Immortality and Cultivation: I can extract entries from all things.

a few days later.

Qing'ao Island, the backyard of Fanghe Pharmacy.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and a faint medicinal fragrance filled the air.

Fang He stood under the old locust tree in the courtyard, her gaze fixed on the stone table in front of her.

There were several blank jade slips and a charcoal pencil on the table.

Three days have passed since he broke through to the eighth level of Qi Refining, and he has initially mastered the power of the [Formation Master].

But the fusion rule with a 50% success rate always intrigued him.

This relates to his future career path.

If every fusion is a gamble, then he must figure out when to gamble and when to play it safe.

He took a deep breath and opened the [History Rewind Panel] in his mind.

Fang He first turned his attention to [Fire Control] and [Water Affinity].

Fire and water are mutually antagonistic attributes.

Logically, these two should be incompatible.

But what if it succeeds? The combination of water and fire might create an even more powerful entry.

In the cultivation world, there is a saying that "water and fire share the same origin." If they can be successfully fused, they might obtain some kind of mutated attribute.

He selected two terms and confirmed their merging.

In an instant, a conflict even more violent than the fusion of the [Formation Master] erupted in the sea of ​​consciousness!

The forces of fire and water collided fiercely in Fang He's mind like two dragons tearing at each other.

The alternating clashes of intense heat and icy cold seemed to tear his soul to shreds.

The pain was not just physical, but also a tearing sensation that directly affected the depths of one's consciousness.

"Hmm!"

Fang He groaned, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

He held his head in his hands, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He tried to reconcile the conflict with his spiritual power, but the forces of water and fire were too violent and completely out of control.

The two green entries trembled violently upon colliding, as if they might collapse at any moment.

The images in my mind's eye were like the surface of the sea during a storm.

Fang He made a decisive move and forcibly terminated the integration process.

boom!

A backlash struck, and Fang He staggered back several steps, his back slamming heavily against the old locust tree.

A mouthful of blood welled up in his throat, but he forced it back down.

The taste of blood lingered in my mouth, carrying a faint metallic rust.

In the sea of ​​consciousness, the two entries, [Fire Control] and [Water Affinity], dimmed slightly and entered a brief "cooling-off" state.

The system message indicates that you can try to merge again after three days.

Fang He was panting heavily, his face pale.

He slowly sat down, leaning against the tree trunk, feeling the lingering, tearing pain in his consciousness.

This failure taught him a valuable lesson.

The saying "water and fire are incompatible" is not an exaggeration; forcibly merging them will only backfire.

He picked up the charcoal pencil and recorded the first rule on the jade slip:

"Fusing elements with opposing attributes is extremely difficult, with a success rate far below 50%. Forcing an attempt can easily result in a backlash."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Combinations of elements such as water and fire, metal and wood, earth and wind should be attempted with caution."

After resting for a while, Fang He adjusted his state and began his second attempt.

This time, he chose [Divine Sense Warning] and [Shadow Concealment].

Both are related to perception and concealment, and have similar attributes, so they should be a good match.

【Divine Sense Warning】 is more inclined to actively detect danger, while 【Shadow Concealment】 is more inclined to passively hide oneself. Combining the two may create a more comprehensive perception-related term.

This time, the integration process was much smoother.

The two terms slowly approached each other in the sea of ​​consciousness, like two streams merging. Although there was a slight repulsion, it was far less intense than that between water and fire.

Fang He could clearly sense that the two terms were testing and adapting to each other, just like two people with similar personalities getting to know each other.

Fang He carefully guided the fusion process, his spiritual energy winding around the two entries like threads.

He wasn't impatient; instead, he patiently waited for the two terms to merge naturally.

Time passed second by second, and the light in the sea of ​​consciousness grew warmer and warmer.

Finally, in a warm glow, the two entries successfully merged!

【Fusion is successful! 】

[Crisis Awareness (Green)] has been obtained!

【Effect】:

1. Significantly improved ability to anticipate dangers

2. Can detect ambushes, traps, and sneak attacks in advance.

3. Perception range +30%

Fang He opened her eyes and let out a long breath.

He felt the changes brought about by the "crisis awareness".

Everything around him seemed to become clearer; the rustling of the grass and the flow of spiritual energy—no subtle abnormality could escape his perception.

He could even feel the vibration of an ant crawling across fallen leaves outside the courtyard wall, and hear the whispered conversation of two monks at the east end of the alleyway in the sea breeze.

Merging terms with similar attributes not only has a high success rate, but also produces synergistic effects.

He continued recording:

"Those with similar or complementary attributes have a high success rate of fusion, and their effects complement each other."

Fang He then attempted fusion several more times, but all attempts failed.

The mental energy was too depleted to sustain continuous fusion.

He could feel the fatigue in his mind, like the drowsiness after staying up all night for several days in a row.

He summarized the third rule:

"Fusion consumes a huge amount of mental energy, so it is not advisable to try it many times in a short period of time. You need to maintain your peak condition."

Looking at the [Formation Master] on the panel, Fang He felt fortunate that he had successfully broken through at that time and was in peak mental condition; otherwise, that fusion might have failed.

A 50% success rate sounds high, but with insufficient mental strength, it's probably less than 30%.

He finished organizing the three rules and carefully put away the jade slip.

The battle to wipe out Qing Shi Island is about to begin, and his [Formation Mastery] will be the key to breaking the deadlock.

The atmosphere in the Zhou family's council hall was heavy.

Ye Shuanghua sat in the main seat, dressed in white, her gaze cold and stern.

Behind her stood two elite members of the Qingyuan Sect, their auras calm and steady, both at the late stage of Qi Refining.

Both of them wore Qingyuan Sect inner disciple tokens on their waists, and their eyes warily scanned the people in the hall.

