Immortal Martial Saint, something's wrong with my entry.

"Master, I am about to head to Outpost No. 1. I don't know if I will be able to return safely and serve you again."

Wei Zifei looked at Li Youan, who was putting on an act with snot and tears streaming down her face, and his lips twitched slightly.

"I only accepted you as my disciple two days ago, when did you begin serving me?"

Upon hearing this, Li Youan collapsed to the ground with a thud, pounding his fists on the ground.

"Master, it's just that my body is too weak. If you don't mind, I'm willing to serve you at any time to fulfill my filial duty."

"I grew up in an orphanage. Since meeting my master a few days ago, it has been as warm as meeting a family member, which has made up for the regrets of my childhood."

"Master, I..."

Watching Li Youan goofing around, Wei Zifei's forehead veins bulged, feeling that he had made a mistake in taking on this disciple.

"If you don't behave properly again, I'll have to expel you from the sect."

When Wei Zifei gritted his teeth and uttered the last few words, Li Youan, with a calm expression, stood in front of Wei Zifei and bowed.

"Master, your disciple has come to say goodbye."

Although Li Youan kept her head down, she still glanced at Wei Zifei out of the corner of her eye.

"Alright, get up. You're not leaving right now. How's your understanding of the formation I taught you last time?"

Li Youan straightened up, waved his left hand, and several array plates and array flags floated in the air.

Li Youan made a few hand seals, and the magic seals flew into the air. Combined with the array plates and array flags, one could clearly feel the concentration of the vital energy in the entire room rising rapidly.

"Gathering Yuan Formation"

Seeing that the formation had been successfully activated, Li Youan continued to change his hand seals, constantly generating new magic seals.

"go."

After the previous Gathering Yuan Array was broken up and the array plate and array flags were reassembled, a faint mist began to appear in the room, which quickly reached a concentration so dense that one could not see their own hand in front of their face. Moreover, not only was the vision blocked, but the sound could not be heard at all.

Bai Ze stood on Li Youan's shoulder, waving its little paws to drive away the surrounding mist.

Seeing that the two formations had been completed, Li Youan once again waved a magic seal forward, and the mist in the room instantly dissipated.

"Hmm, not bad, you've mastered it quite well. Come on, I won't teach you formations today, I'll first tell you about the two paths of a formation master."

Wei Zifei nodded, gesturing for Li Youan to sit down on the prayer mat in front of him.

"I am currently a Grand Array Master, and I am only one step away from becoming a Grandmaster of Array Dao. Before becoming a Grandmaster of Array Dao, there are roughly two paths for an array master to cultivate."

"The first path is to explore as many formations as possible. After accumulating a large amount of knowledge, a qualitative change will naturally occur, allowing you to integrate your own understanding into the arrangement of formations."

"The second path is to specialize in a few formations, thoroughly understand them, break away from the ordinary arrangement of formations, and forge your own path."

"But to advance to the rank of Grand Array Master, one must have created an Earth-rank array."

"Choose one of these two paths yourself. With your talent, as long as you're not too greedy, becoming a Grand Array Master in about ten years shouldn't be a problem."

After Wei Zifei finished speaking, he began to demonstrate the new formation to Li Youan.

Just like last time, Li Youan followed Wei Zifei's movements little by little.

Having experienced the flow state before, Li Youan knew how much it enhanced him, so he was eager to enter the flow state again this time.

But haste makes waste; this time, Li Youan didn't even memorize the most basic hand gestures.

In fact, Wei Zifei noticed this situation at the beginning, but did not say anything to warn him.

Because he had once entered the flow state, the allure of facing a mage in that state was indescribable.

As Wei Zifei finished demonstrating the first formation, Li Youan followed along in a daze, but no formation was formed, and even the formation flags and formation plates in front of him fell to the ground.

Looking at the array plates and flags lying on the ground, Li Youan realized his problem. He took a deep breath, composed himself, and looked apologetically at Wei Zifei.

"Hmm, not bad. I thought you'd need more time."

Wei Zifei thought that Li Youan would need to go through this obsession a couple more times before he could break free, but to his surprise, he regained his senses after just one time.

