I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

Juan was about to become a disciple of the sect.

This surprised many people.

It is said that when the war between the Hu and Fang families ended, Hu Anming suddenly released the news that he had long admired the Golden Flame Sect and wanted to become an ordinary disciple of the sect.

When the news was released, most cultivators did not expect it, and even some Hu family cultivators were extremely surprised.

Only the Zheng family cultivators were extremely fast, and immediately took Hu Anming away.

By the time everyone realized what had happened, the matter was already settled.

Those who were watching closely realized that Hu Anming's actions were mostly without the permission of the Hu family patriarch and were purely his own initiative.

If one were to join not the Golden Flame Sect, but another faction, this act could almost be considered a rebellion against one's master.

However, Juan's reputation is now extremely high, and with people from the Imperial Guard acting as intermediaries, public opinion has remained restrained.

Some disciples of the Golden Flame Sect even felt that this was a case of "a good bird choosing a good tree to perch on." A genius in array formations like Hu Anming shouldn't be kept hidden away in the mere Hu family; he should have joined the sect long ago.

After Juanming entered the sect, he immediately joined the Imperial Array Hall.

It is said that a Foundation Establishment level array master even stepped forward to take him as a disciple, which made him extremely popular within the sect for a time.

Xu Zhou frowned slightly upon learning of this.

However, he did not react, and continued his daily routine of alchemy and study, occasionally flipping through those few books of array diagrams, maintaining his usual low-key style.

Juan's joining didn't affect him at all; it was as if it were just a trivial matter.

More than a month passed in this way.

Zheng Fangyuan visited again.

His demeanor was somewhat different this time; he seemed to be celebrating a happy occasion, and his behavior was slightly flamboyant.

During their casual conversation, details of their conversation revealed that he was involved in the matter of Juan being brought to the sect that day.

Considering Hu Anming's current status in the sect, it's no wonder Zheng Fangyuan has made this change.

After chatting for a while, he suddenly stopped smiling and his tone became more serious:

"Master Xu, I have come here on the orders of the family head to convey a message to you."

Xu Zhou glanced at him and nodded in acknowledgment.

Zheng Fangyuan slowly said, "After Hu Anming entered the clan, some people in his family mentioned your matter."

Xu Zhou raised an eyebrow slightly.

Zheng Fangyuan carefully chose his words and continued, "Senior Brother Hu only said at the time that this matter had nothing to do with him and that there was no need to mention it again."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Xu Zhou remained silent for a moment before bowing and saying, "Thank you for coming all this way to inform me, Junior Brother Zheng."

Zheng Fangyuan smiled and accepted the gift with composure.

He didn't say anything more, and then got up to take his leave.

After leaving the cave, Zheng Fangyuan paused slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"He's just an older alchemist, while Senior Brother Hu is a destined genius array master. The patriarch is being far too cautious."

He recalled that someone in the hall that day mentioned the old stories of the Hu family, specifically Xu Zhou.

Juanming glanced at him for a moment, his tone indifferent: "Is it worth mentioning a mere old alchemist repeatedly?"

By the time I reach the stage of Core Formation, this person will already be buried. Since that's the case, why say more?

After that, no one said anything more.

Zheng Fangyuan shook his head, put his mind at ease, and turned to leave.

Since Juan joined the hall, the Imperial Guard Hall has organized daily exchanges. If he had been any later, he probably wouldn't have made it to today's session.

...

Juan's sharpness was indeed remarkable, even within the Golden Flame Sect.

His spiritual root aptitude is not bad, his talent in array formation is also extremely high, and he is only forty years old, so almost no one would doubt whether he can establish a foundation.

In comparison, he certainly didn't take an old alchemist like Xu Zhou seriously.

Xu Zhou wasn't annoyed.

He was already used to this disregard for his age and qualifications.

Instead of getting hung up on this, it would be better to learn about Hu Anming's array techniques from the notes that have been leaked from the Yuzhen Hall.

Since Juan Ming joined the sect, he has engaged in months of exchanges on array formations with the Imperial Array Hall. Through mutual learning and exchange, both sides have gained a great deal.

Many disciples of the sect paid special attention to the details of this conversation.

After all, array formations are different from other skills. They are one of the great paths, but they are quite easy to learn, so all cultivators know a little about them.

However, while the basics of array formations are easy to grasp, mastering them is extremely difficult. This has made array formations an object of pretense for many cultivators.

In no time, the details of this conversation about array formations spread throughout the sect.

Most people only know the basics of the Dao of Confrontation, and even if they get their hands on these conversation notes, they'll just be watching for the spectacle.

But Xu Zhou is different.

After obtaining this part of the conversation notes, he secluded himself to study it carefully.

At first, he was just as confused as everyone else. He recognized the words in the notes, but couldn't understand them when they were put together.

"As expected, working in isolation doesn't work."

"If you want to understand the principles of formations, you still need to learn from the ideas of others."

Xu Zhou was not discouraged. If he encountered something he really didn't understand, he would take out the materials and set them up in the quiet room himself to experience it firsthand.

Through continuous practice, combined with the jade slips passed down and actual array diagrams, he gradually gained enlightenment.

"I see!"

"At first I didn't quite understand, but after setting it up myself, I finally understood the deeper meaning they were talking about."

