"Before the situation turned worse, I stopped and gave the sect a month to return everything they had stolen, along with 4,740 high-grade spirit stones which was the value of everything they had stolen and I tacked on 10,000 high-grade stones above it, which was the cost i charged for them using my legacy art and i added 5,000 more for my insights and short notes.
While the art itself is a top-tier orange grade art, it was only when I felt the threshold of the doors of the palace realm opening up, did I realize the art itself is intricacies that put it above the normal top-tier orange grade art. It's just that I was too incompetent to understand it at the time.
I think it may be an evolving art.." said Tang Qi.
Evolving art was a special type of cultivation art that required a special skill to create. One could think of it as a growing cultivation art where what you saw was limited by your level of comprehension.
A single cultivation art could seem different to someone in the qi refinement, foundation establishment, core formation, palace realm, domain realm, or soul formation realm.
Every time the level of understanding of the cultivator grew so did what they perceived from the cultivation art.
Most long-established and powerful organizations passed down their legacy arts this way. They also used it to sieve out their recruits to find those who were talented and fit to bear the mantle of their organizations.
Creating an evolving art was something that only someone who had an enormous understanding of the dao related to the art could do, and more often than not such people were at the minimum in the late stages of the domain realm, where they have polished their Dao to the tip and had already started gazing on the universal truths.
This was why every evolving art went for the same price as a top-tier gold-grade art, regardless of whether the art would stop at the core formation realm, palace realm, or domain realm.
Every evolving art was the handiwork of a cultivator who were at the peak of their craft and having one of their evolving arts was like receiving one-on-one guidance from them which made the art very invaluable especially to young cultivators just starting out. It would help them lay better and firmer foundations since the knowledge within those arts had little to no gaps.
Sect master Shao Rong had his eyes widen when he heard that the art may be an evolution art. If it was then paying 10,000 high-grade spirit stones would not be enough.
Just a top-tier blue grade art went for 1,000,000 high-grade spirit stones, what about a top-tier gold grade one?
He felt that even liquidating his whole sect would not be enough to cover the cost.
"Why did this happen?!!" he cried internally.
...
"After setting my conditions, I gave them two months to pay it. About three weeks ago, they informed me the matter had been sent to the Order, and here we are.
All I want is to be paid by both the Silver Blade Sect and the Mountain Guarding Array Manor. The former stole from me, and the price I gave them is more than fair but I'm willing to accept whatever pricing the Order decided is fair in account of the items they took.
As for the Mountain Guarding Array Manor, I hope they can at least refund me the 670 high-grade spirit stones I spent on the arrays that didn't even work.
But if they don't want to, I'm willing to concede. Senior Su was kind enough to spare my life and if I had a choice I'd easily forget the debt, but as it stands I have nothing to my name.
I hope for your judgment in this matter, Judge Yang Qing, and whatever the Order decides, I am willing to abide by it." Tang Qi solemnly said as he cupped his fists.
"Thank you very much for your trust, Senior Tang Qi. We will do our utmost to bring this matter to a fair ending.." said Yang Qing as he nodded towards Tang Qi.
"Now then who would like to go next?" Yang Qing said as he looked at the remaining two parties.
"Judge Yang Qing, if I may?" Su Ye, the founder of the Mountain Guarding Array Manor suddenly interjected.
"You can, Owner Su Ye.."
"To save the court on time, Mountain Guarding Array Manor admits guilt of being negligent in our works. After our unfortunate interaction with fellow Daoist Tang Qi, I did go and investigate the arrays in his abode.
The array really did fail and that failure was on our part. My colleague overlapped some of the arrays together to try and amplify the effects of those arrays while also trying to reduce the consumption of the energy of the resources required to fuel those arrays.
While his desire was well-meaning, it ended up jeopardizing the stability of the formations. From the energy left behind, and the clues I could dig up, the arrays seemed like they failed about 130 years ago.
One of the arrays triggered a chain reaction that increased the amount of energy it should normally consume which threw all the other five arrays at an imbalance since they were interconnected and a few of the core materials got destroyed in the process. Without the core materials, the secondary materials could only hold on for a short while before all six of them collapsed.
I would like to offer an apology on behalf of my disciple for the slight we cost you and the damages you incurred because of it.."
"Master, please!!!" Meng Bai who was at the back hurriedly moved forward to prevent his master, Su Ye from bowing.
"It was my own carelessness and overestimation of my abilities that led to this, I should be the one to apologize.." he added in desperation when he saw Su Ye showing no signs of stopping.
"Meng'er we made a mistake and betrayed a contract. The Mountain Guarding Array Manor is not one to shrink back and avoid responsibilities.
Fellow Daoist Tang Qi paid for our services because he trusted our Manor but we betrayed that trust. It doesn't matter if it was your fault or not. As the head, offering an apology is the least I can do considering the risk he was in.
What if the arrays ended up costing him his breakthrough to the palace realm, Meng'er? That failure is no different than crippling him!!" Su Ye firmly said as he performed a deep bow.
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