"Come on, let's continue."

Knowing that Li Youan was about to leave the front-line base, Wei Zifei taught Li Youan three formations today.

Time passed slowly, and the sky was already getting slightly dark.

As the last formation dissipated, Wei Zifei placed his hands on his lap.

"That's enough for today. Come back to me when you can set up these three formations proficiently."

"Whether you can deploy it skillfully or not, make sure to contact me one last time before leaving the front-line base."

Looking at Wei Zifei, who had already closed his eyes to rest, Li Youan bowed respectfully.

"Master, then this disciple will take his leave."

"Brother Bai, when will the cultivation technique you prepared for me be ready? I'm already at the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm, and I still need this 'Basic Breathing Technique'?"

"This will not only affect my cultivation speed, but also delay your search for the Flower Fairy, Brother Bai."

Bai Ze glanced sideways at Li Youan.

"If you want the cultivation technique, just say so. Don't beat around the bush and talk about some flower fairy."

"Do you think I need you to find the Flower Fairy?"

Looking at Bai Ze's arrogant face, but now that he needed Bai Ze's help, Li Youan could only flatter him.

"Brother Bai definitely doesn't need me, but I can still offer some help."

Bai Ze was defeated by Li Youan's shamelessness.

"Alright, alright, I got it. I'll definitely get it for you in the next couple of days."

After returning to the neighborhood where Qiang Ge lived, Li Youan went to the rooftop alone.

When Bai Ze passed by the room, he offered to stay there so that he could choose a cultivation method for Li Youan.

Bai Ze seemed determined not to rest until he had developed a new technique, which worried Li Youan, who eventually offered a word of advice.

"There's no rush."

But Bai Ze just waved his little paw at Li Youan without replying.

Li Youan arrived at the treehouse and chose a shady spot to sit cross-legged.

Thinking about the three formations his master taught him today—one for binding, one for defense, and one for offense—he thought his master was simply too good.

Since they weren't in the Forest of Ten Thousand Demons, Li Youan didn't dare make too much of a commotion, only trying out the Vine Binding Formation and the Quicksand Formation.

The Golden Light Sword Formation only condensed the magic seals; it did not actually activate the formation.

During the two days that Li Youan spent practicing the formation, he also sparred with Dongfang Jinghong in the small valley they had visited before.

Unlike their first sparring session, this time the two didn't test each other and went all out from the start.

Dongfang Jinghong used the Guiyuan Sword Technique, while Li Youan tried to launch a sneak attack using the formation. However, Dongfang Jinghong, who had little practical experience but was knowledgeable and wary, dodged the attack.

If Li Youan's "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" hadn't been truly excessive and hadn't been enhanced by various stats, it might have backfired this time.

That little valley... no, it's now a small man-made lake.

After their sparring session, the two left the valley and quickly returned to the city.

Back in the tea room, the two sat on opposite sides of the tea table to rest and recuperate. After drinking a cup of tea, Dongfang Jinghong looked at Li Youan with a hint of emotion in his eyes.

"You've improved so fast! It's good that we met early on."

After putting down his teacup, Ang Lee also reflected on his experiences over the past few days.

"Sigh, maybe I'm just lucky."

Dongfang Jinghong disagreed with Li Youan's words, saying, "Only those with strength can seize opportunities."

Li Youan shrugged, then seemed to think of something else.

"By the way, the director called me yesterday to thank you for your help. The orphanage is now back on track."

Dongfang Jinghong waved his hand dismissively.

"When you crush Pingyu in the ring, the problems of the orphanage will no longer matter to you."

"All you need to do is..."

Before Dongfang Jinghong could finish speaking, Li Youan interrupted.

"All I need to do is keep winning and stay strong."

Before Li Youan could finish speaking, Dongfang Jinghong didn't say anything, but instead drew a checkmark in the air with his right hand.

"Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

"Regardless of the collaboration, we have successfully achieved our predetermined goals."

Li Youan and Dongfang Jinghong raised their teacups in a toast from afar, and then drank the tea in their cups.

-----------------

The morning after their sparring session, Li Youan returned to the formation hall.

