Chapter 217: My Lord, Just Directly Search His Soul! (6k)

Lin Daochen furrowed his brows in confusion, utterly baffled.

Soon, Zhou Qing completed the final stroke and finally let out a long sigh of relief.

“Master, this might actually be a blessing in disguise for us!” Zhou Qing exclaimed excitedly.

Lin Daochen asked, “What do you mean?”

Zhou Qing chuckled and said, “Let me try first!”

Hearing this, Lin Daochen was instantly alarmed and hurriedly stopped him: “No! If you have any ideas, just tell me—I’ll do it. Even if something goes wrong, it won’t be your fault.”

Zhou Qing smiled and said, “We’ve all been on the same boat for a long time now—there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ between us. Trust me!”

Seeing Zhou Qing’s confident expression, Second Uncle’s heart stirred.

It seemed this guy had gleaned something from the Fifth-Rank Array Master’s legacy—perhaps this desperate gamble might actually work.

“Master, believe Zhou Qing!” Second Uncle stepped forward and said.

Looking at the two of them, Lin Daochen let out a sigh.

Zhou Qing turned around and, among the vast sea of runes, first located the “Thunder-Inducing Spirit Rune” in the northeast according to sequence.

This rune had long lost its luster, with fine cracks visible along its edges—but in Zhou Qing’s eyes, it was the critical point of the repair.

After taking a deep breath, he immediately focused his mind.

Instantly, a total of one hundred and eighty-six spirit seals shot forth.

Seeing these brilliant spirit seals, Lin Daochen froze in place, eyes wide with disbelief.

“How is this possible!” he blurted out, frantically rubbing his eyes, afraid he’d misseen.

Just a few years ago, when Si Yunya brought him to become a disciple, this boy could barely form a single spirit seal.

In the years since, he’d been fully immersed in seclusion, striving to reach the Third-Rank Array Master level, with almost no guidance from me.

Yet now, he was nearly a Second-Rank Array Master.

“This… this… this…” Lin Daochen’s lips trembled as he instinctively glanced at Second Uncle beside him.

Second Uncle, equally awestruck, met his gaze and smiled: “Don’t look at me—I’m nowhere near as talented as he is.”

As he spoke, he focused his mind, and forty spirit seals floated into view.

Seeing Second Uncle’s spirit seals, Lin Daochen staggered back in shock again.

He’d always assumed Yunya had only managed seven or eight spirit seals over the past few years—how could he suddenly have so many?

This cascade of surprises overwhelmed him.

Soon, he snapped out of it and burst into loud laughter.

Geniuses—two extraordinary array geniuses—both had become my disciples.

Heaven has been kind to me—so kind!

Second Uncle smiled faintly, then turned to Zhou Qing and muttered to himself: “It’s been years since I’ve been this childish—but I can’t hold back now, or I’ll look utterly pathetic next to him. Keep going!”

At this moment, Zhou Qing exhaled deeply, swiftly forming hand seals. Threads of spiritual energy, just like those Lin Daochen had previously repaired, passed through his own spirit seals and slowly extended toward the “Thunder-Inducing Spirit Rune” before him.

There was no resistance—perfect compatibility.

“Looks like the ‘Lucky Charm’ has brought me good fortune again!” Zhou Qing’s face lit up with joy.

But he didn’t dare slack off, focusing entirely and carefully controlling the flow of spiritual energy.

Time passed slowly; under the aid of his Shen Hua–level spiritual force, the cracks on the “Thunder-Inducing Spirit Rune” began slowly healing, and its once-dull glow gradually brightened.

Lin Daochen was utterly stunned, while Second Uncle subtly turned his head to look behind him.

There, someone was stealthily recording something with an image stone.

Sensing Second Uncle’s gaze, the person quietly slipped away.

“Well, looks like we’ve got another piece of evidence,” Second Uncle shook his head, then turned back to watch Zhou Qing.

After another two full hours, the moment this hidden special rune within the sea of characters was fully repaired, it erupted in a brilliant flash of light, causing the entire array to tremble slightly.

Under Lin Daochen’s tense gaze, this rune did not collapse like the previous two—it instead triggered thirty other related runes around it, which all ignited in unison.

The spiritual energy lines between these runes reconnected and began flowing in orderly patterns.

As the light intertwined, a localized spiritual network was formed.

Seeing this, Lin Daochen couldn’t help but cheer: “It worked! It actually worked!”

Second Uncle was equally stunned, then a look of genuine admiration slowly spread across his face.

“This kid… since the day we met, he’s never once let us down!”

At this moment, Second Uncle felt genuine pride for Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing, gazing at the scene before him, finally let go of the heavy burden he’d been carrying.

