Light Speed ​​War

Chapter 153: The Fate Changes Hands

The group walked for about an hour and saw a huge palace. Zhou Yuan began to hear many voices. After turning a corner in a garden, they arrived at the palace gates. A large group of guards surrounded the palace. The captain of the guards saw Aya approaching and quickly saluted, and the other guards followed suit. Aya smiled at the captain of the guards, indicating her approval.

Aya led Zhou Yuan and the others inside. The main hall was already nearly full of tables, with forty or fifty people seated. These forty or fifty people were all different kinds of people, but they all had one thing in common: they were in high spirits and had smiles on their faces.

Upon seeing Aya's arrival, everyone stood up and bowed to her, making the usually lively hall somewhat quiet. Everyone looked at Zhou Yuan and his group of four, seemingly without any surprise.

Although Zhou Yuan disliked this scene, he knew it must have been arranged by the old man. Aya led the four of them to their seats, placing them at the head of the table on the left. The three men in black and the leader of the group sat together, opposite Zhou Yuan and the others, at the head of the table on the right.

By this time it was almost dark, and the servants lit many large candles, which illuminated the hall.

The maids served tea to everyone, and less than five minutes after Zhou Yuan and the others sat down, a voice announced from outside the door, "The Southern Heavenly King has arrived!"

Everyone in the hall stood up again, and there was silence. Zhou Yuan and his three companions also stood up.

"Please sit down, everyone." The old man waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to sit down, and then walked to the center of the hall and sat down in the middle seat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's banquet is mainly to celebrate several joyous occasions. First, to welcome the addition of another talented individual to our ranks, Zhou Yuan." After saying this, he pointed to Zhou Yuan with his right hand, and everyone applauded.

"Secondly, I warmly congratulate our expedition team on their triumphant return." The six people stood up and greeted everyone.

"Thirdly, after careful consideration, I'm going to find a rich husband for my daughter Aya right here tonight."

"Huh?" Everyone was taken aback, then cheered and jumped for joy. Needless to say, everyone was eager to try.

"Being a rich and handsome son-in-law isn't easy; you have to pass nine tests first."

"Heavenly King, may I ask which nine trials are they?" asked a few impatient ones.

Zhou Yuan glanced at Aya, who didn't seem happy. It was unclear whether she was blaming the old man for making the decision on her own, but Aya also seemed somewhat expectant. Their eyes met, and Aya's face flushed slightly.

"Everyone, please don't rush. Let's eat, drink, and enjoy the dance first."

The old man waved his hand, and music began to play outside. A group of dancers entered the hall, dancing gracefully amidst the shadows of their figures, ethereal and carefree.

While everyone else drank and made merry, Zhou Yuan and his three companions simply drank tea.

"Xiao Zhou, why aren't you drinking?" The old man seemed displeased.

"Master, I can't hold my liquor, and I'm afraid I'll make a mistake if I drink too much."

"Tonight is a joyous occasion, so let's have a drink." The old man picked up his bowl and gulped down the wine.

Zhou Yuan looked at Wei Shan and Leifia, "Shan-mei, Ya-mei, what should we do? Should we drink or not? I'm afraid I'll drink too much."

"You should drink less. I'll cover for you later," Lefia replied.

"Brother, too much alcohol can lead to trouble, so you should drink less."

"it is good."

Zhou Yuan and Wei Shanlaifia communicated telepathically.

"Master, please forgive me, I really can't hold my liquor." Zhou Yuan also picked up his bowl and took a small sip. The spiciness stung his throat, and Zhou Yuan couldn't help but cough.

"Big brother, are you alright?" The three beauties stood up in unison. Wei Shan, to Zhou Yuan's right, gently supported his arm. Aya, sitting at the head of the table to Zhou Yuan's left, also cast a concerned glance at him.

Everyone was still unaware of what was going on and looked towards Zhou Yuan.

"Master, it's alright, it's alright."

"Xiao Zhou, it seems you really can't drink. Then I won't force you."

"Aya, shall we begin?"

"Yes, father."

The old man, the Southern Heavenly King, spoke in a loud voice, "Everyone, the nine-stage test is about to begin. These nine stages are just the preliminary test. Those who pass all nine stages will need to complete a task in order to marry my daughter."

Upon hearing about the nine trials and the mission, everyone fell silent and waited for the Southern Heavenly King to speak.

"I set the questions for the first five rounds, and my daughter Aya set the questions for the last four rounds."

"Okay!" the crowd responded in unison, their voices booming.

"Listen up, my esteemed sages," the Southern Heavenly King said, taking a sip of tea. "For the first test, I need you to give me something, but you can't hold anything in your hands. Can you all do that?"

The group looked at each other, momentarily at a loss for what to do. Then a few people had a sudden inspiration: they used their feet to pick up objects or put small items in their mouths.

"Big brother, why aren't you moving?" Wei Shan and Leifia asked Zhou Yuan softly.

"No way?" Zhou Yuan looked at the two of them and saw that they didn't seem to be joking. He then looked at Aya, whose eyes were full of anticipation.

Zhou Yuan beckoned to the maid behind him and whispered a few words. The maid then brought Zhou Yuan a new bowl. Zhou Yuan filled the new bowl with wine.

"Your Majesty, I have offended you. Zhou Yuan offers you a bowl of wine." After saying this, the bowl of wine that had just been poured on the table suddenly rose off the table and slowly flew towards the Southern Heavenly King. The bowl of wine flew slowly through the air and then landed in front of the Southern Heavenly King in an arc. After being shocked, the Southern Heavenly King laughed heartily, reached out and took the bowl of wine, and drank it all in one gulp. Zhou Yuan also drank it all in one go.

