The road is vague

Chapter 203 Officially Taking Office
Noon.

As agreed, Li Mo arrived at the Dharma Protector Hall.

After he entered the main hall, he found that in addition to Chen Heyan and Jiang Wencai, there was also the Earthly Branch Fairy Wang Xiyue and a short Taoist priest.

"Disciple Li Mo greets Hall Master Chen and Deputy Hall Master Jiang."

Chen Heyan, seated in the main seat, nodded.

"Junior Nephew Li, please calm down. Instructor Kang and Instructor Lü have been temporarily dispatched on a mission and have not yet returned. Please rest here for a while."

"Yes."

After responding in a deep voice, Li Mo went to Wang Xiyue's side.

Wang Xiyue was talking with the short Taoist priest when she saw Li Mo arrive and introduced him to him with a smile.

"Li Mo, let me introduce you. This is Master Shi Xiang, whom I often mention to you. We are both guest elders of our sect in the field of formations. Master Shi Xiang's methods of breaking formations are unparalleled. You should learn from him more in the future."

"Greetings, Master Shi Xiang!"

"Hehe, Junior Nephew Li, there's no need for such formalities. At the last array master exchange conference in Yuancheng, Fairy Wang mentioned you to me several times, saying that your talent in array formations is unparalleled, but you are limited by your cultivation level. You will surely shine brightly in the future. I am also quite curious about you. If there is an opportunity in the future, we should indeed discuss and exchange ideas on the way of array formations."

As the master spoke, he looked directly into Li Mo's eyes, as if he were observing him in an unknown way.

When Li Mo visited Wang Xiyue that day, he vaguely sensed that Wang Xiyue seemed to be planning to win this person over.

This Master Qianji Daoren is a formation expert recruited by the disciples of aristocratic families. Could it be that Wang Xiyue wants her to use her formation talent to win him over?

“What you say is absolutely right, Uncle. I will definitely pay you a visit another day.”

Li Mo spoke solemnly, which made the Prime Minister look up and smile, quite satisfied with Li Mo.

Just as the three were talking in hushed tones, two more people walked in from outside the main hall.

One of them was burly, with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

This should be Kang Jinzhong, the military formation instructor hired by Lingmu Sect from outside the military.

The other person, with a humble demeanor, entered the main hall.

After bowing to Chen Heyan, Jiang Wencai, Wang Xiyue, and Shi Xiang in turn, he nodded to Kang Jinzhong beside him before looking at Li Mo, smiling slightly, and saying nothing more.

"All right."

Upon seeing this, Chen Heyan gestured to the others.

"Now that everyone is here, let's begin."

However, at that moment, another person walked in from outside the main hall.

This person was thin, with a stiff expression and a pair of dead fish eyes that were particularly striking, never blinking once.

After entering the main hall, he nodded to the astonished crowd and sat down in an empty seat.

Upon seeing this person, Li Mo was immediately taken aback.

This was the same dead-fish-eyed cultivator he had seen in the Spirit Spring Hall. At the time, he suspected that this person might be a Golden Core cultivator from the Spirit Eye Sect, and now it had indeed come true.

"Fellow Daoist Pu?"

Chen Heyan looked surprised.

"What brings the strategist here?"

This person was actually one of the three chief strategists of the Dharma Protectorate, responsible for teaching the disciples of the Dharma Protectorate strategic understanding.

The guest elder surnamed Pu sat calmly. Everyone seemed to be used to his temperament, and they exchanged smiles without saying anything more.

"It's nothing. I just heard that the new array instructor was an array master selected by Fairy Wang from among the outer disciples of our sect, so I was curious to take a look."

Say it.

The Golden Elixir Master surnamed Pu then looked at Li Mo.

"I remember you were the leader of the advanced training hall who entered Lingquan Pavilion for purification ten years ago, right?"

"Exactly."

After Li Mo stood up, he clasped his hands in a respectful bow and responded.

The dead fish-eyed statue, enshrined by the Pu family's Golden Elixir, remained expressionless, yet uttered words that briefly stunned everyone present before eliciting a silent chuckle.

