"Mister Bellion, is that really fine? We traveled here because we plan to use the portal to go home once it is ready. But at the end of the day, we are still strangers. And some of the people who came with me might have ulterior motives or bad intentions. How can you invite us in so casually?" Leyvi asked, his thumb pointing squarely at Dastan.
"Damn it, Leyvi! Why are you pointing at this prince? Are you insinuating that this prince has bad intentions?" Dastan scolded, his face flushing.
"See, Mister Bellion? Look at how hostile he is. I think you should leave him outside," Leyvi continued his trolling with a straight face.
"Hmph, don't listen to this country bumpkin. Formation Prodigy Bellion, this prince has heard of your incredible achievements here. How about you come and serve this prince in our Howling Kingdom? In the future, when this prince becomes king, I will appoint you as the head of our royal formation masters. Whatever ambition you have that does not conflict with our interests, this prince will support it to the best of my power." Dastan extended his invitation with practiced formality.
"Your Highness, forgive me, but I must decline your generous offer. I do have an important ambition I wish to fulfill, but it is something I must accomplish myself. Joining any organization before I achieve that goal would bind me with responsibilities that would only hinder my path," Bellion rejected politely.
He still did not know which prince this was, but any prince carried high status. He needed to avoid conflict if at all possible. He already had two princes on his plate causing him trouble, troubles that had come knocking on their own even though he had simply minded his own business.
Not to mention this prince's cultivation had already reached the Nascent Soul Realm.
"Cheh. This prince figured as much. Everyone this prince has invited ended up rejecting me," Dastan muttered, unsurprised.
"That's because you are so unlikeable," Leyvi added, pouring salt into the wound.
"Damn it, Leyvi! Leave this prince alone!" Dastan snapped, thoroughly annoyed.
As expected of him. As someone who experienced a meteoric rise even greater than mine, he isn't really concerned about other people's statuses, just as he isn't really concerned about his own. From this alone, I can largely guess his personality. No wonder my sect's legacy chose him as well. Bellion nodded inwardly.
"Mister Leyvi, I'm not well-versed in judging whether people have bad intentions or not. But I trust my creations to protect me from them, so there's no need to worry about me. Since it's your party, I welcome everyone," Bellion said with quiet confidence.
"Did you hear that?" Leyvi raised his eyebrows repeatedly at Dastan, taunting him openly.
Dastan's mouth twitched. He had a powerful urge to kick Leyvi's backside right now. But if he acted violently, he might get barred from entry. He could only let Tantan do the scolding on his behalf, which she did without hesitation.
The ladies could not help but shake their heads, watching these two act so immaturely.
Bellion also chuckled inwardly before adding, "Also, that's not the only reason I am welcoming everyone so easily. I also need help with something important."
"Oh, you need help? Just say it. I'll help however I can," Leyvi said readily.
"Actually, I need help from them." Bellion gestured toward Barcas and then Barbara.
Everyone looked at the twins in their scholarly outfits. Most immediately guessed what kind of assistance he required.
Bellion caught their expressions. "That is right. I remember Protector Alexandra introduced them as experts in dealing with portals. I have already contained the portal to prevent the barrenness from spreading, but I do not have anyone qualified to examine it properly. I am not even sure where it leads or what to do with it. So your arrival here is perfect timing for my current situation. Please help me investigate the portal," he requested.
"Mister Bellion, please leave it to us. We were originally meant to investigate the portal in the first place when we came here. Now we finally have the chance." Barcas agreed immediately, his tone noticeably excited.
"Great." Bellion nodded. "Please wait a moment."
He approached the shimmering barrier separating them and placed his right hand against its surface. He channeled his Qi into it, guiding the energy in deliberate, intricate patterns.
A few moments later, a gap opened within the layered barriers, wide enough even for the hulking Bodo to pass through.
"Please come in, everyone." Bellion gestured with his other hand.
Lily's eyes widened. She was extremely shocked by what she had just witnessed.
