Everyone followed his gaze and looked up, stunned.
Floating in the air above the spacious hall were orbs of light, and inside each one was a Jade Scroll two fingers wide.
The orbs of light were stacked in layers, forming a pyramid structure overhead that bobbed gently.
At a glance, there were at least several hundred.
Sha Xingpingâs eyes flashed as he leaped up, and Xue Su followed suit.
Zhang Deming and Qu Hua, however, made no move and simply watched in silence.
THUD...
The two of them slammed headfirst into thin air, their impact revealing a light curtain about two meters above everyoneâs heads.
The light curtain flickered faintly before vanishing once more.
Xue Su and Sha Xingping tumbled to the ground. Given the force of their jump, they were probably seeing stars.
"The Arrays outside werenât damaged, so how could the ones in here be?
This is a clanâs most important Scripture Pavilion. Do you really think it wouldnât be protected by an Array?" Li Shifan remarked coolly, looking at the two of them.
Sha Xingping caught his breath and looked at Xue Su. "Can you open it?"
Xue Su gave a sarcastic laugh. "You really give me too much credit. I was fumbling around blindly for ages with those assessment Arrays in the Outer Sect.
Whether this is a Sectâs Scripture Pavilion or a clanâs, whoever built it was clearly a master of Arrays.
This is the heart of a clanâs domain. What do you expect a mere Apprentice like me to be able to do?
Donât be fooled by the fact that thereâs just one invisible, ordinary-looking light curtain above us.
But even with my Heart Eye Numerology, it looks exactly the same. I canât detect the slightest flow of Runes.
In other words, this seemingly simple Defense Array is at least Three-Star level.â"
"So weâre just supposed to stand here and watch?" Sha Xingping asked.
But Zhang Deming replied with a smile, "Not necessarily."
Before anyone could ask, Zhang Deming had already taken out his Command Token and gently infused it with a bit of Spiritual Power.
The Command Token immediately flew into the air, and Zhang Demingâs expression shifted.
Under Zhang Demingâs control, the Command Token flew overhead and into the cluster of light orbs.
It was as if the invisible Array Light Curtain didnât exist.
Seeing this, the others quickly took out their Command Tokens and began to operate them as well.
Zhang Deming guided the Command Token toward an orb of his choosing.
The moment the Command Token touched the light orb, it stuck to its surface.
Immediately, the entire light orb fell under Zhang Demingâs control.
Zhang Deming tested his control, and just as he expected, the Command Token brought the light orb back to him.
Zhang Deming reached out and touched the light orb, but it didnât react. He turned to see that the others were all holding their own orbs, looking just as clueless.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Deming tentatively tried to pull the Command Token off the orb. The instant he did, the token detached itself.
But the orb didnât shatter and release the Jade Scroll as heâd expected.
The instant the Command Token came loose, the orb shot back to its original position with a WHOOSH and resumed floating.
Zhang Deming: "..."
"These orbs seem to be slightly different," Xue Su said, looking at the one in his hands.
Hearing this, Zhang Deming paused and looked at the orbs held by the other four. He saw that Xue Suâs was tinged white, Qu Huaâs was nearly transparent, and Li Shifanâs and Sha Xingpingâs were somewhere in the middle.
Xue Su continued, "If Iâm not mistaken, the higher up an orb is, the better it is."
At these words, Zhang Deming looked to the apex of the pyramid. There were only two orbs at the very top, but no one had made a move for them yet.
Xue Su spoke again. "And this Identity Token doesnât restrict which orb we can choose.
But after we bring one down, nothing happens.
If Iâm not mistaken, these damn orbs are a kind of test. If you want the Technique or Cultivation Technique inside, you have to be able to open the orb yourself.
If you donât have the strength, you canât open it. Thatâs why the Command Token isnât restricted and lets us choose any orb we want.â"
Li Shifan nodded. "That sounds about right. Itâs very much in the style of the old clans."
With that, Li Shifan formed a sword-finger, and a faint glint of sword light pulsed from his fingertips as he tapped the orb.
The moment the Spiritual Power made contact, information appeared on the orbâs surface.
Name: Fire Dance Technique
Category: Skill
Level: Secret Level High Grade (Tier Three)
Strength: Two-Star Yin and Yang (Can be broken with a specific One-Star Tai Chi method.)
Preview: The Fire Dance Technique is an advanced fire-control Skill. Requires a fire-series Rune Core for easier mastery of the Entry Level...
Everyone was stunned. They didnât expect a general description to be available.
Everyone turned to their own orbs and infused them with a bit of Spiritual Power.
One by one, descriptions materialized before their eyes.
The most eye-catching of all was the nearly transparent orb in Qu Huaâs hands.
Sha Xingping, in particular, looked on with greedy eyes. If not for the fact that no one had yet managed to open an orb, and his own strained self-control, he likely would have already made a move.
Because the orbâs display read:
Name: Dragon Turtle Transformation
Category: Skill
Level: Law-Level Low Grade (Tier Four)
Strength: Three Stars Three Talents (Can be broken with a specific Two-Star Yin and Yang method.)
Preview: The Dragon Turtle Transformation is a mutated, advanced version of the Dragon and Snake Transformation Skill. It requires a Python Transformation-series Rune Core for easier mastery of the Entry Level...
Qu Hua glanced at Sha Xingping, then tossed the light orb back.
âThis thing is completely useless to me. Of course, it could be sold for money.â
âBut first, I need to find something I actually want.â
Seeing this, Sha Xingping released the orb in his own hands and snatched the one Qu Hua had just let go.
Meanwhile, Zhang Deming guided his Command Token to the very top and, under everyoneâs gaze, retrieved one of the two orbs at the apex.
Qu Hua immediately followed suit, taking the other one.
The other three simply watched. No one made a move, nor did anyone say a word.
After all, looking at the "Strength" column, everyone had their suspicions. It was highly likely that their actions were futile.