Chapter 1726 - Testing the Spiritual Array
Zhongsun Wen set the paper down and publicly admitted that he couldn't answer the questions either.
"Brat, did you hear that? Even Mentor Zhongsun can't answer them. Get lost from the Azure Flame Dao Hall already!" several blacksmithing mentors barked from the side.
Spiritual arrays were closely related to blacksmithing. When forging artifacts, blacksmiths had to incorporate spiritual arrays to raise their grade. As a result, spiritual array mentors and blacksmithing mentors generally maintained a close relationship.
Liu Wuxie sneered coldly, his voice carrying clearly across the crowd. "You call them nonsense simply because you can't answer them? Is this how you teach your students with limited knowledge?"
It was laughable that these mentors declared something nonexistent simply because they couldn't solve it. If a student raised a question their mentor couldn't answer, would they claim the question itself didn't exist?
"Brat, how dare you accuse us of misleading students?!"
To any mentor, leading students astray was the greatest humiliation imaginable. The surrounding spiritual array mentors closed in around Liu Wuxie, ready to attack at the slightest provocation. Every one of them glared at him with fury, murderous intent radiating from their bodies.
Yet even while facing so many profound immortals, Liu Wuxie remained completely calm, faint mockery lingering on his face.
"That's right," Liu Wuxie replied. "I'm mocking all of you for misleading your students."
Everyone expected Liu Wuxie to explain himself, but no one expected him to admit it publicly.
"You're courting death!" Tu Zhengbao roared. He raised his palm and struck at Liu Wuxie, releasing the aura of a profound immortal and forcing the nearby students to retreat from the shockwave.
Not a single mentor stepped forward to stop him.
After all, insulting the spiritual array mentors was equivalent to insulting all the mentors present. Regardless of their internal rivalries, they had all worked together for years and naturally stood on the same side.
As an outsider, Liu Wuxie naturally received no support from them.
"Tu Zhengbao, don't push things too far!" Ye Linghan shouted angrily as she also struck out with her palm.
The two attacks collided violently, releasing a powerful shockwave that swept outward. Liu Wuxie reeled slightly before he quickly steadied himself.
"That's enough!" Zuo Yang roared, forcibly stopping everyone.
If the conflict escalated further, the Azure Flame Dao Hall itself would become a laughingstock, especially with so many students watching. Once word spread, the Dao Hall's reputation would suffer greatly.
Tu Zhengbao and Ye Linghan both stepped back, though neither looked any less furious.
"Liu Wuxie," Zuo Yang said, "since you wrote these ten questions, do you yourself have the answers?"
If Liu Wuxie lacked the answers himself, it would prove he had fabricated nonsense. But if he truly possessed the solutions, then it would prove his attainments in spiritual arrays were no weaker than those of the mentors present.
The fact that Zhongsun Wen and the others couldn't answer the questions didn't mean they lacked skills. On the contrary, they all possessed considerable accomplishments in spiritual arrays. They had never explored these particular concepts before.
"I do," Liu Wuxie replied calmly before lowering his head and writing down the answers.
Zhongsun Wen and the other mentors immediately stepped forward to examine them.
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
Even Tu Zhengbao couldn't hide the shock on his face after reading Liu Wuxie's explanations.
Although Zuo Yang wasn't a grandmaster in spiritual arrays, he still possessed a decent understanding of the field and could naturally see the profundity hidden within the answers.
"These are merely theories," Tu Zhengbao coldly interjected, unwilling to admit defeat. "That doesn't prove his explanations are actually correct."
According to their deductions, Liu Wuxie's methods indeed possessed a high chance of success. However, no one knew exactly how effective they would truly be.
"We'll know once we test them," Zhongsun Wen declared. He could no longer suppress his excitement and immediately selected several questions to verify personally.
There was no need to test all ten. If even three proved successful, it would already confirm Liu Wuxie's answers were legitimate.
The surrounding mentors and students all retreated, leaving behind a vast, open field used specifically for setting up spiritual arrays.
"I'll construct the Seven-Star Northern Dipper Array," Zhongsun Wen announced.
Although the Seven-Star Northern Dipper Array and the Northern Dipper Seven-Star Array sounded similar, they were entirely different formations. One specialized in offense while the other focused on defense.
According to Liu Wuxie's answer, an Indigo Mist Stone could replace the Crimson Astral Stone. Not only would the formation maintain its stability, but it would even gain additional killing intent.
Zhongsun Wen stepped onto the seven-star positions with practiced familiarity. This clearly wasn't his first time constructing the formation.
"Amazing! As expected of the Azure Flame Dao Hall's greatest spiritual array grandmaster!"
Excited applause erupted from the surrounding students.
Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie watched expressionlessly.
Ye Linghan, however, couldn't help feeling nervous. Yet after seeing Liu Wuxie's calm expression, she gradually relaxed. For some reason, Liu Wuxie's composure carried an inexplicable power that could calm those around him.
An hour later, Zhongsun Wen finally completed the Seven-Star Northern Dipper Array and replaced the Crimson Astral Stone with the Indigo Mist Stone.
"Activate!"
Zhongsun Wen waved his hand, and the spiritual array instantly took form. Seven streams of energy connected, transforming into the seven stars of the northern dipper.