This time it wasn't the large classroom as before, but a training room exclusively for Wei Zifei.

"Master, I can now use those three formations proficiently."

Wei Zifei looked at Li Youan.

"I must admit that you have an exceptional talent for formations. I watched the entire sparring session between you and Dongfang Jinghong yesterday."

"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't say much, but your talent goes beyond this. Have you noticed the biggest problem you had in applying formations during yesterday's battle?"

Li Youan was somewhat surprised that his master had watched his battle, but not much.

In response to his master's question, Li Youan lowered his head in thought, "My own problem?"

Li Youan felt like he had grasped something, yet he also felt like he hadn't grasped anything at all.

"What? I feel like I've touched that barrier, but I don't know what it is?"

Upon hearing his master's words, Li Youan looked up at Wei Zifei.

"Your application of formations is more about technique than the essence. You must demand more of yourself with your talent."

Upon hearing his master's words, Li Youan suddenly realized that the problem he had been feeling was right here.

Moreover, Li Youan also heard great expectations placed upon him in Wei Zifei's words.

Li Youan nodded. "Master, I will."

Seeing Li Youan's upright attitude, Wei Zifei stroked his beard with satisfaction.

"Come on, let's talk about the problems you exposed in yesterday's battle."

"You should still remember the details of your sparring session yesterday, right?"

Hearing this, Li Youan nodded, "Master, you have too little faith in me."

"After you caught her Guiyang Sword yesterday, why did you start with the Vine Binding Formation instead of the Quicksand Formation?"

"Are you suggesting that you want to restrain her while she's exhausted?"

Hearing his master's analysis, Li Youan nodded.

"In this situation, the quicksand formation is much more disruptive to her than the vine binding formation."

"Dongfang Jinghong's strength is about equal to yours. What is the Vine Binding Formation more suitable for? I'm teaching you the Vine Binding Formation so that you can clear out the minions when you encounter a small horde of monsters."

"As for opponents of similar strength, the Vine Binding Formation has little effect on them and is not as effective as this quicksand formation that alters the terrain."

"Moreover, quicksand formations can be used for offense, defense, and disruption. Yesterday, it was like a sandstorm; there was no other use for it."

Listening to his master's analysis, Li Youan nodded, realizing that he had indeed been too rigid in his application of formations.

Just a few days ago, he was gloating over his self-created trapping and killing formation, but now he's been dealt a heavy blow.

Wei Zifei clearly hadn't said enough and continued speaking.

"And that golden light array, what effect do you think its power will have in your battle with Dongfang Jinghong?"

"You don't have much vital energy right now that you're in the Body Tempering Realm. Even if you advance to the Origin Opening Realm, you can't waste your vital energy like this."

……

For the entire morning, Wei Zifei kept pointing out Li Youan's mistakes during their sparring session yesterday.

It was also because of Wei Zifei's guidance that Li Youan completely put away his arrogance and became more down-to-earth, laying a solid foundation for his future path to becoming a Martial Saint.

After Wei Zifei finished speaking, he gave Li Youan ample time to digest the information.

Wei Zifei did not give Li Youan any time to rest. With his strength reaching the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm, he could go ten days or half a month without rest unless it was a high-intensity battle.

"You'll be going to the outpost tomorrow, so I won't teach you any new formations today. Instead, I'll explain the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches for beginners in formations."

Although it was a bit of a pity that Li Youan didn't learn any new formations, Wei Zifei's explanations made up for Li Youan's lack of basic knowledge.

As a master of array formations, Wei Zifei, drawing on his own understanding from various perspectives, gave Li Youan a detailed explanation of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, including their characteristics, combination methods, and some taboos.

Li Youan was like a parched desert suddenly hit by a downpour, frantically absorbing this knowledge.

Time flew by, and evening arrived. Wei Zifei stopped explaining, and Li Youan closed his eyes to organize the information.

The amount of knowledge he learned in that afternoon was still quite overwhelming for someone who had only been exposed to array formations for a few days.

Seeing Li Youan open his eyes, Wei Zifei waved his hand, and several bottles of pills flew towards him. Li Youan hurriedly caught the porcelain bottles.

