"Look! The number following Wu Xuan's name is still changing!" At that moment, an outer sect disciple from Array Peak suddenly shouted. As the crowd turned their gaze toward the Array Comprehension Stele, they saw that the number after Wu Xuan's name had shifted again, moving from forty to forty-one.
"How is this possible?" Staring at this scene, Qi Bai was utterly dumbfounded. For so long, Luo Qing had been his idol, the god in his heart. But now, with Wu Xuan's emergence, it seemed that his idol had been completely dethroned, shattering the very foundation of his belief.
"Do you think Wu Xuan can crack how many more formations?" Looking at the Array Comprehension Stele, the outer sect disciples were completely stirred. After six months of entering the sect, the disciples would take part in the outer sect competition. According to past traditions, the Pill Peak disciples always ranked first. But now, with the arrival of Wu Xuan, perhaps Array Peak had a chance to claim first place this year.
While the disciples of Array Peak were excitedly discussing this, Lin Tian remained completely oblivious to the commotion. His eyes were fixed intently on the token in his hand. Earlier, cracking first-order formations had earned him six hundred and forty points. Now, after cracking five second-order formations, his token had gained an additional one thousand points. This thousand points was more than enough to purchase many rare metals, which were treasures to him.
Although Lin Tian was somewhat fatigued, his mind was still exceptionally sharp. As he looked at the formations before him, they seemed to him like points waiting to be collected, fueling his tireless efforts.
Forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven, forty-eight. Only after cracking the forty-eighth formation did Lin Tian finally feel the weight of exhaustion, reluctantly stepping out of the Eight Arrays Diagram.
"What's going on here?" Stepping out of the formation diagram, Lin Tian was puzzled to see a group of disciples gathered in front of the Array Comprehension Stele. Wasn't the stele just a record of the disciples' formation breakthroughs? What was so fascinating about it?
"Lin Tian, are you alright?" Seeing Lin Tian emerge, Du Yuejiao hurried over and gently supported the weak Lin Tian.
"Yuejiao, do you know? I've earned nearly four thousand points this time." Lin Tian said excitedly, holding up his token. "This Eight Arrays Diagram from your Array Peak is truly a fantastic thing. I wonder how many points I'll get once I crack the third-order formations."
"Oh." Du Yuejiao's lips twitched in a helpless smile. Did this guy not realize that he had already caused quite a stir in Array Peak?
Despite her frustration, Du Yuejiao couldn't help but feel genuinely happy for Lin Tian. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she quickly helped him away toward her residence.
Just as they left, the number after Luo Qing's name on the Array Comprehension Stele slowly shifted. From thirty-nine, it jumped directly to forty.
After cracking the fortieth formation, Luo Qing, feeling satisfied, withdrew his token and stepped out of the Eight Arrays Diagram.
"Never thought that just cracking the fortieth formation would cause such an uproar in the outer sect," Luo Qing mused, a wry smile crossing his face as he observed the disciples gathered around the Array Comprehension Stele. It seemed that, for those with talent, no matter where they went, they were bound to shine brightly.
He scanned the crowd and his gaze fell on Qi Bai, who appeared utterly dazed. Luo Qing walked over to him without hesitation.
"What's this? Just cracking forty formations has left you so stunned?" Luo Qing shook his head at Qi Bai's lack of composure. "You've been following me, and there will be plenty more surprises ahead. If you're losing your wits over such a small matter, what will you do when something truly shocking happens?"
"By the way, what about Wu Xuan? Has the number after his name increased?"
"Brother Luo Qing, have you really not seen the Array Comprehension Stele?" Qi Bai looked up blankly, his eyes no longer filled with the awe that had once surrounded Luo Qing. The admiration he had once felt now seemed to have vanished entirely.
"I know that cracking the fortieth formation has caused quite a stir. But if I go and look myself, wouldn't that just be showing off?" Luo Qing smiled slightly at Qi Bai's words. "You, kid, how can you be so lacking in perception?"
"Brother, it's not you who caused the stir, it's Wu Xuan," Qi Bai said, lifting his head, his voice tinged with despair.
"Wu Xuan?" Upon hearing the name, Luo Qing's expression changed instantly. "Are you telling me that Wu Xuan cracked the fortieth formation before I did?"
Thinking this, Luo Qing hurriedly ran to the Array Comprehension Stele. He squeezed through the crowded disciples and, upon seeing the numbers, was struck speechless.
The number forty-eight, shining in golden light, hit him like a sharp slap across the face. His face burned with the sting of it.
His eyes filled with disbelief, Luo Qing clearly remembered that before he entered the Eight Arrays Diagram, the number after Wu Xuan's name had been the same as his: thirty-seven. This meant that in the time it took for him to crack three formations, Wu Xuan had cracked a full eleven.
The thought of this felt like a knife stabbing deep into Luo Qing's heart, causing him to feel a sharp, bleeding pain.
Since entering Array Peak, he had always demonstrated extraordinary talent in formations, and from the moment he joined, he had been number one, unmatched by anyone. Yet now, the name "Wu Xuan" loomed over him like a mountain, pressing down on him and making it hard to breathe. All his previous pride in being the best, all the talk of being an unprecedented genius, seemed meaningless in the face of Wu Xuan.
He had thought that after cracking the fortieth formation, he would bask in his success, but now, it seemed that he was nothing but an underachiever, a weakling.
"No, I can't lose to this kid." A glimmer of determination flashed in Luo Qing's eyes as he steeled himself and walked resolutely back into the Eight Arrays Diagram.
Meanwhile, a stir was spreading in the inner sect of Array Peak. In just a few short hours, nearly every inner sect disciple had heard of Wu Xuan's name.