Preliminary Analysis

When Huo Yuhao's foot stepped onto the ancient array formed from hundreds of millions of runes, the entire space emitted a faint hum.

The blue patterns beneath his feet lit up abruptly like activated circuitry, their glow racing outward in every direction along profound, mysterious paths!

The sight made everyone at the entrance to the passage feel their hearts leap into their throats.

Yet Huo Yuhao acted as though nothing had happened, slowly making his way toward the center of the plaza, one step at a time.

At times, he bent down and lightly touched a rune node with his fingers. At other times, he stopped, closed his eyes, and seemed to be listening to some ancient melody.

To the onlookers, every step he took seemed unfathomable, filled with a mysterious sense of ritual.

But within Huo Yuhao's sea of consciousness, the [Thought Palace] was already operating at full power!

[Reverse analysis initiated... Target: core sealing array.]

[Structure scan... Energy circuit tracking... Rune logic compilation...]

An immense flood of data streamed wildly past like a waterfall. The massive, incomparably complex super array was peeled apart layer by layer in Huo Yuhao's "mind," broken down into its most basic energy units.

Before long, a blood-red warning popped up.

[Warning! High-risk chain reaction detected!]

[Simulating forced removal method... Result: array energy backlash will cause the target lifeform's spiritual origin to collapse instantly, triggering an irreversible annihilating explosion.]

[Survival rate: 0%]

Huo Yuhao's heart tightened.

Just as expected!

This was not a simple seal at all. It had already formed a symbiotic relationship with the Sky Dream Iceworm!

Forcibly breaking the array would be equivalent to detonating Tianmeng's spiritual body along with the entire underground space!

"Phew..." Huo Yuhao slowly exhaled a breath of white mist and opened his eyes.

He turned around and calmly addressed the anxiously watching crowd in the distance.

"The situation is more complicated than expected."

Vice Dean Mo Li was the first to impulsively move forward, but Tu Feng grabbed and held him back.

"Sir Advisor, speak. We're listening!" Tu Feng shouted in his deep, booming voice.

Huo Yuhao was quite pleased with his tact.

"This array is not a 'lock.' Think of it as an enormous 'energy converter,' or rather, a 'life-support system' that sustains the 'life core.'"

He launched into another one of his theories that no one understood, yet somehow sounded incredibly impressive.

"On one hand, it draws power from the 'life core' to suppress it. On the other, it converts and filters that drawn power, then uses it in turn to sustain its basic life functions."

"This is a perfect closed loop—an eternal cycle of energy."

Vice Dean Mo Li's beard trembled as he fell into a frenzy of academic excitement. "Energy conversion... sustaining life functions... My heavens! Th-this is the 'main system's' self-regulation and energy management function?! Magnificent! This design is practically a divine miracle!"

"So," Huo Yuhao's voice interrupted his fervor, "if we use brute force to 'pick the lock,' it would be the same as forcibly unplugging this 'life-support system.' The result would be system collapse, the core being scrapped, and then—boom—all of us, along with this entire mountain, would be buried with it."

"Gasp—"

Everyone, including Tu Feng, broke out in a cold sweat.

Buried with it?

They certainly did not want that!

"Th-then what do we do?" a researcher asked shakily. "Are we just supposed to watch?"

"Of course not." Huo Yuhao shook his head. "If brute force will not work, then we use finesse."

"Every complex system has a 'back door,' or what you might call a 'debug mode.' We do not need to destroy it. We only need to find its 'resonance point,' make it believe that we are 'maintenance personnel,' and then gently awaken the 'life core' from its dormant state."

Resonance point? Maintenance personnel?

These terms once again reshaped the understanding of the Light of Truth's members.

They understood every individual word, but when combined, they felt as though their brains were completely insufficient.

Yet it sounded incredibly impressive!

Recalling Huo Yuhao's earlier, godlike methods, they harbored not the slightest doubt. There was only growing reverence in their hearts.

Everything this man said had to be right!

"Then... how do we find this 'resonance point'?" Tu Feng asked cautiously.

