Chapter 366: Lin Family

"Turbulent Waves Confinement Array, a Level Three formation, with flaws..."The book detailed the array's name and its flaws.

While Zhang Xuan was reading, Mo Tianxue, standing nearby, turned and cupped his fists, saying, "Master Lin Tao!"

Zhang Xuan withdrew his attention to see an old man approaching. The elder's face was full of arrogance, his chin slightly raised, and he responded with an indifferent "Hm!"

"This is Master Lin Tao, Vice President of the Array Master Guild, and the Great Elder of the Lin family, one of the three major families in Tianwu Royal City!" Seeing that Zhang Xuan didn't recognize the man, Mo Yu secretly transmitted a message to him.

"Vice President of the Array Master Guild?" Zhang Xuan looked over. The elder possessed peak Master strength, and a golden emblem gleamed on his chest, embedded with two stars, indicating he was a two-star peak Array Master.

"This array was personally set up by the President; there's no problem trapping that Golden-tailed Lion. Why are you so anxious to find me? What happened?" Vice President Lin Tao frowned after a glance at Mo Tianxue. His tone showed no respect whatsoever; instead, it carried a questioning tone.

Zhang Xuan was puzzled. No matter what, Mo Tianxue was the King of Tianwu Kingdom, holding a respected position. Even someone of Hall Master Jiang's status would show him some deference when speaking. For a mere Vice President of the Array Master Guild to have such an attitude seemed excessive! Even if Array Masters were among the more prominent Upper Nine Paths professions, capable of exerting immense deterrent power beyond their level through arrays, they couldn't possibly be stronger than Master Teachers!

"It's the Lin family... The Lin family is special!" As he wondered, Mo Yu's voice transmission sounded in his ear again. She guessed Zhang Xuan's thoughts and explained, "Lin Ruotian, the head of the Lin family, is the President of the Array Master Guild. Not only has his strength reached half-step Supreme, but more importantly, he's a three-star Array Master!"

"Half-step Supreme? Three-star Array Master?" Zhang Xuan knew the terror of such strength, having encountered the Iron-toothed Roaring Beast, which was half-step Supreme. Though only half a step beyond peak Master, it meant touching the pinnacle of martial cultivation; a peak Master simply couldn't compare. Furthermore, a three-star Array Master could set up a Level Three Array, making it difficult even for a true Supreme to gain an advantage in a confrontation. Such strength might not be much in a Conferred Kingdom, but in a First-tier Kingdom like Tianwu, perhaps only the kingdom's ailing guardian beast could somewhat suppress him. Given that the beast was gravely ill and often went berserk, it was no wonder the other party didn't hold the royal family in high regard.

"Hall Master Jiang hasn't even reached half-step Supreme; how could he possess such strength?" After his shock, he was again puzzled. Logically, in any kingdom, the Master Teacher Pavilion should possess insurmountable power compared to other guilds. How could Hall Master Jiang only be at peak Master, while the Array Master Guild's President was stronger?

"Actually, President Lin Ruotian only broke through this year. Who knew he had such a good daughter..." Mo Yu said. Zhang Xuan blinked.

"His daughter is extremely talented in array formations and was sent to Xuanyuan Academy to study quite early. As luck would have it, she caught the eye of the Crown Prince of Xuanyuan Kingdom and became his Princess Consort! Her success elevated her entire household; she was given a pill, which allowed him to successfully break through and gain this strength!" Mo Yu explained.

Zhang Xuan understood. The Crown Prince of Xuanyuan Conferred Kingdom held a high and powerful position; acquiring a medicinal pill capable of breaking through peak Master was not difficult. Moreover, with such a connection, it was akin to having a strong backer. No wonder he didn't hold Mo Tianxue in high regard. Although there was only one level difference between a First-tier Kingdom and a Conferred Kingdom, the gap was significant. Under the jurisdiction of Xuanyuan Kingdom, there were at least twenty or thirty kingdoms like Tianwu. If one were truly offended, they could easily wipe it out, and no one would dare say much. After all, Tianwu Kingdom was a realm without even a single Supreme expert, and its most powerful guardian beast was only comparable to the Iron-toothed Roaring Beast, merely half-step Supreme.

"This is President Liu Cheng of the Physician Guild; I specifically invited him here to help treat the Golden-tailed Lion, our kingdom's guardian beast!" Mo Tianxue gave an awkward laugh and quickly explained, "So, I ask Master Lin Tao to help remove the array so he can go inside and examine it. Perhaps he can cure the illness, and we won't have any more trouble!"

"The Golden-tailed Lion isn't just sick; its lifespan has also reached its end. Our President already said it's incurable, which is why we helped you trap it to await its death... Now, if you remove the array and he can't cure it, allowing it to escape and wreak havoc in the royal city, who will take responsibility?" Lin Tao flicked his sleeve.

"This..." Mo Tianxue didn't know how to respond. What the other party said wasn't wrong. If it could be cured, that would naturally be best. But if it couldn't be cured and the array was removed, once the beast charged out and caused chaos outside, it would surely lead to great devastation. At that point, even if he were the King of Tianwu Kingdom, he would not be able to shirk responsibility and would be unable to withstand the pressure.