"Yes, the spiritual energy you absorbed in the Spirit Spring Pavilion that year far exceeded that of other disciples, so much so that the spiritual energy accumulated in the Spirit Spring Pavilion the following year was at least three-tenths weaker than in previous years."

Everyone laughed and didn't take the matter seriously.

Chen Heyan looked at Li Mo and offered some words of comfort.

“Nephew, there is no need to worry. Fellow Daoist Pu is one of the Golden Core cultivators of our sect. He currently holds the position of Strategist and Instructor of the Dharma Protector Hall. He has traveled to various countries in the Central Plains and has also visited the Southern Marshland many times, where he has made friends and fought against those thousand-year-old ghost kings. If you pass this test and take up a position in the Dharma Protector Hall, you can learn more from him.”

"Yes."

To reach the Southern Marshland, one must pass through the Kingdom of Yu.

I am quite curious about the Yu Kingdom, not because of the blissful pleasures it insists on, but because the whispers in the ethereal dream contain sounds about the Goddess Palace.

It's just unknown whether the current Goddess Palace has any connection to the Goddess Palace in the ethereal dream.

"Alright, now let's have the four military formation instructors evaluate Junior Nephew Li's skill in formations."

Upon hearing this, Li Mo smiled and clasped his hands in greeting to the four people.

"My name is Li Mo. I will do my best to pass your test."

Wang Xiyue chuckled softly and gestured to the crowd.

"Li Mo is the military formation instructor that I recommended to Hall Master Chen and the two acting sect leaders, so I don't need to test him anymore. You three can go ahead."

Upon hearing this, Chen Heyan nodded slightly without saying anything more.

Upon hearing this, Shi Xiang, Kang Jinzhong, and Lü Jin exchanged glances, and finally Shi Xiang spoke first.

"I won't stand on ceremony."

He stood up and gestured for everyone to follow.

The group followed their master to the backyard of the Dharma Protector Hall.

There were more than a dozen Dharma Protector squads training here, the sound of drums beating from warships in the sky was constant, and a large flock of spirit birds soared and banners fluttered in the air, making it quite a lively scene.

The strategist took out a stack of flags and shot them toward the open space.

After a cup of tea.

After the master arranged the flag formation, beams of spiritual light shot into the sky, intertwining and becoming one.

When Li Mo saw that this flag formation had a total of six array bases, he was immediately alarmed. This was the same number of array bases as his Six Calamities and Six Tribulations Extinction Array and Six Ding and Six Jia Void Array.

But then he realized something and looked surprised.

He then activated his spiritual eye and, after careful observation, discovered the anomaly.

"This is actually a composite flag formation?"

Generally speaking, a composite formation refers to a large formation arranged based on magical artifacts.

The foundation often exceeds the number nine.

In people's general understanding, there is no such thing as a composite flag formation, but in Li Mo's view, this unfamiliar flag formation is precisely a so-called composite flag formation.

This is equivalent to combining the Six Waves Azure Water Formation into a flag formation with the number six.

The Grand Master stroked his beard and smiled slightly at Li Mo.

“Nephew Li, this flag formation is something I created myself. Can you see what makes it unique?”

The difference between a formation master and a formation grandmaster lies in whether one can create their own formations. With Li Mo's current skill in formations, he is already on the verge of becoming a formation grandmaster. It's just a pity that he hasn't been cultivating for long enough, and the restriction that heavenly secrets cannot be revealed has prevented him from taking that step yet.

"Composite flag formation".

Li Mo blurted out his response.

This prompted a soft chuckle from Lü Jin.

For a formation master, uttering words about a composite flag formation is as ridiculous as a rune concierge uttering words about bronze dwarf script; it's a fundamental error in common sense.

However, when the Prime Minister heard this, his eyes widened, revealing an expression of disbelief.

He originally just wanted to take this opportunity to show off and go through the motions. He only wanted Li Mo to be able to give a clear answer and didn't intend to make things difficult for Li Mo.

But to his surprise, Li Mo saw through the mystery of the flag formation at a glance.

From this point of view.

Wang Xiyue's praises of him back then were not exaggerated, but rather somewhat conservative.

Could this person truly be a once-in-a-millennium genius of the array master lineage?
The Prime Minister's expression gradually became solemn.