As a fellow formation expert, she understood immediately that this was an extraordinarily advanced skill, one that required complete mastery of array and formation principles.
If she tried to channel her Qi into a barrier like this, her energy would simply be absorbed, consumed to power the formation itself. That was how most grand formations were designed. They were strong enough to nullify physical attacks and absorb any Qi-based assault, reusing that energy to sustain themselves.
But Bellion possessed such a profound understanding of the formation that he could manipulate its internal energy flow and make real-time adjustments while the formation remained fully active. Even in the entire Protogaea Continent, only a handful of people were capable of such a feat, and those few were all veteran formation experts who had lived for thousands of years.
As a formation expert, the only opponent she truly feared facing was another formation master who could use this ability because they could dismantle your work from anywhere easily.
She had personally experienced the devastation of having her formations rendered completely useless by Leyvi. But his ability came from his unique heavenly body. It was a cheat, not skill.
Bellion, however, was the genuine article.
All this time, she had assumed his title as the Formation Prodigy was exaggerated by his own followers. Now, she felt even that title was insufficient. With this skill alone, he could already be called a Formation Emperor.
"Hahaha! If that's the case, then let's enter, everyone. Don't be shy." Leyvi stepped through first.
After the entire group had passed through, Bellion released his hand from the barrier and the gap sealed shut behind them. The formation resumed its function as though nothing had happened.
"Come, let me bring you to the residential area. The city is quite large, so there are many empty houses available. If you desire even more privacy and security, I can set up a formation for whichever house you choose. As I said before, I am not good at judging whether someone has ill intentions. There may be bad actors within my own faction waiting for an opportunity to cause trouble. Extra protection is recommended," Bellion explained.
"Hahaha! Why not? We will gladly accept your generous offer. We will be living here for a while, after all, until the portal is ready," Leyvi replied.
"Wait a minute!" A female voice suddenly interrupted.
The group turned to see a woman with a long, thick braid hurrying toward them.
"Miss Kiyara, are you alright now?" Bellion asked, the memory of what had happened earlier still fresh.
Kiyara flushed slightly, then composed herself and turned to face the group.
"Everyone, Mister Bellion has just completed an extremely difficult formation and has not yet had sufficient rest after passing out from mental fatigue. Please allow him to rest. I will install the formations for your houses in his stead. If it is just a standard house formation, my work is as good as his," she declared with confidence.
She had, after all, copied Bellion's house formation design to perfection.
"Ah, this lady here is Miss Kiyara. You could say she is my assistant. She has been helping me greatly. And what she says is true," Bellion confirmed.
Anda smiled mischievously, already forming her own conclusions about the nature of their relationship.
"Oh, you should have told us earlier. Here, I have something good for mental fatigue. Eat it. Consider it a goodwill gesture from me. Hahaha!" Leyvi extended his hand, offering a bamboo shoot to Bellion.
Bellion was surprised. A bamboo shoot? This can alleviate mental fatigue? This scent...amazing. Even the scent alone already energized his weary mind.
"Mister Bellion, you should not eat anything strange from a stranger," Kiyara advised, her tone cautious.
"Daa hahaha! You hear that, Leyvi? Why would they eat something suspicious from a suspicious person like you?" Dastan seized the chance to retaliate.
Leyvi simply smiled. He was not offended by Kiyara's warning at all. She was not wrong to be cautious. He was simply curious whether Bellion would seize this opportunity.
Someone who was chosen to inherit a supreme treasure from my sect must have good character. I am confident Mister Leyvi would not harm me, Bellion thought.
Without hesitation, he took the bamboo shoot and ate it completely. He trusted his own theory.
Kiyara watched anxiously.
A few moments later, Bellion's expression shifted. Every trace of weariness faded from his face, replaced by a look of refreshed vitality and delighted surprise.
My spiritual sense has improved! This is such a great treasure! I knew my hunch about him was correct! What a lucky day!
Bellion was overjoyed.