The Fox Spirit saw Zhang Chen laughing and immediately felt insulted. She had kindly reminded him, and what did his sneer mean? Was he mocking her?
She simply stood to the side, no longer speaking, quietly watching Zhang Chen’s actions.
Zhang Chen stood in front of the stone wall, holding a torch while carefully observing the patterns before him, from the collar of his shirt to each symbol in his sleeves; he was scrutinizing every detail.
"Huh~"
Suddenly, Zhang Chen let out a slight sound of surprise because he noticed 120 symbols at the throat of the silhouette, which were exactly the same as the 128 symbols in another "White Fox Devouring the Moon" depiction.
"Could it be that all Visualization Images in the world have similarities? Do they all require Moonlight?" Zhang Chen speculated internally.
He then continues to examine the mysterious symbols and the subtle details of the silhouette.
Unaware of how much time had passed, the Fox Spirit looked at Zhang Chen’s pale face with some concern for his health, so she asked, "Are you hungry?"
"Go to the water and catch fish for me. Remember to use the torch to roast them after you’ve caught them," Zhang Chen instructed the Fox Spirit without turning his head, his eyes glued to the symbols.
The Fox Spirit was stunned upon hearing this, then angrily exclaimed, "I am a presence in the Eighth Realm, and you want me to catch fish for you?"
"Hmm? Isn’t it possible that I might trigger a skill to make you go to the river to move fish? If you collide with a rock or fall into mud, don’t blame me," Zhang Chen responded with a cheerful grin.
Feeling speechless, the Fox Spirit could only grit her teeth, transforming into a stream of light as she went into the river to catch fish.
Soon, a fragrant roasted fish was handed to Zhang Chen, who held a torch in one hand and the fish in the other. His eyes remained fixed on the patterns, striving to observe every detail, as this was crucial for his future cultivation.
Only when Zhang Chen had viewed the entire scroll did he stand there, frowning silently.
Because he gained nothing!
There was no sensation, just as if these were merely ordinary, simple stone carvings with nothing remarkable about them. They weren’t even provoking any response compared to the Demon Race scroll he’d seen earlier?
If it weren’t for the previous "White Fox Devouring the Moon" scroll causing a mutation in his Crystal Core, he would suspect the Fox Spirit was toying with him.
"Strange, why do I feel nothing after looking at this scroll?" Zhang Chen turned his head towards the Little Fox Spirit, voicing his inner confusion.
"Pfft~"
Upon hearing Zhang Chen’s words, Fox Fairy Nannan cracked a smile, laughing so hard she bent forward and backward, gasping for air, as if she had heard something incredibly amusing.
"Why are you laughing?" Zhang Chen, noticing the ridicule in her laughter, showed displeasure as he likely realized he might have said something wrong, leading to the Fox Spirit’s mockery.
"How long have you been looking at this pattern?" Fox Fairy Nannan asked.
"About seven or eight hours," Zhang Chen replied.
"Have you remembered the entire pattern?" the Fox Spirit asked.
Zhang Chen shook his head: "Not to mention the lines, even the symbols here number over twelve thousand; how could I remember them?"
This pattern is vastly more complicated than the Demon Race’s pattern.
"Do you know how long a smart ancestor like I watched the ’White Fox Devouring the Moon’ pattern before grasping it?" Fox Fairy Nannan’s eyes were filled with pride: "I pondered the pattern for eighteen years, sat in the stone room for eighteen years, and only then successfully entered meditation. Even so, I was still called the Demon Race’s number one genius, while you, a rude uneducated fellow, expect to grasp it in seven or eight hours—it’s pure delusion."
Upon hearing Fox Fairy Nannan’s words, Zhang Chen’s eyes suddenly shifted, asking: "You entered the Dao at eighteen, and how old are you now?"
He gazed at the stunning maiden, contemplating: ’Could she be a monstrous old creature over a hundred years old?’
Fox Fairy Nannan perceived Zhang Chen’s thoughts and proudly declared, "I am thirty-one this year. Since eighteen, I have advanced a realm each year, and this year I am in the Eighth Realm. Previously delayed by possession for five years, my talents are extraordinary, and I am poised to advance to the Tenth Realm in the future!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen’s pupils constricted, and he regarded the Fox Spirit with more seriousness. Advancing a realm per year—it’s faster than riding a rocket!
Though he wasn’t familiar with the cultivation world’s pace definitions, a realm each year was undoubtedly absurdly fast; this Fox Spirit was remarkable.
Zhang Chen looked at the Fox Spirit, seemingly struck, and turned back to the wall pattern, dazed for a moment.
The stone wall embedded here—did he also need to sit here for decades?
Not merely for decades; even three to five years would be unacceptable to him.
"Do you have any paper?" Zhang Chen inquired.
"What do you need paper for?" the Fox Spirit asked.
"To draw the stone carving so I can study it later. I can’t stay trapped here forever!" Zhang Chen answered.
The Fox Spirit shook her head: "Don’t even think about it; such patterns cannot be copied. Once copied, they lose the true meaning, and the essence within is gone, leaving merely a worthless sheet. Otherwise, why would I have needed to come here to perceive it instead of studying a copy in the Fox Race?"
"Can’t sketch or copy it?" Zhang Chen felt disappointed.
"This thing—whether understood is understood, and if not, then it’s not. Some sit for a lifetime without entering meditation, while others need only sit for seven or eight days to comprehend the mystery and directly fall into the Meditation Realm. I remember a human named ’Xie Xuan’; one year he toured the temple, and it happened that the Great Compassion Temple unearthed a mysterious stone statue. Upon a glance, he instantly entered meditation. Later, his whereabouts became unknown; either he was accepted by the Great Compassion Temple as a disciple or taken by the court," the Fox Spirit explained.