Chapter 253: Daily Appraisal: Good Luck Poster with Dual Pupils (6k)

Hearing this, No. 6 fixed her gaze on Zhou Qing, surprised.

If she remembered correctly, back then in the abyss where Old Peng Wang perished, Zhou Qing had only condensed a mere twenty spirit seals.

Only a few years have passed, yet he not only comprehended the realm’s essence and successfully broke through to Soul Transformation, but also condensed a thousand spirit seals?

Such talent is exceedingly rare, even in a Level Five cultivation nation.

But so what? This isn’t an ordinary two-color array—it’s a terrifying six-color prohibition.

She had never seen or even heard of such a thing.

Yet seeing Zhou Qing’s serious expression, No. 6 suddenly had an idea and ventured, “What if you light three incense sticks and bow? Could that unlock it?”

Zhou Qing: “...”

You really think one trick can solve everything!

But now he has the [Good Luck Poster] active—it should grant the [Daily Appraisal] some useful clues.

Besides, don’t forget—he possesses the ancient Void Spider’s innate ability, [Dual Pupils]. It might prove crucial.

“Let’s try,” Zhou Qing smiled faintly. “Who knows? Maybe it’ll work.”

No. 6 stared at Zhou Qing, hesitated a brief instant, then nodded. “Alright.”

She turned, facing the pond, her spiritual power surging.

In an instant, ten thousand spirit seals spiraled forth, and the ice dragon roared as it reactivated the six-color pillar.

But this time, the array did not attack; it lay lifeless, like an ancient tomb sealed for a thousand years, radiating oppressive energy.

It seemed utterly locked shut.

Seeing this, No. 6’s face darkened.

Good thing that bastard ran off—if not for family ties, she’d have cut Yan Sen to pieces.

Zhou Qing, meanwhile, took a deep breath and calmed his nervous mind.

He gently placed the [Good Luck Poster] in his palm, closed his eyes, silently prayed, then initiated the second appraisal.

[Six-Color Array: This is an extremely ancient six-color array. Having been forcibly breached, it triggered its self-protection mechanism and sealed itself.]

[But no one knows that someone once subtly altered a portion of this array, shifting the crucial core structure—the “Biyou Teng Zhuan.”]

[Though now locked, if you locate it and strike it precisely to cause a complete displacement of this spirit rune, you can reactivate the array’s original function.]

Seeing the feedback, Zhou Qing’s heart surged with joy.

The [Good Luck Poster] had activated again!

But what was the “Biyou Teng Zhuan”?

None of the spirit seals he had mastered matched this one.

At that moment, No. 6 turned her head toward Zhou Qing, her eyes questioning.

Zhou Qing steadied his composure and asked, “Elder, do you know the ‘Biyou Teng Zhuan’?”

No. 6 frowned in confusion but nodded, and with a flick of her spirit, a spirit seal materialized before her.

At first pure white, the seal instantly turned a deep emerald green.

Close enough to see its details, Zhou Qing clearly discerned the intricate patterns etched upon it.

They resembled entwined vines, radiating an ancient, primordial aura.

“Rare spirit seal!” Zhou Qing stared, eyes gleaming, awed.

Lu Yaoyao also curiously leaned in.

If this were truly Third Mom, and she was a Level Four array master while Father was Level Two, shouldn’t she have inherited at least some talent in this field?

Yet now, aside from a slight resemblance in physique, she had zero interest in spirit seals or arrays.

She just found them bafflingly fascinating, like a layperson marveling at magic.

Watching Zhou Qing’s curious expression, No. 6 raised an eyebrow, her tone calm. “What’s the issue?”

Zhou Qing tore his gaze away and hurriedly said, “Elder, this array must contain a ‘Biyou Teng Zhuan.’ If we can shift its position, we might still unlock the six-color array.”

No. 6’s dull eyes instantly brightened. “You’re certain?”

“Certain!” Zhou Qing answered firmly.

No. 6 frowned slightly, a flicker of suspicion in her eyes. “How do you know?”

Zhou Qing cleared his throat, evasive. “A feeling.”

“You’ve never even seen the ‘Biyou Teng Zhuan.’ How could you feel it?” No. 6’s eyes brimmed with doubt.

Zhou Qing: “...”

Upon hearing Zhou Qing had a solution, Lu Yaoyao’s eyes filled with admiration.

She stepped forward quickly and explained, “Sister, my senior brother loves reading—especially obscure books.”

“Before he cultivated, he picked up random books from street stalls. Even imperial princes now come to him to identify strange artifacts.”

No. 6 glanced at Zhou Qing’s awkward expression and knew it wasn’t true.

