The man ran over to the huge door and took a look at the jade slip on the front of the door.
"You… You even completed it! What the heck!" He grabbed onto Zhu Jiao's shoulders as he shook him up, questioning him.
Zhu Jiao's head rocked back and forth until he got sick of it so he shrugged him off.
"Who are you again!? Why the hell are you shaking me!?"
The man calmed down and took a step back,
"I apologise, I'm the caretaker of inner courtyard hall, my name is Xia Si Le. I just want to know how you managed to get out of the trial so quickly."
"Oh… it was a trial?"
"Yes, it was the rune array trial… Participants who go in the trial have to be mentally and physically prepared! Just a slip up would cost them their lives... Look, right from the start you would be entering into a 'mental disillusion array' that would make you lose all recollection of time, being in the array would make you feel like it has been years."
Xia Si Le replied with seriousness in his eyes.
"Oh right…. It did feel like it's been very long… about 3 hou…."
judging based on the expression of Xia Si Le, he started to try to find out what he should answer.
"Days...Mon… 3 months! It felt like 3 months!"
"For you to spend just 3 months in that world is already a miracle, most rune array masters would spend at least 8 months, with the better ones spending 6 months to overcome their inner demons. What's more the dangers inside are scarily real, the rune array 'Yin Yang Reversal' will force the illusionary to be real and the damage taken and pain will be real too."
Zhu Jiao nodded as he caressed his own arm trying to look like he suffered damage.
"For you to clear the trial on your own like this, you must have a very powerful master backing you! If it's possible, please let me meet your master! I will give you 1 million coins!"
Xia Si Le held on to Zhu Jiao's hand making him uncomfortable and no matter how he tried to pull it away from Xia Si Le, he just couldn't. He shook his head and just let the man held on to his hand.
Hua Ci watched the interaction with her mouth open, since when did the fierce Xia Si Le treat someone like that, and that someone is even an inner courtyard disciple. Even as his employee she still didn't qualify to get such treatment.
"I can't tell you who my master is… I promised him, he will get angry"
"Please you just have to give me a hint! Let me know who he is and I can find him myself! You don't even need to worry about letting him know, I promise you I can keep a secret."
Xia Si Le was a man of resolve, sheer will, he was determined to find a master for himself. Someone who could teach such a student must be someone amazing.
Zhu Jiao looked down as he thought to himself,
"What master are you talking about? No one taught me what Rune array or whatever you want to call it! I don't even know what the heck is going on with this! Think, I need to find a way to get him off my back! Ah yes! I got it!"
He closed his eyes for a brief second before opening it once again. The air in the room turned cold as a fog escaped from the back of Zhu Jiao forming a silhouette of an old man. The old man floated down and looked at Xia Si Le staring him in the face, making Xia Si Le jump up in shock.
"Who dares to trace this old man behind his back!" The old man shouted while stroking his white beard looking down at everything as if they were insects.
"Great Sir! This little one doesn't dare! This little one only heard of your greatness and wants to meet you in person!" Xia Si Le prostrated in front of the old man.
"Hmph! You've heard of my greatness! Do you even know who this ancient one is!? If you don't how would you have heard of my greatness!"
The silhouette grew to twice it's actual size as it swung his hands wildly in the air. Xia Si Le panicked as he looked down onto the ground not daring to look up, with Hua Ci doing the same beside him. Zhu Jiao looked down on the ground and started trembling.
"Remember! This Old man's name is Chao Li Hai! If I ever see you face to face, I will grant you my wisdom! But for now take care of my young disciple!"
The old man vanished into thin air, giving Zhu Jiao a wink before completely disappearing.
Zhu Jiao winked back as he nodded and thought back to the events that just happened not too long ago.
----
After entering into the door the world around him shifted and whirled as he was brought into a world that was like a huge grass patch. Instantly Zhu Jiao was intrigued at the sudden change of pace and decided to look around to see what was going on in this grass patch here.
Skipping happily, he picked up an apple from the tree as he chomped down looking around he saw fruit trees as far as the eye can see.
"Mmm, this is so sweet! This place is amazing!" He smiled to himself as he continued on his journey. After about 40 minutes of exploring, he got tired and took a seat looking at the vast scenery in the grass patch.
"This place is nice and all but… I'll have to go back! I guess I have to find someone for some directions."
He put his finger on his head as he opened his blue-lit eyes.
"No one's here? Seriously?"
Just as he thought that to himself, he sensed an ominous presence behind his back as a huge silhouette appeared behind him.
A copy of himself, or rather it was a pre-transformation version of himself, but a shade darker appeared as he put his hands around Zhu Jiao's neck.