Painting of the Nine Immortals

[He is right.]

Such short words acted like thunders in the sky and stunned Ji Qian Bai and others!

They were important figures with high cultivation levels. They naturally could identify if that voice came from Ling Xian or from the gold dial.

Therefore, despite their strong mentality, they all fell into shock.

What could they do? The fact that an array can be in deep sleep is a knowledge that most people don’t know about. Therefore, not many people can think of it. Why would the protective arrays of their own Sect speak?

Just as everyone, including Ji Qian Bai, was wide-eyed, the grandmaster suddenly spoke. What he said stunned everyone.

“It is true. It is 100% true!”

The master of arrays was extremely excited and his eyes were heated. As a grandmaster, he naturally knew about how arrays can become dormant and transform.

However, the possibility of that was far too small, small to be next to impossible. Legend had it that heavenly arrays with the ability to transform one out of one thousand!

And, it has to be amongst heavenly arrays that existed for tens of thousands of years!

In other words, out of a thousand heavenly arrays that have existed for more than tens and thousands of ears, only one array can be transformed. The possibility of that is tiny?!

Therefore, the grandmaster didn’t even consider that possibility!

Yet this was now a fact that was playing before his eyes, why wouldn’t he be excited? From a certain point of view, a heavenly array going into a deep sleep is the same as the birth of a perfect Dan. It was miraculous!

“Oh my god, I cannot believe something that I’ve only read about in legends is actually happening. This is a miracle!”

The grandmaster was feeling hot-headed and was shaking from head to toe!

After hearing how stern he was, everyone was even more shocked and they were looking at Ling Xian with surprise in their eyes.

He actually did it?

He did something even the array masters couldn’t do even when they worked together?

Everyone was surprised. Despite their mentality, they couldn’t help but be in awe.

This was far too unbelievable. For a twenty-something-year-old young man to achieve something even several masters could not do was something unimaginable!

To call him heaven-defying wasn’t even an exaggeration!

“Supreme Headmaster, four peak leaders, three grandmasters, now you believe what I had said. And now you believe I actually am capable.”

Ling Xian had a faint smile on his lips. He didn’t look like he was taunting them nor did he appear cold.

However, to everyone else, this smile was full of sarcasm and it made them feel shameful. Their faces were hurting from heat, as if they were just slapped in the face, hard!

If they still didn’t believe him, then they would be lying to themselves.

Ling Xian first confirmed what he said by asking the array to speak, then he acquired confirmation from the array grandmaster. The evidence was against them and nobody could argue.

Though he never repaired the array, it was because the Array of the Astonished Gods was never broken and didn’t need it. He just needed to diagnose the array.

Despite that, it was still an extremely difficult task. To know that the array masters and the other grandmasters all had no idea what was wrong.

Yet he merely spent minutes and already found the problem. Other than proving his own abilities, didn’t he just also slap them in the face?

If what had happened was a war, then the winner had been established. The winner was without a doubt, Ling Xian!

At this moment, he swung his palm and landed on everyone’s face!

Remembering how they doubted his abilities, everyone here felt so ashamed and they even wanted to cry. Ji Qian Bai, the Supreme Headmaster, denied Ling Xian twice and never thought he would actually do it!

Yet the fact was before his eyes, why wouldn’t he feel embarrassed?

He was so embarrassed he wanted to crawl somewhere!

“I cannot believe a twenty-something-year-old person would find the problem that these masters couldn’t even find. Though this doesn’t necessarily mean his skills surpass that of a grandmaster, it at least proves that his knowledge with arrays is extremely profound!”

“Yeah, how laughable. I am ashamed to think back about how I was questioning his abilities.”

“Aye, who would know – a newly acquired pupil would have such deep knowledge about arrays?”

“I have been a peak leader for centuries and nobody has been able to slap me in the face. Today, I finally tasted the feeling.”

Everyone exhaled and sighed, their expressions were of helplessness.

As the upper figures of the Shang Qing Sect, out of the entire Yuezhou, they were considered important people and it’s been years since someone slapped them in the face.

Yet before them, Ling Xian very calmly extended his hand and slapped them in the face with a crisp sound. This was something enraging.

Yet they only felt ashamed and not at all angry

They inflicted this onto themselves. If they didn’t question Ling Xian, or if they weren’t so obvious with how they felt, they wouldn’t be feeling like this.

This could only be described as: they deserved it!

“It looks like you all believe me now.”

After hearing all the discussions around him, Ling Xian smiled in satisfaction. The anger in his heart evaporated.

He never hated these people before him. Even with what happened inside the Hidden Territory, he didn’t hate them. Now that everyone had been slapped in the face by him, all the anger he felt naturally disappeared.