At the same time, a terrifying surge of killing intent erupted from deep within the formation. Seeing this, Zhongsun Wen's expression turned dark.
"You must break the array from inside," Zhongsun Wen said, pointing toward several students and instructing them to test its power.
If the formation collapsed after a single strike, Liu Wuxie's answer would prove incorrect. But if the formation retained its strength, then Liu Wuxie's answer would be confirmed.
Several students eagerly rushed forward, unable to restrain themselves. They all wanted to witness Liu Wuxie embarrass himself.
"You'd better send stronger students," Liu Wuxie mocked calmly. "Otherwise, you'll be collecting corpses shortly."
The students Zhongsun Wen selected were only High Immortals at the fifth and sixth levels.
"Brat, you're far too arrogant!" the selected students shouted angrily.
"We'll break the formation first, then settle accounts with him," one youth said while restraining his companion.
The three immediately entered the spiritual array.
The moment they stepped inside, Zhongsun Wen fully activated the formation, trapping them within. More people gathered around, eager to watch the results closely.
A buzzing sound echoed as immense power surged from the depths of the array, transforming into countless arrows that shot toward the trio.
Just as Liu Wuxie had mentioned, replacing the material didn't weaken the array at all. Instead, it strengthened it.
Although the core structure remained mostly unchanged, the additional killing intent could cloud the mind and throw one's thoughts into chaos—something the original formation lacked entirely.
A loud explosion erupted.
Before the three students could even launch an attack, the array blasted them backward, making them cough blood violently. The moment they struggled back to their feet, an even stronger force descended from above, catching them completely unprepared.
Exactly as Liu Wuxie had warned, they would only die once they entered the array.
Zhongsun Wen shouted as he immediately rushed into the formation, "Save them!"
Unfortunately, he was still one step too late. The three students already hovered on the brink of death. Even if they survived, they would lose half their lives.
The surrounding mentors stared at the scene in shock.
The nearby students drew sharp breaths, unable to believe what they saw. They had seen the Seven-Star Northern Dipper Array before, but never one with such terrifying power.
Several alchemy mentors quickly stepped forward and fed pills to the three students, barely managing to drag them back from death's door.
"Let's go in and test it ourselves," Tu Zhengbao said unwillingly. He still refused to accept the result and invited two other mentors to accompany him into the formation.
The three injured students left the area while everyone turned their attention back to the array.
The formation activated once more after the three mentors entered.
Since all three were profound immortals, the array naturally couldn't seriously injure them. Their goal was merely to test its effectiveness.
Fifteen minutes later, the formation finally collapsed.
Tu Zhengbao emerged with an ugly expression.
He truly hadn't expected the formation's power to increase so dramatically after replacing the Crimson Astral Stone. This completely proved Liu Wuxie's first answer was correct.
The crowd's opinion about Liu Wuxie changed.
Confusion and disbelief filled their eyes as they wondered whether Liu Wuxie truly possessed monstrous talent in spiritual arrays.
The voices questioning him rapidly diminished.
At this rate, it wouldn't take long before Liu Wuxie earned everyone's recognition.
Zhongsun Wen still refused to give up and began constructing the Spirit-Refining Earth Flame Array.
However, entering that formation without destroying it bordered on impossible. Even Zhongsun Wen himself doubted he could accomplish such a feat.
The Spirit-Refining Earth Flame Array possessed a terrifying characteristic. It ignited anyone's divine sense upon entry. That meant no one could guarantee their primordial spirit would survive the crushing force within, let alone counterattack.
Spiritual arrays themselves also varied by rank. Zhongsun Wen intentionally limited this formation's strength to the High Immortal Realm, greatly reducing the required resources. Had he constructed a formation at the Profound Immortal Realm instead, very few people would have possessed the ability to break it.
Another hour passed, and the afternoon had already arrived.
The moment the formation took shape, a thick yellow mist filled the sky, completely blocking the sunlight and making it impossible to see inside.
Fortunately, the Dao Hall had specifically prepared this area for spiritual array assessments. Under normal circumstances, constructing such a formation would require at least two full hours.
Even the divine sense of profound immortals couldn't penetrate the mist.
Many students attempted to probe inside with their divine senses, only to cry out in pain moments later as their senses ignited. Some students even screamed on the spot as their primordial spirits became scorched, leaving injuries that would require a long time to heal.
"Who wants to test it?" Zhongsun Wen asked as he swept his gaze around the crowd.
Unlike the Seven-Star Northern Dipper Array, nobody could break this formation from the inside. According to Liu Wuxie's explanation, someone needed to enter without damaging the formation while simultaneously resisting its attacks.
Such a feat sounded utterly impossible.
No one dared to step forward. Most believed Liu Wuxie had fabricated nonsense. After all, a single mistake could severely damage one's primordial spirit, and no one wished to take that risk.
"I'll do it," Ye Linghan said, stepping forward.
She trusted Liu Wuxie deeply.
After spending several days with him, she had never found him arrogant or lustful. Whether in conduct or behavior, he remained upright, open, and honorable.
Under countless gazes, Ye Linghan stepped before the formation and began following the method Liu Wuxie had written to enter the Spirit-Refining Earth Flame Array.
