The moment Huang Xiaolong opened his eyes, the first thing that entered his sight was the person standing outside the large array. It was Xiao Feng, and his face was twisted as if he couldn’t decide if he wanted to cry or laugh.
“Lord Custodian Xiao Feng, did I pass the test?” Huang Xiaolong asked calmly.
After hearing that Huang Xiaolong had called him Lord Custodian Xiao Feng, Xiao Feng’s knees gave out, and he plopped to the ground on his knees in a panic, sobbing with all his heart, “Your Highness Holy Prince, you’ve passed the test, you’ve passed the test with flying colors!”
Huang Xiaolong called him Lord Custodian. Wasn’t that asking for his life?
There were no changes to Huang Xiaolong’s calm expression as he spoke, “Since I’ve passed the test, that’s a joyous event. What are you crying for?”
Xiao Feng’s body trembled as he shrunk back. His wailing sobs stopped abruptly, replaced by a panicked self-reprimand, “I would be damned, I would be damned! Pardon me please, Your Highness Holy Prince. I, I was just too happy. Yes, yes, that’s right, too happy!”
“I have troubled you then.” Huang Xiaolong responded tepidly. There seemed to be another meaning to his words.
Xiao Feng felt like crying even more after hearing Huang Xiaolong’s words. He was about to cry again for Huang Xiaolong to spare him, but he remembered that Huang Xiaolong had just passed the test. Hence he did not dare to cry in fear of ruining Huang Xiaolong’s joyous event.
Huang Xiaolong couldn’t be bothered to deal with Xiao Feng anymore. He turned and walked towards the doors.
The testing hall’s doors were still tightly shut at this time.
Despite seeing Huang Xiaolong leave, Xiao Feng still didn’t dare to get up from the floor. Instead, he moved forward on his knees in agile movements, chasing after Huang Xiaolong.
“Your Highness Holy Prince, please allow me to open the doors for you!” Xiao Feng volunteered enthusiastically from behind Huang Xiaolong.
“There is no need. This kind of work is too much to trouble Lord Custodian Xiao Feng.” With that said, Huang Xiaolong’s pulled at the handles and opened the doors wide to the sides.
As it was noon, bright rays of sunlight shone into the hall the moment the doors opened, shining on Huang Xiaolong’s face.
Sun Huage, Liu Cheng, and the others, who had been waiting on the other side of the doors, immediately straightened up when they saw the doors opening. When they looked up, they saw an unfamiliar handsome young man with an extraordinary bearing, with eyes like the dark deep space.
Sun Huage and Liu Cheng were stunned for a moment.
They had taken for granted that the person opening the doors would be Xiao Feng.
But Sun Huage soon reacted, and quickly knelt on single knee before Huang Xiaolong in apprehension.
“Holy Gate headquarters Law Enforcement Hall’s Sun Huage greets to Your Highness Holy Prince!”
“Holy Gate’s Division Master Liu Cheng pays respect to Your Highness Holy Prince!”
“Holy Gate’s Division High Custodian Li Junlong pays respect to Your Highness Holy Prince!” After Sun Huage and Liu Cheng, Li Junlong and the rest of the custodians all knelt on their knees in salute. Different from Sun Huage, Liu Cheng and the custodians knelt on both knees.
There was a sea of people kneeling on their knees in the courtyard.
Only one person remained standing.
Song Shaokang looked at Huang Xiaolong in apprehension, gripped by fear. His face was drained of blood, and seemingly, he was scared to the point of forgetting to salute.
Before Huang Xiaolong opened the doors, Song Shaokang had tried to inquire the present custodians through voice transmission about the person taking the test. However, in all matters related to the Holy Gate’s Holy Prince, even these custodians didn’t dare to speak mindlessly. Thus, up until this point, Song Shaokang was unable to determine if the person in the hall was Huang Xiaolong or not.
Up until a moment ago, Song Shaokang was still harboring hope, still fantasizing that the person inside was not Huang Xiaolong.
Huang Xiaolong saw Song Shaokang standing not far away. He was not saluting on his knees like the others. A low, cold sneer sounded from his lips. Due to Wan Zhuoyuan’s memories, Huang Xiaolong knew quite a lot of the Holy Gate’s rules.
Rules within the Holy Gate were extremely strict. Other than the Eminent Elders of the Holy Gate, all others needed to kneel upon seeing the Holy Prince, and greet the Holy Prince as His Highness.
Some people needed to kneel on a single knee, while most were required to kneel on both knees.
Even the Division Master Liu Cheng knelt on both knees in salute. Therefore, a common Holy Gate’s disciple like Song Shaokang should have promptly knelt on both knees, saluting Huang Xiaolong.
With Song Shaokang not kneeling, Huang Xiaolong could buckle a crime on Song Shaokong’s head, and the punishment could strip a layer of Song Shaokang's skin.
