Chapter 15: Breaking Through
Chapter 15: Breaking Through
“Star-Slaying Cannon, power array—‘Star-Slaying Knot’, no malfunction!”
“Element Transmission Array—‘Jianmu Vessels’, no malfunction!”
“Energy Distributon Array—‘Night Whirl’, no malfunction!”
“Defensive Array—‘Star Rampart’, no malfunction!”
…
One by one, the mobile constructs—”worker ants”—returned from all directions, their reports stiff and monotonous.
Every “no malfunction” reply made the chubby youth at the array’s center, a fleshy and stout figure, look even more troubled.
Even the rainbow glow of magic light couldn’t hide the flushes of anger and frustration coloring his face.
“Wang Sheng, what’s going on? Haven’t you found the problem yet?”
An enraged roar echoed from afar, causing the overweight young man named Wang Sheng to shiver involuntarily.
Following the sound, a horse-faced man strode over, clearly coming to seek blame. “Didn’t you always boast about being the academy’s top theory talent?” he snapped, voice harsh. “Can’t you even solve a minor hiccup?”
Wang Sheng looked miserable, his expression deeply aggrieved. “Mage You, the source of the problem… I’ve actually found it already!”
“Then why are you just standing there? Fix it!” Mage You sounded impatient and sharp. “You know Mo Xin’s situation. He’s at the critical moment of his breakthrough. The smallest disruption could affect his advancement. If something goes wrong, can you bear that responsibility?”
“I… I can’t fix it!” Wang Sheng stammered, his legs trembling helplessly. “The flaw… it’s in the Energy Distribution Array—’Night Whirl’. From what we can see, the primary layer array has generated a powerful suction, forcibly drawing away the quotas of the secondary layer arrays!”
“Are you telling me,” Mage You’s face darkened with fury, “that the meditation speed of the first-tier disciples… has surpassed that of the second tier? This kind of anomaly… it only happened once before, when he first enrolled… Are you claiming another prodigy like that has suddenly appeared? That’s nonsense!”
Wang Sheng felt a lump in his throat and couldn’t speak.
“Are you just shifting blame?” Mage You stared hard at Wang Sheng, suspicion flaring in his eyes. “I’ve seen you buried in the ‘Thousand Illusions Array’ for almost two years now…. Has all your real skill withered?”
“Absolutely not!” Wang Sheng nearly swore an oath, then paused. “If you doubt me, come and see for yourself.”
They navigated a narrow stone passage, arriving at the tower core. Above them hung a massive array resembling a star-strewn night sky—the “Night Whirl”.
Below the “Night Whirl” hung dozens of swirling, strangely colored vortexes. Energy dropped down from above and split into these vortexes. Each vortex represented the elemental array of a different tier.
One could clearly see the smallest vortex, spinning furiously as if at full power. Not only was it siphoning the flow meant for the second layer, it even seemed to be vying with the third layer!
“See…?” Wang Sheng gave a bitter smile.
“In my opinion,” Mage You hesitated briefly, his mind sharp and decisive, “someone in the lower tier is using an alchemy array… That’s utterly irresponsible!” He immediately gave a command. “Wang Sheng, use the ‘Staff of Metallics’. See where there’s any trace of alchemic resonance!”
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Wang Sheng smoothly offered up some flattery. “Naturally, Mage You sees things more clearly than someone like me could dream of…” Without wasting another moment, he hurried to prepare.
But it was certain to lead nowhere.
…
Meditation Chamber—Nine-Five.
Li Yi remained prone, but his form was no longer that of the Dragon Turtle. It had transformed into the pose of an ancient alligator, jaws agape!
His body was still and poised, held in an archaic posture. His breath was long and deep, as if frozen in time.
Around Li Yi, the faint outline of a fierce crocodilian shape shimmered. Its skin was textured with bumps, each one etched with ancient runes—simple yet profound, hinting at mysterious depths.
Vast amounts of elemental energy converged like a surging tide, encircling Li Yi and coalescing into a multicolored sphere.
Li Yi’s meditation speed simply couldn’t keep pace with the sheer mass of elements gathering. The eerily radiant sphere outside his body expanded rapidly!
The scene was bizarre beyond description.
Crack, crack, crack… The intense pressure generated by the converging elements made his bones groan with dense pops.
And similarly, it pressed down upon his soul, forging it tougher!
Mana, drop by drop, gathered into a stream, steadily rising.
