And after Zhang Yang manipulated the Heaven and Earth energy to explore, he discovered that both passages were actually real.

Naturally, both passages couldn't be real; Zhang Yang knew very well that only one path ahead was correct, while the other could lead him anywhere.

Never mind that he appeared to be moving straight ahead; in reality, he might have already turned around and ended up somewhere else entirely, without the slightest inkling of the change.

Where he ended up depended entirely on the mood of the person who had set up this profound Qimen formation. If they were in a good mood, he might just be ejected and unable to re-enter; if they were in a bad mood, congratulations—he likely stepped into an absolute death ground.

Don't presume that your inner strength is so great that you fear nothing. Those from the Qimen Dunjia lineage never need to lay a hand on anyone to kill. Even those with moderate inner strength from that school, once you enter their formation and fall under their control, can still slay you. This is precisely why many people were reluctant to provoke followers of Qimen Dunjia in the past.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yang closed his eyes and began to think slowly.

It was fortunate that it was a choice between two. Even choosing randomly offered a fifty percent chance. Judging by the parrots' reactions, this formation likely contained no killing array, which eased Zhang Yang’s mind somewhat.

With his eyes closed, ignoring everything external, Zhang Yang directly mobilized his energy to sense everything within the formation.

The most famous aspect of Qimen Dunjia is illusion: truth within falsehood, and falsehood within truth. Looking with the naked eye could utterly confuse you; it was far better to use energy perception.

Waves of Heaven and Earth energy, invisible to the eye, continuously flowed outward.

In a short while, Zhang Yang lifted his leg and resolutely walked in one direction. Zhuifeng, Shandian, and Wuying hurriedly followed; within this formation, they were all blind.

Spirit beasts had even less resistance to Qimen Dunjia. Back when the Qimen Dunjia lineage was flourishing, many high-level spirit beasts had perished beneath these arrays. No matter how clever they were, they couldn't possibly decipher formations that even humans struggled to break.

At the fork of the two paths, Zhang Yang simply walked down one, not even pausing.

After he passed, the adjacent passage vanished as if by magic. Zhang Yang continued forward.

Not far ahead, two parrots watched from a distance. Upon seeing Zhang Yang approach, they both nodded slightly, though their expressions remained unchanged.

After a few more steps, Zhang Yang stopped again.

Before him, one passage had once more become two, just like before.

Both passages looked and felt real upon sensing. This time he faced another choice; choosing incorrectly would nullify all previous efforts, and only the right choice would allow him to proceed.

Zhang Yang’s eyes remained closed. Standing there for less than a minute, he again strode forward with purpose.

This time he took the path on the right, whereas before he had chosen the left.

The two parrots were slightly surprised, but neither spoke, continuing to watch Zhang Yang. The passage wasn't long, and after a few minutes, it branched again, this time presenting three paths.

Zhang Yang's eyes didn't open at all. He walked straight through the middle of the three paths without stopping.

"How is this possible? Is it luck, or has he truly deciphered the Master's formation?"

The two parrots could no longer maintain their composure. One squawked out in shock.

They were also inside the formation and clearly knew which of the divided passages were real and which were false. Every choice Zhang Yang had made was the correct one.

Getting the first choice right could be attributed to luck. Getting the second one right could still be called very good luck.

But getting the third one right, without even a moment of hesitation, meant this was no longer just a matter of luck. It was highly probable that Zhang Yang had genuinely found the correct route himself, had found the right way.

Finding the right way was equivalent to cracking the formation.

While this was a simple Qimen formation, it belonged to the true Qimen Dunjia, personally arranged by their Master, who possessed Fifth Layer strength. It shouldn't be this easy to break.

Therefore, the parrots refused to believe Zhang Yang had genuinely solved it; they preferred to believe it was pure luck.

"One more choice left; let's see what he chooses!"

The other parrot stared intently at Zhang Yang. Soon, Zhang Yang arrived at another split, but this time it wasn't two paths or three, but a full five.

Five choices—the odds had shrunk considerably again.

Zhang Yang didn't even open his eyes. His body suddenly twisted, and he entered the most winding passage to the side. The two parrots stared blankly, now completely silent.

He was right again.

This choice proved unequivocally that Zhang Yang had not been relying on luck previously. Faced with so many openings, no one would instinctively choose the passage tucked away to the side that required a turn.

Many people would subconsciously assume paths are straight and choose between the first two in front of them.

Zhang Yang turned and walked down the curved path without stopping, indicating that he possessed absolute certainty in his mind; he had truly found the right path and truly broken the formation. No wonder the parrots were so astonished.

Walking not far, Zhang Yang suddenly opened his eyes, a faint smile touching the corner of his lips.

There were no more passages before him. The oil lamp shone much brighter. Ahead lay a large hall—a hall within the mountain cave. It contained simple stone chairs, a stone table, stone stools, and other furnishings. Everything was clean, making it look as though someone currently resided there.

