The old man's words left Lin Ke and Wu Dao rather baffled.
Out of respect, however, Lin Ke still bowed and asked, "May I ask who you are, Senior?"
An old man who could appear deep within this Trial ground and lament that the Dali Domain had no worthy successors was certainly no ordinary person.
So they still had to observe the proper courtesies.
Seeing this, Wu Dao immediately bowed as well.
Although the old man was somewhat puzzled by their arrival, he still explained his identity to them.
"My name is Zheyan. I am the guardian stationed at the Wasteland Ancient Altar, as well as the observer for the First Stage of the Trial."
He spoke lightly, calmly introducing himself to Lin Ke and Wu Dao.
"The movements of every one of you who comes to participate in the Trial are under my watch."
Lin Ke raised an eyebrow. "Every one of our movements is under your watch, Senior?"
He did not know whether this surveillance meant the man could check on every part of the Wasteland at any time, or whether he could only see the outside and could not look into areas such as the Hidden Space.
If he could see everywhere, wouldn't everything Lin Ke had done in the Hidden Space already have been exposed to his eyes?
Zheyan offered no further explanation of Lin Ke's doubts, merely replying lightly, "It is only to ensure that nothing unexpected happens during the Trial."
Then he studied Lin Ke carefully. "You, on the other hand, have surprised me quite a bit, lad."
"The number of participants in this Trial is nearly twice that of previous years, and quite a few possess outstanding strength."
"By rights, you aren't as strong as they are. One of them should have been