130 Array Dao, Questioning the Underlying Principles of Reality

"Floating Crest Palace, huh?" Zhao Wei muttered under his breath as his silver eyes trailed to the ancient and mysterious palace floating majestically in the skies above the Broken Moon Sect. The perpetual flashes of the green, blue, and white lightning around the architectural wonder made the scene utterly terrifying; giving the feeling that whatever lay beyond those olden palatial walls was wealth and danger beyond a man's imagination.

When he had just arrived at the Broken Moon Sect, Zhao Wei had looked at the Floating Crest Palace, all in anticipation of the fortuitous encounters awaiting there. But after a few days of integrating with the Sect system, interacting with various persons of interest, and continuously practicing his versatile strengths, Zhao Wei had pushed the thoughts somewhere at the back of his mind. Only to be momentarily forgotten.

Even the matter of his remaining 10 years of life didn't faze him compared to his pursuit of happiness and meaning, that is, immersing himself in the tapestry of limitless knowledge branched off from the Greater Dao. Eternal Life, Invincible Strength, Undying — These three pursuits were just the tip of the iceberg of what he was searching for. They were inevitabilities. If the Great Dao, the underlying principles of reality, were just about Eternal Life, then wouldn't that be blissful ignorance?

Zhao Wei understood his own insignificance, he was but a mere momentary speck within an indifferent universe. However, dreams, aspirations, and ambitions existed for a reason — to unravel, to guide the apotheosis of something small into something divine and truly eternal.

Smacking his lips, Zhao Wei's visual focus left the Floating Crest Palace. He had something important to attend to. It was something that set his scholarly spirit ablaze. Learning was also a form of enjoyment. It was both a necessity and a leisure. So contradictory, right?

"Here we go again. It's about time to exercise my mega-mind!" Zhao Wei lazily grinned as he navigated numerous mountainous paths that led to the Clan Mission Division. The Clan Mission Division was located hundreds of miles away from Elder Hai Yun's residence and stood on the polar opposite of the Grass-Wood Division. Compared to the Grass-Wood Division, the Clan Mission Division wasn't as grand or aesthetically pleasing, it was just plain ordinary. A few pavilions graced the grounds of the Clan Mission Division and they were sparsely spaced from each other.

Standing atop a tall tree, Zhao Wei noticed that the way the pavilions and surrounding landmass were arranged wasn't as simple as it seemed. There was something special about the arrangements of the structures. It was like a...

"This is a formation. I am aware that it is a formation but I don't know what formation..." Zhao Wei carefully observed, his eyes widening in wonder and intrigue.

"Wow, a formation within a formation, superimposed on each other, entirely different from each other yet still perfectly integrating!" His eyes saw things on a different spectrum. With [𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁], he could see through hidden mysteries such as hidden formations. However, unraveling them would be a different matter altogether. What he was currently witnessing was possibly the work of an expert or more believably, the combined effort of a few array masters.

"Interesting. To converge the various nodes of the arrays in such a complicated way makes deciphering more difficult. I speculate this is a defensive formation of some kind." Zhao Wei talked to himself, his mind running different 3D simulations of the double arrays.

He was trying to break them down but it was almost impossible since he lacked the foundational knowledge of what composed arrays. He was just like a child discovering a whole new world. Can a child really know how to walk on his two legs before walking on all fours like their Neanderthal ancestors?

Zhao Wei had to comprehend the building blocks of arrays. Qualitative knowledge can only be gained step by step. Methodically.

"Haha, the universe won't always give me the answers I fervently seek. I need to work my brain juices to exhaustion, right?" Zhao Wei chuckled inwardly as the silver in his eyes increased in intensity and determination.

Jumping down, Zhao Wei rushed toward the central pavilion which stood at the heart of the Clan Mission Division. The moment he stepped inside the formation, he felt an invisible wave pass over him, like an MRI scanner.

'What a weird feeling. I guess that's some sort of inspection or identity measures.' Zhao Wei arched his brows in contemplation.

Zhao Wei entered a spacious courtyard with a variety of wildflowers. Nothing fancy compared to his courtyard or Elder Hai Yun's.

Beneath an exotic tree with dazzling multi-colored leaves, a thin old man sat comfortably on a bamboo chair as he enjoyed a cup of steaming hot tea.

