528: Chapter 528 The Turmoil at Wanbaolou

The black-robed Cultivator snorted coldly and took a step forward.

"A normal transaction?" His voice suddenly rose, intentionally loud enough for the surrounding Cultivators entering and leaving to hear clearly. "That Formation Plate the Qingming Sword Sect Disciple just bought was goods consigned by our Wanbao Tower at a Loose Cultivator's stall!"

He extended a finger and pointed it sharply at Su Ming's nose.

"You brat, under the guise of inspecting the goods, you stared at our Formation Plate for an entire incense stick's time. Do you dare to say you weren't using your Divine Sense to secretly copy the Array Patterns? You have quite the nerve, trying to steal Wanbao Tower's core technology!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a circle of curious Cultivators immediately gathered around.

Rules in the Central Continent are strict; stealing core Formations or Pill Formulas from major chambers of commerce is a capital offense punished by having one's cultivation crippled and being burned alive as a 'sky lantern'.

"Nonsense!" Qingfeng's face turned red with anger. "Su Ming was just looking with his eyes; he didn't use any copying Jade Slips at all! So many people here saw it!"

"Looking with his eyes?" The black-robed Cultivator scoffed loudly as if he had heard a massive joke. "A Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator can understand high-level Formations just by looking? Do you take me for a three-year-old child?"

He waved his hand sharply, and the four thugs behind him immediately pressed forward.

"Cut the crap! Whether you stole it or not, come with us to Wanbao Tower's branch. Once we use the Soul-searching secret technique to inspect your Sea of Consciousness, the truth will naturally come to light!"

Searching the Sea of Consciousness!

This is an extremely malicious method to use against a Cultivator; the slightest mistake can turn a person into an idiot.

Moreover, once soul-searched, Lin Yu's existence would be completely exposed. At that time, it wouldn't just be Wanbao Tower they'd attract, but also the pursuit of the Shen Family's enemies.

At this moment, Su Ming's gaze darkened completely.

An extremely cold killing intent quietly spread from the bottom of his heart.

"Disciple, stay calm."

Lin Yu's voice rang out in the Sea of Consciousness, devoid of its usual laziness and speaking very rapidly.

"This is a common trick used by Central Continent chambers of commerce to force a sale. They have no idea if you've memorized anything; they just see you're a stranger and dressed plainly, so they want to frame you with this serious accusation to scare you. Then they'll force you to hand over all your Spirit Stones for a private settlement."

Lin Yu's soul body swam quickly through the Void Realm.

"You must not make a move. Once you strike first, you'll be in violation of Baibao Pavilion's rules, giving them a legitimate reason to kill you in the street."

Su Ming took a deep breath.

Su Ming looked up.

He looked at the gloating black-robed Cultivator, and a faint, mocking smile suddenly curled at the corner of his mouth.

"You keep saying that Formation Plate is Wanbao Tower's goods, and that I stole your core technology."

Su Ming's voice wasn't loud, but it was infused with a trace of pure Spiritual Qi. The sound pierced through the noisy crowd, clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.

"Then I would like to ask this Fellow Daoist for some guidance."

Su Ming took half a step forward, his eyes burning like torches as he stared fixedly into the black-robed Cultivator's eyes.

"That set of 'Guiding' characters at the core of the Formation Plate used to regulate spiritual energy backflow—which variant was used?"

The sneer on the black-robed Cultivator's face froze instantly.

He stared blankly at the grey-clothed youth whose presence had suddenly shifted, his mind momentarily going blank.

Which variant?

He was just a thug responsible for guarding the premises and extortion; usually, he only knew how to hack people and collect Spirit Stones. How could he understand some damned Formation variant! He hadn't even looked closely at what that Formation Plate looked like!

"You... stop trying to change the subject!" the black-robed Cultivator roared, his bravado masking his inward fear. "I'm asking if you stole the knowledge!"

Su Ming didn't even wait for him to finish before sharply interrupting him.

"That was the seventh variant of the Guiding character!"

Su Ming's voice was like a heavy hammer striking the silent crowd.

"The core of that variant lies in reversing the flow of Spiritual Qi to form three nested loops. This is the secret Legacy of Immortal Master Master Xuan Heng's lineage from the Formation Peak of the Cloud Hidden Sect in the Northern Territory!"

Su Ming suddenly pointed at the black-robed Cultivator.

"I, for one, would like to ask your Wanbao Tower: where exactly did your so-called 'core goods' steal my Cloud Hidden Sect's Formation from?!"

The entire place erupted into an uproar.

The surrounding Cultivators immediately broke into a frenzy. Pointing and whispering, their discussions surged toward the black-robed Cultivator like a tide.

"You're slandering us! Nonsense!" Large beads of cold sweat broke out on the black-robed Cultivator's forehead as he shouted in panic. "What evidence do you have that it's your Formation?!"

"Evidence?"

Su Ming gave a cold laugh.

Without the slightest hesitation, he flipped his left hand and took out an uncarved, blank jade Formation Plate from his Storage Pouch.

He held the Formation Plate in one hand, slightly curving the index finger of his right hand.

Under the gaze of hundreds of people, Su Ming's finger moved across the blank Formation Plate with the fluidity of flowing water.

Without using any Carving Knife, strands of extremely pure azure-blue water-attribute Spiritual Qi seeped from his fingertips, as if possessing a life of their own, deeply engraving themselves onto the surface of the Formation Plate.

In just three breaths' time.

A set of extremely complex and exquisite runes, featuring three ripples of water, appeared strikingly before everyone.

This was exactly that core set of 'Guiding' character variants from the ancient wood Formation Plate!

"This... this technique of Forming patterns in the void is indeed the Formation path of the Cloud Hidden Sect!" In the crowd, an experienced elderly Loose Cultivator cried out in surprise. "I visited the Northern Territory many years ago; I could never be mistaken!"

"Did Wanbao Tower really steal someone else's Formation to sell?"

"That black-robed guy couldn't even answer what the variant was just now; he's clearly here to extort someone!"

The discussions grew louder, and the looks the spectating Cultivators gave the black-robed thugs shifted from amusement to disdain.

The black-robed Cultivator felt his hands and feet go cold.

He never expected that the "fat sheep" he had randomly picked, who looked weak and easy to bully, would turn out to be a tiger in sheep's clothing. Not only could he carve high-level Array Patterns on the spot, but he also directly pinned the accusation of "stealing a major sect's Legacy" onto Wanbao Tower!

If this matter escalated, his head wouldn't be enough to appease the Tower Master.

Su Ming held the shimmering Formation Plate and pressed forward step by step. "Whose Formation was stolen by whom?!"

"Stop."

Just as the black-robed Cultivator fell into complete despair and was about to recklessly snatch the Formation Plate.

A low, majestic voice drifted out from the gates of Baibao Pavilion.

Along with the voice, a massive pressure of the Golden Core Early Stage swept out like a tsunami. The noisy crowd instantly fell silent, everyone lowering their heads in awe.

A middle-aged Cultivator with a plump face, wearing an embroidered robe, walked out quickly from the gate with his hands behind his back and a swaggering gait.

"Lord Manager!"

The black-robed Cultivator knelt on one knee as if he had seen a savior.

The fat manager didn't even spare him a glance, kicking him directly in the chest.

*Bang!*

The Foundation Establishment Peak black-robed Cultivator was sent flying three zhang away by the kick, crashing heavily at the bottom of the steps and spitting out a large mouthful of blood.

"You blind dogs! How dare you stop just anyone!"