Many children, many blessings; the twelve ancestral witches forced marriages throughout the primordi

The Tongtian Sect Leader was an impatient man. He tossed his three disciples to Lin Xuan and rode off on his Kui Niu to challenge Zhu Rong to a drinking contest. While he called it a drinking contest, he really just wanted to see the novel weapons.

Only Lin Xuan and the Three Immortals remained in the square.

Bixiao's eyes darted around as she curiously surveyed her surroundings. Qiongxiao held a pair of golden dragon scissors, casually trimming the flowers and plants beside her. Only Yunxiao stood there quietly, dressed in white, like a lotus blooming on a snow-capped mountain, serene and aloof, with an air of unapproachability.

Lin Xuan chuckled inwardly.

He'd seen plenty of these aloof, academically gifted girls in his past life. To deal with this type, talking to her about money, power, or feelings is useless; you have to talk to her about "academics."

If you can impress her in her field of expertise, her favorability will definitely skyrocket.

"Fellow Daoist Yunxiao," Lin Xuan straightened his sleeves, adopting a refined and gentle demeanor, and pointed to a pavilion not far away, "There are too many people here, why don't we sit over there? I've recently gained some new insights into formations, and I'd like to ask you for some guidance."

Yunxiao was stunned for a moment.

Guidance?

Although she was the eldest outer disciple of the Jie Sect, in terms of seniority, Lin Xuan was on par with her master, the Tongtian Sect Leader. In terms of strength, Lin Xuan was a ruthless person who had rendered Taiqing Laozi speechless.

Asking her for guidance? Wouldn't that be putting her in an uncomfortable position?

"Senior Lin, you flatter me." Yunxiao bowed slightly, his tone respectful yet distant. "My skills are insufficient; how dare I presume to teach you? If you have any instructions, please speak freely."

Lin Xuan wasn't in a hurry. He smiled and shook his head. "Well, the accomplished are teachers, after all. Besides, your master kept you here precisely for the purpose of exchanging ideas and learning. Come on, I have some good tea. Let's drink and chat."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the pavilion without waiting for Yunxiao's reply.

That confidence and casualness made it hard for Yunxiao to refuse. She hesitated for a moment, but still followed. Qiongxiao and Bixiao were about to follow when Lin Xuan, without turning his head, tossed out a sentence: "There's freshly roasted spirit beast meat over there. If you're late, that big-bellied Xingtian will eat it all."

Upon hearing that there was food, Bixiao's eyes lit up instantly. She grabbed Qiongxiao and ran to the cafeteria, leaving her older sister completely empty-handed.

Yunxiao sighed helplessly.

In the pavilion.

Lin Xuan casually set up a soundproof barrier. The method of setting up the barrier was very casual, but Yunxiao, an expert, could see the skill involved.

"This is... the Reverse Five Elements Array?" Yunxiao's pupils shrank slightly.

Typical soundproofing arrays utilize the principle of the five elements' mutual generation to construct a closed space. However, Lin Xuan's array does the opposite, using the repulsive force generated by the mutual restraint of the five elements to deflect sound back.

This idea is simply unheard of.

"It's just a little trinket I made; please excuse its poor quality, fellow Daoist." Lin Xuan poured Yunxiao a cup of tea. The tea was made with Enlightenment Tea leaves, steaming hot and fragrant.

Yunxiao took the teacup, took a sip, and her mind instantly cleared considerably. However, her attention was still focused on the formation she had just seen.

"Senior, although this formation is ingenious, if it encounters a powerful attack, won't the repulsive force of the five elements cause the formation to self-destruct?" Yunxiao couldn't help but ask.

Hooked.

Lin Xuan chuckled to himself.

"Good question." Lin Xuan put down his teacup and tapped his finger lightly on the stone table.

A golden light shone, outlining a complex array on the tabletop.

"Generally speaking, the interactions of the five elements are indeed unstable. But what if we add a 'variable' at the core of the formation?" Lin Xuan drew a circle in the center of the formation diagram with his finger. "You see, if I replace this with materials of chaotic attributes, or simply use yin and yang energies to harmonize them, wouldn't we be able to transform the repulsive force into a rotating centrifugal force?"

Yunxiao stared at the array diagram, his brows furrowed.

She frantically rehearsed the scenario in her mind.

