"I've figured out a few things. This Three Talents Formation isn't easy to break, but it's not impossible either," Song Changsheng said calmly.
Xia Qingxue was slightly taken aback; she hadn't expected him to say that. "You have a way to break the formation?"
"Tch. Come on, kid from the Song Clan. I'll admit you've got some talent, but like you said yourself, this formation sits between Tier Two and Tier Three. What are you going to use to break it?"
Hou Tianming, who had mostly recovered, scoffed dismissively. He was no stranger to Song Changsheng. During the "Heart Trial" held by the Battle Pavilion, he had participated as well and made it to the third illusion stage.
If the rankings were based on how long someone lasted, Song would be first, Xia Qingxue second, and he third. Their performances had left a deep impression on him. He knew they weren't on the same level and even acknowledged that Song surpassed him in some areas of talent.
But that didn't mean he believed someone from a remote backwater like Song Changsheng could crack a formation that had both him and Xia Qingxue completely stumped.
Song gave Hou Tianming a sidelong glance, easily guessing what was going through his mind. It was nothing more than disdain for his humble background, something common among disciples of the major sects.
"If you don't believe me, then let's just keep waiting," Song said indifferently. He wasn't interested in wasting words arguing. First, he wasn't obligated to explain himself. Second, he had no intention of cooperating with either of them.
Of the three present, Hou Tianming was the personal disciple of an elder from the Heavenvein Sect, a powerful cultivator likely armed with all sorts of trump cards not easy to deal with.
Xia Qingxue was even more unreadable. He couldn't gauge her full strength, but given her status in the Golden Crow Sect, her hidden cards were probably no fewer than Hou Tianming's.
If he teamed up with them and successfully broke the formation, he'd likely end up empty-handed.
Even though their sects were bitter rivals, when it came to benefits, all that enmity meant nothing. Based on how disciples of the major sects typically behaved, they'd join forces and kick him out of the picture the moment he became inconvenient. And when that happened, he'd have no one to cry to.
By comparison, Song was more inclined to work with Luoxia City. Not only were they the strongest collective force in the secret realm, but they also had a solid reputation; they weren't the kind to betray allies after achieving their goals.
Worst-case scenario, even if they claimed the treasure for themselves, Song wouldn't complain. After all, he hadn't even earned the right to be here, having gotten in through a free spot. That was still far better than letting the treasure fall into the hands of these two.
Seeing Song remain silent, Hou Tianming assumed he had hit the mark. His look became even more scornful.
Xia Qingxue, however, appeared to be deep in thought as she studied Song with renewed interest. With graceful steps, she walked up to him and asked coldly, "You really can break the formation?"
"You believe me?" With such beauty in front of him, Song's heart remained utterly unmoved. He replied with a half-hearted comment and returned to studying the array with the help of his eye technique; the formation was far more captivating than she was.
"I know who you are," Xia Qingxue said, her tone steady and serious.
"You're a Tier-2 Low-Grade Formation Master. Your grandfather was a Tier-3 Low-Grade Formation Master, and from what I've heard, your talent surpasses his. That's why I believe there's some truth in what you say."
"If you can break the formation, I'm willing to split the treasure equally with you or at least offer fair compensation."
That surprised Song a little. His instincts told him she was being sincere, and the terms she offered weren't bad at all, certainly better than anything Hou Tianming had said.
But after giving it some thought, Song shook his head. "The two of us alone won't be enough. Better to wait for Fellow Daoist Yin and the others."
"Tch. So after all that talk, we're still waiting for them? Xia Qingxue, you're not seriously buying what this guy is selling, are you?" Hou Tianming said with a tone full of contempt.
Xia Qingxue shot him a cold glare. This idiot. All bark and no bite. But in a way, it worked in her favor.
She turned her gaze back toward Song and gave him a small nod, then quietly returned to her spot atop the large stone to meditate and recover her energy.
"Just what kind of treasure is being nurtured in there… if only I could get a closer look."
No matter what he tried, Song still couldn't pierce through the formation to see what exactly was inside. All he could feel was an overwhelming vital energy, so dense it seemed unreal.
"Could it be some kind of life-extending treasure?"
Song's heart stirred. Among all the rare treasures in the world, nothing was more precious than those that extended lifespan.
