Nameless District Arc — Chapter Sixty-Two: Master of First-Class Formations

Inside the wooden cabin, Zhou Xuanhong activated the Perception-Isolation Array, took out a jade slip, and began to study. These were all books related to formations, ranging from introductory texts to advanced second-grade formation treatises brought by Luo Tuan. There was still a long road ahead of him.

This meant Zhou Xuanhong would devote himself entirely to the study of formations for quite some time. His purpose in learning formations was singular: to subdue the World Pearl, refine its core, and claim the small world as his own.

Whether it was the grand formation protecting the World Pearl or the various arrays set up by formation masters, none of them could be broken by a mere first-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like him. To succeed, there was only one path—to become a formation master himself.

Although the trial had ended, that was true only for others. For Zhou Xuanhong, his plan had only just begun. The groundwork was laid; now, it was time to prepare for breaking the formations.

All the bloodthirsty bugs had already been hidden within the small world. Apart from the initial few that Xu Biao had sent underground, the rest of the swarm had been delivered beneath the earth by Mao Yishan.

Indeed, the reason Mao Yishan had managed to infiltrate the ranks of the Five-Spirit Pill Valley cultivators was his collaboration with Zhou Xuanhong.

At that time, Mao Yishan was rapidly collecting rare spiritual herbs and treasures. With his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, he soon caught up with the army of bloodthirsty bugs under Zhou Xuanhong’s command. Zhou Xuanhong then directed half of the swarm to appear before him, communicating through divine sense.

Because Wei Cuiyao also carried a bloodthirsty bug, Zhou Xuanhong could monitor the movements within the Five-Spirit Pill Valley and knew they were gathering resources. Thus, the two struck a deal, even across the small world.

Zhou Xuanhong provided Mao Yishan with intelligence via three hundred bloodthirsty bugs, enabling him to ambush and kill a disciple of the Five-Spirit Pill Valley who was collecting treasures. Disguised, Mao Yishan infiltrated the cauldron, and Zhou Xuanhong even gave him Xu Biao’s storage pouch. The pouch’s transforming talismans and substitute charms allowed Mao Yishan to follow Zhou Xuanhong’s custom plan and amass a wealth of cultivation resources.

But before that, Mao Yishan had to deliver the three hundred bloodthirsty bugs underground. With his fifth-stage Foundation Establishment speed, he was dozens of times faster than Xu Biao, reaching the depths in less than three hours.

Zhou Xuanhong did not fully trust Mao Yishan, so the remaining three hundred or so bloodthirsty bugs were kept above ground, just in case Mao Yishan had a change of heart. One must always leave a line of retreat.

Thus, Zhou Xuanhong allowed those bugs remaining on the surface to move freely toward the World Pearl’s core—the center of the sky—to see if there were other cultivators with plans similar to his own.

He didn’t let them devour the native monsters on their own because the queen bug was only at early Foundation Establishment herself. The queen instinctively suppressed her offspring from growing too powerful, fearing threats to her status. This was a natural trait of the species, and Zhou Xuanhong had no wish to see the offspring challenge the queen, so he allowed her to maintain her dominance.

In fact, Zhou Xuanhong’s worries were somewhat unnecessary. He had been concerned the bloodthirsty bugs, as foreign life forms, would be transported out, so he’d had Xu Biao and Mao Yishan send them underground to blend with the formation and avoid being teleported. But Zhou Xuanhong hadn’t anticipated that the bloodthirsty bugs’ dormant state could bypass the teleportation array’s restrictions. After all, if they could be stored in a pouch, evading the teleportation array’s detection was reasonable.

Though it was ultimately unnecessary, Zhou Xuanhong did not regret his caution. He believed in leaving nothing to chance—even if perfection is impossible, one must ensure the plan proceeds as smoothly as possible.

Besides, it wasn’t entirely useless; it could still achieve surprise and catch others unprepared.

He was concerned Nascent Soul experts might probe the World Pearl’s core, which was why he chose to approach from the edge of the underground formation. Even if a Nascent Soul master did investigate, he could avoid detection.

Anyway, no major changes would occur in the Xingyan Sect in the near future. He had ample time to immerse himself in the study of formations. You can’t become a great success in one leap; what can be accomplished in a single breath is not strategy, but battle.

Deep underground, more than three hundred bloodthirsty bugs gnawed at a barrier—the boundary of the World Pearl. This wasn’t yet a formation.

Zhou Xuanhong ordered the bugs to stop. Now that the teleportation was over, there was no need to keep gnawing. The boundary could regenerate itself, and the tiny bugs had barely made a dent before it healed, squeezing them out.

The barrier was composed of spiritual energy, which the bloodthirsty bugs could not absorb. To break through it, he would need a formation.

His soul returning to his body, Zhou Xuanhong delved into the study of formations, plunging himself into the black hole of array mastery.

He described it as a black hole because the path of formation lies in a single circle.

With his finger as a brush, heaven and earth as the canvas, and spiritual power as the ink, he drew a circle that connected to the laws of heaven and earth—a single, perfect circle.

Though it was just a circle, within it lay the mysteries of heaven and earth, yin and yang, reality and illusion, myriad phenomena, and the profound laws—endless and unfathomable. Thus, formation masters often called this the “source of the array,” for “source” and “circle” are one and the same.

“The way of formations is ever-changing, embracing the way of heaven and the principles of earth. The subtlety of formations can encompass ten thousand worlds in one’s palm, all contained within the rise and fall of an array...”