Sun Huage, Liu Cheng, and the several custodians also discovered that Song Shaokang was still standing, and their faces ashened at the sight, especially Liu Cheng’s. His body swayed, wishing he could faint on the spot. If the Holy Prince vented on the entire Falling Jade Dynasty’s Holy Gate division because of Song Shaokang, he as the Division Master would also be punished by the headquarters.
But Huang Xiaolong spoke before Liu Cheng could reprimand Song Shaokang, “Song Shaokang, is it very surprising to see me here? Knowing that I’ve passed the test, are you not happy? Just now, Custodian Xiao Feng was crying from joy.”
Sun Huage, Liu Cheng, and the others all looked at Xiao Feng, who was still kneeling behind Huang Xiaolong.
Although Liu Cheng didn’t know what was the conflict between Huang Xiaolong, Song Shaokang, and Xiao Feng, anyone could hear the hostility in Huang Xiaolong’s tone!
This Xiao Feng!
Liu Cheng shot Xiao Feng a cold glare.
Xiao Feng’s heart constricted in fear from Liu Cheng’s cold gaze, despair etched on his face.
“Impudent! Song Shaokang, why are you not kneeling in salute seeing His Highness Holy Prince!” Sun Huage looked over his shoulder and barked angrily.
Sun Huage was originally a Seventh Order Venerable expert, his barking voice contained the might of a Seventh Order Venerable Realm expert that rushed towards Song Shaokang, nearly suffocating Song Shaokang.
“Song Shaokang greets His Highness Holy Prince!” Song Shaokang dared not hesitate anymore. He fell to his knees with a plop, and saluted Huang Xiaolong.
Then, Huang Xiaolong spoke nonchalantly, “Xiao Feng, Song Shaokang, continue to kneel, others, stand up.”
Sun Huage, Liu Cheng, Li Junlong, and the rest acknowledged respectfully before getting up.
Xiao Feng and Song Shaokang despaired further.
Song Shaokang even more so. His fists were tightly clenched as he endured the humiliation and an intense killing intent swept across his heart and disappeared.
Detecting the killing intent that flowed out of Song Shaokang for the briefest instant, Huang Xiaolong sneered, “Song Shaokang, do you want to kill me?”
Sun Huage, Liu Cheng, Li Junlong, and the others, too, were staring at Song Shaokang fixedly, giving Song Shaokang the illusion that each person’s gaze could incinerate him in an instant.
“Song Shaokang dares not!” Song Shaokang swiftly denied, lowering his head in a fluster.
Huang Xiaolong sneered, unperturbed, and he didn’t trouble Song Shaokang anymore because there would be a lot of time to play with Song Shaokang in the future.. He walked out from the courtyard.
Sun Huage, Liu Cheng, Li Junlong, and the others tactfully followed Huang Xiaolong out of the courtyard without needing a word from Huang Xiaolong.
The Nine Heavens Gate’s Gate Chief Du Youze, and other forces’ experts were waiting patiently outside, a hundred meters away.
‘When the Holy Prince appears, I will take out that treasure from the Nine Heavens Gate’s treasury and offer it as a tribute to the Holy Prince. He would surely like it, right?’ Du Youze secretly thought to himself.
That treasure was a treasure that their Nine Heavens Gate had kept for billions of years.
The Nine Heavens Gate’s Eminent Elder Wang Qi, Grand Elder Zhou Heng, and the others stood behind Huang Xiaolong, each immersed in their own thoughts.
While Du Youze and everyone outside waited with anticipation, Huang Xiaolong, Sun Huage, Liu Cheng, and the others finally stepped out from the courtyard.
Seeing that Huang Xiaolong was walking at the head of the group, Du Youze and Wang Qi were still composed apart from looking excited, but Zhou Heng’s eyes widened in fear. He threw himself to the ground in a prostrating posture before saying anything.
The Nine Heavens Gate’s Gate Chief Du Youze, Big Dipper Sword Sect’s Sect Chief, Incineration Valley Master, and other forces’ experts were bewildered by Zhou Heng’s mind-boggling action.
“Huang, Huang Xiaolong!” Zhou Heng stuttered.
Huang Xiaolong! Du Youze, Wang Qi, and all experts of Nine Heavens Gate paled.
“Falling Jade Dynasty’s Emperor, Bi Liang, greets Your Highness Holy Prince!”
“Big Dipper Sword Sect Chief, Wang Tian, greets Your Highness Holy Princess!”
“Incineration Valley Master, Qin Zhixu, greets Your Highness Holy Prince!”
……
Following the Falling Jade Dynasty Emperor’s, Big Dipper Sword Sect Chief’s, and Incineration Valley Master’s self-introductions and greetings, these forces’ experts, as well as other various families, and sect forces’ experts, several thousand of them, all knelt in salute.