The facts were before everyone’s eyes, who wouldn’t believe him now?

Everyone here had a bitter smile. As much as they felt ashamed, they also felt fortunate. How lucky it was for them to not speak to him vilely. Or else their faces would be hurting even more.

Ji Qian Bai especially was so glad that he agreed to let Ling Xian try it out!

Though the result had him and the others lose face, if he didn’t let Ling Xian try, then they never would’ve found the problem with the Array of the Astonished Gods.

Therefore, Ji Qian Bai was extremely glad. Then, he began to internally struggle.

Everyone here was internally struggling.

Because they had been slapped in the face by Ling Xian, despite the fact that they knew they were wrong, they still weren’t happy. After all, they were all important figures of Yuezhou and naturally they wouldn’t be happy.

Yet he was able to find the problem with the array. The heavenly array was one of the important existence to the Shang Qing Sect, from a certain point of view, he had saved the Array of the Astonished Gods. This made them appreciative.

Unwillingness to admit defeat and appreciation – these two contrasting emotions appeared at the same time. Why would they be internally struggling?

“This is a miracle! The possibility of what happened was so low yet it happened. This is unbelievable.” The array grandmaster was still deep in emotions as if he had just seen a real immortal and had to pay his respect.

At this, Ji Qian Bai’s eyes flashed with curiosity, “Elder Wu, what is this dormant state? What does it mean?”

Everyone looked at the grandmaster with curiosity in their eyes.

“It is a special ability of the heavenly array to enter a dormant state. The possibility of that is extremely tiny. Out of a thousand heavenly arrays, maybe one can appear.”

The array grandmaster regained his calmness as he oppressed the excitement he felt. He explained, “Once they enter this strange state, the array will no longer work and it will start to gain intelligence. It is in a state of metamorphosis.”

“Metamorphosis?”

Ji Qian Bai and others were startled.

They were extraordinary in identity and had very profound knowledge. Despite this, they’ve never heard of something so obscure. They never thought that arrays could metamorphose.

“That’s right. You can interpret it as a cultivator attempting a breakthrough. Using the Array of the Astonished Gods as an example, if it succeeds, it will become a being with intelligence and may become even more powerful.”

The array grandmaster spoke slowly and explained the pros and cons of a metamorphosis, “But if it fails, then all the intelligence it acquired will dissipate and its abilities will drastically decrease. Plus, the chances of failure far overwrites the chances of success.”

Hearing this, Ji Qian Bai and everyone appeared flustered.

They never thought that metamorphosis is a double-edged sword. Successful will always be good, but if it fails, it means they will fall down a cliff.

The Array of the Astonished Gods was the root of the Shang Qing Sect. No failure was allowed!

Therefore, Ji Qian Bai hurriedly asked, “Elder Wu, I wonder if you know any methods to help the Array of the Astonished Gods to succeed?”

“I have none. Arrays that enter a dormant state is already very rare, maybe one out of one thousandth. This is why even as a grandmaster, I have no way of helping out the array.”

The array grandmaster shook his head, looking helpless.

He too wanted to help out the Array of the Astonished Gods. But he really had no way of knowing, and he had no idea.

Hearing this, Ji Qian Bai and everyone else’s hearts fell. Their faces were painted with panic.

It wasn’t that they didn’t have the capabilities, it was that this matter was far too important. The array itself was a symbol for the Shang Qing Sect’s spirit, and it was a protection for their abilities as a top force.

If the transformation of the array failed, then to the Shang Qing Sect, it would be an unbearable impact!

Therefore, everyone was silent.

They didn’t want the Array of the Astonished Gods to fail. But the grandmaster had spoken that he had no ways of helping the array. This meant these people could do nothing but to be silent.

Just as everyone was at the edge of desperation, the grandmaster spoke a sentence that triggered their hope but gave them even more internal struggle.

“I have no methods. But someone might.”

The grandmaster spoke slowly and shifted his gaze towards Ling Xian, overloaded with his hope.

Everyone followed his gaze. After seeing that he meant Ling Xian, they were startled and quickly felt more internal struggles.

If anyone here could help the Array of the Astonished Gods, then other than Ling Xian, there was no second person.

Since he knew about the dormant state of the array and was able to communicate with the array, it meant he knew about the transformation process well.

In other words, he was the last straw of hope for Ji Qian Bai!

However, they were just slapped in the face by Ling Xian and didn’t feel very good. Yet now, they were asked to beg him. Anyone would struggle with this idea.

God damn!

Why did it have to be him!

Ji Qian Bai and others didn’t know what to do. They swore that they’d never struggled with a problem the way they were struggling right now!