Grand Elder Pu Yi of Starcliff Academy hesitated, then transmitted to Mu Xi, “Young king, What do you think of this Su Yi?”

He sent his question via transmission. This undoubtedly meant he didn’t want others to hear it. 

Mu Xi pondered for a moment, then said a bit helplessly, “Even though I’m unwilling, I have no choice but admit that he’s unfathomably capable; I cannot compare to him.”

His tone was rueful. “I’m afraid that, even if you searched the Great Zhou, you couldn’t find anyone capable of standing side by side with a monster like him….”

Pu Yi fell briefly silent, then transmitted yet another question. “Then do you think my Starcliff Academy can use this as an opportunity to build a friendship with Su Yi?”

Mu Xi glanced at him, then said, “If you could, that would naturally be wonderful, but I’m afraid it’ll be difficult to achieve unless you can represent your entire academy, lower your head, and make your worth clear. If you do that, you might just barely manage to win Su Yi’s recognition.”

Pu Yi nodded, then said no more.

He, too, was aware that establishing a connection with a young man like a fallen immortal would require vast amounts of effort. Even then, it was highly likely that he’d fail in the end.

After all, Su Yi might be young, but his pride ran deep. Winning his friendship would likely be impossible without the right opportunity.

Before long, Su Yi shot out of the rift. Everyone abruptly ceased their conversation, and they instinctively rose to welcome him.

“I told them that the heavens favor the worthy, and that there was no way anything would go wrong,” said Shen Jiusong with a hearty laugh.

When Ning Sihua sensed Su Yi’s aura, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Fellow Daoist, have you broken through?”

Su Yi was still as calm and aloof as ever. If not for the unusually keen power of Ning Sihua’s soul and her ability to sense subtleties beyond the grasp of ordinary people, she would have missed it. Her naked eyes alone were insufficient to discern Su Yi’s cultivation. 

He broke through? When they heard this, Mu Xi, Pu Yi, and the others were visibly startled.

This undoubtedly meant that the seventeen-year-old before them had already broken through the shackles of the Qi Accumulation Realm to become a Grandmaster!

When they considered the unbelievable power he’d possessed in the Qi Accumulation Realm, they couldn’t help but wonder: how terrifyingly strong is he now that he’s stepped into the Grandmaster Realm? 

“For me, breaking through isn’t difficult. What’s difficult is establishing sufficiently firm foundations along the way,” Su Yi said offhandedly.

This declaration sent waves coursing through their hearts.

Ning Sihua thought for a moment, then flipped her hand. A green pearl appeared in her palm. She passed it to Su Yi, saying, “This is a Spirit-Nurturing Pearl, and it’s useful for tempering the spirituality of the innards. Consider it a celebratory gift. Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on successfully breaking through and becoming a Grandmaster.”

The crowd couldn’t help but gasp. What an absolutely lavish gift!

Spirit-Nurturing Pearls were rare treasures. They were a rare tier-four spiritual material, and they were extremely beneficial when Grandmasters tempered their organs.

In the Great Zhou, you couldn’t possibly buy such a treasure for less than a hundred tier-three spirit stones!

Su Yi was briefly stunned. He gazed deeply at Ning Sihua, then said, “Alright. I’ll accept this gift. Thank you.”

With that, he took the pearl and put it away. With this treasure, he could cut down on the time he spent cultivating in the first level of the Grandmaster Realm. 

When she saw Su Yi take the pearl, Ning Sihua couldn’t help but smile. Back in the Imperatorial Province, she realized that Su Yi was only one step away from the Grandmaster Realm, which was why she’d prepared the Spirit-Nurturing Pearl in advance. 

And when she saw Su Yi straightforwardly accept it, she knew she hadn’t gone to all that effort preparing a congratulatory gift for nothing. 

“Young Lord Su, this is a tier-four spiritual medicine I acquired by chance several years ago. It’s somewhat useful for consolidating one’s foundations in the Inner Furnace Realm. Consider it a token of my appreciation, as well as my congratulations on your successful breakthrough. I hope you’ll accept it with a smile!” Shen Jiusong then removed a fist-sized jade box from his sleeves and handed it over.

Su Yi was stunned. He naturally could tell that both Ning Sihua and Shen Jiusong had prepared their congratulatory gifts in advance. 

He took the box and opened it to examine its contents, and the smell of medicine assailed his nostrils. Inside was an ink-colored lingzhi the size of a baby’s fist and about as thick as a thumb.

This was an Ink Jade Lingzhi, and it had to be at least one hundred years old. It was extremely valuable, not far off from the Spirit-Nurturing Pearl Ning Sihua had given him.

“That was considerate of you.” Su Yi closed the box and nodded in Shen Jiusong’s direction.

Shen Jiusong instantly smiled. “I’m just glad you like it, Young Lord Su.”

Pu Yi, Chen Zheng, and the others watched in a daze. All of them could tell that both Ning Sihua and Shen Jiusong had prepared their gifts long in advance; it was obvious!

But it was for this very reason that they realized even people as mighty as Ning Sihua and Shen Jiusong had long since started actively trying to win Su Yi’s friendship!

Pu Yi inwardly clenched his teeth, then took out a treasure he’d stored for many years and proffered it with a smile. “Young Lord Su, I didn’t bring any grand treasures with me on this expedition, but I do have a little trinket that’s rather fitting. I hope you’ll like it.”

