Chapter 14: Bypassing The Formation
“What should we do?” Chen Jingzhai respectfully asked.
“If this place is truly a Blessed Land, there’s no need to erect a formation to guard it,” Miao Yun said as she tightened the robe around her. “Especially when it’s a Blessed Land that is separated like this. It’s just redundant to put a formation between them.”
“Then, why can’t I find a way to enter?” The young man was confused.
“The Blessed Land is a field born from nature itself. The reason you can’t find the entrance is that you have no idea how,” Miao Yun explained. “I’ll teach you the mantra. You have to master it as fast as you can and give it a try.”
She didn’t even wait for Chen Jingzhai to respond and started to recite the mantra. The young man quickly paid attention to the lady in front of him and focused.
Fortunately, he was knowledgeable, and since he had already reached Level 9 of the Meditation Plane, it wasn’t hard for him to remember the mantra.
[Spell: Silent Pointing Technique (Incomplete)]
[Effect: Able to destroy restrictions, formations, and seals.]
[Flaw: Circulate spiritual power while maintaining the tempo of nine light stabs and one hard stab.]
Chen Jingzhai was shocked when he realized that Miao Yun was teaching him a spell.
Although it was only the first level of the spell, it was still worth a lot to him.
Hermit Guangmiao had mentioned in his diary several times that he was troubled by the fact that he did not possess a counter technique. Every cultivator’s dream was to have at least one technique that could do that.
Just as its name suggests, a counter technique was used to counter seals and formations.
As long as it could do that, no one would care if it was a spell or a technique. The Silent Pointing Technique that Miao Yun had taught Chen Jingzhai was one of the most powerful counter techniques known to man.
If other cultivators were to learn about what he had gained, they would’ve become extremely jealous of him. Since a cultivator could roam the world for a long period of their life, luck would eventually befall them.
Caves and treasures that once belonged to their ancestors would always be protected by formations or seals.
If one did not possess a counter technique, it would become a challenge for them and waste a lot of time. Some would even have to leave without getting anything.
Even Hermit Guangmiao only had a low-level counter technique.
Chen Jingzhai had noticed that the hermit had dreamed of getting his hands on the treasures of their ancestors, but wasn’t able to because he did not possess a high-level counter technique.
That was why the young man was surprised that he would be able to get his hands on a counter technique before he even achieved the Foundation Plane.
Even if it was an incomplete counter technique, he wasn’t worried because he was confident that his unique talent would be able to help him master it.
Despite the excitement, Chen Jingzhai’s face was expressionless, and he pretended that he had no idea that Miao Yun was teaching him a counter technique. A few minutes later, he started to circulate his spiritual power to the tip of his finger.
A faint yellow light shone in the dark cave. It would randomly change from bright to dim.
“Did you succeed?” Miao Yun exclaimed.
“It’s not that complicated. What should I do next?” Chen Jingzhai asked.
“Point your finger toward the floor,” Miao Yun instructed as she bit her lip. “Since you are mainly focused on the earth element, you will be able to feel the earth essence power. Locate the weakest link in the flow and strike that part.”
“I see!” The young man started to sense the flow of the essence power.
While he did that, the lady watched him with mixed expressions in her eyes.
The Silent Pointing Technique was a counter technique of the Soaring Clouds Clan.
Even Miao Yun had only mastered the first level of the technique. It took her three years to understand the technique and two more years to master the basics.
And yet, the young man in front of him, a young cultivator who was just eight years into his training, had understood the fundamentals of the counter technique in just a few minutes.
The Counter Light that shone on his finger was proof that he had mastered the first level.
“His speed of learning is insane! I have never seen a person who possesses such a high aptitude for cultivation!” Miao Yun exclaimed in her head. To her, Chen Jingzhai was definitely a cultivation prodigy, a rough diamond that had yet to be polished.
She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. It would’ve been best for her if she had been able to meet him earlier.
Even if she had already escaped the snake den, Miao Yun still did not believe that she could escape the Yellow Sands Cavern.