Thus began Zhou Xuanhong’s long journey of learning, immersing himself in the most difficult of all secondary disciplines. It was as if he had opened the door to a new world, stepping inside to embrace the profound and infinite simplicity of the circle.

...

A month later, Zhou Xuanhong succeeded in advancing to a first-grade formation master, able to lay simple arrays such as vacuuming formations for cleaning rooms or temperature control arrays for adjusting water temperature. As for defensive and offensive arrays, he could only manage some with modest power.

During this month, Kong Xiaori and Kong Xiaoyue quietly advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage as well, but attracted little attention. The two were low-key, as if they consciously wished to be overlooked.

The other disciples had no time to concern themselves with others, especially as a rumor of the Xingyan Sect’s decline began to spread through the cultivation domain. Now, when other cultivators looked at Xingyan Sect disciples, there was a strange glint in their eyes—a sign that things would soon take a turn for the worse.

At the foot of the mountain, in their usual spot, the brother and sister of the Kong family met Zhou Xuanhong once more after a month apart.

“Senior Brother Zhou, what have you been doing this month? Your cultivation hasn’t improved at all, while my sister and I have both broken through to Foundation Establishment.”

While chewing on the haunch of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment monster they had hunted on a mission, Zhou Xuanhong replied, “Studying formations. I’m still young; there’s no rush. The two of you, though, are more and more freakish. No wonder a great sect took notice of you. I can’t compare. Back when you were still in Qi Refining, you were confident fighting mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators. Now, I bet the two of you could even take on late-Foundation Establishment experts together, couldn’t you?”

Kong Xiaori nodded frankly, “If we join forces, it shouldn’t be a problem. We haven’t tried, but it should be about right.”

Zhou Xuanhong clicked his tongue. “Anything major happen this past month?”

Kong Xiaori thought for a moment. “Not really, though the other sects are acting a bit strange toward us. Feels like a storm is coming.”

“That’s to be expected. Your instincts are right. But don’t worry. At your current cultivation speed, you’ll be able to protect yourselves before any great battle comes. It won’t happen yet—at least another ten or twenty years. Just wait.”

Kong Xiaori grunted in agreement, then glanced at his sister, his expression suggestive. “By the way, this morning, a girl named Bai Youxuan from the Corpse Sect came looking for you. When she heard you were in seclusion, she left soon after. What’s this—romantic trouble?”

Zhou Xuanhong laughed. “What romantic trouble could I have? But as for Xiaoyue, you’d better keep an eye on your brother—he’s twelve now. In a few years, he’ll be old enough to take a wife!”

Then, Zhou Xuanhong took out two bundles of Vitality-Raising Chives from his storage pouch and said to Kong Xiaori, who was about to protest, “Do me a favor and prepare these chives for me—cold-dressed, eight for me, two for you.”

Kong Xiaori instantly saw the chives were no ordinary herbs. “I’ll cook them, but I want four, you take six. You’re always eating and drinking my supplies.”

“Nonsense. Most of the ingredients before were mine. At most, seven for me, three for you. A kid like you shouldn’t eat so much anyway.”

Kong Xiaori decided at once, “Deal.”

Before long, outside the Perception-Isolation Array, a figure hovered in the air. Xuan Qizi called out, “Xuanhong, come with me.”

Zhou Xuanhong rose and bowed. “Yes, Master.”

He mounted his flying sword and followed Xuan Qizi toward the library pavilion.

On the way, Xuan Qizi slowed down, glanced at Zhou Xuanhong’s cultivation, and spoke with some severity, “Xuanhong, you’ve been slacking in your cultivation lately. This isn’t good—you must always put cultivation first. There’s plenty of time to study formations later.”

“I understand, Master.”

Xuan Qizi’s expression softened. “A month ago, you brought honor to the Xingyan Sect, defeating two formidable opponents. I promised you a reward. Plus, your Nascent Soul Pill—I’ve decided to let you enter the fourth floor of the library pavilion to comprehend the secret soul-attack technique. There’s no time limit; stay until you succeed.”

Master and disciple arrived at the library pavilion. At that moment, Old Mountain Macaque was chatting with a Corpse Sect disciple in late Foundation Establishment robes, exuding such an air of wisdom that anyone would take him for an esteemed elder.

“Junior Shen Gongmang greets the elder!”

The Corpse Sect disciple was one of the three who had prevailed in the previous contest, earning the chance to enter the fourth floor and study the secret technique. However, he was only allotted half an hour—the extent of his insight would depend on his talent.

Old Ghost Shishan had been in a foul mood and left with all his disciples, so the matter was delayed until now.

Shen Gongmang had arrived that morning, accompanied by Bai Youxuan. But Zhou Xuanhong emerged from seclusion a bit later, perfectly avoiding them.

In fact, all this was under Xuan Qizi’s control. He had deliberately waited until Bai Youxuan left before sending his summons for Zhou Xuanhong, and only after she was out of sight did he bring him to the library pavilion.

“Well, if there’s nothing else, come with me,” Xuan Qizi said.

Shen Gongmang knew Bai Youxuan had already left; even if he met Zhou Xuanhong, he wouldn’t be able to inform her. So he could only follow Xuan Qizi inside.

Old Mountain Macaque moved away as soon as Xuan Qizi arrived, clearly reluctant to be in his presence, and lay down on his reclining chair, closing his eyes.