"How do you all view this?" Yun Miao's voice rang out softly.

"He's a promising seedling," Xuanheng was the first to speak, his tone carrying a hint of protectiveness. "Solid skills, a flexible mind, and most importantly... he can survive. To lead over two thousand people out of such a desperate situation, that kind of ability is even rarer than mere talent in the path of formations."

"His mind is too deep," the Enforcement Peak Master Xing Yu evaluated coldly. "During the questioning just now, he evaded the crucial points, his words were seamless and watertight. For a young man in his twenties to possess such scheming, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse."

"Having a deep mind is good," the figure brimming with vitality laughed. "As long as he has no disloyalty towards the sect, then he is a fine blade."

"His eyes are very clear," the swordsman who had been silent all along suddenly interjected. "Although he is concealing his edge, there is a ruthless determination in his bones. I like it."

"Since it is so."

Yun Miao waved his sleeve, the starry sky above his head swirling, obscuring all auras. "Then let us proceed according to plan."

The Enforcement Peak Master suddenly spoke again, his voice three parts heavier than before: "Sect Leader, half an hour ago, the Cloud Mirror Division used the 'Heaven-Gazing Mirror' to reflect upon the earth veins of the Northern Border. Beneath the ruins of Iron Wall Pass, they saw a wisp of murky life line not yet severed, like a venomous snake lying dormant in the deepest abyss. The mirror's manifestation showed: 'Rockheart' has not perished, vitality is hidden, the calamity... is not over."

He paused, the aura beneath his black robe growing even colder and more solemn. "The Master of the Cloud Mirror Division personally performed a divination. The hexagram was 'Earth Fire Ming Yi, Reappearing Heavenly Light'. The interpretation says: This beast has already abandoned its physical form, its spirit has fled into the profound depths of the earth veins. Neither dead nor alive, seemingly extinguished yet actually existing. When it reappears, I fear it will not be a calamity confined to a single pass or fortress."

Within the Starfall Pavilion, the starlight seemed to stagnate for a moment.

Sect Leader Yun Miao was silent for a moment. The swirling speed of the starry sky above his head slightly increased, as if deducing the secrets of heaven. After a long while, he slowly raised his hand. In the void, a talisman condensed from starlight appeared, then quietly shattered.

Yun Miao's gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on the charred, sunken area symbolizing Iron Wall Pass. "The Cloud Mirror Division will continue to use the 'Heaven-Gazing Mirror' to monitor all earth vein nodes in the Northern Border, especially... the hidden veins connected to the other seventy-eight Border Defense Great Formations. Since this beast has already attained spirit communication, next time, it may not necessarily only target Iron Wall Pass."

The Enforcement Peak Master nodded slightly. "Understood. The Cloud Mirror Division has already activated the 'Sky Patrol Net'. Thirty thousand miles of earth veins in the Northern Border are all under surveillance."

"Good."

Sect Leader Yun Miao took one last look at the phantom image of the ruins beneath his feet, as if seeing through it into deeper, darker depths underground.

......

A short while later, Xuanheng summoned Su Ming back into the Starfall Pavilion.

Su Ming stood in the center of the great hall. The phantom map of the Northern Border's mountains and rivers beneath his feet undulated slightly with the fluctuations of spiritual energy. Five grand auras were entrenched above, like five insurmountable mountain peaks.

Sect Leader Yun Miao's voice broke the deathly silence within the pavilion.

"Su Ming."

Yun Miao raised his hand, his fingertip gently pointing. The "Border Defense True Seal" on Su Ming's chest, which had long since faded from sight, seemed to answer a summons. Through his robe, it emitted a circle of faint, cold blue light.

"This seal, now that you have inherited it, do you know its true weight?"

Su Ming lowered his head, looking at the halo of light on his chest, and did not answer immediately.

