"I have no idea either, but … in the ten thousand years since the establishment of the Mountain of Sealing, there have only been thirteen people who have reached the ninth level, and the longest one took three months! Even Ancestor Tan Yu took an entire three days to clear the ninth level! "
Pavilion Master Tan Zhao pondered for a moment before saying, "Given Junior Uncle's unparalleled talent, he should be able to clear the ninth level faster … But no matter what, he should still take a day!"
"A day?"
"Un. The Mountain of Sealing tests a cultivator's comprehension of the occupation of sealing. Not only does it test one's mastery of the diagrams, it also tests the purity and evenness of one's Zhen Yuan, the strength of one's mental energy, as well as one's ability to set up formations …"
Tan Zhao explained. "Every single one of these tests requires quite a bit of time. Sometimes, just a single test can cause one to stagnate for seven to eight days or even longer!"
"That's true!" The elder nodded in agreement.
He had cleared the Mountain of Sealing before, and he had taken an entire seven days to clear the third level. Needless to say, the higher the level, the harder it got.
"A single day is already an inconceivable speed, but I think that Junior Uncle should be able to clear it …"
Tan Zhao chuckled softly as he continued speaking. However, all of a sudden, his eyes narrowed, and his eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets. A long moment later, he exclaimed, "The heck …"
The elder by the side was also dumbfounded, as if he had seen a ghost.
…
Oblivious to the discussion of the duo, Su Yin stepped into the spacious room and lit it up.
While the room before him looked like a mountain, it was actually made up of numerous rooms stacked together. From the inside, it resembled a tall tower.
Stepping into the first door, the space before him seemed to distort, and a massive stone tablet appeared before him. Inscribed on it were the things that one had to do in order to clear the trial.
Su Yin took a closer look at the stone tablet.
"This trial tests the eye of a sealing master. Upon entering the room, a seal will shroud the surroundings. Once one finds the flaws and the location of the Life Gate, one will be able to leave. There is no time limit, but there is still one more chance. If there is a mistake, one will be teleported out. "
Walking around the stone tablet, Zhang Xuan saw inscriptions on the wall ahead of him, forming a massive seal that sealed off all paths forward.
The seal resembled a dense fishing net, leaving one feeling a little dizzy just by looking at it.
"Flaws and Life Gate?"
Su Yin frowned. "I don't know how to find it, but … I can still find the direction and position of the fish!"
In fact, the so-called searching for flaws and life gate was a disguised form of breaking the seal. He had not learned this in the Forbidden Land, but he had learned how to repair fishing nets so that the fish could not escape.
According to the knowledge he learned, no matter how powerful the fishing net was, it was impossible to catch the fish 100% of the time. There would always be a chance for the fish to escape. As a fisherman, what he had to do was to perfect and reduce these loopholes as much as possible.
In order to do this, he had done a lot of special training. Therefore, no matter how strong the fishing net was, as long as he looked at it, he could find the problems and loopholes.
Back then, in order to enhance his eye of discernment, he had even specially researched how to avoid slipping through the net, and he had even passed a specialized examination. As such, he did not know how to find flaws. Thus, it was extremely easy for him to find loopholes that allowed slipping through.
Su Yin's eyes flashed, and a green light came out of his eyes. He smiled faintly, and his eyes immediately fell on a pattern.
Compared to the other patterns, this line did not have any obvious loopholes. However, as it was located at a bend, its joint was slightly loose. If it was used to catch fish, it could easily escape.
With a flick of his finger, a strand of Quintessence landed on this spot, patching up the gap as if he had patched it up.
Weng!
A light buzz sounded from the wall, and the seal was torn apart, revealing a passageway.
He had cleared the first trial!
"So easy?" Su Yin was taken aback.
He was still wondering what he could learn to deepen his understanding of seals, but who would have thought that it would be so easy?
Knowing that the first trial was easy, Zhang Xuan did not think too much about it. He continued advancing forward, and soon, he arrived at the second floor.
It was still a massive fishing net, but this time, there were more than a few thousand lines. Just like before, he had to find the flaws and the location of the Life Gate.
With a quick glance, Su Yin realized that he was able to crack the seal swiftly.
Proceeding forward, it took him less than a minute to reach the fourth floor …
"And here I thought that it would be difficult …" Su Yin was speechless.
Previously, the Firmament Beast had said that the first three trials had stumped countless sealing masters. As long as he could clear them, he would have a chance to see the seal left behind by Ancestor Lin Xuan. He thought that it would be difficult, but he did not think that it would be so easy.
