Chapter 1415 - Absolutely Brilliant
The Heavenly Dragon Sect still had to keep up the appearance of harmony in front of the gathered powers. No matter how strained things had become, the Lingqiong Clan technically remained a branch of the Heavenly Dragon Sect. They had only withdrawn from internal management, not severed ties completely.
"Grant them seats," said the elder in charge. He produced several dozen chairs, cleared a separate section, and invited the representatives of the Lingqiong Clan to sit.
Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie continued climbing, and he had almost reached the two-hundredth step. At that moment, two men appeared ahead of him before he could draw close.
"We're disciples of the Ironblood Gate. We're here to congratulate Young Master Liu on this joyous day. We prepared a couplet, but only the first half. You'll have to match it with the second half to complete it," the two youths said.
Most trials on the Auspicious Cloud Stairs took eccentric or playful forms and rarely touched on cultivation itself. Nearly everyone present had a higher cultivation than Liu Wuxie, and if they asked a cultivation question and he answered it, they would be the ones losing face.
That would be the same as admitting they were inferior to Liu Wuxie in comprehension of cultivation. For that reason, they preferred to pose strange riddles and clever games instead.
"Please, go ahead," Liu Wuxie replied with a light smile, signaling them to begin.
"Tip the stroke up, and it reads 'old'; drop it down, and it reads 'exam.' The old set the tests for greenhorns; the greenhorns stumped the old," recited the youth on the right, presenting the first half of the couplet.
The theme suited the occasion perfectly, implying that Liu Wuxie was still a newcomer, yet already capable of stumping many from the older generation.
Everyone lowered their heads, silently pondering how they might compose a matching line of their own.
"Add one stroke to a person, and it reads great; add two strokes, and it reads heaven. Heaven may be vast, but human emotions outweigh heaven," Liu Wuxie replied without much deliberation.
Before the crowd could even react, Liu Wuxie had already given his answer and completed the couplet.