At this moment, Long Xiaoxiao, her parents, and Yu Ting all had tightly knitted brows. Worry was etched deeply across their grave faces.
Long Xiaoxiao and Yu Ting especially were drenched in nervous cold sweat, their complexions turning deathly pale.
They were terrified.
The reason for their fear was simple: the formation Li Muzhi had provided was simply too exquisite.
Moreover, none of them had ever seen it before.
Therefore, they were certain that Chu Maple had never laid eyes on this formation either.
Could Chu Maple truly construct such an intricate formation within the burning of one incense stick?
If he failed, it would prove that his talent in spirit formations was inferior to Li Muzhi’s.
But that was not the worst part.
The worst part was that failure meant defeat.
And if Chu Maple lost to Li Muzhi, his life would be forfeit.
Thus, the entire area fell into utter silence, so quiet that one could hear the wind and the pounding of hearts.
Every gaze was fixed upon Chu Maple, including that of Li Muzhi’s grandfather, who remained hidden within the void.
The one who finally broke the silence was Chu Maple himself.
“Start the timer. If I exceed one incense stick, my life is yours.”
When he spoke, the hearts that had been hanging in suspense eased slightly.
There was not a trace of worry on Chu Maple’s face. On the contrary, confidence radiated from him.
Buzz…
The moment his words fell, spirit formation power once again surged from his body.
That dazzling spirit power was sacred and magnificent, shifting unpredictably in Chu Maple’s hands.
Yet the instant Chu Maple began, the expressions of Long Xiaoxiao’s parents darkened once more.
“Young Master Chu Maple, could he have misread a step?”
They watched him intently while inwardly crying that something was wrong.
Li Muzhi, standing opposite Chu Maple, merely shook his head with a smile.
That smile contained not only mockery towards Chu Maple but the look of someone who believed victory was already assured.
In truth, Chu Maple’s formation-building technique was currently extremely smooth, even faster than Li Muzhi’s had been.
The phrase “flowing like clouds and water” could not be more fitting.
He did not look at all like someone constructing this formation for the first time.
If Li Muzhi’s earlier performance had displayed his spirit formation talent to the fullest, then Chu Maple’s current methods surpassed Li Muzhi’s by a slight margin.
Yet something was clearly wrong with the way Chu Maple was building the formation.
It was so obviously wrong that even Long Xiaoxiao’s mother and the Dragon Clan Chief could see it.
Order is crucial when constructing formations, just like choosing the correct path.
If one takes the wrong road, how can one possibly reach the intended destination?
Sure enough, as time passed, half an incense stick had already burned, and soon the full incense stick was nearly spent.
The deadline was almost upon them, yet Chu Maple’s formation showed no signs of completion.
Though his hands moved so fast that only after-images remained, and though the spirit formation power still obeyed him perfectly, the formation itself did not appear close to finishing.
“Father, what do we do? Time is almost up.”
Long Xiaoxiao looked desperately at her father.
She could not bear to watch Chu Maple die like this. If Chu Maple truly lost, she hoped her father would save him.
After all, among everyone present, only her father might be capable of rescuing Chu Maple.
Yet her father did not dare respond to her plea.
The Dragon Clan Chief had no wish to offend the being concealed within the void just to save Chu Maple.
“Senior.”
Seeing her father remain silent, Long Xiaoxiao turned to the old daoist with the ox nose.
Aside from her father, the only person she could rely on was Chu Maple’s master.
“Your Highness Xiaoxiao, just relax.”
Unlike everyone else, the old daoist showed not the slightest trace of tension.
He looked completely unconcerned for Chu Maple’s safety.
This puzzled Long Xiaoxiao greatly. One incense stick was almost over, yet Chu Maple’s formation had not even taken shape. Clearly, Chu Maple could not complete it in time.
Buzz…
Yet at that very moment, light suddenly burst forth.
Strange noises then erupted from within the formation Chu Maple was building.
“Formation, close!!!”
Chu Maple brought his hands together and shouted lightly.
A piercing roar resounded from the formation.
Immediately afterwards, what had seemed a chaotic mess of runes began assembling like pieces of a puzzle.
In the blink of an eye, a complete offensive slaughtering grand formation stood before Chu Maple.
It was none other than the exact formation Li Muzhi had provided!!!
“He actually completed it?”
At this sight, the expressions of Long Xiaoxiao, Yu Ting, the Dragon Clan Chief, and the others changed dramatically. They were utterly stunned.
Chu Maple had succeeded. Although he had cut it extremely close, barely within the limit of one incense stick, he had still managed to complete Li Muzhi’s formation.
Moreover, the method Chu Maple had used was different from Li Muzhi’s.
Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, they would never have believed that Chu Maple could construct the formation using an entirely different approach.
Seeing Chu Maple finish the formation, Li Muzhi’s expression became indescribable.
He clearly had not expected Chu Maple to succeed using a different method.
Somewhat unconvinced, his gaze shifted repeatedly as he scrutinised every detail of Chu Maple’s formation, searching for flaws.
Yet no matter how he looked, he could find nothing wrong.
Chu Maple had truly succeeded with an alternative method.
“Have you finished inspecting? Does my formation pass?”
Chu Maple asked.
“Heh…”
Li Muzhi gave a soft chuckle before saying, “Interesting. It seems you have picked up a few unorthodox tricks?”
“Unorthodox tricks?”
Hearing this, Chu Maple smiled and shook his head but did not argue.
As the saying goes, one must bow beneath the eaves.
Chu Maple was not afraid of Li Muzhi, but he had to consider the elder hidden in the void.
That person held Yu Ting’s fate in his hands upon her return to Wolong Martial Sect.
Therefore, Chu Maple dared not speak harshly. No matter how much he wished to retort, he endured it for Yu Ting’s sake.
“Since you passed the second round, let us begin the final showdown.”
“Although your formation looks decent, its true power still needs to be tested.”
Li Muzhi said to Chu Maple.
“I am also eager to see just how well you have mastered my formation.”
Chu Maple replied.
“Heh…”
“Though your formation is crude, in my hands you will witness something entirely different.”
“Today, I will demonstrate how to use an originally crude formation to defeat an originally powerful one.”
“I will make you understand that the formation itself is only one aspect. The true strength of the world spiritist is what decides everything.”
Li Muzhi spoke with complete confidence.
His words not only insulted Chu Maple’s formation while praising his own, they were clearly meant to humiliate Chu Maple, stating outright that Chu Maple was inferior.
Chu Maple said nothing further and simply prepared to activate his formation for battle.
But at that moment, the old daoist with the ox nose suddenly spoke.
“My young friend, forgive this old man for speaking out of turn, but if the two of you clash now, it seems rather unfair.”
His words were naturally directed at Li Muzhi.
