Chapter 1357: A Group of Strange People (Part 2)

"This..." Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched.

When a cultivator reached the Transcendent Mortal realm, they usually wouldn't die from a fall from an ordinary height. This fatty's strength was clearly no less than Luo Xuanqing's, so under normal circumstances, falling from the crane's back shouldn't have been an issue. However, accelerating in mid-air, shattering the seal, and then creating such a massive crater meant his speed was comparable to falling from tens of thousands of meters.

Such a fall had far greater force than a mountain crashing down, making Zhang Xuan wonder if the fatty had died on impact. If so, it would be quite laughable.

However, his shock didn't last long. The mountain-like figure climbed out of the large crater, shook his shoulders, and the dust fell away, revealing not a single injury. It was as if someone else had fallen, not him.

"What incredible defense!" Zhang Xuan gasped.

His Five Luminaries Golden Body had reached its peak, making his physical body comparable to a mid-tier Saint artifact. Yet, if he had fallen at the same speed as the fatty, his internal organs would have ruptured, and he would have coughed up blood. Even if he survived, he would have been half-dead. The fatty, however, was completely unharmed. In terms of physical strength alone, he was immeasurably stronger than Zhang Xuan. It was terrifying!

"Who... is this? I've never seen him before!" After dusting himself off, the fatty looked at Zhang Xuan, a grin spreading across his face. "You seem to be restrained, and there's something off about your body. Did you offend him and get captured? Do you need me to sit on him until he's dead? It would be an honor to be sat to death by me..."

Zhang Xuan's face darkened with exasperation. How could this fatty have the same strange hobby as the Golden Origin Cauldron, both enjoying sitting on people?

"I specifically invited him here!" Fearing the fatty might actually sit on Zhang Xuan and kill him, Luo Xuanqing quickly waved his hand.

"Invited?" The fatty and the short man both looked skeptical.

They knew Luo Xuanqing's personality. He was incredibly arrogant, unyielding, and capable of causing chaos in the Saint Son Hall. For him to specifically invite a twenty-something year old at the initial stage of the Spirit Severing realm... what was his background?

"That's right..." Luo Xuanqing nodded, about to introduce Zhang Xuan again, when a faint mist suddenly enveloped the surroundings, followed by a captivating voice.

"A song that breaks hearts, youth fades as tears stain robes. You've waited long enough..." The voice was ethereal, seemingly whispering in their ears yet resonating deep within their souls, making it impossible to refuse.

Luo Xuanqing, the fatty, and the short man all instantly grew serious, their True Qi surging and white mist rising from their heads, seemingly resisting the voice's attack.

"It's demonic music!" Zhang Xuan also became secretly wary.

Although the demonic music didn't affect him much after cultivating Heaven's Path True Qi, he could still easily be swayed and develop inner demons if he wasn't careful. He already had enough inner demons and didn't want any more followers for now.

"Bihong Yin, it's been a while. Your methods don't seem to have improved much," Luo Xuanqing said with displeasure, feeling the increasingly intense assault of the voice, and letting out a cold snort.

"Not skillful? Let's see then..." The voice suddenly changed, becoming enchanting and bewitching. The mist intensified significantly, creating an eerie, spectral atmosphere that was captivating yet made it difficult to concentrate.

"Let's see then! Do you think I'm afraid of you?" Luo Xuanqing stepped forward, his feet hitting the ground with a thunderous boom, as if he had taken root in the earth.

His True Qi surged, forming a blinding sun that made it impossible to open one's eyes. Light scattered, dispelling much of the mist. The young man's eyes widened like lanterns as he clawed at the air.

A gigantic palm print immediately appeared in the sky, covering an area of more than ten mu. Immense power swirled, solidifying the space above the fields, making it seem as if it could collapse at any moment.

"Such powerful control over space! I haven't seen you in a while, and I didn't expect such immense progress..." The hidden demonic voice let out a muffled grunt, seemingly having suffered a minor setback in their confrontation.

"Of course! It's impossible for only you to progress while I don't!" Withdrawing his hand, Luo Xuanqing returned to Zhang Xuan's side.

*Sizzling sound* The mist gathered in the distance, and a slender, elegant figure slowly appeared before everyone.

It was an exceptionally beautiful woman, with a slender and tall physique. Her long legs, in particular, were straight and elegant. Her height was actually no less than Zhang Xuan's.

After cultivating the Heaven's Path Golden Body, Zhang Xuan's skin had not only become smoother, like a baby's, but his physique was also perfect, at least over 1.8 meters tall. This was not short even among men, so it was surprising that the woman who arrived was even taller than him.

"Now that everyone's here, let me introduce you." Seeing her approach, Luo Xuanqing stopped speaking and looked around. "This is Master Zhang Xuan, a new student recruited by the Saint Son Hall this year. We met for the first time yesterday."

"Luo Xuanqing, why are you bringing a new student?" "You know how weak new students are; wouldn't he just be a hindrance?" "That place is so dangerous, what are you trying to do by bringing someone only at the initial stage of the Spirit Severing realm? Zhang? Could he be a genius from the Zhang Clan? But... haven't you always detested people from the Zhang Clan?"

