"No, no, we were just momentarily overwhelmed," Li Rong was the first to recover, smiling gently. "Mr. Xiang's calligraphy has always been difficult to decipher, so we didn't expect Brother Mingze to recognize it so quickly. It's truly impressive."
"That's right, that's right. I'd only just finished recognizing one line, and you'd already analyzed the whole thing," Yan Ziyu exclaimed, marveling. "What's more, your analysis is quite sound. It's just that the frequency for assessing the surrounding energy differs slightly between my calculations and yours."
"You miscalculated, Brother Ziyu," Li Rong said, stroking his ink-stained guqin and chuckling. "My calculations match Brother Mingze's. However, the few methods Brother Mingze proposed seem a bit too conservative."
"Ah, indeed," Gu Mingze scratched his head. Hearing that he hadn't made any major mistakes, he finally relaxed. "But, if my memory serves me right about everyone's abilities, there seem to be only these few methods. It might be too risky with just a few of us, don't you think?"
"We don't need to be too rigid," Li Rong pointed at the three giants watching the spectacle from the side and said with a smile, "Miss asked us to make arrangements, but she didn't say they absolutely wouldn't intervene. We can let the masters participate appropriately. Of course, if we become overly reliant, Miss Bai certainly wouldn't be pleased."
Li Rong exuded a comfortable and elegant aura, his speech and demeanor refined, possessing a similar serene and clear temperament to Lucifer. However, Li Rong was more scholarly, like a gentleman from ancient times living a tranquil life, while Lucifer was more akin to a modern gentleman aristocrat, cultured and refined like jade and orchid.
Bai Cha found this calm and unpretentious person very likable. As the world's pace grew increasingly restless, only such individuals could lead others further.
Hearing Li Rong mention her, Bai Cha also smiled and nodded. Li Rong's reactions were indeed swift; he had quickly grasped the implication behind her words.
Gu Mingze and Li Rong discussed a few more methods. Yan Ziyu remained silent, stepping back slightly, tacitly acknowledging Gu Mingze and Li Rong's leadership. The group dispersed with a sense of unspoken understanding, lining up neatly in front of Gu Mingze and Li Rong.
"Miss Su Qing, Yun He, Cang Liu, Yan Ziyu, Mr. Meng, Miss Bai, could you please come over here?" Li Rong stepped forward. Those whose names were called stepped forward and were led aside.
"Um, the rest of us will stay here," Gu Mingze said. As someone who used to be considered useless, he had never commanded anyone before. Now, with so many people at his disposal, Gu Mingze's legs felt a little shaky. However, recalling Li Rong's earlier instructions, he steeled himself and led the rest aside.
Li Rong had told him this was a great opportunity to showcase his strengths.
Li Rong had also told him to trust Bai Cha's judgment, trust Xiang Nan's guidance, and to trust himself.
Gu Mingze had only spent a few days with Li Rong. Regardless of whether he felt he was just tagging along, Gu Mingze was immensely grateful, even feeling overwhelmed with honor. Though he felt a bit timid, he straightened up and stepped forward.
"You've figured it out?" Bai Cha asked, hands clasped behind her back as she and Meng Qinghuan approached Li Rong, her tone laced with playful amusement, unmistakably joyful.
"I've guessed some of it," Li Rong replied with a bow and a faint smile. He was direct and polite, maintaining his integrity without appearing distant.
Bai Cha, Meng Qinghuan, and Xiang Nan, the three pillars of Shadow, had all expressed their admiration for Li Rong in the past and had mentored him. He was even considered a semi-disciple of Bai Cha. With such knowledge and experience, Li Rong could naturally discern that Bai Cha intended to conduct a test.
This crisis was significant, but it was also the best opportunity for growth and breakthrough. Li Rong believed that Bai Cha and the others would protect their safety; they only needed to go all out and give it their best.
"Then, Su Qing and I will play the 'Breaking Barriers Melody.' Mr. Meng, we'll require your assistance. Brother Ziyu, we've cooperated several times before; the formation is entrusted to you," Li Rong said calmly. "Miss Yun He and Brother Cang Liu will activate the formation based on the points drawn by Brother Ziyu... As for Miss Bai."
"We'll ask Miss Bai to handle things as they come," Li Rong said with a bright smile, and Bai Cha also curved her lips, implicitly agreeing.
Meanwhile, Gu Mingze had already completed his arrangements. Everyone was in their designated positions, encircling the others at an appropriate distance to maximize their strengths.
"Prepare!" Li Rong and Gu Mingze exchanged a glance and shouted in unison, "Begin!"
As the words fell, Mo Ziye stepped forward. Having merged with Michael, he could unleash 200% of his original Dragon Power. The light sword in his hand pointed directly at the sky, transforming the light energy into a semicircular shield that enclosed everyone.
Li Rong sat cross-legged, his hands moving nimbly. Su Qing stood behind Li Rong, and as the melodious music began, it was powerful and inspiring, igniting the ordinary students with fervor, though it also made them feel dizzy and disoriented.
Yan Ziyu waved his hand, and his judge's brush appeared out of thin air. With ink, he painted a three-dimensional miniature map of the island they were on. With every stroke he made, a corresponding ink stroke appeared on the island simultaneously. With each stroke, Cang Liu and Yun He would precisely position themselves at the formation's key points.
A shocking sight unfolded before the onlookers. The area they were in, which was supposed to be an endless expanse of ocean and islands, began to twist under the influence of Li Rong and Su Qing's Breaking Barriers Melody, gradually transforming into blood and dark reefs.
