566: Chapter 566 The Position of the Peak Master

Su Ming's voice echoed within the great hall. It carried no aggression, yet it possessed a firmness that one could not refute. "Water is never the hardest substance in the world. Any blade can easily sever a stream of water, and any raging fire can evaporate it."

He raised his hand and gently tapped his fingertip against that mass of "jellyfish." A tiny ripple spread across the surface of the Formation, embracing his fingertip without the slightest sign of breaking.

"But equally, water can never truly be shattered."

Su Ming's gaze was profound. "No matter how sharp the sword, drawing a blade to cut water only makes it flow more; no matter how violent the explosion, after the aftershocks pass, the water's surface will always return to calm."

He slowly withdrew his hand, and that mass of Formation continued to breathe silently in the Void Realm.

Su Ming crossed his hands in front of him and bowed deeply and respectfully.

"My Dao is this shield that can never be broken. As long as this Disciple's spiritual power is not exhausted, this shield will never shatter."

Inside the Star Pivot Hall, a long, dead silence fell.

A strange gleam flashed very quickly through the eyes of Eldest Senior Sister Ling Shuang, which were usually as cold as ice. Her gaze was nailed firmly to that soft, miniature Formation, as if she were frantically calculating in her mind where her seven Sword Intents would slide off to if they struck such an intangible object.

Second Senior Brother Qin Yi nodded slightly in approval. The Spirit Mink inside his sleeve seemed to sense that gentle water-attribute spiritual power, poking its little head out and sniffing comfortably.

As for Luo Feng, he had an expression like he'd seen a ghost. He scratched his hair irritably, muttering incoherently: "This is impossible... How could the instantaneous potential energy of the spiritual power impact be absorbed? How were the stress limits of those four diversion points calculated..."

Master Xuan Heng sat on the obsidian chair, the silence lasting much longer than when he had commented on the previous three Disciples.

His profound gaze did not look at Su Ming, but instead focused intently on the "jellyfish" slowly wriggling in mid-air.

A full ten breaths passed.

Master Xuan Heng finally straightened his back slowly, his fingers ceasing all movement on the armrest.

"Eldest Senior Sister Ling Shuang uses the sword, Second Senior Brother Qin Yi uses beasts. Luo Feng and you, use Formations."

Master Xuan Heng finally spoke. His voice no longer carried the sternness of his previous comments; instead, it revealed a distant profundity, as if he were stating some of the most ancient Laws of heaven and earth.

"Of these three paths, some seek to kill, some seek to survive, some seek to break, and some seek stability. No path is superior to another, and no Dao is inferior to another."

Master Xuan Heng's gaze swept over the four people below the steps.

"The sharpness of a Sword Cultivator can sever the thorns on the path ahead; the longevity of vitality can endure the longest winter; the violence of destruction can blast open a desperate, dead-end situation; and extreme defense can preserve the Foundation to stand firm in chaotic times."

He slowly stood up.

His deep blue, wide true disciple daoist robe fluttered gently under the cold light of the hall.

"The Cultivation World is vast and boundless. Formation Peak does not need four identical clay figurines. You four people represent four completely different paths. As long as you can walk your own path to the extreme, then you will be the backbone of Formation Peak."

Master Xuan Heng's gaze finally landed on Su Ming, a flash of hidden approval passing through his eyes, but it was fleeting.

"Today's discussion of the Dao ends here."

Master Xuan Heng had no superfluous words and directly announced the end.

"Everyone knows how their path should proceed from here." He paused for a moment, then continued in a natural tone, "Su Ming, stay behind. The rest of you may return now."

No one paid any mind to this abrupt, separate request to stay. At Formation Peak, it was common for the Peak Revered Master to give special individual instruction to any True Disciple.

Eldest Senior Sister Ling Shuang was the first to turn around.

Her pace remained the same as when she had arrived, without any hesitation. Her white skirt swept through the air in a cold, rigid arc.

But the moment she was about to step out of the heavy stone doors of the Star Pivot Hall, her rapid footsteps paused for less than half a breath, a rare occurrence.

Luo Feng had already crowded next to Second Senior Brother Qin Yi, pulling on his sleeve irritably, still muttering frantically: "Second Senior Brother, you understand the circulation of vitality. Help me think, if I were to add Junior Martial Brother's 'seepage' character slightly into the second buffer layer of my explosive Formation Plate, could I perfectly absorb the pressure of the implosion? No, no, fire-attribute and water-attribute would directly repel each other. Then what if I used void stone powder to create a tiny isolation layer..."

Second Senior Brother Qin Yi smiled gently, letting Luo Feng pull on his sleeve.

He turned his head and gave Su Ming a casual pat on the shoulder.

"Don't mind him, he's gone into a trance again. Junior Martial Brother, come find me at Beast Peak later. I just obtained a jar of rare Jade Bee Nectar, which has miraculous effects for stabilizing the Golden Core Realm."

After saying this, he half-dragged and half-carried the still-muttering Luo Feng as he walked steadily out of the great hall.

The heavy stone doors with star patterns slowly closed behind them, emitting a dull "boom."

Inside the Star Pivot Hall, it instantly became empty and deathly silent.

Only Master Xuan Heng on the main seat and Su Ming standing below the platform remained.

Su Ming kept his hands crossed respectfully in front of him, making no unnecessary movements and showing no curiosity about being left behind alone. He simply stood there quietly, just like that mass of jellyfish he had demonstrated, waiting quietly for the outside world to touch it.

Master Xuan Heng did not speak immediately.

He slowly walked down from the main seat, his deep blue true disciple daoist robe brushing slightly against the obsidian steps.

He walked until he was only three feet away from Su Ming before stopping.

Those profound eyes stared fixedly at Su Ming's face, as if wanting to pierce through that purple true disciple daoist robe to see all the secrets beneath his skin.

"Has the medicinal power of the heaven-mending pill been completely absorbed?" Master Xuan Heng's voice was no longer the ethereal tone he had used to explain the Dao earlier; it had become deep, even carrying a faint sense of oppression.

"Replying to Revered Master." Su Ming lowered his head slightly, his tone steady. "The dao foundation is without leaks, and the Golden Core is stabilized."

"Very good."

Master Xuan Heng nodded slowly.

He turned around, his back to Su Ming, his gaze looking toward the ancient Array Patterns flickering with cold light in the depths of the great hall.

"I exhausted a great deal of personal favors and even utilized the Sect's hidden resources to trade for those two main ingredients from the Tianji Pavilion and Criminal Law Peak for you."

Master Xuan Heng's voice echoed within the empty great hall, revealing a cold reality.

"I did this not because you are a Genius of Formation Peak. Formation Peak has never lacked Geniuses; Luo Feng's talent is even higher than yours."

Master Xuan Heng turned his head, those profound eyes piercing sharply toward Su Ming.

"I did this because I need someone to inherit the position of Peak Revered Master."