But everyone has secrets. Since Zhou Qing refused to explain, she wouldn’t press.

The situation was already dire—might as well try anything.

Her expression turned stern, icy energy radiating from her body, her eyes glacial.

With her immense spiritual force, her consciousness drifted like an invisible thread into the complex array.

She sought the crucial “Biyou Teng Zhuan” among sixty thousand bizarre, densely packed spirit seals.

While Lu Yaoyao’s attention was fixed on No. 6, Zhou Qing seized the chance, curious.

He slowly closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and adjusted his state.

When he opened them again, his pupils had split into dual pupils.

Especially the two crimson pupils—like twin burning blood moons, radiating eerie energy.

Deep within them, a peculiar spider flickered in and out, roaring upward as if declaring its existence to the world.

Its body was covered in runes, its eight long legs trembling slightly.

Each tremor seemed to disrupt the order of space; strange energies seeped from its body, merging into Zhou Qing’s vision.

With the [Dual Pupils] enhanced, the array before him transformed utterly.

To ordinary eyes, the six-color pillars soared skyward—but to Zhou Qing, they revealed their essence: thousands of glowing, obscure spirit runes.

Each rune pulsed with its own unique spiritual resonance, rhythmic and alive.

Their movement was blindingly fast, weaving and colliding through the array’s pathways, magnificent beyond words.

He didn’t recognize ninety-nine percent of them—rare even among rarities. He couldn’t imagine how vast the knowledge of the master who crafted this array must be.

But no time for awe—he urgently scanned the sea of spirit seals, yet their sheer number and constant shifts overwhelmed him.

Some moved without pattern, dizzying his sight.

“I refuse to believe it!” Zhou Qing forced his focus, meticulously analyzing every seal’s traits, hunting for the “Biyou Teng Zhuan.”

Time passed. No. 6 felt a sharp pain in her eyes, her spiritual force drained—she halted to rest.

She had only mastered ten thousand spirit seals; barely crossed the threshold of a Level Four array master. Finding one specific rune among sixty thousand? Impossible.

Mastering ten thousand to forty thousand spirit seals qualifies one as a Level Four array master.

Level Five requires fifty thousand; Level Six, sixty thousand.

This array brimmed with rare spirit runes—only a legendary Level Seven master could have designed it.

He couldn’t fathom what had happened here in ancient times.

Zhou Qing also stopped immediately—[Dual Pupils] drained spiritual power and mental energy terrifyingly fast.

In mere moments, his head spun; he felt on the verge of fainting.

If he ever broke through to the Severing Spirit realm, using [Dual Pupils] wouldn’t leave him this drained.

“You’re certain the ‘Biyou Teng Zhuan’ exists inside?” No. 6’s eyes glowed with icy energy, as if cooling herself.

But when she turned, she saw Zhou Qing’s eyes were equally bloodshot.

Zhou Qing clutched his eyes tightly. “It’s there—I swear it!”

Lu Yaoyao snapped back to reality, seeing their red eyes—like they’d just cried—and grew worried.

Hearing Zhou Qing’s assurance, No. 6 bit her lip, rested briefly, then gathered her strength and resumed searching.

Zhou Qing, meanwhile, sat cross-legged and began to recover.

Thus, until midnight, No. 6 had searched countless times, utterly exhausted from within to without.

Each time she rested and re-entered, the entire array was scrambled anew by an invisible hand.

All rune sequences reset—she had to start over from scratch each time.

“Ugh—”

Suddenly, Zhou Qing heard an extremely faint gagging sound.

He glanced up instinctively—No. 6’s ears flushed red, a flicker of embarrassment crossing her face.

Lu Yaoyao moved to rush forward in concern, but Zhou Qing swiftly tugged her sleeve and shook his head subtly.

Lu Yaoyao paused, understanding instantly, and reluctantly sat back down.

“Senior Brother Zhou, can’t you help her? Don’t you see she’s about to vomit from searching?” Lu Yaoyao whispered.

Zhou Qing sighed helplessly. “Easy for you to say. This is an insanely complex six-color array. Just finding the key point is already a miracle.”

Lu Yaoyao pouted. “Then how much of the legacy left by Xuan Qingzi have you mastered?”

Zhou Qing glanced at her, irritated. “You’ve seen my thousand spirit seals. Tell me how much I’ve mastered.”

Lu Yaoyao sighed softly.

It was all that damned Suanni ’s fault—if it hadn’t disrupted the Level Nine master, he might have left behind the full legacy.

Zhou Qing, gazing at the nearly depleted [Good Fortune Slip], felt a surge of anxiety.

