In this very moment, Jian Qinsheng felt as if the world had gone insane.It was just a moment ago that you saw a Saint 8-dan expert attempting to barge through the formation, only to be roasted crispy on the surface and succulent on the inside, ready to be plated and served. Despite that, you still made the decision to challenge the Formation Trial too... Is it really worth going that far for a storage ring?
Furthermore, it"s not as if it isn"t going to be given back to you!
This is just a temporary deposit, and the same rules apply to everyone as well. There is really no need for you to cause trouble right now; we aren"t even in the Zhang Clan yet!
You"ll only die tragically at this rate!
"Be my guest!"
The Third Elder, Zhang Wuchen, didn"t expect that the young man before him would be so insolent. He nonchalantly gestured for the young man to go ahead while standing idly on the spot.
Nodding, Zhang Xuan began making his way over to the formation.
"Zhang s.h.i.+!" Jian Qinsheng rushed forward to stop Zhang Xuan.
"It"s alright, I"m just giving it a try." Knowing that Jian Qinsheng was worried about him, Zhang Xuan a.s.sured him with a bright smile.
Jian Qinsheng stared at Zhang Xuan for a moment, and through the determined look in the young man"s eyes, he could tell that the young man had already made up his mind. Thus, he could only sigh deeply and take a step back, "Be careful."
The formation"s attack only served as a warning against those who infringed on the rules of the Zhang Clan, so Zhang Xuan"s life wouldn"t be in any danger. At most, he would only suffer some pain.
Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan leaped forward and flew for the formation.
Hong long long!
In the instant that he stepped into the formation, a ma.s.sive dragon immediately materialized. However, it wasn"t a flame dragon this time around but a water dragon.
The dragon formed in the formation wasn"t a real dragon but a spirit. It harnessed the power of the Five Elements, thus allowing it to change its form and attribute at will.
The congregation of water formed a being reminiscent of a true dragon, and as soon as it appeared, a towering wave immediately covered half of Zhang Xuan"s vision. At the same time, an overwhelming pressure weighed down on the surroundings, causing the earth to tremble ever so slightly non-stop.
Flames could burn everything down to cinders, creating barren lands where no life could survive in. Flood was equally frightening as well. The excessive concentration of water vapor in the air left one feeling as if one"s lung would burst, leaving one sputtering for oxygen.
"It"s a water dragon…" Jian Qinsheng"s face turned pale, and his body trembled in agitation.
Over 90% of a human"s body was made up of water, so those who commanded water would actually be able to cause far more damage to a human as compared to those who commanded flames.
"This is the punishment for your arrogance!" Zhang Wuchen flung his sleeves backward and harrumphed coldly.
Even the renowned swordmaster, Jian Qinsheng, whose name was sung alongside that of their clan head had chosen to obediently hand over his storage ring, and yet, this fellow just had to choose the difficult way out of this... It was as if he was asking to be walloped!
Knowing that the formation would surely teach the arrogant young man a lesson, Zhang Wuchen couldn"t be bothered to look on any longer, so he turned to Jian Qinsheng and asked, "Sword Saint Jian Qinsheng, is he your student?"
"He... is my senior!" Jian Qinsheng replied awkwardly.
On the journey here, he had spent much time conversing with the young man on the subject of swordsmans.h.i.+p, and he had benefited greatly from the young man"s deep insight. Despite the difference in their age, the young man could already be considered as half a teacher to him.
He dared not even contemplate the possibility of the young man being his student, let alone say something as ridiculous as that out loud.
This was also the reason why he changed his mind eventually, deciding to have Zhang Xuan appear before others as his senior instead.
"Senior?" Zhang Wuchen"s eyebrows shot up in amazement. "That young man is your senior?"
Seniority in the lineage usually came with the connotation of being more powerful and skilled. Just what qualifications could that young man possibly have to be considered as Jian Qinsheng"s senior?
"Third Elder, I"ll have to ask you not to look down on him. My senior might be still young and weak, but with sufficient time, he"ll surely astound the entire continent!" Noticing Zhang Wucheng"s doubt, Jian Qinsheng shook his head and said.
"Astound?" Zhang Wuchen couldn"t help but sneer. "To challenge the formation when he knows that he doesn"t stand a chance at all, is that how he astounds others?"
Even a Saint 8-dan pinnacle expert was left on the verge of death from the powerful a.s.sault of the formation, and yet, a mere Grand Dominion realm cultivator like him still insisted on challenging it. No matter how one looked at the matter, it was pretty obvious that the fellow had a screw loose in his head!
Astound... More like aghast!
"Is the Third Elder doubting my words?" Noticing the disdainful look on Zhang Wuchen"s face, Jian Qinsheng frowned in displeasure.
"Of course..." Zhang Wuchen harrumphed coldly.
Just as he was about to remark that Jian Qinsheng"s judgement had been clouded by his age, he suddenly stiffened up on the spot. His eyes were fixated at the sight in front of him, and his pupils dilated into large circles. The words he had been wanting to say choked his throat, leaving him feeling so suffocated that he could die of asphyxiation.
"What"s wrong?" Noticing that there was something wrong with Zhang Wuchen"s expression, Jian Qinsheng traced his gaze and looked over as well, and in the next instant, his body also stiffened.
In the formation, not only did the ma.s.sive water dragon not a.s.sault the young man who dared to challenge the formation, it was even rubbing its huge head against the young man"s robe, as if an adorable pet!
