From afar, the coiled structure as a whole resembled a flattened sphere. The fibrous protective layer along its outer edge converged inward in gentle spiral arcs. The curvature of each ring increased layer by layer; the closer to the center, the tighter the arcs became.
There were roughly nine coiled layers, with each layer rotating in the opposite direction from the last.
The outermost layer coiled clockwise, the second counterclockwise, the third clockwise again, alternating all the way to the innermost layer. Chu Ming stopped outside the first coiled layer.
Divine sense extended from between his brows and passed through the gaps in the first layer of fibers at a steady speed.
The outer fibers were evenly spaced. The resistance his divine sense encountered while passing through was comparable to the last time he had crossed a high-density lattice. It advanced smoothly without obstruction.
After passing through the first layer, his divine sense entered the annular gap between the first and second layers. It continued forward, pressing against the surface of the second layer's fibers. The instant it touched them, the tip of his divine sense felt a sustained repulsive force.
The repulsive force ran exactly opposite to the direction of his divine sense's advance. Its strength was even and constant, without fluctuation or alternating degrees of force, like a compressed spring continually thrusting outward.
Chu Ming's advancing force and the repulsive force reached a temporary balance at the point of contact. His divine sense could go no deeper, yet the repulsive force did not bounce it back either.
The two remained locked at the contact surface for several breaths.
He withdrew his divine sense and turned his attention to the coiled structure as a whole.
The coiled layers here differed from the lattice he had passed through.
When the