Metal overcomes Wood, Wood overcomes Earth... If we add Yin and Yang in between...

hiss!

Yunxiao suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with shock.

"This...this actually works! If we modify it this way, the defensive power of this formation can be increased by at least three times! And it can also reflect enemy attacks!"

The way she looked at Lin Xuan changed.

Before, it was awe; now, there's a hint of fervor. That's the look in the eyes of a top student meeting a top professor.

"Senior is indeed unfathomable!" Yunxiao exclaimed sincerely. "I have studied the art of formations for thousands of years, but I never imagined that the power of the five elements could be used in this way. My master often said that the great way is simple, and I have witnessed it today."

"This is nothing," Lin Xuan waved his hand, looking completely nonchalant. "Actually, I only have a rudimentary understanding of formations. For example, I think there's a big problem with your Jie Sect's Ten Thousand Immortals Formation."

"The Ten Thousand Immortals Formation?" Yunxiao exclaimed in surprise.

That was the sect-protecting formation that Master was conceiving. It wasn't even fully finalized yet. How did Lin Xuan know?

"Look," Lin Xuan said, dipping his finger in tea and drawing a large circle on the table, "the core of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation is 'gathering the masses.' But with so many people, their minds become chaotic. Once the formation falls apart, it becomes a sitting duck."

Yunxiao nodded. This was exactly what troubled his master.

"So, why not break down the Myriad Immortals Formation?" Lin Xuan coaxed patiently. "Break it into countless smaller formations, such as the Three Talents Formation for three people, or the Five Elements Formation for five people. They can be dispersed in peacetime and assembled in wartime. It's like... like building blocks."

"Building blocks?" Yunxiao didn't understand the word, but she understood the meaning.

Modular!

Lin Xuan is teaching her the theory of modular formations!

Yunxiao felt as if a new door had opened before her. Countless inspirations exploded in her mind.

"If that's the case... then the formation that my two sisters and I are practicing..." Yunxiao said subconsciously.

"You mean the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation?" Lin Xuan asked directly.

Yunxiao was genuinely frightened this time.

She had only recently come to understand the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, and she hadn't even told her master. How did Lin Xuan know about it?

Could he possibly be so good at divination?

"Don't be nervous, I guessed." Lin Xuan smiled, leaned forward slightly, and got a little closer to Yunxiao.

The distance between the two instantly closed, and Yunxiao could even smell the faint fragrance on Lin Xuan's body, a scent that was a mixture of grass, trees, and sunshine, and it smelled wonderful.

Yunxiao's face flushed red instantly, and she instinctively shrank back.

"Um... Senior guessed very accurately." She lowered her head somewhat flusteredly.

"The Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation is a good formation. It severs the three flowers on a person's head and seals the five qi in their chest. It's ruthless and decisive." Lin Xuan's voice rang in her ear, carrying a hint of magnetism. "However, it has a drawback."

"What shortcomings?" Yunxiao, no longer bothering to be shy, suddenly looked up.

"You rely too much on the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron." Lin Xuan looked into her eyes. "Without the magic weapon, the power of this formation is reduced by more than half. A true formation master should be able to use grass, trees, bamboo, and rocks as formations. Yunxiao, you've narrowed your path."

These words struck Yunxiao's heart like a thunderbolt.

She stared blankly at Lin Xuan.

No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Even her master only praised her talent and encouraged her to refine more magical artifacts.

Only Lin Xuan pointed out her bottleneck incisively.

"Grass, trees, bamboo, rocks... all can be used as formations..." Yunxiao murmured to himself.

She felt that the bottleneck that had been holding her back seemed to have loosened.

Seeing Yunxiao in a state of enlightenment, Lin Xuan leaned back in his chair with satisfaction, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

A system notification sounded in my mind:

[Ding! Yunxiao has developed feelings of admiration for the host; favorability +10.]

"Only 10 o'clock?" Lin Xuan thought to himself, "This top student is really hard to win over. Looks like I'll have to step up my game and bring out all those physics theories."

Just then, a commotion of chickens and dogs came from afar.

"Oh dear! That's my sacred herb! Don't pull it! Don't pull it!"

"Haha! Big uncle, this grass looks just like your beard!"

Lin Xuan's lips twitched slightly.

Well, those brats are tearing the house apart again.