Evan Lin's voice suddenly grew colder.
He looked over with amused interest.
In just a few breaths, all the energy left behind by the Spring Gate had already poured into the Summer Gate.
The entire Summer Gate was now a seamless sea of fire.
"The hardest part about this formation is the physical body. Whether you're a Vajra or a Pointing-to-Mystery, you're still human flesh. No matter how strong your cultivation, you can use qi to block the flames, but it's nearly impossible to lower the temperature around you."
Evan Lin added another comment.
Logan Lu nodded, half understanding.
He didn't really get most of what Evan was saying, but since Evan Lin said the formation would only get harder to break, he figured this Master Lin from Seacrest must really be facing tougher and tougher challenges.
"It's all fire in there—feels like there's nowhere to even step." Martin Wu, still riding the excitement from Evan breaking the Spring Gate, now looked deeply unsettled.
"I'm already burning up just standing here. Those flames could roast someone alive." Leon Lu swallowed hard.
Gloria Rong and the others looked over; all they saw was an unbroken sea of fire.
That sea of fire reflected in their eyes, and just looking at it made their whole bodies feel uncomfortable.
"So, what will Master Lin from Seacrest do in this formation?"
Grandpa Ju was full of curiosity: "In the last gate, he used that overwhelming qi barrier to brute-force his way through countless attacks."
"But fire itself is pure energy. Even if his qi is strong enough to blow all the flames aside, the fire still exists, and the real problem is the temperature."
"Inside that formation, all the water is instantly vaporized. Even with qi protection, anyone who walks in will probably end up as a dried corpse."
Grandpa Ju's words were brutally straightforward.
The Ju family steward neither agreed nor disagreed.
If the space inside were a bit bigger, all that fire might not actually injure Master Lin from Seacrest.
But the Summer Gate is so small that all the flames are packed inside, leaving nowhere to even stand—let alone dodge.
So, once you step into the formation, you're basically in a sea of fire.
At that point, just having strong qi isn't enough to walk out unscathed.
"He won't get hurt, will he?"
Martin Wu couldn't help worrying, his palms slick with sweat.
"I doubt it. Master Lin from Seacrest has way too many trump cards—he wouldn't just walk himself into a trap." Leon Lu scratched his head, already soaked with sweat.
The heat waves inside the Summer Gate were terrifying. The air temperature in the whole Ju ancestral hall kept rising, and even the water puddles on the ground were completely steamed away.
Everyone stared in that direction.
Evan Lin walked right up to the edge of the Summer Gate, just one step away from entering.
Night Summer watched Evan standing there, eyes full of resignation. "Too late to back out now. Even if you want to leave, you can't."
"I told you before—you should've thought it over. At most, just apologize and it'd all be over."
"Why push things this far?"
He sighed, "And honestly, the fire in this Summer Gate is born from sunlight. Its heat is way beyond what you imagine."
"Now that you're inside, I can't stop the Summer Gate. Your only option is to walk through."
"But once you enter, whether you live or die—I can't control that."
At this point, Night Summer fell silent.
As the formation core of the Summer Gate, he could sense the blazing heat inside.
Waves of heat kept rolling in. Night Summer could feel the power of the formation surging higher, but all he could do was maintain it—he couldn't stop it or control its attacks.
That's the toughest part of the Four Seasons Grand Array.
Even as the Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter who set it up, they couldn't actually control the formation. The qi just rampaged on its own, and only when they were completely drained would the array finally fade.
"You don't need to worry about that."
Evan Lin glanced at him and spoke calmly: "At most ten seconds, and your formation will be broken."
At most ten seconds?
Evan's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone nearby to hear.
"Ten seconds?"
Evan Lin raised an eyebrow at the words.
During the Spring Gate, Evan had needed fifteen to twenty seconds, but now, with the even stronger Summer Gate, he claims he'll only need ten?
That statement made Evan Lin's gaze shift ever so slightly toward him.
"That's a bit arrogant, isn't it?"
Logan Lu noticed Evan's mood shift and jumped in: "This guy probably doesn't realize how tough the Summer Gate really is."
"He thinks this is just like the Spring Gate, but he doesn't know the two formations' power is stacked together!"
Logan Lu repeated what Evan Lin had just said, then shot Evan a look, hoping he'd say a few more words.
But Evan Lin ignored him completely, his brow furrowed as he stared at Evan Lin by the formation.
His gaze swept up and down, sizing Evan Lin up, carefully searching for any sign of unusual qi.
He wondered if Evan had some special qi technique or a secret way to break the formation.
But after a few glances, Evan Lin couldn't spot any unusual fluctuations at all.
"He sure talks big, though."
Evan Lin let out a breath, his gaze toward Evan Lin growing a bit colder.
At first, he just thought this Master Lin from Seacrest was interesting—strong, not greasy or petty like the others, and with that cool attitude that matched Evan's taste.
But after hearing Evan's last words, Evan Lin's impression of Master Lin from Seacrest dropped sharply.
"He thinks this is just ordinary fire—that you could put it out with water?"
Evan Lin shook his head, settled into a more comfortable position in his seat, and looked over from afar. "Too bad—this fire is born from the formation. If the array keeps running, the flames won't die out."
"No matter what trick he uses, he can't put out the fire—unless he's got some special physique that can absorb flames. Otherwise, once he's inside, he'll have to face it head-on."
"Ten seconds?"
"Dream on."
Evan Lin rolled his eyes and chuckled.