I will be stronger after the remake

After waiting for three minutes, he used his spiritual energy to observe the scales and reported, "The fish is still alive."

Zhou Canglan nodded and said, "I'll go in first and then come back to let you know after I confirm there's no danger."

After saying that, it transformed into a stream of water and rushed into the whirlpool.

After a while, amidst everyone's tense waiting, a stream of water returned from the whirlpool, transforming into the appearance of Zhou Canglan. His face showed neither disappointment nor joy, but he solemnly said, "There are no traps inside, you can go in without worry."

For a moment, everyone was curious about what was going on inside, and followed Zhou Canglan into the vortex.

At first, it was dark, as if I had entered an underground tunnel. Before long, my eyes were suddenly bright and a magnificent temple appeared in my sight.

The temple is built of huge bluestones and is carved with exquisite patterns. It is also a scene of a celebration: Yu the Great holds a plow and hoe to dredge the flood, and the people sing and dance to celebrate the success of flood control.

In the center of the temple stands a tall statue of Yu the Great, its face majestic and its eyes resolute, as if it has traveled through a thousand years and is still guarding this body of water.

At this point, everyone was convinced that the Nine Cauldrons were in this temple. After all, there were no myths or legends about Yu the Great in Sishui. The only thing that could be indirectly related was the Nine Cauldrons.

But no one showed any joy, because a transparent array wall, resembling crystal, blocked their path.

Chapter 205 The Gengzi Period

From a distance, the array appears transparent and empty, but upon closer inspection, one discovers that its surface is covered with fine runes that meander and move like living things.

Tang Ping picked up the large carp he had used to scout the way, threw it against the wall of the formation, and it bounced back.

Seeing this, Lin Xi couldn't help but chuckle, "No matter how weak this protective shield is, it's impossible for a fish to break through it."

Tang Ping explained, "I threw the fish to test whether this formation was offensive, such as whether it would generate flames and lightning to retaliate when attacked from the outside. Judging from what I just saw, it seems to be a defensive formation, but its defensive mechanism is very clever."

Lin Xi was puzzled: "It's just bouncing things back. Replacing it with a brick wall would have the same effect. It's not exactly ingenious, is it?"

"Didn't you notice that the trajectory of the fish bouncing back was almost identical to when it was thrown? If I'm not mistaken, the mechanism of this defensive formation is actually vector return."

"Vector return... what does that mean?"

Lin Xi blinked, revealing a knowing look in her eyes.

Tang Ping didn't explain. He picked up a small stone from the ground, flicked it with his finger at an upward angle, and after hitting the array wall, the stone indeed bounced back in the original direction. However, due to the influence of gravity, the trajectory of its return did not coincide with that of its launch. It fell in front of Tang Ping, and he reached out and grabbed it.

Now, even those who hadn't reacted in time understood what "vector return" meant, because according to the angle at which the pebble was shot out of the screen, it should have formed a trajectory similar to ">".

Zhou Canglan carefully manipulated the water flow to stick to the array wall, trying to find a gap that could be penetrated, but as expected, he found nothing.

He Fengsheng used his spiritual technique to summon a gale-force wind blade, which roared out, but without exception, it was bounced back along the same path.

He frowned, then muttered something to himself. Three wisps of black mist drifted out from his sleeves and transformed into three blue-faced, fanged ghost children.

"Since physical form can't pass, let's try spirit form."

With a wave of his hand, the ghost child transformed into a streak of light and rushed towards the array wall.

However, when the three ghost children touched the array wall, the array wall, which had been unaffected by being shot at by stones and slashed by air blades, suddenly shone brightly. As the runes flowed, the three ghost children let out a shrill scream and were shaken to their core.

He Fengsheng's face turned pale, and he staggered back a few steps.

Tang Ping said, "What about underground? Can we go around it underground?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Canglan immediately manipulated the water flow to form a giant hand, which dug along the array wall towards the ground. However, after digging a five-meter-deep pit, he could still see the array wall with floating runes, so he stopped.

"Although we can continue digging, this place is only a blessed land with limited space. If we accidentally damage the spatial barrier and cause the blessed land to collapse, all our previous efforts will be in vain. Judging from the current situation, the arranger has not overlooked the underground area, so it is unlikely to work."

"I've found the key point of the formation!"

Feng Xiu suddenly shouted, and everyone turned to look. They were speechless for a moment because he had used his spiritual magic to build an iron frame for himself. After climbing to a high place, he was looking into the depths of the temple with something that looked like a telescope.

Zhou Canglan rode the water to his side and asked, "What did you see?"

"A sundial, an ancient timekeeping device, is made by placing an iron rod in the center of the clock face and using the shadow of the iron rod as the hour hand... It's strange, there's no sun here at all, the light is created by spiritual magic, there's no distinction between day and night, so why is the shadow moving?"