It was a little White Jade Gourd. It was crystal clear and only about three inches long.

Su Yi blinked. “This looks like a spiritual tool?”

Pu Yi smiled. “You’ve got good eyes. This gourd is called ‘Jade Bud.’ A senior of my Starcliff Academy found it by chance while investigating a ruin on Green Ivy Yao Mountain. It contains a naturally-formed, separate space capable of nourishing spiritual weapons.”

The crowd’s hearts shook. This was a rare treasure! 

But Su Yi only shook his head. “I cannot accept an undeserved reward. You’d best keep this treasure for yourself.”

Pu Yi was instantly frantic. “Young Lord, earlier, you saved us from the brink of calamity. How can such great benevolence compare to a paltry little gourd? Please, you must accept it!”

As he spoke, he bowed at the waist and proffered the little gourd with both hands.

“Young Lord Su, this is a token of Elder Pu Yi’s good intentions. If you refuse it, I’m afraid he’ll have trouble sleeping in peace,” laughed Mu Xi.

Su Yi furrowed his brow. “When I saved you, I had no thoughts of demanding your everlasting gratitude. Besides, if I accept this treasure, won’t it mean I’m taking advantage of you? No, and don’t bring it up again.”

He then walked over to a nearby altar. “Wait a moment. I’m going to re-seal the formation.”

Before his words even finished echoing through the air, he shot up, his fingers moving as if he were strumming an instrument as he manipulated the restriction comprised of one hundred and eight altars. 

When he saw this, Pu Yi’s expression shifted erratically, and he grimaced. It was such a grand gift. I would never have imagined that he’d refuse it just like that…

Jiang Tanyun and Lu Zhangfeng had planned to give him a gift too, but they instantly extinguished that idea. They looked at each other, all of them feeling a bit helpless.

The two of them had looked down on Su Yi earlier. If they wanted to befriend Su Yi, they’d have to rectify their relationship first. That was unquestionably far more difficult!

Mu Xi walked up and transmitted to Pu Yi, “I told you that external objects alone wouldn’t be enough to win the good graces of someone so proud. He accepted Ning Sihua and Shen Jiusong’s gifts, but that’s because they both already won his approval.

“And you? Earlier, you had no connection with him at all, yet you took the initiative to offer him such a present. What was he supposed to think? They say that when someone fawns on you for no apparent reason, they’re plotting something, or else they’re simply thieves. What you did just now was overly abrupt.”

Mu Xi sighed. “Besides, did you really think a little spiritual tool like that would make him happy?”

Pu yi was stunned, and he couldn’t help but mock himself. “You’re absolutely right. I really was overly hasty.”

Mu Xi shook his head. “No need to discuss it any further.”

In truth, he felt rather conflicted. In the past, no matter where he went, he’d always been the center of attention.

Yet now that Su Yi had appeared, he, the youngest of the Great Zhou’s foreign-surnamed kings, only served to further offset Su Yi’s brilliance.

What he felt the most conflicted about was that, just now, he’d actually been considering giving Su Yi a congratulatory gift too…

This subtle shift in his mentality undoubtedly meant that, he instinctively felt the need to create a positive connection with Su Yi too. 

When he realized this, Mu Xi couldn’t help but feel ashamed of himself. I…. Don’t tell me I’ve really let that guy convince me?

Rumble! The altars lining both sides of the chasm boomed like thunder as the formation circulated. Countless searingly, dazzlingly bright symbols surged into the air. 

Beneath the group’s stunned gazes, the massive rift gradually fused together, bit by bit.

In the end, not even a trace of it remained. 

If you looked down from the heavens, you’d discover that the altars, which were originally lined up alongside the two sides of the rift, were now in a completely different arrangement. They’d scattered, forming a complex seven-star Bagua.

Su Yi then swept his sleeves, and…

Boom!

All one hundred and eight altars sank into the ground and disappeared without a trace.

Su Yi then landed gently on the ground. 

“Fellow Daoist, might I ask what that was for?” asked Ning Sihua.

Su Yi responded casually, “I placed the formation anew. This will reduce the formation’s longevity, but it will ensure that the spatial barrier remains sealed for at least five more years, and that during the interim, no more cultivators will come from the world on the other side.”

“Only five years?” Ning Sihua was stunned.

“If I hadn’t done this, the spatial barrier would have broken through the restriction and fully manifested within our world in less than three years,” said Su Yi. “Then, I’m afraid countless cultivators from another world would set their sights on this place. They’d see it as a spatial node and cross over. If that happened…..”

Su Yi shrugged. “I’m not afraid of that happening, but the Great Zhou would undoubtedly sink into enormous chaos and strife.”

When they heard that, everyone’s expressions shifted. They finally realized just how severe the problem was. 

In other words, by intervening and reforming the seal, Su Yi had effectively postponed this disaster another two years. 

Ning Sihua couldn’t help but ask again, “Then tell me, Fellow Daoist. Why do you think those cultivators from another world want to come to the Azure Continent? What exactly do they hope to achieve?” 

The others all pricked up their ears. They were all wondering the exact same thing.

I /think/ the new arrangement of the formation looks something like this, but I’m honestly not entirely sure. The word the author used to describe the formation, 七星八卦, also appears in that image. It’s obscure enough that the native Chinese speakers I have convenient access to wouldn’t necessarily know either, so I’d have to ask around.