It took only a few seconds.
Even the first trial of the Lingering Will was far from comparable to it.
"Perhaps, the difficulty lies at the end …" Su Yin shook his head and continued advancing forward. Soon, the stone tablet of the fourth floor appeared before him.
"I'll use the simplest of seals to seal the balls flying around in the air!"
Walking into the room, he saw a ball flying around in the air.
It was a middle-tier Spirit artifact. It possessed a little spirit, but it was not too strong. It flew swiftly, and its strength was great. If one's cultivation was not high enough, it would be difficult to even see it clearly, let alone catch it.
"If I use brute force, even Legacy realm experts might not be able to catch up to it …"
Taking a look, Su Yin came to a realization.
The ball was fast and agile, and it could even break through the Zhen Zhen Yuan's seal. It was impossible for one to catch it with one's bare hands, so it eliminated the possibility of cheating.
It had to be said that the concept was ingenious.
However, it was not too complicated for Zhang Xuan either.
"I'll just have to make a fishing net to catch it …"
In an instant, the blueprint of a fishing net appeared in Zhang Xuan's mind. With a thought, zhenqi flowed out from his body.
Having reached Eternal realm, the Zhen Zhen Yuan's zhenqi was extremely pure. It immediately formed thin threads in the air and weaved into a fishing net to shroud the flying ball.
If Pavilion Master Tan Zhao were to see this sight, he would surely be shocked speechless.
Seals were usually placed on the spot, waiting for the enemy to crash into it. Yet, Zhang Xuan was actually able to control the seal to capture flying objects at an extremely high speed …
Just based on this alone, there were many grade-9 Seal masters who were unable to pull it off.
More importantly, it was easy for cultivators to condense zhenqi into threads. However, to be able to condense zhenqi into threads that were thinner than a strand of hair and spread out into thousands of fishing nets without breaking … This kind of control was something that most people could achieve!
Hu!
The seal shrouded the flying ball, and the latter flew into a rage. It furiously tried to ram into the seal, but as if a clay ox entering the sea, it was completely ineffective.
Even though the seal that Su Yin had set up was simple, its might was not weak at all.
"Pass!"
With a loud buzz, 'jiya!', the door slowly opened. Su Yin continued on his way.
Similarly, he took less than twenty seconds to clear this floor.
It was so simple that even he felt a little sleepy.
…
Outside the Sealing Mountain, seeing how the light on each floor was extinguished after ten seconds, Tan Zhao and the elders beside him widened their mouths in shock, unable to utter a single word.
They had already guessed that their Junior Uncle wouldn't take too long to clear the trial … But this was way too fast!
"To find the flaws in the seal and the Life Gate, from the moment he entered the room to the moment he left … Surely, such a short period of time isn't enough!"
The elder shuddered.
"That's right. He was able to find the problematic lines or structural flaws from the thousands of lines so quickly … How, how did he do it?"
Tan Zhao's teeth were chattering as well.
It wasn't that he had never seen sealing experts before, and he was a genius who specialized in sealing as well. However, compared to the young man before him, he couldn't have been any weaker.
It was no wonder why the young man was able to draw the seal with just a brush and cause the silhouette of the Great Dao to dissipate in shame. His capability and talent were indeed extraordinary.
"To reach the sixth floor in less than half a tea's time … I don't think it'll take too long for him to clear the ninth floor!"
The elder gulped down a mouthful of saliva and suppressed the shock in his heart before saying.
"That might not be the case!"
Tan Zhao shook his head. "The first three floors are filled with flaws and Life Gates, so it's indeed possible for one to clear them quickly. However, from the sixth floor onward, it won't be that easy. On the sixth level, you need to lay down seals. Moreover, you have to start from the sixth level. At this level, each seal requires several thousand lines to be drawn. Not only is there a test of one's memory and mind, but there is also an extremely high requirement for one's true essence reserves! "
"Even though this might not mean much to Junior Uncle, drawing every single line will take time, right? As for how to fuse the nodes together to maximize their strength, it will take time as well … With so much time, it will take a very long time … "
Before Zhang Xuan could finish his words, he suddenly saw the elder waving his hands at him.
"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong? "Tan Zhao frowned.
"Pavilion master, you're right. Just that … while you were speaking, Junior Uncle seemed to have cleared the sixth, seventh, and eighth floors, and reached the ninth floor …"
“？？？”
Taken aback, Tan Zhao hurriedly raised his head and saw that the room on the top floor of the Sealing Mountain was brightly lit. It seemed like someone had barged in, and the lights on the previous floors had already been extinguished.
