"Those who don't know the whole story all say the Holy Court and the various top powers are greedy for demanding so-called entrance fees. Few, however, stop to consider that demanding an entrance fee while sealing off the Heavenly God Hall was only one of the Holy Court's aims—not its main one."
"Let's look back several hundred years. When the Heavenly God Hall was last opened, why didn't the Holy Court seal off the area and demand an entrance fee? Have any of you ever considered that?"
He Binji watched them with a smile. He was beginning to enjoy the feeling of imparting knowledge and resolving people's doubts.
The black-faced elder swallowed a piece of cooked meat. "I've given this some thought. Most likely, the Holy Court wasn't strong enough at the time to control or win over all the top powers. Or perhaps those powers hadn't agreed on how to divide the spoils, making a joint blockade impossible."
"Of course, that's merely a forced deduction I've come up with to explain things. Now that Brother He has brought it up, there must be more to the story. I hope Brother He will enlighten us."
"There's no great secret," He Binji said. "As I said, I'm only making a bold hypothesis and carefully seeking proof. But the spiritual energy here differs greatly from what's recorded in the Inheritance Notes, which has only strengthened my theory."
The Brocade-robed young master said, "Brother He mentioned earlier that the spiritual energy at the boundary point seemed much weaker than what was described in your Inheritance Notes. I imagine the spiritual energy in the Mystic Desolation Hall has weakened accordingly."
He Binji nodded. "Exactly. The Inheritance Notes say that upon entering the Mystic Desolation Hall, one has to keep their blood and qi surging