CHAPTER 430: CHAPTER 233 MYRIAD-OPPORTUNITY PEARL! (FIVE IN ONE)_4

With a bang on the table from Cha Latu, the two of them were instantly transported to the eighteenth level.

Once here, they were no longer seated face to face.

The two of them were now in a room where the ground was covered with square stone slabs bearing various strange patterns.

The patterns on these slabs were very simple, consisting purely of three horizontal lines.

Moreover, there were only two types of lines used to form the patterns: a long, unbroken line and a shorter line broken in the middle.

At a glance, Chen Mo recognized the patterns inscribed on the slabs—they were the symbols of the Eight Trigrams Array, weren’t they?

Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui.

He had just learned about the Eight Trigram Array today from Teacher Jing, so he was quite familiar with them.

But now, these slabs, each etched with a different symbol from the Eight Trigrams, looked chaotic and disordered. He wasn’t sure what this level required.

"Senior, what is the objective of this level?"

"Very simple. You just need to walk fifty steps forward on these slabs, and you’ll pass the eighteenth level."

Fifty steps?

Chen Mo curiously stepped forward.

He had no issue stepping onto the first slab, but as he took his second and third steps, he instantly lost 40% of his maximum Health.

Simultaneously, he was teleported back to his original position, and The Heavenly Path’s Hint immediately resounded.

The Heavenly Path’s Hint: Find the pattern connecting the stone slabs and walk according to this special pattern. If you step incorrectly, 20% of your maximum Health will be deducted each time. During this challenge, all your recovery effects will be nullified. Pay close attention!

You currently have one more chance to attempt this. If your Health is low, it is recommended that you restart. Do not take unnecessary risks; otherwise, you may lose levels.

After reading The Heavenly Path’s Hint, Chen Mo speechlessly examined all the surrounding slabs.

The penalty for this level was surprisingly harsh. A single misstep deducted 20% of his maximum Health. How could he possibly afford that?

Wouldn’t five wrong steps mean death?

Now, Chen Mo dared not move rashly. He quickly started mulling over the possible patterns.

According to The Heavenly Path’s Hint, of the slabs surrounding each slab, only one was the correct one to step on.

Five mistakes and he’d be dead.

He had to find the correct slab among the surrounding ones, with only four mistakes allowed. It should still be relatively easy to figure out, right?

Chen Mo immediately recalled Teacher Jing’s lesson from earlier today about the Eight Trigrams.

Teacher Jing said that the Eight Trigrams—Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui—are all interconnected.

Chen Mo glanced at the patterns on the two slabs he had stepped on incorrectly.

The second incorrect slab he had stepped on had an unbroken line in the first row, two broken lines in the second, and another unbroken line in the third.

This pattern is "Li".

Chen Mo then looked at the pattern of the first slab he had stepped on incorrectly.

The first incorrect slab he had stepped on bore a pattern where the first and third rows each had two broken lines, and the second row had a single unbroken line.

This was the pattern of the Kan trigram.

According to the Five Elements correspondence of the trigrams, the Kan trigram represents Water, and the "Li" trigram represents Fire. Water overcomes Fire. So, moving from the Kan trigram to the "Li" trigram meant taking an ’overcoming’ path.

Clearly, that path was wrong. This means, at least, that the ’overcoming’ sequence of the Five Elements is definitely not the correct one here. Why not try the ’generating’ sequence of the Five Elements instead?

Upon thinking of this, Chen Mo immediately looked at the slabs around the first one he had stepped on incorrectly, the Kan trigram.

He wanted to see if there was a slab with a ’generating’ relationship according to the Five Elements around the Kan trigram slab. And indeed, he found one: a pattern with broken lines in the first and second rows, and an unbroken line in the third row. It was indeed the Zhen trigram.

The Zhen trigram represents Wood, and Water generates Wood. Perhaps I should have stepped onto that slab!

He looked around the "Li" trigram slab again, and indeed, there was also a slab representing a trigram with a ’generating’ relationship nearby.

The adjacent slabs indeed all have a trigram with a ’generating’ relationship. Walking according to the ’generating’ sequence of the Five Elements might be the correct pattern.

Thinking of this, Chen Mo looked down at the initial slab beneath his feet.

The pattern on this slab consisted of three rows, each with two broken lines. Since all three lines were the same, it was the very memorable pattern of "Kun".

The "Kun" trigram belongs to Earth, and Earth overcomes Water. I previously moved from the "Kun" trigram to the Kan trigram, again taking an ’overcoming’ path. Goodness gracious, I’m so unlucky, picking the ’overcoming’ path twice in a row!

Muttering to himself, Chen Mo then closely examined the other two slabs adjacent to the "Kun" trigram slab.

Since the "Kun" trigram slab was at the edge of the area, it was adjacent to only three other slabs, not four.

Excluding the Kan trigram, which he had already determined to be incorrect, Chen Mo now had only two options left.

Chen Mo carefully examined the trigrams on these two slabs.

The trigram on the slab to his left was also extremely easy to remember.

It was a pattern composed of three unbroken lines—the "Qian" trigram, one half of the fundamental Qian-Kun pair.

The slab to his right, however, displayed another Zhen trigram.

The slab currently under Chen Mo’s feet was the "Kun" trigram. While the Zhen trigram next to the Kan trigram represented a ’generating’ relationship, the Zhen trigram next to the "Kun" trigram represented an ’overcoming’ one.

Wood overcomes Earth, so I obviously can’t step there. That only leaves the slab with the "Qian" trigram. The "Qian" trigram belongs to Metal, and Earth generates Metal—that’s a ’generating’ path!