The stone stele was ancient and majestic. It was about ten feet tall and was called the Ten Formations Stele.
As a trial disciple of Misty Peak, it was a great honor to be able to leave one's name on the Ten Formations Stele.
The Ten Formations Stele carried the memories of Misty Peak for thousands of years and witnessed the changes in the sect.
There were a hundred names on it – all of them were geniuses of Array Peak in the history of the sect.
Time was merciless and cultivators were not spared either. Most of the geniuses had passed away long ago and the only trace of them was on the stele.
Behind every name was the number of levels they cleared and the time they took.
The higher the level cleared, the higher the ranking. For the same level, the less time taken, the higher the ranking.
The bottom thirty odd rows of the Ten Formations Stele were for trial disciples who cleared Level 4.
Most of the rows in the middle were for disciples who cleared Level 5 and the ones at the top took 12 hours.
The first ten odd rows were for disciples who cleared Level 6. The first name was Zhong Wen who had just arrived at the Ten Formations Pagoda – the current number one of Array Peak!
Zhong Wen had the right to be proud.
That was because he had already surpassed all of the Array Peak geniuses that had appeared in the sect for thousands of years – he was the true number one of Array Peak!
There was a line of words on the first row of the Ten Formations Stele.
"Zhong Wen, cleared Level 6 of the Ten Formations Pagoda, took 5 hours!"
Suddenly, Level 2 of the Ten Formations Pagoda shone brightly, attracting the attention of many Array Peak disciples.
Only by clearing the test of the Ten Formations Pagoda's formations would this level shine with a unique light.
Zhong Wen said indifferently, "To think that someone would come earlier than me today. Interesting."
"Greetings, Elder Luo."
Arriving before the Ten Formations Pagoda, Zhong Wen bowed slightly to the old man at the entrance.
When Elder Luo saw Zhong Wen, a look of admiration flashed through his eyes as he asked, "You're here so early. Are you planning to attempt Level 7 this time round?"
"Yes."
Zhong Wen nodded.
Pausing for a moment, he continued, "I've gained quite a bit during this period of time. Even if I can't clear Level 7, I should be able to break the record on the Ten Formations Stele."
The record he was referring to was naturally set by Zhong Wen himself.
In Zhong Wen's eyes, there was no disciple of the five peaks who could compare to him in terms of formations.
What he needed to do was to constantly challenge himself!
"Alright, I'll be waiting for your return." Elder Luo smiled and gave Zhong Wen a wooden token.
Zhong Wen nodded at the many Array Peak disciples behind him and entered the Ten Formations Pagoda.
Zhong Wen was very familiar with breaking through arrays.
Upon entering Level 1 of the Ten Formations Pagoda, Zhong Wen did not hesitate at all. Spirit qi seeped out from his fingertips as he waved his hand to draw a formation pattern beneath his feet – he chose the simplest type of support formation.
Breaking through the array not only depended on how many levels one could pass, but also how long it would take.
Zhong Wen naturally wouldn't waste any time.
Soon, the formation was completed. Zhong Wen placed a spirit stone in the eye of the formation. The formation lit up and the entrance to the second level appeared.
Zhong Wen put away the Spirit Stones and rushed up to the second level.
Similar to Su Zimo, Zhong Wen entered an illusory formation as soon as he stepped into the second level.
Zhong Wen's expression was calm as he surveyed his surroundings. He walked around casually, stopping from time to time to squat on the ground and observe.
15 minutes later, Zhong Wen heaved a sigh of relief and summoned his flying sword, stabbing it into the ground not far away.
In a trance, the illusory formation disappeared and the entrance to the third level appeared before him.
Zhong Wen was in excellent condition as he walked towards the third level confidently.
Right now, Su Zimo was in the trap formation of the third level as well. Even though the two of them were on the same level, they were in different formations and would not bump into each other nor affect each other.
…
Outside the Ten Formations Pagoda.
The crowd gasped when they saw the light of the formation pattern on the second level.
"Senior Brother Zhong has already cleared two levels in 15 minutes! That's even faster than before!"
"That's for sure. If he wasn't absolutely confident, Senior Brother Zhong wouldn't have come here so easily."
More and more trial disciples gathered when they heard that Zhong Wen was challenging the Ten Formations Pagoda today.
After another hour, Level 3 of the Ten Formations Pagoda shone with a bedazzling brilliance.
"He passed!"
"Yes, an hour. It's about the same as before."
Many Array Peak disciples gathered and discussed.
"I wonder how long Senior Brother Zhong will take to clear Level 4."
"I remember that he took two hours the previous time."
"Actually, the first four levels are still alright since it's just a single formation. Level 5 is the hardest since it's a combination of formations and the difficulty is doubled!"
Time passed by quickly and another two hours passed.
Level 4 shone brightly and many disciples were invigorated. Just as they were about to speak, Level 3 of the Ten Formations Pagoda shone once more, causing a commotion.
"Hmm? There's someone else apart from Senior Brother Zhong? "
An Array Peak disciple who arrived later asked in confusion.
Typically speaking, most Array Peak disciples would choose to avoid Zhong Wen's challenge.
Even though the challengers would not affect each other in the Ten Formations Pagoda, if they knew that they were challenging the pagoda at the same time as the number one of Array Peak, the pressure would definitely increase and their results would not be the best.
"Hmph, that guy sure is bold to challenge the pagoda with Senior Brother Zhong," Someone sneered.
"I wonder who that guy is. He's going to suffer at Level 4!"
"Fufu, I'll just wait here and see that guy get sent out of the Ten Formations Pagoda in a wretched state.
Many Array Peak disciples were waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
Elder Luo was shocked as he turned back to look at the Ten Formations Pagoda, recalling a green-robed disciple with delicate features.
"A disciple of Weapon Peak?"
Shaking his head, Elder Luo chuckled and murmured, "To think that this lad would be able to clear Level 3 as well. Hmm … he's rather talented in formations. I wonder why he chose to join Weapon Peak back then."
In reality, it wasn't just the Array Peak disciples. Even Elder Luo did not think highly of Su Zimo.
In his opinion, even if Su Zimo could clear Level 3, there was no way he could clear Level 4.
That was because the formation in Level 4 of the Ten Formations Pagoda was … a killing formation!
Every single step was filled with killing intent and one could lose their life on the spot if they were not careful. Under such a stressful environment, most people would be scared out of their wits and would instinctively choose to crush the wooden badge to be sent out, let alone calm down to clear the formation.
For someone like Su Zimo who was challenging the Ten Formations Pagoda for the first time and had never experienced a killing formation before, there was no way he could clear this stage.
Level 4 wasn't just a test of one's understanding of formations. It was also a test of one's mentality, guts and boldness in the face of life and death.
The key to the fourth level was how to calm down, analyze the array, and detect the flaws in the array in the most perilous environment!
However, be it the disciples of Array Peak or Elder Luo, none of them understood Su Zimo.
Compared to the nighttime in Cang Lang Mountain Range, the dangers of a Grade 1 killing formation were way too weak for Su Zimo …
Furthermore, Su Zimo possessed an ability that no one else possessed – spirit perception!
Right now, Array Peak was as calm as a lake and Su Zimo's accidental intrusion was like a stone that had been tossed into the lake.
At that moment, no one realized that the landing of the stone did not create a ripple of light. Instead, it created a tsunami that would engulf the five peaks and shock the entire sect!
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
