Ji Xia's eyes ignited with two blazing suns as he gazed at the Concealed Void Gourd in his hand.
At this moment, in Ji Xia's vision, numerous spiritual paths and spiritual seals densely covered the gourd, no larger than a thumb.
"One hundred and sixty-one spiritual seals, and one thousand three hundred and forty-one spiritual paths," Ji Xia murmured to himself. "These paths are interconnected through the seals. At first glance, it seems intricate, but the key lies in the forty-third seal at the gourd's base. If I want to break the restriction, I just need to start from this seal."
Under the observation of the Sun Spirit Eyes, every spiritual seal and path was revealed with absolute clarity. The complex, interwoven paths resembled numerous straight lines, making the weaknesses and flaws instantly apparent.
For the past ten days, Ji Xia had immersed himself in studying the art of restrictions, apart from attending daily court sessions.
Ten days was neither too long nor too short, yet it was enough for Ji Xia to thoroughly grasp the basics of restriction-breaking. At the very least, deciphering the engravings on the Concealed Void Gourd was no longer a challenge.
Ordinary people could not have made such rapid progress. However, Ji Xia, gifted with exceptional talent due to his Jupiter Bloodline, coupled with the detailed annotations by Zong Fangtan and Pei Heng, easily surpassed many cultivators who had spent years studying restrictions.
After all, a prodigy standing on the shoulders of giants sees the world differently.
In truth, Ji Xia could have broken the restriction on the Concealed Void Gourd by the seventh day. Yet, he deliberately delayed taking action.
"I've already deciphered the core of this teleportation restriction. If I can make some adjustments to it, I might open up new possibilities," Ji Xia mused with intrigue.
"If the gourd, while in my hand, could be modified to send its location to a place three or five thousand miles away, wouldn't the experts of the Ape Spirit Tribe head there instead?"
A playful smile appeared on Ji Xia's lips as a mischievous idea formed in his mind.
He studied the spiritual paths and seals on the Concealed Void Gourd, his mind rapidly calculating. In mere moments, he analyzed the operation routes of over a thousand spiritual paths and deduced the role of each of the 161 spiritual seals within the restriction.
With the enhancement of the Zong Fangtan Incense, Ji Xia's comprehension and mental processing speed had skyrocketed. Within a short span, he thoroughly understood every spiritual path.
"If I erase the 101st spiritual path and connect the third seal with the ninety-second seal, the teleportation restriction will become much more expansive. I could embed numerous additional paths and seals into this newfound space," Ji Xia thought.
"In this empty space, I could construct a simple restriction that influences the teleportation results."
"For instance, the teleportation restriction currently uses the gourd's location as its origin point. With the additional restriction, I could manipulate the result, making it teleport three thousand miles away. Each time it operates, this adjustment could be applied.
"In this way, even if the experts of the Ape Spirit Tribe detect something amiss, they'll chase the wrong trail far from the Floating Island. If they uncover any overlooked clues about us, it might still cause unnecessary trouble!"
With his plan set, Ji Xia extended a thin thread of spiritual energy from his fingertip, targeting the forty-third seal as the breakthrough point. In an instant, his spiritual energy invaded the teleportation restriction.
The energy carried a mysterious aura as it silently destroyed the 101st spiritual path before connecting the third and ninety-second seals.
The restriction on the Concealed Void Gourd instantly gained a much more spacious layout. The once densely packed center of the restriction now appeared significantly less crowded.
Ji Xia took his time to carve out a new restriction in the vacant area, consisting of 370 spiritual paths and 41 spiritual seals.
These components interconnected and intertwined, sometimes supporting and sometimes repelling each other. The intricate patterns and laws they formed would baffle anyone unfamiliar with restrictions, leaving them bewildered even after years of study.
"It should work now," Ji Xia exhaled deeply and gently adjusted one of the paths on the newly added restriction.
A faint stream of peculiar energy flowed through the spiritual path and infiltrated the teleportation restriction. The latter showed no response, as though this foreign energy didn't exist.
However, under Ji Xia's Sun Spirit Eyes, the changes in the restriction were crystal clear.
Two days later, when the restriction transmitted the gourd's location to the Ape Spirit Tribe, the new energy would alter the destination. Instead of sending the signal to the palace in Tai Cang, it would indicate a region 4,700 miles south of Tai Cang.
"With this, even if the Ape Spirit Tribe becomes suspicious, they'll be searching for Zhang Yi far away," Ji Xia thought with satisfaction as he admired his first-ever self-modified restriction.
Though simple, it operated flawlessly. Each spiritual seal supported the others, and the paths flowed without chaos or obstruction. Ji Xia couldn't help but feel pleased with his work.
Aside from the teleportation restriction, there was another restriction on the Concealed Void Gourd: one that ensured only Zhang Yi could open the exquisite Xuanfang artifact.
For the past ten days, Ji Xia had focused entirely on the teleportation restriction due to the approaching deadline for its activation. Now that it was resolved, he turned his attention to the second restriction.
Upon examining it, Ji Xia couldn't help but chuckle wryly.
Previously unfamiliar with restrictions, Ji Xia had assumed this seal to be incredibly complex.
However, after delving into the art of restrictions, he realized the gourd's method of determining whether the user was Zhang Yi was surprisingly simple—it relied on facial recognition!
The restriction automatically captured the user's appearance, allowing access only if it matched Zhang Yi's.
"The restriction experts of the Ape Spirit Tribe may lack profound mastery, but their creativity is quite amusing," Ji Xia thought with a smirk.
Even though the restriction was simpler than the teleportation one, Ji Xia chose not to break it. Instead, he pulled out a soft mask and placed it over his face.
This was none other than the Shapeshifter Mask.
With a subtle thought, Ji Xia's facial features warped grotesquely before settling into Zhang Yi's exact likeness.
Then, channeling a thread of spiritual energy into the gourd, the engraved Xuanfang beast head lit up, and the Concealed Void Gourd opened instantly.
The gourd's internal space did not disappoint Ji Xia. It was more than three times larger than a Youkong Ring and was packed with valuable treasures.
Pills, weapons, spiritual metals, spiritual herbs, techniques, and various other items filled the gourd. Each was incredibly precious.
Additionally, there were over ten spiritual crystal chests neatly arranged inside. While five or six of them were empty, having been used up by Zhang Yi, eleven remained untouched, holding over 110,000 spiritual crystals!
"As expected, the private stash of the Ape Spirit Tribe's young master is extraordinary. Compared to Shi Yu's collection, this is leagues ahead," Ji Xia murmured, stroking his chin in thought.
"Considering the reactions of Zhao Wu, Ji Xiu, and others that day, it's clear the Ape Spirit Tribe is on par with, if not superior to, the Great Rune Nation. Moreover, they have the protection of a vast Contract Spirit Nation. With Zhang Yi's status akin to a crown prince, it's no wonder his treasures are so impressive."
As Ji Xia's consciousness scanned the contents of the gourd, his attention finally stopped on a painting scroll.