Strange symbols of various shapes kept transforming and evolving. A mysteriously smooth curve advanced at a seemingly unchanging speed through them, tracing out an enigmatic path.
As the curve approached its destination, the symbols became increasingly intricate and unpredictable in their transformations, making the direction of the curve’s progression even harder to foresee.
Mei Qing’s mind had long been tempered into an unusual calmness through countless failures. He observed the unfolding scene with the indifference of someone watching a drama with no suspense, neither elated nor sorrowful, as it moved steadily toward its conclusion.
Yet within his mind, calculations raged at an unimaginable speed, analyzing each transformation and sifting through tens of thousands of possibilities to find the one correct outcome.
Five symbols suddenly rose at the front of the curve, transforming almost simultaneously into five entirely different new symbols. Beams of light traced out completely different paths, and for a moment, the advancing curve seemed to waver, making it impossible to determine its next direction.
Mei Qing gave a slight sneer in his heart. He had failed many times at this point, but this time, he would not make a mistake again.
His well-prepared spiritual awareness reached its peak in an instant. Five golden rays flared forth, fixing each of the five symbols in place, revealing their ancient and intricate forms clearly.
Meanwhile, Mei Qing’s consciousness hovered subtly between the five symbols, shifting through several transformations in an instant.
Sure enough, the curve gently arced near where Mei Qing’s consciousness was focused, giving the impression that it was about to break free and fly away.
Mei Qing was fully prepared and made no mistake this time. His spiritual awareness effortlessly latched onto the curve, instantly calming all the surrounding distortions and clearly revealing the path of the curve.
A soft “ding” rang out, like a sudden chime. Everything before his eyes became clear. The colorful, strange symbols vanished in an instant. The single curve now stretched forward like a rainbow splitting the sky.
Mei Qing felt a surge of joy, knowing he had finally passed this final test. Yet as he looked more closely, he was startled.
Everything before him was now very familiar—it was exactly the scene he had first encountered when entering the formation.
After all that calculation, he had not found the key to breaking the formation, but had instead returned to the starting point!
The calm Mei Qing had maintained shattered in an instant, and the projected scene in his mind vanished immediately. Feeling a sudden sense of loss, he murmured, “Why is this? Could there be a formation that cannot be calculated? Could it possibly be… the Infinite Primordial?”
But upon further thought, it didn’t seem to fit. The Infinite Primordial was a state of formlessness giving rise to the ultimate, while this formation clearly had discernible patterns in its transformations, so it couldn’t be that.
Just then, he suddenly heard a deep sigh from the elderly voice.
“Although it ultimately returns to the Primordial, it is not the Infinite Primordial. For you to have deduced a full cycle is already extremely rare. I never expected that my current projection would still have such insight into formations.” The elderly voice carried a tone of admiration.
This time, Mei Qing did not dwell on the speaker’s identity and simply asked, “Then, what is the name of this formation?”
“Heaven is vast, Earth is vast, all returning to the Primordial—it is called the Return of the Ninefold. This formation was originally left here. Heh, although it cannot rival the great formations of ancient times, there is nothing in the world today that can match it. Even I cannot calculate beyond the ninth transformation. For you, with such cultivation and being a novice, to have completed a full cycle is indeed rare. Consider this test passed.” The elderly voice paused, then added curiously, “But watching your method of deduction, it seems to be the orthodox technique of the Celestial Masters. That’s quite strange. Who taught you such a method?”
Mei Qing shook his head, ignoring the question, and instead asked, “Are there any more questions? If so, please present them.”
The elderly voice chuckled, “You haven’t fully solved this formation yet, so why are you in such a hurry for another question?”
Mei Qing replied, “You yourself said I passed this question. Besides, further progress would likely depend entirely on cultivation rather than calculation. My cultivation is shallow, and I know it doesn’t impress you. I have no intention of forcing myself here. If there are more questions, bring them out. If not, please reveal yourself quickly—I don’t have the patience to stay here with you.”
“Haha, indeed, youth is bold, though a bit hasty. Well then, take a look at my second question.” As he spoke, five glowing orbs suddenly appeared on the stone platform.
“This question is quite simple. Just stack the five orbs, and you pass.”
Mei Qing was drenched in sweat. What he initially thought was an easy question turned out to be surprisingly difficult.