A bloody stench filled the air. The moment the illusion vanished, the sea of blood, like a cornered ruffian exposed, erupted in furious rage. The churning blood water surged into massive waves that crashed against Mo Ziye's light shield, causing him to stagger.
"Eight Trigrams Formation, rise!"
Yan Ziyu's ink brush swept out, and the island beneath their feet instantly transformed into a formation. Li Rong and Su Qing's music shifted again, the melody enveloping the formation and lifting them all slowly upwards.
Mo Ziye exerted all his strength to maintain the stability of the protective shield. Even so, monsters formed from condensed blood would occasionally breach the barrier and charge in. Each time, someone positioned at a key point would precisely eliminate the monster, and Mo Ziye would then fill the gap.
The others relaxed, sitting on the formation at ease, chatting or resting, the initial anxiety and tension completely gone.
Gu Mingze was intently watching a screen about the size of his palm when suddenly, data from a corner caught his attention. Gu Mingze's expression changed immediately, and he shouted at Li Rong, "Brother Li Rong! Hurry, the mutation concentration is off the charts!"
In fact, Li Rong had already sensed something was wrong without Gu Mingze's reminder. However, they were both a step too late. The churning blood water had condensed into a massive dragon and was swooping down. Mo Ziye's barrier only held for two seconds before shattering into pieces.
Gu Zitan's three light swords appeared and pierced the blood dragon's body, only to emerge unscathed, as if they had merely plunged into a pool of water.
Bai Cha and the others could only stare speechlessly. They couldn't understand why Gu Zitan would concentrate his power so rigidly when facing the energy of an illusion.
Did he not realize that a needle would be more effective than a boulder when piercing water?
Was the quality of the top one hundred in this world really that diluted?
With a sudden cry of a crane and the roar of a dragon, as the blood dragon lowered its head, it was blown to pieces by the combined efforts of Yun He and Cang Liu.
Cang Liu was adorned with dragon patterns. Though the Sea Dragon was far away in the depths and could not be by his side, it did not hinder Cang Liu's dominance. Moreover, Cang Liu seemed quite adept at using energy, his explosive power not at all inferior to Su Qing and the others.
Yun He had entered a mystical state. She continuously recalled Meng Qinghuan's methods of exertion and adjusted her breathing, gradually entering a wondrous state. Each punch and palm strike carried a hint of masterly demeanor.
"My master's judgment is indeed excellent," Lucifer praised, genuinely for the first time, praising individuals other than Bai Cha. These individuals had surpassed his expectations in both ability and comprehension. He held Bai Cha's hand, only to discover it was ice-cold.
Lucifer was startled. He could disregard others, but Bai Cha had captured his attention. He knew Bai Cha's body temperature was always lower than average, but it shouldn't be this frigid.
"It's nothing," Bai Cha said, sensing Lucifer's concern. She squeezed his palm, signaling him to calm down. "It's just that the natural energy and my power are somewhat clashing."
"Clashing?" Lucifer was taken aback.
A fully formed world-plane had two components: good and evil. The natural energy of the world was extreme good, while Bai Cha's Blood Fiend Power was extreme evil. This was also why accumulating too much bloodshed was detrimental to one's virtue.
If the world crystals condensed from the Earth plane were pure natural energy, then Bai Cha was equivalent to pure Blood Fiend Power. However, logically, whether good or evil, they originated from the same source, belonging to the Earth plane. Why was Bai Cha reacting so strongly?
Unless Bai Cha's Blood Fiend Power did not originate from the extreme evil of Earth, but was created by herself? Lucifer couldn't understand.
The process went smoothly. The group was stably ascending, supported by the formation beneath their feet. Their coordination was quite good, and no mistakes were made. As they neared the ceiling, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as they continued to ascend stably, there was no doubt they would get out.
"Hey! What are you doing!" a clear female voice exclaimed, tinged with panic.
"You touched me first, what's your name?" the man retorted indignantly, glaring at the woman.
The two had gotten into an argument.
"Ruolan, forget it!" Shi Tao quickly stood up, trying to mediate, but unexpectedly, the man, unwilling to back down, pushed Shi Ruolan.
As fate would have it, this push sent Shi Ruolan stumbling into Yun He.
Worse still, this was precisely where the blood dragon's attack was aimed.
At this critical moment, everyone's attention was highly focused. Yan Ziqing made his stroke, and Yun He followed immediately. Who would have thought that someone would suddenly appear, causing a break in Yun He's attack?
Immediately, the formation began to shake. The blood dragon broke through the barrier and created a rift in the formation, almost knocking Yun He out. Shi Ruolan's face turned pale, knowing they had caused trouble. She quickly grabbed Yun He, pulling her back.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" Looking at the menacing blood dragon in the distance and feeling the damage to the formation beneath them, Shi Ruolan, a pampered young lady, was terrified, her face draining of color.
The formation beneath them began to crumble. Shi Ruolan lost her balance and fell, but she managed to grab the edge of the formation just in time. However, after only a moment, the formation she was holding also shattered.
"Ruolan!" Shi Tao's legs went weak with fear. They only had one daughter; if anything were to happen to her, he would truly be unable to escape blame.
Blood-red chains, deeper in color than the blood dragon, coiled around the edges like serpents, ensnaring those about to fall and flinging them to safety. Shi Tao felt a dark shadow flash past him. Looking up, he saw Bai Cha leap down.
"Hold on."
A clear voice sounded near Shi Ruolan's ear. Shi Ruolan quickly hugged the shoulder of the person in front of her. Looking up, she met a pair of peach blossom eyes.
Shimmering with moisture, vast as the starry river, pure and tranquil, reflecting the turbulent sea of blood surrounding them.