noffsinger Chapter 49, The Mystery of the Third Talent
Chapter 49, The Mystery of the Third Talent
Chapter 49 The Mystery of the Three Powers
Fang Shi agreed verbally, but a great deal of doubt surged in his heart.
Li Daoyuan was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, which was the lowest level among the three levels of the Three Plates Temple.
Even if he specializes in array formations, how can he compare to Zhou Yan, who is at the eighth level of Qi Refining?
Cultivation improvement involves all aspects of perception and control of spiritual energy, as well as insight into the Dao patterns of heaven and earth. Each breakthrough in a realm represents a qualitative leap.
A cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining is equivalent to one at the fourth level of Qi Refining.
Even if one has never studied formations, a little practice can make one surpass others.
Moreover, Zhou Yan, a cultivator in his early twenties who had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining, was inherently more talented than Li Daoyuan.
Just like the students from Tsinghua and Peking Universities, who are incredibly intelligent, they can become far superior to those who are dull-witted by simply switching fields to specialize in their studies.
Fang Shi wondered if Li Daoyuan had ever had the same doubts back then.
However, as a disciple of the Three Plates Temple, one cannot go against the inner sect.
The same applies to Fang Shi.
As for the "gift" that Qi Xueyi mentioned...
She recalled what she had said: "According to my husband's wishes, I will evolve into the most beautiful form," and her abrupt actions last night.
He then gave up the idea of receiving the gift.
Fang Shi did as instructed and stepped forward.
The further we went, the thicker the fog became, and we couldn't see anything more than three steps away.
Worse still, even though it wasn't December yet, the chill had already seeped in, penetrating to the bone and marrow, and even the circulation of magical power within the body gradually became sluggish.
Fang Shi disregarded this and forced himself to calm his mind, focusing his gaze. In his perception, deep within the mist ahead, a faint spiritual light flowed.
The light was extremely faint, appearing and disappearing intermittently, like thin silver threads as fine as hair, meandering and weaving in the mist to form some kind of mysterious pattern—this was the Dao pattern.
As the spiritual energy between heaven and earth flows, it collides, intertwines, and overlaps with each other, eventually condensing into special patterns at certain specific points.
These patterns allow spiritual energy to flow through them, producing certain specific effects.
This is similar to a carbon atom.
Arranged in a tetrahedral structure, it becomes a hard diamond.
When arranged in layers, it becomes slippery graphite.
When rolled into a tube, it becomes a carbon nanotube.
When pressed into a single layer, it becomes graphene.
The same applies to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
The same wisp of spiritual energy from heaven and earth can be destructive if it travels straight, and it can be drawn in by an arc. It can penetrate solid walls by spiraling upwards, and it can bind the soul by going around in circles.
These basic patterns can be combined, nested, and superimposed to evolve into ever-changing formations.
That's true, but Fang Shi only knew the Qi-guiding patterns of the Spirit Locking Array and the Purifying Yuan Array. Although he could see some traces of Qi-guiding patterns in the maze in front of him, this foundation was far from enough.
Just like learning mathematics, knowing that one plus one equals two, and knowing that two minus one equals one, starting from these simplest rules, one can gradually deduce multiplication, division, equations, and even the magnificent edifice of mathematics.
But that takes skill, hundreds or thousands of trial and error attempts, and exceptional talent.
It's never as good as having a ready-made path to follow, or crossing the river by following in the footsteps of those who came before.
Since Zhou Yan had invited Li Daoyuan, he was certain that this man could solve the puzzle.
But Fang swore it was not Li Daoyuan.
If this stalemate continues, we'll have to start all over again.
Sure enough, Zhou Yan's voice rang out from behind.
"What are you still standing there for?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Shi turned around in alarm and said, "Immortal Zhou, please calm down. It is not that I am being negligent, but rather that the Dao patterns of this formation are too complex. My cultivation is too shallow, and I cannot see them clearly for the time being. I dare not act rashly, for fear of ruining your important matter."
Zhou Yan snorted coldly and said, "If you can't see clearly, then look carefully. I invited you here not to stand here in a daze."
"Yes, yes, I understand."
Fang Shi bowed again before turning around to face the churning mist once more.
But I just can't understand it.
Just like with math, if you don't know it, you simply don't know it; you can't solve it in a rush.
Do we really have to start all over again?
Another thought suddenly popped into his mind: Could it be that Qi Xueyi never intended for him to pass this test from the beginning?
Just like every time he came into contact with her before, his proficiency with the Minor Concealment Technique would be unknowingly reduced.
"Senior brother, you are too impatient. The natural maze of Cold Mist Ravine is formed by the interweaving of three patterns: Wind Whirl Pattern, Cold Moon Pattern, and Qi-guiding Pattern. They are mutually reinforcing and respond to each other, and moving one will affect the whole. Even I would need to spend some time deducing to break it. It is normal that Fellow Daoist Li cannot see it clearly for the time being."
Zhou Yan said, "Before I invited him, I had already inquired about Li Daoyuan's expertise in formations. This simple maze formation should not be difficult for him."
Qi Xueyi said, "Senior brother has certainly done his homework, but since it's so simple, why didn't you solve the formation yourself?"
