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Chapter 430: Shen Yi, the Heart-Shattering Sect Master
Chapter 430: Shen Yi, the Heart-Shattering Sect Master
"...'
Li Qingfeng subconsciously moved away from Tong Xinquan, feeling that if he continued to associate with such an enigmatic figure, he would surely be beaten to death.
As expected, just as Feng Yan was about to slink back into the crowd, his face already flushed, it turned even redder upon hearing those words.
He rushed back to the table in a few strides, his fists clenched.
His eyes widened, and he breathed heavily, finally turning to Yan Shixiong for help.
"Huh."
Yan Wencheng paid no attention to him but quietly watched the little girl before him.
Xu Qing'er, with eyes full of anticipation, fiddled with her fingers, showing no sign of fear.
What a show-off...
Yan Wencheng glanced back at the silent Elder Yang before turning away and shaking his head with a smile. He then waved his hand, disrupting the half-set array.
It was a simple Formation meant to trap an infant-stage cultivator.
As his palm moved again, an array of runes, dozens of times more complex than the previous one, silently fell onto the array plate.
It was also an Infant-stage grand formation and a part of the larger formation.
And unlike the 'Iron Painting and Silver Hook' formation, which was a test intentionally left by the Tempering God Silk, Yan Wencheng relied on his own experience to modify the runes, following Tong Xinquan's example and doubling the difficulty of this formation.
"...'
Tong Xinquan stared intently at the array plate, his pupils constricting slightly, and then he felt a bit regretful.
Perhaps he had gone a bit too far earlier.
However, facing the behemoth that was the Qingyue Sect, he could only rely on the killing formation of 'Iron Painting and Silver Hook'. If it were another formation, he might not be able to defeat these alliance sect disciples with their solid foundation.
It could be said that it was a narrow victory, and he hadn't really been enigmatic.
He glanced awkwardly at Ah Qing, thankfully, the little girl's attention was focused on the array plate.
"What's going on?"
Outside the hall, Liu Qianyun heard the commotion and looked inside.
She rubbed her temples with a slight headache.
She just wanted some peace and quiet, but she never expected things to turn out like this.
She quietly entered the hall and came to Elder Yang's side, whispering in his ear.
However, this time.
Elder Yang acted as if he hadn't heard her, ignoring the beautiful executive who was the daughter of an elder.
He would never actively strike down his most favored disciple.
A win was a win, and a loss was a loss.
What did it mean to go easy on someone?
Could it be that the so-called "sect master", who had just entered the Returning Void stage, valued his face more than his disciple's Dao heart?
"Just wait for your punishment!" Liu Qianyun glared at him helplessly.
"Elder Liu values the rules the most, and I don't think I did anything wrong," Elder Yang said, unafraid of the threat. Everyone in the sect knew Elder Liu's temperament.
Before he finished speaking, Yan Wencheng had stopped and pushed the array plate towards the little girl: "Please."
Both his expression and actions were identical to Tong Xinquan's earlier.
Who would believe that he wasn't doing this on purpose?
A smile returned to Feng Yan's pig liver-like face, and he knew that Yan Shixiong was going to help him get his revenge today!
However, the next moment, his eyes widened in shock.
The little girl nodded seriously, infused her soul into the array plate, and without hesitation, quickly condensed many array-breaking objects.
"...'
Yan Wencheng sighed inwardly.
While Feng Yan could only stare with wide eyes, this little girl was already thinking about how to break the formation while he was setting it up.
The gap between them was not small.
Of course, thinking was one thing, and experience, knowledge, and formation attainment were another. These things couldn't be made up for by temperament alone.
Xu Qing'er soon found herself in a difficult situation.
But the excitement in her eyes grew more and more intense, as if she had encountered a rare delicacy and was savoring it carefully.
As time passed.
Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and her face gradually paled.
The other disciples looked on blankly, only able to guess the situation from Yan Shixiong's expression.
Yan Wencheng's expression was focused, and his palms, which were placed on the table, slowly came together.
Elder Yang also stood up and walked down to where Xu Qing'er was. He stood behind her and unconsciously began to stroke his beard.
Finally, a hand was placed on Ah Qing's shoulder, interrupting her attempt to break the formation.
"Huh?"
Xu Qing'er turned her head in a daze.
"That's enough," Shen Yi said as he pushed away the array plate in front of her.
Yan Wencheng suddenly raised his eyes, staring intently.
Elder Yang also shook his head slightly, feeling a bit unsatisfied. Ah Qing had seen through the useless runes that Yan Wencheng had deliberately added, and while the so-called 'last step' didn't mean she could break the formation, her approach was correct.
But as long as she took that step, the rest would just be a matter of time, perhaps a few months or a few years, but the result was inevitable.
Such a blow might be too sudden.
"Forget it, go back and sit down," Elder Yang said as he pulled her to his side and patted Yan Wencheng's shoulder. "Your cultivation realm is also part of your strength. You've been focusing on Infant-stage formations and haven't deliberately studied the Foundation Establishment stage, so it can be considered a draw."
As soon as these words came out, it was as if cold water had been poured into hot oil, and the great hall erupted in an uproar.
Yan Wencheng closed his eyes. After a moment, he forced them open again and bowed to Ah Qing, "There's no need to deceive yourself. I admit defeat."
"But those techniques from earlier aren't my forte either."
His tone shifted as he turned to Shen Yi, "Friend, you are also at the Returning Void stage. Please, enlighten me."
