Su Ran surfaced from the lake, holding a stone covered in runes that emitted a faint blue light. "Look everyone, I found this at the bottom of the lake. The runes on it seem to have a guiding function," Su Ran said.
Lin Yang took the stone and carefully examined the runes on it. He had never seen these runes before, but based on his experience studying runes, he felt that they were related to opening the passage deep within the secret chamber. "It seems this is a key item, but we still need to decipher the meaning of the runes," Lin Yang said, frowning.
Several disciples from Zixiao Palace skilled in runes gathered around, and they studied the runes with Lin Yang. After some effort, they finally deciphered part of the runes' meaning. The direction the runes pointed to was the opposite shore of the lake, and somewhere on that shore, the true path across the lake was hidden.
The group proceeded along the lakeshore in the direction indicated by the rune. The ground by the lake was extremely slippery, and the surrounding purple mist grew increasingly thick, obstructing visibility. Suddenly, a Qingyun Sect disciple slipped and nearly fell into the lake. Lin Yang quickly reached out and grabbed him, saying, "Everyone be careful, this lakeshore is dangerous."
When they reached the other side of the lake, they discovered a huge stone tablet on the shore. The tablet was also covered in runes, and these runes echoed those on the stone Su Ran had found. After further interpretation, the group learned that to cross the lake, they needed to step on the stones exposed on the surface of the lake in a specific rhythm.
Lin Yang carefully observed the lake surface and noticed that a stone protruded from the water at regular intervals, seemingly without any pattern. However, combining this with the runes on the stone tablet, he discovered that the arrangement of the stones actually resembled the trajectory of the stars. Lin Yang took a deep breath and said, "I'll try it first. Everyone, follow the order I step on them."
Lin Yang stepped onto the first rock, which wobbled slightly but didn't sink. Based on his understanding of the stars' trajectories, he quickly and accurately leaped from one rock to another. When he successfully reached the center of the lake, he turned back and shouted, "Everyone, follow along without worry, at my pace!"
Su Ran followed closely behind, her movements light and graceful, each step landing precisely on the stones. The other disciples followed suit, carefully stepping onto the stones in the lake. However, when the group was halfway through, an accident occurred. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept across, creating huge ripples on the lake's surface, and the stones began to shake violently.
A sword cultivator from the Spirit Sword Sect slipped and fell into the lake. Seeing this, Lin Yang quickly used the "Star Guiding Technique," a beam of starlight shooting from his hand and pulling the sword cultivator back. With the combined efforts of everyone, the sword cultivator was successfully pulled back onto the rock. "Everyone, stay calm, don't panic, continue advancing at the pace!" Lin Yang shouted.
After a difficult journey, the group finally crossed the lake. On the opposite shore stood a massive stone gate, carved with various mysterious patterns that seemed to tell ancient stories. The gate was tightly shut, with no obvious way to open it.
Lin Yang took out the stone engraved with runes again and brought it close to the stone door. The stone emitted a strong light, resonating with the runes on the stone door. The patterns on the stone door began to flicker and slowly opened. Inside was a spacious secret chamber, in the center of which sat a huge crystal ball, emitting a soft light that illuminated the entire chamber.
The group entered the secret chamber and surrounded the crystal ball. Suddenly, an image appeared within the crystal ball. The image showed an immortal dressed in ancient attire, who said, "Congratulations on passing the first test. The second puzzle is related to this crystal ball. There is a mysterious formation hidden inside the crystal ball. You need to break the formation within half an hour, otherwise the secret chamber will close, and you will be trapped here forever."
After the image disappeared, complex array patterns appeared on the surface of the crystal ball. Lin Yang stared at the array, lost in thought. This array incorporated the power of multiple elements, which were mutually restrictive and interdependent, making it no easy task to break in a short time.
Su Ran also carefully observed the formation. She discovered that the water element patterns within it seemed to be related to the ice magic she had learned. She shared her findings with Lin Yang. After listening, Lin Yang, combining his understanding of stellar power and formations, deduced that the balance within the formation could be broken using stellar power, thereby dismantling the formation.
The disciples of Zixiao Palace began studying the runes within the formation, attempting to find clues to break it from their meanings. The disciples of Qingyun Sect used the power of Qingyun to sense the flow of spiritual energy within the formation, hoping to find its weak points. The sword cultivators of Lingjian Sect circled the crystal ball, probing the formation's strength with their sword energy, searching for a way to break through.
Time ticked by, and more than half an hour had passed, yet the group still hadn't found the key to breaking the formation. Lin Yang was frantic, frantically recalling all the formation knowledge he had learned. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he thought of an ancient method of breaking formations.
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