Chapter 1068: An Ancient Saint Appears

Any formation is divided into many gates: Rest Gate, Life Gate, Injury Gate, Du Gate, Scenery Gate, Death Gate, Shock Gate, Open Gate...

Among these gates, some lead to life, some to injury, some to death, and some trap one within, never to leave.

Once you take the wrong step, you fall into eternal ruin.

For this reason, when trapped in a formation and unable to find a way out, many dare not act rashly, because they might easily enter a death ground from which escape is nearly impossible.

Before them appeared nine gates. Although they did not conform to the Eight Trigrams formation pattern, they surely followed this same principle, and could not be entered lightly.

Seeing President Han's action, the others also looked toward the young man nearby.

Zhang Xuan was utterly speechless.

These were all renowned masters and brilliant formation masters, who in any other place would be authoritative and awe-inspiring figures. How had they, upon entering this relic, lost all initiative and become dependent on him?

He wasn't omnipotent, was he?

There were many things he couldn't do either.

Teacher Zhang, throughout this journey, your research into formations and your observational skills have surpassed us all. Whichever gate you say to enter, we will trust you...

Seeing his thoughts, President Han smiled.

Yes, we trust you!

We don't understand formations well; only you can find the correct one among the nine gates.

...

Everyone spoke up.

Seeing their attitude, Zhang Xuan knew he couldn't refuse, so he nodded: "Let me try."

With that, he stepped forward and used the Eye of Insight to look.

The Library of Heaven's Path would only reveal the composition and structure of these gates; knowing whether they were safe was beyond it, making the Eye of Insight more effective.

Hmm?

After scanning around, his eyes soon stopped. He crouched before a gate and looked down at the ground.

The others followed closely and saw a bloodstain on the ground. It had dried long ago, imprinted on the stone, not particularly clear.

It seems someone left it deliberately...

Teacher Wu frowned.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

He was right. This mark was not left by blood dripping from a wound, but deliberately smeared here, as if to leave a sign for later generations.

Raising his brows, Zhang Xuan looked again.

The lines writhed, and the blood before him seemed to return to the moment it first appeared.

The blood was left by Old Dean Zhang Yin Qiu, indicating they entered this gate!

Zhang Xuan stood up.

Then we enter this one!

President Han looked over.

Mm!

Their main goal was to find Zhang Yin Qiu and the others. Since the latter had entered this gate, entering it would allow them to rescue the people.

Moreover, they had encountered so many dangers along the way, yet the old dean and his group had sailed smoothly. They had probably already learned the secrets of the dwelling relic, and the place they went to was naturally safe.

Good!

Having made the decision, they did not hesitate. Teacher Wu was the first to step inside.

The others followed closely.

As soon as they entered, the scene before them changed. A small garden appeared, filled with clusters of flowers and fragrant scents.

Everyone was startled.

They had expected danger or some formidable trial, but it turned out to be an ordinary garden.

Look...

A war teacher pointed forward, and they saw a tall statue standing in the center of the garden.

It was made of a special material, clad in a master's robe, its features lifelike, as if it might come to life at any moment.

It's the Ancient Saint Qiu Wu...

Recognizing the statue's face, Zhang Xuan's mouth twitched.

This fellow was the one who had previously wanted to take him as a student.

Ancient Saint Qiu Wu?

Seeing the statue here, Feng Xun and the others' eyes lit up. They hurried over, full of reverence and respect, and bowed down.

The seal laid down by this saint had protected the human race from harm for tens of thousands of years, deserving everyone's respect.

Teacher Wu and the others also bowed down behind him.

Seeing everyone so devout and reverent toward their predecessors, Zhang Xuan felt extremely awkward.

It seemed he had previously said he would take this person as a disciple... If these people found out, would they beat him to death?

Rumble!

Just as he was at a loss, the ground shook. The statue before them trembled twice, and light shone from its eyes.

It came to life!

Seeing this, Teacher Wu, Feng Xun, and the others were startled and dared not rise.

It's a strand of will left on it, not a true resurrection...

Zhang Xuan was first taken aback, then breathed a sigh of relief.

The situation before him was identical to when the remnant will of the ancient sage Qiuwu had appeared in the Boundless Realm—the same aura, the same pressure. It was not a resurrection, but merely a sliver of lingering consciousness that had awakened.

That made sense. The original body had been dead for tens of thousands of years; how could it possibly come back to life?

It must have been triggered by the crowd kneeling, activating some mechanism that awakened the consciousness sealed within.

Since a remnant will remained, it seemed they had chosen the right direction—this was indeed the portal.

Whoosh!

The stone statue opened its eyes, looked down at the kneeling crowd, and a faint voice rang out: “I am Qiuwu. You must already know this.”

As before, it carried the vicissitudes of history, crushing the soul.

“This junior pays respects to the ancient sage Qiuwu!”

