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Jiang Chen looked up and saw that the stairs of the building kept spiraling upwards like a snake, curving and twisting. When Jiang Chen looked up from the first floor, he couldn’t see the end of the stairs.
"This Tide Listening Building is so tall?" Jiang Chen was surprised.
When he took off the ck cloth, he found himself inside this building without knowing how tall it was. Just now, when he looked up the stairs, he vaguely felt something was amiss.
"If the building isn’t built higher, how can we listen to the tides?" iraudience chuckled, her eyes seeming to hold a deeper meaning.
Does this phrase hint at something more?
Tall building, there must be some skilled people.
Nowadays, Jiu Province has turned into a mess, but whether it was the Inhuman War forty years ago or the challenging weather in the past forty years, Tide Listening Building still stands strong.
No tall building, how to listen to the tide?If Tide Listening Building is just an ordinary martial arts force, it would be impossible for it to remain aloof like this.
iraudience continued:
"Don’t ask now, when you meet Landlord Nian Chao Shengter and pass his test, you can ask any questions you want."
"Do we really need the Landlord to test us personally? Is it that important?" Jiang Chen was surprised.
Jiang Chen’s skills were average when he joined Tide Listening Building a year or two ago, he has reached the 7th rank only with the guidance of storyteller iraudience.
The only skills he excelled in were lightness techniques and storytelling.
The practice of talking, iraudience mastered it well.
When Jiang Chen heard that the Landlord would personally inspect, he felt nervous because he knew his martial arts skills were average.
"No need to be nervous. Every official member of the Tide Listening Building has to be inspected by the Landlord," iraudience said with a smile.
"It’s not a big deal to be inspected," he added.
"Our Tide Listening Building usually stays out of worldly affairs, just focusing on listening to the tides. So, the level of martial arts skills doesn’t really matter."
"Just practice some light skills usually, use self-defense tricks to protect yourself."
"The Landlord is easy to talk to. As long as you match his taste, show cleverness and humor, you can join the Tide Listening Building."
After speaking, iraudience said no more, just led Jiang Chen step by step up the stairs.
Interesting… seems like an easy-going person.
Jiang Chen was deep in thought, following iraudience as they walked forward.
The other floors they passed through had closed doors that didn’t open for Jiang Chen.
After walking for a while, Jiang Chen estimated it took about a quarter of an hour to reach the top floor.
Above the tall building, there were walls on three sides of the pavilion, and on the other side was a wooden railing with intricate carvings of various animals like snakes, bugs, tigers, and leopards. ?Α?òВě?
Apart from that, there were no other decorations or furnishings, not even tables and chairs.
Despite theck of furniture, there were dozens of people gathered there, all sitting on the floor directly, chatting in groups.
It seemed like a banquet was being held there, with many people having wine jars and cups in front of them, some already with slightly red cheeks from drinking.
Among these banquet guests, Jiang Chen recognized several storytellers who nodded and greeted him briefly.
Looking around, many of the guests there were outstanding in appearance and had a unique charm that set them apart at first nce.
Storyteller irvoyance opened his third eye, his eyes shining with a cold light, chatting andughing with the guests around him.
"To see a thousand miles, climb one more level."
"Only by standing in a high enough ce can you see farther. Today, climbing high with colleagues, just to have a distant view."
Beside him, a white-haired schr nodded, "History is a long river. Only by breaking out of the current era, learning from history, can one turn into a fish leaping out of the river, peeking at the future course of the river."
A Confucian schr with a high hat held a wine jug in one hand and a brush in the other, quickly writing on the paper posted on the wall. Sometimes dipping the brush in ink, sometimes in wine, the writing was vigorous and powerful, showing a hint of unruly style.
There was also a burly man nearly two meters tall, bald and scarred on his face, like a sculpture standing in a corner of the crowd. His breathing was inaudible, only asionally scanning the surroundings with cold eyes, as sharp as lightning, emitting a chilling aura, imposing and intimidating.
They all looked extraordinary.
But the most extraordinary was the person standing alone leaning on the railing outside the crowd.
He was a fair-faced schr, looking like he was only in his twenties, with porcin-like fair skin and handsome features, exuding a schrly air.
He leaned against the railing, gazing at the vast sea of clouds beyond. It seemed like his mind was lost in it. The clouds were beautiful, like a painting, and so was his profile.