"Th-this …"
Tan Zhao's mouth opened several times, but he was unable to say a single word.
In the time it took him to explain, the other party had drawn three seals consecutively and cleared the third floor?
Did he have to be that fast?
Surely, this wasn't a seal but a casual drawing …
No, even a casual drawing couldn't possibly be that fast. How in the world did he do it?
Was there really such a huge gap between a genius and a mortal?
…
Su Yin didn't know that his clearing of the Sealing Mountain would leave Pavilion Master Tan so shocked. At this moment, he was standing in a room on the ninth floor.
Just as the other party had said, the sixth to eighth floors required him to set up a seal. If he were to use a Brush, it would take a long time. However, if he were to use the Zhen Yuan, it would be much faster.
Energy spurted out from his acupoints, and several hundred streams of pure Origin Energy weaved together in the air. Every single thread was perfectly controlled, and the points of contact were flawless … It was impossible for others to achieve such a feat, but of the thirty-six techniques that he had learned, there were some that were even more difficult than this. Even though this was his first time using the Zhen Yuan, he felt like a fish in water.
Thus, the seals that would take others ten days to half a month or even longer to weave were completed in just a few breaths for him. It was even easier than using a Brush to draw.
The three most difficult tests that Tan Zhao spoke of actually ended up being completed in a much faster manner than the previous tests.
Putting aside his thoughts, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze to the wall in the room. There was no test for this test, only a towering wall. Densely packed inscriptions were inscribed on it, and every single one of them was incomparably thin. Stacked together, it was as if they were drawing the outline of the Great Dao.
"This should be the seal that Lin Xuan left behind … It's indeed identical to the one I learned!"
Taking a closer look, Su Yin's eyes widened in agitation.
The inscriptions before him weren't just simple drawings or seals either. They were profound, and they were perfectly aligned with the Great Dao. With just a single look, one would be greatly inspired!
Su Yin's agitation wasn't due to the inscriptions but because … the inscriptions were identical to the one he had learned from the lingering spirits!
He had learned this inscriptions when he first started learning how to weave a fishing net. As long as he could study it thoroughly, he would be able to clear the first four tests of the lingering spirits!
There were many types of sealing techniques, and there were innumerable inscriptions in the world. Given that Lin Xuan was from the Subjugation Immortal Sect, it was impossible for him to believe that the seal he had created was identical to his!
In other words …
If his conjecture was right, the thirty-six lingering spirits were either sealed by the inscriptions of the lingering spirits, or … they had studied in the forbidden grounds for many years before emerging from it!
In other words … Lin Xuan had learned the seals from the lingering spirits as well!
"This … should be the method used to seal the cracks in the Great Dragon Mountain …"
A moment later, Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in realization.
It was no wonder why he found the seals of the Great Dragon Mountain so familiar. In the end, it turned out that he had learned them before.
Ten thousand years ago, there was a massive dimension rift at the location of the Great Dragon Mountain. Founder Lin Xuan had rushed over and used this sealing technique to 'sever' the dimension rift, resulting in the formation of the alliance and the Eight Great Halls.
Back then, Zhang Xuan had to undergo three tests before he was able to clear the seal. It had taken him half a month to clear it!
From this, it could be seen how difficult it was.
No one in the Great Yan Prefecture was able to maintain the seal, so they could only rely on the silhouette of the Great Dao.
"Forget it, I'll just have to repair it …"
It didn't take long for Su Yin to see where the problem was due to the disappearance of the silhouette of the Great Dao. With a flick of his wrist, he took out a brush.
Had it been in the past, even if he knew where the problem was, he wouldn't have been able to maintain the seal without the help of the silhouette of the Great Dao. However, after fusing the Painting Path, Formation Inscriptions, Spirit Gathering Inscriptions, and Formation Inscriptions together, the inscriptions he created were able to absorb spiritual energy from the surroundings without any flaws.
Hu!
With a flick of his left hand, a Grade-1 spirit vein floated into the air. With a light tap of the brush, Su Yin drew the Grade-1 spirit vein into the area where the seal was lacking.
Weng!
Light flickered, and the ninth level of the Mountain of Sealing seemed to have been ignited by a unique force. The entire Great Dragon Mountain began to tremble.
…
At the foot of the mountain, Tan Zhao and the others clenched their fists tightly in agitation.