Xu Zhou observed the rudimentary formation of the array in the quiet room with satisfaction, his eyes gleaming.

"It's not just that Juan's skill in formation techniques is outstanding."

"Those people from the Imperial Formation Hall should not be underestimated."

"The knowledge of formations gleaned from mutual learning and exchange has saved me a lot of trouble!"

The more one learns about array formations, the more difficult they become. It took Xu Zhou nine years to become a low-grade array master, and he was somewhat stuck at a bottleneck.

With these insights into the principles of array formations, the shackles that had bound him were immediately removed, and from then on, his path in array formations became increasingly smooth.

Although in terms of speed of improvement, it is definitely not as fast as the array cultivators of the Imperial Array Hall and Hu Anming himself.

But for Xu Zhou, this was a huge gain.

...

Unfortunately, the exchange meeting of the Imperial Array Hall only lasted for a few months before it was discontinued.

After all, the most important thing for cultivators is cultivation. The array cultivators have squeezed out so much time to communicate, it's time for them to settle down and focus.

After that, Juanming was never heard from again. He was either learning the art of array formation from a Foundation Establishment array master or going into seclusion to break through his cultivation level and strive to establish his foundation as soon as possible.

Fortunately, Xu Zhou had already refocused his efforts on the path of array formation through his notes, and his skill level had greatly improved.

Using his newly acquired knowledge, he set up a double array in the quiet room of his cave.

In addition to the Spirit Gathering Array that aids in cultivation, an extra layer of Mind-Calming Array is added.

Simultaneously controlling two formations indicates that his mastery of formations has advanced further.

"These two layers of formations should be able to be stacked on top of each other."

"Thanks to Juan's leaked notes, I was able to modify these two formations."

"It's a pity that the exchange on array formations has ended. If I could have studied for a few more years, I might have been able to reach the threshold of mid-grade array formations and set up a higher-level spirit-gathering array."

Although it was regrettable, Xu Zhou knew that this was something that could not be done.

Even someone as powerful as Juan Ming would run out of inspiration after outputting array knowledge for several months in a row.

In fact, towards the end of the exchange, the notes that circulated began to be somewhat flawed and were no longer as exquisite as they were at the beginning.

We can only hope for another opportunity.

After Xu Zhou set up the array in the quiet room, the effects of cultivation and study within it were much better than usual.

Besides using it himself, he would occasionally use the quiet room as a reward to motivate his apprentices.

Of course, the formation would not be explicitly stated.

He only said that he had refined a new highly effective tonic, which would benefit both cultivation and enlightenment. However, one must take it in his presence and not leave the meditation room until the effects of the medicine wore off.

The pills were just qi-boosting pills with added flavorings, but the effects of the meditation room were real.

The apprentices assumed it was the effect of the elixir, unaware that the real culprit was the formation beneath their feet.

Xu Zhou also took the opportunity to record everyone's feelings when using the formation, thereby modifying the details of the formation and honing his skills in the art of formation.

Six months passed in this way, and nothing major happened.

This day.

Xu Zhou recorded Li Pochen's insights and reflections in the quiet room, his brows furrowing slightly.

After a long pause, he carefully chose his words before speaking: "Chen'er, there is something I must tell you."

Li Pochen immediately said, "Master, please speak freely."

Xu Zhou looked up at the boy, and after a moment said, "You'd better not learn alchemy."

Li Pochen's face turned pale.

Xu Zhou comforted him, "I'm not blaming you for not improving your alchemy. You still have talent, and your progress is quite stable. You're not bad in the Hundred Herbs Hall."

However, progress and stability alone are not enough.

"If you continue learning at this pace, you'll only ever become an ordinary alchemist at Hundred Herbs Hall. By my age, you might barely become a high-grade alchemist, and that'll be your limit."

Xu Zhou stared at him and said, "But with your talent, you can go even further."

Li Pochen was slightly taken aback, not understanding what he meant.

Xu Zhou slowly said, "Judging from your aura, you should have reached the third level of Qi Refining, right? That's right. Even your father, who was ten years older than you, had only just reached this level."

Your talent doesn't lie in alchemy; focus on cultivation and improving your level, and you'll go much further.

Li Pochen immediately looked embarrassed and stammered, unsure of what to say.

Xu Zhou chuckled inwardly.

Li Pochen tried to conceal his cultivation level, putting on a convincing act, and everyone else was fooled.

Only when facing himself, he saw through all the techniques used in these cultivation methods to conceal one's magical power, techniques he had already mastered in the past.

He didn't say it directly, but simply gave his disciple a push.

"Go back and tell your father that I've spoken to him. Just focus on your cultivation."

Li Pochen's face flushed red, and after a long while, he suddenly lowered his head and said, "Master, could you please not tell my father?"

Xu Zhou was taken aback: "Why?"

Li Pochen hesitated for a long time, but refused to speak.

Strangely enough, even though his face turned bright red, he insisted that Xu Zhou not reveal it.

"Master, this matter is of great importance. If you want to know, why don't you just ask my father?"

Seeing this, Xu Zhou frowned slightly, but ultimately did not get angry.

He simply nodded and said, "In that case, I'll go and ask him in a few days."

Seeing Li Pochen breathe a sigh of relief, a possibility suddenly flashed through his mind.

Xu Zhou's expression changed slightly.

The matter concerning Li Zelei is probably bigger than he imagined.