The five of them stood in place, the eerie annihilation of the talisman brushes and paper completely severing any hope of communicating through tangible media. The air grew so heavy it felt as if it might turn into liquid.
Jiang Yifan's brow furrowed as his gaze swept over the flowing runes and the subtle patterns on the floor once again.
He tried to use his sword tip to lightly scratch a simple arrow mark on the ground.
However, as the blade passed over, not even a faint white scratch remained. The seemingly cold and hard ground possessed an incredible self-repairing ability—or rather, it simply refused to allow any external "traces" to exist.
Duan Xianxing struggled to stare at the flowing runes on the walls, attempting to memorize them and find a pattern. But the runes were fickle and unpredictable; the longer he looked, the more dizzy and faint-headed he felt, and even his divine sense began to throb with pain.
He could only give up in frustration. Clearly, he truly possessed no talent for this sort of thing.
Feng Weilan slowly shook his head and spread his hands in a helpless gesture.
His mastery of arrays seemed utterly useless here. This flowing runic system was ancient and foreign, its changes following no discernible pattern. Without the aid of divine sense and the ability to communicate and deduce, it was impossible to crack it in a short time through naked-eye observation and mental calculation alone.
Zhu Yinxi walked slowly along the curved wall, scrutinizing the flowing runes and the fine lines on the ground.
He was using the most primitive method—observation and touch—to gather information.
But the runes and patterns were too complex and ever-changing. Attempting to decipher them in silence by oneself was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Zhu Yinxi gave Li Nanzhu a helpless shake of his head, indicating this path was a dead end.
Li Nanzhu nodded slightly.
This space did not allow any form of information to "remain." Communication had to be immediate, interactive, and impossible to record.
She stood up and looked around, her mind racing.
They couldn't speak, they couldn't use secret voice transmission, they couldn't write, and they couldn't leave marks.
So, what was left to rely on?
Her gaze swept across the faces of her four seniors one by one.
Jiang Yifan's steadiness, Zhu Yinxi's calmness, Feng Weilan's focus, and Duan Xianxing's helplessness... their expressions, their eyes, and their most subtle movements.
Perhaps... only the most primitive and direct method remained.
Observation and tacit understanding.
She walked over to Zhu Yinxi. Instead of making complex movements, she simply looked into his eyes, pointed to her own eyes, then pointed to the flowing runes on the wall with an inquiring look.
Zhu Yinxi met her gaze for a moment and immediately understood her meaning—abandon all thoughts of clever tricks and return to the basics: see with the eyes, remember with the heart, and coordinate using the simplest body language and eye contact.
Zhu Yinxi gave a firm nod of agreement.
He pointed a finger at himself, then at Li Nanzhu and Feng Weilan, and finally at Jiang Yifan and Duan Xianxing. He made a gesture for "separate observation," then clasped his hands together to indicate that they would eventually need to pool their findings.
Li Nanzhu nodded vigorously.
They would split up to observe different areas, memorizing the flow of the runes and their relationship to the floor patterns as much as possible. Then, they would try to piece together the information through the most basic methods—pointing, signaling numbers, or mimicking shapes.
This was undoubtedly a clumsy method with extremely low efficiency, and it would severely test their memory, observation skills, and mutual understanding.
But at this moment, it was the only viable path.
And the advantage of having cleared the first round at such an incredible speed now became apparent.
They had plenty of time.
There was no sense of urgency from burning incense sticks, and no pressure from trailing teams catching up.
This domain of absolute silence, instead, became a "safety zone" where they could settle their hearts and slowly grind through this barrier with the clumsiest but most reliable method.
The five of them quickly reached a consensus without any agitation.
They glanced at each other, their eyes reflecting a shared serenity.
Time was their greatest asset now.
Zhu Yinxi took the lead, pointing to a section of the circular wall and then to himself and Li Nanzhu, indicating they would be responsible for this area.
