He was completely immersed in the interpretation of the secret symbols of the ancient inkstone at that moment, not noticing that there were a dozen others in the same situation as him.

And these dozen individuals were without exception the most distinguished figures in Yunjiang Prefecture.

Take Cui Yunqi for example, when the smoke above the ancient inkstone rose and condensed into a ring with secret symbols, his response was actually more intense than Zhou Zhuo's.

Cui Yunqi never expected that the secret hidden within the ancient inkstone, which had been gathering dust in his home for ten years, would turn out to be these secret symbols —

Symbols so similar to the puzzle he had once encountered in the Star Array!

It was precisely that problem which shattered Cui Yunqi's Dao Heart.

And Chen Xu... right, what about Chen Xu?

Could he solve the secrets within it once again?

Unable to resist, Cui Yunqi glanced at Chen Xu. There he was, sitting cross-legged by the meandering stream, not even standing up, just slightly raising his head and gazing at the halo and ring in the sky.

Cui Yunqi observed the others around him.

Most of the foolish onlookers had bewildered expressions, understanding nothing, merely caught up in the spectacle.

They were completely unaware of the opportunity hidden within the secret symbols of the ancient inkstone, and some were even discussing it, urging.

From the mountain path came clamorous voices: "What's going on? Why has everyone gone silent?"

"Ah, isn't that Liu Xi crying injustice and pleading for rescue? Why has he stopped crying halfway through? Will he be saved or not? It's enough to drive a person frantic!"

"His face has been changed, and his identity is no longer his own. Truly pathetic. How will he prove he is who he claims to be?"

"How do we know he's not lying? Is he really Liu Xi?"

"Oh, right..."

"I don't know why, but I'm afraid to think deeply about this. The more I think about it, the more terrifying it seems."

Meanwhile, by the meandering stream, others were commenting:

"Mr. Shu Yun's ancient inkstone is indeed bizarre. In my opinion, this puzzle doesn't test knowledge, but rather luck."

"Ignorant!" someone retorted, "Look at those in the field, immersed with unusual expressions; aren't they all renowned talents of Yunjiang Prefecture?

Claiming the puzzle doesn't test knowledge? What a laughable ignorance."

"You... indeed are something. With such keen insight, why don't we place a bet on who might ultimately emerge the victor in this contest?"

"What, you're challenging me to a gamble?" Peng Xuan smiled, "I bet it's either Chen Xu or Zhou Zhuo."

"Why didn't you choose Brother Cui? Aren't you always on good terms with Cui Yunqi?"

"Brother Cui was the top scorer in the last court examination. With such grace and composure, how could he compete with newcomers?"

"Chen Xu's demeanor is too casual. I heard he's from an ordinary family, not even considered a humble scholar.

The puzzle might be just as inscrutable to him as it is to us common folk, so how could he solve it?

Peng Xuan, there's indeed a gap between top scorers, so don't place too much faith in the title of top scorer!"

...

The cacophony made Cui Yunqi's ears ring and his vision blur.

He forcibly reined in his scattered senses, compelling himself to focus all his attention on the luminous halo in the sky.

Yes, he, Cui Yunqi, was once a top scorer, a distinguished figure in Yunjiang.

How could he completely lose his spirit because of this?

In that Star Array, he got trapped by a peculiar geometric puzzle. After returning home, he had passionately sought out similar problems countless times.

He had also spent countless times in silent study, focusing his mind in a dark room.

So why not seize the moment here to redeem his past shame?

In the halo, the flowing lines twisted left and right, connecting and overlapping.

They seemed to exist in this world yet also belonged to the boundless universe, elevating one's divine thought in an instant.

Cui Yunqi saw lightning and thunder, the genesis of all things;

Zhou Zhuo saw the autumn harvest and winter's latent energy;

Ningyu Studio saw interwoven threads amidst torrential rain;

And as for Wei Song, he too saw, witnessing a dark flame buried deep underground, struggling to break through every crevice!

Chen Xu sat in place, slightly raising his head.

He saw a vast sea of stars, with the sun and moon revolving, stars rising and falling, time erasing and changing the world.

There was also a seed crossing mountains, riding with the free wind to land on a sheer cliff.

Undaunted, it struggled to take root.

Storing water when rain came, absorbing energy under sunlight, lying dormant and waiting amid the wind, growing silently in darkness...

Until one moment, it broke through layers of rock pressure, spreading its branches and bearing fruit on the cliff!

So, what was it truly?

It was infinite possibilities, but at this moment, it condensed into a rune before Chen Xu's eyes:

Life!

The Rune of Universal Creation—

It was a rune capable of endowing plants with spirituality, allowing them to become spiritual materials!

No, not just this one rune, there was also a second.

In the halo, the twisting curves named as topology, which Chen Xu knew from a high-level scientific field in his previous world chasing the truth of the heavens and earth.

But now that he thought about it, wasn't science just another form of mysticism?

In the current Mythical Realm, mysterious topology revealed its roots, twisted and transformed, gaining the name "Talisman!"

Chen Xu remembered the first "Universal Creation Rune."

Soon he remembered the second: the Spirit-imbued Fate-Tying Talisman.

And a third on the brink of rapid transformation: the Truth Discerning Talisman.

So the Ancient Inkstone Puzzle was about talismans hidden within the inkstone?

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