115 Firestorm Abyss Entrapment Array

Van scanned the walls of the canyon trying to find a clue about the array but could not see anything apart from the natural lines and cracks in the rock.

[This kind of low-level array, it is actually quite simple to solve.]

Van raised an eyebrow. An incredibly powerful natural array with the power to trap and suppress talented geniuses was actually dismissed as 'low-level' by this arrogant little black ring.

"Oh?" The red-haired youth replied dryly, "How do I solve the array then?"

As he spoke, he looked once more at the steep walls of the canyon.

[There's no use staring at the walls. Using your eyes is pointless.]

Van smiled sarcastically, "Gee. I guess I'll just search with my nose then. See if I can smell the solution to the array."

[Don't take that tone with me, young man.]

If Jet had eyes, he would have rolled them.

[There are more senses than just the five you are born with, idiot!]

Van looked doubtful, "Sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch. Apart from these five there are still more?"

[Yes. Have you ever heard of the spiritual sense?]

Van furrowed his brow, "No, I haven't."

The black ring spoke unhurriedly, as if talking to a dunce.

[A powerful mind is the key to creating an array or formation, and naturally, a powerful mind is required to break arrays as well. However, a powerful mind is not enough. You must also have the ability to extend your mental energy outside of your body to observe the hidden aspects of the world around you. This ability is known as the 'Spiritual Sense.']

Van was listening with a pensive expression on his face. Spiritual Sense…if one could extend their senses outside of their body with their mind, then they would be able to see more of the world and be able to protect themselves better.

[A spiritual sense is usually not developed until the Sea Establishment or above. With your spiritual sense, you can notice abnormalities in the flow of spiritual energy in the world around you and monitor things that you cannot see with your eyes. For example, it can allow you to perceive the hidden aspects of an array or 'see' things extremely far away. You may also be able to perceive the surface thoughts of others. A powerful spiritual sense is an important tool in the cultivation world.]

Van's eyes gleamed. A spiritual sense – he wanted it! This ability seemed too powerful!

Jet sniffed.

[Of course, everyone wishes to have a powerful spiritual sense but not all can achieve it. If cultivation is like pouring water into a cup, developing a spiritual sense is like pouring water into a sieve. For 1000 hours of effort, you would be lucky to develop even one strand of spiritual sense. Those without fortitude or perseverance will never reach the top. Due to the difficulty, possessing an underdeveloped spiritual sense is a common mistake in the world of cultivation.]

Van nodded solemnly. It was only human nature to always take the smoothest and easiest path. It was the same situation with body cultivation, the majority of cultivators would not bother with it due to the extreme dedication and fortitude needed to attain results.

Jet emanated a sense of approval.

[It is good that you understand the follies of humanity. Good things do not come to those who wait. Remember that.]

"I will remember," Van said with his fists clenched.

[For you, being stuck in this Firestorm Abyss Entrapment Array is actually a blessing in disguise. I will guide your meditation in the array for the next few days. First, I will guide you to strengthen your mental energy, then to extend it outside of your body and form your spiritual sense. It will be arduous and tiring but your foundations are already superior to the others in this battlefield. You have this granddaddy after all!]

Jet said with a pompous tone. Despite losing most of his memories, this little black ring had arrogance engraved in its body.

Van just nodded. Although his expression was calm he was actually very excited on the inside. He was not afraid of hard work, just afraid that he could not achieve what he wanted to achieve!

"Then once I have developed my spiritual sense, I should be able to perceive the array's foundations and solve the array."

[That is correct. The Firestorm Abyss Entrapment Array is easy to solve because the energy supply is an object hidden somewhere in the array. If you can locate this object and remove it then the array will lose power and become ineffectual] Jet explained.

"Ah, that easy?" Van asked brightly.

Jet tsked.

[So happy, huh? Do you think you will be able to develop your spiritual sense so quickly? With your ability, you will need several days. Additionally, this canyon extends over 100km. Do you think searching the entire 100km will take no time at all? Hmph. As the days pass and the strength of the monster waves get stronger, you might get chewed to death by the increasing strength of the monster waves before you find the energy source.]

With every one of Jet's rebuttals, Van grew increasingly sober. It could potentially take him days to be able to search the entire canyon, by then the power of the monster waves might already be too high for him to handle. If that happened, Van would not only be unable to escape from the canyon, but he would also not be able to grab any treasures.

Unbeknownst to himself, Van's expression became stubborn and unwilling.

[Finally woken up,] Jet said smugly.

"I will not disappoint you. This array will be solved by me within three days!" Van said staunchly.

At that moment, a heroic aura flared out between his brows. As the sickly light from the sky far above shone down, it could be seen that the thin youth standing in the murky canyon was no longer an ignorant village child but a budding genius with his own pride.

Without another word, Van sat on the canyon floor and closed his eyes.

Jet hid his delight.

[Calm yourself and listen to my instructions.]

[Envision your mind as a calm ocean. It is gentle and calm, lapping at the sand but never breaching land. If you do not push, these waves will never extend far from their bounds. But you must push. Envision a wave forming from the ocean. It builds larger and larger, creeping towards the land. With a rush it suddenly spills over the sand, on and on it flows until it touches the land. But you cannot stop there, the wave pulls from the ocean and it extends forth, swallowing everything before it, encompassing the world…]

The red-haired youth's breathing slowed down. His face was blank and tranquil, showing no signs of the struggle within.

______

[Outside of the battlefield.]

Sighs filled the coliseum.

"What bad luck…!" a young man sighed. He had previously been admiring this unknown red-haired youth but it seemed the Heavens were unfair. The red-haired youth was courageous and insightful, but his luck was simply terrible. To have landed straight into a powerful entrapment array!

"It's too bad."

"I wanted to watch him face-off against those bratty twins again in this round, but he is just too pitiful."

"Luck is also a skill. Ah, my money…"

It was clear that even those who admired Van's exploits in the Mausoleum of Monsters did not believe he could escape the entrapment array. After all, the Mausoleum was a several thousand-years-old spaces filled with mysterious and powerful things. Breaking the array with brute force was an impossibility, and solving it equally unlikely.

"At least he is smart enough to avoid the trap. If he climbed the endless walls, he would tire himself out and eventually be swallowed by a storm of flames," a cultivator with some expertise in arrays said softly.

The audience hushed.

"What a vicious array!"

The young man who admired Van spoke up, "You said that he avoided the trap. Doesn't this mean he has a chance of surviving into the next stage if he can defeat the monster waves at the end of each day?"

The array master stroked his beard, "Hm, that is so. However, during this time the Cedar Sect will suffer a great loss in terms of points. Without this red-haired youth, the other Cedar Sect disciples in this battlefield are like a flock of sheep without a shepherd. They will be attacked by the other sects…especially the Zephyr Sect."

"So that's how it is…" the youth muttered. His spirits dropped once more.

In contrast to the youth, many people in the audience were excited to see Van in dire straits. Without the Cedar Sect's point lead in the second battlefield, along with the lagging performance in the first and third battlefield, the Cedar Sect's rank was going to drop sharply from its current position in 2nd place.

______

Madam Sophia's normally elegant and refined expression faltered for a moment, showing a cold smile full of satisfaction, like the cat that had gotten away with killing the canary.

[The Heavens have eyes!] She thought to herself.

[That brat will not be able to escape from that Firestorm Abyss Entrapment Array. Even I was only able to escape from a similar array when I had reached Sea Establishment. He has no chance…]

She looked at the mirage high above and saw Cordelia and Daphne battling against a large herd of 6th rank monsters. The points on the scoreboard rose steadily.

She cared little that Cordelia's actions in the previous stage had earned the Zephyr Sect some ridicule. It would all be worth it if they emerged victorious in the end!

______

When Elder Malkovich saw Yun Hai successfully carry out his secret attack on that annoying pest – Wang Hao or something – he felt immediately gratified. Over the next few hours, his satisfaction only grew as he saw that single-minded, sword-loving simpleton wandering about the desolate desert within the Underworld Labyrinth. One look at those endless sandy plains showed that the spiritual energy was scarce. With his internal injury, one was afraid that he might not last the next few monster waves…

Elder Malkovich felt his suppressed breathing due to the last few waves smooth.

[With this, there is no longer anyone in Yun Hai's way. The Sect Master will be immensely pleased with him, and he may even be granted the position of a direct disciple! And as for me… I will get the glory of discovering and nurturing such a gem!]

Elder Malkovich was very happy. Sinclair's battlefield was already a done deal, all they needed was for Testuya to pull through. The Star-Cutting Sword Sect's representative peered over at the hooded figure with the corner of his eye and noticed that the other person silent and seemed to be pondering something.

Due to his good mood, Elder Malkovich spared the hooded figure a few words about the youth meditating at the bottom of a canyon.

"Don't worry, although that kid is unlucky to be trapped by the Firestorm Abyss Entrapment array, he seems to be a little smart. Probably he is building up his cultivation as the spiritual power in that region is quite good. If he can get closer to the 8th rank, that is better than nothing - even if he won't be able to gain any points or treasures…Ah, the Cedar Sect's disciples will not last long without him to protect them."

Elder Malkovich's words seemed comforting on the surface but was actually contained a strong undertone of annoyance. Of course, he had been unhappy that this hooded figure still preferred to watch that unknown red-haired youth over the Star-Cutting Sword Sect's top outer genius, Yun Hai.

The hooded figure did not deign to respond.

His silence was even more of an affront to the prideful Elder Malkovich. With great difficulty, he tamped down on his annoyance and put a pleasant smile on his face.