This scene stunned everyone present, except for Wei Shan and Leifia. The old man, Nantianmen, smiled and nodded. Aya was also full of excitement, her face flushed. Even Chu Xiaolu, who had previously thought Zhou Yuan only knew things like telepathy and mental linking, never expected Zhou Yuan's mental field to be so powerful. Among the many heroes present, although a few of them also possessed mental fields, they were far inferior to him in terms of the power of his willpower, especially considering the distance and the size of the bowl of wine, which hadn't spilled.

The first hurdle, of course, was that Zhou Yuan got off to a flying start. Don't let the rough drinking and grand talk of these heroes fool you; what's most commendable isn't their skills, but their respect for others. They never envy those who are better than them, so when Zhou Yuan revealed his ability to control objects with his mind, these heroes, while shocked, applauded enthusiastically.

"Good, Xiao Zhou, you've won the first round! Congratulations!" The Southern King was also very pleased. "Come on, let's toast Zhou Yuan with a bowl. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" The heroes readily agreed and drank their bowls dry, so Zhou Yuan had no choice but to drink a bowl of wine as well.

"Here comes the second question. Everyone, please write down your answers on the paper." The servants had already laid out paper and pens on everyone's desks, with a character in the upper right corner of each paper.

When Zhou Yuan saw the character, he was dumbfounded. He and the others could understand and speak the local dialect of interstellar civilizations, but writing the "pictographic script" of the Zhou Kingdom was a different story. Wei Shan, Lefia, and Chu Xiaolu were also anxious and at a loss. Wei Shan, sitting next to Zhou Yuan, couldn't use an automatic interstellar language "translator" to search and compare.

"Everyone, the second question is: what is the difference between a bowl of water and a vat of water?" After saying that, the Southern King glanced at everyone, his eyes seemingly expecting a satisfactory answer.

Some people immediately scribbled on paper, some lowered their heads in deep thought, and some silently repeated the question asked by the Heavenly King; the reactions were varied.

Zhou Yuan was also pondering this question. It seemed simple, but it contained a great deal of knowledge; it was, in a sense, an open-ended question. However, Zhou Yuan couldn't write the Zhou Kingdom's pictographic characters, and he couldn't cheat with a translator in front of so many people. Of course, to avoid being seen as illiterate, especially by the Southern Heavenly King, Zhou Yuan pretended to be thinking, appearing as if he wanted to write but couldn't. Aya seemed to notice that Zhou Yuan's behavior was a little off, and simply widened her eyes, seemingly encouraging him with this gesture.

The Southern King glanced at everyone again, noticing Zhou Yuan's repeated attempts to put down his pen, which piqued his curiosity. Five minutes passed quickly, and the maid collected the answer sheets. Zhou Yuan's paper was blank, except for a single character in the upper right corner.

The Southern Heavenly King quickly read through the more than forty answer sheets, sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning.

"Everyone, I'm quite satisfied with three of your answers. They are numbers 14, 23, and 31 in that order. Xiao Zhou, it seems you didn't write on your answer sheet number 1. Is there any reason for that?"

Zhou Yuan would never admit that he couldn't write. He had already planned how to respond. "Your Majesty, the second question you set seems simple, but it contains profound ideas that cannot be explained in five minutes or on paper."

"Oh, really? Could you tell everyone in detail?"

"Your Majesty, the fundamental difference between a bowl of water and a vat of water lies not in the amount of water, but in the measure."

"Measurement?" Many people couldn't help but ask, eager to hear Zhou Yuan explain his theory.

"Although a drop of water is a world in itself, the worlds of a bowl of water and a vat of water are naturally different. However, the fundamental difference lies in the container that holds the water, which I call measurement. The size of the bowl and the vat determines the amount of water in them, and also the difference in the water world within them. We can see and touch bowls and vats, but some measurements are invisible and intangible, such as a person's 'capacity,' or 'broad-mindedness.' The size of the human heart is as vast as the stars. If the human heart is strong enough, it is not difficult to put these stars into a bowl or a vat, let alone water."

This novel theory successfully attracted everyone's attention. Zhou Yuan clearly made some insinuations, but who on this planet would dare to imagine putting a star in a bowl?

The Southern Heavenly King stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly. Aya rested her chin on her hand and looked at Zhou Yuan with "admiration." Even the four men in black stared intently at Zhou Yuan.

"Xiao Zhou, your explanation seems rather profound. I'll think about it more carefully tonight. However, I apologize for not following the requirements in this round."

"Yes, Master." Zhou Yuan felt a little relieved. As long as he wasn't found out he couldn't write, that was fine. But, would he have to write on answer sheets again for the later rounds?

"Ladies and gentlemen, the answer sheets are limited, but your thoughts are limitless. For the next few rounds, you will answer orally. The two best answerers can then debate each other for no more than fifteen minutes." Fortunately, the Southern King spoke up afterward, calming Zhou Yuan down. "Next is the third round, all you wise men, listen carefully." The Southern King paused, glancing around briefly. "Since Zhou Yuan mentioned stars, my question is: why did the five clusters of stars we usually see above our heads suddenly disappear three months ago, and in their place appeared another large, different star cluster?"

Zhou Yuan pondered for a moment and understood. Three months ago, the Capital Galaxy was still at the center of the twelve galaxies of the Fortress Galaxy, but now it is only accompanied by the Tianxing II Galaxy.

Upon hearing the Southern Heavenly King's question, fear appeared on everyone's faces, including the four men in black. After all, such an unusual celestial phenomenon was considered an "ominous sign" in the feudal monarchical era.

Faced with this sensitive issue, these heroes remained silent, and for a moment the hall was quiet. The Southern King scanned each man's face, then seemed somewhat disappointed.

At this moment, a voice came, "Heavenly King, this is merely a change of ruler in Heaven."