Zhou Tieshan sat on the left, his face serious.

Today, the commander of the Zhou family's guard was dressed in a black outfit, with the sword that had been with him for many years hanging at his waist.

Fang He and Zhao Hengdao sat on the right, with a map of Qing Shi Island spread out in front of them.

Fang He's gaze fell on the map.

This was a drawing he made from memory after his last infiltration of Qing Shi Island. It marked the three-layered defensive structure of the underground stronghold, as well as several hidden sentries of the Shi family.

"Time is of the essence," Ye Shuanghua said, her voice cold. "According to the message from Qin Wujiu, the ceremony on Qing Shi Island will reach a critical point in five days."

We must act before that happens.

As the illegitimate son of an inner sect elder of the Qingyuan Sect, Qin Wujiu certainly had excellent access to information.

Fang He wondered to himself just how many forces this mysterious figure was secretly observing.

Fang He nodded and pointed to the mark on the map: "The underground stronghold on Qing Shi Island has three layers of defense."

The outer layer is a warning formation, the middle layer is a trapping and killing formation, and the inner layer is a core protective formation.

When I rescued Miss Zhou last time, I had already figured out the structure of the formation.

"Oh?" Ye Shuanghua raised an eyebrow. "You understand formations?"

Fang He smiled slightly, but instead of answering directly, she extended her palm upwards.

A wisp of spiritual energy flowed through his fingertips, transforming into intricate array patterns that outlined the array structure of the underground stronghold on Green Stone Island in the air.

Every node and every path of spiritual energy flow is crystal clear.

The array patterns shimmered with a faint blue light in the air, like a three-dimensional network floating in front of everyone.

Ye Shuanghua's pupils contracted slightly.

She had seen many array masters, but to be able to draw such a detailed array diagram with spiritual power in an instant was something that ordinary Qi Refining cultivators could not do.

Even the outer disciples of the Qingyuan Sect who specialize in formations need to use formation plates and talismans to complete this level of deduction.

"This is..." A look of surprise flashed in her eyes.

Ye Shuanghua and Zhou Tieshan exchanged a glance, both of them unable to hide their shock.

No wonder you're so confident in negotiating with me.

She looked at Fang He again, her gaze now more serious.

This young man was more unfathomable than she had imagined.

More importantly, despite having such abilities, he kept a low profile until the crucial moment when he finally revealed his talent.

Ye Shuanghua's mind raced with thoughts.

Fang He's demonstrated value far exceeds what a patrol assistant on a remote island should be expected to achieve.

This person deserves more resources from the sectarian faction to cultivate.

"Tell me your plan," Ye Shuanghua said.

Fang He pointed to the map: "My plan is to first disrupt the stronghold's formation, and then launch a pincer attack from both inside and outside."

"Specifically, I will lead an elite squad to infiltrate the back mountain of Qing Shi Island by sea."

"At that time, Deacon Ye will lead the sect leader's elite troops to launch a frontal assault, while Senior Zhou will command from the rear."

With the formation under counter-control, the remnants of the Dark Abyss Pavilion and the traitors of the Shi family will be thrown into chaos, allowing us to breach the stronghold with minimal losses.

After Fang He finished speaking, she quietly looked at Ye Shuanghua.

Ye Shuanghua pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "The plan is feasible."

But there's a problem: how can you guarantee that you can find the core node of the formation in a short time?

This is the key.

The core nodes of a formation are usually hidden deep within the formation, and ordinary formation masters need to conduct on-site investigations and repeated deductions to find them.

If Fang He takes too long, the team launching a frontal assault will suffer heavy losses.

"Ordinary array masters need to conduct on-site surveys and repeatedly deduce the formation nodes in order to find the array nodes."

"And I..." He paused, "I can perceive the entire structure of the formation simply by touching it with my divine sense, as if I were looking at the lines on my palm."

"Give me ten breaths, that's enough to lock onto the core node."

The council chamber was completely silent.

Can the three-layered defensive formation be broken in ten breaths?

This is simply unbelievable! Even the elders of the Qingyuan Sect's inner sect who specialize in formations wouldn't dare to make such a boast.

But seeing Fang He's confident expression, Ye Shuanghua inexplicably believed his words.

"Okay." Ye Shuanghua made the decision, "Let's proceed with your plan."

"Zhao Hengdao, you will lead ten elite troops to follow Fang He and infiltrate by sea."

"Zhou Tieshan, you lead the main force of the Zhou family to lie in ambush outside the island. Once Fang He gives the signal, launch a full-scale attack."

"I will personally lead the sect's elite forces to draw fire from the front."

She looked at Fang He, her gaze sharp: "Fang He, the key to this battle lies with you."

Whether or not the formation can be successfully disrupted will determine the course of the entire battle.

Are you confident?

Fang He stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "This junior will certainly live up to your expectations."

"The Dark Abyss Pavilion's formations are nothing but clay and earthenware."

These words sound arrogant, but coming from Fang He, they somehow sounded convincing.

His tone was calm and firm, as if he were simply stating a fact.

Ye Shuanghua's lips curled up slightly, her smile carrying a hint of appreciation.

"Three days later, Qing Shi Island."

"Let the Dark Abyss Pavilion see what the true Dao of Formations is."

Fang He walked out of the council hall, with Zhao Hengdao following behind.

"Inspector Fang, oh no, I should call him Councilor Fang now," Zhao Hengdao grinned. "In three days, we'll be fighting side by side again."

Fang He nodded and looked in the direction of Qing Shi Island.

There, through the thick sea fog, only a blurry outline could be vaguely seen.

The sea breeze carried a faint, salty smell.

In the distance came the cries of seabirds and the shouts of fishermen hauling in their nets.

Everything seemed so calm, but Fang He knew that three days later, this sea area would be engulfed in bloodshed.