A Draw

Day and night alternated, the river of stars shifted. Only the sun and moon remained eternal, rising in the east and setting in the west, unchanged since ancient times.

A towering mountain stretched from earth to heaven, standing unshakably like a Celestial Pillar.

At the mountaintop, wind and clouds gathered as endless Primordial Spiritual Qi condensed into thick mist and surged toward a low earthen mound.

"Thump!"

"Thump! Thump!"

Strong, powerful heartbeats, like the tolling of great bronze bells, echoed beneath the silent night sky.

Dust leaped from the ground, trees trembled, and countless petals and green leaves scattered through the air.

Countless stones slid from the small mound, splitting it with bottomless cracks.

"Thump!"

The heartbeat suddenly grew heavier!

Within a pitch-black fissure, a deep blue eye abruptly opened!

The swaying flowers, grass, and trees around it suddenly froze. Even the wind and clouds halted at that instant.

Suddenly!

The Big Dipper and the Lunar Star at the edge of the sky shone with boundless radiance, illuminating the entire summit of Kunlun Mountain.

"Boom!"

The earthen mound exploded!

A streak of blue light shot into the sky!

Infinite radiance illuminated heaven and earth, causing even the Lunar Star to dim.

Then a cold voice resounded through heaven and earth.

"Array, arise!"

In an instant!

Countless patterns lit up across the mountaintop, spreading over nine hundred zhang of heaven and earth!

The rocks, flowers, grass, and trees on the ground instantly turned to dust.

Inside the small courtyard, Duobao, who had lost all desire to live, and Huanglong, who had been dragged into this mess, stared blankly with numb eyes. They bit their pen tips and looked at the questions in their hands, their scalps tingling.

What were the three hundred and sixty transformations of Array Formations?

How should one properly handle mutually conflicting properties encountered during pill refinement?

How could one maximize the usefulness of materials during artifact refinement?

What was all this?

I was asleep whenever Martial Uncle lectured. How am I supposed to know any of this?!

Duobao wailed inwardly and secretly glanced at Huanglong beside him, only to find him wearing a vacant expression, his exam paper completely blank.

Heavens, which damned bastard came up with this cursed method of assessment?!

"Junior Brother, what are you staring blankly for? Hurry up and write. There is only one hour left."

Guang Chengzi looked at the dazed Duobao and reminded him.

Duobao nodded blankly. When he looked at the exam paper again, his vision darkened.

Looking at the hourglass steadily running out beside him, he felt immense pressure.

Just as he was about to scribble down nonsense, a tremor suddenly came from the small courtyard.

Duobao, Guang Chengzi, and Huanglong all looked over. Within the mirror, Bai Ze stood high in the sky.

With a sharp shout from him, countless patterns lit up within a radius of nine hundred zhang.

For a moment, Duobao had no mind to answer questions. In a flash, he appeared before the mirror sealing the array spirit.

Looking at Bai Ze in the mirror, spirited and imposing, he smiled knowingly.

"That brat, a breakthrough is just a breakthrough. Did he really need to make such a huge spectacle?"

At that moment, Guang Chengzi and Huanglong also arrived beside Duobao. As they watched Bai Ze command an Array Formation spanning nine hundred zhang, a trace of surprise flashed through their eyes.

But when they saw Duobao's delight, the surprise in their eyes was instantly replaced by gentleness.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother. Bai Ze has comprehended an Array Formation of nine hundred zhang in three thousand years. Success within the five thousand years you mentioned is now within reach."

Duobao smiled and waved his hand. "I should congratulate you too, Senior Brother. Judging by Bai Ze's current aura, he will certainly break through to the Middle True Form Stage before entering our sect.

"This round counts as a draw."

Guang Chengzi looked at Duobao's smug, grinning expression. How could he not understand what Duobao was thinking?

"You, honestly. Fine, a wager is a wager. I admit defeat. I'll give you that Acquired Spirit Treasure in advance."

Duobao chuckled, but did not take it. According to their wager, Bai Ze had to completely master this thousand-zhang Array Formation within five thousand years for Duobao to win.