The biggest problem was the Yellow Sands King. The demon was as powerful as a human sage.
The Burrowing Technique wasn’t enough to protect them.
Chen Jingzhai had no idea what was going on in the lady’s head. Even if he did, he wouldn’t think too much about it. Having lived a second life, he had come to believe that any human being would be able to change their fate. He would never give up.
Because of the enlightenment he had, he was able to calm down despite the situation he was in and had started to patiently feel the flow of the essence power.
At first, the flow was vague to him, but it slowly became clearer.
When a cultivator tried to feel the flow of essence power, it was the same as a human watching the flow of a river trying to find the spot with the slowest water flow.
However, unlike other cultivators, Chen Jingzhai had mastered the Rock Technique.
He was able to easily detect the flow. To him, it was as if he was watching a network of essence power webs, webs that would intertwine with each other.
Although the earth essence power was very rich in the cavern, other essence powers of the five elements—metal, wood, water, and fire—could be found as well.
Due to the abundant amount of sand covering the land, the earth essence power was the strongest there.
After a few minutes, with his eyes still closed, Chen Jingzhai extended his finger.
The light of the counter technique slowly enveloped his finger as he slid his finger along the floor.
Suddenly, he stopped moving and poked his finger into the ground.
A faint rumble could be heard before the dark cave was dimly lit. A smile then appeared on the young man’s face. He grabbed Miao Yun’s arm and dragged her with him.
As they ran forward, he could feel something soft trying to stop him.
However, the barrier wasn’t powerful enough. It only felt as if he was moving against the wave, and he easily entered the Blessed Land with Miao Yun.
“We did it!” he exclaimed.
“This really is the Blessed Land!” Miao Yun said. “I can feel all five elements here and the circulation of Yin and Yang. If I could use my clan’s secret technique to set this place up, then this has the potential to become our clan’s Celestial Mansion.”
“What’s a Celestial Mansion?” Chen Jingzhai hesitated before asking.
“The biggest difference between a Blessed Land and a Celestial Mansion is that the former is formed by nature, while the latter is man-made,” Miao Yun explained. “Each has its advantages, but for a cultivator, they can benefit more from a Celestial Mansion.”
The lady did not go into detail as Chen Jingzhai had yet to reach the level to understand it, even if she tried her best to explain.
While Chen Jingzhai was still trying to digest what Miao Yun had said, the lady pulled her arm back and started to roam around the Blessed Land.
The more she looked around, the deeper the frown on her face was. The Blessed Land had its picturesque scenery.
Mountains, rivers, forests, and grasslands could be found. However, what puzzled her the most was that no desert could be seen even though the Blessed Land was formed inside one.
If a place had rich earth essence power, only mountains or deserts could be formed.
Yet the place had a water source, and the flowers bloomed beautifully. It was as if they were at a scenic location. Theoretically, what she was seeing would be impossible.
It was not only rare for a Blessed Land to have all five elements, but it was also hard for it to become a high-quality Blessed Land. Yet the Blessed Land they were in had ignored that rule. It just did not make any sense to her.
“Ms. Miao Yun, did you find something?” Chen Jingzhai asked.
“Something just doesn’t feel right,” Miao Yun replied. “What do you plan to do now?”
“Explore the Blessed Land and look for a way out,” the young man replied. “I’ve read that the key to leaving a Blessed Land is to locate the ley lines, but I have no idea how to do that. Ms. Miao Yun, can you teach me?”
“You’re correct. Locating the ley lines is key, but it’s also challenging. However, since you have mastered the Burrowing Technique, perhaps we can give it a try.”
Despite what she said, she still believed that there was no way for them to escape. However, Chen Jingzhai was like an uncut gem. It would be a waste for him to lose his life there.
She was willing to sacrifice herself for him to escape.
The only problem was that ley lines were hard to find. Even if the young man had mastered the Burrowing Technique, he was still in the Meditation Plane. Miao Yun lied because she didn’t want to let him lose hope.
Not knowing what Miao Yun was thinking, a huge grin appeared on Chen Jingzhai’s face.