"These are Breakthrough Pills, Return to Origin Pills, Detoxification Pills, and some other pills."

"I sense that your vital energy is about to break through to the Opening Yuan Realm in the next few days. This bottle of Breaking Yuan Pill can help you break through."

"As for more things, we'll talk about them when you get back to the front-line base. Ultimately, you have to go to the front lines of the war yourself to truly understand it."

"Remember, be careful in everything you do."

Li Youan put the porcelain bottle into his Tian Shu Ring, then stood up and bowed to Wei Zifei.

"Master, your disciple will definitely return safely and will not tarnish the reputation of my Array Hall."

Wei Zifei nodded and gestured for Li Youan to leave.

As Li Youan turned to close the door, he heard Wei Zifei say something else.

"Remember, a genius is one who grows up to be a genius. Don't act impulsively; be cautious. Don't cause trouble, but don't be afraid of trouble either."

"Yes."

It was completely dark by then, and Li Youan was walking on the streets of the front-line base.

Li Youan had planned to buy some daily necessities when she returned to her neighborhood in the evening, but now that her master had prepared everything so thoroughly, she took a walk on the street.

Surrounded by bustling streets, filled with the warmth of everyday life, Li Youan suddenly exclaimed.

"Bai Ze, tell me, what is the meaning of our cultivation?"

Bai Ze was taken aback by Li Youan's question.

"Meaning? What meaning? Cultivation is just cultivation."

"No, if doing something has no meaning, why should I do it? Isn't it better to just lie down and rest?"

"Cultivating, hunting monsters, and fighting with other people, it's all so tiring."

Bai Ze noticed a rare hint of fatigue on Li Youan's face, and his eyes revealed some worry.

"No, you..."

Before Bai Ze could continue, Li Youan began to talk to himself.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly had some thoughts. Haven't you ever thought about this before?"

Bai Ze thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Cultivation is an instinct of us divine beasts."

Seeing that Bai Ze did not understand his meaning, Li Youan was not in a hurry. Just as Bai Ze said, perhaps in matters of instinct, one does not think much.

"Let me give you an example. For instance, you like flower fairies."

"I don't like it."

"Don't worry about it, don't worry about it. Someone's trying to steal the Flower Fairy from you."

"Then I'll have to kill him."

"hiss."

Li Youan gasped when he heard Bai Ze's reply.

"What you're saying is contradictory."

"What if you can't beat that person? So, do you need to train to become stronger?!"

Bai Ze, realizing what was happening, looked at Li Youan.

"And what about you? Why do you want to cultivate? The orphanage?"

When Bai Ze asked him the question, Li Youan looked at the stars in the sky and pondered this question that already had an answer.

Thinking about his miserable experience as a corporate slave in his previous life, and the joy of being given a second chance at life after just transmigrating.

"Of course, it's about cherishing and fighting for freedom."

"You have no idea what a tremendous opportunity it is for me to be able to cultivate."

Bai Ze didn't dwell on the topic, but instead asked a question.

"If you don't cultivate, then you won't be tired, right?"

Li Youan looked surprised upon hearing Bai Ze's words.

"Ha, what are you talking about? If I didn't cultivate and become stronger, I'd be living a miserable life somewhere right now."

"There's no such thing as freedom. Only by becoming the strongest can no one control me, no one criticize me, and I will be the freest."

Thinking of the helplessness one feels when working as a corporate slave, Li Youan gritted her teeth and said those words, ending her conversation with Bai Ze.

-----------------

The next morning, Li Youan stood at the city gate of the front-line base.

Standing beside him was Dongfang Jinghong, and not far behind him were Qiang Ge and Xiong Da and Xiong Er, who had come to see him off.

"Little brother, stay safe and sound. I'll be waiting for you to come back to the front-line base to find me."

Meanwhile, Xiong Da and Xiong Er waved their hands at Bai Ze.

"Yes, Brother Qiang, I will when I get back from the outpost."

After saying goodbye, Li Youan waved his left hand, and the Sky Shuttle appeared in the sky in front of him.