After just a few glances, Zhang Yang shifted his gaze to the side, toward the wall.

It was a very large wall, covered with inscriptions written entirely in Traditional Chinese, using ancient methods of calligraphy.

With just one look, Zhang Yang was captivated by the wall’s content.

What covered this wall was similar to the Po Tian Sword Technique he had seen before, and the Damo manuscript sent by Shaolin—things that appeared unassuming at first glance but grew progressively more profound the longer one studied them.

This characteristic alone proved they were inscribed by a Fifth Layer expert.

To date, everything Zhang Yang had encountered related to the Fifth Layer shared this trait; only Fifth Layer experts could write things so mystical. One had to look at it; rote memory was useless.

Gazing at the writing on the wall, Zhang Yang slowly stood there, motionless.

The two parrots slowly flew over and perched on a stone table not far from Zhang Yang. Zhuifeng and Wuying watched the pair of parrots vigilantly, guarding Zhang Yang's side.

The strength of these parrots was not negligible; without Zhang Yang, either one could have handled the three of them. If these parrots harbored any ill intent, they posed a significant threat to Zhang Yang.

Presently, Zhang Yang was completely immersed in the wall's contents, oblivious to everything around him.

Zhang Yang stood there for an entire night.

During this time, the two parrots and Zhuifeng and his companions remained still. Zhuifeng and the others guarded Zhang Yang, while the two parrots watched quietly nearby.

The sky outside gradually brightened. After the terror of the previous night, the smaller animals nearby slowly returned to normal. Animal intelligence wasn't that high; although they had been severely frightened yesterday, they had already forgotten much of it by now.

Of course, they dared not approach the central area.

However, the spirit beasts that had sensed the disturbance were still keeping a wide berth. Wildman Mountain was a primal forest, home to many spirit beasts; at least a dozen roamed this vast area.

These spirit beasts were intelligent. They knew two powerful entities resided in the central zone and never ventured close.

Each spirit beast had its territory, and they usually coexisted peacefully. Even if minor disputes arose here, they were small frictions between equals, like neighbors arguing. Events like last night's were exceedingly rare.

It could be said that it was these spirit beasts who were truly frightened by the massive commotion last night; they had never experienced anything like it. The clash of such immense energy had left them too unnerved to return to their territories even now.

"I see, I see—this is the true Way of Nature!"

Looking at the wall, Zhang Yang's eyes slowly brightened intensely. He murmured softly to himself.

A layer of Heaven and Earth energy still enveloped him, but unlike the usual intangible energy, this energy carried faint traces of pale white.

Though subtle, it was visible.

Furthermore, this energy was not acquired by borrowing the Po Tian Sword Technique; this was Heaven and Earth energy that he genuinely controlled himself.

Zhang Yang's Way of Nature had achieved a major breakthrough; he had truly gained entry.

"Great Perfection?"

The two parrots cried out simultaneously, their eyes wide with shock.

It was shock, not mere surprise. They thought they had already overestimated Zhang Yang and given him high praise, but it turned out they had still underestimated him.

Zhang Yang had now truly entered the gateway of the Way of Nature. The understanding of the Way of Nature he possessed was in no way inferior to those at Great Perfection.

Strictly speaking, Zhang Yang was not yet at Great Perfection, which required reaching the late stage of the Fourth Layer to comprehend the Way of Nature, whereas he was only at the mid-stage of the Fourth Layer.

To put it that way, he was a Mid-Stage Fourth Layer Great Perfectionist, still possessing a gap compared to a true Great Perfection expert.

However, this gap was no longer vast; it was merely the difference between the mid and late stages of the Fourth Layer—not the kind of insurmountable gap where an ordinary late-stage practitioner was completely helpless against a Great Perfection master.

A Mid-Stage Fourth Layer Great Perfectionist—Zhang Yang could be called the first person in history.

"I understand, I finally understand everything!"

Zhang Yang suddenly cried out in joy. The surging Heaven and Earth energy around him rapidly poured into his body automatically. This energy quickly converted into inner strength, directly absorbing external energy to augment his internal reserves—a technique only accessible to Great Perfection masters and Fifth Layer experts.

In this moment, if his strength were ignored, Zhang Yang was essentially indistinguishable from a Great Perfection master.

If he walked out now, he could still disguise himself as an ordinary person, just like Zhang Pinglu, completely undetected by any inner strength cultivator.

Even someone like Shi Fang, who had cultivated Tianyan Tong (Heavenly Eye), couldn't see through his disguise. A disguise utilizing the Way of Nature, as long as he generated no fluctuations, was the most natural, flawless concealment.

Sorry, I spoke too boldly yesterday and failed to deliver. Xiao Yu overestimated himself and underestimated the integrity of those [censored word] people; they kept pushing, offering all sorts of excuses.

Three chapters, meaning I owe three chapters. Xiao Yu can only promise to make them up. Again, I apologize. Those who want to curse Xiao Yu, feel free to do so; this time, it is entirely my fault. RQ