On the other hand, the young man snapped his finger, and a wooden stick that he had conjured out of nowhere suddenly flew outward. The water dragon immediately turned around and dashed out to catch the wooden stick between its teeth before das.h.i.+ng back to pa.s.s it into Zhang Xuan"s hands. Then, it stuck out its tongue playfully, as if a dog fawning upon its owner.
But with a displeased expression, Zhang Xuan shook his head in disapproval and tossed out the wooden stick once more, "Too slow, faster!"
Sou!
The water dragon burst forth once more, and this time, before the wooden stick could even fall on the ground, it had already caught it in between its teeth and flew back to Zhang Xuan.
"This is more like it…" Zhang Xuan finally gave it a nod of approval. "Alright, retract the formation. I want to enter."
Roar!
The water dragon hurriedly nodded, and it raised its talon and swiped it down forcefully. In the next instant, a surge of flowing water appeared beneath Zhang Xuan"s feet, and it extended along with his footsteps like a bridge.
"Junior, we can go in now." Noting the new ident.i.ty he had adopted, Zhang Xuan beckoned for Jian Qinsheng to enter as well before placing his hands behind his back and walking forward leisurely.
"You…" Not expecting the formation spirit to fawn on him as if a lapdog, Zhang Wuchen"s face turned incredibly livid. He hurriedly flew toward the formation while exclaiming in a fl.u.s.ter, "Wait a moment…"
"Noisy!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand in displeasure.
Kacha!
In the next moment, Zhang Wuchen saw the ma.s.sive water dragon diving straight toward him with alarming speed. Completely caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Zhang Wuchen didn"t even manage to react before he was struck head-on and smacked right down onto the ground.
"This…" Watching as Zhang Wuchen convulsed helplessly on the ground, Jian Qinsheng felt a hoa.r.s.e sensation at the back of his throat. With rather stiff movements, he walked into the formation in a daze and followed behind Zhang Xuan, as if a puppet under control.
Back in the Sanctum of Sages, he had heard several rumors that the young man was a rare prodigy in formations as well, and from the looks of it now, the rumors were definitely no exaggeration.
To think that the young man would be able to tame the Dracotiger Formation which the old ancestor of the Zhang Clan had set up personally in the blink of an eye...
Just how many more insane abilities did he have up his sleeves?
...
"Third Elder!"
The other elders in the surroundings saw the earlier happenings as well, and they hurriedly rushed over to pluck Zhang Wuchen out of the ground.
"That fellow actually tamed the formation spirit? How in the world did he manage to do that?" Straightening his back, Zhang Wuchen gazed at the young man who was leisurely making his way through the formation, and his teeth couldn"t help but clatter in disbelief.
The Dracotiger Formation was formidable, but there were still cultivators in the world who would be able to pa.s.s through the formation easily even if they didn"t hand over their storage ring. One such person was the grand elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, Yang s.h.i.+!
Each time he came here, it was as if the formation couldn"t register his presence at all, allowing him to pa.s.s through it without any obstruction.
There were also those who were able to barge right through it through sheer force. The head of the Yuan Clan boasted a defense so powerful that he was impervious to the attacks of the formation spirits, allowing him to walk right through the formation unharmed.
But never had anyone managed to tame the formation spirit into a loyal lapdog and even play fetch with it... This was really challenging the boundaries of his rational mind!
However, there was one thing that the young man had overlooked—the formation spirit of the Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation was constantly changing. Just because the young man had managed to tame a single spirit didn"t mean that he had gained absolute control over the entire formation yet.
"Even if he has managed to win over the Dragon Spirit, there"s still the Tiger Spirit ahead…" Zhang Wuchen muttered beneath his breath.
And as if responding to his words, a ferocious tiger suddenly materialized in the air. Raging inferno wrapped around its body, granting it a presence reminiscent of a Qilin.
It was the other spirit of the Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation—Tiger Spirit!
It was formidable that the young man had managed to tame the Dragon Spirit, but the Tiger Spirit was the stronger of the two, and it was known for not conforming to authority as well.
Zhang Wuchen was deeply interested to see just what the young man would do in the face of such a situation.
Roar!
The moment the Tiger Spirit materialized in the air, it immediately let loose a ferocious howl and tore its claws down upon Zhang Xuan.
The overwhelming strength behind the Tiger Spirit"s attack caused the structure of the surrounding s.p.a.ce to collapse, and as if a calamitous tornado, a ferocious surge of might crushed right down on Zhang Xuan.
In the face of this surge of might, a hint of trepidation surfaced in the eyes of the water dragon as it trembled on the spot, not daring to take a single step forward.
The two spirits in the Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation weren"t of equal standing and strength; there was a clear hierarchy between the Tiger Spirit and Dragon Spirit.
Just as Zhang Wuchen thought that the young man would be subdued by the Tiger Spirit, the young man suddenly took a single step forward and tapped his feet lightly on the ground.
Boom!
Amidst a deafening rumble, and the entire formation began shaking non-stop. At the same time, the Tiger Spirit hurriedly retracted its attack, and it began trembling in fear.
The Dual Spirit Heaven Dominating Formation shrouded many towering and majestic buildings and the instability of the formation caused the buildings below to shake intensely as well, seemingly ready to be collapse into rubble at any moment.
"No! The many millenniums of heritage of the Zhang Clan!" Zhang Wuchen"s eyes widened in horror.