Contemplation

Time flowed on, swift as an arrow.

A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

Bai Ze awoke from cultivation. Over those hundred years, aside from cultivating, he had mostly been studying the Spatial Divine Ability he had exchanged with Duobao.

However, this divine ability had been transformed from Duobao's innate talent. Even with his Insight Talent, it had taken Bai Ze a full century just to grasp the basics.

He rose and exhaled a breath of Turbid Qi, surveying the surroundings and the terrifying Dao essence surging beneath the Array Formation's tranquil surface.

He was somewhat puzzled. "Why hasn't Duobao come back yet?"

Bai Ze pondered in secret. He wanted to walk around, but the terrifying Array Formation kept him from daring to move recklessly.

"Could I really have been tricked?"

"That shouldn't be possible, right? There is no conflict of interest between Duobao and me, and we got along fairly well before coming up the mountain.

So why has there been no news from him for so long...?"

Bai Ze frowned as he recalled every moment he had spent with Duobao, trying to find where the problem lay.

Suddenly!

The wicked smile Duobao had worn before leaving surfaced in his mind and refused to fade.

Duobao and I bear no grudge against each other, nor do we have any conflict of interest. There is no benefit for him in tricking me.

And before leaving, Duobao had even thoughtfully warned me not to wander about, which proved he had no intention of tricking me.

Not only that, he had specifically emphasized that I should spend my spare time studying this array.

If Duobao had intended to harm me, there would have been no need for him to go to such lengths.

Even if he had not wanted to act against me directly, once he brought me into this Array Formation, he could have used its power to erase me!

Yet not only had he done nothing, he had even delayed for such a long time.

A sharp glint flashed in Bai Ze's eyes. He thought of two possibilities.

"Could it be that Duobao deliberately left me here and delayed for so long so that I could properly study it?

After all, he had mentioned before that having the chance to study Upper Clear Heavenly Venerable's Prohibitive Array was extremely rare. Perhaps Duobao brought me here precisely for that reason!

Of course, it is also possible that the Celestial Venerable is deliberately testing whether I am qualified to enter his sect!

After all, judging from the divination, the Celestial Venerable ultimately did not erase me and instead allowed me to cultivate here!"

As the thoughts in his mind gradually became clear, Bai Ze no longer hesitated. Whether it was a test from the Celestial Venerable or Duobao's goodwill—

Given that he could not go anywhere at the moment, studying the Array Formation was undoubtedly a path that could only benefit him!

He immediately sat cross-legged and began studying the Mountain-Guarding Forbidden Formation.

With his previous experience studying a Primordial Formation, coupled with the assistance of his Insight Divine Ability, he quickly found one of the Prohibitive Array's nodes.

Especially after gaining an entry-level grasp of the Spatial Divine Ability, he could easily detect even the array markings hidden in the void.

However, as he searched node after node, the shock in his heart grew ever stronger.

"Just how many nodes does this Prohibitive Array have?!"

This search alone took nearly a hundred years. At present, he had identified a total of thirty-six thousand nodes.

And those nodes were only within a three-zhang radius centered on himself.

One had to know that this place spanned more than a thousand zhang.

Most importantly, these Array Formation nodes could shift and recombine at any time. It had taken him a hundred years just to fully master this three-zhang area.

To completely master the Prohibitive Array here would take at least four thousand years!

When Bai Ze thought of how four thousand years would be needed to fully comprehend this Prohibitive Array, a fire of excitement immediately blazed in his heart.

With his talent, the harder an Array Formation was to comprehend, the more it proved its power!

Once he completely understood this Array Formation, he would gain another trump card for preserving his life!

His safety would also rise greatly. After all, this was the Array Formation the Three Pure Ones used to guard their dwelling!

The thought that he would one day possess the same mountain-guarding grand formation as the Three Pure Ones filled him with heroic spirit!

"When that time comes, whoever dares enter the array will die!"

Not to mention that while comprehending the Prohibitive Array, he could freely cultivate using the incomparably dense Primordial Spiritual Qi here.

Compared with meeting the Three Pure Ones and facing unknown dangers—

The obvious gains here were clearly enough to make him ecstatic!

He looked at the remaining 997-zhang area of the Array Formation, his eyes blazing with fervor and fighting spirit!

"Let's set a small goal: cultivate for a thousand years first!"

As Bai Ze settled into meditation to study the Prohibitive Array, Huanglong, who was keeping watch in the small courtyard, hurriedly woke Duobao and Guang Chengzi from their cultivation.

Duobao Daoist looked at the image displayed by the array spirit and asked, "Huanglong, when did Bai Ze notice that something was wrong and begin studying the Array Formation?"

"Reporting to Senior Brother Duobao, Bai Ze noticed something was wrong a hundred years ago. He has now been studying the Mountain-Guarding Forbidden Formation for a hundred years," Huanglong reported respectfully.

Duobao watched the figure within the Array Formation, the corner of his mouth curling slightly as he turned to Guang Chengzi.

"Senior Brother, I won the first round!"

Guang Chengzi looked at Duobao's smug expression and shook his head with a smile.

"You really are something. It is only an Acquired Spirit Treasure. I'll give it to you."

Duobao immediately raised two fingers. "Senior Brother, it is two pieces. There is also Huanglong's share."

Seeing Duobao's greed for treasures, Guang Chengzi smiled indulgently. "I'll give them to you. I would never go back on my word."

Huanglong, standing nearby, could not get a word in and did not dare speak. He obediently ran off to Formation Spirit Mountain to continue supervising.

Guang Chengzi saw this and called Huanglong back. Wearing an expression as though he had just remembered something, he said,

"Junior Brother Huanglong, if I recall correctly, your bloodline is about to return to its ancestral origin, isn't it? I happen to have a bottle of True Dragon Blood Essence. I will give it to you, and I hope you cultivate diligently."

Huanglong was deeply moved. He accepted it with both hands and declared firmly, "I will not disappoint Senior Brother!"

"Go on." Guang Chengzi nodded, then shook his head as he watched Huanglong depart full of enthusiasm.

Yet Duobao, who had just obtained two Acquired Spirit Treasures, saw Guang Chengzi so generously gift a bottle of True Dragon Blood Essence, something no less valuable than an Acquired Spirit Treasure. His eyes immediately filled with envy.

"Senior Brother truly deserves to be someone Second Senior Uncle personally brought back. His fortune is so profound. Unlike my Master, who is so stingy."

Seeing Duobao's aggrieved and sour expression, Guang Chengzi smiled helplessly.

"You really are something. Has Little Martial Uncle given you too few treasures?

Aren't you afraid Little Martial Uncle will hear those words and punish you?"

Duobao curled his lip, crossed his arms, and said, "Although my Master consumes quite a lot of materials refining arrays, he truly has not treated me poorly.

But Second Senior Uncle also consumes plenty of materials refining artifacts. Why have I never seen my Master give me an Acquired Spirit Treasure?"

Guang Chengzi helplessly explained,

"Some of these were refined by me, while others were things I picked up during my travels down the mountain. Not all of them were given to me by Master."

Duobao stared at Guang Chengzi in surprise. "What? Senior Brother can refine Acquired Spirit Treasures now?"

Seeing Duobao's utterly astonished expression, Guang Chengzi let out a sigh.