Chapter 803: Congratulations, Holy Son-in-law
The silhouettes started glowing in a certain tempo, their movements akin to the movements of an absolute expert, each move containing an indescribable depth that one could easily get lost in.
Xiang Shaoyun stared unblinking at the movements, imprinting everything in his mind. The silhouettes moved quickly, and it almost seemed like they had only flickered for a few times before all of them dissipated. It was also at that moment that the tower withdrew all its power.
The formation vanished, and peace returned, as though all that had happened was a dream. Xiang Shaoyun stood there in a daze, the movements of the silhouettes replaying in his mind repeatedly.
For anyone else, remembering the movements in such a short period of time would be difficult. But for Xiang Shaoyun, who possessed the Nether Soul Domain, that wasn't an issue.
Through watching the silhouettes, he instantly understood that their movements were related to the essence of the Phantom Shift technique. It had been completely out of his expectations that a secret technique like that was hidden in the tower. This was quite a large harvest for him.
The superiority of the Phantom Shift was that it could allow one to instantly shift one's position, avoiding any incoming attacks while giving one an opportunity to counterattack. In a way, this was a misdirection technique.
Different from regular footwork techniques, it did not provide the practitioner with a method of long-distance movement. It also did not contain any offensive abilities. Its sole function was to shift one's position, and that alone was enough to make it a precious technique.
Xiang Shaoyun analyzed the movements repeatedly before connecting them with what he saw during his battle with the hall master's clone. Soon, he learned the technique's core points.
When he opened his eyes once more, excitement was plastered all over his face as he said, "This third trial comes bearing a big gift!"
The Phantom Shift would allow him to catch his enemies by complete surprise during battle. Still remaining where he was, he started practicing it in accordance to the movements of the silhouettes.
Initially, his moves were stiff and awkward, but after several repetitions, he became better at it. Finally, he gained the ability to quickly shift between positions, but of course, he was still unable to do it as fast as the hall master's clone.
Even so, him grasping the technique in such a short period of time was proof of his monstrous talent. After spending some time practicing, he stopped. He had now grasped the Phantom Shift, with the technique deeply imprinted in his head.
In the future, he only needed to practice hard at it to improve his mastery of the technique. There was no need to continue training here.
The moment he stopped, a silhouette appeared before the tower. It was yet another clone, this time looking much more solid than any of the hall master's other clones he had seen before. Even the facial features of this clone could be clearly seen.
The hall master was a handsome and imposing man, and his firm facial features looked like they were sculpted rather than natural. His eyes were as bright as torches, seemingly capable of seeing through everything, as though no secret could stay hidden before his eyes. His noble temperament gave one a sense of shame just facing him. This was the hall master, the supreme leader of the Holy Hall.
"I greet the hall master," Xiang Shaoyun quickly saluted and offered his greetings.
"You can be at ease. Since you have grasped the Phantom Shift technique, you have successfully passed the third trial," said the hall master with a faint smile on his face.
"Good to know, good to know," said Xiang Shaoyun with excitement.
So long as he completed Old Urchin's mission, he would be able to leave safely.
"Are you happy and excited that you can finally become the Holy Hall's son-in-law?" asked the hall master.
The smile faded from Xiang Shaoyun's face as he waved his hand. "No...not at all."
"What is it, then?" the hall master pressed.
"I...was feeling happy because I managed to learn a new technique. Thank you, hall master, for imparting that technique upon me," Xiang Shaoyun replied nervously. He was afraid a wrong answer would cost him his life.
"Is that so?" asked the hall master.
Xiang Shaoyun quickly nodded. "Yes, of course."
"Bastard!" the hall master suddenly raged.
Xiang Shaoyun panicked, not knowing how he had angered the hall master.
"Do you not care about my granddaughter at all?" the hall master finally voiced his question. His gaze was locked onto Xiang Shaoyun, as though he would attack the moment he got a wrong answer.
Only then did Xiang Shaoyun realize his mistake. It turned out the hall master cared most for his granddaughter.
He hurriedly replied, "The young lady is as beautiful as a fairy and is one of the prettiest women I have ever met in my life. Getting her as a wife would be one's greatest fortune. How would I dare disregard her?"
"At least you're smart. Since you have passed all three trials, you are now qualified to be the Holy Hall's son-in-law. Wait until I leave seclusion, and I will conduct the wedding ceremony for you two," said the hall master somewhat unhappily. He looked in a certain direction and said, "First elder, come."
Whoosh!
A figure appeared like a phantom. He was none other than the first elder.
"Hall master," the first elder greeted respectfully.
"This is a candidate sent by you guys. He is decent in all aspects, but his cultivation level is a tad bit low. Think of a way to increase his cultivation. After I leave seclusion, I will personally conduct the wedding ceremony for them," commanded the hall master.
"Your subordinate obeys," said the first elder.
This time, Xiang Shaoyun was finally anxious for real. However, he did not dare to voice his concerns, afraid that the hall master would tear him apart after finding out the truth.
Fortunately, he was quick-witted and was able to come up with something. "Lord hall master, I think the current me is still not worthy of the young lady. Why don't we talk about marriage after I catch up with the young lady in my cultivation?"
His only solution was to drag this out. Things would be much simpler for him after escaping this place.
"Wan'er has excellent talent, so it won't be easy for you to catch up with her. You can slowly catch up after marriage. Alright, this is all," said the hall master as he vanished into thin air.
Xiang Shaoyun wasn't given any chance to say anything else.
The first elder turned around and saluted, "Congratulations, holy son-in-law."
The salute gave Xiang Shaoyun a shock, and he hurriedly said, "This is too much respect for me!"
"You have passed the three trials and have received the acknowledgment of the hall master. Thus, you are now the son-in-law of the Holy Hall. After marriage, the relationship will be formalized. Thus, you are more than worthy of receiving my salute," said the first elder. "Come, holy son-in-law. I'll bring you out. The others must be getting anxious now."
He then led the way out of the forest of towers while Xiang Shaoyun followed, still in a daze.