Lin Daochen rushed forward, grabbing Zhou Qing’s hand, tears glistening in his eyes with excitement.

He opened his mouth, but couldn’t find the right words.

Zhou Qing smiled and pointed toward the “Wind-Gathering Spirit Rune” in the southeast: “Master, you take care of that one!”

Lin Daochen nodded vigorously—this moment, he finally believed that saying.

Effort means nothing before true talent.

In just a few short years, this boy had traveled a path that took him centuries.

Not only that—he could pinpoint the core problem instantly and devise the most efficient solution.

“Leave it to me!” Lin Daochen said, took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, and strode directly toward the rune.

Zhou Qing turned to Second Uncle and asked, “Big… Yunya-brother, can you handle the ‘Fire-Integrating Spirit Seal’ in the south?”

Second Uncle’s eyes lit up, filled with surprise and joy.

Could his half-baked forty spirit seals really contribute to repairing a Fourth-Rank array?

But seeing Zhou Qing’s trusting gaze, warmth surged in his chest—he stepped forward without hesitation, ready to try.

Zhou Qing, meanwhile, turned his attention to the other runes, ready to step in and assist either of them at any moment.

Fortunately, their luck held—they successfully began the repairs.

Hum~

Several hours later, Lin Daochen and Second Uncle successively activated forty-eight and seventy-two surrounding runes respectively.

Zhou Qing proceeded to repair the fourth main seal, while the two of them held the diagrams Zhou Qing had drawn earlier, waiting for the fifth and sixth seals…

……

In the Guest Hall, Lu Yaoyao leaned against the window, eyes fixed on the distant four-colored array, her face filled with worry.

“It’s been three days already—why haven’t Senior Zhou and the others come out?” Lu Yaoyao fretted.

Nearby, Lu Yuanzhi walked over and gently patted Lu Yaoyao’s shoulder, soothing her: “Don’t worry—it’ll be fine. That elder is with them.”

Lu Yaoyao nodded, about to speak, when she noticed a crack opening in the distant array.

Immediately afterward, the two Third-Rank Array Masters, Su Lishan and Wu Tiangang, emerged with their disciples.

They looked hurried, even panicked.

Seeing this, Lu Yaoyao panicked and didn’t hesitate—she immediately summoned her sword and flew out.

……

“General Jiang, we urgently need to see the Prince!”

As soon as Wu Tiangang stepped out of the array, he turned to Jiang Pojun, who was seated nearby guarding the array, his voice trembling with urgency:

Jiang Pojun instantly opened his eyes, a flicker of caution in them. He stood up quickly and asked, “What’s happened, Masters?”

Wu Tiangang’s voice shook as he said, “It’s a crisis—a crisis affecting the entire border!”

Jiang Pojun’s expression changed instantly.

Without delay, he pulled out a communication jade tablet and urgently contacted other army units to locate the Prince’s whereabouts.

In mere moments, the air twisted violently—and Xuan Yuan Shuo tore through space, appearing before them.

“What’s wrong, Masters?” Xuan Yuan Shuo asked anxiously, seeing their expressions.

The two exchanged glances, then suddenly dropped to their knees.

This sudden act left Xuan Yuan Shuo stunned—he rushed forward to help them up: “What are you doing? What’s happened?”

Wu Tiangang’s voice cracked with regret and self-reproach: “Your Highness, we were wrong—we should never have recommended Lin Daochen to you.”

Su Lishan chimed in: “And we shouldn’t have entrusted him with the core region just to give him practice—never expecting—”

At this point, Su Lishan’s face twisted in anguish.

“What exactly happened?” Xuan Yuan Shuo frowned. As a soldier, he couldn’t tolerate this vague, evasive talk.

Wu Tiangang gritted his teeth and said, “Your Highness, the four-colored array is about to collapse completely.”

“What?!” Xuan Yuan Shuo’s face turned pale, his eyes wide with disbelief.

He immediately turned to them, unleashing a terrifying aura as he demanded sharply: “Explain clearly!”

Wu Tiangang immediately handed him an image stone.

Xuan Yuan Shuo took it and watched immediately.

The footage showed Lin Daochen, accompanied by his two young assistants, actively repairing the core array.

Seeing this, Xuan Yuan Shuo flew into a rage.

He clearly remembered that just three days ago, the two Masters had specifically warned those two: observe and learn, but never touch anything.

Now, not only had they touched it—they’d taken full control.

This was a Fourth-Rank array, vital to the entire border’s safety—not some child’s toy game!

What did Lin Daochen think he was doing?

Was he using the border’s array as a training ground for his favorite pupils?

This is sheer audacity!

They clearly don’t respect him at all.

What do they think of the safety of the entire border?

At this moment, Jiangpo Army, standing nearby, also saw the scene on the Image Stone and his expression changed slightly.

