Chapter 74: I've Shown My Cards

Li Changshou was utterly perplexed right now.

Why on earth were there three Tianxian realm elders suddenly appearing above Xiaoqiong Peak?

Two of them were elders from the sect, and the third one was unfamiliar, though he had seen him at the entrance of Linhai Town before, and his aura felt somewhat familiar...

And why were Ao Yi and Jiu Wu wandering around in the outer perimeter array?

The young dragon with horns was hurrying ahead, while the short Daoist floated behind, chuckling sinisterly...

They were both following the wooden sign's directions straight toward the small reception area he had set up...

How on earth did those two end up together?

It must be some extraordinary fate that turned you both into a pair of troublemakers along the way...

What in the world was going on?

Was this another scheme by Jiu Wu Shibo?

That didn't make sense—he had been building a closer relationship with Jiu Wu Shibo over the past few years, and the effects of their Dao oaths were still in place...

Hmm?

There were also many Tianxian realm immortals gathered at the main peak's usually sealed grand hall...

Li Changshou quickly pieced it together.

He had accidentally encountered a group from Jie Jiao in Linhai Town and overheard their conversation about visiting immortal sects to lecture, debate the Dao, and spar in cultivation.

Little did he expect that the Jie Jiao group was here to debate the Dao with Du Xian Men!

Ao Yi had some minor grudges with Du Xian Men;

After all, Ao Yi was the second prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace, and in recent decades, the East Sea Dragon Palace's relations with the immortal sects of Dong Shen Continent had become somewhat tense...

Could this little dragon be trying to stir up conflict between Ren Jiao and Jie Jiao?

That didn't seem right—Ao Yi didn't strike him as that foolish. If he did something like that, the Dragon Race would be wiped out in an instant by the Jie Jiao leader's sword...

Although this little dragon did seem a bit... not the sharpest...

Had he injured his dragon brain from drinking too much with beauties?

Li Changshou pondered deeply in his heart. At first, he was completely baffled by the situation, but he soon figured it out.

Now, he could faintly sense that the entire Du Xian Men's attention was focused on Xiaoqiong Peak.

Those strands of immortal sense and spiritual sense were all fixed on the area around the pill room...

Among the Du Xian Men disciples, his displayed cultivation should be solidly above average, so it probably wasn't an issue with that.

Every effect has its cause.

Before his tribulation, he had encountered Ao Yi by chance, which was a random event;

He was certain Ao Yi hadn't recognized him— throughout that encounter, he had used the same disguised face of a stern old Daoist, with simulated aura and scent.

So, it was most likely related to the sparring at the East Sea demon-slaying assembly...

This little dragon couldn't handle losing to him on purpose last time, so his thoughts were blocked, and after all these years, he traveled thousands of li just to come and lose again?

In the underground chamber, Li Changshou let out a soft sigh...

"One dragon and one woman—I'll never understand their way of thinking."

Now, how should he handle this...

Li Changshou glanced at the paper effigy in the pill room; the three sensing stones on it were only flickering lightly—clearly triggered by his own immortal sense.

After a brief hesitation, he transformed into a wisp of green smoke and slipped back into the pill room;

Inside the pill room, Li Changshou vanished for a moment and then reappeared instantly.

He stepped over to the meditation cushion behind the pill furnace, sat down, closed his eyes, and pretended to be deeply engrossed in enlightenment, just as he had instructed his junior sister earlier...

Li Changshou thought to himself that if he were in a death seclusion breaking through a bottleneck, there should be some sign of progress, so he secretly adjusted his Turtle Breath Equalizing Qi Art.

Surface disguise: fifth stage of Huanxu realm;

Inner disguise: ninth stage of Huanxu realm;

Deep disguise: Yuanxian realm;

After that, Li Changshou began a frantic self-check, finally confirming that there were no details on Xiaoqiong Peak that could expose his hidden assets...

At that moment, Ling'e was obediently staying in her thatched hut, pretending to cultivate.

This time, his junior sister was handling it well.

He'd praise her later.