Next, he pointed to an adjacent section and nodded to Feng Weilan and Jiang Yifan. Finally, he pointed to the remaining section and gestured to Duan Xianxing, signaling for him to stay alert for any unexpected incidents while assisting with observation.
The division of labor was clear and silent.
The five immediately dispersed, each walking to their designated area.
The entire process was grueling.
The runes seemed to flow slowly, but they shifted endlessly.
Trying to focus on memorizing the sequence of runes in a specific area for a long time without being distracted by other changes took a massive toll on one's mental state.
Furthermore, conveying complex patterns from memory to a companion through simple gestures was even more difficult.
Li Nanzhu and Feng Weilan tried for a long time.
Feng Weilan worked hard to memorize the order and relative positions of several sets of runes, then used his hands to gesture the sequence and approximate shapes. Li Nanzhu watched with total concentration, trying to understand and find similar patterns in her own area.
But the runes were too complex. Simple gestures had huge margins for error, and they often spent a long time only to realize their understandings were miles apart.
Time flowed in silence, and every breath felt exceptionally long.
There was no sound and no conversation—only the heavy sound of their breathing and heartbeats, and the occasional exchange of glances carrying encouragement or questions.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Nanzhu felt her temples throbbing with pain, her mental energy severely depleted.
She looked up and rubbed her aching eyes, glancing at Feng Weilan nearby.
Feng Weilan’s face was also somewhat pale, and he shook his head slightly at her, indicating he hadn't found any obvious patterns yet.
High above on the platform, the water mirror clearly reflected the scenes on the Heart-Probing Bridge.
The sect leaders focused all their attention on the central mirror, watching the five disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect in that silent bronze hall. They looked like headless flies, struggling through various methods only to hit a wall again and again.
When they saw Li Nanzhu take out a talisman brush and paper only for them to instantly turn to ash, a few low exclamations of surprise rose from the platform.
"As I thought," Bu Qingwei said, stroking his beard and nodding.
"Hmph," Immortal Venerable Ling Xiao snorted coldly. However, the corners of his mouth twitched upward almost imperceptibly, revealing a trace of satisfaction. "Clever tricks eventually reach their limit. This trial targets the core of one's heart and cannot be bypassed with shortcuts. Let's see what other tricks they have left."
Clearly, he was pleased to see the Five Elements Dao Sect falter at this stage.
The Five Elements Dao Sect had passed the first trial far too quickly and strangely, making the traditional powerful sects lose face. Now, seeing them struggling in this Domain of Silence, a sense of gratification inevitably rose in his heart.
"It seems this second trial is specifically designed to grind down the arrogance of these youngsters," Master Huiming said with his hands pressed together, his tone peaceful. "Reflecting on the heart in silence and tempering understanding in hardship is also a form of cultivation."
The sect leaders and elders of the Beast Taming Sect, the Wuji Sect, and others also looked much more relaxed.
The Five Elements Dao Sect being stuck meant the gap wouldn't widen further; there was still a chance for the others.
When they saw the five members of the Five Elements Dao Sect abandon all clever thoughts and begin using the clumsiest method—dividing areas for observation and relying on memory and simple gestures to communicate—the eyes of several grandmasters on the platform shifted slightly.
"They are quite composed," Bu Qingwei nodded slightly. "Knowing how to utilize their time advantage without rushing, and attempting to break the deadlock through meticulous effort... this temperament is quite decent."
"It's just a futile effort," Ling Xiao said indifferently. "The runic changes in this trial are infinite, containing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. Can they really be grasped through mere visual memory and crude gestures? Without the resonance of divine sense and the deduction of speech, trying to coordinate five people to crack this? It's a fool's errand."
Though his words were harsh, they spoke the truth.
Most of the other sect leaders nodded inwardly in agreement.
The design of this Domain of Silence blocked almost all conventional paths of teamwork. It tested a kind of synergy that transcended the norm—something akin to telepathy.
This kind of silent understanding could not be cultivated in a short time.
The Five Elements Dao Sect was destined to fail at this stage!
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