"Since you can set up the array, there must be a way to enter and exit freely, right? If you're worried he can't cure it, he can just go in and take a look, then come out if he can't treat it!" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but interject. Array Masters could set up arrays, so they must be able to move in and out freely. Otherwise, what would be the point of creating an array they couldn't even manage themselves?

He had agreed to help with the treatment to repay the debt of the spirit stones and to see if he could earn more. Now, because of the bet with Prince Fei Xuan, he had obtained beast spirit grass and other items, equivalent to three spirit stones, which was enough for him to cultivate to peak Master. Therefore, treating the beast or not was no longer very important. However, he still needed to go in and take a look; even if he couldn't cure it, it would count as fulfilling his promise.

"Do you have a place to speak here?" Hearing his words, Master Lin Tao raised an eyebrow, showing disdain: "I've heard about you; you just got lucky solving the problematic wall. Your strength is only at early Transcendent Mortal realm, barely enough to pass the one-star physician examination... What qualifications do you have to be a president?"

"The Physician Guild is supposed to be on par with our Array Master Guild. If you truly want to be a president, you should at least have peak Master strength, or even half-step Supreme power! Before you have enough strength, it's best not to call yourself a president, lest you make a fool of yourself!" Zhang Xuan was speechless, not expecting his casual remark to elicit such a scornful reply from the other party. He hadn't asked to be called 'President Liu'; it was just a Physician Guild in a First-tier Kingdom. Even if he truly were the president, he didn't feel it granted him much prestige.

"Master, please calm your anger!" Fearing Zhang Xuan's anger, Mo Tianxue hurriedly spoke, "We just need Master to trouble himself by taking us inside. If he can't cure it, we can just come out..."

"A Level Three Array? Do you think you can just enter and exit as you please? It's fraught with danger; the slightest carelessness could land you in peril! I can enter alone without issue, but bring along a burden in the early Transcendent Mortal realm? What a joke!" Master Lin Tao sneered. Mo Tianxue was speechless. Although the other party's words were impolite, they were true. A Level Three Array could even trap Supreme experts; its power was evident from how the Golden-tailed Lion had been confined for so many days without escaping. Someone with strong cultivation, who knew the path and had quick reactions, might be able to smoothly avoid danger. But someone at the early Transcendent Mortal realm was too weak; if they couldn't keep up and fell into the array, it would be difficult to get out again. He hadn't thought of this before, only realizing it after hearing the other party's words. A hint of embarrassment involuntarily appeared on his face as he looked over: "President Liu, I'm truly sorry..." Inviting someone here only for them to be unable to even see the beast due to the array was indeed quite embarrassing.

"No problem!" Zhang Xuan shook his head, looking over with a puzzled expression: "Since this array can't be removed, and you can't take me in, why not just stop its operation? As long as it's not active, there's no danger. Once we're inside, you can reactivate it, and the beast you mentioned won't run out!"

"Stop it?" Mo Tianxue gave a wry smile, unable to help but shake his head. Even though he didn't know much about arrays, he found it hard to listen further. Powerful arrays absorbed spiritual energy from heaven and earth to operate, and once activated, they unleashed immense power. Unless the array foundation was destroyed, it was extremely difficult to stop its operation. Even the person who set it up would find it hard to do so. Unless an Array Master's rank was higher than that of the setter, and they were extremely familiar with the array, able to find its flaws, it would be absolutely impossible to stop it. Otherwise, if everyone could stop arrays from operating, Array Masters wouldn't be so formidable and wouldn't be among the more prominent Upper Nine Paths professions.

"Ignorant!" Lin Tao's eyes showed even deeper disdain. "Stopping a Level Three Array... Even the President can't do that, yet you speak so casually... Does he even understand arrays?" Mo Yu also slapped her forehead. "Brother, no matter what, you're a two-star Master Teacher. Even if you don't know much about arrays, you shouldn't say something so amateurish! A Level Three Array can trap even Supreme experts; if it could be stopped so easily, what use would it be?"

"Stopping an array requires extensive knowledge of it, much more difficult than... dismantling it..." Seeing that the other party still looked confused, Mo Tianxue couldn't help but explain.

"More difficult than dismantling it? Alright then..." Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment: "Wait for me!"

"Huh?" They thought that after the explanation, President Liu would understand, but instead, he wore a nonchalant expression. "Wait a moment... Wait for what? Did he mean he'd understand after a moment?" As they wondered, they saw the man raise his foot and walk towards the courtyard in front of them.

"President Liu, be careful! You'll be in trouble if you fall in..." Mo Tianxue gasped, nearly fainting, as Zhang Xuan, without a word, rushed directly towards the array. That was an array capable of trapping the Golden-tailed Lion; what was someone at the early Transcendent Mortal realm doing rushing towards it...

"Seeking death..." Master Lin Tao, too, hadn't expected this audacious fellow to dare approach the array and let out a cold snort. Just as he was anticipating watching this ignorant person get trapped and make a fool of himself, he saw Zhang Xuan arrive before the array, raise his foot, and kick it hard. With a loud boom, the previously indistinct courtyard instantly became clear, revealing its interior.

"Alright, the array has stopped..." Zhang Xuan clapped his hands.