Immortal Creation.

Chapter 693 Cultivation Level Determines All Victory or Defeat

The battles against Qianfenglin and Wangchuan Fujun resulted in Ning Zhuo accumulating over 100 Golden Cores.

Most of them came from the Black Cloud Battlefield.

Luo Si's betrayal sealed the fate of the battle. After the two Nascent Soul level leaders fell, many Golden Core level Imperial Guard cultivators also perished.

Therefore, most of the golden cores in Ning Zhuo's hands were cultivated using ghost and soul cultivation techniques.

Faced with Shen Xi's doubts, Ning Zhuo smiled and replied, "The Five Elements cultivation method is the most common. Therefore, there will be no shortage of Five Elements Golden Elixirs, which are just what I need."

He was secretly planning: the Golden Cores of Ghost Path and Soul Path techniques weren't really suitable for the Five Elements Golden Core Wheel. Perhaps he could trade for Golden Cores belonging to the Five Elements.

In this regard, the Wanxiang Sect's Commerce Hall should be able to meet Ning Zhuo's needs.

"Of course, I won't be changing it anytime soon."

"Even if I exchange it in the future, I will try to impersonate someone else or disguise myself, or get Boss Sun to help me."

"I'm new here, so I can't just show off."

Su Ling glanced at Ning Zhuo, feeling that his tone was a bit arrogant, and thought to herself, "You're only at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet you don't take the Golden Core stage seriously. My cousin is much more humble and down-to-earth..."

Ning Zhuo looked at Shen Xi and pressed him for his opinion on the Five Elements Golden Elixir Wheel.

“Interesting,” Shen Xi said, expressing his opinion with great interest.

Ning Zhuo considered it carefully and asked about the difficulties and obstacles in the process.

Shen Xi answered them one by one.

The two became increasingly close in their conversation.

Shen Xi gained a better understanding of Ning Zhuo: "Ning Zhuo's mastery of array formations is indeed not as profound as mine, but his foundation in array formations is extremely solid. That's right, a scion of a great clan, his foundation in the four major arts of cultivation is never lacking."

This understanding did not diminish Shen Xi's evaluation of Ning Zhuo in the slightest.

"It seems that Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo has devoted decades of cultivation to the Five Elements."

"As a result, he is only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment at present."

"This is quite normal when it comes to array formations."

If Ning Zhuo also possesses considerable skill in array formations, then Shen Xi would begin to suspect whether he is an old cultivator who has successfully preserved his youthful appearance.

Yu Heye found it fascinating.

During the exchange, Ning Zhuo maintained a humble attitude, showing no arrogance whatsoever, and was always eager to learn.

This allowed Yu Heye to discover another side of Ning Zhuo.

Su Lingkou felt that all of this was perfectly natural. During her time with her cousin, she had witnessed many cultivators consulting and discussing with Shen Xi.

Shen Xi became increasingly talkative.

He no longer simply answered, but began to explain his understanding of the Dao.

"Of the ten classic formations, the nine-square formation is the one I'm best at."

"In my opinion, the Nine Palaces Formation is unique and quite different from the other nine formations!"

In terms of formations, they can be roughly divided into static formations and dynamic formations.

There are ten classic static formations, whose status is unshakeable. Dynamic formations are numerous and their development history is far less extensive than that of static formations, and they are mostly found in battle formations. Examples include the Iron Bucket Formation, the Red Flower Formation, and Sun Lingtong's Thief's Gentle Breeze Formation.

The ten static formations are: Hunyuan Formation, Yiqi Formation, Liangyi Formation, Sancai Formation, Sixiang Formation, Wuxing Formation, Liuhe Formation, Qixing Formation, Bagua Formation, and Jiugong Formation.

Shen Xi explained his reasoning: "Most formations, such as the Yin-Yang Formation and the Three Powers Formation, are based on the principles of mutual generation and restraint, and utilize directions to establish cycles. The core of the formation is basically the central hub where magical power and divine energy converge."

"The Nine Palaces Formation emphasizes mathematical calculations! The nine palaces correspond to and rotate with each other. Each palace has a gathering of magical power or divine energy, so they are relatively independent. The center of the nine palaces must undertake the function of calculation and deduction."

Shen Xi knew that Ning Zhuo was skilled in the Five Elements, so he did not mention the Five Elements Formation in the conversation.

Ning Zhuo nodded: "Of all the arts of cultivation, array formation is one of the four great arts. Among the ten static array formations, the Nine Palaces Array is indeed the one that can maximize combat power the most."

Shen Xi spared Ning Zhuo's feelings by not mentioning the Five Elements Formation, but Ning Zhuo, being humble and eager to learn, never took it to heart.

Ning Zhuo's solid foundation in formations allowed him to fully understand the advantages of the Nine Palaces Formation.

He then gave an example: "Let's take the most basic ten static array prototypes as an example. The Five Elements Array's mutual generation amplification is only three to five times, while the Eight Trigrams Array's trigram amplification is about six to eight times. The Nine Palaces Array, however, has an amplification of nine to twelve times."

"And this is just the most basic prototype array."

After a pause, Ning Zhuo continued, "I did some calculations outside of class."

"If we use the Five Elements Prototype Array to create a light shield to resist an attack from a Nascent Soul cultivator, it would require at least 50,000 spirit stones."

"But if we use the Nine Palaces Formation, as long as we move the Nascent Soul cultivator to the Xun 4 Palace and let him withstand the attack, the required spirit stones will only be a little over nine thousand, saving about 80% of the cost!"

"Using the Bagua Formation to trap three Golden Core cultivators would cost three thousand spirit stones. However, the Nine Palaces Formation can save seventy-five percent of the spirit stones for the same amount of time."

Su Lingkou thought to herself again, "Why does Ning Zhuo always use Golden Core cultivators and Nascent Soul cultivators as examples? Has he forgotten that he is only a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"

Why can't cultivators with lower cultivation levels use examples of those with higher cultivation levels?
Ning Zhuo had never had such a mindset.

Back in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, his hypothetical enemies were the City Lord's Mansion, Nascent Soul level cultivators like Meng Kui, and his Golden Core level subordinates.

From a young age, he pondered how to overcome stronger opponents with weaker ones. This spirit of inquiry was deeply ingrained in him.

Ning Zhuo's example made Shen Xi realize directly that Ning Zhuo was not flattering him, but genuinely held this view.

Shen Xi clapped his hands and laughed: "The one who understands me is Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo."

He became very enthusiastic and said, "There are many examples of people who have used the Nine Palaces Formation to overcome the strong with the weak. Let's take the people from my Flying Cloud Kingdom as examples."

"For example, fifteen years ago, the Qingyun Sect was attacked by demonic cultivators."

"The Qingyun Sect is just a small sect. Its strongest member is Chu Ping, who is at the peak of the Golden Core stage. He is skilled in setting up formations."

"He alone, a Golden Core cultivator, and twenty-seven Foundation Establishment disciples were guarding the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate."

"His opponents were the infamous Nascent Soul demon cultivator Blood Corpse Old Demon, and three thousand Blood Condensed Corpses."

"Chu Ping ordered his Foundation Establishment disciples to guard the nine palaces, while he himself entered the central fifth palace as bait to lure the old demon into the formation and kill him."

"After the Blood Corpse Demon entered the formation, Chu Ping immediately changed the palace grid, locking the main battlefield in the Li Ninth Palace and the Kun Second Palace."

"The final flames, amplified eighty-one times by the Nine Palaces and then four times by the Two Palaces, completely incinerated the Blood Corpse Demon's body, allowing his Nascent Soul to escape. The three thousand Blood Condensed Corpses were also reduced to ashes."

Shen Xi continued, "More than seventy years ago, Chess Maniac, one of the four great rogue cultivators of my Feiyun Kingdom, carried his friend's dying wish and designed a formation to test him, so that he could pass on his friend's legacy to the cultivator who passed the test."

"The chess fanatic used nine strange stones in the valley to set up a nine-palace formation, and the sword cultivator Lingxiao charged into the formation."

"Although both Chess Maniac and Ling Xiao are at the Nascent Soul level, the latter is generally recognized as being only one step away from the Divine Transformation level, and can be considered a quasi-Divine Transformation level."

"At first, Ling Xiao was unstoppable, breaking through four palaces in a row. But after the palaces changed, he was led to the seventh palace by the chess fanatic."

"The chess fanatic then placed the Qian Palace in the back, forming a cycle of Ze Qi rising to heaven and Tian Lei returning to Ze."

"Ling Xiao fought desperately to break this cycle, but this caused the Zhen Palace to become unbalanced, which in turn triggered a reflection in the Qian Palace, causing Ling Xiao's sword energy to increase thirty-six times and then rebound back at the original owner."

"In the end, Ling Xiao was no match for him and retreated from the battle, vomiting blood."

Ning Zhuo listened attentively, his eyes opened. He nodded in agreement and said, "As far as I know, the most famous example of the Nine Palaces Formation defeating the strong with the weak is 'The Child Trapped in the Dragon'."

This is a story frequently told in books on battle formations.

Xiaoman, a fisherman in the Foundation Establishment stage, was being chased by a dragon and unexpectedly escaped to a strange place at the bottom of the river.

Here lies a page of the Luoshu (Lo Shu Square), lost here, buried in the silt of the river.

Over time, the surrounding environment gradually changed according to the principles recorded in the Luoshu book, forming a natural nine-palace array constructed with water veins as the array lines.

Xiaoman was chased to this place, where she obtained a page from the Luoshu Book. Using her only nine water-repelling copper coins, she activated the Nine Palaces Formation and then risked luring the evil dragon into the formation.

The evil dragon, unfamiliar with formations, severely injured Xiaoman but was also trapped within them. Each time it struggled, its nascent soul was sealed down to one-twentieth of its previous size. After several struggles, the evil dragon was heavily sealed by the Nine Palaces Formation, ultimately becoming a villainous supporting character in the legendary feat of a Foundation Establishment cultivator defeating a Nascent Soul cultivator.

This happened a very, very long time ago.

However, because it was so widely circulated, the story was repeatedly recorded in classical texts.

"The Luoshu?" Yu Heye listened for a while and finally found a place to interject. "I know this. It is the source of mathematics and physics. It has extremely high research value in array formations, divination and so on."

"The Luo Shu was broken up a long time ago, and Yu Xiaoman's page of the Luo Shu also disappeared because he failed to transcend the tribulation."

Yu Heye's mastery of formations is not as profound as Ning Zhuo's.

He came from an ordinary background, didn't have any formal training as a child, and wasn't interested in it himself.

Ning Zhuo and Shen Xi were having a lively conversation, and he almost yawned, but he finally managed to join in, which cheered him up.

Taking the opportunity to speak, he introduced the delicacies on the table, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

Although he was completely clueless about cooking, he was at least quite old and had consumed a lot of spirit stones, so this was an area he was familiar with.

However, after eating and drinking a few bites, Shen Xi brought the topic back to the Nine Palaces Formation.

He is quite accomplished in formations, partly due to his family's training from a young age, and partly due to his own interests and hobbies.

Love is often the best teacher.

Without this passion, Shen Xi wouldn't have achieved such mastery of formations. He has devoted a great deal of time and energy to formations, thus sacrificing many opportunities to cultivate other techniques.

Shen Xi said, "Speaking of the Nine Palaces Formation, we are currently in one of the Nine Palaces Formations."

Ning Zhuo asked in confusion, "Fellow Daoist Shen, are you saying that the protective formation of Bao Teng Cliff here is a Nine Palaces Formation?"

Shen Xi nodded slightly: "That's exactly right."

“No, no.” Yu Heye shook his head. “The protective formation of Baoteng Cliff is called the Thousand Vine Drinking Cloud Formation. I can confirm that.”

Shen Xi nodded again: "That's right."

This made Ning Zhuo and Yu Heye even more puzzled.

Shen Xi smiled and explained, "Don't you two think the peaks surrounding Baoteng Cliff are a bit too close together?"

"This was actually a deliberate setup."

“The nine peaks, including Baoteng Cliff, Xuanming Peak, Jinglei Island, Yunmo Peak, and Jade Marrow Hill, each have their own protective formations, but together they form a nine-palace formation.”

Ning Zhuo couldn't help but feel a slight stirring in his heart.

His mother's former residence, Shuyu Zhai, was located on Yunmo Peak.

Yu Heye raised an eyebrow: "Is that so?"

Shen Xi nodded: "This Nine Palaces Formation was set up by Xie Tang, the key figure of Chongzhen Peak..."

After Shen Xi's explanation, Ning Zhuo and Yu Heye finally understood the whole story.

Xie Tang was a Nascent Soul level cultivator who once served as an official in the Flying Cloud Kingdom. He held a high-ranking position, hence the title "Ji Shu Lang".

He was extremely skilled at setting up formations. After resigning from his official post, he returned to his sect and devoted himself entirely to cultivation.

During one of his exchanges, he attended a class at the Nine Palaces Immortal City. The case he used in the class was this very Nine Palaces Formation.

Shen Xi recalled: "Senior Xie Tang's mastery of array formations left me in awe at the time. This Nine Palaces Array was indeed his masterpiece. He even said in the hall that he had left behind a magic treasure of array formation that he no longer needed, hidden in this Nine Palaces Array, waiting for someone with the right destiny. This point also left a very deep impression on me."

A glint flashed in Ning Zhuo's eyes, and he feigned interest: "Oh? What kind of array-based magic weapon is it?"

Shen Xi shook his head: "Fellow Daoist Ning, this magic weapon is too hot to handle; you can't just take it casually."

Ning Zhuo feigned ignorance: "Why is that?"

Su Lingkou covered her mouth and smiled: "This is actually Senior Xie Tang's selection method, to select cultivators with certain array skills so that it is convenient for him to introduce them to Chongzhen Peak."

"Many seniors in the Myriad Manifestations Sect do this, just like fishing with bait."

"Obtaining his array-based magic treasure means you have a karmic connection with him, owe him a debt, and will be marked with the mark of Chongzhen Peak."

"Therefore, cultivators with other ambitions will never take the initiative to pick up this array-based magic treasure."

Ning Zhuo nodded: "Thank you for clarifying things. It's pretty much what I guessed."

He looked at Shen Xi and naturally asked the question he really wanted to ask: "Fellow Daoist Shen must have had the ability to retrieve this magic treasure, but you didn't..."

Shen Xi nodded: "Senior Xie Tang's plan is not difficult to break. But I am not a rogue cultivator, but come on behalf of my family."

"Before I came, my family elders had repeatedly warned me not to choose sides arbitrarily. I believe Fellow Daoist Ning understands this well."

That's not the case.

Ning Zhuo was the head of the branch family. The entire Ning branch family listened to him.

Moreover, he wielded considerable influence in both kingdoms, and was particularly close to the Three Generals Camp. His identity as the "Old Monster of the Stone" also earned him considerable prestige within the Thousand Peaks Forest.

He's also the deputy city lord of the White Paper Immortal City.

Shen Xi hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "This year's Flying Cloud Conference may be different from previous ones. We plan to establish our own small stronghold first and observe the situation."

Ning Zhuo's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood that Shen Xi was alluding to the clash between the old and new, and the matter of Zi Lei Peak and Liu Yun Peak.

Yu Heye stared wide-eyed, his face full of confusion: "What's the difference?"

He was the oldest and had been with the Myriad Manifestations Sect the longest, yet he hadn't even noticed this.

He was ultimately a rogue cultivator and lacked awareness in this regard. His cultivation method was still the "Reverse Five Elements Demonic Art," a technique with an upper limit only at the Nascent Soul level. His greatest achievement in life was almost being recognized as a true Golden Core disciple.

It should be noted that the Myriad Manifestations Sect has a considerable number of Golden Core disciples.

Yu Heye had never entered any powerful departments, and his experience was too singular. He devoted most of his energy and attention to "avoiding going astray".

Cultivation of immortality encompasses a hundred arts, reflecting the myriad aspects of life.

The level of one's cultivation does not determine the outcome of all battles.

They have plenty of methods to overcome the strong with the weak.

Formation is one aspect, while strategy is the other.

No matter how high one's cultivation level, if one is unaware of the situation, one will be schemed against by those who plot against others and become a henchman or pawn.

(End of this chapter)