I am the snake demon!

"Moreover, there are two kinds of formations in the world: natural formations and military formations. My third brother is the future Prince of Zhenbei, so naturally he should practice military formations. However, practicing military formations is more difficult than practicing natural formations. After all, in natural formations, everything can be calculated, but in military formations, in addition to the commander, there are also soldiers."

"When you first start practicing, you have to be extra careful. The Prince's Palace has special military formation chessboards and Mo family puppets, but we don't have those now. So Master Li probably means to wait until we return to the Prince's Palace before he teaches you," Xu Yuhua said.

A formation master's strength depends not only on their own abilities but also on the external environment.

To arrange a natural formation, one needs to rely on the mountains, rivers, and dragon veins.

The deployment of military formations requires the assistance of soldiers.

Among these, mountains, rivers, and dragon veins are static; they only need to be calculated.

The requirements for soldiers are numerous. First, the soldiers themselves must have sufficient strength. Second, they need to undergo rigorous training, cooperate well with each other, and finally, they must have high morale and be loyal to the marshal.

The King of Zhenbei's power shook the northern wilderness and the demon race, relying not only on himself but also on his unparalleled Xiliang Iron Cavalry and Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry.

Bai Xuan nodded somewhat stiffly. He had originally thought that with his strength, going to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion would be like playing dumb to fool the enemy.

As a result, I inexplicably felt like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden.

So this is how wealthy people cultivate themselves.

I used to think that practicing at Yuzhen Temple was already luxurious enough.

So, it turns out I was just narrow-minded?

In fact, wealthy families not only have better conditions for spiritual practice, but also in other aspects.

Like the many maids in Jia Baoyu's courtyard in Dream of the Red Chamber.

Are you trying to test my weaknesses?

"My Jade True Temple only has some basic formations. Shi'an is free anyway, so why not teach him some basics first?" Duan Baiyu said, seeing that Bai Xuanzhen really wanted to learn.

"Alright."

Upon hearing Duan Baiyu speak, Xu Yuhua immediately agreed. He usually agreed to his elders' requests as long as they didn't seem too unreasonable.

Duan Baiyu's words, in particular, were very reasonable.

I'm just idling around anyway.

This is the same legitimate reason as "since we're already here".

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan was overjoyed, and his love for his godmother grew even stronger.

"During the day, I heard from my third brother that he already has some basic knowledge of array formations. He started by condensing array patterns in the void, and then condensed array seals."

As she spoke, a glint flashed in Xu Yuhua's eyes, and then two beams of light shot straight into Bai Xuan's eyes.

The method of condensing array patterns and seals in the void instantly appeared in Bai Xuan's mind; it could only be understood intuitively and could not be explained in words.

0.01 seconds later, he felt he had mastered it.

Then, in 0.02 seconds, he realized that he was an ordinary person and shouldn't have such strong mental power. Xu Yuhua's information entered his mind like a drop of water entering an ocean, but for an ordinary person, it was like a stone being thrown into a pool, which would hurt.

Immediately, he frowned and pretended to be in pain.

Then, she slowly relaxed, appearing as if she had recovered.

"The method of condensing runes can only be understood intuitively, not explained in words. It is all passed down through spiritual transmission. There will be some pain, but it will gradually subside." Xu Yuhua smiled faintly, then took out a piece of yellow paper from her bosom and handed it to Bai Xuan, saying, "Try to concentrate your spiritual power on the paper and see if you can condense runes."

"What is this paper? It looks similar to the talismans used by Taoist priests," Bai Xuan asked curiously.

"It's not just similar, it's exactly a talisman. It can carry a cultivator's spiritual power. For cultivators who are new to the Dao of Arrays, it's too difficult and inconvenient to condense array patterns in the void right away. So, we borrowed the talisman-drawing method from the Xuanmen sect. This can reduce the difficulty to the greatest extent while also enhancing self-protection. After all, many array masters have cultivated Qimen Dunjia since childhood and neglected martial arts training. Their close combat strength is not high, and if they hastily condense array seals, they may be harmed. With these talismans, they can carry them with them and directly activate them," Xu Yuhua said.

"I see." Bai Xuan suddenly understood, took the talisman, and asked, "Big sister, how long does it normally take for a person to condense the first array rune?"

"Depending on a person's mental capacity, it can take anywhere from a cup of tea to a quarter of an hour," Xu Yuhua replied.

"Then I'll give it a try. Perhaps I have a special talent." Bai Xuan smiled brightly, like an ordinary, sunny young man.

Following the method taught by Xu Yuhua, close your eyes and concentrate your mind, using your spiritual power to condense the array seals and draw upon the primordial energy from all directions.

Then he pondered the time.

For a normal person, it would take from the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to fifteen minutes. Since my outward identity is that I haven't even cultivated true qi, the speed at which I condense it should be even slower.

Two quarters of an hour?

Bai Xuan made a mental calculation and secretly prepared to condense his own array patterns.

This is not difficult for him.

After all, the only difficulty in this level is mental strength.

As long as one's mental strength is strong enough, it is not difficult to condense it.

Bai Xuan's spiritual power may not be the ceiling of this world, but it is definitely among the closest to the ceiling.

He just lacks the right approach.

Before he knew it, the time it takes to drink a cup of tea had passed, and Bai Xuan still hadn't managed to condense any array patterns.

Xu Yuhua didn't take it seriously, and even thought it was a matter of course. It was normal for someone below the seventh rank not to be able to condense it; it would be abnormal if they could.

In the blink of an eye, another quarter of an hour had passed, and Bai Xuan was still deep in his contemplation.

Xu Yuhua frowned slightly, revealing a strange look. She said that the time to condense the first array pattern was between a cup of tea and a quarter of an hour, because those with strong spiritual power could condense it successfully in a cup of tea.

Those who are not strong enough cannot last even a quarter of an hour. After all, condensing array patterns is extremely taxing on one's spirit. If one cannot condense them and forces them to do so, one will either feel dizzy and lightheaded or go insane and die.

Bai Xuan has been condensing for over a quarter of an hour; how can it still condense?

What's going on this time?

Should we interrupt him?

While Xu Yuhua hesitated, the talisman in Bai Xuan's hand suddenly floated up, and an array pattern condensed on the talisman.

A look of surprise appeared on Xu Yuhua's face.

"Big sister, do I consider this a success?"

Bai Xuan held up the talisman and said.

"Congratulations, Third Brother, on taking the most crucial step in your cultivation of array formations."

Xu Yuhua was taken aback when she saw the array seal that Bai Xuan had condensed, and then sincerely congratulated him.

The Prince of Zhenbei commanded nearly 300,000 troops from Liang and Bing prefectures to resist the demon kingdom in the west and attack the barbarians in the north. He might not know other things, but he could not be ignorant of battle formations.

The title of king is hereditary.

But whether the successor can truly win over the 300,000-strong army depends on his abilities.

If the new Prince of Zhenbei is not skilled in battle formations and cannot command the army, then his power will inevitably be stripped away.

Without military power, the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion became a mere shell of its former self.

Although there are various ways to help, Bai Xuan must first have a talent for formations.

If they lack even this, no matter how strong they are, there's nothing they can do.

Now that Bai Xuan can condense array patterns, it's only a matter of time before he can condense array seals as well.

With the resources of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, they could easily create a powerful array formation.