Chapter 736: It's Over!

Let's begin!

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan flipped his wrist, and a series of formation flag poles appeared in his palm.

In the remaining space ring, there were quite a few such formation flags, all at the五星 level. This auxiliary formation had no attributes and could be used directly.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

His wrist flipped, his entire arm a blur, as hundreds of formation flags shot straight from his palm, landing around the formation plate and plunging vertically into the ground.

Raising an eyebrow, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and stamped his foot on the ground.

Hum!

A clear ring sounded, the formation flags trembled, instantly activated. A thin mist boiled forth, completely shrouding the formation plate.

Boom!

Immediately, the fire dragon at the center of the formation plate, as if fed a great tonic, surged from a meter or two high to dozens of meters, threatening to burst through the lofty hall and burn the roof to ashes!

This is a fifth-level formation? Deployed… so fast!

Yuan Hong's eyebrow twitched.

He also dabbled in formations, and even as a six-star formation master, he couldn't deploy a formation this quickly!

This guy did it so easily, and his technique was clearly different from anything he'd seen. He must have truly inherited the teachings of a high-level master teacher.

Legend had it that powerful formation masters had unique techniques, allowing faster deployment and greater power!

Even with insufficient cultivation, they could deploy formations quickly.

This guy was probably using such a technique.

Turning the fire dragon like this… this should be an auxiliary formation to speed up the extraction of geothermal fire!

He nodded.

Though the deployment was fast, he could still identify the type from the effect and the arrangement of the flags.

But… what was the point of setting up this formation?

Could it be that this guy wanted to replace the Geocentric Blazing Rock with geothermal fire?

Would that work? Even if the extraction speed increased and the fire dragon grew larger, the temperature wouldn't rise…

Frowning, Yuan Hong couldn't help speaking up.

As the vice president of the Artifact Refinement Academy, even if he hadn't heard of replacing Geocentric Blazing Rock with geothermal fire, his insight told him this much.

This auxiliary formation increased the extraction speed of geothermal fire, channeling more energy into it.

The fire dragon grew larger, but only in quantity, not quality. It was like burning charcoal: burning one piece versus a ton changed the quantity, but didn't raise the temperature.

Rest assured!

With a light smile, Zhang Xuan didn't explain further. He flipped his palm, and another row of formation flags appeared.

Rustle!

His fingers moved like the wind, inserting them into the ground again, surrounding the previous formation.

Hum!

Soon, this formation was also activated.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

As the formation began to operate, the fire dragon, which had been dozens of meters high and nearly scorching the roof, immediately shrank, becoming a mere meter or two tall.

Though smaller, the flames grew fiercer, and even from a great distance, one could feel the heat wave.

This is… compressing the fire dragon, making it hotter and more powerful? Excellent technique!

Yuan Hong was startled, showing surprise.

The first formation increased the extraction speed of geothermal fire, while this one compressed the extracted flames.

After compression and purification, the flames lost their height but became far more terrifying, with temperatures increased tenfold!

Even he, if he walked over, might not withstand it.

He… couldn't he really be thinking of replacing Geocentric Blazing Rock with geothermal fire?

His face twitched.

He had guessed earlier but hadn't dared to believe it. Now, he grew more suspicious.

By setting up two formations in succession, he had raised the temperature of the geothermal fire to approach that of Geocentric Blazing Rock.

If he kept going, he might actually repair the passage… but geothermal fire was inherently unstable. Now, with extraction and compression, could he really control it?

If he lost control, not only would the record passage be affected, but the entire branch might be implicated.

Not only he frowned, but the surrounding master teachers also knitted their brows.

Those who guarded the record passage and aimed to break records couldn't be simple. Zhang Xuan's two formations, even if unnamed, revealed their function and purpose.

Especially the compressed flames nearby, radiating astonishing heat. Even the powerful master teachers felt their scalps tingle after watching for a while.

It seemed that if their souls fell into it, they would be burned to ashes instantly.

Alright!

Ignoring the crowd's shock, Zhang Xuan breathed a slight sigh of relief after setting up the two formations.

These appeared to be two formations, but they were actually one, divided into inner and outer layers.

The inner layer increased the power of the geothermal fire, while the outer layer compressed it, making it purer.

Combined, they could make the geothermal fire mimic the effect of Geocentric Blazing Rock.

This was a design from thousands of years ago by a six-star peak formation master specifically for the passage, but he couldn't resolve the conflict issues, so it remained theoretical and never practiced.

Let's begin!

Knowing the first step was the simplest and the difficulty lay ahead, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath, focused his gaze, and activated his Eye of Insight.

After the third Heaven's Recognition of a Master Teacher, his Eye of Insight had advanced again. Unless he chose to reveal it, even six-star master teachers couldn't detect it.

