Mysteries of Immortal Puppet Master

Chapter 1287: Chapter 500: Testing the Waters (Part 2)

Last time, he was at a loss here and could only leave in frustration.

But now—

He reached out his hand, drawing in the air.

No Array Base, no Array Materials, no Spirit Stones, no array-forming items whatsoever. He merely used his finger to gently sketch in the air, consuming his own Divine Sense and Mana to outline a miniature array.

He used this temporary array specifically to probe the Third Song.

Ning Zhuo walked at times and stopped at others, often pausing to slightly adjust the miniature array in his palm. The array continuously transmitted fluctuations and sometimes emitted a strange light.

Not long after, when the strange light flashed for the seventh time, Ning Zhuo stopped in his tracks, standing still in his original spot.

A gleam flashed in his eyes, and his heart trembled slightly: "Caught it! It’s right here."

He lightly pushed forward with his palm, sending the miniature array into the air.

Like a key, the strange light emitted by the miniature array grew more intense, dissolving the surrounding space and causing spatial ripples.

Within the ripples, space was penetrated, and the scene of the corridor in the Fourth Song was directly presented before Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo stepped forward, passing through this narrow spatial doorway, immediately leaving the Third Song and entering the Fourth Song.

And this time, it only took slightly more than half a cup of tea’s time.

This performance made the observing cultivators feel perplexed.

"Ning Zhuo’s skills in Array Dao are profound. He can break arrays with arrays. Why, during the last trial, did he use clumsy methods to constantly try and fail in the Second Song, and then become helpless in the Third Song?"

There was a huge disparity in the level of Ning Zhuo’s performance before and after.

"Could it be that he’s really progressed so much in just a few days? Haha, how is that possible!" The cultivator who voiced this speculation laughed at themselves.

The Fourth Song.

Ning Zhuo stepped into a new stage.

His Divine Sense was suppressed to within a single yard, and the method of breaking arrays with arrays failed.

The difficulty of the breakthrough was much greater than the sum of the previous three Songs.

Ning Zhuo continuously employed various means for probing and perception, all ending in failure.

"Interesting." After pondering for a moment, Ning Zhuo instead released his Divine Sense, and proceeded forward freely.

With each step, he was feeling.

Feeling the blue bricks beneath his feet, the textures of the corridor pillar, the angle of sunlight, the direction of the breeze.

He walked and stopped, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.

Sometimes, he would pause for a long time in front of a corridor pillar, stretching out his hand to touch the patterns on it.

Sometimes, he would crouch down, observing the moss on the blue bricks intently.

Sometimes, he would raise his head, gazing at the sky outside the corridor.

Whenever he felt something was amiss, he would pause to observe.

Various clues and traces thus continuously emerged and converged in his mind.

A certain crack in the blue bricks hinted at the direction of the Array Line.

A shadow on a part of a corridor pillar concealed an Array Eye.

The angle of sunlight marked the moments of the array’s operation.

The direction of the breeze aligned with the pathways of certain mana flows.

"Found it." Ning Zhuo stopped under a corridor pillar, extended his hand, and gently stroked the surface of the Vermillion Pillar.

He mobilized his Divine Sense and Mana, prying forcefully at the array’s gap at the exact correct moment.

Then, in the next instant, the space opened up, Ning Zhuo stood still, but he had already reached a deeper level.

The Fourth Song, passed!

The guarding cultivators were incredulous, many exclaiming in surprise simultaneously.

The commotion attracted more colleagues, who, out of curiosity, came to inquire what had occurred.

And the cultivators who witnessed Ning Zhuo breaking through the Fourth Song, many were bewildered.

"Ning Zhuo has broken through the Fourth Song!" These people continued to exclaim.

Those asking did not understand: "The Fourth Song is the most tightly guarded level, its array’s operational traces minimized. But with powerful breaking array treasures, one can also break through quickly."

"Cases like Ning Zhuo’s, breaking the array so swiftly, aren’t unheard of."

The cultivators focused on Ning Zhuo shook their heads or waved their hands: "No, you don’t understand."

"Ning Zhuo’s way of breaking the array is quite special. No, to be more precise... quite ordinary."

"What do you mean?"

"He... just walks around and observes, and then seizes the gap at the most correct moment, using the most resolute strike to pry open the gap, smoothly sending himself to the next movement."

"Such a feat, it’s as if he lifts heavy weights with ease, almost like he’s a master of array formation."

Upon hearing this answer, the cultivators who inquired furrowed their brows: "How is that possible?"

"Can he be at a master level in arrays at such a young age?"

