Chen Tianlong felt a sharp pain in the sole of his foot, as if he had kicked an iron plate. With a "boom," the cherry blossom tree showed no signs of damage.
This phenomenon made Chen Tianlong a bit discouraged. Earlier, he had observed for a while and found this cherry blossom tree to be the weakest, thinking it was a flaw, but unexpectedly, it was small yet powerful.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Tianlong calmed down. If this was a test from Sima Dong, it obviously wasn’t that simple. What could this possibly test?
Based on his earlier judgment, he could only say he was lucky.
But after thinking about it, Sima Dong wouldn’t be just randomly testing his luck, planning to go buy lottery tickets together?
Obviously not, so Chen Tianlong’s previous action held no validation value. After a bitter smile, he took two steps back, crossed his arms over his chest, and continued to observe again.
He was now trapped in a maze, as the saying goes, "Those in it are confused, while outsiders are clear." Unfortunately, he couldn’t see the scenery outside, nor the layout of the entire maze.
Chen Tianlong suddenly noticed something. Why did these seven trees look like something?
"That’s it, the map at the entrance of Tianshu Manor, Beidou Seven Stars, seven trees... Damn, could it be..." Chen Tianlong was instantly delighted. These seven trees were arranged in the same position as the Beidou Seven Stars.
No wonder, he thought, why these trees were not in a circle or square, but instead, they were arranged in such a peculiar manner, like a ladle shape?
Yes, this was the legendary Beidou Seven Stars Array, and the seven cherry blossom trees in the array each represented the Beidou Seven Stars in the northern sky, surrounding the formation that is part of the Daxiong constellation, in the shape of a ladle.
Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, Yaoguang, these seven stars are revered as the Beidou Seven Stars.
Their positions are also significant, and Tianshu Manor is the place with the strongest stellar gravity of Tianshu, especially at the center of its sacrificial platform. Sima Mei’s inheritance of Tianshu was completed there by chance back in the day.
Chen Tianlong finally understood, since this was the Beidou Seven Stars Array, the next step would be much easier.
At this point, Chen Tianlong slowly turned and observed the cherry blossom trees. Although they kept rotating, Chen Tianlong knew it was all just an illusionary trick to confuse him.
If it truly was the Beidou Seven Stars Array, then the position of the gate-opening star wouldn’t change; only the moving positions would.
Thinking of this, Chen Tianlong headed in one direction. This was the direction of the ladle-shaped formation formed by the seven trees, the top of the ladle’s handle. If he guessed correctly, this was the position of Tianshu.
And here is Tianshu Manor, so the gate must be here.
After taking a deep breath, Chen Tianlong sprinted towards the cherry blossom tree in that position and then suddenly leapt into the air, delivering a kick that was as cool as Bruce Lee’s flying kick.
Chen Tianlong felt a bright white light piercing his eyes, a flash of current seemed to sweep through his mind, causing some sting, and he tightly closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, everything in front of him had returned to normal, and Sima Dong was slowly walking ahead of him.
"Grandmaster Sima, what just happened?"
Chen Tianlong shook his head, it wasn’t a dream, yet it felt like one. This array was truly magical, making one feel as if they had entered a mystical world, quite eerie.
However, this world has many strange things, this is just a small array.
"Haha, haven’t you already figured it out?"
Sima Dong chuckled, not explaining but continued to say, "Chen Tianlong, come along quickly. The elder is already waiting in the cabin, quite impatient."
Chen Tianlong smiled bitterly, didn’t ask any more questions, and quickened his pace to catch up.
In a short time, both arrived in front of the cabin. Sima Dong took a deep breath, then walked up to the cabin and knocked on the door.
An elderly voice, with a worn-out accent, immediately made one feel the wisdom of years. At that moment, Chen Tianlong felt like he was listening to an old story, the elder’s voice was rich with emotion before he even finished speaking.
"Haha, Old Yan, it’s me, Sima Dong. I’ve come to see you."
Sima Dong saw in the cabin lounge an elder sitting, who was a few years older than himself, about seventy.
Despite having short-cropped hair, with entirely white hair, it was hard to see his age. His skin did not wrinkle with age; instead, it seemed more radiant, which couldn’t quite be described as moist.
A seemingly kind yet secretly sharp pair of eyes, as if they could see through the minds of everyone outside the cabin, and a long white beard that could rival Marx’s.
This person was Fang Yan, one of the once popular Vajra Double Killers.
Fang Yan is now the head of the Black Panther Assassin Group, but he no longer manages the gang’s affairs, leaving it entirely to Sima Dong and some other top figures in the group.
"Oh, it’s my brother. What wind blew you here today?" Fang Yan’s tone revealed no emotion, neither happiness nor sadness.
"Haha, don’t say that, didn’t you always hurry to find a good apprentice? This time, I guarantee that this young lad I brought along is definitely top-notch."
"Oh? Really?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel_fіre.net
Fang Yan was not interested in other matters, but he was very interested in finding a good apprentice to carry on his legacy.
However, in the past few years, Sima Dong had brought several young people to Fang Yan, claiming they were good candidates, but after testing them, most of them fled in a hurry.
Some even couldn’t dodge the hidden weapons at the door, almost dying on the spot.
Sima Dong didn’t explain but directly shifted his position so that Fang Yan could see the person behind him.
Fang Yan took a deep breath, understanding Sima Dong’s intention. Being able to stand unharmed at the door of the cabin definitely meant passing his two tests.
At this moment, he was somewhat excited. How many years had he longed to find a young person who could pass these two tests, to be his disciple to inherit his skills, yet it was so difficult. Now that there was one, how could he not be excited?
Immediately, Fang Yan dashed forward, grabbing at Chen Tianlong.
Chen Tianlong was appalled, was this... still an old man in his seventies?
Damn, this was practically a monster, what speed, covering a distance of five to six meters in the blink of an eye, and when did he make his move, and how was he grabbed off the ground?
Before Chen Tianlong could finish being surprised, his entire body was already airborne, like a kite with a broken string, floating with the wind.
However, just before he landed, he found himself falling into the embrace of the elder.
"Old Yan, don’t break him while playing, if he gets scared silly, I won’t be responsible." Sima Dong laughed bitterly, he knew Fang Yan was happy, tossing Chen Tianlong around to express his excitement.
If Chen Tianlong knew he was being played with because he was liked, he would surely faint on the spot from crying.
After hearing Sima Dong, Fang Yan set him down on the ground, then felt around Chen Tianlong’s muscles and bones, a moment later showing a somewhat surprised expression.
At this moment, Chen Tianlong was dumbfounded. The old man’s previous actions left him with lingering fear, but he didn’t expect him now to touch him all over in front of Sima Dong. What on earth was this about?