Not long after, Steward Sun returned from outside. He cleared his throat, forced a seemingly warm smile onto his face, and walked towards Su Ming.

“Su Ming, put down the work in your hands for a moment.”

Su Ming looked up, his face showing confusion. “What instructions do you have, Senior Brother Sun?”

“We just received an urgent task issued by the Formation Hub Pavilion.” Steward Sun placed a formation diagram drawn on special beast hide and a formation plate on Su Ming’s desk, his tone brooking no argument. “The sect will be launching the ‘Minor Heavenly Cycle Martial Arts Demonstration’ next month and requires a large number of ‘Flowing Wind Evasion Formations’ for support. This is an ancient formation plate left behind from a certain inheritance site. Parts of its original formation diagram have become blurred due to the passage of time, and the Formation Hub Pavilion has provided a deduced restoration version.”

He pointed at the diagram, deliberately emphasizing his words. “This formation plate will serve as the verification prototype for this batch replication. It concerns the preparation for the martial arts demonstration and is highly valued within the peak. You are limited to three days to complete the restoration of the formation plate prototype according to this restoration diagram for verification. This is a task specifically assigned to you from above. Do not disappoint this ‘favor’.”

The task was urgent, the blueprint complex, and refusal was not an option.

The menial disciples around them all cast gloating glances.

“The Flowing Wind Evasion Formation? That’s one of the most complex third-tier formations!”

“And it’s a restoration and deduction diagram for an ancient formation plate? That difficulty is like dancing on the tip of a needle!”

“Making a menial disciple repair a third-tier formation? Has Steward Sun gone mad?”

Su Ming felt a chill in his heart. He could sense an unusual meaning behind this command.

But he showed nothing on his face, merely extending his hand, preparing to take that formation diagram.

However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the formation plate.

“DON’T TOUCH IT!!”

Lin Yu’s soul voice, sharpened to a distorted pitch, exploded like thunder in his mind!

“Disciple! Get back! This thing isn’t right!”

Su Ming’s hand jerked to a halt in mid-air.

He looked up, his face showing just the right amount of confusion as he looked at Steward Sun.

“Senior Brother, this formation plate… seems somewhat…”

Before he could finish.

“Wrong! This formation diagram has a major problem!” Lin Yu’s soul voice carried unprecedented terror. “There’s an extremely obscure spiritual energy conflict node between the core ‘Wind Walk’ circuit and the flanking ‘Solidify Form’ runes! This conflict is not part of the original design, but was artificially created by subtly adjusting the width and depth of three energy circuits! The margin of error is terrifyingly precise!”

“If spiritual energy is injected according to the diagram, the moment the formation operates to the third breath, that conflict node will detonate! The entire formation plate will undergo a chain collapse! The force of the explosion is enough to blast any cultivator below the Foundation Establishment realm within a ten-zhang radius into dust!”

Su Ming’s heart instantly sank to the depths.

“Master, is it a mistake, or…”

“Mistake my ass!” Lin Yu cursed loudly, no longer caring about the demeanor of a master. “The method of the tamperer is so masterful it’s terrifying! He exploited several minor, easily overlooked flaws that originally existed in the ancient formation diagram, performed precise ‘amplification’ and ‘induction,’ causing the entire energy flow to go out of control at a specific point! This kind of alteration, forget you, even that Golden Core brat Chen Ping might not be able to detect it without examining it under a magnifying glass for three days and nights!”

“This is no longer jealousy, this is premeditated murder! They’ve calculated that you cannot access the original ancient formation diagram and can only work according to this ‘restoration diagram’!”

In an instant, Su Ming’s back was completely soaked through with cold sweat.

He understood.

From Elder Ma’s special attention, to Chen Ping’s exceptional promotion, to his current reputation as a “prodigy,” it had finally attracted a fatal killing intent!

His mind raced with thoughts, but on his face, he merely frowned, as if struggling to comprehend the complex formation diagram.

Steward Sun saw him hesitating to take it, his expression darkening.

“What? Scared?”

“Or are you saying that little skill of yours is only good for looking at account books and doing armchair theorizing?”

His voice did not conceal his contempt.

The surrounding menial disciples let out a suppressed burst of mocking laughter.

Su Ming took a deep breath, suppressing all the raging waves in his heart.

He looked up, meeting Steward Sun’s icy gaze, and slowly extended his hand to take that fatal formation diagram.

He bowed respectfully to Steward Sun.

“This disciple accepts the command.”

“This verification prototype is of great importance. This disciple will definitely consult all relevant classics, verify carefully, and strive to perfectly reproduce the blueprint, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.”

Steward Sun gave a grunt of acknowledgment, then turned and left with a flick of his sleeve.

Su Ming held that scalding piece of beast hide, saying nothing.

He did not start work immediately, nor did he go to collect materials.

He just carefully rolled up the formation diagram, then turned and bowed respectfully to Chen Ping, who was watching the spectacle.

“Senior Brother Chen.”

“This formation plate is the foundation for the martial arts demonstration verification. This disciple dares not be the slightest bit careless. This disciple’s knowledge is shallow, and my understanding of ancient formation restoration and the essence of the ‘Flowing Wind Evasion Formation’ is still lacking. I fear I may betray the trust of Senior Brother and the sect.”

“To ensure absolute success, this disciple humbly requests to first go to the archives room to consult relevant ancient texts and senior notes, in order to gain a thorough understanding before proceeding.”

This reason was reasonable and flawless.

Chen Ping pondered for a moment, then finally nodded.

“Go ahead.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Su Ming bowed again, then turned and, under countless gazes filled with sympathy, mockery, and schadenfreude, walked silently towards the archives room.

That was the only place where he could find a way to break this deadlock.

…

The stone door of the archives room slowly closed.

Cutting off all sound from the outside world.

Su Ming almost immediately rushed to the deepest corner, violently spreading that formation diagram out on the table!

“Master! What do we do?!”

His voice, for the first time, carried a trace of uncontrollable trembling.

This wasn’t an act.

This was the first time he had felt so clearly the cold, deadly malice coming from within the sect itself.

“Calm down! Disciple, the more critical the moment, the more you must stay calm!”

Lin Yu’s soul voice forcefully suppressed its own panic and began to operate at high speed.

“This is a dead end!”

“Restore according to the diagram, and you will surely die!”

“Point out the error directly, and we will be exposed! A menial disciple who can spot a trap that even a Golden Core cultivator can’t see? Do you think they’ll treat you as a genius, or as a spy sent by another faction to be captured and dissected for study?”

Su Ming’s face was deathly pale.

He looked at that exquisite, artwork-like formation diagram, feeling as if every line on it was silently mocking him.

“Why… would they do this?”

“Why else?” Lin Yu sneered. “When a tree grows too tall in the forest, the wind will surely break it! You’ve been making too big a splash recently! You’re blocking someone’s path, offending someone’s eyes!”

“This is no longer a simple test, this is a killing trap!”

“The other party has calculated that a menial disciple like you, with no background and ruined foundations, even if blown to pieces, won’t cause the slightest ripple! At most, it will be classified as an ‘accident’!”

Su Ming fell silent.

He slowly closed his eyes, his mind frantically recalling every archive, every piece of data he had ever read.

He had to find a way to break the deadlock!

A method that could both preserve himself and completely thwart the other party’s conspiracy!

He began to search frantically through the archives room.

He didn’t look at the direct materials about the “Flowing Wind Evasion Formation,” because he knew the answer to the trap would definitely not be there.

What he searched for were the most inconspicuous ones, covered in dust, from decades or even over a hundred years ago… maintenance logs and decommissioning lists!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep