[Disciple… thank you, Shizun, for your instruction!]
Enduring the searing pain in his sea of consciousness, Yan Huo once again bowed respectfully.
“Alright, no more thanks.”
Jia Lao smiled lightly and asked, “Speaking of which, are you planning to enter the Qiankun Sect for further study?”
Upon hearing this, Yan Huo quickly nodded and replied in his heart.
‘Yes, Shizun, your disciple is preparing to go to the Qiankun Sect for the entrance assessment.’
‘But my aptitude is mediocre, with only a third-grade spirit root. I have no real confidence that I can pass the Qiankun Sect’s examination.’
Thinking of his own situation, Yan Huo felt some helplessness.
“Indeed. You were born with formation bones, giving you an exceptional sensitivity to the Dao of Formations, but your spirit root is indeed lacking. Your future cultivation progress will be greatly restricted…”
Jia Lao mused, then added with regret:
“I do have a few methods to improve your bone structure, but they require a large amount of heavenly treasures and won’t yield results in a short time.”
Hearing this, Yan Huo felt both joy and worry.
Joy that his bone structure was not beyond improvement.
Worry that there was little time left.
If he could not successfully enter the Qiankun Sect this time, who knew how many years it would be before the sect opened its doors again?
He could not afford to wait that long.
“In that case… here’s what we’ll do. When it’s time for the formation assessment, just set it up as I instruct. I will secretly guide a thread of Heavenly Dao law to connect with your formation, triggering a celestial phenomenon.”
Jia Lao said with some hesitation.
“This way, you will surely catch the attention of the elders in charge of the assessment. They will think you are gifted and have resonated with the Heavenly Dao, ensuring your entry into the sect.”
“However, while getting you into the sect is easy, your future cultivation will depend on your own effort and comprehension.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Huo’s worries vanished instantly.
Overjoyed, he quickly expressed his thanks in his heart.
‘Thank you, Shizun! Your disciple will never forget your great kindness!’
‘After entering the sect, I will cultivate diligently and never slack off!’
Jia Lao acknowledged lightly and continued.
“Since we are already master and disciple, these are only natural.”
“But you must remember: after entering the Qiankun Sect, focus on laying a solid foundation. Study the basic formation classics and cultivation techniques of the sect. Never show off that you possess the ‘Thirty-Six Heavenly Star Formations,’ and do not reveal them easily in front of others. Otherwise, you may attract covetous eyes or even disaster.”
Jia Lao’s tone became serious again as he earnestly warned.
Yan Huo’s heart tightened.
He naturally understood Jia Lao’s meaning.
An innocent man with a treasure invites trouble.
If someone learned of such a powerful formation inheritance and he refused to hand it over, the consequences would be unthinkable.
‘Your disciple understands! I will remember Shizun’s teachings, keep a low profile, and never seek the limelight!’
Over the next few days, Yan Huo devoted himself to studying the Dao of Formations under Jia Lao’s guidance, forgetting to eat and sleep.
Jia Lao’s instructions were few, but every one of them hit the mark.
Each pointer clarified things for Yan Huo, lifting the clouds and fog, and his understanding of formations advanced by leaps and bounds.
In just two days, Yan Huo’s formation level rose to the second grade.
Becoming a second-grade formation mage gave Yan Huo more confidence.
As the Qiankun Sect’s recruitment assessment was about to end, Yan Huo changed into clean clothes one morning.
Taking a deep breath, he set off toward the sect’s Shanmen.
Outside the Shanmen was Elder Qi Lu, responsible for the initial screening.
Qi Lu sat behind a wooden table with a spirit root testing stone and a special detection formation in front of him, used to screen the registering youths.
Those below a certain standard did not even get a chance to enter the hall for an interview.
Yan Huo’s turn came quickly.
As instructed, he placed his hand on the stone, which glowed with a faint red light.
Third-grade fire spirit root.
Qi Lu shook his head inwardly.
However, when Yan Huo placed his hand in the formation, his innate formation bones began to vibrate slightly, stirring the spiritual energy within the formation.
Qi Lu’s gaze sharpened, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes as he stared at Yan Huo.
‘Innate formation bones? What a shame about the spirit root…’
Innate formation bones meant he could turn himself into a formation—an excellent seedling for the Dao of Formations.
But the third-grade spirit root was a hindrance.
Still, Qi Lu registered Yan Huo’s name on the roster and said to him, “Follow me to the main hall for the next round of screening.”
Though his spirit root was poor, his innate formation bones meant that if his comprehension was decent, he might still start as an outer disciple.
Yan Huo followed Qi Lu through the corridor to the Great Hall of the Qiankun Sect.
The hall was spacious, brightly lit.
The floor was paved with smooth, dark ceramic tiles, jade pillars carved with dragons stood around, and the air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood.
Just sensing the atmosphere made Yan Huo nervous.
Standing inside the hall were seven or eight youths of similar age, all looking tense.
