Su Han entered a dense forest and looked at a thatched cottage ahead, feeling curious.
It looked like an ordinary mountain dwelling, but Su Han found it strange that there was no sign of life. Usually, people living in thatched cottages in the mountains would plant vegetables around their homes. At the very least, there would be some fencing to ward off wild beasts.
However, this cottage stood alone, and an old man, appearing to be seventy or eighty years old, was resting in front of it.
Su Han couldn't discern the truth of the situation and dared not approach rashly. He simply asked from a distance.
"Old sir, why do you live in these deep mountains? Isn't it dangerous here?" Su Han asked casually, as if he were just a passing tourist.
The old man glanced at Su Han askance and then chuckled.
"Young people don't know the beauty of these woods. I've been living in seclusion here for some time, and it's quite pleasant. Heh, young man, are you traveling this way?" the old man asked teasingly.
Su Han hesitated for a moment and then replied, "Oh, no, I'm here to find someone. Someone named Long Xiao. I heard he came from here, so I came to check the situation, heh heh..."
With a faint smile, Su Han warily eyed the old man ahead. Frankly, he had received confirmation from Long Xiao that this was indeed an exit point for a teleportation channel. And this old man was clearly the gatekeeper.
At this moment, the old man scanned Su Han, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes, and his voice turned cold.
"Good lad, you're quite something, being able to speak with Elder Long Xiao. You should have said so earlier, and I would have let you in. But now, it's a pity. Although my thatched cottage is dilapidated, you are outside and I am inside. No matter how capable you are, you can't harm me, heh heh..."
The old man was not in a hurry. He casually demonstrated to Su Han, immediately revealing a formation barrier in front of him. The formation barrier appeared very hidden; if the old man hadn't intentionally made it appear, Su Han wouldn't have noticed it just now.
"What a great formation!"
Su Han's attainment in formations wasn't high, but he had received true teachings from Hua Hu Li, a formation master at the Emperor realm. With just a glance, he understood the brilliance of this formation.
It could be said that this formation, while appearing to be on Blue Star, was actually connected to the spiritual realm within the channel, allowing it to draw upon the power of the spiritual realm. If he tried to forcibly break it, it would be nearly impossible.
And this old man was clearly the controller of this formation. As long as he was inside, he could freely manipulate the formation's changes. Even breaking the formation would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
"Heh heh, I told you you couldn't break it, and you can't. Kid, don't struggle. Even a formation immortal would be unable to break this formation. Hahaha... unless you have that divine artifact. But I won't talk to you about it. Just take the divine artifact as a jest. Not just anyone can possess such a thing. As for you, I don't have time to chat with you now. Get lost!"
The old man taunted him, then sat back on his recliner, intending to continue drinking tea. After all, in his eyes, Su Han was just a passerby, easily dealt with. For now, he was too lazy to bother with how the kid knew Long Xiao, just wanting to fool him and get the job done.
However, just as the old man was humming a little tune and planning to continue his idle days, he suddenly saw something in Su Han's hand!
"Chaos Bead!"
The old man blurted out instantly, his eyes widening. He looked at the young man before him, feeling as if he had been electrocuted, completely unable to speak from excitement.
"Heavens, it really is the Chaos Bead! I never thought the legend was true. This thing actually exists... Oh my heavens, you've finally opened your eyes today! I've been devoted to formations my entire life, and finally, I get to see this dream artifact! Hahaha..."
The old man was so excited that he almost forgot Su Han's presence.
At this moment, Su Han said casually, "Old sir, um, why don't you open the formation for me? After I go in, I can let you take a look at this Chaos Bead, what do you say?"
As soon as he said this.
The old man was almost tempted to open the formation. However, after sizing up Su Han, he realized that although the kid looked harmless, he was actually very wise. Just from his stance, Su Han had remained motionless. If the old man hadn't been so sharp, he might have acted earlier.
"Hmph! You kid, you're as cunning as a monkey. Why should I let you in? If you have the ability, come in yourself. Don't say I didn't tell you, this formation was set up by the Imperial Tutor. With you, a junior, even if you have a divine artifact, you won't be able to break it!"
After cursing angrily, the old man regained his composure and didn't fall for Su Han's ploy to open the formation. Instead, he sat down in a huff within the formation, staring at the Chaos Bead in Su Han's hand, sulking, as if contemplating what to offer in exchange for the Chaos Bead.
"Ugh... damn it, if this bead returns to the spiritual realm, I'll be out of luck. If I go out now, with my strength, I might still be able to fight this kid... Tsk tsk tsk, it's really hard to choose. I've only seen something I truly desire like this once in my life, and now I'm so conflicted!"
The old man was in a dilemma, his eyes almost watering as he looked at the Chaos Bead in Su Han's hand.
After much thought.
He finally said, "How about this!"
Looking at Su Han, the old man slowly said, "Since you want to enter this formation, why don't I give you a question? If you answer correctly, I'll let you in for free. If you answer incorrectly, heh heh... leave the Chaos Bead behind, what do you say?"
As soon as he said this, Su Han agreed without hesitation! After all, he never kept his word, and anyone who dared to bet with him truly didn't know how to behave.
"Yes, I agree!"
He readily agreed, then took the Chaos Bead and played with it in his hand, smiling at the covetous old man opposite him.
At this moment, the old man's face lit up with excitement, and he said, "Good, then listen carefully, I'll only say it once! Please tell me, is my age greater than 100 years, or less than 100 years? Guess correctly and you enter, guess incorrectly and leave the Chaos Bead!"