Li Changshou knew that now he could only pretend to be in a death seclusion, waiting to be called out by the sect's experts or disturbed by the array's commotion...

What came next would be to retreat as a means of advance and find a way to shift their attention!

In the great array,

Following the wooden sign's guidance, Ao Yi and Jiu Wu stepped into the 'outdoor tea room' and couldn't help but exchange glances.

Ao Yi was still in the form of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy, horns and all, standing over six chi tall, which made him a head taller than Jiu Wu.

He finished reading the sign and turned to look around, his eyes full of confusion.

Jiu Wu laughed and said:

"Ao Yi Prince, it's obvious this is another fork in the path."

Ao Yi frowned and replied:

"I've found the escape routes in all these basic arrays, so why can't I get out of here?"

"This is a linked array, created by Changshou Shizhi," Jiu Wu said. "After the escape route of one array comes the next. To break it, you need advanced array skills.

Ao Yi Prince, don't force it."

"Hmph!"

Ao Yi snorted lightly and said coolly:

"I refuse to believe I can't get out of this place today!"

With that, he took out an ice-blue treasure pearl from his sleeve. The pearl glowed softly, instantly disrupting the flow of spiritual energy in the array.

Ao Yi smiled faintly and turned to head back the way they came, quickly spotting a new path.

Jiu Wu hurried after him from behind, his smile at the corner of his mouth growing even more intense...

Back in the day, he and his spouse Jiu Shi had teamed up and still ended up disoriented by this array; today, it was even more refined and perfect than when they had tried it...

Essentially, this linked array was just a collection of basic arrays, but under Changshou Shizhi's meticulous design, it was truly a masterpiece.

Half a shichen later...

Ao Yi looked at the wooden sign in front of him, his mouth twitching.

Lost again?

He was back where he started!

"Damn it!"

Ao Yi's handsome face twitched from clenching his teeth too hard, and he turned to stride off in another direction.

In the pill room,

Li Changshou opened his left eye just a slit.

This little dragon seemed to have a treasure for breaking arrays, but he was still going in circles in the outer perimeter, clearly only knowing the basics of array arts.

After thinking it over, Li Changshou secretly deactivated several layers of arrays within a hundred zhang of the pill room, allowing those Tianxian experts to see him in seclusion if they looked closely.

That would make more sense.

Another half a shichen later,

In the air above Xiaoqiong Peak, the three Tianxian experts wore different expressions. The Du Xian Men elders naturally smiled, though they didn't want to overdo it;

Yuan Ze Laodao also smiled, but his brows furrowed occasionally.

They could roughly see what was happening in the array, watching Ao Yi stumble around like a headless fly, which made Yuan Ze Laodao feel a bit anxious.

In the array,

Ao Yi's eyes were bloodshot, his state of mind quite unstable as he gripped a treasured sword and held the pearl, rushing through the array.

Jiu Wu floated unhurriedly behind him, on guard in case Ao Yi used the spiritual treasure sword to force his way out...

Soon, Jiu Wu would ask his master to intervene and pull them out, making the Dragon Palace prince admit defeat.

There was no need for Changshou Shizhi to come out of seclusion— he'd handle everything!

Gradually, Ao Yi's breathing grew rapid...

But Ao Yi was still clear-headed; though anxious, he didn't do anything reckless.

He had agreed to this array challenge, and if he got through, it would count as a win!

The arrays here were all basic ones that even a Huanxu realm cultivator could set up, but for some reason, he just couldn't escape...

He couldn't even find the array bases or eyes!

During his time at Dan Jiao, he had learned so many array principles... Was the Dragon Race really this inept at array arts?

No, the Dragon Race can rise again!

Jiu Wu whispered:

"Ao Yi Prince, maybe we should just—"

"I'm breaking the array!"

Ao Yi turned and roared lowly.

"Ah, as you wish, as you wish."

Jiu Wu immediately smiled slyly, hands behind his back as he followed closely, afraid of losing Ao Yi.

Outside the array, on the clouds,

The two young women discussed for a moment, and Han Zhi said softly:

"Master, you've taught me quite a bit about arrays.

