Chapter 1450: Dragon Spirit and Tiger Spirit

Jian Qinsheng truly seemed to be losing his mind.

He had clearly seen an eighth-realm Saint warrior attempt to breach the formation, only to be charred outside and tender inside, ready to be served. Yet, he insisted on going. Was it really worth it for just a storage ring?

It wasn't as if they weren't going to return it! It was just like depositing an item; everyone did it this way. There was no need to resist so fiercely even before entering the Zhang Clan. Doing so would lead to a terrible death.

"Please, proceed!" Third Elder Zhang Wuchen hadn't expected this young man to be so reckless. He immediately waved his hand expressionlessly.

Nodding, Zhang Xuan lifted his foot and walked towards the formation.

"Master Zhang..." Jian Qinsheng hurriedly tried to stop him.

"Let me try!" Knowing Jian Qinsheng was looking out for him, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, his face radiating warmth.

Seeing his decision was unchangeable, Jian Qinsheng could only step back, exhaling a breath. "Be careful..." The formation's attacks were merely warnings, not lethal. At most, he would suffer a bit.

Without further ado, Zhang Xuan leaped forward, flying towards the grand formation before him.

Rumble!

As soon as he entered the formation, just like before, a massive dragon immediately appeared. However, this time it was made of water, not fire. This was not a real dragon, but the spiritual essence of the formation, imbued with the mysteries of the Five Elements, allowing it to change form at will. As the water vapor coalesced, resembling a true dragon, it instantly unleashed towering waves. Its immense pressure crushed everything around, and the ground trembled continuously.

"It's a water dragon..." Jian Qinsheng's face turned even paler, and his body swayed. Over ninety percent of the human body is water. Therefore, controlling water can actually inflict more severe harm on the human body than controlling fire.

"This is the punishment for arrogance!" Zhang Wuchen scoffed, flicking his sleeve and clasping his hands behind his back. Even the Sword Saint of the Saint Son Hall, who was once renowned alongside the clan head, meekly surrendered his storage ring. But this fellow? He was audacious enough to insist on breaching it... The formation itself couldn't tolerate such arrogance without striking him down.

"Sword Saint Qinsheng, is this your junior?" Knowing that the other party was bound to be taught a lesson by the formation, Zhang Wuchen didn't bother to pay further attention and turned his head to look at Jian Qinsheng.

"He... is my senior martial brother!" Jian Qinsheng replied. Along the way, he had discussed much with the young man and benefited greatly. Although the one who had just entered the formation was not old, he had provided guidance like a half-teacher. Jian Qinsheng would never presume to call him a mere student, which was why he introduced him as his "senior martial brother" upon their arrival.

"Senior martial brother?" Zhang Wuchen looked puzzled. "What qualifications does he have to be your senior martial brother?" Among fellow disciples, "senior martial brother" is typically a title given out of respect for one's cultivation or strength. What virtue or ability could a young man in his twenties possibly possess to earn such a title?

"Third Elder, please do not underestimate him. Although my senior martial brother is currently young and his cultivation low, given some time, he is bound to astound the entire continent..." Seeing Zhang Wuchen's skepticism, Jian Qinsheng shook his head and said.

"Astound?" Zhang Wuchen scoffed, "He knew the formation was insurmountable, yet he still astounds?" Even peak eighth-realm Saint experts risked death upon entering the formation. For a Domain Realm cultivator to insist on charging in—that was clearly not intelligent. It showed a flawed mind, let alone 'astounding'... Terrifying, perhaps, but not astounding!

"Third Elder, are you implying disbelief?" Seeing Zhang Wuchen's expression, Jian Qinsheng's brows furrowed slightly in displeasure.

"Naturally, I don't believe it..." He grunted, just beginning to lament that the person before him might be insane, when he suddenly stopped, staring fixedly ahead. A sentence caught in his throat, unable to be spoken or swallowed, almost suffocating him.

"What's wrong?" Seeing his reaction, Jian Qinsheng, in his confusion, followed Zhang Wuchen's gaze, and then his own body stiffened.

They saw that the massive dragon, formed from condensed water vapor within the formation, was not attacking Zhang Xuan. Instead, its enormous head was rubbing against his pant leg, looking utterly adorable and goofy. The young man opposite it raised an eyebrow, flicked his finger, and a wooden stick, seemingly from nowhere, whistled through the air. The water dragon suddenly turned, raced straight towards it, snatched it with its mouth, then spun around and ran back, placing it in Zhang Xuan's hand, its tongue lolling out, eyes full of fawning affection.

"Too slow, faster!" Dissatisfied, Zhang Xuan threw the stick again.

Whoosh! The water dragon shot out with a "whoosh!", snatched the stick before it even hit the ground, and flew back again.

"Now that's more like it..." Only then did Zhang Xuan nod in satisfaction. "Withdraw the formation. I want to go in!"

"Roar!" The water dragon nodded repeatedly, then suddenly swiped its paw forward. A rainbow bridge, formed from water, appeared beneath Zhang Xuan's feet, slowly advancing with his steps.

"Junior martial brother, we can go..." Knowing that calling him 'senior' now would reveal his identity, Zhang Xuan glanced back, his hands clasped behind his back, and slowly walked forward.

"You..." Zhang Wuchen's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected the formation's spirit to act like a pug, obediently following the other's commands. He hurriedly flew over. "Don't rush off..."

"I don't want to hear anyone talk nonsense!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Crack!

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Wuchen saw the water dragon strike. His eyebrows twitched; he didn't even have time to react before he was hit and sent flying backward.

"This..." Watching Zhang Wuchen struggling on the ground, Jian Qinsheng's throat went dry. He followed closely, like a puppet. He had long heard that this individual's understanding of formations was in no way inferior to his swordsmanship. Now, it certainly seemed true. The Dragon-Tiger Grand Formation, set up by the Zhang Clan's ancestors, had been tamed in the blink of an eye... What kind of ability was this?

"Third Elder..." The other elders also witnessed this scene and hurriedly flew over, helping Zhang Wuchen up from the ground.

"This fellow tamed the spiritual essence within the formation... How on earth did he do it?" Standing upright, no longer giving chase, he watched the young man slowly advance on the rainbow bridge from afar, his teeth chattering, unable to utter a word. Over the years, there had been others who passed through the formation easily without surrendering their storage rings, such as Master Yang from the Master Teacher Continent Headquarters! Every time he came, the formation seemed not to detect him, allowing him to pass through effortlessly, without any hindrance. There were also those who forced their way through purely by strength, like the Yuan Clan head, who charged straight in, letting the formation's attacks fall upon him without suffering any harm... But someone like this individual, who, with a single move, made the formation's spiritual essence obediently fetch sticks like a pug, looking utterly bewildered and endearing... it was simply unheard of, unprecedented.

However, the spirit of the Two Spirits Guarding Heaven Formation was constantly changing. Controlling one randomly appearing spirit did not equate to controlling the entire formation. "Even if he passed the Dragon Spirit, there's still the Tiger Spirit ahead..."

Though frustrated, he couldn't help but look forward. Sure enough, not long after the rainbow bridge advanced, a fierce tiger appeared in the sky, engulfed in flames, resembling a Qilin. It was indeed the other spiritual essence of the Two Spirits Guarding Heaven Formation. Being able to tame one was indeed impressive, but this Tiger Spirit was even more powerful and absolutely would not obey commands. He wanted to see if the young man could pass it.

As soon as the Tiger Spirit appeared, it let out a fierce roar and swiped its paw. The space around the formation collapsed layer by layer, and a superimposed force, like a hurricane, pressed down. Feeling this power, the water dragon's eyes filled with dread, not daring to advance. The Two Spirits Guarding Heaven Formation was maintained by two great spiritual essences, and the Tiger Spirit was the stronger one.

Just as he thought it would be impossible to pass, he saw the young man take a step forward, as if he had calculated his position, and then suddenly stomp his foot lightly.

Boom!

A deafening rumble, and the grand formation shook violently. The Tiger Spirit no longer dared to attack; it suddenly shrank back, trembling. The many towering buildings within the Zhang Clan, enveloped by the formation, could no longer withstand its trembling. They groaned violently, on the verge of collapse at any moment.

"Oh no... The Zhang Clan's ten-thousand-year legacy..." Zhang Wuchen's pupils contracted, and his entire body went rigid.