Huo Yuhao did not answer. Instead, he gave them the answer through his actions.

He turned back around, walked to an area where the glowing patterns intersected most densely, slowly extended his hand, and pressed his palm against it.

"Now, I will attempt an initial 'connection' with the array and sense the direction of its energy flow."

"This process cannot be interrupted."

With that, he closed his eyes.

A vast, pure surge of spiritual power was carefully threaded into the formation before him at an extraordinarily peculiar frequency.

[Spiritual Power Link Established...]

[Beginning Energy Flow Synchronization...]

[Data Synchronization Rate: 1%... 3%... 7%...]

Buzz—

Like a drop of water falling into a tranquil lake, Huo Yuhao's spiritual power instantly merged into the vast, ocean-like energy circuits.

He "saw" it!

Countless blue motes of energy, like billions upon billions of stars, flowed endlessly along predetermined paths. Together, they formed an energy cosmos so grand it was beyond imagination!

Then, within that rushing river of energy, he suddenly caught something unusual.

They were exceedingly faint, intermittent spiritual imprints—like fragmented images and scattered thoughts. Nourished by the spiritual power that Sky Dream Iceworm had leaked over countless years, they had already fused with the formation's energy flow.

[Unknown Data Fragments Detected... Analyzing...]

[Analysis Successful: Obtained Fragment of "Ancient Soul Power Structural Studies"...]

[Analysis Successful: Obtained Fragment of "Spiritual Energy Application Techniques"...]

A wave stirred in Huo Yuhao's heart.

Holy shit! There was an unexpected gain too?

This formation was practically a treasure vault!

Suppressing his delight, he immersed a small part of his mind in those fragments of knowledge while controlling his spiritual power and beginning a "performance."

"Watch closely!"

He suddenly spoke.

The people in the distance jolted awake and all widened their eyes.

Under Huo Yuhao's palm, the blue light patterns that had been flowing steadily suddenly erupted with dazzling brilliance!

Buzz buzz buzz—

Centered on his palm, ripples of energy visible to the naked eye spread outward. The runes across the entire plaza seemed to have received an order, violently flashing at an entirely new frequency!

As the light flickered on and off, it was as though the entire temple were breathing!

"My god! It's alive! The formation has come alive!"

"He's... he's commanding the formation's energy flow!"

"This... this is practically divine! He's the master of this system!"

Vice Dean Mo Li was so excited he nearly dropped to his knees on the spot. Pointing at the dazzling formation, he shouted incoherently, "Do you see that?! This is 'highest authority'! He has the highest authority! We found the right person! We really found the right person!"

Tu Feng and the rest of the team were even more stunned, unable to utter a word. They could only stand there with their mouths open, foolishly staring at that figure shrouded in countless rays of light.

Fucking awesome!

Other than those two words, they could think of nothing else to describe what lay before them.

What kind of "key" was this? This was a damn GM—game master, wasn't it?!

Just as everyone was thoroughly awestruck, Huo Yuhao's voice rang out again, carrying a perfectly measured trace of "weariness."

"The analysis is more mentally taxing than I expected. I need absolute silence."

"Now, everyone, immediately withdraw to outside the passage entrance and establish a defensive line around it. Until I complete the 'awakening,' no one—and no sound—is permitted to disturb me."

"Yes, Consultant!"

Tu Feng was the first to react. He spun around and roared at everyone, "Did you hear him?! Get out, all of you! Whoever dares stay here one second longer, I'll chop him down myself!"

He did not need to urge them at all.

As though granted amnesty, yet filled with pilgrim-like excitement, the crowd surged out of the magnificent plaza like a tide and dutifully began standing guard around the outer perimeter of the passage.

The whole world fell silent in an instant.

At the center of the vast, magnificent formation, only Huo Yuhao remained, alone before that enormous ice cocoon emanating an eternal chill.

It was done.

Huo Yuhao's mind was utterly clear.

The final stage had been set for him.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, suppressing the tension and excitement in his heart at the thought of changing his fate.

He sat down cross-legged, stretched out both palms, and gently pressed them against the cold yet vibrant runes beneath him.