"Landlord, I’ve brought the neer," Shun Feng bowed to the fair-faced schr and said.
"Neer? Come here," the fair-faced schr beckoned Jiang Chen with a smile.
Is he the Landlord? Is his name Nian Chao Sheng?
Jiang Chen thought to himself, suddenly feeling that the seemingly young fair-faced schr before him looked much more imposing.
Perhaps this is a psychological factor.
No matter how you look at it, the Tide Listening Building doesn’t seem like an ordinary martial arts force. It exudes a sense of mystery and aloofness.
The more Jiang Chen thought about it, the more he felt that Landlord Nian Chao Sheng in front of him had an extraordinary air about him, almost otherworldly.
The schr seemed easy-going, inviting Jiang Chen to stand shoulder to shoulder with him at the railing. He then pointed to the sea of clouds outside and asked:
"Come, tell me, what did you see?"
Jiang Chen leaned against the railing and looked ahead.
In the field of vision, there was originally a vast expanse of cloud and mist.
With a point from LandlordNian Chao Sheng, the vast sea of clouds seemed to be cleared by an invisible force, revealing clear skies.
Beneath the original clouds and mist were undting mountains, cities scattered across thend, andkes of various sizes.
"Is this Tide Listening Building really this tall? It’s taller than the mountains?" Jiang Chen was surprised.
Generally, such a tall building should be famous far and wide, but he had never heard of it… This was indeed very unusual.
"Come on, what did you see?" LandlordNian Chao Sheng urged.
Jiang Chen felt a bit nervous.
Thinking of iraudience’s reminder before going upstairs, saying that this Landlord likes interesting people… but how can he answer to seem interesting?
Jiang Chen isn’t anyone special, just a storyteller with low martial arts skills.
At this critical moment, he felt his mind go nk, unable to remember anything. In the end, he could only dryly reply:
"I saw several small andrge cities, but they were too far away for me to see clearly which city it was."
He sounded a bit cautious, still sneaking nces at the fair-faced schr out of the corner of his eye.
As expected.
After saying this, the idle chatter of the other storytellers in the building gradually quieted down, and the surrounding area suddenly fell silent. The guests all looked over, smiling ambiguously at him.
This answer was indeed too ordinary.
The test from Tide Listening Building’s Landlord seemed to hold great mystery, otherwise, with no eyes, wouldn’t it be hard for him to see how many cities were below?
Landlord Nian Chao Sheng’s expression remained unchanged, showing no emotions, leaving Jiang Chen unable to detect any feelings from him.
"So, is this your answer?" Nian Chao Sheng asked calmly, still showing no emotional response.
Jiang Chen didn’t reply immediately.
At that moment, his heart beat a bit faster, trying hard toe up with an interesting answer… but he couldn’t think of one at all.
After all, he was just an ordinary martial artist, feeling nervous in front of thendlord of the Tide Listening Building. Under pressure, he couldn’te up with a good response.
At this moment, even though he was feeling regretful and ming himself, his mind waspletely nk and he couldn’t think of anything.
"Apart from the city, are there… severalkes?"
Jiang Chen knew he had made a mistake as soon as the words left his mouth. The more he tried to exin, the more foolish his answer seemed…
As expected.
Nian Chao Sheng, the young man with fair skin, chuckled and said:
"If there is a Buddha in your heart, everything you see is a Buddha; if there are living beings in your heart, everything you see is a living being; if there are obstacles in your heart, everything you see is an obstacle. And you…"
Nian Chao Sheng didn’t continue his words.
Someone in the crowd spoke up instead:
"But he has an empty heart, only seeing the surface of things, so he is a person without ambition."
The crowd murmured and looked towards Jiang Chen with piercing eyes.
"I see, he is a person without ambition," said the young man with fair skin thoughtfully.
He turned around to face Jiang Chen directly for the first time, a smile appearing on his face suddenly:
"Since he is without ambition, then I can rest easy."
"Come, let’s toast to this friend and congratte him on joining Tide Listening Building."
"Cheers!" A friendly stranger with a familiar face brought a jug of wine over and handed a full big bowl of wine to Jiang Chen, who waspletely puzzled.
"What is this…" Jiang Chen was utterly confused.
"Wow, this neer still hasn’te to his senses, truly a great find for my Tide Listening Building," someone praised.