Within his Consciousness Sea, Lin Yu's voice was uncharacteristically serious. "Disciple, don't be in a hurry to state your position. This old man's words have traps. This isn't just an honorary medal; it's more like a hot potato that could explode at any time."

Su Ming took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and said, "This disciple knows its weight, for it is the life entrustment of Elder Mo. I know its preciousness, for it is tied to the safety of the Northern Border."

"No, you do not know."

From the side, Xuanheng Zhenren, who had been silent all along, suddenly waved his wide sleeve.

*Whoosh.*

The star chart in mid-air of the great hall suddenly transformed. The previously generalized map of the Northern Border instantly zoomed in and magnified, finally turning into a panoramic defense line diagram several *zhang* long.

In the diagram, seventy-nine dazzling points of light were scattered like stars, arranged along the winding border line. Countless fine spiritual energy lines connected them, forming a giant net covering heaven and earth. And all the lines of this giant net ultimately converged towards the same origin point—Su Ming's chest.

"This seal does not belong solely to Iron Wall Pass."

Xuanheng pointed at the giant net, his tone slow and heavy. "It is the 'Formation Principle Origin Mapping' of all Border Defense Great Formations in the Northern Border. The underlying formation logic, the keys for spiritual energy reflux, even the backdoors for the self-destruct sequences of these seventy-nine great passes and three hundred and sixty small fortresses—all use this seal as the master template."

"If this seal were to fall into the hands of the Demon Tribe, and its great demons were to analyze the formation principles within it..."

Xuanheng's finger tapped heavily in the void. "Within three days, the formation weaknesses of the seventy-nine passes of the Northern Border would be completely exposed. The human defense line would be like paper, easily torn apart."

Su Ming's pupils contracted slightly.

He felt his throat go a little dry. Elder Mo had given it to him in a hurry back then, only saying it was the formation heart of Iron Wall Pass. He never expected the old master had stuffed the key to the entire Northern Border into his hands.

"This isn't a key; it's clearly a death warrant hanging around my neck," Su Ming thought to himself.

"Entrusting such a heavy weapon to a mere Qi Refining junior, isn't that reckless?"

The blurry figure shrouded in vitality to the right voiced a query. The voice wasn't loud, but it carried undeniable concern. "Even if this seal 'has a spirit and chooses its master,' his cultivation is too low. If high-level demon cultivators target him, or if those harboring ill intentions covet it, how can his safety be guaranteed?"

This query was perfectly reasonable.

A child carrying a gold brick while walking through a bustling marketplace is, in itself, an original sin.

Su Ming did not argue. He simply lowered his head further, assuming a submissive posture of awaiting judgment. He knew any explanation now would be feeble; he could only wait for the big shots to play their game.

"Senior Brother, your words are mistaken."

Xuanheng spoke again, this time looking directly at Su Ming.

"The formation heart chooses its master not based on cultivation level, but on 'Dao heart compatibility'."

Xuanheng raised his hand. In the void, the structural diagram of the "Spirit Response Spider Web" Su Ming had deployed at Iron Wall Pass materialized.

"This child's creation, the 'Spiderweb,' discards the rigid thinking of traditional formations of 'one hub controlling the entire domain.' Instead, it adopts the idea of 'multiple points in parallel, decentralized.' This concept resonates perfectly with the core formation principle of the Border Defense Great Formations: 'scattered like stars, echoing from afar, when one is in trouble, all sides come to its aid.'"

Xuanheng paused, a trace of admiration flashing in his gaze. "Junior Brother Mo chose him not out of desperation, but because this child's thinking about the path of formations is alive. This embryonic form of a 'distributed formation net' is precisely the best vessel for wielding the True Seal."

"Vessel..."

Su Ming keenly caught this word.

"It seems they want to cultivate you as a human-shaped formation server," Lin Yu clicked his tongue in the Consciousness Sea. "But that's fine too. As long as you are useful, they will spare no expense to protect you. That's even safer than just being a 'genius.'"