"Do you talk about scientific principles in the psionic world?"

"That's right, there's a tortoise carrying a large cauldron next to the sundial."

Listening to Feng Xiu's description, everyone climbed onto the iron frame and tried to look into the distance like Sun Wukong. Unfortunately, although the physical abilities of psionicists were superior to those of ordinary people, they were not at the level of having built-in telescopes.

Tang Ping possessed the "Three-Eyed True Radiance" pupil technique, which greatly enhanced his eyesight when used. In addition, he had mastered the technique of concentrating spiritual energy in his eyes to enhance their performance, so he clearly saw what Feng Xiu described.

There was a huge stone tortoise carrying a heavy bronze cauldron. The tortoise's body was carved with lifelike detail, and there seemed to be a picture on its shell.

“The tortoise shell is painted with the Hetu, and what the tortoise is holding in its mouth should be the Luoshu,” Feng Xiu explained, as if he had heard Tang Ping’s question. “According to legend, when Yu the Great was controlling the floods, a divine tortoise carried the Luoshu out of the Yellow River to help him divide the land into nine provinces. This statue of a black tortoise carrying a tripod should be an echo of the story of the divine tortoise offering the map.”

Zhou Canglan was somewhat excited: "So, the cauldron it's carrying on its back is the Nine Provinces Cauldron?"

Feng Xiu cautiously replied, "Logically speaking, it should be the Nine Provinces Cauldron."

Tang Ping said, "The body of the cauldron is painted with the map of the Nine Provinces. It seems that the evolution here adopts the setting of one cauldron, rather than the setting of one cauldron corresponding to one province."

Zhou Canglan's breathing became rapid for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and asked, "We've found the core of the formation, can we break it?"

"Boss, this is clearly a formation set up by Yu the Great. Do you expect me to break it?"

Feng Xiu revealed a look of utter exasperation, utterly speechless: "Don't say I'm just an engineer, even if I were a formation master, there's nothing I can do. They've placed the formation's core in plain sight, so even if they're confident that being seen won't break it."

Zhou Canglan also realized that his question was somewhat foolish, and that he had been tempted by the Nine Provinces Cauldron, which was so close at hand, and had lost his senses.

He took a deep breath, regained his composure, and said, "You're right. If Yu the Great were to manifest as a mythological figure, he would be at least a fourth-level psychic. To break his formation, one would probably need to be a psychic of the same level."

Feng Xiu said thoughtfully, "If the awakened spirit is a unique one that excels in formations, the grade requirement can be lowered."

Lin Xi asked curiously, "There are many characters who know formations, especially the immortals, most of them know some formations, but there don't seem to be many who are good at formations. Apart from Zhuge Liang, I can't think of anyone else."

Feng Xiu said, "Jiang Ziya definitely counts. Whether in history or fiction, he understands formations. As for the rest... Wu Qi and Li Jing might also count."

He Fengsheng corrected, "What they are good at is military formations. The formations we talk about are mostly magic formations, which are not the same as military formations. Jiang Ziya and Zhuge Liang were proficient in both. It is difficult for other characters to surpass them in terms of character design."

Tang Ping said, "The Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady is also one. According to the Seven Tablets of the Cloudy Bookcase, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady is a disciple of the Holy Mother Yuanjun, the teacher of the Yellow Emperor. The Nine Heavens represents the Qian metal element, which is strong and active. She is good at deploying troops and arranging formations. In mythology, she assisted the Yellow Emperor in defeating Chiyou. She is also proficient in military formations and magic formations."

Zhou Canglan sighed, "There's no point in discussing these things now. We can't expect anyone to awaken a Zhuge Liang."

Everyone remained silent, realizing that this was a formation set up by Yu the Great, and they had even less motivation to break it.

At this moment, Feng Xiu suddenly said, "I recognize the characters engraved on the sundial's iron rod. It's 'Gengzi,' which I suppose means the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. By the way, what year is Gengzi?"

Tang Ping said, "The next Gengzi year will be 2020, and then every 60 years will be a cycle."

"Alright, if I'm not mistaken, this formation will dissolve on its own next year. The sundial's function is actually a countdown," Feng Xiu said confidently.

"next year……"

Zhou Canglan looked somewhat unwilling. Although the Nine Provinces Cauldron might not be a divine artifact, and obtaining it might not necessarily help him advance to the fourth level, the "yes" or "no" meant a 50% probability, which was tempting enough.

Feng Xiu advised, "Boss, none of us are skilled in formations. If we force our way through, let alone whether we can break it, what if the core of the formation is connected to this space? Forcing our way through could cause the space to collapse, and that would be a huge loss."