Zhou Yan's expression stiffened slightly as he said, "I have other important matters to attend to here and need to conserve my magical power. It is inconvenient for me to expend too much energy on the maze."
Furthermore, there are several key points in this maze that need to be thoroughly examined. Otherwise, why would I need to go to the outer sect to find him?
Qi Xueyi smiled slightly and said, "I see."
Zhou Yan's gaze returned to Fang Shi, his voice deepening as he said, "Li Daoyuan, did you not show your true abilities?"
Fang Shi already understood. Li Daoyuan might have real skills, but he, Fang Shi, certainly didn't.
However, he also realized that his previous guesses were not entirely wrong.
Li Daoyuan might go to a restaurant.
But it is definitely not impossible to break the formation.
Therefore, one side turned their gaze to Qi Xueyi, only to see her with her eyebrows curved and her smile radiant.
"Senior brother, you're wrong. I don't know if he's shown his skills, but he just can't solve it now, isn't that a clear fact? Even if you keep urging him, you can't force the array diagram in his head, can you? Don't you think so, Fellow Daoist Li?"
Taking advantage of the swirling fog, she slightly turned her body, and using the angle to conceal the other person's blink.
Before Fang Shi could reply, Zhou Yan said, "So, according to Junior Sister, we're just going to wait here idly?"
Qi Xueyi smiled slightly, took a few steps closer to Fang Shi, and said, "Who said we should just wait? Regardless of whether he has shown his skills or not, I'll teach him right now."
Zhou Yan was taken aback and asked, "What?"
Qi Xueyi had already walked to Fang Shi's side, raised her right hand, and a point of spiritual light condensed at her fingertips.
"Fellow Daoist Li, watch carefully. I will only demonstrate once."
Zhou Yan said, "Absurd! This maze may not be a particularly advanced formation, but it's certainly not something a beginner can solve in a short time. How can it be learned so easily?"
Qi Xueyi ignored him completely, and turned to Fang Shi, smiling as she said, "Come, Fellow Daoist Li."
She flicked her finger, and the glint of light at her fingertip floated out, hovering in the mist three feet in front of the two of them.
"Let me first dissect the Dao patterns of this maze, and you can examine them closely."
As she spoke, she spread her five fingers wide, grabbed at the patch of spiritual light in mid-air, and then slowly swept it outwards.
The radiant light, like a veil falling into water, silently disappeared into the surrounding mist.
Immediately afterwards, the fog within a radius of about ten feet changed.
As the mist churned, three lines slowly condensed.
On the far left is a spiraling silver pattern, strung together by countless fine water droplets, slowly rotating in the mist. In the middle is a crescent-shaped, pale blue arc, as thin as a cicada's wing, with a faint frost-like sheen at the edges.
The pattern on the far right is extremely familiar, and it is six or seven parts similar to the Qi-guiding pattern of the Spirit Locking Array. It only has a few more branches at the end, and it is outlined by flowing mist. It is elusive and seems to be about to disperse at any time, but it always remains condensed.
Three lines floated in the mist, alternating between reality and illusion, connected by even fainter wisps of mist, trembling slightly as if they were alive.
"The swirling wind pattern represents the dominant wind, drawing in the cold air and stirring the mist; it is the backbone of this maze. As long as it exists, the maze will not dissipate."
"The Frost Moon Pattern, which governs cold, condenses and amplifies the cold air drawn in by the Wind Whirl Pattern, forming the very fabric of the maze. Without it, the mist is just ordinary mist, unable to chill anyone."
"The Qi-guiding pattern is the main guide, continuously channeling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the first two patterns. It is the lifeblood of the maze. If it is severed, the maze dies."
"Look again at the end of this Qi-guiding pattern—"
Qi Xueyi moved her finger to the forks at the end of the Qi-guiding pattern and drew a circle in the air.
"Ordinary Qi-guiding patterns have only one main vein, going straight and returning. But the Qi-guiding pattern here branches out into three branches at its end, leading to the wind mouth of the wind vortex pattern, the cold ridge of the cold moon pattern, and a third one—"
Her finger stopped at the thinnest fork at the end of the Qi-guiding pattern.
The fork in the river flowed in the opposite direction to the other two streams, which flowed downstream, while this one went against the current and disappeared into the depths of the fog.
"This force goes against the trend and flows back into the array's core. Because of its reverse and counter-current momentum, it is also called 'reverse pattern' or 'reverse vein' in the array. However, it is not a new Dao pattern, but a variation of the Qi-guiding pattern. It originates from the same vein but moves abnormally. If you treat it as an ordinary branch when breaking the array, you will be devoured by it if you are not careful."
"Sense it carefully for a moment longer, then—"
[Wind Whirl Pattern Proficiency +1]
[Cold Moon Pattern Proficiency +1]
[Qi-Gathering Pattern Proficiency +1]
【——】
As Qi Xueyi disassembled the layers one by one, Fang Shi felt that the three patterns in front of him were gradually becoming more familiar. With each layer he understood, he gained more confidence, and his proficiency on the panel quietly increased.
