I Can See Through Everything

I Can See Through Everything

“Zhou Tian City.”

High above the sky, Lu Qing stood suspended in the air, gazing into the distance at the massive city sprawling across the earth.

That was the Gongshu Clan’s stronghold—Zhou Tian City.

As he looked upon the city, even larger than Tianxu City, information about it surfaced in his mind.

It was said that Zhou Tian City had been built by the Gongshu Clan’s ancestors.

The city’s layout was designed with meticulous care, infused with the profound symbolism of the stars of the heavens.

The entire city was divided into two regions: the inner city and the outer city.

The inner city was where the direct descendants of the Gongshu Clan resided, while the outer city housed the collateral branches as well as countless other powers attached to the clan.

The outer city was open to outsiders, but the inner city was tightly guarded, protected by powerful formations.

If one entered without invitation, the formation would strike instantly and kill without mercy.

“The inner city can’t be forced. I’ll need to find an opportunity to first probe the situation.”

Lu Qing pondered silently.

The Gongshu Clan was one of the Thirty-Six High Clans of the Tianyuan Great World, and ranked quite high among them.

Such a powerful force, with roots running deep, surely housed elders who had already endured multiple Nascent Soul Tribulations.

With the clan’s protective formations in place, it was impossible for him to storm in with his current strength.

“Still, that doesn’t mean there’s no chance.”

Recalling the intelligence he had received from the Netherworld Palace when taking on this assassination mission, Lu Qing already had a plan forming in his mind.

In the next instant, his figure turned into a streak of light, descending swiftly.

As for Xiaoli, to ensure absolute safety, he had already instructed it to hide within the Li Huo Cauldron.

After all, in the Gongshu Clan, there might be experts who had already begun to comprehend the Dao of Space.

Xiaoli’s spatial divine ability would not remain undetected before such beings.

Thus, this assassination mission would be carried out by Lu Qing alone.

While flying, Lu Qing’s aura shifted.

By the time he neared Zhou Tian City, both his appearance and his presence had completely changed.

He now resembled an ordinary, dull-looking middle-aged man at the first transformation of the Golden Core Realm.

Within fifty li of Zhou Tian City, flight was forbidden. Lu Qing descended to the ground and advanced swiftly on foot.

Before long, he arrived at the city gates.

As befitting one of the Thirty-Six High Clans, the Gongshu Clan displayed appropriate grandeur.

Though there were guards at the gates, there was no restriction nor entry fee.

Travelers and merchants could come and go freely.

Thus, Lu Qing entered the outer city without difficulty.

Once inside, he did not immediately begin gathering intelligence.

Instead, he found an inn and rented a Golden Core–grade cave dwelling.

After that, his days were spent cultivating, occasionally going out.

A few days later, Lu Qing rented a small shop in the outer city and opened a refining store.

He mainly crafted ordinary magical artifacts for sale and repaired damaged ones for others.

At first, business was poor. But over the months, relying on his affordable prices and excellent refining skills, his store gradually gained a reputation.

Soon, customers began arriving daily.

To the surrounding merchants, he was simply an honest craftsman, a skilled but humble refiner.

None of them knew that in those few months, this unassuming shopkeeper—who often wandered the streets in search of refining materials—had already mapped out nearly all of Zhou Tian City’s outer city.

“No wonder this is the Gongshu Clan’s stronghold. Just the outer city alone is teeming with experts.”

At night, within his refining shop, Lu Qing sighed softly.

In these months, he had fully grasped the outer city’s situation.

And not just the layout of its streets and buildings.

He had uncovered the distribution of its powers, and most importantly, the placement of its formations.

With his unique divine ability, there was no need to ask around.

A single glance was enough to read the information, all without alerting anyone.

He spread out his palm.

A ball of light appeared, within it a miniature projection of Zhou Tian City.

It was a model crafted by Lu Qing using phantasm techniques and spiritual power.

The illusion was complete with the city’s buildings—and the intricate network of formations woven into its streets.

In truth, over the past few months, with his powerful divine soul and unique ability, Lu Qing had replicated the entire outer city’s formation system, piece by piece, into this model.

By now, his understanding of Zhou Tian City’s outer formations exceeded even that of most Gongshu clansmen.

“Unfortunately, the inner city’s formation is a different system, centered on a core hub. It can’t be deduced from the outer city alone.”

During these days, Lu Qing had carefully avoided approaching the inner city.

But now it was clear—he would have to risk moving closer.

“Still, with my grasp of the outer city’s formations, I should be able to approach without being easily discovered.”

The Gongshu Clan would never imagine that someone could glimpse a few lines of their ancestral formation and then completely unravel it.

They would not think to guard against such a possibility.

Decision made, Lu Qing activated the shop’s protective formation, making it look as though he was resting inside.

