271: Chapter 271 Soul Power Barrier, He Did Not Break the Formation

Within the Forbidden Array, powerful spatial distortions and soul-bewildering forces were everywhere.

If one's Soul Power was slightly weak or their will was not firm, they would immediately lose their way, falling into an endless Reincarnation of illusions, eventually exhausting their Soul Power and becoming trapped in the Formation.

Xu Ruyu stood in place, not in a hurry to move.

He closed his eyes, not looking with his physical eyes, but instead spreading his Soul Power like mercury spilling on the ground, slowly and meticulously outward into the surroundings.

Wherever the Soul Power tentacles reached, the feedback was not simple images, but countless intricate "energy patterns" and "information nodes"!

These patterns were not static; they were constantly changing according to a certain pattern, constructing ever-changing illusions.

"As expected..." Xu Ruyu thought to himself, "This Taihu Forbidden Array is definitely not just a simple illusion or maze Formation."

"It is a complex 'composite energy-information control System' with a certain degree of adaptability and learning ability."

"Those illusions and mazes are just the surface, the 'user interface' generated by the System's output to achieve the goals of 'trapping the enemy' and 'confusing the enemy'."

"The true core is the set of 'algorithms' and 'energy circuits' behind those appearances that drive them."

He did not act like traditional Formation breakers, rushing to distinguish which path was real, which illusion was fake, or which node might be the Formation Eye.

On the contrary, he was like an engineer who had obtained the design blueprints for a new type of complex machinery, his heart filled with excitement and a desire to explore.

"A Forbidden Array left behind by the ancient mighty beings of the Taihu Clan... such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe up close and even 'interactively' study its core principles!"

Xu Ruyu's eyes sparkled with the light of seeking knowledge.

"Break the Formation? That would be too wasteful!"

"How can such a good learning sample be simply destroyed?"

He decided not to break the Formation for now, but to... thoroughly study it!

Xu Ruyu sat cross-legged at the entrance of this ever-changing cave, pushing his Soul Power perception to the limit.

He no longer pursued breadth, but depth and precision.

His Soul Power carefully avoided those obvious illusion traps and offensive circuits, delving deep into the bottom layers of the Forbidden Array's energy patterns to touch and analyze the core Dao patterns and energy flow logic that formed the foundation of the Formation.

At the same time, he began to try and build a "model" for this Taihu Forbidden Array in his mind, using the thinking framework of The True Explanation of the Taixu Source.

He viewed those flowing energy patterns as "data buses" and "energy channels."

He viewed those changing nodes as "logic gates," "storage units," and "input/output interfaces."

He saw the entire Formation as a massive, distributed "computing network," its "programs" being the various "rule algorithms" for trapping, deluding, and defending pre-set by the ancient mighty beings.

And the "True Eye" of the Formation was very likely the "core controller" or "master energy dispatch center" of this massive network, or perhaps a special "backdoor key verification point."

"Interesting... this part of the structure uses the principle of spatial folds to create visual illusions and path confusion... this part directly stimulates specific areas of the Divine Soul to trigger emotional illusions like fear and desire..."

"Oh? There's even a feedback loop here that can dynamically adjust the intensity of the illusions and the difficulty of the maze based on the intruder's reaction. It's a prototype of an adaptive control System!"

The more Xu Ruyu studied, the more excited he became, completely immersed in the sea of knowledge.

He constantly compared and verified it with the basic Formations he had studied at the Hehuan Sect and the crude but efficient explosive energy circuits of the Acetylene Great Array, absorbing the exquisite design wisdom from the ancient Forbidden Array.

Time flew by during Xu Ruyu's self-absorbed research.

Outside the cave, the scenes displayed on the Light Screen were still blurred and changing. One couldn't see exactly what Xu Ruyu was doing; they could only vaguely perceive that his Soul Power fluctuations remained steadily near the cave entrance, neither going deep nor showing signs of intense struggle.

The first day passed amidst everyone's expectant yet somewhat apprehensive waiting.

"The Holy Master... seems to have been staying near the entrance?" an Elder asked in confusion. "Is he cautiously investigating, or is he trapped by the illusions at the entrance?"

"With the Holy Master's ability, the entrance illusions shouldn't be able to trap him. Perhaps he is performing some kind of deep deduction," Elder Lan Yi analyzed, having developed a blind faith in Xu Ruyu.

The Clan Chief and the Supreme Master remained silent, just quietly watching the Light Screen.

On the second day, Xu Ruyu's Soul Power fluctuations were still stable at the starting point, without the slightest intention of moving to find the Formation Eye, nor any signs of breaking the Formation coming through.

Discussions began to increase in front of the Light Screen.

"It's been two days... why hasn't the Holy Master moved? Although this Taihu Forbidden Array is strong, with the Comprehension Ability the Holy Master showed at the Legacy site, he shouldn't be so slow to find a clue?"

"Could it be... that the Holy Master isn't skilled in the path of Soul Power? After all, his cultivation is only at the Qi Refinement Stage; no matter how strong his Divine Soul is, there must be a limit. This Forbidden Array consumes a lot of Soul Power; perhaps the Holy Master is using stillness to counter movement and conserve his Soul Power?"

"But you can't just sit there to conserve Soul Power; you have to find a way to break the Formation, right? There's only one day left!"

Some young Disciples who were originally full of confidence in Xu Ruyu also began to show worry on their faces. Although Lady Qingli remained calm, her clenched hands revealed her inner tension.

The Grand Elder frowned and said in a low voice, "Clan Chief, Supreme Master, could the Holy Master... have encountered some unknown trouble? This Forbidden Array is ancient; although the killing moves were turned off, there's no guarantee there aren't other strange aspects."

The Clan Chief slowly shook her head, her gaze deep under the moonlight: "His Soul Power fluctuations are steady with a strange rhythm. He doesn't look trapped; it's more like he's... analyzing something. Let's see the third day."

The third day, noon.

Only a few hours remained before the three-day limit.

On the Light Screen, Xu Ruyu's Soul Power fluctuations still remained in place, and there wasn't even a significant change in intensity. Meanwhile, the operation of the Forbidden Array inside the cave seemed to have become "gentle" due to the lack of an "interaction target" for a long time.

Expectation gradually turned into disappointment, and even a faint sense of regret.

"It seems... the Holy Master has truly hit a Bottleneck in this trial."

"Sigh, he is human after all; there are always areas one isn't good at. The Holy Master's Comprehension Ability is already Heaven-Defying; it's normal if his Soul Power or Formation skills are slightly lacking."

"What a pity. If he fails the Soul Power Trial, although the Nine-Aperture Exquisite Array won't be a complete waste, it ultimately won't reach Perfection."

"Time is almost up; the Forbidden Array is about to automatically teleport him out."

Even the Clan Chief and the Supreme Master sighed slightly in their hearts. Although they held high expectations for Xu Ruyu, they also understood that human strength has its limits. To be able to create such a miracle in the Comprehension Ability trial was already beyond human.