After all, what were cultivators pursuing on their path to ascension?
Naturally, greater power and more years to live.
The primary pursuit for most cultivators is lifespan. After all, as long as you live long enough, your strength naturally won't be lacking; at the very least, you'll outlast your enemies.
That's why, whenever a treasure capable of extending lifespan appears, it inevitably sparks fierce competition.
The treasure nurtured within this valley was at least Tier Three, and Tier Four wasn't out of the question.
There were only a handful of Tier Four longevity elixirs in existence. Though their effects might vary slightly, each could extend life by at least a hundred years, and if refined into pills, their effects would be even greater.
Even Golden Core cultivators would go mad for something like that!
"Let's hope my luck isn't that bad..."
Song Changsheng muttered to himself. As far as he knew, there was a well-known Golden Core cultivator in the Golden Crow Sect whose lifespan was nearing its end.
If this turned out to be a life-extending treasure, Song might as well just give up and go home; he wouldn't stand a chance of competing for it.
Worse, the moment the treasure was obtained, the Song Clan might face annihilation. He wasn't about to gamble his entire family's survival on the moral integrity of a powerful sect.
While Song was deep in thought, Yin Shang and Niu Dazhuang, who had fallen behind, finally arrived.
Both of them carried a strong scent of blood, clearly having just gone through a brutal fight.
That was exactly the case. After the beast tide collapsed, Yin Shang had taken Niu Dazhuang to hunt down the "Beast King" that had stirred up the horde.
The Beast King had reached the peak of Tier Two; if it weren't for the world's incomplete laws, it might have already broken through to Tier Three. The fight had been intense.
It had taken an entire day to kill the Beast King, even while surrounded by its loyal beasts. And afterward, they'd rushed over without rest, no one wanted to miss the emergence of a rare treasure.
"We've been waiting for you two," Song Changsheng greeted them with a smile.
"Kid from the Song Clan, what's the situation here?" Niu Dazhuang asked in his booming voice the moment he got close, already sensing something was off.
"I've already looked into it. The treasure is sealed inside a Three-Mountain Three-Talent Formation. Its rank lies somewhere between Tier Two and Tier Three. It blocks spiritual sense, has high defense, and packs a serious offensive punch too."
"We're lucky. If this formation existed in the outside world, it would be a fully-formed Three-Star Three-Mountain Three-Talent Formation.
But in this miniature world, without sun, moon, or stars, the formation is flawed, saving us a lot of trouble," Song explained casually.
But Niu Dazhuang felt a headache coming on. He knew about the Three-Talent Formation, and that was exactly why it felt like trouble. That formation was not easy to crack.
Yin Shang noticed his troubled look and asked quietly, "What do you think? Can you break it?"
"If what this kid says is true, then yeah… It's gonna be a problem. I'll have to examine it myself, I can't risk being misled."
Now wasn't the time for bluster. Even Niu Dazhuang wasn't about to make empty promises.
He flew a lap around the three mountains, even launched a few probing attacks. When he returned, his expression was heavy with concern.
"Well, Fellow Daoist Niu? Can you break it?" Hou Tianming quickly stepped forward, though an ominous feeling was rising in his chest.
Niu Dazhuang shot him a glance but said nothing. His thick brows furrowed even deeper.
"Junior Brother?" Yin Shang asked.
"It's the Three-Mountain Three-Talent Formation," Niu confirmed.
"With my skills, I can break it, but I'd need a lot of time."
"How long?" Xia Qingxue asked, now standing.
"At least half a month," Niu sighed. "And we don't have that kind of time."
The spatial tunnel linking the secret realm to the outside world was stable but only temporarily. Since the secret realm's remodeling, the tunnel could only remain open for a short duration each time.
The Qiantian Secret Realm opened once every five years, and the gate stayed open for about twenty days. Since their entry, seven or eight days had already passed, there was no way they had half a month to spare.
Everyone's mood dropped at that, so close, yet so far.
Hou Tianming couldn't help but glance mockingly at Song Changsheng. "Didn't you say you had a way? Cat got your tongue now?"
"I do have a way. But what's it got to do with you?" Song finally snapped. Even a clay figure has a temper. After being mocked again and again, he was done humoring this guy.