"Young Senior Uncle saw that there was a problem with the seal, so he helped to repair it …"
"Once it succeeds, even if the Great Demon were to attack us once more, it wouldn't be a problem at all!"
The faces of the duo reddened.
To the alliance, the seal of the Great Dragon Mountain was the final line of defense. Once it was broken, mankind would be plunged into true danger. But now, the seal had been repaired. More importantly, it didn't require the silhouette of the Great Dao to maintain it. As long as one was a formation master, they would be able to drive it …
This was even more exciting than hearing that the Netherworld Commander had been killed.
"Alright, the seal has been repaired …"
At this moment, a silhouette appeared in midair, and a calm voice sounded by Tan Zhao's ear. Tan Zhao was just about to express his gratitude when the other party suddenly vanished.
"Young Senior Uncle … Thank you!"
Tan Zhao bowed deeply.
At this moment, he finally understood that Young Senior Uncle's request to see the seal that Lin Xuan had left behind was just an excuse. His true motive was to repair the seal of the Great Dragon Mountain!
He had contributed so much, yet he was unwilling to acknowledge it. Was this the magnanimity of an expert?
I, Tan Zhao, am completely convinced!
…
To Su Yin, repairing the seal was as easy as lifting a finger. At this moment, he was floating in midair, looking down at the seal of the Great Dragon Mountain with a deep frown.
"The reason why this seal is so difficult to maintain is because it's complicated. Secondly … there's an exit that isn't here but tens of thousands of li away …"
As soon as the seal of the Great Dragon Mountain was repaired, he immediately realized that something was amiss.
Based on what he knew, there were a total of eight exits for the release of spiritual energy. Why did it feel like … there were nine of them?
In other words, other than the Eight Great Halls, there was another exit for the release of spiritual energy. However, it wasn't here, nor was it in the vicinity. Instead, it was hidden in the distance using some kind of unique method. Based on his calculations, it was at least tens of thousands of li away!
With the exits connected together, it was easy to maintain the seal. Most grade-7 Sealing Masters would be able to do it, and Tan Zhao would be able to do it as well. However, with the distance between them, it was difficult to maintain the seal.
More importantly … it was hidden very well. If not for Zhang Xuan's deep understanding of the fishing net, he would have never noticed it!
In other words …
Other than him, even a grade-9 Sealing Master might not be able to figure it out.
To leave the Eight Great Halls so conspicuously and hide the last one so well that no one in the Great Yan Prefecture had noticed it for the past ten thousand years, other than Ancestor Lin Xuan, who possessed unparalleled sealing techniques, there was no one else who could do it.
But what was the other party's motive for doing so?
"Tens of thousands of li, this direction …"
Zhang Xuan looked at the seal as he tried to deduce the location of the ninth exit. All of a sudden, his face froze, and he clenched his fists tightly. "Subduing Immortal Sect?"
Based on his calculations, the ninth exit was located in the Subduing Immortal Sect, which was extremely far away from here.
"That's not right … I'm the clearest about whether there's an exit in the Subduing Immortal Sect or not …"
He was a member of the Subduing Immortal Sect, and he had come from there … If there was an exit, he should have noticed it. Why didn't he notice it at all?
But based on the pattern left behind by Lin Xuan, there was no mistake about the location …
"It can't be that the exit is located in the Forbidden Grounds, right?"
Su Yin's hair stood on end.
If there was an exit in the Subduing Immortal Sect, the spiritual energy in the area would surely be extremely concentrated. At the very least, it shouldn't have fallen to the bottom of the Tier-1 Sects. The only possibility was that … the exit was located in the Forbidden Grounds, and it had been sealed by some kind of unique power.
"Right, the Winding River!"
With a thought, Su Yin recalled another matter. He entered the Spirit Abyss once more and returned to the location where the Winding River was located.
At this moment, there was no longer a river, leaving only a dried riverbed. Taking a closer look, there were indeed many man-made marks and inscriptions on the riverbed.
Tearing through space, Su Yin traveled swiftly, traversing tens of thousands of li with every step. A few breaths later, she came to a halt. Calculating the distance and direction, her body trembled uncontrollably.
"The end of the Winding River is connected to the ninth exit, and they are both located in the Subduing Immortal Sect! W-what in the world is going on? "
(I've already dropped to the 200th place on the monthly votes leaderboard, and I don't seem to be in the mood to write at all. Does anyone still have any votes left? Let's provoke Old Ya a little!)
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