Relying solely on No.6 to search for spiritual patterns was clearly insufficient—she had only comprehended ten thousand spiritual seals.

It was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.

He had hoped to enter the ruins early and use the [Good Fortune Slip] to acquire more valuable items.

Even if there were no rare treasures inside, at least he could rely on good fortune to avoid unnecessary dangers.

After all, the old Peng King, a peak Cultivation Base of the Spirit Severing Realm, had only explored the outer regions—clearly, the dangers within were extremely high.

Then, he gripped the [Good Fortune Slip] tightly and activated his dual eyes once more.

After half a stick of incense had burned, Zhou Qing’s eyes burned with pain and his spirit grew weary—he was on the verge of collapse when, amid the sea of spiritual patterns, he suddenly spotted a flash of green.

Its shape was nearly identical to the “Biyou Teng Seal” that No.6 had shown him.

This discovery instantly revived his scattered spirit, and he immediately redirected the golden flower’s reserve spiritual power from the four-colored blossom.

As his spiritual force reached full capacity, he locked onto it with even greater precision.

It was hidden between the intricate gaps of the spiritual patterns, emitting a faint, flickering glow that vanished in an instant.

Seeing it about to vanish and reassemble into the array, Zhou Qing dared not delay a single moment—he erupted in golden light, instantly transforming into the second form of the Golden Peng true body.

Then, like a streak of golden lightning, he surged forward, compressing the air along his path into twisted, distorted shapes that emitted piercing sonic booms.

No.6, resting ahead, instantly tensed, instinctively moving one hand—spiritual power condensed rapidly at her fingertip, forming a black lotus.

It emitted a faint glow, spinning at high speed.

Hum—

Zhou Qing shot past her side at blinding speed; the wind from his passage sent No.6’s hair whipping wildly.

Moments later, reaching the array’s edge, Zhou Qing raised his golden arm high, muscles taut, veins bulging, summoning every ounce of his strength, and roared: “Open!”

Then, his right fist clenched, charging forward with unstoppable momentum, slamming down onto the “Biyou Teng Seal.”

In the next instant, as his fist struck the spiritual pattern, a blinding six-colored light erupted, and countless spiritual patterns within flashed wildly.

Especially the “Biyou Teng Seal” directly struck by his fist—under the force of the impact, its stable trajectory was shattered, slowly veering off course.

Instantly, the entire six-colored array erupted in a deafening roar, like an ancient bellow shaking heaven and earth.

Then, the spiritual patterns within the array began flashing furiously; the previously lifeless seal now bloomed with vibrant vitality, as if dead wood had sprung back to life.

Streams of light shot from the array, piercing the heavens, even dyeing the clouds above into six radiant colors.

Until, gradually, the self-sealing force within dissipated, and an ancient aura began to spread outward.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing exhaled deeply.

Finally—it was back on track!

Lu Yaoyao stood frozen, a layperson who only saw her father glowing golden, like a deity stepping from myth, standing before the luminous, grand six-colored array.

In this moment, he was dazzlingly brilliant!

But seeing her third mother’s excited expression, she felt even more certain that her young father had accomplished something extraordinary.

No.6’s eyes widened; the black lotus in her hand faded away, and she felt ashamed for misjudging him—but mostly, she could not believe it.

A spiritual sense user at the late Spirit Severing Realm, and a Level Four Array Master, who had spent immense effort searching for so long, had failed to find this pattern—yet a beginner in the Nascent Soul Realm had found it effortlessly?

Yet, this was not the most shocking part.

The key was, under Zhou Qing’s manipulation, the “Biyou Teng Seal” had genuinely altered the entire array’s flow.

Such understanding and control of arrays—how could a Level Two Array Master possess such insight and vision?

It completely overturned her previous understanding of array talent.

[Heart Mirror Point +9]

Above his head, the [Fated One] label instantly changed to [Truly Fated One].

“Elder, what should I do next?” Zhou Qing turned to face No.6.

He had to hurry—the entire [Good Fortune Slip] was growing dim; it could last at most two or three more hours before being exhausted.

But No.6 did not answer immediately; instead, she studied Zhou Qing intently, her gaze burning.

From twenty spiritual seals a few years ago to now a thousand—this man might possess an innate talent for arrays.

And he had achieved this entirely without guidance, relying solely on his own exploration—making it all the more precious.

Perhaps Zhou Qing truly was an uncarved jade, brimming with boundless potential.

“Do you want to become my disciple?” No.6 suddenly asked, her voice carrying a hint of hope.

Zhou Qing froze, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.