The Sky Shuttle returned to its original length before Li Youan and Dongfang Jinghong jumped onto it.

"That's great, you already have a spatial ring. Master Wei is very satisfied with you."

Li Youan smiled.

"It's alright, it's alright. He has some talent and is worthy of Master Wei's attention."

"Oh."

"What are you 'hehing' about? I'm just telling the truth."

"By the way, is anyone coming to see you off? We need to leave now and get to the outpost by noon."

Upon hearing Li Youan's words, Dongfang Jinghong shook his head.

"We've already said goodbye, let's set off. I've never been deep into the Forest of Ten Thousand Demons before."

Seeing the curious look on Dongfang Jinghong's face, Li Youan quickly reminded him.

"Don't wander around when you go, or I can't always be there to protect you. Don't be too curious."

Dongfang Jinghong looked indifferent, but instead looked at Li Youan.

"You're the one who should be worried; you're much more troublesome than I am."

"Hey."

Li Youan wondered when her reputation had become so bad.

Watching Li Youan and Dongfang Jinghong turn into tiny black dots on the horizon, Qiang Ge led Xiong Da and Xiong Er into the front-line base.

"Come on, Xiong Da and Xiong Er, hurry up and go to work, or you two won't have anything to eat today."

"roar!"

"Stop yelling..."

The training room where Wei Zifei was.

The moment Li Youan took off, Wei Zifei turned his head to look at the city gate, his eyes seemingly able to pierce through time and space, staring intently at Li Youan.

"Sigh, I wonder what kind of storm you'll stir up this time."

"Well, jade that isn't carved won't become a useful object; it's always good to polish it a little more."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Zifei closed his eyes and began to study the formation.

-----------------

As the mountains and trees beneath his feet rushed past, Li Youan spoke.

"This Sky Shuttle is quite impressive; it's so fast. It seems we won't have to wait until noon to reach the outpost."

"Yes, I feel like I sold it at a loss."

Upon hearing Dongfang Jinghong's words, Li Youan hurriedly said, "You can't raise the price any further, I've already got it."

Dongfang Jinghong was immediately speechless. "My Dongfang family is so wealthy and powerful, we don't need your paltry sums. What do you take me for?"

"No, I'm not happy anymore, I'm starting to have inner demons."

"Hey, don't try to scam me, or I'll throw you off the Sky Shuttle."

"you……"

Before Dongfang Jinghong could finish speaking, Li Youan actually pushed him.

The attack came so suddenly that Dongfang Jinghong, caught off guard, fell backward.

Just as Dongfang Jinghong was about to make her move, she noticed a blue figure swiftly passing by the spot where she had just been standing.

"I think it would be better if your Dongfang family took back this Sky Shuttle. It does fly fast, but it's really eye-catching."

At this moment, the Sky Shuttle was surrounded by flocks of birds.

These birds have the necks of cranes, but their wings are like ice crystals, and their bodies are mainly pale blue.

They must have been flying above the Sky-Piercing Shuttle, so Li Youan and the other person didn't notice them at first. By the time Li Youan realized it, it had already turned into its current state.

"This is a Frost Crane, a type of bird demon, but this kind of bird is extremely common in ice fields and high mountains, and not so common in the Ten Thousand Demon Forest."

Dongfang Jinghong recognized the species of the bird demon and even had some doubts, but now, obviously, no one could answer his questions.

"Never mind why it appeared, let's think about how to survive first. The weakest of these birds looks to be at least at the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm."

Seeing that Dongfang Jinghong was deep in thought, Li Youan quickly interrupted him, saying that now was not the time to think about such things.

"How's the quality of this Sky Shuttle?"

Upon hearing Li Youan's question, Dongfang Jinghong thought for a moment and then quickly replied.

"Most Kaiyuan Realm demonic beasts, except those with extremely abnormal defenses, cannot withstand it."

Hearing Dongfang Jinghong's reply, Li Youan clearly gained confidence.

"Then what are we afraid of? Charge!"

"Don't……"

Before Dongfang Jinghong could finish speaking, Li Youan increased the supply of vital energy.

The entire Sky Shuttle doubled its speed and charged forward.

"What did you say?"