The mountain summit was reached in no time.
Mu Li gazed at the towering hall and couldn’t help asking: “Could there be traps inside?”
It wasn’t unreasonable. This space held only one mountain, and atop it only this hall. Its doors stood wide open, as if inviting anyone to enter.
“If it’s a trap, we still have to go in. Daoist Mu, if you’re timid, you can wait outside.”
The speaker was Zhen Xiaowei, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator in Su Xuening’s team.
Zhen Xiaowei was beautiful but ill-tempered. She had expected to be cared for by her late-stage elder and mid-stage cousin in the secret realm, but Su Xuening—stronger and prettier—had stolen all attention. Treated as a burden, Zhen Xiaowei grew resentful. Now, seeing Mu Li—whose cultivation was even lower—being protected, she vented her frustration on her.
After speaking, Zhen Xiaowei rushed inside, followed quickly by her elder and cousin.
Su Xuening gave Mu Li an apologetic smile. “Please don’t mind her. Daoist Zhen is always impulsive.”
Time was pressing, and indeed, they couldn’t afford to argue. Trap or not, they had to enter.
Mu Li followed Fu Qingzhou into the hall. “Still nothing here,” Fu Qingzhou said, glancing around with disappointment.
Zhen Xiaowei’s group also looked deflated. They had expected treasures hidden in such a secret place, but the hall was as empty as outside.
Su Xuening frowned. “Could someone have already taken everything?”
Xuanyuan Yunfei reassured her: “It doesn’t look like anyone’s been here. The place is small—let’s keep searching.”
No one was willing to give up, so they began combing the hall.
Mu Li didn’t rummage like the others. Instead, she studied the patterns carved on the walls and pillars.
In the original novel, the male and female leads focused solely on cultivation, advancing rapidly. They never studied alchemy or arrays, but that didn’t mean they avoided such opportunities. In fact, this ruin contained an array legacy. The protagonists gave a minor array cultivator a chance, who later became their loyal follower and greatly aided them.
Mu Li’s gaze fell on the young array master in their team—the one who had cracked the formation to enter this space. *So this must be the future follower,* she thought.
“What’s with this pillar?” Fu Qingzhou asked, seeing Mu Li trace the carvings curiously.
Mu Li pointed. “Doesn’t this look like an array?”
Fu Qingzhou, unfamiliar with such arts, studied it but couldn’t understand.
“You actually know arrays?”
Mu Li shook her head. “I’ve only read a few books. It just looks similar.”
Xuanyuan Yunfei, who had been watching them, stepped closer. Hearing Mu Li’s words, he examined the carvings too.
Su Xuening joined him, but neither of them was an expert. She called out, “Daoist Qiu, could you take a look? Are these array patterns?”
Her shout brought Qiu Qingze, the team’s array master, as well as the others.
Mu Li, Fu Qingzhou, and Zou Chong stepped aside.
“If this is truly the legacy of an ancient array sect, then we’ve struck gold,” Fu Qingzhou said wistfully.
Mu Li countered immediately: “Why not? Ancient legacies are priceless. Even learning one or two arrays would be a huge gain.”
Fu Qingzhou gave her a deep look. “Not so easy. Some spend their whole lives failing to master even one array. Better to focus on cultivation.”
Mu Li silently scoffed at his pessimism. Just then, an excited voice rang out: “It’s an array! Truly an array!”
A late-stage cultivator asked skeptically: “Are you certain?”
“Certain. These are ancient arrays. The style is so different from ours that they look like decorative motifs.”
Qiu Qingze circled the hall, studying intently, before saying: “The floor itself is also an array. I can’t yet tell its purpose or how to activate it.”
Excitement rippled through the group.
“Maybe it’s a teleportation array, leading to a hidden space.”
“Or a killing array—slaughtering everyone inside.”
“But we’ve been here this long unharmed.”
“Perhaps it’s broken, or requires a special trigger.”
Finally, Su Xuening spoke calmly: “Either way, leaving now gains us nothing. Let Daoist Qiu study it.”
No one wanted to leave empty-handed, so all agreed.
Mu Li whispered to Fu Qingzhou: “What if more people come in later?”
Fu Qingzhou replied softly: “Anyone daring to enter has their own means of survival. Stay close to me—you’ll be fine. Besides, we have over ten Foundation cultivators here. Outsiders won’t attack lightly. If they do, others will seize the chance to strike them from behind.”
Mu Li thought it over and relaxed. With so many teams outside, cooperation was unlikely. Their group was strong enough. She happily continued studying the array patterns.
Qiu Qingze, mid-stage Foundation, wasn’t highly skilled in arrays, but the opportunity was rare. Even if he couldn’t understand these ancient designs, he was determined to try.
Mu Li had only read a few basic books—barely scratching the surface. She had hoped to ask Qiu Qingze questions, but when she saw him sweating and struggling, she gave up. Fortunately, her memory was excellent. Though she couldn’t comprehend the patterns, she memorized them all.
After half a day, she had recorded every design in the hall. Just as she was about to test the floor array, noise erupted outside—the arrival of other teams.