"I know, of course I know that principle..."

Zhou Canglan's tone was somewhat anxious. He repeated the words several times, as if he were advising himself to be patient. Finally, he seemed to have made a decision and reached out to touch the array wall.

After a while, nothing changed.

Zhou Canglan sighed, withdrew his hand, and turned around to say, "Go back. We'll come back in six months. During this time, everyone must keep this a secret and not leak it. Otherwise, you'll be my enemy, and it will be a fight to the death. Don't blame me for being merciless then."

Tang Ping guessed that the other party most likely used the spiritual energy "Mountain Shattering and Mountain Breaking," but unfortunately, judging from its function, the Xuan Turtle carrying the cauldron was more in line with the role of "pillar," so it did not work.

The group had no choice but to return the way they came, crossing the river to get back to Sishui.

Tang Ping noticed that apart from Zhou Canglan, who was clearly unwilling, the others didn't seem to care much.

After a brief inquiry, Feng Xiu replied, "Psionicists are all specialists, usually only proficient in one area. It's inevitable that they'll be helpless when they encounter a puzzle they're not good at. This isn't the first time we've encountered this situation, but this time our boss is particularly concerned."

"Mythical ruins that suddenly appear either contain traps, puzzles, or powerful enemies. It's rare to find one that offers nothing but benefits without any danger. The Psionic Administration often encounters mythical ruins that they can't handle, but they have an entire country behind them. Even if they don't know how, they can apply to have psionicists who are proficient in this area deployed to help."

While the two were talking, Zhou Canglan pushed the boulder back and blocked the river eye again to prevent the spiritual energy from leaking out.

Without magnetic interference, the rock itself is just a large stone that absorbs spiritual energy. There is no need for Liu Lingling to cooperate in transforming into a giant snake; simply smashing the stone is enough to complete the task.

Seeing this, Tang Ping immediately understood why Zhou Canglan hadn't used his spiritual energy to destroy the rock. It was because the other party was experienced and had anticipated the possibility of failing, so he had prepared a backup plan just in case.

If the rock is destroyed, it will be impossible to block the river's eye now, allowing the spiritual energy to leak out, and sooner or later the local armed forces will discover it.

Now that the river's mouth is blocked by a boulder, nothing unusual can be detected until you get close. In addition, the location is at the bottom of the Sishui River, so it would be impossible to discover it under normal circumstances unless you have prior intelligence—this is why Zhou Canglan unusually spoke out to warn us.

……

Upon returning to the Jiangcheng Spiritual Energy Administration, Tang Ping did not report the discovery of the treasure suspected to be the Nine Provinces Cauldron. Instead, he said that the New Realm Alliance had discovered a mythical relic, but ultimately returned empty-handed due to the protective array.

After all, once this matter is reported, the National Psychic Administration will inevitably investigate. When Zhou Canglan discovers the treasure has disappeared, even if suspicion doesn't fall on him, there are only a few suspects. Investigating them one by one will eventually uncover the truth.

The hatred for someone who obstructs their promotion is enough to last a lifetime, and Tang Ping had no confidence in resisting an assassination attempt by a Gonggong.

In the end, someone else will benefit while he suffers the danger. It would be such a terrible injustice!

Fortunately, Gui Ta-xi had no interest in the New Territories Alliance. He simply grunted and let the matter drop, while also formally assigning Tang Ping an undercover mission within the New Territories Alliance, thus keeping a record of the mission.

For a while afterward, life was peaceful and uneventful, with no incidents occurring. Tang Ping truly experienced the leisurely life of the Public Security Bureau, which was indeed very suitable for retirement, until Ling Chong told him some news during their daily sparring session.

"A national martial arts tournament?" Tang Ping was both amused and exasperated when he heard the name. "Does it mean we're going to decide who's the best martial artist in the world?"

"I wouldn't call myself the best in the world, but the champion can certainly call himself the best martial arts fighter in China, because the rules of the competition prohibit the use of active spiritual energy or spiritual techniques. Once on the field, it's all about hand-to-hand combat," Ling Chong explained.

"What kind of psychic fighter only uses martial arts and not psychic magic in combat? Why would the psychic department come up with such a gimmicky competition?"

"These kinds of things are quite common within the system. For example, the public security system holds internal sports meets, such as the National Police Games, which are held every four years, and the Provincial Police Games, which are held every two years. Our psychic department naturally cannot lag behind. However, due to the small number of psychics, we cannot organize too many events. Currently, we have only set up eight competition events, among which the Martial Arts Tournament and the Psychic Arts Tournament are the two most popular events."

As he spoke, Ling Chong seized the opportunity, took a swift step, and his blade flashed like lightning, aiming straight for Tang Ping's throat.

