Chapter 145. The Double Guardian Pavilion's Challenge
"Qianxun, how come you still can't change your temper after all these years? You didn't even ask them before you casually told them to leave?" A robust old man with a thick beard walked out, his face beaming. If it weren't for his gray beard and hair, his energy and spirit would be no less than that of a young man.
Although a mage's lifespan is also limited, it must be said that mages are very different from ordinary people.
Even an old man, as long as he is a highly skilled magician, will still be full of energy before his time is up.
"What's there to ask! This kid, this arrogant brat, actually said he wanted to demolish our Shuangshou Pavilion. Such rebellious words, and he even said them in front of me, the eldest daughter of the Wangyue family. Do you think I can tolerate it?" said Wangyue Qianxun, the woman in the kimono.
"You were the one who started this insult. Alright, stop fooling around. They should be our honored guests." The bearded old man walked up to the woman in the kimono and glared at her.
"Distinguished guest?" Mochizuki Chika was quite displeased, and at the same time, she chuckled.
"Old man, it's fortunate you got out quickly enough, otherwise your beautiful granddaughter would have already been given a good beating by me!" Mo Fan said.
The bearded old man was slightly taken aback, probably not expecting Mo Fan to speak so unpredictably.
Mochizuki was so angry she almost kicked her wooden clogs to pieces. This kid was just too arrogant!
If it weren't for the elder Wangyue Mingjian stopping her, she would have already dealt with this outspoken brat. This guy, on the contrary, said such things, showing absolutely no respect for Wangyue Qianxun!
"You all must be members of the Great Xia Kingdom's government here for training, right? Judging by the time, you should be here by now." Wangyue Mingjian didn't try to escalate the conflict and went straight to the point.
"Yes, we are the Great Xia State Government Team," Mo Fan said, handing over the certificate.
Whether he watches it or not is his business, but it's still necessary to provide some proof.
As expected, the old man, Wangyue, showed no intention of accepting the sword.
Upon seeing this, Mo Fan immediately put it away.
"Hehe, I think one would need the skill to impersonate someone. No one would be foolish enough to impersonate a National Team contestant to challenge the experts of our Shuang Shou Ge," the old man replied with a chuckle.
"Is it because your place is too small that you have some misunderstanding about the people guarding your National Palace?" Mo Fan said calmly.
As Mo Fan finished speaking, another man with dyed blond hair walked out of the gate. He had obviously heard the conversation and said to Mo Fan with an extremely confident smile, "Looking at the entire Sakura region, there are not many who can rival our Shuangshou Pavilion team. How could we not be confident? Whether you are real or fake, fight us and see how many rounds you can last."
"Or I could say your place is too small."
Mo Fan glanced at the other party and continued, "It is precisely because you don't have many capable fighters that you think your defeated team is so strong."
The blond man frowned, clearly displeased, but with the Moon Gazing Sword present, he could only suppress his anger for the time being.
"Let our guests rest first. I will arrange the competition. Before that, please be polite as hosts and take them to our Shuangshou Pavilion." Wangyue Mingjian did not check them one by one and directly invited them into the pavilion.
"Oh, right, we have a few female companions who will arrive later. You can wait here for them. When they arrive, bring them in," Mo Fan said to Mochizuki Chika.
With a black line appearing on her forehead, Mochizuki Chika said in a voice filled with anger, "Do you think I'm a doorman?!"
"Well, if that's how you want to understand it, then it's not impossible." Mo Fan nodded.
Mochizuki Chika was furious again. Although she was extremely angry, it was clear that she had no chance to make things difficult for Mo Fan right now.
Upon entering the West Guardian Pavilion, the foundation of the entire castle began to rise, and the recessed areas between the walls and the foundation became rivers and lakes, irregularly distributed around the West Guardian Pavilion. Except for the side facing the cliff, which lacked these rivers and lakes, the other three sides had them.
The water in the river and lake is quite clear; you can see some fallen leaves floating on the surface, the stones underwater, and even the shadows of the leaves reflected on the stones.
The water must be very deep, but it appears shallow like a stream because it is so clear.
There is a wooden walkway on the water, winding and turning, with many small pavilions. It takes a while to walk directly to the lower pavilion of the West Guardian Pavilion!
The guardhouse is divided into three tiers: upper, middle, and lower. The lower section has numerous halls and rooms, winding through each other like a maze. The four directions—east, west, south, and north—are all symmetrical and similar fortified houses, making it difficult to distinguish one place from another without a guide.
Following the steps between the castle houses, you can enter the central pavilion.
The central pavilion has everything: a museum, a library, a training ground, a meditation room, a teaching hall, a main hall, a palace, a tool shop, a foundry, a pharmacy... all of them are of the highest quality!
The Upper Pavilion houses military conference halls, watchtowers, guard corridors, magic array towers, and the like. Apart from some heavyweight figures in Osaka and the guardian mages, no one else is allowed to enter the Upper Pavilion.
The most impressive place is still the central pavilion, which has all kinds of luxurious facilities. It is the perfect place for mages to cultivate, and basically everything you could want is there.
The blond man and Mochizuki Chika gave them a brief tour before sending them off to rest.
Clearly, these two dogs had no intention of showing them around the place.
Well, of course, Mo Fan and the others weren't really that interested either.
The banquet was held in the Lower Pavilion, which boasted a grand banquet hall comparable to a castle. Many important figures from the West Guardian Pavilion attended to welcome the members of the Great Xia State Government.
Of course, the group of equally proud and ambitious young academic elites who served as the guardians of the library were also present.
In fact, in Mo Fan's opinion, it was nothing special.
To put it bluntly, most of the current batch of National Government Mages are only mid-level Mages.
Right now, it all comes down to spirit seeds and equipment.
People like Mu Ningxue, who have mastered the domain at the intermediate level, are undoubtedly very rare.
They were eliminated here, clearly because their equipment wasn't good enough.
To be frank, they were also outstanding individuals from top universities. Each nation's national team must gain recognition from their respective national pavilions before they can enter the Venice Honor Finals. Therefore, Osaka's Nishimori-kaku can be considered the first place where the Great Xia National Team received recognition. The fact that their mentors have abandoned them doesn't mean they can be complacent in the battle against the national pavilions!
Furthermore, Mo Fan felt he couldn't bear the shame of losing to a place like the National Pavilion.
Each country's national pavilion defense team is not much weaker than the national team's, and some defense teams are even stronger than the national team if their teamwork and team composition are more perfect!
Of course, this is the situation between strong countries and some weak countries. Not all of the hundreds of countries are so powerful. Moreover, only a few can eventually enter the water city of Venice. The challenge of the national pavilion is the only way to the final battle. If the national pavilion is not strong, wouldn't all the national teams be able to pass?