At the far end of the hall, on a high platform, sat more than ten elders of the Qiankun Sect in various robes.
In the middle, the leading figure was Mo Chen, the current sect master of the Qiankun Sect.
Here, outstanding performers would have the chance to be noticed by the seated elders and accepted as personal disciples or inner disciples, rising in status.
But if they were not chosen, it meant elimination.
Seeing the imposing elders on the platform, Yan Huo grew nervous, his palms sweating.
Mo Chen spoke in a loud voice: “Everyone, the following assessment is simple. Elder Qi has already checked your basic aptitudes. Now we will test your comprehension and technique.”
He paused, then continued: “Each of you steps forward, draws a scroll from this box. Each scroll contains a second-grade low-level formation. You have the time it takes for one incense stick to study and memorize it, then set it up on the spot.”
After Mo Chen finished, disciples stepped forward to draw scrolls.
Yan Huo also went up, casually pulled a scroll from the box, and unrolled it.
It contained a second-grade defensive formation he had never seen before.
He dared not dally and immediately focused all his mind on studying and memorizing the formation.
The flow of formation patterns, node distribution, spiritual energy circulation routes, basic operating principles—all key points had to be memorized within the time of one incense stick.
It was not easy.
However, Yan Huo had good memory and exceptional comprehension.
He quickly memorized most of it.
The time of one incense stick soon passed.
Mo Chen spoke again: “Time’s up. Everyone, put down your scrolls and begin setting up the formations you drew!”
Yan Huo put down his scroll, took a deep breath, and began taking out spirit stones to set up the formation.
‘Boy, the basic formation patterns are simple, but the node arrangement here can be more streamlined. It can save at least twenty percent of spiritual energy consumption… Yes, that’s right.’
‘Also, erase that redundant pattern. And here, and here, the direction of the patterns is wrong—they’ve been deliberately altered. It should be a test set by the Qiankun Sect for you. You need to discover and correct it… Good, change this loop to a straight line. The spiritual energy flow will be smoother.’
While Yan Huo was setting up, Jia Lao’s voice kept reminding and guiding him in his mind.
Yan Huo nodded, suppressed his inner excitement, and set up the formation according to his memory and Jia Lao’s advice.
His movements were not fast; they were even excessively steady.
Every stroke of the formation pattern was done cautiously.
But every single action was incredibly precise.
At first, the elders only glanced at him casually.
His third-grade mixed spirit root was too unremarkable.
But soon, an elder named Liu Zhen, who was watching the entire process, noticed something.
This boy’s formation setup—the spacing of the spirit stones, the direction of the patterns—seemed quite exquisite.
Moreover, he had quietly corrected the errors during the process without a single mistake.
“Oh? This boy’s understanding of formations… seems to have some depth?” an elder muttered, surprise in his eyes.
“What a pity about the spirit root…” another elder shook his head slightly.
Though his formation comprehension was good, the poor spirit root would ultimately limit his achievements, making them hesitate.
Soon, with Jia Lao’s secret guidance and his own efforts, the formation was completed.
Yan Huo let out a long breath.
His forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, his heart pounding wildly.
At that moment, an invisible wave of soul power seeped out of Yan Huo’s body and merged into the formation.
In that instant, the light at the formation’s core suddenly blazed.
Then, a golden halo visible to the naked eye radiated outward from the center.
Surrounding spiritual energy, as if drawn by an invisible force, began to converge toward the formation.
Faintly, the power of Heavenly Dao laws seemed to flow with the spiritual energy, taking form above the formation.
On the high platform, the elders who had been somewhat indifferent suddenly snapped their eyes open, staring fixedly at the formation Yan Huo had set up.
Their expressions instantly turned to shock.
“This… this is… Heavenly Dao law!”
An elder shot up from his seat, his voice tinged with disbelief: “This boy’s formation has actually triggered Heavenly Dao law!”
“How old is he? And it’s just a second-grade defensive formation, yet he can trigger Heavenly Dao law?!” another elder exclaimed in astonishment.
“Even if it’s a coincidence, does it mean his affinity with Heavenly Dao law far exceeds ordinary people?”
After all, formations themselves were imitations and applications of Heavenly Dao law.
To trigger such law while setting up a formation could not be explained by mere comprehension.
Even among the elders present, few could achieve this.
“I’ll take this boy!”
The elder who stood up first pointed at Yan Huo and spoke immediately.
“Liu Zhen, you claim him as yours? I also find this boy agreeable!” another elder quickly declared.
“This child has a fate with me. He shares the surname Yan. He should enter under my tutelage!”
In no time, over ten elders on the high platform spoke up, all expressing interest in taking Yan Huo as a disciple.
Standing in the hall, Yan Huo looked up at the platform where the elders were arguing over him.
He was dumbfounded, his mind blank.
He never expected to attract so many elders vying for him.
No wonder Jia Lao said he could guarantee his entry into the sect.