Chapter 3768 — The Biggest Beneficiary
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
By Wei Zhao's reckoning, scanning the whole of the Three-Tiered Pavilions, apart from the four of them who had already broken through to Foundation Establishment, Xiao Che was unquestionably one of the mere handful among all the remaining newcomers closest to that threshold, and his depths of strength were solid—in no way inferior to those few luminaries of the Soaring Heavens Pavilion and the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion. Once he broke through, even a seasoned hand like Meng Zhou, who had reached Foundation Establishment some time before him, might not prove his match.
But no one could have foreseen that Wei Zhao's well-meant decision would instead land Xiao Che in such an awkward strait.
Of course, the blame for this could not be laid at Wei Zhao's feet. Even Xiao Che himself felt nothing but gratitude and reverence toward him, never the least resentment over good intentions gone awry. One could only say that fate makes sport of men; that matters should have come to such a pass was beyond anyone's expecting.
Wei Zhao mused for a moment, then suddenly spoke up with a proposal: "How about this—Xiao Che, you and I swap cave dwellings. That puts you in Mountain-Low No. 14, in as favorable a position as Hongcai, and well placed to compete for challenge points in what's to come."
At these words, the much-put-upon senior brother and the others were startled on the spot, and Xiao Che in particular was visibly shaken.
"Absolutely not! Senior Brother Wei Zhao, you fought hard for a score that high, and you're charging along in full cry, leaving a deep impression on the Three-Tiered Pavilions' high elders and paving the way for your future. If you throw away an opportunity like that for my sake, I couldn't bear it!" Xiao Che said once he had collected himself, refusing outright.
Wei Zhao had turned in divine-tier showings, full marks in both of the preceding stages. If he could keep that rhythm going, then not only in Qingyun Pavilion but counting the Soaring Heavens Pavilion and the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion besides, he was indisputably the newcomer without peer.
Entering Qingyun Pavilion in days to come with credentials like these, he would surely earn the appreciation of the high elders, and a meteoric rise thereafter would go without saying!
But if he were now to swap cave dwellings with Xiao Che and leap of his own accord into the pit that was Mountain-Low No. 1, he would have little room to maneuver in the challenge tournament stage to come. If no other newcomer came to challenge him, then no matter how great his strength, it would avail him nothing; he could only stand by and watch his rival Meng Zhou reap points by the armful while he himself was powerless to do a thing.
And let no one forget: although Wei Zhao had banked no small advantage over the first two stages, Meng Zhou had backing from the likes of Meng Jueming, and his showing had not been poor either—the gap between them was a mere thirty-three points.
In this challenge tournament stage, however, the theoretical maximum was a full one hundred and nineteen points. Once Wei Zhao was mired in the deep pit of Mountain-Low No. 1 and unable to extricate himself, it was all but certain that Meng Zhou would overtake him, and might even open up a sizable gap in the process.
And with that, his divine-tier full marks from the first two stages would all have gone for naught.
After all, the high elders looked only at the final tally; they would not pore over one's performance in each individual stage. When the time came, the first place in Qingyun Pavilion would most likely be Meng Zhou's, and Wei Zhao at best could do no more than settle for second. And in that case, he, Xiao Che, would go down in history as the villain of the piece!
So although Wei Zhao's proposal moved him deeply, he would never, ever agree to it!