Although he had little contact with Zhou Qing, along the journey the two had conversed warmly, and Zhou Qing’s composure far surpassed others his age.

And Master Lin too is always gentle—how could they treat this so frivolously?

Could there be some misunderstanding?

Just as Jiang Pojun was about to speak, Su Lishan said: “Your Highness, we actually noticed something amiss with the entire array two days ago and immediately conducted inspections, eventually pinpointing the core region.”

Wu Tiangang added beside him: “Indeed, we never imagined they’d do something like this, nor did we realize they’d damaged those spirit runes—right now, the entire array is on the verge of collapse.”

“We estimate that in another five or six days, this array—operating for over three thousand years—will disintegrate completely. That’s why we’ve come, to ask Your Highness to prepare in advance and avoid being caught off guard by the demon tribes.”

After hearing this, Xuan Yuan Shuo’s aura brimmed with killing intent, and he immediately asked: “Even you can’t fix it?”

Both sighed deeply, then shook their heads in unison.

“Truly despicable!” Seeing this, Xuan Yuan Shuo roared in fury and instantly entered the array.

Seeing this, the two exchanged glances and quickly followed after him.

Lu Yaoyao and Lu Yuanzhi, standing a short distance away, had already heard the full story clearly, and now their faces turned pale.

Lu Yaoyao immediately pulled out her identity token to send a message to Zhou Qing, but the array’s barrier blocked it—she couldn’t send a single word.

…

Inside the array’s core region!

Lin Daochen and Er Dadie stood side by side, their expressions tense beyond measure, eyes locked unblinkingly on Zhou Qing.

This final “Qian Tian Yu Ling Zhang” rune, according to Zhou Qing’s description, was the absolute key to repairing the entire array—success or failure hinged entirely on it.

If this spirit rune could be successfully restored, the entire array would be fully “rebooted.”

The so-called repairs by Su Lishan and Wu Tiangang, which had taken five years, were nothing but superficial bandaging—less effective than what they’d accomplished in three days.

But one must admit, this four-color array was truly durable—so many spirit runes in the core region had been wrecked for so long by those two, yet only now were signs of collapse appearing.

“Zhou Qing, don’t rush—we’re counting on you to turn things around!” Er Dadie whispered.

Lin Daochen nodded as well. He’d wanted to say something, but feared adding more pressure.

But there was no choice: the structure of this final spirit rune was unusual, and neither of their spirit seals matched it.

He still couldn’t fathom how Zhou Qing had independently grasped so many rare spirit seals.

So he could only stand by, holding his breath, never taking his eyes off Zhou Qing’s movements.

Zhou Qing himself was also tense, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

The “Lucky Charm” had only one day’s duration. To maximize its effect, he had personally inspected all eighteen spirit seals needing repair.

Luck held—he’d perfectly replicated each one—but restoring them still consumed immense time and energy.

Especially this final one—now he could rely only on himself.

“Don’t panic!”

Zhou Qing kept encouraging himself, focusing entirely on the repair.

“Lin Daochen, how dare you!”

But in the next instant, Xuan Yuan Shuo’s roar exploded through the array, startling Zhou Qing so badly his spirit energy threads nearly snapped.

But there was no time to react—he quickly steadied his mind and pressed on with the repair.

Hearing the noise, Lin Daochen and Er Dadie turned instantly and saw Xuan Yuan Shuo’s furious face, followed by the two masters and several disciples.

Including Fang Jun and others, who wore smug expressions.

Lin Daochen hurried forward, bowed respectfully, and said: “Your Highness, please lower your voice—this is the most critical moment of the repair; not a single disturbance can be allowed.”

“Critical moment? You’re letting a student—”

Xuan Yuan Shuo angrily pointed at Zhou Qing, but his hand froze mid-air, his face filled with shock.

He now noticed nearly two hundred spirit seals hovering around Zhou Qing.

Xuan Yuan Shuo of course knew this young man—on the night he returned, Jiangpo Army had come to him, crestfallen, recounting how he’d been defeated by Zhou Qing in half an hour.

And he’d also felt Zhou Qing hadn’t even used his full strength against him.

But he never imagined this young man not only possessed extraordinary combat talent, but also achieved such terrifying mastery in array arts.

Yet he quickly regained himself and barked: “This is sheer nonsense! Look at what you’ve done to the array!”

At this moment, he could clearly sense the broken runes flickering more frantically, and the once-stable spiritual power now chaotic and turbulent.

Er Dadie watched his furious old friend with interest, standing silently to the side.

He quietly pulled out an Image Stone and secretly recorded the scene.

He wasn’t sure when he’d developed this odd habit—enjoying capturing interesting moments.

