashed the Grand Hall of Langya. The First Elder says it's an ominous sign, and many disciples are heading to the Grand Hall to see what's happening."
"A meteorite from the heavens? An ominous sign?" The young master of Langya Pavilion paused for a moment. He then immediately got up and headed towards the Grand Hall of Langya to investigate.
After the young master of Langya Pavilion left, the other maid working alongside Qiao Xiaoyu quickly said, "Xiaoyu, why are you so foolish? The Young Master is merely using you as an object for his worldly experience, but if you truly fell in love with him, he would take responsibility. To be with such a powerful young master, even as his concubine, would be an immense honor."
"Excuse me, Xiaomei, I don't find anything honorable about it," Qiao Xiaoyu quickly shook her head, disagreeing with this notion.
It turned out that the young master of Langya Pavilion's trip to the mortal world was merely to use Qiao Xiaoyu as an object for his worldly experience, not because he truly loved her. What he never expected was that such an ordinary woman like Qiao Xiaoyu would not be attracted to him. Therefore, the young master of Langya Pavilion took Qiao Xiaoyu with him, intending to gradually change her perception of him until she fell in love with him, thus completing his trial.
However, it was regrettable that Qiao Xiaoyu could not bring herself to fall in love with the young master of Langya Pavilion.
At this moment, Zhou Hong also arrived at the Grand Hall of Langya Pavilion.
Unfortunately, the Grand Hall of Langya Pavilion was crowded with disciples. They were discussing the collapsed hall in hushed tones, and no one noticed Zhou Hong.
Zhou Hong stood among the crowd, overhearing their discussions about the meteorite from the heavens being an ominous sign. He finally understood that the Langya Pavilion people mistook the large rock he kicked up for a fallen meteorite.
Zhou Hong felt speechless, having wasted his effort for nothing.
Just then, Zhou Hong heard a few powerful elders in front discussing something.
"Third Elder, the sudden fall of such a large meteorite from the sky, smashing the Grand Hall of Langya, is not a good omen. Our Langya Pavilion must quickly prepare for any eventualities."
"It's the First Elder," another elder nodded in agreement.
"What about the Young Master? Has his worldly experience ended yet?" the one called the First Elder continued to ask.
"Not yet. His final trial is trapped by an ordinary woman. It's been several months with no progress."
"How could this be? If he doesn't quickly conclude his final worldly trial, his state of mind will not improve, and he will not be able to reach the Martial Ancestor realm."
"Indeed, and he's trapped by the very last woman."
"What is that woman's name? Is she being ungrateful? How could such an outstanding man like the Young Master be trapped by her?"
"Her name is Qiao Xiaoyu. I can't understand it either. The longer she takes to fall in love with the Young Master, the more it diminishes the effectiveness of his worldly experience."
"Truly ungrateful," the First Elder seemed somewhat angered.
Zhou Hong, standing in the crowd, heard the discussions of those elders and seemed to grasp something.
Just then, a man with an imposing demeanor arrived. This man was none other than Wu Tiande, the young master of Langya Pavilion.
"Greetings, First Elder, Second Elder, Third Elder," the young master of Langya Pavilion greeted the elders upon his arrival.
"There's no need for formalities, Young Master. We were just discussing you. How is your worldly experience progressing? Does that Qiao Xiaoyu still look down on you?"
"Reporting to the First Elder, I truly don't understand this maiden. Logically, a man as outstanding as myself, she shouldn't dislike me. But who knew, she simply has no feelings for me. My final trial in worldly experience might be difficult with her."
"This is outrageous! If this drags on, even if you eventually pass this trial, your state of mind will not improve much," the First Elder of Langya Pavilion said with anger etched on his face.
"I am also worried about this. She told me, 'Having seen the ocean, I can hardly think of rivers as water; having been to Wu Mountain, I have no desire for other clouds.' It seems she had a man she truly loved in the mortal world," the young master of Langya Pavilion sighed.
"She's truly ignorant. What kind of trash man can be compared to you? If I get angry, I truly wish I could strike her down with a palm. If you had finished your worldly experience a few months earlier, perhaps you would have already entered the Martial Ancestor realm," the Third Elder said furiously.