Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 361: Dark under the lamp

The night at Gazing Star Cliff was not deathly still, but filled with an extremely subtle, humming sound like a taut string.

That was the noise of the high-altitude Fierce Wind scraping against the dome of the mountain-protecting formation.

At the third quarter of the Zi hour, the originally clear moonlight was swallowed by thick clouds, only leaving a fuzzy, blurred halo at the edges of the cloud wisps, like old ink stains spreading on xuan paper. The cave dwelling was not lit by any eternal lamps, relying only on a few glowstones embedded in wall niches to emit a faint, cold light. This stretched Su Ming's cross-legged shadow long and slanted, casting it onto the rough stone wall, where it twisted slightly with the flicker of the candlelight.

Su Ming maintained his deduction gesture, his fingertip hovering in mid-air, refusing to descend.

On the greenstone desk before him lay three items: a Xuantian ring with a dull, simple, and unadorned hue; a square box made of spirit-sealing lead, its lid half-open, revealing the black egg inside covered in dark golden patterns; and a spread-out pile of miscellaneous objects—the jade slip containing Luo Feng's failed insights, the communication talisman Qin Yi left behind that carried a beastly scent, and the ice crystal that sealed Ling Shuang's sharp, cold sword intent.

"No good."

Su Ming slowly withdrew his finger, rubbing his slightly throbbing brow, his voice hoarse. "All the deduction paths, once they reach the 'Heart-Questioning' step, feel like crashing into a thick, sticky fog. Punishment Peak has added something to the formation this time. That variable, I can't calculate it."

If it were a conventional Heart-Questioning Formation, even an enhanced version targeting True Disciples, with his understanding of formation structures and Lin Yu's assistance, he could have already simulated seven or eight methods to pass.

But just now, no matter how he used the *Like Water Art* to simulate spiritual energy circuits, once he touched that core node, the spiritual energy would inexplicably dissipate. The feeling was like a blind man touching an elephant, but halfway through, the elephant in his hand suddenly turned into a swamp that devoured everything.

"Of course you can't calculate it."In the Consciousness Sea, Lin Yu's voice sounded lazily, carrying a trace of long-seen-through clarity. "If even a little Qi Refining brat like you could figure it out, then Punishment Peak's 'special operations agency' of several thousand years might as well close up shop and switch to farming sweet potatoes."

"Master, you mean..."

seeds to crack. "This thing doesn't follow logic; it follows cause and effect. They don't want to know if you'll betray them in the future. They want to know—who you

heart sank

his greatest

yet within just two short years, proficient in the path of formations, even mastering lost ancient methods. This itself was a huge, gaping hole that couldn't be patched over with just the word

Ming's gaze fell on the

all his opportunities,

Su Ming asked softly, his gaze

deep within the earth veins, hide it in

intuition told him he couldn't

tone carrying a hint of sarcasm. "You hide the ring, then walk in empty-handed.

then pondered, "They'll search my storage pouch thoroughly, ransack my cave dwelling. If they

"Exactly."

Yu snapped his fingers. "A Qi Refining disciple, if he doesn't even have a decent secret on him, yet possesses a set of unreasonable skills. Then there's only one explanation—these skills are engraved in your mind, or even worse, your soul has already been swapped. At that point, they won't just 'question your heart'; they'll want to 'search

contrary, if you wear

Yu's voice became somewhat low, exuding a

eyes flickered, his fingertip lightly touching the ring's cool surface. "Master means, actively

expose me, expose

corrected. "The cultivation world, who hasn't picked up a few pieces of junk? You come from a humble background, accidentally obtain a ring left by an ancient

explanation, a logical chain that closes the loop. As long as there's this 'physical evidence,' they actually won't delve into those vague, intangible possibilities of

"But, what if they forcibly probe inside the

this "otherworldly soul," was exposed, the consequences would be worse than soul