Chapter 86: Are You a Spiritual Array Master?
Seeing Gu Yue seething with rage, Li Jian San showed not the slightest hint of fear; instead, he gazed at him with a mocking smile.
“Heh, provoking you with words? When did I ever provoke you, elder?”
Gu Yue’s expression chilled. “You brat, do you take me for a fool? You just now—”
Before Gu Yue could finish, Li Jian San interrupted him.
“I merely said that some people in the Array Masters’ Guild lack vision. There are so many in your guild—can you guarantee every single one has perfect insight and skill?”
“Or are you saying your Array Masters’ Guild has grown so powerful that it can’t tolerate any outside opinion?”
“Oh, and by the way, elder, please don’t take my words personally in the future. I never named names, after all. You acting like this really hurts me.”
Gu Yue’s face grew darker still. This little rascal…
Yet Li Jian San continued to smile.
“Array Masters in the imperial capital are exceedingly esteemed, after all. Surely you wouldn’t stoop to interfere in our duel, would you, elder?”
Upon hearing Li Jian San’s words, Gu Yue turned away. The boy had a point.
As a distinguished Array Master, if he were to attack this youth, word would spread and it would not reflect well on him.
Hmph. Even if I don’t intervene, Leaf will certainly kill him…
On the stage, Ye Tian glared coldly at Li Jian San and said,
“Li Jian San, no matter what, you won’t escape death today.”
“Water Blossom Seal, rise!”
Ye Tian closed his eyes, his palm weaving intricate seals. As he roared, a vivid blue wave of energy appeared in his palm.
A low hum reverberated as Ye Tian opened his eyes; a chill flowed out, transforming his entire demeanor.
In moments, Ye Tian cast the blue wave into the air. The water shattered instantly, transforming into myriad azure ripples, sharp as blades, poised menacingly above the arena.
“An array—this is an array! Ye Tian is actually an Array Master!”
“No wonder he’s so arrogant. He’s become an Array Master.”
“He actually became an Array Master—who would have guessed?”
“Judging by this display, he’s at least a first-tier Array Master, if not higher.”
All around, the spectators gasped in shock.
“I never expected Ye Tian would master the mystical arts of arrays. I wonder if our young sect master can handle this?”
“Why worry? Our young master repelled the Azure Dragon Band with a grand array. This kid’s nothing—our young master can defeat him in a heartbeat.”
Yet many in the crowd began to worry.
“Li Jian San, before an Array Master, what strength do you have left? Today, you’ll witness the power of the array!”
After deploying his grand array, Ye Tian sneered at Li Jian San, eager to see terror etched on his rival’s face.
But to his disappointment, Li Jian San’s expression remained unchanged.
“This Ye Tian’s talent runs deep. Not only has he advanced swiftly in cultivation, but now he’s an Array Master as well. Our Shengjing Sect has lost a true prodigy.”
“An Array Master at sixteen—there are barely a handful in all of Jiang Country.”
“The power of his array looks terrifying. Will our young master be able to withstand it?”
Just then, Gu Yue shouted from below the stage,
“Ye Tian, fight with all your strength! Hold nothing back. No matter what happens today, I’ll stand behind you!”
Witnessing Ye Tian’s performance, Gu Yue felt triumphant once more. Earlier, Li Jian San’s words had nearly infuriated him, but if Ye Tian could kill Li Jian San now, his vexation would soon vanish.
“Li Jian San, before me, you are nothing.”
“Today, you’ll learn that in my presence, you’re less than an ant. Your life or death hangs entirely on my whim!”
As Ye Tian’s palm descended, thunder rolled through the air. More than a dozen azure blades interwove like lightning, dazzling and overwhelming.
The crashing blue blades possessed tremendous force; in terms of pure strength, this strike could easily shatter a city wall.
A single array strike—so terrifying!
“Ye Tian, I’d really like to know who gave you the courage to think you could kill me?”
“With your pedestrian skills, you dare call yourself an Array Master? Aren’t you ashamed to disgrace our profession?”
Though Ye Tian’s attack was clearly meant to kill, Li Jian San’s face remained full of ridicule and disdain, as if he cared nothing for the assault.
Ye Tian’s expression suddenly changed upon hearing Li Jian San’s words—was he an Array Master as well?
Impossible…
How could Li Jian San possibly be an Array Master?
This was absolutely impossible!
Ye Tian had been away in the imperial capital, so he was unaware of Li Jian San’s feat of repelling the Azure Dragon Band with a grand array.
It was only after Ye Tian himself became an Array Master that he understood how demanding the requirements were.
Like alchemists, aspiring Array Masters must possess formidable soul power—something incredibly difficult to cultivate.
Most people lack protagonist halos and cheats; soul power is generally innate and at a very low level.
Among a hundred thousand, you might barely find one warrior whose soul power is adequate.
Moreover, unlike alchemists, an Array Master must also have extraordinary comprehension, or they can’t even understand arrays, let alone set them up.
If not for his master expending immense soul power to help him, Ye Tian would never have had the chance to become an Array Master.
So, under such harsh conditions, mastering these mystical arts is exceedingly difficult—a rarity among rarities.
In his eyes, Li Jian San could not possibly be an Array Master.
With this reasoning, Ye Tian concluded Li Jian San was only blustering.
“You mean to say you’re an Array Master too?”
“Hahaha! You’ve gotten so used to bragging, you’ll say anything. Do you even know what an Array Master is?”
“Stop spouting nonsense. You, an Array Master? You’re not even worthy to carry our shoes!”
A barrage of thunderous blasts echoed, like a hail of arrows falling from the sky, their force devastating the arena, leaving it battered and ruined.
Yet Li Jian San’s figure darted and surged, leaving a trail of afterimages across the stage like thunder flashing in the night. Ye Tian’s attacks never touched him.
“Whether I’m an Array Master or not, you’ll soon know for yourself.”