My Perfect Immortal Cultivation Life

"Li Yu, are you really an unparalleled genius in the art of array formations?" Linglong was quite shocked.

Having followed Li Yu for a few days now, she had formed some initial impressions of him: very composed, decisive, and seemingly without ambition. But did his particular fondness for concealing his true abilities and playing dumb to outsmart others give him a certain thrill?

Of course, Li Yu's favorite thing was to scheme against people.

Just look at how he kept talking about the tortoise shell formation while releasing the lightning-attracting formation like it was free – he's really heartless!

This is completely contrary to the detached and otherworldly demeanor of a typical cultivator!

Linglong felt that Li Yu was leading her astray.

"Genius? It's been a long time since anyone called me that." Li Yu chuckled.

He took another decisive step.

The fog behind them dissipated once more.

Linglong was beginning to believe that Li Yu was indeed a genius in the art of array formations.

One step might be a fluke, but what about two steps? Three steps?

Li Yu walked forward without stopping, without the slightest hesitation. He acted as if the mountain gate formation was nothing to him.

Half an hour later.

When Li Yu took his last step on the hard bluestone slab, the fog stretching for hundreds of meters behind him vanished completely.

"Li Yu, you're a genius!" Linglong cheered for him.

Li Yu simply smiled, keeping his achievements and fame hidden.

But deep down, fragments of his past life involuntarily came to mind.

"Damn it! I followed the walkthrough but still failed to beat the game!"

……

This thing is so hard to spot, I went to the wrong place again...

On the 75th try, I finally succeeded! I walked out...

In his past life, Li Yu had been stuck on this level 75 times before finally passing it. Therefore, he knew exactly how to proceed step by step better than anyone else.

This is commonly known as the "back panel".

"Let's go, let's move on to the next level." Li Yu felt that none of this was worth mentioning. Having transmigrated here, if he couldn't quickly clear the secret realms he had already conquered, he would be incredibly stupid.

Li Yu walked smoothly to the next checkpoint.

……

He was completely unaware that behind him, the fog from the first level had reappeared out of thin air, eventually condensing into a semi-transparent humanoid figure.

The figure made of mist scratched his head, seemingly puzzled. He said softly:

"I've finally been awakened..."

This kid who's breaking through the formation seems pretty special...

Born with the heart of the formation? ...

That's interesting...

Following in Li Yu's footsteps, the fog-man slowly followed and walked up as well.

……

Xuanbo Sect, the second formation.

Twelve bronze statues, each over ten meters tall, hold long halberds and kneel before the dilapidated hall.

Li Yu said, "This level is simpler than the first one. Behind each of the twelve bronze statues is an activation array. Just activate these statues in sequence according to their postures and movements."

With his past life's background as his foundation, this level was a piece of cake for him.

Less than half a quarter of an hour.

The halberd on the last bronze statue was slightly raised, and a wisp of pale blue spiritual light condensed at the tip of the halberd. At the same time, all twelve statues emitted a deep hum.

"Squeak—"

The dilapidated palace doors, which had been tightly closed, slowly opened inward with a jarring sound, and a slightly decaying wind, carrying a hint of scholarly fragrance, rushed in, causing Li Yu's robes to flutter slightly.

"Just like in my previous life, it wasn't difficult at all." Li Yu stepped into the hall.

The second level is cleared. The final level is located inside the hall.

After Li Yu entered the hall, the fog-covered figure reappeared out of thin air.

"It's even faster than when I beat the game back then..."

Could he truly be a once-in-a-millennium prodigy of array formations...?

The fog-covered man was quite puzzled, but then continued to follow Li Yu's footsteps into the hall.

The interior of the hall was even more dilapidated than the exterior, with sparse sunlight filtering through the roof, illuminating the scattered pebbles and rotten wooden beams. On the stone platform in the very center sat an antique-looking chessboard.

There is a mahogany chair on each side of the chessboard.

For some reason, the chessboard and mahogany chair showed no signs of decay and remained standing there quietly, just as they had for thousands of years.

The chessboard shows an endgame.

The black and white pieces were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle. One could vaguely discern the playing styles of the two players, one playing black and the other white, from the chessboard itself.

Black played steadily, making each move solid and composed. The arrangement of its pieces progressed layer by layer, like an impregnable fortress, firmly guarding its own territory without making any rash moves. Even when the game became a stalemate, it always maintained its discipline, carefully calculating every ko.

The opposite is true for White.

The pieces are placed in all directions. Each piece has a sharp and unpredictable feel. They seem scattered and disorderly, but when viewed a hundred moves later, they unexpectedly cooperate with the other white pieces, launching wave after wave of fierce attacks on the black pieces.

Li Yu thought to himself, "If the first two levels required some effort, this one is practically a kindergarten level test!"

Li Yu clearly remembered how to place the pieces in the strategy guide.

However, barring any unforeseen circumstances, something unexpected is about to happen.

Just as Li Yu was about to sit down, preparing to play black and break the deadlock, he noticed that a mist had inexplicably risen from the mahogany chair on the black side.

The fog resembled a human figure, and it grew thicker and more solid.

In less than fifteen breaths, the surrounding mist had condensed into a tall figure. When the last wisp of mist returned to its body, a real human figure was sitting on a mahogany chair.

He was dressed in a plain white robe, spotless. His hair was styled in a simple topknot, secured with a single plain wooden hairpin. His face was handsome, and his eyes were serene.

He stared at Li Yu with great interest, seemingly lost in thought.

Li Yu's heart tightened, his gaze fixed on the white-clad man before him, his mind churning with turmoil.

"What's going on?! This isn't how the plot works!"

This person didn't appear when I completed the game in my previous life! All I had to do was make a move to break the game.

This was the most uneasy he had ever felt since transmigrating. Things seemed to be gradually veering off course from the main plot?

And it seemed that he had noticed Li Yu's nervousness.

The middle-aged man spoke gently: "Don't be nervous, I am just a remnant soul in this secret realm. I will return to the world in a short while."

Li Yu swallowed hard, clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, and asked, "May I ask where you come from, senior, and what business do you have with this junior, Li Yu?"

The man looked up at the sky with a hint of reminiscence, his eyes flashing through a series of images: "Me? I was just an unknown nobody. Back then, the Heavenly Court was at its peak, and everyone wanted to ascend to heaven. But I knew I didn't have the qualifications. So I settled for second best and, together with my senior brother, spread the teachings in the mortal realm, founding this sect called Xuanbo Sect."

Li Yu was even more shocked when he heard the words "Heavenly Court".

Heaven?

That was the prehistoric era, right?

According to the game's setting, that was tens of thousands of years ago! If what this man in front of him is telling the truth, he is actually a remnant soul from the primordial era!