…
After laboring fruitlessly for most of the night, dawn approached.
Wang Sheng held the “Staff of Metallics,” he and Mage You staring at each other blankly, expression blank except for exhaustion. The chubby mage couldn’t help but wonder: Had Mage You misjudged?
“You dare doubt me?” Mage You sensed the shift in Wang Sheng’s gaze, his eyes turning cold. “Well then, you tell me, what’s the cause?”
“Of course not! I must have overlooked something…” Wang Sheng wouldn’t dare voice doubt now. “Shall I… check again?” He was inwardly lamenting his luck when one “worker ant” construct clanked forward, coming to report.
“The array anomalies have all resolved. Inspection shows no malfunctions present.”
“Tier seven, ‘Elemental Conversion’ Array, has a potential safety hazard. Requires timely maintenance…”
“All other arrays show no hazards.”
After a night of frantic troubleshooting, dark circles under their eyes, Wang Sheng and Mage You exchanged a look. The urge to loudly curse hung heavy between them.
…
Back in the Meditation Chamber, Li Yi resumed a seated posture, savoring the wondrous sensation within him. He slowly opened his eyes; they shone with a sharp light.
“I’ve reached the threshold of the sixth tier!”
One night. One tier broken through.
If this news spread, it would surely shock the entire Dawn Cliff!
As he carefully relished the feeling of profound clarity and smoothness in his mind, his expression suddenly changed.
“How? What’s happening?”
Like an ebbing tide, his wildly soaring mana plummeted at an unbelievable speed, draining away drastically.
Drop by drop, his mana vanished, swallowed as if into a black hole, leaving no trace.
The threshold of the sixth tier quickly slipped away; he fell back to the threshold of the fifth. And even the fifth tier seemed precarious!
“What… is going on?”
This hollow emptiness spurred waves of doubt, fear, and dread inside him, emotions swelling rapidly.
He swept his spirit sense over his body, top to bottom. Finding nothing wrong, he barely suppressed the panic in his heart.
Finally, his mana stopped draining, stabilizing at the threshold of the fifth tier.
But how could tangible, physical mana just disappear?
Puzzled for a moment, his expression shifted—he’d found the answer.
Within his Sea of Consciousness floated two luminous spheres, one white, one black, gleaming faintly.
The white sphere held Dragon-Turtle Qi. Although Li Yi had stopped practicing the Turtle Hibernation Art, its power hadn’t vanished. Instead, it actively consumed his mana, nourishing and strengthening itself.
Within it brewed immense, vast, unyielding power—steadfast as solid earth, inconspicuous yet capable of bearing all things.
The black sphere, considerably smaller, contained Ancient Alligator Qi. Its nature was completely different.
Its aura was cold, vicious, tinged with brutality and ferocity, chilling like hard iron.
Moreover, hidden within the Ancient Alligator Qi seemed to be a fiercely potent explosive energy—dormant for now, but capable of shaking heaven and earth should it erupt!
“Time to go.”
Li Yi pushed open the chamber door. He wasn’t heading towards the agreed rendezvous at the planned time. Instead, he was setting out early.
Nor did he make for the agreed meeting spot. He went straight for his destination—Black Peak.
…
Despite its name, Black Peak was verdant, covered in lush, green forests.
The Butian Pavilion stood atop Black Peak. It was connected to Star Radiance Tower by two paths: the northern highway and the southern trail.
On the southern trail, four men lounged, scattered and idle. One was listlessly tossing wisps of mana between his fingers—a basic training method for Spell Proficiency, though clearly not well-practiced.
At their front, the leader was a powerfully built man with fierce brows and a scowl carved into a face marked by old scars, radiating a wild aura.
His thick forearm was bound by a dark iron bracer, cold and unforgiving, its surface scarred with deep claw marks. It seemed designed as a perch for raptors.
Intricate patterns, like roots or petals, extended from the bracer, tracing down to a silver ring on his middle finger.
—A Beast Tamer’s ring. Such rings strengthened mental links, allowed shared sight, and offered basic primal protections.
Yang Kai’s eyes were half-closed, distant. His vision shared by his Mountain Vulture.
The finger he idly toyed with now wasn’t the silver Beast Tamer ring. It was the red ring newly visible on his index finger.
“Captain,” a tall, thin member questioned, clearly puzzled, “I’ve staked out this spot for half a month. That girl always uses the northern highway. Why split our forces? And why place the main group… on this little trail?”