“I never would’ve thought a girl like you could be so meticulous,” Chu Feng said with a grin, looking at Wuma Shengjie.
“I’m sure Senior Chu Xuanyuan wouldn’t be as frivolous as you,” Wuma Shengjie shot him a sidelong glance before turning to head outside.
“Hey, girl, where are you off to?” Chu Feng asked.
“To fight for one of the other entrances, obviously,” Wuma Shengjie replied.
“No need to compete with them—just take the Rat Zodiac entrance here,” Chu Feng suggested.
“Are you looking down on me? Do you think I can’t handle it, so you want to go out and fight for me?” Wuma Shengjie bristled, clearly displeased.
She acknowledged Chu Feng was stronger than her, but she was confident she could secure an entrance from these people on her own—she didn’t need his help.
“I’m not going to fight either,” Chu Feng said.
“You’re not going either?” Wuma Shengjie, who’d been mildly annoyed, froze, her expression shifting to confusion at Chu Feng’s words.
“Look here.” As Chu Feng spoke, he waved his sleeve, revealing a formation behind him that he’d been unraveling.
“What’s that? Could it be… another entrance that leads straight into the grand formation?” Wuma Shengjie instantly recognized that Chu Feng was decoding a hidden passage.
“Yep, it’s a secret path that can also get us into the grand formation. I’ll take this route,” Chu Feng explained.
“Do you need me to help you break it open?” Wuma Shengjie asked.
“No need. You go in first. Once you’re inside the formation, keep these points in mind.” As Chu Feng spoke, he flicked his finger, sending a beam of light streaking toward Wuma Shengjie’s head.
She didn’t dodge, letting the light enter her mind.
Once it did, Wuma Shengjie absorbed everything Chu Feng wanted her to know.
That information didn’t just tell her how to swiftly bypass the obstacles in the Rat Zodiac entrance for the fastest clear—it also guided her on what to do inside the formation to maximize her gains, even offering a chance to find the legendary Boundary Sword left by the Immortal Boundary King.
“How do you know all this?” Wuma Shengjie’s eyes shimmered with shock. The information Chu Feng had given her was invaluable—priceless, even.
“There was a senior’s leftover message in the fire prison. I happened to stumble across it,” Chu Feng said.
“From my observations, it should all be legit and useful to us,” he added.
“You mean to tell me you got locked up in the fire prison and just *happened* to find a senior’s secrets about this formation?” Wuma Shengjie’s shock deepened.
“Seems that way,” Chu Feng said, scratching his head awkwardly.
“What kind of luck do you have?!” Wuma Shengjie’s wide, stunned eyes locked onto him.
“It’s just fate, I guess,” Chu Feng chuckled.
“Since your fate’s so good, I’ll compete with you then. I’m going in!” Wuma Shengjie declared before stepping into the Rat Zodiac entrance.
*Boom—*
As soon as she entered, the Rat Zodiac’s open mouth slammed shut.
This signaled someone had entered the passage leading to the grand formation.
“It’s started… but who went in—Chu Feng or Wuma Shengjie?”
Though the Rat Zodiac wasn’t the first entrance to close, it still drew plenty of attention.
Even Wuming Xingyun and Lady Fox Immortal turned curious gazes toward it.
They knew Chu Feng and Wuma Shengjie had both been at that entrance.
Now, neither had emerged, yet someone had gone inside.
People couldn’t help but speculate—who was it, Chu Feng or Wuma Shengjie?
“I’d bet there’s no surprise here,” Lady Fox Immortal said to Wuming Xingyun, implying Chu Feng had likely bested Wuma Shengjie and taken the entrance.
After all, she could see through both their cultivations.
Chu Feng was a realm above Wuma Shengjie, so a clash between them wouldn’t leave much room for doubt.
“Not necessarily. Before Chu Feng showed up, everyone thought Wuma Shengjie was the prophesied child. Seeing her today, she’s no ordinary talent—truly a monstrous genius,” Wuming Xingyun countered.
“So you think there’s still suspense?” Lady Fox Immortal asked.
“Wouldn’t suspense make it more interesting?” Wuming Xingyun smiled.
“Looks like I’m late,” a voice suddenly chimed in.
A figure appeared, landing beside Wuming Xingyun and Lady Fox Immortal.
It was an old man with long hair cascading like a waterfall down to his feet, yet it didn’t touch the ground—instead, it floated upward just before landing.
His golden hair gleamed like it was forged from gold, sparkling under the sunlight, impossible to ignore.
Though his face was aged, his eyes shone with vitality, far too sharp for an elderly man.
They say the eyes are windows to the soul.
Judging by this old man’s eyes alone, his physical condition was exceptional.
This was Master Longxuan.
“Why are you here?” Lady Fox Immortal’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I heard Chu Xuanyuan’s son was here, so I came to see,” Master Longxuan replied.
“You’re here—who’s handling the main formation?” Lady Fox Immortal pressed.
“Don’t worry, the main formation’s already set up,” Master Longxuan assured her.
“Who are you kidding? How could it be done that fast?” Lady Fox Immortal scoffed, unconvinced and a little annoyed, suspecting he was lying.
Master Longxuan and Liangqiu Chengfeng had been absent because they were setting up the main formation.
Since it required just the two of them, she and Wuming Xingyun hadn’t intervened.
But by normal estimates, completing that formation should’ve taken at least ten more hours.
“It’s truly done,” another voice chimed in as a new figure appeared—Liangqiu Chengfeng.
“This…” Lady Fox Immortal faltered, confused.
Unlike Master Longxuan, Liangqiu Chengfeng was utterly reliable. If he said it was done, it was done.
But the timing didn’t add up. Even with their skills, finishing the main formation this fast—ten hours ahead of schedule—was unthinkable.
“Did you tell them Chu Feng was here?” Lady Fox Immortal suddenly turned to Wuming Xingyun.
“I thought it was you who told them,” Wuming Xingyun replied with a smile.
“If it wasn’t you or me, then who told you Chu Feng was here?” Lady Fox Immortal asked, baffled, looking at Liangqiu Chengfeng and Master Longxuan.
Wuming Xingyun cast a curious glance their way too.
They both wanted answers.
“It was me,” a voice declared.
The space before the four twisted, and a figure stepped out of the distortion, standing before them.
Seeing this person, Lady Fox Immortal and Wuming Xingyun’s eyes widened in shock.
Not just them—if Chu Feng were here, he’d be stunned too, because he knew this figure.
It was the old man he’d met in the fire prison, the one who’d told him about the secrets on the prison’s rock walls.
But Chu Feng didn’t know this man’s true identity—one so formidable that even these four towering figures held him in awe.
For this was a true apex powerhouse.
