Chapter Fifty-Nine: A Decisive Victory

Meglin stood just a few paces from the protective formation and slowly drew his greatsword. As the blade left its scabbard, those present immediately sensed a primitive, heavy aura emanating from it, laced with a murderous intent that could only be forged by the blood of ten thousand men.

"Ha!" Meglin let out a thunderous shout and struck with his sword. The move appeared plain and unremarkable, but those with a keen eye could see that it possessed immense power. A long, resonant "hum" filled the air. The protective formation, previously invisible, suddenly shimmered back into view; five-colored light flowed incessantly, converging at the point of impact. The contact between the blade and the barrier erupted into a blinding brilliance that grew so intense the onlookers were forced to shield their eyes. This continued for ten full minutes before finally fading, allowing the crowd to look once more.

*Damn, I didn't expect Meglin's stamina to be this incredible,* Tang Yi thought to himself. *Maintaining such a high-intensity attack for ten whole minutes is beyond the capability of an average person. It seems the people of Dream Blue Star cannot be underestimated. If a level 25 warrior can output this much power, I wonder what those above level 30 are capable of?*

When the crowd opened their eyes, they saw that the light of the protective formation had become extremely dim, its five-colored brilliance flowing sluggishly. Meglin was leaning on his sword, his face flushed and his body drenched in sweat—clear signs of overexertion. Zhang Sanfeng’s words had proven correct; the Yin-Yang protective formation could indeed withstand a full-force strike from a level 25 mentor-rank expert.

A moment later, to the astonishment of the onlookers, Meglin slowly sheathed his greatsword and said in a hoarse voice, "The first round goes to Xuan Island." Everyone heard him clearly.

Following the first round, a break was scheduled. Vendors appeared out of nowhere to sell snacks in the stands, while the VIP section was provided with exquisite refreshments and drinks by the official organizers of the Emperor's Square. High ticket prices certainly demanded VIP treatment.

During the intermission, Meglin invited Zhang Sanfeng to the side for a private conversation.

"Senior Zhang, please forgive my intrusion, but I have a request I hope you will consider," Meglin said with great sincerity.

"Oh, no need to be so formal. Tell me what is on your mind," Zhang Sanfeng replied after a brief pause, a subtle, imperceptible smirk flickering across his face.

"To be frank, the nations of Central Continent have grown restless in recent years. I am sure with your insight, you have heard as much. I have witnessed the protective formation of your island, and it is truly unique and effective. I would like to order a batch of these formations for our own use. What do you think, Senior?" Meglin asked directly. He knew that if border fortresses were equipped with such Yin-Yang protective formations, their defensive capability would increase far beyond a mere two-fold. Naturally, others had reached the same conclusion.

Even as they spoke, spies from other nations were already quietly sending messages back home after witnessing the power of the formation. The Great Zhou Dynasty’s counter-intelligence system swung into action simultaneously, as they were equally aware of what the other spies were planning. Thus, a grand game of espionage and counter-espionage began to unfold across the Great Zhou Dynasty.

In the center of the square, the two formations—one visible and one invisible—continued to operate. By this time, the leaders of the Formation Alliance knew they had lost completely. However, since the event had been billed as a "Formation Exchange," the program had to proceed. The senior members of the alliance decided that after the event, they would seek out the young Island Master of Xuan Island to discuss a partnership. They assumed that because he was young, he would be easy to manipulate. Alas, it was unclear who would end up manipulating whom.

The subsequent matches held no surprises. The second round used the same formation setup as the first. Zhang Sanfeng simply and violently injected a massive amount of spiritual energy into the array—not to break it, but to accelerate its operation. Because the formation was powered by spirit stones, Zhang Sanfeng’s infusion quickly drained the stones of their energy, and the formation naturally collapsed.

Meanwhile, the members of the Formation Alliance spent half the day in front of the Yin-Yang protective formation without eliciting so much as a flicker. When time ran out, they were forced to concede.

As for the third round, it was even more one-sided. Zhang Sanfeng couldn't be bothered with theatrics and simply tossed out a pre-set "Imprisonment of the Immortals" array. The contestants were trapped, circling like headless flies until the Formation Alliance had no choice but to concede once again. It was a total defeat, and the head of the Alliance was filled with regret; he had intended to promote his own organization, but instead, he had only served to elevate his rivals.

Following this competition, the popularity of Xuan Island soared. Royals, high-ranking officials, military commanders, major clans, sects, and academies from across the Central Continent flocked to the various branches of the Xuan Island Fund Chamber of Commerce to place orders for various formations. This was because, just before the event concluded, Zhang Sanfeng had announced an incredibly exciting piece of news.

Xuan Island welcomed individuals, groups, and organizations to order all manner of formations at any branch of the Xuan Island Fund Chamber of Commerce. Those holding tickets to the exchange event would receive preferential pricing. The slogan of Xuan Island was: "There is no formation you can imagine that Xuan Island cannot create."

On the surface, Zhang Sanfeng appeared to be raising the profile of Xuan Island—which was true—but his deeper intention was to keep Tang Yi busy, effectively taking revenge for Tang Yi having used him as a pawn during this period.

"Ginger is indeed spicier when it's old; he's got me cornered. Fine, I'll keep myself busy. Heh, but I have my clones. Comrade Zhang Sanfeng, this scheme of yours is cunning, but it won't get the better of me! Hahaha!" Tang Yi muttered, feeling nothing but disdain for Zhang Sanfeng after hearing the announcement.

In the days that followed, Tang Yi had to manifest twenty clones daily. Six were sent to study at the Sancai Academy, while the others spent their time crafting the base plates for various formations. There was no helping it; the branches of the Xuan Island Fund Chamber of Commerce had basically turned into specialty shops for formation plates.

One day, Yi Wu, for once setting aside his constant research, decided to inspect the classrooms. In a Taoist arts lecture, he spotted Tang Yi in the back row. Upon noticing him, Tang Yi smiled and nodded. Yi Wu nodded back and continued to the next classroom. With his hands behind his back, he crossed two corridors to reach the classroom for mages, where students were being taught how to use magic to cast illusions. To his shock, he saw Tang Yi sitting in the back row there, smiling and nodding at him again. He rubbed his eyes vigorously, but when he looked back, Tang Yi was gone.

"Could it be that I've been so absorbed in my research lately that I can't even resist a minor illusion spell?" Yi Wu felt deeply unsettled. As he walked on, he discovered that Tang Yi had somehow appeared in the martial arts training hall, wearing the uniform of a warrior trainee!