"Do you know the purpose of my Tide Listening Building?"
The guests all together answered,
"Listen to the tides, but don’t make waves."
Things in the worlde and go like tides, and those who make waves are the outstanding figures at the forefront of the times.
Tide Listening Building has always stayed away from the mainstream trends, silently observing and listening, never actively participating. That is the purpose of Tide Listening Building.
Landlord Nian Chao Sheng sat on the ground without caring about his appearance, blending into the crowd, smiling as he exined:
"Those who think too much and have big ambitions are not suitable for my Tide Listening Building, where we only listen to the tide without causing disruptions."
"Someone once told me that he looked down from the clouds and saw the ‘mountains and rivers’, saw the whole world."
"People with such great ambitions were immediately ushered out by me, to prevent any trouble in the future that could harm my Tide Listening Building."
"Therefore, we at Tide Listening Building select only ordinary people without grand ambitions!" Nian Chao Sheng said confidently.
"Landlord is a great talent!"
"Landlord is amazing!"
"Haha, brother, you are also useless. I won’t pretend anymore." The drunken artist who had been painting while drinking earlier, now threw away his brush and started drinking heavily, looking like a drunkard with no elegance left.
"I don’t need to pretend to be elegant either." The goat-bearded schr who had been talking grandly with irvoyance earlier was now ying drinking games with a heavily made-up woman.
The tall scar-faced man in the crowd took a deep breath, feeling relieved.
"So you’re just as useless as me, I thought a great neer had arrived. Scared me to death, I couldn’t even breathe properly."
Jiang Chen: ?
After a while, he finally realized what had happened, feeling like a light bulb had turned on in his head.
Unable to resist, he nced sideways at iraudience and saw him smirk, finally understanding what was going on.
The real test actually started for him when he entered the Tide Listening Building.
The examiner was not only the Landlord, but also the guide who led him up the stairs, iraudience.
Phrases like "The Landlord personally tests you" and "Just need to be funny to impress the Landlord" were actually a form of maniption.
If Jiang Chen was a calcting person, in order to leave a good impression on the Landlord, he would likely have toe up with a unique answer.
For example, seeing words like "rivers and mountains", "the world", "all living beings"…
This kind of answer, no matter how you look at it, is much better than just seeing a few cities andkes.
And this is actually a trap.
"The more cunning and ambitious a person is, the less likely they are liked by thendlord, am I right?" Jiang Chen couldn’t help butugh and cry after understanding this.
Although bing an official member of the Tide Listening Building, beingbeled as mediocre… doesn’t feel good at all.
"We at Tide Listening Building specialize in nurturing talents!" Landlord Nian Chao Shengughed:
"Old Ma, have you finished writing your couplet?"
The schr who had been drinking and writing just now smiled and nodded, then pulled the paper with the couplet off the wall and held it up at the banquet.
Upon closer inspection, Jiang Chen saw that the couplet indeed had strong and forceful calligraphy, but the two lines above made him confused.
"Reach for the sky elsewhere, risk life and limb not to enter this door!"
"Oh old horse, oh old horse, your writing is excellent!" praised the owner of Tide Listening Building.
"I will hang this couplet under the signboard of our Tide Listening Building as soon as we get back!"
"Come,e, let’s all have a drink!"
"With talents like you all at Tide Listening Building, we will surely thrive!"
Jiang Chenughed along with everyone, continuously pouring and drinking wine, but feeling even more bewildered inside.
Who am I, where am I, what am I doing….
Tide Listening Building truly turned out surprisingly extraordinary, but it was somewhat different from what he had imagined….
Initially, he was forcibly invited to join by the storyteller iraudience, but as time passed, he got used to the way things were done at Tide Listening Building.
Looking back, he felt that joining the Tide Listening Building was a major turning point in his life, but now he suddenly had some regrets…
The guests didn’t mind at all and simply sat on the ground drinking without tables or chairs.
Everyone was in high spirits, and after three rounds of drinks, the smell of alcohol filled the air.
"Young master." Suddenly, a handsome swordsman next to him patted his shoulder.
"I feel a bit hot from drinking too much. I’m going to take off this coat outside, hope you don’t mind?"
Jiang Chen was initially a bit disappointed and not in the mood for drinking. However, upon hearing this, he frowned as he nced at the handsome swordsman next to him.
