I am the snake demon!

"The core of the Lucky Formation lies in this. Once you master it, you can set it up anywhere."

Xu Yuhua explained in a soft voice.

She spoke slowly and not in a particularly profound way, but it was exactly what Bai Xuan needed at that moment.

Bai Xuan listened attentively. He discovered that he seemed to have a decent talent for formations; he could learn everything Xu Yuhua said in no time.

The result of this is that Bai Xuan's mind occasionally wanders.

As I watched Xu Yuhua explaining earnestly beside me, the night grew darker, and the gentle moonlight fell upon her, as if she were draped in a silver veil, dreamlike and beautiful, like a fairy descending from the moon palace.

Bai Xuan's heart stirred slightly, and he was somewhat stunned.

He thought to himself that if he had such a famous teacher in his previous life, there would be no university he couldn't attend.

That's not right either. If it were me back then, I probably wouldn't have been interested in studying at all, and I might not have even been able to get into a junior college.

He began to understand Bai Suzhen somewhat.

It's perfectly normal that people can't stand it.

Wait, what am I thinking?

Cultivation.

We need to learn from Bai Suzhen's experience. We don't have the backing of the Old Mother of Lishan or Guanyin Bodhisattva. She flooded Jinshan Temple and violated the heavenly rules, but she was only imprisoned for twenty years.

Twenty years later, her son, who was the reincarnation of the God of Literature, rescued her, ascended to immortality, and joined the ranks of the immortals.

I didn't.

Damn the Greedy Wolf Formation! I haven't even started cultivating yet, and it's already disrupting my Daoist mind.

If I truly cultivate myself, wouldn't I be given ten or eight of these?

calm.

Bai Xuan silently recited the purification mantra, entering a state of enlightenment, and then asked, "Sister, generally speaking, how long does it take from condensing array patterns to condensing array seals?"

"It depends on the strength of the formation. If it's a basic formation, it usually takes one to six months to condense. A simplified advanced spirit formation like the Lone Wolf Shadow Formation takes even longer to cultivate. It's normal for it to take a year to cultivate it," Xu Yuhua said.

"Big sister, wouldn't it be simpler and more efficient if I started learning from advanced formations directly? Otherwise, why not just start with the advanced ones?" Bai Xuan asked.

"A tall building starts from the ground up. First you learn to crawl, then you learn to walk, and finally you learn to run," Xu Yuhua said, glancing at Bai Xuan.

This is a common problem for newcomers.

They always want to learn powerful formations and martial arts right from the start.

But too much of a good thing is bad.

"Generally, large forces like ours cultivate systematically, with a complete set of formations from beginner to intermediate to advanced levels. So if an ordinary person suddenly obtains an advanced formation, is it actually completely useless? In fact, even if I obtain an advanced formation diagram, its effect is not as good as a beginner formation diagram." Bai Xuan nodded and naturally asked the question that was most on his mind.

"That's roughly how it is, but it also depends on talent. Some people are exceptionally gifted and can learn even from incomplete diagrams. For example, my father initially obtained one-third of the diagram for the intermediate-level Heavenly Wolf Formation, but he completed it using his talent and eventually deduced the Heavenly Pivot Demon-Slaying Formation," Xu Yuhua said.

"Did Father start his cultivation from an intermediate-level array?" Bai Xuan's eyes darted around. A hundred seals is considered an advanced array. I started my cultivation from the Nine-Bend Array with two hundred and seventy array seals, which can be considered a high-difficulty challenge.

However, he began cultivating with just a fragment of a map; this Prince Zhenbei is truly a remarkable person.

"That's right, but that's because our father was poor back then and didn't have much help. If my third brother were to obtain some advanced formation now, he could simplify it using the Return to Truth Method and cultivate it," Xu Yuhua said.

"The Return to Truth Method? What kind of method is that?" Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan was overjoyed, but his face showed only confusion.

