The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

The ground inside the light array began to change... The soil and grass disappeared, revealing a layer of bluestone floor underneath.

The bluestone slab was engraved with even more complex runes, layer upon layer, interlocking.

"The first array gate has been opened." Qin Xiaoyu wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Next is the core area of ​​the Tianyuan Array."

"Let's go." She led the way into the array of light.

The concentration of spiritual energy inside the light array was at least three times higher than outside. With each breath, my lungs were filled with spiritual energy, so full that I felt almost bursting.

Yang Wanqing muttered, "With this energy concentration, I could cultivate even if I stood here without moving."

"Focus," Qin Xiaoyu replied.

There is a door at the center of the light array.

It wasn't a physical door, but a light curtain made of runes, standing in the very center of the bluestone floor.

The runes on the light screen kept changing, switching between different arrangements and combinations every second.

Qin Xiaoyu stood in front of the light screen and stared at the changing runes for a full twenty seconds.

Then she reached out and pressed a point on the light screen.

The runes stopped changing.

"The seventh pivot of the Tianyuan Formation, Tianxuan," she said softly, her finger slowly drawing an arc on the light screen.

"The way to activate the nexus is not by injecting spiritual power, but by guiding it. Go with its own flow, don't resist it."

Spiritual energy surged from her fingertips, flowing along the runes on the light screen.

It wasn't her driving the spiritual power; it was the spiritual power guiding her.

The color of the light screen began to change. It changed from bluish-white to pale gold, and then to deep blue.

Qin Xiaoyu withdrew her hand and took a step back.

A crack appeared in the center of the light curtain.

The gaps grew larger and larger until the entire light screen folded to the sides, revealing the space behind it.

A stone staircase leads underground.

The stone walls on both sides are inlaid with luminous crystals, illuminating the passageway.

"Let's go." Qin Xiaoyu turned around and glanced at everyone.

Chen Hao's disciples remained calm and followed one after another.

The representatives of the four factions stood at the back and exchanged glances.

Xu Yunda was the first to step forward and follow.

Xiao Yuanfeng followed closely behind. His expression didn't change much, but his hands, clenched tightly in his sleeves, were gripped tightly.

He watched and noted every step and every detail of the entire process of Qin Xiaoyu breaking through the light barrier.

But he had to admit that if it were him, he wouldn't even be able to take the first step.

It's not a difference in ability.

It's a cognitive gap.

He had no idea what the Heavenly Origin Formation was. He had never even heard of the three characters "Heavenly Origin Formation" before.

This formation was an incomprehensible book to him, but Qin Xiaoyu... a girl who looked no more than twenty years old... moved around inside it as if she were at home.

Where does the difference lie?

With Master.

Her mentor is Chen Hao.

Xiao Yuanfeng continued walking down the stone steps with the others.

The passage wasn't long; it took about three minutes to reach the bottom.

An underground palace.

The palace was magnificent, with an extremely high dome inlaid with equally luminous crystals.

In the very center of the main hall stood a stone platform. On the platform rested a jade tablet the size of a palm, its surface shimmering with a soft light.

The front of the jade plaque is engraved with two seal characters.

All eyes were focused on those two words.

Qin Xiaoyu walked to the stone platform and looked down to identify it.

Ancient script has complex strokes, but she had learned basic reading from Chen Hao.

The first word...

She recognized him.

The hairs on my body stood on end.

The camera in the live stream was pointed directly at that jade pendant.

The barrage of comments suddenly slowed down... not because there were fewer people, but because everyone was holding their breath and waiting for the result.

Eighty-seven million people, at the same second, stared at the same jade pendant.

Qin Xiaoyu's lips moved slightly.

"These two words are..."

Qin Xiaoyu's voice echoed softly in the empty underground hall.

"Jili".

As soon as the two words were spoken, the hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The chat in the live stream froze for a full two seconds.

Then...

Blasted.

【Jili?!】

Who is Jili? Wait, I'll ask Doubao!

[No need for Baidu! An ancient immortal! A disciple of Grand Tutor Wen Zhong!]

[The owner of the first island of Penglai was Jili? Really?]

Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!

The barrage of comments instantly turned into a sea of ​​"Holy crap!"

Inside the underground hall, the reactions of the representatives from various factions were far more intense than those of the netizens.

Xu Yunda suddenly took half a step back.

Zhang Jingzhou's breathing suddenly became heavy. He was a member of the Celestial Master's Mansion of the Zhengyi Daoist School. The lineage of the Celestial Master's Mansion can be traced back to the ancient immortals.

For him, the name Jili was not just a legend... but a legendary figure.

Ding Shaokang clenched his fist. In the lineage of the Quanzhen Longmen School, Ji Li is clearly recorded as one of the twenty-four Heavenly Lords of the Thunder Department.

Xiao Yuanfeng stood motionless, staring at the two characters on the jade tablet, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

He didn't speak.

Because I didn't know what to say.

Qin Xiaoyu reached out and carefully picked up the jade pendant from the stone platform.

The moment the jade pendant touched her hand, a gentle yet profound spiritual energy surged into her palm, spreading throughout her body along her meridians. It wasn't aggressive... it was a probing attack.

Like an elder looking at a younger generation.

Three seconds later, the spiritual energy dissipated.

The luster on the surface of the jade pendant has become much softer.

Qin Xiaoyu flipped it over to the back.

The back is engraved with a small inscription, also in ancient seal script, but more refined than the front.

"I leave behind three volumes of Daoist scriptures, one volume of the Heavenly Origin Formation, one volume of the Enlightenment Heart Sutra, and one magic treasure..."

Qin Xiaoyu paused when she read out the title of the third volume.

"Magic weapon... Heavenly Thunder Halberd."

Upon hearing these three words, Wu Tian behind him trembled.

The Heavenly Thunder Halberd.

If this is true—this magical artifact could probably control the power of thunder.

"Junior Sister!" Wu Tian's voice rang out, "What did you say? Say it again!"

"The Heavenly Thunder Halberd." Without turning her head, Qin Xiaoyu continued reading, "Besides these three items, there is another test. Whoever can break this formation can take a scroll. If all three formations are broken, all three items will be obtained."

She finally turned around.

"Jili left three array formations as tests, corresponding to the three volumes of inheritance. What we just broke was only the entry-level formation; there are still two more to go."

Yang Wanqing scratched his head: "So, this is an exam?"

"That's right." Qin Xiaoyu nodded, "Three rounds of exams, one paper for each round you complete."

Ying Wenjie pushed up his non-existent glasses: "So we broke through in the first round, where's the first volume?"

Qin Xiaoyu looked at the stone platform.

At the bottom of the stone platform, a hidden compartment that had been covered by the jade plaque slowly popped open.

Lying in the hidden compartment was a yellowed silk scroll, extremely well-preserved, showing no signs of decay thanks to the spiritual energy that had sealed it away.

Qin Xiaoyu took out the silk book and unfolded a corner of it.

"Celestial Origin Formation - Volume 1"

Her fingers trembled slightly.

The sheer density and terrifying amount of information contained in this scroll of silk about array formations made her feel dizzy just from scanning the first few lines.