Unlike ordinary array masters, as an array breaker, he is also skilled in the art of sorcery and deduction. The most basic characteristic of this art is to strive to place oneself in an objectively favorable environment to achieve the effect of maximizing benefits and minimizing harm, and not to go against the general trend.

Just for a moment.

After a quick calculation, he arrived at a chilling conclusion: he was now going against the tide of events!

"Could it be... that the karma associated with this person is enough to affect the overall situation of the Spirit Eye Sect?"

the other side.

Lu Jin noticed the solemn expression on his teacher's face and immediately realized his lapse in composure. He quickly suppressed his smile, his eyes filled with surprise. "Ah."

After concealing his wild thoughts, the Master sighed softly.

"Truly, there are always mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people. Junior Nephew Li actually saw through the mystery of my self-created flag formation at a glance. You are truly a formidable young man."

Lü Jin was dumbfounded!

It's one thing if others don't understand, but he knows that a composite flag formation is something that defies common sense. How could it possibly exist?
"wrong."

Lü Jin quickly realized his logical error.

"This cannot be said to be contrary to common sense; it can only be described as gilding the lily."

Next, it was Kang Jinzhong's turn for the assessment.

The burly man with thick eyebrows and big eyes nodded to Li Mo, then suddenly called out to someone in the distance.

Two small teams came running, each team consisting of about fifty or sixty people.

Kang Jinzhong seemed to be a meticulous person, and he gestured to Li Mo.

"These two squads are both newly formed T-shaped battalion squads that have just started training. Next, you and I will each choose one squad. No matter what method you use, as long as you can break through the military formation I have set up within the Turtle-Fly Barrier within one hour, how about it?"

"it is good."

Li Mo looked at the two teams.

He suddenly saw a familiar face, Wang Ping, a junior officer who had been transferred here from the Tianming Division of Bai'an County!
Li Mo vividly remembered Wang Ping's secret technique of hearing the wind.

Judging from the appearance, he was serving as a recruit in this squad, responsible for managing the squad's daily life and discipline, and stood neatly at the front of the formation with the vice-captain.

Wang Ping also noticed Li Mo.

He was taken aback when he saw Li Mo standing with two hall masters, a military advisor, and four military instructors.

"I choose this team."

Li Mo naturally chose Wang Ping's team.

After Kang Jinzhong nodded, he gave the two teams an order to train together and said that the winning team today would receive a collective third-class merit. This immediately surprised and delighted everyone, and they all showed an eager attitude.

Li Mo arrived in front of this guardian team.

He first nodded to the team leader, then looked at Wang Ping.

"Wang Ping, it's been a long time."

"Commander Li, are you perhaps going to take up a position in the Protectorate Hall?"

"exactly."

Li Mo's words immediately filled Wang Ping with joy and surprise.

In this way, he can be considered to have a powerful backer in the inner sect, and he should try to manage the relationship well in the future.

Li Mo is new to the Dharma Protector Hall and doesn't yet understand the appeal of the collective third-class merit to the disciples. However, he knows that it's almost impossible to completely transform these disciples in just one hour.

Therefore, Kang Jinzhong's assessment of him was not based on theoretical knowledge, but on practical application.

He also noticed that Kang Jinzhong, who was in the distance, did not seem to be giving any instructions to the other squad. Instead, he was having the squad's deputy captain and military advisor conduct a pre-battle mobilization.

Li Mo seemed to be lost in thought.

"It seems that the other party is very resistant to those who only talk the talk and have unrealistic ambitions."

Although Li Mo had no experience in troop deployment, his years of experience as an outer disciple made him far from being a mere theorist.

He knew that for those without a foundation in formations, attempting to train them into a battle-hardened army within a short period of time would be futile and would only result in a poor imitation. It would require a great deal of time for training.

Therefore, the simpler and more direct the commands used in the initial training, the more effective they are.

Today, he must at least prove his worth, to be greater than the opposing vice-captain's or the pre-battle mobilization ability of the recruit.

"Everyone!"

Li Mo gestured to the crowd.

"We have three Foundation Establishment cultivators here. I will now divide everyone into three groups. When I call out 'one,' the first group will attack together with me. When I call out 'two,' the second group..."

An hour later.

