Chapter 1781: 阵心

I had always wondered why Ancient Sage Yan Qing, despite being the most powerful and possessing the "Ancestral Mother Talisman," would still allocate entry slots, allowing other factions the chance to participate in the Spring and Autumn Rites.

Now I understand. Even with the Mother Talisman in hand, one could only sigh in vain without a way to open the main hall.

And the key to opening the main hall is the formation cores of the six great worlds!

It seems... I alone have obtained four of them.

"So, my little talisman wasn't useless after all..." Zhang Xuan suddenly realized.

Earlier, he had been confused. His parents and others had told him that he was directly teleported near a side hall because he carried the Ancestral Heavenly Talisman. He had wondered if his own small talisman was ineffective, since he had first entered the jungle. Now, he understood... the sequence was perfectly correct! One had to enter these worlds first to find the formation cores. Only then, when the main hall appeared, could one figure out how to activate and enter it. Otherwise, even with the Mother Talisman, one would be stuck outside, completely helpless. It was just like an unlocking sequence; missing any step would prevent progression.

"The six great worlds are inaccessible even to Ancient Sages due to their immense power. The fact that these worlds are now connected signifies that their formation cores have been taken and must now be in the hands of some of you. If you produce them, you can exchange them for a slot for your faction!"

After explaining this, Ancient Sage Yan Qing looked down at the crowd. Limited by their own power, they had not entered the various worlds and therefore did not know who had taken the so-called formation cores. However, the connection of the worlds and the appearance of the main hall indicated that the formation cores had already left their original worlds and were certainly in the possession of the many people gathered below. It was precisely because they couldn't confirm the possessors that, in order to resolve the situation quickly, they had gathered everyone to publicly allocate the slots. Otherwise, private deals would have undoubtedly been made by now.

"I'll go first!"

Seeing no one make a move, Ancient Sage Yan Qing smiled again, pointed a finger, and a book appeared, which he gently flicked.

A soft whirring sound filled the air as the book immediately flew towards the main hall before them, embedding itself perfectly into a groove on one side of the main door and emitting a faint glow. Zhang Xuan looked closely and indeed saw three grooves on each side of the door, totaling six, corresponding to the formation cores of the six great worlds.

"This is the formation core of the Sea of Books world, corresponding to Kuiwen Pavilion, which our Scholars' Hundred Schools have obtained. Therefore, the Scholars' Hundred Schools gain another slot!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing announced.

Having already secured five slots through the Mother Talisman, one shared slot, and now this additional one, the Scholars' Hundred Schools had already obtained nearly half of the fifteen available slots. This meant that no matter how the remaining slots were distributed, they would be the biggest winners and had nothing further to worry about.

"Those who have obtained a formation core, please bring it out. Rest assured, with the Ancient Sages from the four major powers present, no one will seize your slot or your property. If you feel your cultivation is insufficient or you don't want the slot, you can exchange it for resources. As long as it's something we can provide, our Scholars' Hundred Schools will not hesitate to assist!"

After embedding his own formation core into the door, Ancient Sage Yan Qing continued.

"This...""Who has the formation cores?""If only I had known earlier, I would have tried to find a formation core. That way, I could at least secure a slot for my own side...""Who could have thought of this..."

A buzz of discussion arose from below. Everyone exchanged glances, wanting to know where the formation cores were and who had taken them.

"What, still worried? So many of us Ancient Sages can guarantee with our lives that your formation core will only be used to open the Temple of Confucius. Once successful, it will be returned to its rightful owner; we will never embezzle treasures!"

Seeing that no one was moving, Ancient Sage Yan Qing continued. If they had possessed the other formation cores, they would have activated the main hall long ago and wouldn't have bothered with such effort and persuasion.

"I know who has the formation cores of the Jungle World and the Desert World..." Suddenly, a sinister voice rose from among the Spirit race. It was none other than Elder Yu.

"Where?" Ancient Sage Yan Qing quickly looked over. Without finding the formation cores, they would never be able to open the main hall, and the current situation would remain unsolvable.

"They are in the hands of that person from the Zhang Clan who tamed the descendant of Venerable Bai!" Elder Yu coldly snorted.

"He?" Yan Qing and the numerous Ancient Sages all simultaneously turned their gaze to Zhang Xuan.

"This..." Under everyone's scrutiny, Zhang Xuan felt a wave of embarrassment.

"Young friend, are the formation cores of the Jungle World and the Desert World truly in your possession?" Ancient Sage Yan Qing asked.

"They should be, but... both of them are living creatures. How could they possibly be embedded in the door?" Zhang Xuan scratched his head. The Jungle World's core was the Five Great Kings, and the Desert World's core was a tree root... both were alive. How could they be placed into the grooves on the door?

"It doesn't matter if they are living creatures. Just bring them out. When they approach the main hall, they will naturally enter it!" Ancient Sage Yan Qing explained.

"Alright!" After a brief pause, Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist, and the Five Great Kings appeared before everyone. He pushed them forward.

As expected, the Five Great Kings seemed to be drawn by some force. Their bodies continuously shrunk, and before they even reached the main hall, they transformed into a circular disk of intertwining yin and yang. With a "click!", it embedded itself into a groove, also emitting light.

"This..." Zhang Xuan couldn't help but stare in astonishment, not expecting the Five Great Sacred Beasts to transform into something resembling a Tai Chi symbol.

"You possess the formation core of the Jungle World, earning a slot for the Master Teacher Continent faction. If you also have the Desert World's formation core, please bring it out quickly!"

Seeing that it was indeed a formation core, Ancient Sage Yan Qing breathed a sigh of relief and continued.

Zhang Xuan nodded. He flipped his wrist, and a tree root appeared in his palm. He gave it another shake. Like the sacred beasts earlier, it also embedded itself into a groove. With three formation cores now placed, the surrounding area burst with dazzling light, and the main hall of the Temple of Confucius seemed ready to open at any moment.

"Excellent..."

Clenching his fist, Ancient Sage Yan Qing, filled with excitement, looked around again: "There are still three more formation cores: the Poison Gas World, the Stone Forest World, and the Ice and Snow World. Friends who have obtained them, please bring them here to open the main hall!"

His voice echoed all around, but after a moment, there was still no movement. It was as if the formation cores of these three worlds had vanished into thin air.

"Could it be that the people who obtained these three formation cores haven't arrived here? Or perhaps, these three formation cores haven't been obtained by anyone?"

"That's impossible. Without obtaining the formation cores, the six great worlds couldn't have connected..."

Seeing no one step forward, all the Ancient Sages frowned again.

"Friends who have obtained the formation cores, there's no need to worry. I, Yan Qing, guarantee on the honor of the Scholars' Hundred Schools that no one will act against you. Otherwise, they will be opposing the Scholars' Hundred Schools, and I will be the first to show no mercy!"

Seeing that no one was still coming forward, Ancient Sage Yan Qing assumed that those who had obtained the cores were afraid of retaliation, so he promptly made this declaration.

He called out twice, and still no one came forward. Just as he was feeling perplexed, he saw Zhang Xuan, who was standing in front of the main hall, suddenly timidly raise his hand: "It seems the formation cores of the Poison Gas World and the Ice and Snow World are also with me!"

"All with you? You alone obtained four formation cores?"

Silence fell over the surroundings.