Chapter 487: Unknown Concurrence
"Just walk." Xuanheng's tone remained calm, but there was no room for doubt. "In the Ancient Path, the scariest thing isn't not seeing, it's being clever for the sake of being clever. If you hurry to dismantle, hurry to calculate, hurry to prove your formation mastery, most often you'll get nothing, and you might even trap yourself inside."
Those words pierced Su Ming's heart like a needle.
He did have that problem.
When facing an array he first thought of breaking it down, when facing a setup he first tried to calculate it. When something abnormal appeared, his first reaction was to pry it open, find the spiritual energy nodes, and deduce an escape route.
That habit was an advantage in daily life, but in some places it could turn into an obsession.
Xuanheng looked at him and said slowly, "Formation art is not just deconstruction."
"Sometimes, it's more like listening."
"Listen to the mountain's shape, listen to the energy aura, listen to where the formation itself wants to go."
Su Ming's heart stirred. He rose and cupped his hands. "Disciple accepts the teaching."
Xuanheng nodded slightly, then walked to a wooden rack nearby and took down a purple token from a high shelf.
The token was about half a palm in size, heavy in the hand. The front was engraved with fine formation lines; the back bore an ancient character meaning 'Dao'. That character was not sharp; instead it carried the rounded smoothness worn by time.
Xuanheng handed the token over.
"This is the secret realm access token."
Su Ming received it with both hands and placed it away with solemn care.
"The entrance is on the rear mountain of Formation Peak, on a certain cliff. The stone gate is engraved with the words 'Ancient Path'. When you go, you'll see it."
As he spoke, Xuanheng's gaze fell on Shadow.
"Are you taking it in with you?"
Su Ming paused, then said, "If Master allows, I'd like to bring it. Shadow is young, but it has already sworn to me and is connected to my energy aura. Leaving it in the cave dwelling wouldn't put my mind at ease."
At the sound of its name, Shadow immediately puffed out her chest and let out a cry.
Xuanheng looked at the little black bird in silence for a moment, then replied lightly, "Very well."
"The Ancient Path reflects people and spirits alike. If it wishes to go, let it come."
"Thank you, Master."
Xuanheng turned back to the star chart and spoke in a lower, heavier voice.
"Su Ming."
"Disciple here."
"Your current cultivation is not weak, and your foundation is fairly solid. But up until now, you've relied more on calculating, on steadiness, on avoiding danger, and on putting every step within your control."
Su Ming's heart tightened; he listened closely.
"That's not wrong," Xuanheng said, "it's even very good."
"But if the path of formations only wants to travel roads you can fully calculate, one day you'll reach the end."
The hand holding the token tightened slightly.
"The Ancient Path may not give you answers," Xuanheng continued slowly. "It might only give you a stretch of road, a veil of mist, things you cannot understand, and blanks you cannot immediately solve."
"If you can learn to walk alongside the unknown while inside, then six months later when you come out, your formation art will have truly taken a step forward."
A breeze blew through the half-open side window.
Pages turned softly; in a corner an old formation plate let out a faint hum, then fell silent again.
Su Ming stood there for a long time, then offered a deep bow.
"Disciple will remember."
Xuanheng raised a hand to signal that he could withdraw.
"Go."
"Yes."
Su Ming turned and left.
At the hall's doorway, Xuanheng's calm voice came again from behind.
"If within six months you can't understand anything inside, don't panic."
Su Ming turned back.
Xuanheng stood with his hands behind his back, face unchanged.
"Not understanding is also part of the path."
Su Ming's expression moved slightly, and he gave a solemn nod.
Outside the Star Pivot Hall it was nearly afternoon.
The sky above Formation Peak felt high; clouds flowed slowly from distant ridges, their edges lit by sunlight. Su Ming stood on the hall's front steps, touching the token in his sleeve, but his anticipation was no longer as simple as before.
There was an added weight.
And an inexplicable curiosity.
Shadow flapped back to perch on his shoulder and gently pecked his ear, as if urging him on.
Only then did Lin Yu speak, his voice low.
"This Xuanheng really knows how to teach disciples better than I thought."
"What does Master think of the Ancient Path?"
"Sounds like something not easily trifled with." Lin Yu snorted. "But precisely because of that, it's worth going into. If it were just a cozy den stuffed with spiritual energy and opportunities, would you be sent in now?"
Su Ming smiled and set off toward the rear mountain.
From the Star Pivot Hall to the rear mountain there was no need to return to Gazing Star Cliff and take a detour.
A narrow path followed the cliff line and stretched backward. Few people walked it on ordinary days. Grasses and trees grew thick on both sides of the stone steps; when the wind blew, the leaves made a layered, hushed sound, as if people were whispering in the woods.
The rear mountain of Formation Peak was much quieter than the front.
The path started relatively even, but grew narrower the further he went. Ancient tree branches intertwined; dappled shadows cut sunlight into ragged patches on the ground, like pieces of old, uneven cloth. The wind in the treetops stirred thin rustling, coming from far away and drifting further still.
Su Ming walked slowly.
Though he'd already decided, when he truly approached the secret realm entrance he instinctively checked his belongings again.
The access token was in a hidden pocket on his left sleeve.
The Grand Teleportation Talisman remained motionless.
The survival formation plate, healing pills, and antidote pills were each placed separately.
The remaining Silver-Spotted Heart-Clearing Orchids were sealed in a jade box; the Soul-Nourishing Incense recipe and spiritual materials were with them.
Shadow's rations, the Star Dust Powder, and a small Spirit Gathering Array Disk were all accounted for.
He even ran his fingers over a few rarely used concealment talismans to make sure they were still there.
Noticing the motion, Lin Yu chuckled, "With all that loose gear, you'd float if you fell into water."
Su Ming's expression was calm. "A little more preparation means a slightly better chance of survival."
"That's fair," Lin Yu said leisurely, "but if the secret realm really pulls some tricks, your little gadgets might not help."
"Whether they help or not, we won't know until we go in."
"True."
Shadow behaved itself as they walked, but the further they went the quieter it became. Its golden eyes stopped wandering and fixed on a spot ahead on the path, as if watching something invisible to human eyes.
Su Ming noticed and slowed his pace.
"What's wrong?"
Shadow gave no answer, only parting the tip of her beak and issuing a faint "chu" sound.
The cry was low, but it no longer carried the brash sharpness of usual days; instead it hinted at a rare gravity.
After another half-quarter of an hour, the air began to change.
First, the wind lessened.
Then the forest sounds faded: insect chirps, bird calls, rubbing leaves — one by one they receded to distant corners. In their place came a very quiet, moist feeling.
Mist rose slowly from tree roots, stone cracks, and low shrubs.
At first it was a thin layer clinging to the ground. A few steps later the mist lifted, spreading along the path, wrapping around ankles, pant hems, and steps, rolling gently.
Su Ming paused instinctively.
He looked down.
This mist was not ordinary mountain fog.
Normal fog is dead—born of damp cold, it gathers in valleys and disperses with a gust of wind. But these mists seemed to have veins; they flowed around worn stones that bore old formation marks and slid silently through certain cracks.
They were not 'floating' so much as 'flowing'.