Jun Wu and his group arrived at Mystic City after a grueling five-day journey. His body was sore, and he was utterly exhausted.
They quickly found an Inn and booked a room for a week. Without even taking off his clothes, Jun Wu collapsed onto the bed and immediately fell asleep.
He woke up at noon the following day, feeling refreshed and energetic.
After taking a bath, he changed into a new robe and went downstairs for a meal.
When he came down, he saw Elder Peng and Zhang Wei seated by the window, observing the bustling street outside.
"Young Master, you’re awake," Zhang Wei said, standing up to find him a seat.
"Yes. Did anything happen while I was asleep?" Jun Wu asked.
"No..." Zhang Wei shook his head.
"Good." Jun Wu nodded and called a waiter to order his meal.
"There are many young people here for the competition," Elder Peng remarked.
"That’s to be expected. This is Mystic Path Academy City, one of the best academies in the region," Mao Yun’s voice came from the entrance as he walked in.
Taking a seat, Mao Yun handed a booklet to Jun Wu. "Young Master, I’ve gathered all the information about the competition. Here it is."
"Thank you." Jun Wu took the booklet and opened it.
He quickly read through the thin book, and a bright smile crept across his face.
"So, the registration ends today. Huh, I’m quite lucky," Jun Wu muttered. "Mao Yun, follow me. I need to register for the competition."
Dressed in a long black robe, Jun Wu walked calmly among the throng of people.
Mystic City was bustling with life, with many Array Master apprentices gathered for the competition.
Before long, they arrived in front of a magnificent five-story building.
Outside the building, numerous registration tents had been set up. Without hesitation, Jun Wu entered one of the tents.
Inside, a young lady was seated behind a table, conducting registrations.
Looking at Jun Wu, she said calmly, "One hundred silver coins."
Jun Wu paid the fee, and the girl brought out a parchment.
"To qualify for the competition, you must identify this formation in less than thirty seconds."
Jun Wu’s lips curled upward. He realized the organizers were making a fortune from the competition.
Just to participate in the test, he had to pay one hundred silver coins. If he failed, his money would be gone.
Seeing him remain silent, the young lady frowned and said coldly, "If you can’t identify it, just give up. There’s no need to pretend."
Jun Wu furrowed his brows and sneered at her. The formation was an incomplete Concealing Grade-1 Array Formation.
What caught his attention, however, was the excessive number of unnecessary nodes and patterns.
For a Grade-1 Formation, there should be no more than eight to ten patterns with three to four nodes.
In comparison, this formation had over thirty patterns and ten nodes. It was absurd.
"Is this correct?" he couldn’t help but ask.
To him, this wasn’t a formation but total nonsense.
"What do you know? This is one of the simplified formations. Just give up if you can’t identify it," she responded with a smirk.
She had seen many young men like Jun Wu who came in confidently but knew nothing about formations.
Some were even perverts who showed up just to see her face.
She clicked her tongue, ready to chase this pretentious boy away.
Jun Wu didn’t know what was going through her mind, but the thought of this erroneous formation being a simplified version left him speechless.
He couldn’t imagine what the complex version would look like. Shaking his head, he said, "This is a Concealing Formation."
The young lady was surprised. She hadn’t expected the quiet boy to know the answer.
’How could he get it? He didn’t even study the formation to analyze the patterns and nodes,’ she thought, baffled as she stared at Jun Wu in shock.
"Ah... No..." She snapped out of her stupor and handed him a form to fill out.
Jun Wu quickly filled out the form and returned it to her.
"The competition starts in two days. Please be here early," she said, giving him a tag.
Receiving the tag, Jun Wu left the tent.
"Young Master, how was it?" Mao Yun asked.
"It was nothing. I passed."
His voice lacked its usual enthusiasm. He had come expecting something advanced but was left disappointed.
’Are ancient formations that different?’ he wondered in confusion.
"Young Master, is there a problem?" Mao Yun asked again.
"No..." Jun Wu shook his head. "I want you to get some books on formations. I need to check something."
Although Mao Yun was puzzled by Jun Wu’s behavior, he didn’t press further.
Just then, they heard a loud commotion from the center of the district.
"What’s going on?" Jun Wu frowned. "Let’s check it out."
They quickly approached the crowd and saw a young girl being beaten by a fat middle-aged man.
"Thief! I told you never to come near me again. I’ll break your legs and leave a scar on your face!"
He kicked the girl ruthlessly, drawing a miserable scream from her.
The girl tried to speak, but each time she opened her mouth, she was silenced by another brutal kick.
Within moments, she was covered in blood and bruises, her face swollen beyond recognition.
She tried to plead, but the man wouldn’t give her a chance.
As for the crowd, they watched the inhumane scene without a trace of pity.
Then a voice cut through the crowd.
"How much did she steal?"
Everyone turned to see the source of the voice, and the fat man paused his actions.
It was a young man dressed in a plain black robe. He was handsome, exuding a faint noble aura.
"En..." The fat man stuttered before replying. "She stole five hundred silver coins from me, and I won’t let her go without getting my money back!"
Jun Wu stepped forward and approached the girl. Looking at her, he felt a shadow of his younger self.
It reminded him of his days in the clan.
"Mao Yun, pay him, and let’s leave," Jun Wu said calmly as he carried the girl.
The fat man was about to protest, but Mao Yun’s cold, piercing gaze silenced him.
Accepting the money, a cunning smile appeared on the fat man’s face as he returned to his store, satisfied.