Immortality and Cultivation: This old man seeks enlightenment through mere survival.

The group walked out of the hall, where there was a wide corridor.

The white jade flooring extended in all directions, revealing several dark passageways.

The middle-aged cultivator holding the shield in front stopped, turned around to look at Zhu Youzhi, and waited for his instructions.

Of the six people here, he was the only one who had come to the secret realm for the second time.

Zhu Youzhi looked around and then pointed.

"To the right, this way should lead further in..."

Following closely behind, half an hour later, they arrived at the corner of the corridor without any major incident.

But all they saw was a tall, tightly closed stone gate blocking their way.

The stone gate is engraved with mysterious and ancient patterns, glowing faintly, and exudes an aura of mountains that seems to have stood the test of time.

"How...how do we get across?"

The middle-aged cultivator in front was dumbfounded.

Zhu Youzhi first used his magic to touch the stone door to make sure there was no danger before reaching out and knocking on it, giving instructions.

"Try using brute force to see if you can break it open!"

The middle-aged cultivator immediately nodded, took a few steps back, and condensed his earth-yellow magic power on his shield, launching a sudden charge at the stone gate!

"...Drink it!"

Duang!

The middle-aged cultivator was violently thrown back by the recoil, his shield crashing to the ground, while the stone door remained completely still.

Zhu Youzhi's eyes narrowed. "I'll do it."

Having said that, Zhu Youzhi threw out the wooden seal in his hand!

The carvings on the wooden seal emitted a bluish light, and the entire seal suddenly magnified several times in the air, as if a towering tree had risen from the ground!

"Azure Wood Mystic Pattern Seal, go!"

Another loud bang, but the stone door remained unchanged. Instead, the wooden seal was violently bounced back!

Zhu Youzhi's expression changed slightly, and his hands rapidly formed hand seals. "Withdraw!"

The wooden seal shrank along the way, and Zhu Youzhi grabbed it, turned his body around, and then dissipated the force.

It’s difficult.

Even his full-force attack failed to shake the stone gate; even if several people joined forces, it would probably be useless.

Is changing routes the only option?

At this moment, Lu Zaian stepped forward and carefully observed the intricate patterns on the stone gate.

Zhu Youzhi looked at Lu Zaian with expectation in his eyes. Yes, they still had Lu Zaian, the array master.

Although their rank is not high, it's still better than those outsiders.

"Junior Brother Lu, have you discovered anything?"

Lu Zaian pinched his chin with one hand and stroked the stone's texture with the other. After a moment of exploration, he hesitated before answering.

"Hmm... I've made some discoveries. The patterns engraved on this stone gate seem to be profound formation patterns, thick earth patterns, and rebound patterns..."

Most of these array patterns are of the second rank, and their densely interwoven parts are seamlessly integrated.

It's simply impossible for Lu Zaian to crack the whole thing at his current level.

Lu Zaian only recognized these array patterns by constantly comparing them in his mind with the "True Explanation of Rune Arrays, Volume 1".

"It's impossible to break these earth-element array patterns in reverse; I simply can't draw second-tier array patterns..."

"With the presence of the Profound Heavy Pattern and the Thick Earth Pattern, this stone gate is like a stubborn rock deeply embedded in the ground, seamlessly integrated with the entire surface. Unless a Foundation Establishment stage expert is present, brute force is not advisable..."

"But with the rebound pattern, most point-to-area attack spells are useless..."

"Hiss... Let me think."

Lu Zaian lay on the stone door, touching it from the left and knocking on it from the right, muttering to himself.

Meanwhile, the few vassal cultivators who were just watching couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.

"Are array masters really reliable?" The middle-aged cultivator was still rubbing his aching arm.

"He seems to be just putting on an act," another old man said with doubt.

"Why don't we take another route? We haven't been walking for long anyway," the voluptuous female cultivator couldn't help but suggest.

Every second counts in the secret realm, even though returning the way you came would waste precious time.

But it's still better than just waiting here.

"What bad luck! We were teleported here. If there had been a few more late-stage Qi Refining cultivators with us, we might have been able to break through this stone door together..." an old man in the back couldn't help but say.

The group consisted of cultivators from minor factions who had never seen a true array master before.

Naturally, people tend to judge strength based on cultivation level from the outset.

They saw Lu Zaian groping on the stone door for a long time without making a sound, and they couldn't help but feel anxious.

While others were probably busy looting treasures, they were stuck in front of a door and had to put on a show with a Qi Refining Level 4 "Array Master".

At this moment, Zhu Youzhi turned around and gave the group a cold look.

"Shut up, all of you! If you're incompetent, don't complain here. Just stay put!"

After he finished speaking, he looked at Lu Zaian.

Lu Zaian was kneeling on the ground, his head pressed against the ground and the lower edge of the stone door, as if he were calculating something.

"Junior Brother Lu, you have one incense stick's time. If you can't solve it, let's change our approach."

Zhu Youzhi recalled that before entering the secret realm, his senior brother had emphasized this to all the disciples.

If anyone is teleported to the same team as Lu Zaian, be sure to listen to his advice.

The irrigation array for the medicinal herb fields in Lingyao Valley was also created by Lu Zaian, and the Valley Master personally selected him for this trip to the secret realm.

Zhu Youzhi, however, believed that Lu Zaian was a man of genuine talent.

However, this is, after all, a Core Formation Secret Realm.

How effective is a low-grade first-tier array master? Zhu Youzhi couldn't say for sure.

Therefore, if he were to take command, he could only give Lu Zaian the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

If we can crack it, that would be best; if not, going back the way we came won't take too much time.

Meanwhile, Lu Zaian also made some discoveries.

He peered down from beneath the stone gate and could see with the naked eye that the stone gate and the ground were not perfectly aligned.

There are traces of erosion from the years at the lower edge of the stone gate. The array patterns are damaged here, revealing a gap about the width of a thumb.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Lu Zaian.

"Among the five elements, wood overcomes earth, so perhaps a low-grade first-tier living wood pattern could be used..."

Lu Zaian straightened up and smiled:

"I have a method that should work."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youzhi behind him perked up. He had given up hope, but he hadn't expected there to be a solution.

"What idea has Junior Brother Lu come up with?"

"Hehe, just watch out, senior brother!"

Lu Zaian's spiritual sense sank into the storage space, rummaged around for a while, and then...

"Found it! Iron cliff wood seeds!"

Lu Zaian opened his hand, revealing three round, bluish-black seeds lying in his palm, each about the size of a longan.

"A...seed?" Zhu Youzhi asked, puzzled. "How can a seed break through this stone door?"

He certainly knew about Iron Cliff Wood, a low-grade first-tier wood-type spiritual plant.

However, they are not rare. Their only characteristics are that they can adapt to harsh environments, grow quickly, and are tough enough.

"I thought there was some other way! How are we supposed to open a door with these seeds? I think you're just making fun of us."

The middle-aged cultivator, who was already somewhat impatient, couldn't help but question it further.

The others also looked disappointed. After all that, this is all?

A formation master? Huh?

Lu Zaian ignored their expressions and calmly said:

Have you ever seen a seed sprout?