Especially when he could later watch his old friend humiliate himself—it gave him great amusement.

Hearing Xuan Yuan Shuo’s words, Lin Daochen calmly glanced at Su Lishan and Wu Tiangang, who had come to accuse him.

Just one look, and he understood—his heart grew heavy.

But it quickly turned to rage.

He could bear the blame—but this desperate betrayal was beyond endurance.

Even a clay statue has three parts of temper.

He glanced at Zhou Qing, straining to repair the runes, and beside him, Si Yunya, unwavering—Lin Daochen made his decision.

Even if not for himself, he must fight for justice for these two gifted children.

To live is to act—and to refuse to act when it matters!

Since you’ve abandoned righteousness, don’t blame the old man for tearing off the mask.

He straightened his spine, stepped forward, eyes blazing, fixed directly on Su Lishan and Wu Tiangang.

“Brother Su, Brother Wu—was it you who noticed the array was faulty and rushed to find Your Highness?” Lin Daochen asked calmly.

Su Lishan’s eyes flickered away, as if pierced by the gaze, instinctively turning his head—as if guilty.

Wu Tiangang, however, stood tall, righteous and defiant, shouting: “Yes! You must understand—we’re repairing a Level Four array! Our rank is insufficient; every step must be handled with extreme caution.”

He stepped forward, pointing at Lin Daochen, indignant: “But you? You became a deadbeat boss, letting two students handle it—do you deserve our trust?”

Then he pointed again at Zhou Qing, still absorbed in repair, his fury intensifying.

Lin Daochen didn’t rush to rebut—he simply watched Wu Tiangang, then turned his gaze to the refined Su Lishan, as if waiting for his response.

Su Lishan gritted his teeth and forced himself to speak: “Brother Wu is right. We’ve assessed and confirmed—in just three days, you’ve brought the entire array to the brink of collapse.”

“The array is about to collapse—you bear primary responsibility.”

Lin Daochen listened, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed heartily—his laughter laced with mockery and disdain.

Then he looked at the two and said coldly: “I, Lin Daochen, am truly impressive—I’ve only been here two days and already destroyed the entire four-color array. Even I’m impressed with myself.”

He paused, looked at them, and continued: “Everyone is here—I have a question for you two masters: if you noticed my improper handling, why didn’t you stop me?”

Wu Tiangang answered instantly: “By the time we noticed, it was too late. You’re a Level Three array master—we gave you face, so we had to bring Your Highness to settle this.”

Lin Daochen’s lips curled into a sarcastic smile: “Oh, I see. You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”

Watching Lin Daochen’s contemptuous expression, Xuan Yuan Shuo gradually calmed, his brow furrowed, eyes shifting between them as if pondering.

Lin Daochen pressed on: “I admit, at first I did damage two runes here, destabilizing the entire array—I immediately came to you two for help. But why did neither of you come?”

“We were…”

“You trusted me, right?” Lin Daochen cut in, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Their faces froze.

Lin Daochen snorted: “I thought the core array was already beyond saving—you were afraid to touch it.”

Hearing this, their eyes flickered with panic, but they quickly masked it.

Wu Tiangang stepped forward again, roaring: “You’re lying! We’d nearly repaired the core array! Since you just arrived, we gave you the easiest tasks to get you familiar—never expected you’d treat it so frivolously!”

Su Lishan added: “We have Image Stone records, and your student is right there—how can that be fake?”

Watching their aggressive posturing, Lin Daochen felt only profound sorrow.

Were these truly the two masters he had always revered?

To protect their reputations, they’d twisted truth and framed others—his heart turned cold.

Now, he looked at them calmly: “Brothers, is your reputation truly that important?”

Clearly, his words struck a nerve—their panic grew more obvious.

Wu Tiangang hastily feigned composure: “I don’t know what you mean, but now our imperial barrier has been damaged by you three—”

“Don’t speak! You think your loud voice makes you right?” Lin Daochen cut him off again, making him even angrier, his face redder.

That question was my last chance for you.

Clearly, you still refuse to see reason.

Lin Daochen took a deep breath and said slowly: “Honestly, you’re too eager. Wait until the array collapses completely, then blame me—I’d accept it. Even if you waited one more day, until the array is fully repaired, your credit won’t vanish.”

“Fully repaired?” Su Lishan, now visibly shaken, seized the point: “The array is beyond saving! How can you repair it in one day? By you? Or your student?”

Looking at Su Lishan’s mocking, skeptical face, Lin Daochen no longer wished to argue—it was pure waste of breath.

He turned to Xuan Yuan Shuo: “Your Highness, whether I damaged the array is easy to verify—search their minds.”

At these words, Su Lishan and Wu Tiangang’s faces turned instantly ashen.

(End of Chapter)