Two days later.
Peak summit.
Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and stepped forward, off the edge of the cliff.
But in the next mont, the raging wind swept him into the air.
To be precise, he was swept into the Wind Thunder Formation!
Hoo-hoo-hoo!
The fierce wind howled, coming from all directions, tearing his robes and scraping his skin painfully.
The thunderclouds above continuously churned, lightning striking down around him, making his scalp tingle.
Ning Zhuo steadied himself and spread out his Divine Sense with full effort.
However, as soon as his Divine Sense reached outside his body, it was torn apart by the wind and scorched by the lightning, consuming swiftly.
Ning Zhuo imdiately changed strategy and scattered a great number of chanical Mirrors once again.
The mirrors, too, were ravaged by the wind and thunder, constantly being damaged.
Ning Zhuo’s Divine Sense then refracted rapidly between the Treasure Mirrors, expanding the detection range quickly.
Ning Zhuo’s fingers danced swiftly, as if heavy shadows of butterflies.
His profound mastery of chanical Techniques allowed him to manipulate countless Treasure Mirrors, shuttling through the wind and swimming through the lightning.
Ning Zhuo did not resist head-on.
Retreat when the wind is strong, advance when the wind is weak; evade when thunder cos, explore when thunder goes.
The Master Level Array Realm provided him with a strong intuition.
Previously, Ning Zhuo couldn’t grasp the intuition of array dao clearly in such a crisis-ridden fierce environnt. But after multiple formation trials before, his combat abilities had been honed!
Relying on that intuition, he kept moving at all tis, avoiding himself and most of the mirrors from being struck by lightning.
The Wind Thunder Formation is a Dynamic Formation, its Array Eye moves with the wind and clouds, seemingly without trace. But Ning Zhuo had already detected patterns: it is like breathing—wind rising and falling, thunder being born and dissipating, every thirty breaths a cycle.
Catching this key cycle, Ning Zhuo was only a few steps away from finding the Array Eye.
As the third cycle just began, Ning Zhuo’s eyes flashed with brilliance!
He had captured it.
In the fiercest part of the wind and thunder, there is a subtle anomaly. There the wind is more chaotic than elsewhere, there the thunder is denser than elsewhere, but behind the chaos there is order, behind the density there is pattern.
The Array Eye is hidden here!
Array Gap Traveling Shuttle!
The shuttle shuddered, shooting out cyan-white light towards that direction. The light penetrated the fierce wind, penetrated the lightning, landing on a faintly visible light spot.
Now!
Ning Zhuo took out the Source-breaking Axe and swung it out.
The axe light cut through the air, hitting the light spot precisely.
Boom—
The wind and thunder abruptly stopped.
Even if Ning Zhuo’s understanding of the Wind Elent and Thunder Movent is shallow, he nonetheless passed the trial of the Wind Thunder Formation with his robust array dao skills.
Five Elents Peak·Reincarnation Hall!
Cultivators participating in the trial must enter the Reincarnation Hall and comprehend the "Five Elents Rotation Grand Array" for two hours. Then, in the examination hall on the side of the main hall, answer questions. Successfully answering ten questions allows passage of the trial.
In half a cup of tea’s ti, Ning Zhuo walked out of the Five Elents Rotation Grand Array.
"Huh?" The cultivators on guard took great notice of the prominent young man.
Imdiately, soone stepped forward: "Daoist Fellow Ning Zhuo, is there an urgent matter? I have the authority, you may participate next ti. However, the ti for this trial will be deducted."
Ning Zhuo smiled and waved: "Thank you, fellow Daoist. I simply feel that it’s almost enough. No need to linger, better head straight to the hall side and answer the questions."
The cultivators on duty were imdiately shocked, looking at each other.
Soone asked: "Are you certain?"
Ning Zhuo nodded.
Entering the side hall, he saw hundreds of Jade Steles, each engraved with a question. Cultivators must use Divine Sense to probe into the Jade Stele and write down the answer.
Ning Zhuo walked to the first Jade Stele, probing with his Divine Sense.
He just glanced at it, and the answer surfaced in his mind.
He wrote the answer, taking three breaths.
The second question, the third question, the fourth question...
Each question, he answered within ten breaths.
After completing ten questions, he turned to leave.
The cultivators on duty kindly reminded Ning Zhuo once again, telling him that the question bank was extensive and to avoid mistakes, it might be best to answer a few more questions. The standard for passing the assessnt was to answer ten questions correctly.
Ning Zhuo slowly shook his head, smiled again, and said confidently, "I will not make a mistake. If I am judged to be wrong, it must certainly be your mistake."
At this mont, all the cultivators on duty couldn’t help but squint their eyes at him.
Ning Zhuo was so confident, it was like a sunlight that one could not look at directly.
The cultivators hurriedly reviewed the questions, wanting to quickly determine the results.