"Some prodigies, stronger than geniuses, might reach that level. But Ning Zhuo..."

"Ning Zhuo could also be possible. He is now demonstrating the level of a first-rate genius, but with further performances, perhaps he could stand out and become a recognized prodigy in this year’s Feiyun Conference!"

"Even if he’s a prodigy, he couldn’t be a master of array formation! The reason is simple; his main cultivation is Mechanical Techniques. His time and energy are all invested in that area, making it impossible for him to have substantial accumulation in arrays."

"But the problem is, Ning Zhuo’s performance in breaking the array this time is just like a true Array Master. He seems to, by sheer intuition, keenly detect every subtle flaw, and in the final act of array breaking, concentrate his mana without any hesitation, displaying a demeanor comparable to a master!"

The crowd discussed fervently, unable to fathom, attracting more cultivators to join the discussion.

"Keep watching, won’t we see what level of array Dao Ning Zhuo truly possesses?" This proposal drew widespread agreement.

More than twenty cultivators who were hosting the formation all focused their bright eyes on Ning Zhuo!

Ning Zhuo then briefly reviewed, "Simply relying on Master level intuition, one can indeed break arrays. However, this is also due to my previous breakthroughs of three movements, having accumulated relevant experience and understanding of the Nine Curves Corridor Array."

"Relying on intuition to break arrays requires an underlying basis."

"Next, I should practice using these breaking array treasures."

Thus, moving on to the fifth movement.

Ning Zhuo began using a large amount of array breaking items.

First, he used an Eye-catching Talisman.

The talisman turned into a golden light, merging into the array. Moments later, dozens of light points appeared, indicating the position of the array eyes.

He calculated swiftly with his fingers, figuring out the position of the array base, and then took out the Array Fixing Stake, nailing them one by one into the array base.

With each nail struck, this movement’s corridor operation stagnated slightly.

Once the stagnation accumulated to a certain extent, the flaws revealed by the corridor array became larger, and Ning Zhuo decisively took out the Source-breaking Axe and slashed downward, directly severing the connection between the array eye and the array source!

With a booming sound, the fifth movement corridor was broken, and Ning Zhuo stepped into the sixth movement.

The observing cultivators looked at each other, uncertain of Ning Zhuo’s level in arrays.

The big-headed young man did indeed quickly break through the fifth movement, but not by relying on intuition, rather using talismans and magic treasures continuously.

After a while, a cultivator finally spoke: "It’s confirmed that Ning Zhuo’s level in arrays far surpasses his first performance."

"As for whether he’s at Master level, it’s hard to estimate!"

"His array-breaking items are very excellent, worthy of the heavy price he paid to purchase them. But his level in arrays is definitely not weak either, because using these array-breaking items well is also based on the correct understanding of formations."

"The Nine Curves Corridor Array... from the sixth movement onward, is the real challenge that has troubled countless people. Just keep watching!"

Ning Zhuo walked forward while using array-breaking treasures, continually probing.

"Strange indeed." The big-headed youth showed a puzzled expression, even a Master level in array Dao was encountering difficulties.

Meanwhile.

Shen Xi was also facing the same challenge.

But his eyes gleamed intensely, fixedly staring at the water basin before him. The water in the basin rippled, displaying array patterns one after another. Each array pattern flickered and disappeared, but the more Shen Xi looked, the more excited he became.

His mana was rapidly depleting, his divine sense plummeting like a waterfall, bloodshot eyes rapidly filling his gaze, muttering under his breath, "Indeed it’s like this, indeed it’s like this! It’s not in vain that I’ve spent the past few days in closed contemplation, uncovering the mystery of this movement!"

Having obtained the correct answer, Shen Xi repeatedly took out array formation wonders, starting to set up an array within an array.

His method of setting up formations was very skilled, but extremely complicated.

This action drew the attention of the main array cultivators, who were full of praise.

"Shen Xi is indeed a member of the Shen Family of Nine Palace Immortal City!"

"To set up an array within an array, the difficulty speaks for itself. Shen Xi is merely a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, yet he can achieve this, quite impressive indeed."

"He intends to break the array with an array, which is indeed a good method to break the sixth movement. But with such heavy consumption, the upcoming movements might be difficult for him."

"It’s quite commendable already. In his second trial, he found the correct answer!"

On another side.

Ning Zhuo suddenly paused his steps, and within his Divine Sea, a spirit light appeared abruptly: "I understand, it’s time!"

"In this movement corridor, its time flow sometimes speeds up, sometimes slows down, and sometimes even reverses."