After affixing their refuge charms, the members of both teams entered the turtle-fly barrier in the training ground.

The moment he entered the barrier, he felt his insensitivity amplified. Not only was his perception of details enhanced, but he also became more sensitive to changes in spiritual energy.

"The Dharma Protector Hall training ground is truly amazing."

If one were to cultivate and comprehend magic here, it would obviously be twice as effective with half the effort.

More than a hundred people faced each other at a distance of more than thirty feet, gazing at one another. Li Mo couldn't help but feel a little pressure. If he failed this test, wouldn't it be the same as declaring in front of everyone that it didn't matter whether he was there or not?
"start!"

As the battle began, Li Mo immediately started counting "one, two, three" according to a certain pattern.

The disciples of the Dharma Protectorate he led unleashed various deadly magical weapons, which flowed continuously like a babbling brook, much like the disciples of the Chen family in the past.

The disciples of the two squads immediately engaged in a fierce battle.

At the beginning, the two sides were locked in a stalemate, with a large number of attacking magical artifacts intertwining in the air.

However, as time went on, Li Mo's team clearly began to gain the upper hand, and their advantage grew larger and larger as time went on, eventually defeating Kang Jinzhong's other team.

"We are victorious!"

"Haha! We've won a collective third-class merit, which means we can receive an extra three spirit stones in salary every month from now on!"

"We made a fortune this time..."

The members of Li Mo's team were all immersed in joy; this collective third-class merit had come far too easily.

Kang Jinzhong walked over and nodded to Li Mo.

"Your training has been remarkably effective; you are by no means a mere theorist."

"Concession."

Li Mo had a good impression of Kang Jinzhong, and found this assessment method quite interesting.

Finally, it was Lü Jin's turn.

He was a formation master trained by the Lü family, skilled in crafting flag formations, and a well-known formation plate merchant in the Lingmu Sect. So without saying a word, he handed Li Mo a set of flag formations.

"If you can set up this flag formation within half an incense stick's time, you will pass the test."

That is, the time it takes to drink three cups of tea.

After taking the array diagram, Li Mo examined it carefully and discovered that the array base of this flag formation was only five-five.

He then checked the flags again, and the number matched perfectly.

He glanced at the time and realized that less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea had passed. He smiled slightly, and his figure rose from the ground. He began to make arrangements quickly while simultaneously calculating with his fingers.

He was elegant in posture, composed in movement, and confident in expression.

When Lü Jin saw Li Mo's posture, he was momentarily dazed.

When he was young, he also fantasized about what he would be like in the future.

Now, decades later, although he has achieved remarkable success in the eyes of others, he is far from the person he imagined himself to be. He has not lived a carefree and unrestrained life at all, and his behavior is becoming more and more restrained and cautious.

At this moment.

He looked up at Li Mo in the air and saw his elegant posture, calm movements and confident expression. In a daze, he suddenly realized that this was the scene he had fantasized about when he was young.

It only takes a cup of tea.

Li Mo then finished setting up the six-colored illusion array and memorized the array diagram's elements. He could try to refine this flag array or set up a large array in the future.

Lü Jin walked over, clasped his hands in a fist and smiled.

"Fellow Daoist Li's array formation is skillful and his attainments are astonishing. I admire him greatly."

"Thank you."

Upon seeing this, Chen Heyan and Jiang Wencai exchanged a glance and then nodded.

Although neither of them were array masters, as Golden Core cultivators, they understood the basic principles and were quite satisfied with Li Mo's performance, certain that Li Mo was no ordinary person.

"very good."

After clearing his throat, Chen Heyan showed a serious expression and took out the token he had prepared beforehand from his pocket.

"Li Mo, obey my command."

"The disciple is here!"

Li Mo clasped his hands in a respectful bow, awaiting instructions.

"From this day forward, you are officially appointed as the instructor of the Fifth Army Formation of the Dharma Protector Hall. During your tenure, I hope you will work diligently and train the disciples of our Dharma Protector Hall in order to deter villains and maintain order in the future. This is your token."

"Yes!"

Li Mo accepted the golden token with a solemn expression.

He then looked down and saw the words "Fifth Army Instructor of the Guardian Hall" prominently displayed on the front of the token.

(End of this chapter)