“Zhiwei, your Divine Sense has greatly increased now. Can you try to release it externally? Investigate the Su Residence, and even farther if you can.”
Lin Zhiwei nodded gently. She closed her eyes as instructed.
In an instant, an invisible ripple spread out from her.
Her brows would occasionally furrow, then relax, as she carefully discerned everything her Divine Sense perceived.
Zhou Kai did not disturb her, quietly observing.
After a moment, Lin Zhiwei’s long eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes.
“How is the situation?” Zhou Kai asked.
“Reporting to Husband,” Lin Zhiwei’s voice carried a note of certainty. “Within the Su Residence, aside from the three of us, there are no living human auras. Father Su, Mother Su, and those servants… they are not real people.”
Just as Zhou Kai had thought. If the Town Head—the highest-level Rule Guardian—only had a Divine Sense at the first layer of Foundation Establishment, then anyone stronger could see through the illusion.
“Oh?” Zhou Kai asked. “Then what are they?”
Lin Zhiwei organized her words carefully.
“They… seem like Phantoms formed from a very pure, clean, yet extremely weak Soul Power Aggregate. This Soul Power is fragile; I’m afraid even a Qi Condensation first-layer cultivator could disperse it easily.”
She paused, then added:
“When I investigated Fairy Shen’s room earlier, I found her aura… very strange.”
“Oh? How so?”
“Fairy Shen’s realm seems extremely unstable. At times it feels as sharp as Spirit Shaping’s fourth layer, then it drops to… roughly equivalent to Sword Control’s seventh layer. Her aura is chaotic, oscillating between strong and weak.”
Hearing this, Zhou Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
“So that’s it. This must be what Hanyi mentioned—if one forces a breakthrough, there will be a period of weakness. It seems she wasn’t lying.”
“Let’s go take a look at the town entrance,” Zhou Kai decided.
Since Lin Zhiwei could perceive the true nature of this place, the next step was finding the exit.
The two left the Su Residence.
The streets still presented the scene of “peace and prosperity,” with pedestrians coming and going and vendors hawking their wares. But in the eyes of Zhou Kai and Lin Zhiwei now, these people were merely clusters of weak Soul Power, moving like soulless Shadow Puppets.
Soon, they arrived at Red Cliff Town’s entrance. The stone stele engraved with “Red Cliff Town” stood silent. Behind it lay the road to the outside world.
Lin Zhiwei stopped walking. She closed her eyes to concentrate, her expression turning grave.
“Husband, there is an array here.”
She took out several oddly-shaped magical tools from her Storage Bag—a Compass, Array Flags, and some metal components.
She arranged these tools with practiced ease, forming hand seals and chanting incantations under her breath. Faint streams of spiritual light flowed between the components.
After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Lin Zhiwei opened her eyes. Her expression was complex, carrying a hint of peculiarity.
“What is it, Zhiwei?” Zhou Kai asked.
Lin Zhiwei pursed her lips, her tone uncertain yet incredulous. “Husband… this array… if you say it’s simple, it truly is. If you say it’s complex, it has a certain cleverness.”
“Get to the point.” Zhou Kai disliked beating around the bush.
“The point is,” Lin Zhiwei looked at him, enunciating clearly, “according to my investigation… as long as one’s Divine Sense Intensity reaches the level of Foundation Establishment… they can ignore this array and simply walk out.”
“Oh?” This was a pleasant surprise. “So you can come and go freely now?”
“In theory, yes.” Lin Zhiwei nodded, then hesitated. “However… this array’s main function seems to be screening.”
Zhou Kai motioned for her to continue.
“This is an Isolation Grand Array. For people whose Divine Sense has reached Foundation Establishment or above… it functions like a weak Illusion Array. We can leave easily. But once we go out and want to come back in… the array will affect our perception. We won’t be able to see the town or buildings; we’ll only perceive barren land.”
“So it shields the truth from the strong, but traps the weak?” Zhou Kai pondered.
“Yes. For Qi Condensation cultivators… once they enter, they are trapped. Unless their Divine Sense reaches the threshold.”
She looked at Zhou Kai. “Husband… if I go out now… when I come back, I probably won’t be able to see you anymore.”
“So this array isn’t some high-level trap; its creator isn’t a master.”
Zhou Kai stroked his chin, eyes flickering.
Lin Zhiwei added, “This array establishes an ‘entry-exit rule’ based on Divine Sense Intensity. The master of this place uses it as a filter.”
Hearing this, Zhou Kai suddenly grinned.
“Hahahaha!”
He couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “I understand! I completely understand now!”
Lin Zhiwei was baffled. “What does Husband understand?”
Zhou Kai rocked back and forth with laughter, pointing at the invisible barrier. “The guy who set this up is… too talented!”
His eyes held mockery.
“So… because I got hit by that damned Soul Poison and my Divine Sense dropped… this lousy array misjudged me as some weak Meridian Opening chicken? That’s why I got trapped?”
“And Shen Hanyi? Because she forced a breakthrough and entered a period of weakness… the array judged her as an ordinary Sword Control cultivator and trapped her too?”
“This array’s master never intended to provoke second-realm cultivators! He doesn’t have the ability to trap them! This array—to put it bluntly—is just a Newbie Filter!”
The more Zhou Kai thought about it, the funnier it became.
He had imagined Red Cliff Town as some profound, eldritch horror. But now? It was just a Paper Tiger, specifically designed to bully Qi Condensation kids.
As long as your Divine Sense reached Foundation Establishment, you were free. Both he and Shen Hanyi had simply fallen into the trap due to bad timing and debuffs.
Zhou Kai reined in his laughter, his eyes turning sharp.
“Zhiwei… according to your identity here, what things are absolutely forbidden for you to do?”
Lin Zhiwei was stunned by the question.
“According to propriety… I should be virtuous, gentle, and refined. Not leaving the inner quarters casually. Certainly not engaging in fights or damaging my reputation.”
“Very good.” A glint flashed in Zhou Kai’s eyes. He clapped his hands. “Come on. Follow your husband for a stroll.”
“Husband… what are we going on the streets for?”
Zhou Kai grinned, a wolfish look on his face.
“You… today… are going to beat up a few ‘people’ right on the street! Let me see exactly what Red Cliff Town’s ‘rules’ are… and what that so-called ‘big trouble’ really is!”
“Ah?” Lin Zhiwei gaped.
Her? Beat people up on the street?
“No more ‘ah,’ my good Zhiwei.” Zhou Kai pinched her cheek lightly. “We’re both second-realm cultivators! What do we have to fear?”
Lin Zhiwei blinked. Looking at Zhou Kai’s expression—delighting in stirring up trouble—she felt her fear vanish.
With Husband by her side… what did she have to fear?
She pursed her lips into a smile. “Yes, Husband!”
Side by side, they walked toward the town center. Zhou Kai was already calculating how to lure out Red Cliff Town’s “master” and squeeze some extra benefits from these “low-level” secrets.
As for Shen Hanyi… that bride-to-be warrior maiden… she should also be put on the agenda soon.
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