Hearing that he was just a new student, all three frowned. It was no wonder they reacted that way; their cultivation had reached Saint 7-dan, and Luo Xuanqing had brought someone only at the initial stage of Saint 5-dan... it was inevitably hard to believe.

"Don't underestimate Master Zhang," Luo Xuanqing said. "Although he's young, he's a grandmaster of formations at the pinnacle level. His speed in setting up formations is unprecedented. Even some peak 8-star formation masters might fall far short..."

Zhang Xuan's speed in setting up formations was countless times faster than his own. Despite being a little displeased about yesterday's events, Luo Xuanqing was still greatly impressed.

"Formations?" Zhang Xuan finally understood.

He had thought Luo Xuanqing brought him here because he knew about his relationship with Luo Ruoxi. It seemed that wasn't the case. Instead, Luo Xuanqing must have witnessed his understanding of formations during the 8-star formation master assessment yesterday and specifically invited him to participate in some trial or test with these people.

"A new student only at the initial stage of the Spirit Severing realm, whose formation setup speed is faster than a peak 8-star formation master? Are you sure you're not mistaken?" The short man frowned, somewhat disbelieving.

The other two also looked over with doubt. As a top-tier profession, formation masters required extremely high cultivation; without sufficient strength, one couldn't set up formations. How could a mere cultivator at the initial stage of the Spirit Severing realm receive such an appraisal?

"What, you don't believe what I say?" Luo Xuanqing said with annoyance. "We both took the 8-star formation master assessment simultaneously. I hadn't even finished looking at the diagrams, and he had already set up the formation. If that weren't the case, do you think I would have invited him?"

"He set up the formation before you even finished reading the diagrams?" All three were stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.

As Saint 7-dan experts, their primordial spirits were consolidated, and their spiritual senses were powerful. They could memorize most secret techniques and cultivation methods with a single glance, provided they weren't overly complex. For Zhang Xuan to set up a formation before Luo Xuanqing had even finished reading the diagrams, how fast must he be?

"I also have some knowledge of formations. In that case, why don't I give it a try..." The tall woman, Bihong Yin, smoothed her hair and smiled faintly.

Before Zhang Xuan could react, his vision blurred. The restraining power around his body instantly vanished, and he felt as if he had fallen into a formation activated by a formation plate. Darkness enveloped him, a chilling wind howled, and an immense spiritual pressure swept over him, causing his head to ache intensely.

"This person isn't only skilled in demonic music, but also has a deep understanding of formations..." Zhang Xuan clenched his fist.

The moment she appeared, and the mist rose, he knew she must have used a powerful formation plate; otherwise, it wouldn't have such an effect. Being able to instantly activate a formation plate and trap everyone indicated her understanding of formations had reached at least 8-star.

"Bihong Yin, what are you doing?" Luo Xuanqing was furious at her sudden move and was about to rush over to stop her when he felt a tightening in his arm as he was pulled back.

"Don't worry, she knows what she's doing... Let her try. Otherwise, even we won't be convinced!" It was the fatty who spoke.

Clearly, he was also skeptical of this new student, Zhang Xuan, and wanted to use Bihong Yin to see what abilities he truly possessed.

"This... very well!" Luo Xuanqing paused, then nodded despite his displeasure.

These were his long-time friends; although they were competitive, he knew they had good judgment and would not harm anyone without reason.

"Luo Xuanqing says your understanding of formations is profound. This is a formation plate I specifically commissioned from a peak 8-star formation master. You have two hours to break it. If you succeed, it proves you're qualified to join us..." Unaware of the situation outside, Zhang Xuan, enveloped in the formation, then heard a faint voice.

"Two hours to break it?" Zhang Xuan's face was filled with helplessness.

He had only gone to register for the Elite Class, and Luo Xuanqing had dragged him here, only to be tested now... The thought was utterly frustrating. "Did you think I wanted to join you?"

However, since his brother-in-law had personally invited him and was so confident in his abilities, he couldn't let him lose face. Otherwise, his chances with Luo Ruoxi would become even slimmer.

"Defect!" Realizing this, and not wanting to waste words, a book appeared in his mind as his eyes flashed.

"What a trashy formation plate, so many flaws..." After glancing at the contents, Zhang Xuan curled his lips. The opponent claimed to have commissioned a peak 8-star formation master to create it, making him think it was incredibly advanced. Now, it seemed rather ordinary.

"There are a total of 138 solutions..." After calculating, he quickly reached a conclusion.

After studying the 8-star level formation master books, his understanding of formations had already reached the peak of 8-star, even comparable to some initial-stage 9-star formation masters. Knowing the flaws and possessing such a deep understanding of formations made breaking the formation plate very simple.

"Then I'll make my brother-in-law happy... I'll use the most direct and fastest method!" After a moment of thought, Zhang Xuan had an idea.

He chose a method and was about to implement it when he suddenly felt his body stiffen, and all the meridians within him were instantly frozen.

"Oh no, the hidden danger from the Glacial Spirit Liquid hasn't passed yet..."