How about Rou Rou Shijie and I go down and give it a try?

This has nothing to do with Ao Yi Shishu— we're just curious."

Yuan Ze Laodao looked at the two Du Xian Men elders beside him, and they nodded in agreement.

They wanted to see just how intricate this linked basic array outside the Xiaoqiong Peak pill room was...

What a surprise to discover such a talent in array arts!

"Go ahead, go ahead," Yuan Ze Laodao waved his hand, and Han Zhi and the young woman held hands as they floated down into the array.

A moment later...

The two Yuanxian realm young women stared at the wooden sign, black lines forming on their foreheads.

Lost?

Han Zhi whispered:

"The one who set this array is really too arrogant!"

"There's another sign ahead."

"Let's see what tricks he has— let's check it out!"

Today's 'outdoor tea room' had more guests than in the previous ten years combined...

In the pill room, Li Changshou, monitoring everything with his immortal sense, sighed silently in his heart and continued pretending to be in seclusion.

Fortunately, he had already offered the key secrets of the linked array to the sect through Jiu Wu and received a sect-rewarded pill furnace in return.

This was the last potential issue, and he had nipped it in the bud.

But after today, the arrays around his pill room would probably become a major attraction in the sect...

The true Xiaoqiong Peak specialty: Array Maze Adventure Challenge!

Moreover, with this incident, plus all the previous events, his image as an 'excellent disciple' had drawn far too much attention.

This was truly giving Li Changshou a headache...

The 'excellent disciple' persona was too shallow; it couldn't hold up anymore!

This time, he'd take the chance to reveal a level of strength more like a mediocre immortal seedling. Otherwise, all these anomalies would be even harder to explain.

Li Changshou's mind raced with thoughts.

Disguise relies on balance in all aspects; there needs to be a 'degree' to it, making people feel they've seen through you completely—that's the higher realm of disguise.

His approach with Jiu Wu back then was to reveal just enough to make Jiu Wu think he knew everything...

This time, dealing with the sect's experts, he'd have to use the same strategy—maybe even gain some benefits from it...

Now, he could only expose a 'quasi' immortal seedling level of cultivation to draw some of that attention to his power, thereby covering up other oddities.

He wanted them to think something like: "Oh, so his aptitude is decent after all—that's why he can pull off all this."

Then, Li Changshou just needed to stay steady for a few years, deliberately stall his breakthroughs, and let his cultivation progress return to that of an excellent disciple. The sect wouldn't pay him much mind as just another Xiaoqiong Peak disciple.

Exposing a bit of his cultivation base could be fixed later;

If other hidden cards were exposed, that would be a real problem...

From now on, he had to be extra cautious.

The hidden cards he worked so hard to conceal were for dealing with dangers and ensuring his survival;

Exposing even a tiny part in a situation like this was still a loss.

That said, back when he was underwater... he should have given Ao Yi a dose of mind-scrambling powder!

Just a tiny, tiny amount!

Another half a shichen passed...

The evening glow spread across the western sky, illuminating the wrinkled faces of the Du Xian Men elders with smiles as bright as chrysanthemums;

Two Jin'ao Island cultivators and three Du Xian Men elders had arrived.

In their hearts, the Du Xian Men elders praised Li Changshou and Jiu Jiu to the skies and also appreciated Jiu Wu for coming up with this way to deal with Ao Yi.

He was clever indeed.

One Du Xian Men elder offered a way out, stroking his beard as he said:

"The arrays here were designed by our Du Xian Men disciple Li Changshou using his years of research on linked arrays and set up by Jiu Jiu Shizhi, a Zhenxian realm expert.

Though they're all basic arrays, in effect, it's equivalent to something only a Zhenxian could arrange.

It's perfectly normal that Ao Yi Prince and the two immortals couldn't get through."

"Very well!"

Yuan Ze Laodao sighed and said:

"I'll go bring them out. Ao Yi Shidi has lost again this time."

With that, Yuan Ze drifted down toward the array with his hands behind his back.

