CHAPTER 160: CHAPTER 159: ASSESSMENT

After the discussion, it’s time for the entry assessment.

Shen Wang needs to prove his skill level to determine his treatment and task load.

Beside the tea, only Shen Wang was left, having taken off his cloak, revealing an altered appearance and physique.

Li Yuanliu had already gone to apply for the assessment of Shen Wang.

He frowned slightly, pondering whether to display his full capability.

In the past half month, his array skill level had already reached Grandmaster Level.

Logically speaking, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator becoming an Array Grandmaster is normal, but he still hesitated whether to reveal all his abilities in this aspect.

"Forget it, this matter benefits me, there’s no need to showcase little by little. Here, displaying a higher array skill level grants access to higher-grade resources."

After careful consideration, Shen Wang felt that showing his Grandmaster Level array skill benefitted him more than the risks, so there was no need to hide it.

An Array Grandmaster here is already considered Fourth-Grade, usually dealing directly with Middle-Grade Arrays, with the chance to obtain a large amount of the Top-grade Arrays he most needed.

As for others investigating his background, it’s the Outer Pavilion anyway, they would not pay too much attention, hiding for a while should be fine.

During this period, crafting a few sets of arrays first is the plan.

Li Yuanliu quickly returned and said to Shen Wang, "Fellow Daoist Wang, please follow me. The next assessment will be overseen by Elder Zheng Bingzhong from our pavilion."

Shen Wang rose and followed him into the back of the Array Refining Pavilion, where a courtyard with a lush bamboo grove was located.

The breeze rustled the bamboo grove, creating a soothing sound, seemingly quite pleasant.

Shen Wang frowned, sensing something amiss.

This bamboo had an array fluctuation, which might not be perceivable to those who aren’t Array Masters, but his senses were sharp, detecting it as soon as he approached.

He spread his thoughts in vigilance, noticing movement underground, and sidestepped as a bamboo shoot emerged from the ground, appearing right at his original position.

Li Yuanliu smiled slightly, "Good reaction, Wang, you have already entered the array assessment range. Once you pass, you will meet Elder Zheng Bingzhong, please proceed."

After saying this, he took a step back and vanished from Shen Wang’s sight.

Only the bamboo grove surrounded Shen Wang, and the bamboo shoots that had emerged were quickly growing, with more new ones sprouting.

Although the bamboo shoots didn’t seem lethal, if it continued, there would be nowhere to stand, trapping him here.

"A comprehensive array, and a rather complex one, manifesting only a small portion now, likely at a Low-Level Array standard."

Shen Wang marveled slightly as he observed his surroundings. The array gave him an immensely smooth sensation, something he had never encountered at this level.

He glanced behind him; withdrawing now would surely be safe, but it would also mean failing the assessment.

right forward, determining that the arrays would become more dangerous and complicated further in, with difficulty increasing swiftly.

Moreover, violently breaking the array might appear as if he lacked skill.

After a moment’s contemplation, he stepped forward without hurrying, taking time to observe the array’s changes.

The ordinary-looking bamboo shoots didn’t appear aggressive, merely blocking the way, but Shen Wang still raised a hand to send forth a pulse of Spiritual Power.

It landed on a bamboo shoot ahead. The black bamboo shoot struggled for a moment, neither breaking nor shattering, but instead collapsing into light specks and disappearing.

He had struck a node in the array that condensed the bamboo shoots; instantly, not just one, but all nearby shoots toppled and collapsed, effectively disrupting the whole array in that area.

He walked past, not even a meter away, when the wind within the courtyard suddenly intensified, and amidst the rustling, bamboo leaves fell and approached Shen Wang.

The seemingly gentle bamboo leaves abruptly accelerated midway, their edges gleaming like knives shooting toward Shen Wang.

"Oh, it’s reversed again. Just now, wood overcame earth as bamboo shoots burst from the ground, attacking. Now, it’s wood transformed into metal with bamboo leaves like flying blades."

Shen Wang dodged as the leaves pierced into the ground with crackling sounds, the attack now possessing lethal force.

Rustle, rustle!

The surrounding bamboo swayed, more leaves falling, by the dozens and hundreds, constantly increasing, enveloping three directions, leaving Shen Wang with no choice but to retreat, unable to dodge sideways.

Shen Wang wore a solemn expression, hastily unleashing three pulses of Spiritual Essence, like sharp swords hitting the bamboo grove.

Where he struck, the air distorted, the swaying bamboo halted immediately, and the falling leaves ceased.

However, the leaves already fallen continued accelerating.

Shen Wang frowned, unable to discover any node in the air to stop the attack, nor within the bamboo grove.

He glanced at the ground, opened his palm to release Spiritual Essence, and lowered himself to strike down hard.

Boom!

The ground cracked, spreading a shockwave, and the bamboo leaves flying overhead seemed to lose power, swaying as they returned to ordinary leaves, shaking and burning, turning into ashes.

Shen Wang exhaled; it was his first time facing such a complex integrated array, especially one constantly changing, exerting formidable pressure, as a delayed reaction could be disastrous.

He proceeded further, entering the bamboo grove, but before he could examine it closely, the crackling sound of burning appeared.

Looking up, the burning bamboo leaves had set the grove on fire, swiftly turning the surroundings into a field of flames.

Whoosh.

The wind blew, pushing waves of fire toward Shen Wang, the temperature spiking as he even smelled charring, not an illusion.

"Impressive."

Shen Wang didn’t expect the bamboo to ignite and attack, opting to release a layer of Spiritual Essence to form a shield blocking the fire waves, enduring the heat to continue observing.

He found this time harder to break the array, with so few things nearby, as it turned entirely into a sea of flames.

He caught sight of distant bamboo shoots, and a thought struck him.

He fired several Spiritual Power pulses, targeting the ground beneath the flames. This time it wasn’t destructive, as Shen Wang altered his strategy, not simply breaking the array.

Crack, crack.

The ground split open, one by one bamboo shoots grew, oddly unburned, absorbing flames to accelerate growth, reaching heights quickly.

The initially raging flames shrank and even extinguished, and Shen Wang thus nullified this array change as well.

"It actually worked."

Shen Wang’s eyes lit up; realizing the array here evolved in opposing cycles, he figured mutual generation could counteract.

He pondered carefully, guessing the reason.

Wood originally generates fire, logically leading bamboo shoots to enhance fire; even if not, they should be consumed by it.

However, these bamboo shoots were special, absorbing energy for growth, including the flames as array power.

Hence, the bamboo shoots absorbed the array power supporting the flames, indirectly extinguishing them.

In other words, he had effectively removed the fuel, naturally causing the fire to extinguish.

Shen Wang felt accomplished, finding this kind of practical array change interesting, allowing him to experience the joy of array evolution.