With so many master teachers around, and he not yet a five-star, revealing it would cause a stir. Better to keep a low profile.

Though hidden from outsiders, its effect was undiminished. As it operated faster, the previously broken and unbalanced formation appeared before him, each flag like a star standing around the fire dragon.

I just need to activate this…

Knowing the formation had only temporarily lost function, and if he could activate it, the geothermal passage would be restored, Zhang Xuan stepped forward to the core of the activation formation.

Activate!

He stamped his foot, injecting true energy into the core. The dormant formation flags trembled slightly, emitting a wind-like hum, and then mist instantly enveloped the fire dragon.

Rustle!

As the formation maintaining the fire dragon touched the mist, a sound like a collapsing house arose, as if the two formations were incompatible and about to explode.

Damn…

Yuan Hong's eyebrow twitched, his face turning pale.

He had encountered incompatible formations before. Once, a six-star formation master was blown to pieces. If it exploded here, injuries would be minor; the entire academy branch might vanish.

He opened his fingers to suppress it, but saw the young man grab something—a spirit beast inner core—and send it flying straight into the core of the mist.

Whoosh!

As the inner core touched the mist, the violently conflicting formations instantly stabilized, as if fed a great tonic.

This is… the balance point of the two formations?

His eyes widened.

The only way to calm the raging formations so quickly was to find the balance point and stabilize it.

This is… the inner core of a Cold Snow Dragon Fish at the eighth level of Mortal Transformation, inherently yin-cold, perfect for neutralizing the fire-attribute formation…

Recalling the appearance of the inner core, Yuan Hong couldn't help nodding.

Not only had he found the conflict balance point, but he also used the principle of yin-yang mutual generation, using the yin-cold inner core of the dragon fish to neutralize the fire's power, breaking the situation of 'solitary yin does not give birth, solitary yang does not grow,' and completely stabilizing the formation!

One formation after another, step by step—impressive!

Without Geocentric Blazing Rock, using geothermal fire to achieve this—he had to admit, this guy had real skill.

No wonder he dared to claim he could repair it. He actually succeeded.

Once this was balanced, repairing the passage walls would just require some craftsmen, no big deal.

Seeing the formation stabilize, Zhang Xuan also breathed a sigh of relief.

Earlier, the Heavenly Path books had shown many flaws, and he thought it might not work, but everything went smoothly.

I have not failed the trust!

With a light smile, Zhang Xuan turned around.

This is… the geothermal passage?

So dazzling! With all these flames swirling, can a person really walk in?

Such scorching heat! Senior Luo Yan really lasted three minutes? Someone like me probably couldn't hold out ten seconds before being burned to ashes…

…

Looking up, the crowd erupted in uproar.

Among the master teachers present, only a handful had traversed the geothermal passage and knew what it was like inside.

Now that Zhang Xuan had repaired it, the walls were gone, revealing everything inside, shocking countless people.

Flames darting, heat waves assailing… the geothermal passage was so terrifying. How did the record of seventeen minutes hold up?

And this guy actually stayed inside for over an hour?

Elder, I've restored the geothermal passage. So… no need for compensation, right?

Ignoring the crowd's expressions, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and looked up at Yuan Hong.

It looks restored on the surface, but whether it truly functions as a geothermal passage can only be known through personal experience! Yuan Hong waved his hand.

Though the passage he made using geothermal fire as power looked no different from before, its effectiveness needed to be tested firsthand.

Then please test it, Elder!

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

Mm, I once maintained this passage. Let me go in and take a look first!

Yuan Hong nodded.

As the vice president of the Artifact Refinement Academy, he had specifically maintained this passage and knew it better than anyone. To truly confirm if it was restored, he had to enter himself.

Elder, please!

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

Without replying, Yuan Hong stepped inside.

Hum!

As soon as he entered, the scattered flames converged on him. In an instant, the heat surged, and the temperature rose sharply.

Hmm?

Seeing the scene differ from his own entry into the geothermal passage, Zhang Xuan frowned. Suddenly recalling something, he turned to look at Luo Yan.

You… what material is the formation used by the Artifact Refinement Guild to extract geothermal fire made of?

Oh, it's made from Yueqing Stone combined with Luyang Crystal and fused with Gold Steel! Luo Yan thought for a moment and said.

Yueqing Stone? Luyang Crystal?

His pupils contracted, Zhang Xuan's eyes went wide. Just as he was about to speak, he felt the ground shake.

Boom!

A huge roar, followed by a massive blast of air, sent him tumbling head over heels.

Then, he saw the record passage collapse instantly, and the Artifact Refinement Guild branch hall came crashing down…