Tang Ping remained calm, lightly touching the ground with his toes as he retreated as gracefully as a willow catkin. As the blade approached, he flipped his wrist, and the ring-shaped knife drew a beautiful arc, accurately deflecting the opponent's attack.

"Too hasty. 'Cloud Thunder Drum Lightning' is not used like this, and the force is completely wrong. The key is the rhythm, not just the burst of power."

As Tang Ping spoke up to remind him, he used the momentum to spin around and counterattack, the blade grazing past Ling Chong's ear.

Ling Chong's expression hardened, and his swordsmanship suddenly changed, from fierce and powerful to dense and intricate, with numerous sword shadows like a torrential downpour.

Tang Ping had already mastered the Zen Sea Knife Technique to perfection. With each swing of his knife, he blocked all attacks with perfect timing.

As Ling Chong's offensive weakened, Tang Ping seized the opportunity to feint an attack, and while Ling Chong was distracted, she struck his wrist with her ring knife.

Ling Chong's wrist went numb, and the monk's knife slipped from his hand. He didn't care and chuckled, "With your swordsmanship, making it into the top four won't be a problem. Are you interested in participating?"

Tang Ping thought for a moment and said, "It would be good to have the opportunity to meet the world's top masters."

Chapter 206 The False Goddess

When Tang Ping heard about the Psionic Games, he thought it would be a competition of psionic battles and chaotic dances of gods and demons. However, after carefully reading the rules, he found that the first two rules were that the use of active psionic energy and the use of spiritual resonance were prohibited.

The fact that the use of psychic powers is prohibited at the psychic sports meet is truly laughable.

Of course, a little thought will make it clear why this rule was made.

Psychic power is the foundation of a psychic's existence, and the importance of information about it is beyond doubt. Many psychics will proactively tell others about their psychic abilities, and may even deliberately publicize them for some benefit, but they will never leak their psychic power.

If the Games allowed participants to use psychic powers, I'm afraid that apart from psychics who could use it to manifest their spiritual attributes, no one would be willing to participate. After all, winning the championship is just another matter, and using psychic powers in public and leaking information might just sow the seeds of future trouble for oneself.

Don't assume that others won't understand just because you don't explain. That's treating people like fools. By working backward from the observed behavior, you can achieve a 70-80% accurate reconstruction, if not 100%. In that case, the people most willing to participate won't be athletes aiming for the championship, but rather foreign spies.

Based on this, passive psionic energy is not prohibited—but of course, it cannot be prohibited.

It is clear that the Psionic Games are not fair at all. A "lobbyist" psionic would never win against a "guardian" psionic in the martial arts tournament. Even if they are both martial arts-type psionic, one may rely on active psionic power while the other relies on passive psionic power. In a fight, the latter would undoubtedly have a clear advantage.

The organizers were well aware of this, so the main purpose of holding the Psionic Games was to promote exchange and broaden horizons. The outcome of the competition was secondary. For the vast majority of participants, they were indeed in the mood for "friendship first, competition second".

Because of the emphasis on secrecy, people don't know exactly who the Psionic Department's personnel are. Often, when faced with a formidable monster or an unsolvable mythical relic, they can only apply to the organization for assistance from their superiors. Conversely, if they know someone who happens to have the ability to solve the problem, they can directly call for help.

Therefore, most people regard the Psionic Games as a good opportunity to meet like-minded people and broaden their horizons.

After completing his daily sparring with Lingchong, Tang Ping returned to the Public Security Section and learned of the news from Gui Taxi, who then assigned him a task.

“Yu Shujiang doesn’t bring a cell phone to school, so we can’t contact her. We heard that you are her mother’s godson and the two families are quite close, so we’ll leave the task of informing her to you.”

"Ok."

Tang Ping didn't think much of it and readily agreed.

But then he suddenly remembered that Yu Shujiang was a boarding student and wouldn't go home from Monday to Friday, so he couldn't go directly to her house to wait for her to come home from school.

After thinking it over, Tang Ping decided that the road wasn't far, so she might as well go directly to Yu Shujiang's school and inform her in person. After all, she had visited Ling Chong's school with him before and still remembered the school's name.

So he simply took a taxi to Yu Shujiang's school, but when he arrived, lunch break was over, and he couldn't pretend to be a student and sneak in through the school gate.

According to the normal procedure, Tang Ping would have to register with the gatekeeper and contact Yu Shujiang's homeroom teacher to get permission before he could enter. He found it troublesome, so he simply walked along the school wall to a corner where no one was paying attention and jumped over the wall.

Tang Ping wandered over to Yu Shujiang's class, only to find that there were only two or three students in the classroom. After asking around, she learned that their class was having an inter-class basketball game in the gymnasium.

"Could it be that this is a good time to hold a competition?"