Hearing him acknowledge his identity, everyone was filled with excitement.

This was a figure of the same generation as Confucius, one of the most renowned masters among the ancient human sages, an idol to countless people.

Seeing their respectful attitude, the stone statue responded: “To have reached this portal shows that you are all excellent in both temperament and judgment. Since that is the case, I will not speak words of encouragement. I will test your comprehension. Those who pass will be accepted as my students and receive my inheritance. Those who fail, to prevent the leakage of information, can only remain here… Is anyone willing to try?”

The ancient sage Qiuwu’s will was just as before in the Boundless Realm—taking disciples as he pleased, testing as he pleased, decisive and without any hesitation.

“Comprehension test?”

“Senior… your inheritance?”

Everyone’s breath quickened.

Not to mention that the ancient sage Qiuwu’s strength surpassed the ninth level of the Saint Domain, his understanding of space alone was something countless nine-star masters could never hope to match.

To obtain his inheritance would foreseeably make one stronger and stronger, standing at the peak of the continent—only a matter of time.

“Indeed. For cultivators, temperament and talent ensure one can learn from predecessors’ methods, continuously progress, and grow stronger. But it is comprehension that allows one to possess something of one’s own, to found a school, and even… surpass one’s predecessors. If you agree, enter the portal behind me. If not, you may retreat along the path you came and leave Qiuwu Palace!”

The stone statue continued.

“This…”

The crowd did not rush to respond but exchanged glances, each with a solemn expression.

Obtaining the ancient sage Qiuwu’s inheritance would be best, but considering the difficulty of the entire ruins, passing his final test would likely be extremely hard.

If they failed, they would be trapped inside, unable to leave.

In other words, success meant life; failure meant death!

There was no third path.

“Zhang Yinqiu and the others must have chosen to enter, which is why they never came out…”

Wu Shi and the others nodded to themselves.

If the old dean were not dead, he would surely be inside; otherwise, it would be impossible for no message to have been transmitted.

To become the dean of Hongyuan Academy, one’s talent and comprehension were naturally extraordinary, not to mention the accompanying vice deans and elders—each was a genius among geniuses. Yet after entering for over two years, none had emerged, which fully demonstrated the difficulty of the test.

“Even if I am trapped inside, I will definitely enter! This opportunity is too precious for me!” Feng Xun’s gaze was firm.

“Indeed, as long as I can glimpse the ancient sage’s inheritance, even death would be worth it!” Jiang Yuan and the others nodded simultaneously.

War masters always carried an indomitable momentum. The inheritance of the ancient sage Qiuwu was a treasure dreamed of by countless people. Even if they truly failed the test, it would only mean their comprehension was too low, and to grow old or die inside would be their own fault.

“I choose to enter!”

“Me too!”

…

Wu Shi, Mu Shi, Wu Tianqiong, and the others also nodded.

As masters, how could they give up the chance to receive the inheritance of a predecessor like the ancient sage Qiuwu!

It was not just about techniques; it was also a persistent philosophy.

“Wait, if this is a test for inheritance and traps people inside, why is Tianye King also in there? Can spirit race members also receive it?”

As everyone made their decisions, Zhang Xuan, standing behind, frowned.

Although the other’s inheritance held great appeal for him, it was not particularly significant.

He had seen the movement technique “Walker Without Boundaries”—it was indeed powerful, but it also had many flaws. To be trapped here for such a technique, unable to leave for a lifetime, would be a loss outweighing gain.

After all, his urgent task was to reach nine-star master before the age of thirty; otherwise, he would face certain death.

Of course, he had not carefully considered whether to enter or not. What puzzled him was: if the old dean Zhang Yinqiu was truly trapped inside, how could Tianye King also be there?

The ancient sage Qiuwu had expended countless efforts to seal the node, even fighting the spirit race and losing his life, showing his deep hatred for them… With his stone statue guarding this place, how could he allow them to enter, let alone possibly receive the inheritance?

“Could this guy be a fake?”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

Outside, there were nine doors, inevitably some leading to life and some to death. This figure appeared out of nowhere and immediately offered to teach techniques—it was too easy, hard not to arouse suspicion.

“Alright, since you have made your decision, begin to choose!” The stone statue, not noticing him at the back of the crowd, spoke again.

“Yes!”

Wu Shi and the others stood up, determination in their eyes, and walked straight forward.

Of the remaining twenty-two people, except for Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxi, who stood at the very back without deciding, the rest all chose to enter.

“Wait…”

Seeing them about to walk in, Zhang Xuan shouted loudly and stepped forward to block them.

“What’s wrong?”

Wu Shi and the others were startled and quickly made a shushing gesture.

The ancient sage Qiuwu was right in front; being so loud was simply rude!

“Nothing, I just find it a bit strange…”

Frowning, Zhang Xuan turned, raised his finger, and pointed it at the stone statue.