However, soon the cultivators reviewing the questions furrowed their brows one by one, so rapidly calculating, while others broke into a sweat with anxiety.
This was because Ning Zhuo, excited by the process, provided so unconventional answers to several questions.
Ning Zhuo laughed aloud, "How about I explain it all?"
A small-scale explanation not only proved his correctness but also impressed all the cultivators present.
Monts later.
The great doors of the Reincarnation Hall swung open, and a large group of cultivators on duty respectfully escorted Ning Zhuo out.
Five-layered Gate Formation.
Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Root Formation.
Illusion Sea Formation.
Heavenly Gang Beidou Formation.
Qiankun Shift Formation...
Ning Zhuo almost never paused, completing one trial a day, sweeping through and passing all effortlessly.
Such astonishing performance made him stand out once again, sparking endless discussions among the masses, marveling at Ning Zhuo’s mastery in the Array Dao.
It even prompted a special discussion among the high-level mbers of the Heavy Array Peak regarding Ning Zhuo.
Heavy Array Peak.
Five high-level cultivators surrounded a huge round stone table, concluding their discussions.
Sitting at the head was Yin Changgeng.
His face was round and chubby with a customary smile, his eyes narrowed into slits, as he was one of the Deputy Peak Masters of Heavy Array Peak.
"I believe you have all recently taken note of a newcor," Yin Changgeng said, smiling, "To be precise, there was so awareness before, but never have we paid such close attention as we do now. Let’s share our views about that young fellow called Ning Zhuo."
Shan Guhong sat upright like a pine tree. In his early forties, his features were sharp and cold, wearing a dark sleek outfit with tightly tied cuffs.
He remarked coldly, "This boy breaks through arrays as if through bamboo, with an exceptional realm in Array Dao. In my younger years, I did not have such skills."
Wenren Yan reclined against the back of her chair. She wore a light, gauzy dress, embroidered with layers of cloud patterns that shimred under firelight. Her pupils were lightly purple, often giving people a dreamy quality when gazed upon.
She suddenly spoke, her voice lazy like a murmuring in a dream, "It’s not just his prowess in Array Dao. In the Illusion Sea Formation, he took less than two hours."
Her purple eyes narrowed slightly, "My Illusion Sea Formation is best at bewildering the mind. Out of ten who enter, nine get lost in the illusion, and the last takes three to four hours to find a way out. He took only two hours—this indicates his ntal state is extraordinarily stable."
"It’s unsurprising for soone who can emit such expansive Vast Energy during the White Rainbow Righteousness Festival!"
Ouyang Lin, clad in white, with a clear and cold deanor, remarked, "In the Ice Seal Ten Thousand Miles Formation, he only took third place."
The others looked at him.
Ouyang Lin remained expressionless, "His realm in the Ice Elent is too low, holding him back. If his Ice Elent was sowhat higher, the first place would undoubtedly be his."
Chunyu Gui, burly with a muscular fra, had carefully trimd sideburns, and sighed deeply, "Most astonishing is his performance at the Reincarnation Hall of Five Elents Peak. It is said the Hall Master, upon learning of Ning Zhuo’s trials upon returning, imdiately sought to recruit him, offering him a Vice Hall Master position without hesitation."
"How old do you think he is?"
"How can such a junior be so exceptional?"
Shan Guhong: "Array Dao, Five Elents, chanical Techniques, Confucianism, sound technique, Martial Combat... indeed, it is exceedingly exceptional."
Generally, a first-class prodigy would be like Shen Xi, Situ Xing, or Gu Qing. They are considered national-level.
Ning Zhuo being slightly better than them wouldn’t be surprising.
But now, Ning Zhuo has consecutively surpassed Ban Ji, Gu Qing, Shen Xi, and it wasn’t through combat, but through various small-scale trials.
This level of excellence goes slightly beyond the norm.
Wenren Yan hypothesized, "He claims chanical Techniques as his main focus, but it’s not necessarily true. Based on his performance, his primary focus more likely is Formation."
Cultivators, when registering their information, sotis release so smokescreens, doing so disguising and covering.
Of course, in the later stages, information review is strict, and cultivators often voluntarily clarify.
Wenren Yan’s suspicions were not without reason, and Yin Changgeng quite agreed, "Indeed. Looking back at all of Ning Zhuo’s performances since coming to the Main Mountain Gate, he surpassed Ban Ji, Gu Qing, with so difficulty. But in the contest against Shen Xi, his advantage was clear, and he led like a solo ride in the dust."
"But what truly concerns is his temperant."
Yin Changgeng’s eyes flashed with brilliance, "Is this the temperant of a young person? His stability is sowhat terrifying, which makes think of other possibilities."
Shan Guhong: "Soul Possession, or even Great Power reincarnation?"
Yin Changgeng nodded, his expression solemn.
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