He had already waited three thousand years. What were another two thousand?

"No need, Senior Brother. It won't be too late to give it to me once Bai Ze has fully comprehended it."

Guang Chengzi shook his head and smiled. "Very well."

The three watched for a while. Only after Bai Ze descended from the sky and resumed his comprehension did they leave.

This time, however, the three did not enter seclusion. If Bai Ze could comprehend four hundred zhang of the Array Formation in a thousand years, the remaining hundred zhang would not take long.

They might as well wait here and finish the assessment they had yet to complete.

Naturally, Guang Chengzi was the one who made this suggestion.

Duobao and Huanglong were forced to accept it.

After a round of friendly negotiation from Guang Chengzi, Duobao and Huanglong covered their bruised eye sockets and said:

"You're the Eldest Senior Brother. You're right!"

Within the Array Formation, Bai Ze walked among the nine hundred zhang of Prohibitive Arrays.

This was the first time in three thousand years of comprehending the Array Formation that he had walked about without concern.

Looking at the dazzling array patterns glowing around him, Bai Ze stirred his thoughts.

The array patterns immediately dimmed, then vanished from sight.

Over the past thousand years, he had spent most of his time comprehending the Array Formation and nurturing his Fleshly Body Inscription.

He had also tried to condense another Fleshly Body Inscription, but for some reason, he had never found the right method.

"Perhaps my accumulation is too shallow, which is why I cannot condense a new Inscriptive Rune. After all, this one Inscriptive Rune took me a full five thousand years of cultivation to complete.

"I even spent a thousand years suppressing my cultivation before I finally succeeded by chance."

"Now that I am accumulating anew, only a thousand years have passed. It is still too early."

Bai Ze thought to himself. He had succeeded purely through his own cultivation. If he could consume some Heavenly Treasures, perhaps he could shorten the process.

"However, I have not yet completely mastered the Array Formation, and I still need to meet the Three Pure Ones. The search for Heavenly Treasures will have to be delayed for some time.

"Fortunately, the Huangzhong Plum will not ripen anytime soon, and I still have ample time.

"There is enough time to prepare for everything."

Bai Ze looked at the final hundred zhang of the Array Formation. After careful consideration, he decided to first master the Spatial Divine Ability Duobao had given him before continuing his comprehension.

After all, the final hundred zhang had already reached the core of the Prohibitive Array. If he were attacked by the array spirit while comprehending it, or driven away by the Three Pure Ones—

Would he not be wasting this endless Primordial Spiritual Qi and this exceptionally safe place for nothing?

The loss would outweigh the gain.

He immediately sat down cross-legged and began earnestly comprehending the Spatial Divine Ability he had exchanged with Duobao.

This divine ability was one of Duobao's Innate Divine Abilities.

It could ignore innate and acquired Array Formations, directly opening up a space within the void.

Once mastered, it could be transformed into a grotto-heaven paradise to store all manner of Heavenly Treasures. It could also conceal one within the void during battle, allowing one to strike and kill an enemy by surprise!

Passing through Array Formations was merely its most rudimentary use.

It was precisely because Duobao possessed this divine ability, combined with his Innate Divine Ability, the Treasure-Seeking Art, that the name of the Jie Sect's Eldest Senior Brother would shake the world in later ages.

Ever since entering the sect, Bai Ze had temporarily set aside this divine ability due to cultivation and comprehending the Array Formation. Now that he was about to master the Prohibitive Array, it was time to place this divine ability on the agenda.

Not to mention that this method was of paramount importance in obtaining the Huangzhong Plum in the future.

For Bai Ze himself, it was also a life-saving trump card that allowed him both offense and retreat!

Though he did not believe that the Three Pure Ones would care about an insignificant ant like him.

Anything was possible!

If he could fully comprehend it before meeting the Three Pure Ones, then even if some unforeseen mishap occurred during that meeting—

He would have one more chance at survival!

Bai Ze gazed deeply into the void and began comprehending the divine ability.