"You!" Hou Tianming flared in anger.
But Song ignored him and turned to Niu Dazhuang. "I might have a method to break this formation before the tunnel closes."
"Let's hear it," Niu said. He didn't believe Song's formation skills were better than his own, but they had no other options.
"The Three-Mountain Three-Talent Formation relies on the three tightly connected mountains as its core. If we destroy even one of them, the entire formation will collapse."
"I've studied it for a while and found several hidden weak points. We can form our own Three-Talent Formation and focus our attack on one of those flaws. That should be enough to shatter the external barrier and disrupt the mountains."
Song's plan wasn't very different from Niu Dazhuang's thinking: using a formation to counter a formation.
But the key difference was that Song had located the formation's weaknesses, which would make breaking it much easier.
"You found weak points?" Niu's eyes widened like he'd seen a ghost. He'd inspected the area thoroughly and hadn't found anything, so he was skeptical.
Song nodded seriously and pointed to his eyes. "I've trained in a kind of Eye Technique. I'm confident in this area."
"Well, I'll be... You lucky little bastard," Niu muttered, finally understanding. His look at Song was now full of envy.
As a formation master, he naturally knew that some eye techniques in this world possessed strange abilities related to formations.
However, such techniques were incredibly rare. He had only heard of them, never practiced one himself.
"Since that's the case, let's not waste time. Come with me and point out those flaws."
Once Song Changsheng identified all the weak points he had discovered, Niu Dazhuang immediately rushed to begin preparations for deploying a formation. The Three-Talent Formation required three people to unleash its full power.
Among the five present, Niu Dazhuang and Yin Shang were both peak Foundation Establishment cultivators and naturally took two of the spots. The last slot should have belonged to Song Changsheng, but surprisingly, he gave it up to Hou Tianming, claiming that the latter was stronger.
Since whoever helped break the formation would have the first shot at the treasure, and Hou Tianming believed he was the most powerful, he accepted without a second thought.
"You did that on purpose."
While the others were focused on breaching the formation, Xia Qingxue suddenly appeared beside Song Changsheng, her voice cold and indifferent.
Song Changsheng looked at her with an innocent expression.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"You'd better know your limits. If Hou Tianming dies here, it won't be good for anyone."
Xia Qingxue ignored his excuses and flew into the sky on her sword. She, too, needed to secure a good position for when the treasure was up for grabs.
Watching her retreating figure, Song Changsheng's expression turned colder.
"I won't let him die, but he needs to learn a hard lesson."
...
Boom
A loud explosion rang out as Yin Shang and the others began attacking the formation's outer barrier.
Light erupted from the peaks of the three mountains. Three beams of energy shot out like lightning, aimed directly at the trio.
Yin Shang and Niu Dazhuang, with their powerful cultivation, blocked the beams with ease. Hou Tianming, being slightly weaker, struggled but managed to withstand the attack thanks to the formation's support.
That gave him a sense of relief and made him bolder, speeding up his offensive strikes.
Before long, a gap tore open in the barrier. The three of them immediately abandoned the Three-Talent Formation and rushed inside, targeting the nearest mountain. If they could destroy the peak, the formation would collapse.
The process went smoothly until the moment the mountain peak shattered. At that instant, the formation unleashed its final, concentrated strike.
This attack was on a whole other level.
Yin Shang and Niu Dazhuang managed to block it with their formidable strength, though they still sustained minor injuries.
But Hou Tianming wasn't so lucky.
Without the formation's protection, he could barely withstand normal attacks, let alone the final strike of the grand formation.
"No!"
A streak of light slammed into him. His body plummeted from the sky like a bird with its wings clipped.
Watching this, Song Changsheng's expression didn't change in the slightest. He immediately dashed toward the valley.
Xia Qingxue gave him a deep glance, then followed closely behind.
With the treasure in sight, no one cared whether Hou Tianming lived or died. Yin Shang and Niu Dazhuang merely spared him a glance before diving toward the valley at full speed.
They were the closest and could already see the swaying green vine at the heart of the valley, and the overwhelming vitality was pouring out from it.
Just as they were about to seize the treasure, Xia Qingxue's figure suddenly appeared before them.
The aura radiating from her made even Yin Shang's expression shift dramatically.
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