The trio reached the construction area and suddenly felt a pressure from the Rift. As they neared the Planar Rift, they felt a suction force trying to draw energy from their bodies into the Rift.

They took only a few seconds to adjust to this unusual phenomenon.

Only now did they have the chance to look at the surrounding construction.

A huge circular hall without a roof had been built around the Planar Rift. Eight pillars were erected around the Rift, corresponding to the positions of gems on the arrangement diagram.

The pillars were so huge that Ikasa and the other humans looked like dwarves standing next to them.

“Oh good! You did not put them in your Spatial Bracelet or else you would be in deep trouble.”

Commander Qian commented in a teasing tone as he approached Ikasa. His voice sounded neither delighted nor disappointed.

‘I knew it! This two-faced man has the guts to play around with objects as  precious as the Blessed Stones!’

Ikasa smirked, taking pleasure in having seen through the man’s trap. He cleared his throat and he replied to the comment in a flattering voice.

“Commander Qian carried such heavy stones out with his hands; How dare I try to be lazy? Of course, we had to follow the Commander’s example.”

Qian Bu’s smile faded a little. He became tongue-tied by Ikasa’s response. If he took Ikasa’s words at face value, they sounded like flattery. But if he looked at them in the backdrop of his mischief, they were obviously mocking him for his failed plan.

Ultimately, he chose not to acknowledge his failure. He accepted the praise without shame and patted Ikasa on his back.

“It’s good that you followed my example. Had you tried to show off your wealth, the blessed stone would’ve interfered with the storage space. Maybe, it would’ve exploded along with the gem and …..”

Qian Bu did not speak of the consequences. He didn’t need to as Ikasa filled in the blank.

‘I would’ve been responsible for destroying a Blessed Gem and became a public enemy.’

The thought made Ikasa flinch and his fists clenched. He quickly recovered his smile and looked at the smiling face of the Commander who had subtly threatened him.

Qian Bu nodded meaningfully at Ikasa and patted his shoulder once, before walking away. He had just made it clear that even if he could not attack Ikasa directly, he could easily ruin him without dirtying his hands.

Ikasa smiled with amusement as he looked at his departing back. He had finally found a shrewd opponent who would challenge his brain.

Chu Qing looked at him with worry.

“Will he cause problems for us, Big Bro?”

Ikasa laughed and reassured Chu Qing, ruffling his hair.

“The school where he learned to plot and conspire, I used to be the Headmaster there. So, let him try.”

He said with a swagger. Pei Yuan looked at the man and then at Ikasa.

“You two were in the same school?”

The poor kid had misunderstood Ikasa’s swaggering. Ikasa could barely stop himself from palming his face.

“No! It means I am better at scheming than him. So, you guys don’t have to worry.”

He watched the Commander chat with the Path Finder in charge of laying the array.  A few breaths later, the Path Finder floated into the air and sent eight men to stand beside the pillars.

“Everyone, listen! When I count to three, insert the gems into the grooves. All at the same time! If any of you is early or late, each of you will die!”

Ikasa could clearly see the grooves mentioned by the Path Finder. Above the grooves, he saw carvings of humanoid figures sitting in the lotus position. Each of the sculptures radiated a unique aura, holy and inviolable.

His eyes turned to the men standing beside the pillar with the gemstones in their hands. He recognized three of them. One was the guard who had stopped him outside and two others were the Captains of the patrolling squadrons.

“They are all Sense Trainers!”

Ikasa quietly whispered to the two boys who were looking at the scene with fascination. Soon they heard the Path Finder count.

“One! … Two! … Three!”

All eight Sense Trainers embedded the gems in their hands into the grooves below the sculptures and quickly jumped back.

The gems disappeared into the grooves and lights shot from the pillars into the sky. Red, Blue, Violet, Cyan, Indigo, Green, Orange, and Black rays of light intersected each other just above the Rift and then they arched down to the pillar on the opposite side.

“It almost looks like a bird cage with colorful bars!”

Pei Yuan muttered, seeing the scene.

“Look, something is forming down there!”

Chu Qing drew their attention to the eight-pointed star forming on the ground due to the rays of light shining from the pillars.

Not only the two kids, but many others in the vicinity had never witnessed a formation being laid. They were astonished and awed by the skill and precision involved. Not to mention the spectacular light effects!

The lights had connected the pillars after a few breaths and a shockwave spread through the City. Even the Path Finders were pushed back by the force of the shockwave!

When Ikasa tried to sense the situation inside the formation, he was blocked by a curtain of energy. The curtain felt like a solid wall to his spiritual senses. He couldn’t see inside with his Spiritual Vision nor could he hear anything with his Spiritual Hearing.

Not only could his spiritual senses penetrate the curtain, but the pressure from the Planar Rift also couldn’t be felt outside. The sphere of influence of the mysterious rift had been entirely trapped inside the array.

The entire space had been separated from this world by that energy curtain!

While Ikasa was inspecting the fascinating array, Commander Qian jumped up into the air.

“We will open the Space Isolation Array fifteen days later for all adventurers who want to enter the rift. The details will be posted on the wall outside. So, do not foolishly attack the Array. Anyone doing so will be punished by the Governor Zhen.”

Commander Qian repeated the announcement thrice. His voice reached every nook and cranny of the City.

The loud voice startled those who were enjoying an afternoon siesta into waking. The contents of the announcement broke the drunken stupor of the valiant drunkards.

Every external force in Beech City was excited to know that they could enter the Rift again. They began to accelerate their preparations.

Outside the Space Isolation Array, Ikasa also clenched his fists with excitement. He was looking forward to what treasures they could uncover inside the Rift.

But most importantly, he would get the chance to meet the owners of those mysterious voices again in fifteen days!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep