Since Chen Junting emerged from the secret chamber, nearly half the holiday had passed. The reappearance of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda seemed to have caused no major ripple across the continent. After an initial burst of excitement among sect disciples, life quickly settled back into calm.
During this time, Chen Junting not only delved into "Sword Dao: Chen Xin" and array theory, but also shared his Gathering Qi (Energy Gathering) Array and foundational array concepts with the sect's newly established Array Research Department.
Ning Tian, after consuming her immortal herb to reach Level 39, absorbed a 60,000-year spirit-type, gem head soul bone, smoothly breaking through to Level 40. Now, Elders Wu Yan and Yang Zihan—who didn't need to seclude themselves—were dispatched to the Great Star Dou Forest to hunt a 10,000-year soul beast capable of granting her a soul skill that amplified soul power.
Wu Feng and Huo Yuhao also progressed after consuming small portions of Blazing Resin and Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew: Wu Feng's flames intensified to rival the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's quality, while Huo Yuhao's spiritual power surged to Soul King level, even altering his martial soul.
Other former Shrek students who'd joined the sect also received tailored cultivation guidance.
- Dugu Xin apprenticed under Yang Zihan solely to learn the Poison Sect's toxin-crafting arts.
- Xiao Xiao became Elder Bai Sheng's formal disciple.
- High-talent disciples like Qin Lan, Huang Chutian, Nanmen Yun'er, and the Lan sisters were taken as named disciples by Elders Zhang Ming, Tai Yu, Qing Lan, and Zhi Yong.
- Even Gao Ming received personal instruction from one of the sect's Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Soul Saints.
Everyone was advancing—
and Chen Junting was no exception.
Though he couldn't yet execute "Sword Dao: Chen Xin" due to insufficient soul power, his array research bore fruit. Five days before their return to Shrek Academy…
"Ah! So this is how the circular rune works!"
Chen Junting's eyes lit up. Swinging the Seven Kill Sword, he seamlessly integrated the circular rune—recovered from the evil soul masters—into his Gathering Qi Array.
Instantly, the array's dense ambient energy began funneling outward through the rune, reversing its original effect. Instead of enriching the surroundings, the qi coalesced into a visible energy pillar, accelerating the array's extraction from the environment.
What were those evil soul masters trying to achieve?
He shook his head, dismissing the thought. Better to focus on using the rune than pondering its purpose.
"Got it!"
A flash of insight struck him.
If the rune channels qi outward when oriented one way… what if I reverse it?
He immediately etched the rune in the opposite direction. The energy pillar instantly reversed—pouring energy into the array's center. But the source? Still the array's own gathered energy.
To Chen Junting, this "useless" rune held immense potential. He inscribed five more reversed circular runes at the points of a hexagram around the array.
The moment the array activated, the ambient energy in the area visibly thinned—while within the array, six energy pillars condensed the energy into liquid form.
"Elder Electrolux," Chen Junting murmured, stepping toward the convergence point of the six pillars.
"Hah! You reckless boy," Electrolux's voice echoed, amused yet impressed. "Go ahead. Your Life Gold-reforged body can handle this pure ambient energy."
Without hesitation, Chen Junting dismissed his martial soul and stepped into the nexus.
In an instant, torrents of liquid energy flooded his body. His frame trembled violently—and a pressure rivaling a Soul Saint's erupted from him.
The Seven Kill Sword flickered into view in his right palm.
"Gather!"
Feeling his body near its limit, he slashed a sword-finger at a node on the array.
WHOOSH—!
The array dissolved into light. The pillars vanished.
"Hah…" Chen Junting exhaled, assessing his state. His inspiration had come from the Shrek Seven Monsters' Seven-in-One Fusion Skill. He'd hoped that concentrating six energy pillars into one point would mimic that fusion's power.
But reality fell short.
First, the ambient energy's quantity couldn't match six Soul Ancestors' combined output.
Second—and critically—the energy, though pure, lacked a soul master's conscious control, causing it to rampage chaotically through his meridians.
Still, the second issue was solvable. His dream of solo cross-tier Weapon True Body activation was dashed—but not the array's potential. With refinement, he believed this foundation could one day let even a god fight beyond their tier.
---
Six Days Later – Four Days Until Academy Resumes
"You're sure you won't return?"
At Nine Treasures City's gate, Chen Junting, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Huo Yuhao, and Xiao Xiao boarded the sect's soul engineering carriage. They were the only ones leaving.
The other former Shrek students had chosen to stay—including provisional core disciples like Qin Lan, Gao Ming, and Nanmen Yun'er.
"No," Qin Lan said for the group, shaking his head. "We only joined Shrek to secure better terms for joining the sect after graduation. If we'd made it to the Inner Court, we'd have stayed—but now that we're in the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, our goal's achieved. And as named disciples of the elders, our cultivation here far surpasses Outer Sect training. Unlike Xiao Xiao, none of us had a real shot at the Inner Court."
"Fair enough," Chen Junting nodded, agreeing with their choice. The sect was better suited for them.
"Then farewell for now."
He turned to the two white-robed disciples driving the carriage. "Let's go."
The disciples snapped the reins.
CRACK—!
The soul engineering carriage sped toward Shrek Academy.
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