These five orbs, somehow created by the other, were composed purely of the five elemental energies—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.
Just this feat alone made Mei Qing feel a sense of awe. While cultivators can usually manipulate the five elements, to extract them and solidify them into stable orbs without them dispersing or moving was unheard of.
In his opinion, he might barely be able to extract each element and form a physical shape, but condensing them into orbs of this size was beyond his capability. Let alone maintaining their shape without any movement—these orbs were as solid as stone balls simply placed there.
But stacking them? That was a whole different level of difficulty.
The five elements naturally interact through mutual generation and destruction. Normally, they are intermingled and inseparable. Even forcibly extracting one could cause chaos among the elements, and in severe cases, even cause an explosion.
These five small elemental orbs, placed separately, coexisted peacefully. But once they touched, they would inevitably interact—either absorbing each other or repelling each other. There was no way they would simply sit together quietly.
To stack all five orbs was not just difficult—it was something Mei Qing couldn’t even begin to figure out how to do.
After thinking for a long time, Mei Qing finally shook his head and said stiffly, “I can’t do it.”
“Can’t do it?” The elderly voice, without mockery, simply said, “It’s not that you can’t do it—it’s that you haven’t thought of it.”
Hearing this, Mei Qing paused, unsure how to respond. Just then, the surroundings darkened, and the five elements became chaotic. Five tiny sparks of light flickered, and five smooth, colorless orbs began to form gradually.
Mei Qing’s eyes lit up. He realized the other was demonstrating how the elemental orbs were formed and quickly focused his attention.
Only when the five elemental orbs reappeared exactly as before did Mei Qing understand the secret. Forming just one orb was difficult. But forming five together required extracting each element without disrupting their balance. The key was not in the depth of cultivation, but in the delicate balance.
Mei Qing thought. He knew he couldn’t yet form the orbs as shown, but if he reversed the process—stacking them instead—perhaps it was possible.
But stacking them required precise positioning. Too close, and they would clash. Too far apart, and they wouldn’t stay. Without extraordinary spiritual awareness and skillful technique, success was impossible.
Fortunately, Mei Qing was confident in both. He approached the stone platform but did not directly manipulate the orbs with his spiritual awareness. Instead, he first created a space above the platform where the five elements were separated and stabilized.
But instead of forming the orbs as he had seen, he suddenly released his control at the moment the orbs were about to form. Then, with a gentle mental nudge, the five orbs floated up and neatly stacked themselves one atop the other with effortless grace.
“A promising student,” the elderly voice said. “Though you needed a hint, your method was clever. That’s not bad at all.”
After a pause, the voice continued, “Then, one final question. If you can solve it, I shall allow you to meet me in person. How does that sound?”
Mei Qing simply nodded, saying nothing more.
The voice said, “The final question is simple. In this stone chamber you are currently in, what is the best way to find an exit?”
Mei Qing was momentarily stunned. In truth, he had already considered this since entering the chamber. Yet the walls showed no seams, and the entrance had been sealed with magic. Could there be another hidden passage?
Then he thought again—cultivation was not bound by mundane logic. If there were no clues in the chamber and the stone door was sealed magically, searching for hidden passages would be foolish. Perhaps there was a formation inside.
As he thought rapidly and scanned the room, he noticed Liu Liu standing by the entrance stone wall, mindlessly feeling the surface with his hands, searching for the door. Mei Qing couldn’t help but smile.
Liu Liu must have gone mad—if the door was sealed magically, how could it be found again? As Mei Qing pondered, a sudden inspiration struck him. He recalled what Zhang Shisan had once said about breaking formations, and suddenly he laughed out loud. “Finding the exit—how hard could it be?”
“Oh? Then tell me.”
Mei Qing smiled. “The first two trials required either superior calculation or skillful technique. This one, I suspect, must be different. After you sealed the stone door with magic, there was no trace left. But if I wanted to leave, I could simply break through the wall with a single strike. Isn’t that right?”
As soon as Mei Qing finished speaking, he heard the voice laugh, “Rare, rare indeed. I see. I know now—you must have studied the Three Methods of Breaking Formations. I never expected the Celestial Master’s legacy to always find its way through.”
As the voice spoke, a figure began to materialize in the stone chamber.
Mei Qing and Liu Liu both stared wide-eyed. When they finally saw clearly, they were both stunned.
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