Third Chamber: The Labyrinth of Time!

Third Chamber: The Labyrinth of Time!

"Finally!"

"We're out!"

Chen Yong and Wang Fei stumbled through the grand door, their faces red with both exertion and embarrassment.

They hadn't been able to defeat their own shadows—others had to help them out. The moment they were free, they couldn't help but curse their luck, realizing that Su Xiaobai could've stuck around and made everything easier.

The formation's flaw had become clear: once one person broke free from their shadow, they could assist others.

A coordinated team could break through easily, but coming alone?

That was practically a death sentence unless you had the strength of a mountain.

The group barely had time to catch their breath before their surroundings shifted. As soon as they stepped through the door, a swirling vortex appeared overhead, casting an eerie light that bathed the entire chamber in an ominous glow.

"Look out!" Xiao Yu gasped, his voice carrying a hint of panic that betrayed his usual composed self.

But it was too late. The vortex descended upon them, and in an instant, it wrapped the disciples in its spiraling force. When it finally vanished, they found themselves standing in a vast, dark labyrinth.

Dozens of tunnels stretched out before them, each one identical, twisting into the unknown. The moist ground beneath their feet squished with every step, adding an unsettling texture to the already unnerving situation.

Even Elder Bai, normally serene and unshaken, furrowed her brow. Her beautiful face—icy and flawless—betrayed a flicker of concern. She inspected the maze carefully, her sharp eyes darting around, searching for clues.

The tension was gradually increasing with thier breath, but it broke when a familiar figure emerged from one of the many tunnels.

Su Xiaobai strolled out, casual as ever, his expression surprised and confused. "Took you all long enough," he said, raising an eyebrow as he leaned against the wall.

Lan Meiyu, standing tall with her graceful figure highlighted by her flowing robes, flared at his arrogance.

"What do you mean long enough? We came through barely ten minutes after you!" Her voice was sharp, her lips forming a perfect cute pout of indignation.

Su Xiaobai blinked, his brow furrowing. "Ten minutes?" He looked genuinely surprised. "I've been here for days..."

The others exchanged uneasy glances. Chen Yong, who had been eyeing Lan Meiyu's outburst with hidden admiration, suddenly turned toward Elder Bai, his voice a bit shaky. "Elder, what's going on? What kind of formation is this?"

Elder Bai, still standing tall and commanding with her beautiful figure, flicked her long, raven-black hair over her shoulder.

Her skin was as flawless as jade, and her calm voice soothing through the rising panic. "This is… a Temporal Formation."

Her words dripped with authority, but there was a slight tremor behind them, one that only the most observant might catch.

"A what?" Wang Fei asked, glancing around nervously.

Elder Bai's lips curled into a slight frown as she spoke, "A Temporal Formation manipulates the flow of time. Inside it, time doesn't move as it normally does. What might feel like minutes for some can be days for others. This labyrinth… is twisting time itself."

Lan Meiyu's eyes widened, her lips parting slightly as she took in the Elder's explanation. "So while we were fighting our shadows, he has been wandering here for days?"

Elder Bai nodded, her eyes narrowing as she tried to make sense of the situation. "Yes, and it means every moment we waste here, we fall further behind."

Chen Yong, his voice shaky, looked back at Elder Bai, a mixture of fear and awe in his eyes. "But how do we solve it, Elder? How do we get out?"

The others glanced at her expectantly, their gazes lingering on her, perhaps longer than necessary.

Her beauty was almost distracting in the flickering torchlight that lined the labyrinth, casting shadows across her smooth skin. Even in their most dire moments, she remained an mysterious and stunning figure, the very picture of calm and control. But inside, Elder Bai was anything but.

'I don't know how to get out of this,' she thought to herself, 'This isn't like the other formations… It's far more complex.'

She couldn't let them see her uncertainty, though. They were all watching her, waiting for guidance.

If she faltered, panic would spread like wildfire. "The key to these formations is patience and precision," she said smoothly, her voice betraying none of her inner panic. "We need to find the source of the temporal disturbance—likely at the heart of the labyrinth."

Su Xiaobai, standing to the side, crossed his arms sighing, 'Acting tough...'

Lan Meiyu's gaze flickered toward Su Xiaobai, a glint of suspicion in her eyes. "How did you survive here for days without getting lost?" she asked, stepping closer. Her tone was sweet, but there was a sharpness beneath it.

Su Xiaobai shrugged nonchalantly, though his eyes glinted wickedness. "Guess I'm just lucky." He flashed a mocking grin at the group. "Or maybe I'm just better at navigating than all of you."

Lan Meiyu's lips pressed into a thin line, frustrated , but she said nothing more.

Elder Bai let out a slow, controlled breath. She needed to maintain the illusion of control, at least for now. "We'll proceed cautiously," she declared, her voice regaining its usual authority. "No one separates. Stay close, and if you see anything unusual, alert the group immediately. Understood?"

Su Xiaobai didn't care about the group. He barely spared them a glance as he moved toward one of the dark, winding tunnels on his own.

His steps were unhurried, confident. Elder Bai's frown deepened at his arrogance, but she said nothing, her cold eyes following him as he disappeared into the shadows.

Behind her, the disciples of Xiantian Sect scoffed, their snorts filled with disdain. "Arrogant fool," Wang Fei muttered under his breath, crossing his arms.

Chen Yong nodded in agreement. "Let him wander off. He'll be the first to fall. The labyrinth will swallow him whole before he even realizes it."

But Su Xiaobai didn't care. Their mockery barely registered. His thoughts were elsewhere, his mind turning over the words Elder Bai had just said. 'So it's a formation...'

If he had known earlier, things would've been so much easier. He wouldn't have wasted days wandering through this cursed labyrinth, thinking it was some simple maze.

No, this was a Temporal Formation. And now that he understood what he was dealing with, a plan began to form in his mind.

'If I had realized it sooner, I'd have broken through already...' He smirked inwardly, his steps growing more deliberate as he moved deeper into the tunnel.

Formations weren't unfamiliar to him.

He had inherited it's knowledge — many kinds of them—illusionary, sealing, even elemental formations. Temporal formations, though tricky, weren't beyond his understanding. The only thing stopping him from dismantling this one was the fact that he hadn't yet formed his core.

"I still only have True Qi..." Su Xiaobai's thoughts drifted to his current cultivation state.

In his dantian, the True Qi flowed like liquid, swirling with power but not yet refined into something greater.

Once he solidified it into a core, he'd be able to sense and manipulate 'Profound Qi', the higher form of energy that would make breaking a formation like this child's play.

'Once I form my core,' he thought, a gleam of ambition lighting up his eyes, 'even something like this Temporal Formation won't be able to stop me.'

He could already feel his True Qi nearing the point of transformation. It was just a matter of time—his breakthrough was close, so...close.

But for now, he would have to rely on his knowledge and intuition to get through this maze.