The group arrived at Yanjian Hall once again, privately shuddering with their own traumas. During the past two trainings, Zhao Xiaobao almost died the first time while everyone left this hall injured the second time. Their bones didn’t feel mended yet.
While they were previously passionately chanting their commandments before, they were still slightly terrified. Especially when the four gigantic stone statues standing at four corners of the hall stared at them. They felt suffocated.
When Chengfeng and the rest arrived, Grand Senior Brother arrived too. He made a mudra and activated the array mechanism within the hall, gazed at them intently, then turned to leave without a word.
Su You smiled bitterly. “Looks like he has given up all hope for us…”
Tian Jun sighed at the skies. “Yeah, he didn’t even tell us what array it is this time. He really is trying to kill us!”
Chengfeng grinned. “Let’s just focus on this first. I’ve been reading the ‘Book of Arrays’, I might be able to recognise a few arrays if we’re lucky.”
Su You sulked even more. “Junior Brother Chengfeng, you might not know this but arrays are constantly changing. You can never tell what array it is until you begin to crack it. Have you forgotten our experience with the array combination from the first time?”
Chengfeng agreed, “Yeah. Books can only help so much.”
Su You nodded and unsheathed his sword. He looked at Chengfeng.” You should get a sword as soon as possible too.”
Chengfeng took out his bone spear with a bitter smile, also embarrassed at how unrefined it looked. While it was sharp, it was very ugly. Even Zhao Xiaobao’s feminine sword was cooler than his.
Everyone held their own weapons as they approached carefully. When Chengfeng saw Su Yuehan following them, he glared at her. “You’d better stay out of this.”
Su Yuehan refuted, “I’ve memorised the Book of Arrays better than you. When we get inside, I might be able to give you pointers! Why can’t I follow?”
Chengfeng raged, “So what if you’ve memorised it? Didn’t you hear what Senior Brother said? Arrays are constantly changing. We can’t truly identify an array until the battle begins!”
Su Yuehan said, “Yeah, books can only help so much!”
Chengfeng was speechless when he realised she used his words against him. “Do you even have a sword?”
Su Yuehan rolled her eyes and grinned. “My words are like knives and swords. If I can identify the array, won’t I be more powerful than an army of ten thousand warriors?”
Chengfeng shoved her head. “This is not the time for bragging! Are you kidding me! Just stay out of this!”
Su Yuehan stomped her foot and glared at him. She turned around pitifully, looking at Su You with shining eyes. “Senior Brother Su, we must have been family centuries ago. Aren’t you going to help me here?”
Su You’s bones weakened as he coughed drily, “Perhaps if Junior Sister comes with us, Grand Senior Brother might feel bad when we’re in danger? And we’ll all do our best to protect our Junior Sister too!”
Chengfeng looked at him, speechless. You disgusting smooth-talker!
Su Yuehan smiled at Chengfeng, as if to brag. “See? Even Senior Brother Su says so!”
Chengfeng glared at her. “No way, I am your Young Master and I forbid it!”
She rolled her eyes. “I am now the little Junior Sister of Hidden Sword Court. You don’t have absolute authority here. All in favour of me coming, raise your hand!”
Su You and Tian Jun raised their hands immediately. He Zhu also raised his arm when he saw them both.
Chengfeng raged, “I treat you kindly and this is how you repay me?!”
He was about to grab her when she dodged and ran behind Su You, sprinting towards Yanjian Hall’s entrance. She made a face. “You’re too slow!”
Smoke curled out of his nostrils. How could a handmaiden act so arrogantly?
He clenched his teeth and ran after her while she giggled, running deeper into Yanjian Hall. After a while, they heard a deep rumble behind them. His heart skipped a beat as he turned to see that the stone door of Yanjian Hall had closed. Everyone had entered the hall.
Chengfeng raged, “Why did you all come inside?!”
Su You was stunned. “You were already inside, weren’t you?”
Tian Jun offered, “Senior Brother Su came in, so I did too.”
He Zhu remarked, “Senior Brothers Su You and Tianjun came in, so I did too.”
Chengfeng glared at Xiaobao. “What have you got to say for yourself then? You were following them?”
Zhao Xiaobao puffed up his chest. “You came in, so I did too!”
Chengfeng did not know what to say. He sighed. “So let’s all die together then!”
As he spoke, a rumbling echoed across the vast Yanjian Hall. Clicking mechanical sounds could be heard from beneath the ground. After a while, ten stone statues appeared within the hall at different positions.
Su Yuehan immediately said, “Ah, it’s the Charging Sword Array! This array does not change. The eye of the array is usually hidden at the centre of the field where it is heavily guarded. Do not charge at the front of the array, everyone. The front and the back sections have the heaviest defenses. Move to the sides and we’ll attack from both directions!”
Chengfeng laughed angrily. “Look at you, playing commander! You sound so smart, are you sure it’s that simple?”
But Su You and Tianjun had already rushed over, attacking from both flanks. The array had not completely formed yet so its powers were not fully activated. As they charged from both directions, the stone statues tried to retaliate but they were not functioning at their peaks yet. Plus the statues were positioned as such: two in front, five at the centre and three at the back. There were only two on each side of the array’s centre so Su You and Tianjun easily breached the defenses to get closer to the centre.
He Zhu also sprinted in from the right, charging like a bull directly at one of the statues. With frightening strength, he lifted the statue that weighed tonnes, then hurled it right at another statue. Both statues fell heavily on the ground and rolled away. While they were not damaged, this action exposed the statue standing at the centre.
Su You and Tianjun had been on the right and left side each. Using powerful slashes of Sword Qi, they targeted its eyes on its head as well as the gap at its hips. In a second, it was slashed into pieces.
Only
In just a few moments, they had successfully taken over the array’s eye before the array had fully activated. The other statues did not even get a chance to attack them. There was a rumbling sound underground as the tiles moved slowly, right and left, up and down. Finally, the remaining statues were transported back beneath the ground. The broken statues were swallowed into the ground by the moving tiles too.
Chengfeng’s jaw dropped. “Uh. So we defeated the array just like that?”
Su You and the rest were also in disbelief. Battling arrays used to be so difficult, yet this was as easy as cutting butter with a hot knife!
Su Yuehan grinned and made a face. She put her hands behind her back as if to say: come praise me, come praise me!
Chengfeng laughed and scolded her, “Look at yourself! Let’s see if you get the next one right!”
She huffed. “You just wait!”
There are very few arrays in this world that I, Su Yuehan, cannot recognise!
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