With a Tianxian's abilities, he could shatter the array bases with a surge of immortal power, but that would be too undignified.

Yuan Ze Laodao had been observing from outside for a while and felt confident he had figured out how to break it. Now, he was eager to salvage some honor for the Jin'ao Island cultivators...

Those two juniors and that Shidi had embarrassed themselves enough this time, and there was no fixing that.

However...

Yuan Ze Laodao hadn't anticipated...

A moment later...

Lost?

This Tianxian elder couldn't help but sigh to the sky. The array was indeed full of hidden mechanisms.

He turned around, brow furrowed as he continued to break the array, while the Tianxian experts on the clouds exchanged awkward glances, not knowing what to say...

After Li Changshou returned from his tribulation, he had indeed adjusted the outer arrays, but only by shifting a few array bases.

It would be very easy for this Tianxian to force his way through, but Yuan Ze Laodao had gotten a bit stubborn and insisted on breaking this essentially looped linked array properly...

Theoretically, the only way to crack it was to forcibly disrupt one of the basic arrays.

But could this old Daoist just use brute force?

This was a matter of pride for the Jin'ao Island cultivators' array skills!

And even more so for Yuan Ze Laodao's face!

So, after yet another half a shichen...

Ao Yi and Jiu Wu, seeing the Tianxian elder pacing back and forth in front of them, froze in place.

"Yuan Ze Shixiong!"

Ao Yi shouted and stepped forward, but the scenery around him shifted suddenly;

Yuan Ze Laodao heard the call and raised his sleeve to cover his face, but as the array changed, his figure vanished from Ao Yi's view.

"This..." Ao Yi stared wide-eyed, his whole body trembling slightly.

Jiu Wu quickly caught up and said with a laugh:

"Prince, it's getting late. How about— hmm?"

"I will break this array!

I will break this array!"

Ao Yi shouted shakily and rushed forward with his sword, his body trembling all over.

In the pill room, starlight filled the ground.

Li Changshou's immortal sense watched the group of Tianxian and Zhenxian experts in the air, who seemed eager to enter the array themselves...

Maybe he should pack up and escape with his master and junior sister tonight.

He should just escape.

This Du Xian Men... was getting impossible to stay in!

Of course, that was just a joke. He had worked hard to build up Xiaoqiong Peak over the years— it was his relatively safe haven.

Just then, a strand of immortal sense descended from the air, locking onto Li Changshou and gently stirring his spirit.

The disturbance was very subtle;

Li Changshou understood that a sect expert was waking him, careful not to disrupt his mindset...

It was considerate of them to care so much for a disciple.

Li Changshou opened his eyes in a daze, looking exactly as if he had been abruptly woken from cultivation...

Wangqing Shangren's voice rang in Li Changshou's ear:

"Stop cultivating for now and release the people in the array.

That Ao Yi has come to spar with you again. He's now in Yuanxian realm, but he might suppress his level for the fight.

You don't have to win, but don't lose too quickly in your own sect."

Li Changshou quickly stood up and bowed toward the air:

"This disciple obeys."

Suppress his level and fight me?

He strode to the door of the pill room, pretending to look out, steeling his heart and making a firm decision as he clenched his fists!

Time to lay it all out!

With a light turn of the jade token, a gentle breeze blew through the forest;

Li Changshou rode a cloud up from in front of the pill room, slowly rising into the air, revealing his seventh-stage Huanxu realm cultivation without a doubt!

It seemed like he had just broken through, as the realm felt a bit unstable...

In the air, in the forest, the various elders, Jie Jiao immortals, Jiu Wu, Ao Yi, the two Jie Jiao fairies, and that old Tianxian all turned their gazes toward him...

It felt like eyes from all over the sect were on Li Changshou.

This made him a bit uncomfortable, but he had to push through.

Then, he heard Jiu Wu quickly send a voice transmission:

"You didn't hide your cultivation!"

Li Changshou was startled and bowed to Jiu Wu, then said smoothly:

"This disciple of Xiaoqiong Peak, Li Changshou, pays respects to the elders, shibos, shishus, and seniors."