59: Chapter 59 The Method of Breaking the Formation

I spent three days lurking around the abandoned mine, and finally, I managed to figure out the Heavenly Net Array.

Upon returning to the Dawn Guild stronghold, I summoned Ye Liuli and Mo Wentian overnight.

The three of us gathered around a table of tea and snacks, and I used a twig dipped in tea to draw a rough diagram of the array on the table.

"Take a look," I said, pointing at the damp marks on the table. "This Heavenly Net Array is, in plain terms, just a large-scale spiritual power circulation network. There are twelve nodes evenly distributed along the edge of the array, each guarded by an elite from the Dragon God Temple. The nodes are connected by lines of spiritual power, forming a closed loop."

Ye Liuli leaned in to take a look, her brows knitting slightly. "Twelve nodes... Does that mean as long as we destroy one of them, the entire array will malfunction?"

"It's not that simple." I shook my head. "If a single node is destroyed, the spiritual power will automatically reroute and be supplemented by the other nodes. It's like our power grid back in the Northeast; if one line breaks, the electricity can just reroute through other lines. But—"

I paused and held up four fingers.

"The system has analyzed it for me. If more than four nodes are destroyed simultaneously, the spiritual power circulation won't be able to compensate, and the entire array will collapse. It's like... you know, a table with four legs. If you saw off one, it might still wobble and stand, but if you saw off all four..."

"Then it's game over." Mo Wentian took over, nodding calmly.

"Exactly!" I slapped my thigh. "That's the logic."

Ye Liuli pondered for a moment, her gaze becoming sharp. "Destroying four nodes simultaneously is easier said than done. The twelve elites of the Dragon God Temple are at least level 23, and they are inside the array, receiving its buffs. We need to breach the defense of four nodes at the same time during the Martial Arts Tournament..."

"Furthermore," Mo Wentian suddenly spoke, his voice low. "The Martial Arts Tournament is a formal PvP event with strict rules. It prohibits the use of any items not certified by the system and forbids carrying illegal buff items. Even if we find a way to break the array, we won't be able to use it in the arena."

Once these words were spoken, the room fell silent.

I picked up my teacup and took a sip, my mind racing. Mo Wentian was right; I had studied the rules of the Martial Arts Tournament, and they were indeed incredibly strict. You couldn't bring any random items, and even potions were limited to the standard varieties sold in the system shop.

Wait.

The standard varieties sold in the system shop...

I shuddered, almost jumping out of my chair.

"I've got it!" I slammed my hand on the table, nearly tipping over my teacup. "The rules restrict 'illegal items,' right? But the question is—what counts as illegal? Only what the system deems illegal is actually illegal!"

Ye Liuli and Mo Wentian both looked at me simultaneously.

I became increasingly excited as I spoke, gesturing wildly. "Think about it. My myriad worlds stall system's goods are classified as 'legal buff items' by the system's judgment. They aren't the same as the potions in the system shop, but they aren't hacks or cheats either. Simply put, they are the same nature as the buff food made by cooking players—system-certified legal goods!"

Ye Liuli's eyes lit up. "You mean, if you can develop an item specifically to counter the array, as long as the system certifies it as a legal buff item..."

"Then we can bring it into the Martial Arts Tournament fair and square!" I chuckled. "We're just playing the edge of the rules!"

Mo Wentian stroked his beard, a rare smile appearing on his face. "Kid, your brain is actually quite sharp."

"That's a given," I said, shaking my head smugly. "I may not be highly educated, but I'm lucky enough to have a good system."

No sooner said than done. I immediately opened the product development interface of the myriad worlds stall system.

The goal was clear—to develop an item that could interfere with the flow of the array's spiritual power.

I gave it a temporary name, "Array Interferer," and started adding materials.

First attempt: Spiritual Power Crystal × 3 + Demon-Breaking Grass × 2 + Mine Sulfur × 1

System prompt: [Development failed. Product effect: Array Interferer (Defective) — Effect: Causes all players within 5 meters to feel dizzy for 3 seconds. Side effect: The user also feels dizzy.]

"..." Looking at the text on the system panel, my mouth twitched. This thing wasn't an Array Interferer; it was clearly a suicide bomb!

Ye Liuli glanced over from the side and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Don't laugh!" My face flushed red. "It's the first time, it's normal, totally normal. Let's try again!"

Second attempt: Spiritual Power Crystal × 5 + Demon-Breaking Grass × 3 + Mist Flower × 2 + Sulfur × 1

System prompt: [Development failed. Product effect: Array Interferer (Junk) — Effect: Releases a burst of pink smoke, causing the appearance of all targets within range to change randomly for 30 seconds. Side effect: None.]

This time, even Mo Wentian couldn't hold it in, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly.

"I say, Ergou," Ye Liuli said, suppressing a laugh. "Your 'Array Interferer'—why is it getting more and more ridiculous? Pink smoke? Are you trying to put makeup on the Dragon God Temple people?"

"An accident! Purely an accident!" I glared at the system panel through gritted teeth. "Is this crappy system messing with me?"

For the third attempt, I changed my approach. Since interfering with spiritual power directly didn't work, I would try focusing on "scent." The spiritual power flow of the array was related to the concentration of spiritual energy in the air. If I could create a special smoke that diluted the spiritual energy in the air, wouldn't that indirectly interfere with the array?

I adjusted the material ratio: Spiritual Power Crystal × 2 + Demon-Breaking Grass × 5 + Mist Flower × 3 + Sulfur × 3 + Nether Grass × 1

The development progress bar ran for a full three minutes, and my heart was in my throat.

Finally—System prompt: [Ding! Development successful! Congratulations to the host for developing a new product—formation-breaking incense!]