Finally, Fang Shi asked, "May I ask Immortal Qi, since that's the case, what is the name of this formation?"
He had sensed something was amiss, and was no longer as cautious as before.
Zhou Yan snorted coldly and said, "You don't even know the name of an array."
"wrong!"
Zhou Yan's voice suddenly rose, "How can you, Li Daoyuan, not understand arrays? Although this maze array is more complicated than what the outer sect learns, the combination of the Wind Whirlwind Pattern, the Cold Moon Pattern, and the Qi-guiding Pattern is the most common method of maze arrays. Even if you can't solve it, you shouldn't be unable to even name the array."
He took a step forward, his gaze sharp as a knife, fixed on Fang Shi.
"You are not Li Daoyuan!"
Fang Shi, however, remained calm and composed.
Some pitfalls are unavoidable; you'll inevitably fall into them sooner or later. For example, right now, it's a good opportunity to explore the ins and outs of this place.
Moreover, Fang Shi glanced at Qi Xueyi out of the corner of his eye. With her by his side now, the situation might not necessarily repeat itself.
However, sitting idly by and waiting for his fate was not in his nature; he had to speak up and explain.
Just then, Qi Xueyi chuckled softly and said, "Senior brother, what you said is really funny."
She stood in front of Fang Shi, blocking half of Zhou Yan's view.
"Every disciple of the Three Plates Temple who cultivates arrays has a copy of 'Introduction to Array Formations,' which records twelve basic array formations. But the natural maze formation in Cold Mist Ravine is naturally formed and not based on any array formation manual. Fellow Daoist Li, you haven't seen it before and can't name it, so what's so strange about that?"
Zhou Yan said coldly, "The methods of the illusion array are all similar. Wind Whirlwind is paired with Cold Moon, Cold Moon is paired with Qi Guiding, and the three patterns intersect. This kind of array is collectively called the 'Three Talents Illusion Array'. This is common knowledge that array cultivators should know when they first start."
"Oh, the Three Talents Maze"
Qi Xueyi paused, turned around, and looked at Fang Shi with a smile, saying, "Fellow Daoist Li, have you remembered it? The Three Talents Bewildering Array that my senior brother taught me."
On the panel, the proficiency levels of the three patterns flickered slightly before converging into a single point, transforming into [Three Talents Maze Array Proficiency +10].
【Three Talents Maze (Beginner): 10/100】
Fang Shi hurriedly said, "Thank you for your guidance, Immortal Zhou, and Immortal Qi. I will remember it: the Three Talents Bewildering Formation."
Seeing the two of them singing in unison, Zhou Yan's expression grew increasingly unpleasant, but he couldn't afford to lash out again.
Seeing that he was not speaking, Qi Xueyi took another half step closer to Fang Shi.
"The name of the formation is merely a name given by people. Whether you call it the Three Talents Maze or something else, it doesn't change its true nature. However, there are at least seventeen or eighteen variations of the Three Talents Maze lineage, varying greatly in complexity and appearance. This naturally formed formation in the Cold Mist Ravine has three unique features: the pitch of the whirlwind pattern is three times tighter than usual, a dark groove has appeared on the cold ridge of the Cold Moon pattern, and three branches have emerged from the end of the Qi-guiding pattern. These three variations are the unique rules of this maze formation."
She raised her right hand, her fingers slightly cool, and gently placed them on Fang Shi's wrist.
"Just looking at it leaves you with a barrier. Fellow Daoist Li, please try to feel it for yourself."
As she spoke, she grasped Fang Shi's wrist and slowly guided his hand toward the Dao patterns in front of him.
Fang Shi's fingers probed into the mist, and his fingertips touched the forked end of the qi-guiding pattern.
A faint fluctuation of spiritual energy traveled from his fingertips.
A stream moved upwards and to the left, and when it touched the water droplets and silver patterns of the vortex, it suddenly accelerated and was drawn into the spiral.
A current flowed upwards and to the right, merging into the deep blue arc of the Cold Moon pattern, transforming into wisps of icy coolness.
There was also a thinnest and weakest stream that went back against the current and disappeared into the depths of the mist; it was probably the dark path leading to the core of the formation.
"Did you feel it? Three streams of spiritual energy, three destinations."
Qi Xueyi's voice rang in his ear, and her body pressed against his, her chest gently against Fang Shi's upper arm through the fabric of his clothes, her warm breath brushing against his earlobe.
"Wind whirl, cold moon, Qi-guiding pattern. This Qi-guiding pattern is the starting point of the three paths. When you find this starting point, use your magic to cut it off, and the formation will be broken."
Qi Xueyi withdrew her hand.
"You can give it a try."
Fang Shi said, "Yes, I will go and give it a try."
Having said that, he turned around, facing the churning mist, took a deep breath, and raised his right hand.
Behind them, Zhou Yan's gaze remained fixed on Qi Xueyi.
He saw clearly the scene of her holding Fang Shi's wrist and whispering in his ear.
Zhou Yan's face turned pale and then red, and his right fist slowly clenched.
Only when Fang Shi finally turned around to break the formation did his expression soften slightly, his tightly clenched fists slowly loosened, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.
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