“No!” No one expected Lu Yaoyao to be the first to shout out a sharp refusal.

This abrupt response made both of them turn to stare at her.

Meeting their gazes, Lu Yaoyao flushed awkwardly and stammered: “I—I mean, you’re so beautiful, no man could resist you.”

“As your junior sister, I know him too well—teacher-student romance violates ethics… wu wu~”

Before she could finish, Zhou Qing moved swiftly, lunging forward and clamping his hand over her mouth, his face filled with helplessness.

Then, he turned to No.6 with an embarrassed expression and hurriedly said: “Elder, my junior sister sometimes has a loose mind—please don’t take her words seriously.”

Zhou Qing paused, then continued: “Moreover, I already have a Master. My Master has bestowed great kindness upon me, guiding me meticulously in the path of cultivation. My current sect life suits me well.”

“So, thank you for your kindness!” Zhou Qing spoke sincerely, even pulling Lu Yaoyao into a deep bow toward No.6 to express his apology.

You think it’s great to have a late Spirit Severing Realm powerhouse watching over you?

Everyone has their own circle. Right now, I’m too weak—I could easily become an unwitting sacrifice.

Like that man named Yan Sen, or the tangled forces of the Level Five Spiritual Nation—unpredictable and impossible to guard against. Once drawn into their conflicts, I couldn’t protect myself, let alone avoid dragging Taiqingmen into it.

Besides, I carry too many secrets. Just the Four Blossoms on the Crown and the Divine Ruins Palace token alone would be enough to kill me ten thousand times.

No one can protect me—I must remain low-key, grow quietly, if I’m to survive long in this perilous world.

Lu Yaoyao, with her mouth tightly covered, rolled her eyes but stopped struggling, nodding vigorously.

Hearing Zhou Qing’s words, No.6’s eyes flickered with regret.

It seemed they were fated to never connect.

“Try transforming into the true Golden Wings Great Peng!” No.6 said.

Seeing No.6 did not insist, Zhou Qing secretly exhaled in relief.

He gave Lu Yaoyao a warning glance to keep quiet, then transformed once more into the true form of the Golden Peng, radiating overwhelming pressure.

Feeling the surging power within, Zhou Qing felt a surge of resolve and couldn’t help letting out a long, piercing cry toward the sky.

Then, he shot straight toward the transparent figure of the old Peng King in the corner of the six-colored array.

The moment his massive body touched the six-colored array, Zhou Qing felt as if he had plunged into thick mud—powerful resistance surged from all sides, making every step agonizing.

But in the next instant, the old Peng King’s transparent figure seemed to sense a familiar aura; his motionless form twitched slightly, then slowly extended a hand, pulling toward Zhou Qing.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing’s face, previously tense from resistance, lit up with joy—he didn’t hesitate, immediately extending his own wings.

His spiritual power surged wildly, struggling to break free from the dragging resistance.

Behind him, No.6’s expression hardened.

She swiftly formed hand seals, and countless spiritual power runes shot from her fingertips, glowing with deep blue light, entering Zhou Qing’s body.

Feeling the sudden surge of support from behind, Zhou Qing flapped his wings powerfully, instantly closing the distance to the old Peng King.

Until, at the moment of contact, a vast and ancient power erupted violently.

Zhou Qing felt his body pulled by an immense force, gliding effortlessly into the ruins behind the old Peng King.

And behind him, a unique black passage formed.

Wait—why does this feel so strange?

Seeing this, No.6’s face lit up with joy; she grabbed Lu Yaoyao’s hand and dashed into the passage.

The instant all three stepped through, the passage behind them slowly sealed shut once more.

Only after dawn did a shadow appear, sneaking around, glancing left and right, then quietly extending his spiritual sense to probe.

“They’ve already left?”

Yan Sen stared at the calm pond before him, his expression suspicious.

…

After Zhou Qing successfully passed through the passage, what met his eyes were massive stone platforms floating in midair.

Each platform rivaled a large human city, covered in various collapsed, strange structures.

Yet nearly all had crumbled into ruins.

“This is where the old Peng King explored long ago?” Zhou Qing, landing on one of the platforms, stared in awe.

For some reason, seeing this scene, a sense of loneliness welled up, weighing heavily on his heart.

To avoid drawing attention, he quickly reverted to his true form—and strangely, the heavy sense of loneliness vanished instantly, leaving only a clear, refreshed mind.

“This ruin is connected to the Peng Clan?” Zhou Qing, surveying his surroundings, began to understand.

Especially the carved stone slabs beneath his feet—though blurred, their bird-like outlines were still discernible.

(End of Chapter)