[formation-breaking incense (Green Quality)] [Type: Consumable / Buff Item] [Effect: After ignition, releases special smoke covering a radius of 30 meters. Special components in the smoke can interfere with the array's spiritual power flow, reducing all array effects within the range by 80% for 5 minutes.] [Usage Restriction: None (System-certified legal buff item)] [Side effect: Emits a loud farting sound when ignited, lasting for 10 seconds.]

I stared at that last line of text, silent for a full five seconds.

"A farting sound?" Ye Liuli leaned in to take a look, her expression instantly becoming colorful.

"A farting sound." I repeated it with a deadpan expression.

"A loud one?"

"A loud one."

"Lasting ten seconds?"

"Lasting ten seconds."

Ye Liuli finally couldn't hold it anymore, clutching her stomach and laughing until she doubled over. Mo Wentian also turned his head away, his shoulders shaking, clearly trying his best to suppress his laughter.

"What are you laughing at!" I was anxious. "The point isn't the farting sound! The point is the effect! Reducing the array effect by 80%! Do you know what that means? It means that the Heavenly Net Array is basically useless!"

"Yes, yes, yes," Ye Liuli wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "The effect is indeed good. It's just... are you sure that when you use this thing at the Martial Arts Tournament, the situation won't be too awkward?"

"What's awkward about it?" I stiffened my neck. "As long as I can win, I'd even fart on the arena stage! Besides, after those ten seconds of farting sounds, there's a full five minutes of array weakening effect. This trade is worth it!"

Mo Wentian finally turned around, his expression returning to seriousness. "Alright, enough joking. Ergou, how many of these formation-breaking incense can you make?"

"If there are enough materials, ten sticks won't be a problem."

"Make ten." Mo Wentian nodded. "At the Martial Arts Tournament, we need to ignite at least four simultaneously to cover four nodes. The extras can be used as backups."

"Alright, leave it to me."

Mo Wentian stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the night scenery outside. He was silent for a moment before speaking. "There is one more thing—Senior Brother Liu Qing."

His tone became cold. "On the day of the Martial Arts Tournament, I will deal with him. It is my dereliction of duty that such a traitor has appeared in the Sword Pavilion. But before that, we cannot alert the enemy."

"Elder Mo," I hesitated for a moment, but asked anyway. "Senior Brother Liu Qing... why on earth would he help the Dragon God Temple? He is, after all, the head senior brother of the Sword Pavilion's outer sect; he has a bright future."

Mo Wentian did not answer, only shaking his head slightly. "Some people's ambitions are not something you can understand."

That was quite a statement; I pondered it for a long time but couldn't make sense of it. But never mind, Mo Wentian would handle Senior Brother Liu Qing's matter. What was most important for me now was to improve my strength.

For the next few days, apart from making formation-breaking incense, I focused entirely on the Sword Saints Three Styles.

I had become increasingly proficient with the two moves, Sky Breaker and Moon Slash. When used individually, their power was quite impressive. However, the problem was that the connection between these two moves was not smooth enough; there was always a momentary pause when switching.

In PvP, a momentary pause is fatal.

I practiced repeatedly on the training grounds behind the Sword Pavilion, training late into the night. Sky Breaker—Moon Slash—Sky Breaker—Moon Slash—

After countless repetitions, my arms felt as heavy as lead, and sweat had soaked through my clothes.

Just when I was about to give up, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed my mind.

Sky Breaker is a linear thrust, while Moon Slash is an arc-shaped horizontal slash. One vertical, one horizontal; one rigid, one soft. What if I didn't follow the order, but instead transitioned directly into the horizontal trajectory of Moon Slash during the thrust of Sky Breaker?

I took a deep breath and gripped my sword tightly. Sky Breaker—Rise!

My body shot forward like an arrow. At the very instant the thrust reached its maximum speed, I violently twisted my waist, and the sword blade turned from a straight line into an arc—

Boom! A crescent-shaped sword qi flew out from the tip of the sword, at least 30% more powerful than a normal Moon Slash!

"Well done, kid!" A voice came from behind me. I turned to look and saw that Mo Wentian had been standing by the training ground at some point, stroking his beard and watching me with a smile.

"You've grasped the essence of this move," he said. "The key to the fusion of Sky Breaker and Moon Slash lies in that turning point. You've found it."

"Hehe," I scratched my head in embarrassment. "Just a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse."

"Don't be modest." Mo Wentian walked over and patted my shoulder. "With your level 22 cultivation, being able to achieve this is already quite remarkable. However..."

He paused, his gaze becoming profound. "Regarding the third style of the Sword Saints Three Styles—World Annihilation, do you have any feeling for it?"

World Annihilation. I had indeed tried to sense the third style, but every time it felt like I was separated by a thick layer of fog; I couldn't feel anything at all.

"None," I shook my head honestly. "To me, the third style is like a legend; I can't get a handle on it at all."

Mo Wentian didn't say much more, only leaving behind one sentence: "Don't rush. When it's time, it will come naturally."

After he left, I opened the system panel and, sure enough, saw a new notification—

[Sword Saints Three Styles · World Annihilation — Unlock condition: Host must reach level 25 and comprehend Sword Intent. Current progress: 0 / 100]

Level 25... I'm only level 22 now, still three levels short. And those four words, "comprehend Sword Intent," sound mysterious.

"Fine, I'll take it slow." I sighed and closed the system panel.

There's no point in rushing; I'll handle the Martial Arts Tournament first.

I looked up at the fish-belly white dawn appearing on the horizon; a new day was about to begin. And the Martial Arts Tournament was drawing closer day by day.