"I thought you had lost your way, young lad," Vice Head Zhang casually commented as he put down his cup on the table. His sharp eyes were locked on the young man.

"I pay respect to the teacher!" Zhao Wei cupped his fists as a small smile formed on his face.

He then vaguely explained, "I didn't get lost. I am coming from a meeting with Master Hai Yun but something interesting made me overthink when I was at the periphery of the Clan Mission Division."

"Something interesting?" Vice Head Zhang narrowed his eyes. To say that he wasn't curious at all would be a lie but he let the matter slide. Geniuses saw things from multiple different angles than normal folks and who would know what goes inside their peculiar minds. Zhao Wei was being intentionally vague and he couldn't be bothered to inquire more.

"Alright lad, take a seat." Vice Head Zhang gestured to the empty seat facing him.

Zhao Wei didn't stand on ceremony and made himself comfortable. With his keen observation, he noticed there was a mountain of books sitting close to Vice Head Zhang's foot. Of course, he didn't directly use his eyes.

"Do you want some tea?" Vice Head Zhang offered.

"I am good."

"Then that means we can get straight to business."

Vice Head Zhang telekinetically guided the great pyramid of books onto the sturdy table. The kettle and the cups didn't even budge from the sudden increase in weight. The green tea inside the cup didn't show any ripples.

What level of control was this?

It was simply magnificent!

'This old man is truly adept in control. Now this is what I call experience. He is the true deal.' Zhao Wei's senses didn't leave anything out after observing the old man's actions.

"That old fogey Guan overpraised you that I became even more curious about your true capabilities," Vice Head Zhang's voice dripped with both curiosity and doubt.

How could he believe his old friend when he said Zhao Wei was better than his experienced antique ass in some aspects?

It was better to witness it himself.

"Just you know the Dao of Arrays and Formations is an entirely different dogma from Alchemy. Just like how a pill is composed of multiple ingredients with varying elements, an array is also the same but... more complex, deeper. It is made up of small building blocks — a language," Vice Head Zhang smiled mysteriously as he passionately explained.

Zhao Wei listened attentively, his mind internalizing the shallow yet deep concepts that Vice Head Zhang had provided.

"I won't extrapolate anymore due to the risk of spoiling the fun, lad. You will understand once you go through and grasp the core essence of arrays from those books!" A short, throaty chuckle escaped his mouth.

"I believe this is a simple task for you, right?"

A wicked grin formed on Zhao Wei's face as he hugged the mountain of books.

"What a crazy one. Who embraces books as if he is embracing his lover?" Vice Head Zhang mumbled quietly while shaking his head. He chose to observe Zhao Wei. He had shown an exceptional performance during the Nine Picture Array test that incorporated Truth and Falsehoods. Additionally, Old Man Guan's evaluation cemented his overall competence.

He wondered how he was going to handle the Dao of Arrays, a path that theoretically encompasses all other paths—it was the ultimate auxiliary path.

Beginner Introduction to Arrays, Simplistic 49 Array Models for Beginners, 12 Ways of Constructing Arrays, Spirit Recovery Art, Basic Inscriptions Training Manual, Understanding on Calligraphy & Basic Schematics...

Zhao Wei's eyes scanned the titles of the books on the table. With his newly upgraded abilities, he had a feeling that he could easily absorb all the information by only touching the book cover. It's a pity that he was in the presence of another person. He couldn't just show that he could gain knowledge by simply touching a book.

It was better to play the part of a standard genius with outstanding memorization. So he simply took the traditional route of good old reading.

'Automated reading is going to be preserved... For now.'

In a matter of minutes, he presented the books back to Vice Head Zhang who took them without showing surprise. He already knew about Zhao Wei's photographic memory and it was the best he had ever seen. He, himself, could memorize a huge percentage of information after seeing it once or twice but Zhao Wei was simply in a separate league of his own.

But how was his comprehension? His thought process? His critical thinking? His deductive reasoning?

He wanted to test him, to see through his depths.

"Are you confident?" Vice Head Zhang smirked. His questions weren't going to be easy.

"Old man, I didn't know you were such a tease." The aura around Zhao Wei began to change as he confidently smiled at Vice Head Zhang.

"I will answer everything you will throw at me!"

How exhilarating!

How much he wished to have a Dao Discussion about arrays with the old man!

The knowledge was making him feel demonized!

***

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