Chapter 500: Is Foot (Part 1)

To become an array master by challenging the Array Sea, one must first apply, receive personal approval from the Guild Leader, and navigate various procedures, including the Elder Council and candidate selection. A substantial fee is also required.

Since this fellow had made it here, he must have obtained permission. But when had the guild fallen so low as to allow someone with such poor mental fortitude to take the examination?

His nervousness causing him sleepless nights was one thing, but his attitude towards the Array Sea was the main issue!

Anyone taking the examination always approached it with reverence and respect for the array master profession. Yet, this guy was just lounging around, looking completely unconcerned. Did he actually think he could pass the first stage with that attitude?

"Let him take the test first. He'll fail soon enough, and at least he'll gain some experience," the senior student murmured, feeling disgusted.

"Yes!" The two junior students simultaneously exchanged smug expressions. Clearly, they believed his failure was a foregone conclusion.

The person who had rendered the three speechless was Zhang Xuan, who had just hurried over from the Library. Having spent so long continuously reading and studying two levels of Heaven's Path Array Formations, it would have been a miracle if his mental state *had* been good.

He adjusted his breathing as he walked, dispelling the fatigue in his body, and soon arrived before the trio.

Seeing them standing still and all looking at him, Zhang Xuan looked over curiously. "Are you also here to challenge the Array Sea?"

Seeing that this fellow showed no respect for him, a formal array master, and spoke so casually, the senior student flicked his sleeve and snorted, "We're just getting ready. If you wish to challenge it, please go first!"

"Oh, since you're not in a hurry, I won't stand on ceremony!" Zhang Xuan had been at the Array Master Guild for a while now, and since they were offering, he didn't decline. He nodded with a smile and stepped inside.

"He just went in like that… How reckless!" Seeing him not even decline or bother to look, but just rush straight in, the trio felt their heads spin. This was the Array Sea, a place all array masters held in awe. Rushing in without even taking out the jade token to stop the array—wasn't that incredibly bold?

"He's just asking for trouble! Even our senior student couldn't pass, and this guy, who appeared out of nowhere, didn't even prepare. What is he doing if not courting death?" the junior student in green scoffed.

"Exactly. He'll probably get trapped or fall into an illusion in the first stage, unable to extricate himself. Then he'll realize how formidable array formations are…" the junior student in white added with a sneer.

As they scoffed, waiting to see the young man make a fool of himself, they saw him walk into the passage, activating the array formation. A mist rose, enveloping him, and simultaneously, the young man's silhouette appeared on the wall.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!* Around the young man, spiritual energy swirled like rolling clouds, completely shutting off one's five senses and sixth sense, making it impossible to distinguish directions.

"It's a trapping array! The spiritual energy is surging so fast and densely, like white mist. If I'm not mistaken, he must have activated the Cloud Sea Trapping Array!" the senior student recognized. When trapped inside an array, one needed a compass for positioning and had to observe the flow of spiritual energy to determine the array's type. But observing from the outside was different; one could infer based on the array's appearance, which was usually quick and accurate. Indeed, onlookers often saw more clearly than those involved.

"The Cloud Sea Trapping Array? That's one of the most powerful and difficult first-level array formations!""This array seals off all six senses, making it impossible to see anything. Even with a compass for deduction, it's incredibly hard to break without first identifying the array's type!"The two junior students shook their heads, filled with sympathy. They hadn't expected this guy to have such bad luck, encountering such a formidable trapping array the moment he entered. Without strength, one might get lucky with a simple array, but facing such a powerful one, he could only admit defeat.

"As you can see, even encountering a trapping array doesn't guarantee a successful pass. To challenge the Array Sea, one must maintain full vigor and possess deep reverence for array formations. Don't learn from this guy's example—he's frivolous, ignorant, and just asking for trouble…" The senior student shook his head, seeing that Zhang Xuan still hadn't taken out an array disc, and turned to instruct his two junior students.

Before he could finish, he saw his two junior students' eyes widen simultaneously, and they began twitching as if having an epileptic fit. "What's wrong?" The senior student frowned, seeing their inappropriate behavior. "Our teacher specifically told us to focus our minds and avoid arrogance or impatience before challenging the Array Sea. How can you succeed if you're so restless?"

"No, Senior, look…" The junior student in green, his face flushed with urgency, pointed forward.

"What's there to be so alarmed about? He's just trapped in a trapping array and can't get out, right? Don't worry, if he can't get out within an hour, the array will automatically disappear, signifying his failure. A trapping array won't hurt his life…" the senior student scoffed, turning around. But before he could finish his sentence, his words caught in his throat, his body stiffened, and his jaw dropped. "What?" He saw the young man, whom he had assumed was helplessly trapped in the array, standing quietly nearby, slowly shaking his head with a serene expression. The mist that had enveloped him had completely vanished, meaning… the Cloud Sea Trapping Array that had so alarmed him… had already been broken!