He then slipped out, cloaking his aura, and glided like a shadow toward the inner city.

With his Perfect Golden Core’s formless transformations, combined with his mastery of the outer city’s formation patterns, Lu Qing moved unhindered.

He merged seamlessly with the ebb and flow of the formations’ energy.

No one noticed his presence.

Before long, he reached the outer edge of the inner city.

A towering wall loomed before him, radiating a dreadful aura. Ancient runes glowed faintly across its surface.

Lu Qing did not step closer. He knew that advancing further would trigger the formation’s response, alerting the city.

Instead, he found a concealed vantage point where he could study the wall clearly.

Activating his divine ability, he stared into the ancient runes.

After a long while, lines of information appeared before his eyes. A spark of joy lit up his gaze.

Without hesitation, he selected the option to download.

When the divine ability confirmed the download was complete, he simulated it.

[Simulation complete. Begin learning?]

This time, Lu Qing refrained from immediate study.

He retreated silently, returning to the outer city without incident.

Back in his shop’s cultivation chamber, he activated the ability once more—choosing to learn.

A torrent of information about the inner city’s formation surged into his mind. He slipped into a state of enlightenment.

When he finally opened his eyes again, joy and regret mingled within them.

“The inner city’s grand formation truly deserves to be called the Gongshu Clan’s guardian array. Exquisite beyond compare—far surpassing most I’ve studied.

But what I obtained this time… was only a fragment.”

He marveled at the intricacy of the design.

This harvest had deepened his foundations in the Dao of Formations significantly.

Yet it was incomplete.

The Gongshu Clan’s guardian array was not a single formation.

It was an immense system, woven from countless smaller and mid-sized arrays.

From the runes on that wall, he had captured only a piece.

“It seems it will take time to replicate the whole.”

Far from discouraged, Lu Qing was exhilarated.

He had a premonition—once he absorbed the entire array, his mastery of formations would soar to a whole new height.

Thus, his days resumed their rhythm.

By day, he remained the humble refiner.

By night, he slipped into the shadows, downloading and studying the grand array piece by piece.

Through this relentless process, his comprehension of formations advanced by leaps and bounds.

He was already brushing against the threshold of a true Formation Master.

After all, he was devouring the essence of a High Clan’s legacy—accumulated over countless generations of array masters.

How could his progress not be astonishing?

Another month passed.

In his cultivation chamber at dawn, Lu Qing opened his hand.

Once more, Zhou Tian City appeared, the formation lines etched across its surface.

This time, the model was far more complete—nearly seventy percent of the array had been reconstructed.

“Only seventy percent. Even after a month, with all the runes along the walls, I’ve managed just that much of the Zhou Tian Star Array.”

He shook his head slightly.

Seventy percent was already enough to accomplish much.

But the most critical thirty percent remained beyond his reach—shielded behind the inner city walls.

“Still, it’s enough for what I need. Along with the other intelligence I’ve gathered, completing the assassination is no longer a problem.”

He hadn’t forgotten his true purpose in Zhou Tian City.

Over these months, he had quietly collected information on Gongshu Lian and Qiu Rong.

Combined with his knowledge of the formations, he now had great confidence.

“Qiu Rong has rarely shown herself since Gongshu Yu’s death. She stays deep within the inner city, whether from fear of the Nangong Clan’s vengeance or for other reasons.”

“But Gongshu Lian is different. His cultivation path has reached its limit, so he’s turned to indulgence. As a direct descendant and a Nascent Soul elder, he reigns unchecked in Zhou Tian City.

Every half year, he seizes the entire Dream Rapture Pavilion, the largest brothel in the outer city, to revel.

Afterward, countless women perish at his hands. People shudder at the mention of his name.”

“And his next indulgence… is three days from now.”

Lu Qing’s eyes grew cold.

Now he understood why Gongshu Lian had been marked for death.

The man’s atrocities were too many. Over the years, countless women had died because of him.

Even if no one dared to move openly against the Gongshu Clan, hiring the Netherworld Palace for an assassination was another matter.

No one in the Tianyuan Great World could force the Palace to reveal its clients.

For such a man, Lu Qing felt no burden in carrying out the kill.

Even setting aside his own feud with the Gongshu Clan, Gongshu Lian’s crimes alone merited death a hundred times over.

“Three days…”

Lu Qing murmured softly, closing his eyes once more to continue studying the formations.

Though he lacked the final thirty percent, the seventy he had already mastered pushed him to the brink of a breakthrough.

He was but a single step from the realm of the true Formation Master—where formations could be conjured at will.

And three days later, would be the perfect chance to strike.

Confident though he was, every shred of extra strength would only tilt the odds further in his favor.

Time passed swiftly.

Three days later, at dawn, Lu Qing hung a “Resting” sign upon his shop door.