He felt something was off in his heart.
Jiang Chen, also a swordsman from the martial world, didn’t care much about formalities. It was normal for people in the martial world to drink shirtless, so why bother asking him?
However, looking at the person who asked, who was very handsome, he suddenly thought of the past in Yan City. He couldn’t help but wonder if this person was simr to Childe Guo from Yan City in the past, a man of great charm.
Thinking about this made Jiang Chen shiver, and he said without expression:
"If you want to undress, then undress. Why act so coy and ask me?"
"Good, the neer on the stage is indeed unconventional," the handsome swordsman said as he reached to pull off his own face, peeling off his skin.
Face… skin?
Jiang Chen was suddenly shocked and startled, almost sober from his daze.
Focusing his gaze, he saw a fair and beautiful maiden emerge from beneath the handsome swordsman’s skin.
She removed the handsome swordsman’s skin from the outside, neatly folding the entire piece like clothing and cing it on the floor nearby.
Jiang Chen’s eyes widened, and he stood up abruptly;
"Wha- wha- what is going on here?" he pointed at the beautiful maiden who had just removed the skin, feeling a cold sweat break out.
"Oh, you’re talking about her." Came the voice of the storyteller iraudience nearby.
"Although Little Butterfly is a girl, she likes to dress like a boy normally. Don’t stare at her, she has a liking for unusual outfits, and she’s sensitive about it."
"What the heck does dressing like a boy mean?" Jiang Chen suddenly turned around, about to argue with iraudience.
Upon turning around, Jiang Chen saw that the appearance of many guests at the feast had subtly changed.
"Don’t recognize them anymore?" iraudience said.
"They usually just use a little bit of magic to hide."
"Since you have climbed this tower, you should be open and let you see our true appearance."
"Our?"
Jiang Chen felt a thud in his heart, turned his head to look at the feast in the tower again, and saw many guests stillughing and drinking loudly, but many of them had gradually changed their faces.
The old horse who was writing couplets just now, now his face has truly elongated, turning into a horse’s head.
In the corner stood a burly giant over two meters tall, his skin gradually turning into a grayish-white color resembling stone, just like a stone statue.
Storyteller irvoyance, on the other hand, had not changed much, still looking human-like, except that the third eye on his forehead waspletely open.
Looking around, most of the guests on this top floor had changed their appearance, losing their human form, taking on various strange and non-human shapes.
"Actually, after all this time, you must have some guesses in your heart, right?" storyteller iraudience said calmly:
"Our Tide Listening Building is no longer just a martial arts power, but a ce for half-demons within the human royal dynasty."
"Initially, Tide Listening Building was indeed a martial arts power, but they provoked too many people, inevitably attracting the covetousness of strong individuals from the human world, on the brink of destruction… until our Landlord intervened, seizing control of Tide Listening Building."
"Demons? Half-demons?" Jiang Chen finally understood in his heart.
It turns out that demons and half-demons have always lived among humans, just concealing their true faces.
Normal people can disguise themselves easily, immortals have illusions, and demons have their own magical abilities.
At this point, he actually started to calm down slightly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
He had unknowingly be deeply involved in this demon n’s power struggle, even bing an official member, so getting anxious now wouldn’t help.
"So, Tide Listening Building stays neutral, always listening to the tides but not creating waves, because the current conflict between immortals and humans in Jiu Province ultimately boils down to internal human struggles, and demons are just watching from the sidelines," Jiang Chen cautiously asked.
Nine Immortal Gates, although referred to as inhuman, actually share the same origins with humans, originally from the same roots.
"Your words show ssic bias," Storyteller irvoyance interjected at this moment, shaking his head slightly.
"When humans refer to demons, it’s actually a human term."
"Humans are a single race, but demons are not. The so-called demons are actually tens of thousands of different groups of beings."
"Among these demon kinds, their thoughts are wildly diverse and varied, so you can’t generalize them."
"Some monsters think that the conflict between the immortals and mortals is just a civil war among humans, so why interfere?"
"Some monsters believe that humans are also a branch of monsters, just without fur on their faces. In-fighting within the groups is amon urrence."
"There are others who have no thoughts or attitudes. They believe it is natural for humans to eat monsters and monsters to eat humans. The current mutual ughter among humans is just following thews of nature, so why interfere?"
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