Li Qingfeng hadn't reacted yet, but Tong Xinquan and Xu Qing'er exchanged eager glances. Shen Yi's prowess in formation techniques was renowned within the Nanyang Sect, and they had rarely witnessed him setting up formations in person.
"..."
Shen Yi was puzzled by the strange behavior of the two standing beside him.
His proficiency in formation techniques was rather unique.
If he had seen a formation before, he could replicate it with ease. But if he hadn't, then there was little hope of success.
After all, it wouldn't be appropriate to use the knowledge from the Xu family or the Tempering God Silk when facing the Qingyue Sect in a formation battle.
"Brother, please enlighten me."
Yan Wencheng bowed again, his eagerness to prove himself evident.
At this moment, Elder Yang boldly took out a formation chart from his sleeve, ignoring Liu Qianyun's angry glares, "This is the Five Elements Precious Lotus Formation. Little Yan has never learned this, and I'm sure Sect Master Shen hasn't seen it either. Let's use this formation as the topic, it will be the fairest this way."
"The Precious Lotus Formation consists of nine styles, and each style is further divided into a hundred and eight diagrams."
"In three days, whoever can set up more diagrams will be the winner. What do you say?"
It was clear that Elder Yang regarded Yan Wencheng as his own son, willing to risk offending Liu Qianyun to help restore his disciple's confidence.
"... Sect Master Shen?"
As soon as these three words left his mouth, the surrounding disciples were stunned.
They had vaguely heard about the Nanyang Sect resurfacing, but they had no idea there was a Sect Master within.
Feng Yan's heart also sank.
Even though this young man didn't seem to possess the demeanor or cultivation of a Sect Master, his title alone was enough to strike fear into an ordinary inner sect disciple like him.
"..."
Shen Yi sensed the complex gazes around him.
He took the formation chart from Elder Yang and examined it carefully.
"Thank you."
Seeing this, Yan Wencheng finally smiled and took a copy of the formation chart, his eyes focused as he sat down. His gaze was intense.
This was his forte.
Tong Xinquan and Xu Qing'er curbed their curiosity and stood quietly behind Shen Yi, eager to see how he would break this deadlock.
Time passed slowly.
After about an incense stick's worth of time, Shen Yi put down the formation chart.
Yan Wencheng's thoughts stirred, but he quickly pushed away distracting thoughts, refusing to be influenced by Shen Yi's actions.
Elder Yang looked at Shen Yi with a puzzled expression, and the other disciples were slightly dazed as well. Were they not going to continue the competition?
"Is there a problem with this formation chart?" Tong Xinquan asked in a low voice.
"I don't think so."
Shen Yi wasn't sure either. He took the formation plate and began to work, slower than Tong Xinquan or Yan Wencheng.
His movements were unhurried yet meticulous.
His actions were precise, as if he had practiced setting up this formation countless times.
As Shen Yi made the first stroke, Elder Yang furrowed his brows.
He was most familiar with the complexity of the formation chart that he had provided.
Even with Yan Wencheng's talent, it would take at least a decade of diligent study to fully master this formation. Within three days, successfully depicting the outline of one diagram would already be impressive.
If Shen Yi didn't want to continue the competition, he could have simply refused to take the formation chart.
Now that he had started, this behavior seemed somewhat disrespectful.
However, in just a few breaths' time, Elder Yang's expression froze. The first lotus petal had silently appeared on the formation plate as Shen Yi infused his soul into it.
"..."
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Shen Yi put down the formation plate and stood up. He turned to Elder Yang and said calmly, "Let's call it a day. I don't want to disturb your lecture any further."
While they were there to listen to the lecture, there was no need to disrupt the entire hall just for their sake.
"Farewell."
Shen Yi nodded slightly, not bothering to straighten his sleeves. He strode through the crowd and toward the exit.
Li Qingfeng snapped out of his daze and hurried after him.
Xu Qing'er subconsciously wanted to leave as well, but her gaze landed on the formation plate.
She saw intricate formation runes layered upon each other, transforming the square plate into a magnificent blooming lotus!
It was stunningly beautiful yet exuded a profound and vast aura!
Her mouth hung open, and her breathing quickened.
Tong Xinquan's eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and his usually steady hands, honed by years of controlling the Tempering God Silk, were now trembling violently.
His long-held beliefs were rapidly crumbling.
He stood there, frozen like he had been struck by lightning.
Elder Yang picked up the formation plate and abruptly turned to look outside the hall, but the young man had already walked away.
He started to call out, "Shen..."
But he suddenly remembered the young man's identity and stopped. How could he casually call out to someone of such stature?
Elder Yang's actions seemed like a proclamation to the other disciples, who all turned toward the exit with nearly identical stiff expressions. "... "
The entire hall fell into a deafening silence.
The commotion eventually caught Yan Wencheng's attention.
He put down the formation chart with a resigned sigh, but when he looked up, Shen Yi was already gone. He was about to ask a question when his gaze landed on the formation plate in Elder Yang's hand.
Then—
Tear—
The formation chart in Yan Wencheng's hand suddenly tore in half. He jolted upright, intending to stand, but he felt dizzy and stumbled back into his seat.
He could only stammer, "Did he just set up this formation? Is this the Precious Lotus Formation? Elder, where did you get this formation chart?"
His three consecutive questions covered almost every other possibility.
Yan Wencheng, who had accepted his defeat in front of Ah Qing earlier, was now desperately searching for excuses and reasons, unable to accept what had just happened.
"I..."
Elder Yang opened his mouth, at a loss for words to comfort his favorite disciple.
Not just Yan Wencheng, even he himself felt a little dazed.
(End of Chapter)
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