He had broken the array, making it stop without a trace… Wasn't it supposed to be impassable? And even if he passed, it shouldn't have been this fast, right? He hadn't used a compass or anything, nor had he tried to discern the direction of the spiritual energy. In the time it took him to lecture his junior students, the array was gone… Was this really happening?

"What just happened?" the senior student finally couldn't help but ask, urgently."We didn't… really see clearly. We just saw him kick the array… then, then, then… it was gone!" the junior student in green blurted out.

"He kicked it, and it was gone? What are you talking about?" The senior student's face darkened. "I asked you how he broke the array, and you're telling me he kicked it? What nonsense! Arrays aren't human. If kicking them could stop them, what would they need array masters for? This profession wouldn't be so coveted and feared."

"He really just kicked it…" The junior student in green's mouth twitched, almost on the verge of tears. He had seen it with his own eyes on the stone wall: the guy kicked it, and the array stopped. But saying it out loud, not only did his senior not believe him, even he himself wondered if he'd been mistaken or fallen into an illusion. Otherwise, how could a peak first-level Cloud Sea Trapping Array be broken so simply?

"He did kick it…" The junior student in white also nodded blankly."See? I saw it too, so it must be real…" With someone else confirming, the junior student in green finally confirmed he wasn't crazy and nodded frantically.

"Kick?" The senior student was going crazy. "Did your brains get kicked for you to come up with such an absurd statement? Array formations are formless and intangible… How can you kick them?"

"Alright, no matter what method he used, the first-stage array was simple; passing it isn't too difficult. If he continues to challenge, it won't be so easy!" Seeing his two junior students struggling to articulate, the senior student waved his hand and stared intently. He hadn't seen what happened while he was talking earlier, but this time he wouldn't miss it. He needed to figure out exactly what method this guy used to break such a grand array. After all, his junior students hadn't been studying arrays for long and might have been fooled by some strange trick, missing the real technique.

While he focused his attention, the young man who had just broken the Cloud Sea Trapping Array indeed didn't stop, continuing to walk forward. Soon, he touched the second-stage array, and a white mist arose, enveloping the young man once more.

"It's… an illusion array!" The senior student's pupils constricted. He still felt lingering fear from having fallen into an illusion array earlier and knew how terrifying such arrays were. The moment he saw the type of mist and the direction of the surging spiritual energy, he knew that even if the illusion array this guy encountered wasn't the exact same one he'd faced, it was absolutely no less powerful!

"An illusion array?" The two junior students froze, their faces simultaneously filled with sympathy. To be honest, this guy truly had terrible luck. He had encountered such a formidable trapping array in the first stage, and they had hoped his luck would improve in the second, but instead, he faced an illusion array that had even tripped up their senior student.

"Exactly. In this array, clear qi rises and turbid qi sinks. As they clash and interact, they produce a unique wailing sound. Upon hearing it, one's mind involuntarily falls into the illusion, unable to extricate itself! That's exactly how I was drawn into the illusion without even realizing it!" the senior student said with a grave expression. Recalling his previous experience, he still felt a chill of lingering fear. The moment he entered, before he could even react, a special sound wave entered his ears, invading his mind and making his vision blur. It was as if he had encountered a killing array attacking him, forcing him to defend himself out of self-preservation. If it weren't for his *zhenqi* being nearly depleted, he might not have realized it and would still be trapped.

"That terrifying?" The junior student in white's pupils contracted. "Then… doesn't that mean he can't possibly pass?"

"Illusion arrays demand a very high state of mind. If your mental state isn't sufficient, it's very difficult to break free. He's not even twenty. Even if he started cultivating at a young age, how strong could his mental state be? Even I couldn't pass it; I don't believe he can succeed!" the senior student shook his head. He hadn't seen how Zhang Xuan passed the first stage, but passing so quickly indicated some skill in array formations. However, an illusion array was truly too difficult. It wasn't just about a high understanding of arrays; more importantly, it required a strong mental state. If one couldn't remain steadfast and unyielding, like a rock, it was easy to fall into confusion and become unable to escape. To prevent being disoriented by illusions, he had undergone special training and cultivated rigorously for countless years, yet he had still been directly affected. He couldn't believe this young man, who seemed to be under twenty, could do better than him.

"Look! He's already entered the illusion, and now he's starting to punch and kick wildly… Oh, come on!" Just as he had, the young man was clearly experiencing the same situation of punching and kicking when entering the illusion. Before he finished speaking, the senior student suddenly convulsed and trembled all over. Amidst his exclamation, he saw the young man's wildly kicking foot make contact with the array, and the misty passage instantly cleared. The array… was broken again!