"Third Brother, your previous doubts are quite reasonable. The best way to learn array formations is naturally to cultivate them systematically. There are countless array formations in the world, but at their core, they are nothing more than the principles of Yin and Yang and the Four Symbols. Whether they are dozens or hundreds, they are all the same. It's just that some only have dozens, while others have hundreds, so their strengths and weaknesses differ. Therefore, if a disciple of a major sect obtains an advanced array diagram, he will simplify it using the Return to Truth method to find the core, which will make it easier for him to cultivate and for his disciples to cultivate as well," Xu Yuhua explained.

"Does our Zhenbei Prince's Mansion possess the method for returning to one's true nature?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan's eyes lit up.

So there's such a method?

Could the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation be simplified so that we can find its core and practice it?

"Yes, the Jade Purity Returning to Truth Method of Qinghua Mountain, the Taiqing Returning to Truth Method of Wudang Mountain, and the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion all have them," Xu Yuhua said.

"Yuqing, Taiqing? Why isn't there Shangqing?" Bai Xuan asked curiously.

The main reason is that he is practicing the array diagram of the Tongtian Sect Master of the Shangqing lineage. Using the Yuqing and Taiqing array diagrams should also work, but they are somewhat incompatible.

"Because the Qinghua Sect of Qinghua Mountain was originally the state religion of Western Shu, and the Wudang Sect of Wudang Mountain was the state religion of Southern Chu. In the past, during the War of the Eight Princes, the Great Zhou was in turmoil. The three kingdoms of Western Shu, Southern Chu, and Northern Yan formed an alliance to annex the Great Zhou. Later, my father helped the late emperor ascend the throne and instead pacified the three kingdoms. The Qinghua Sect and the Wudang Sect surrendered under my father's army, and the Guizhen Method was naturally given to my father. The Shangqing Guizhen Method belongs to the Lingbao Sect of Zaoge Mountain. It is our own sect in the Great Zhou, so it was not destroyed and therefore we do not know about it," Xu Yuhua explained.

"I see. What is Northern Yan then?" Bai Xuan asked curiously.

"Northern Yan does not believe in Taoism, but worships Buddhism. The Jizhao Temple is the protector of the country," Xu Yuhua said.

"I see. In that case, it's equivalent to the Lingbao Sect of Shangqing defeating Taiqing, Yuqing, and Buddhism. That's impressive," Bai Xuan exclaimed.

Does this mean that no matter which world it is, Shangqing will always fight against Taiqing, Yuqing, and Buddhism?

Following the roots?

However, the Shangqing sect in this world is quite powerful.

Or perhaps it's because the Prince of Zhenbei is such a powerful external ally?

They actually managed to defeat the other three companies.

Even the ancestor of the Tongtian Sect could not do that.

First, return to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion and learn the Taiqing Guizhen Method. The Taiqing lineage's principle of overcoming strength with softness and its entrapment formation method are quite compatible.

Once I've learned enough, I'll go to the Lingbao Sect to learn from their masters.

No, I obtained the Immortal Slaughtering Formation Diagram and became a disciple of the Tongtian Sect Leader.

They are merely disciples and grand-disciples of the Shangqing lineage. What I'm doing isn't stealing; it should be called learning from my own family's methods.

Thinking of this, Bai Xuan felt relieved, but just as he relaxed, he glanced out the window and his expression darkened slightly.

"What's wrong?" Xu Yuhua asked, puzzled.

"It's almost 3 AM, but Zhongfu and the others haven't returned yet, which means things aren't going as smoothly as we thought," Bai Xuan said solemnly.

"Wuwei County is within the sphere of influence of Cangjian Manor, and there's also the Wuwei Army. Mr. Li and his group couldn't possibly have failed. Perhaps something delayed them." Xu Yuhua looked at the time and also felt something was off.

However, within Wuwei, in theory, Qiu Linyuan should not have been able to fail.

Unless the Blood Shadow Cult escapes faster than they thought.

"I hope so." Bai Xuan's expression shifted slightly, but he thought to himself, if they haven't returned by now, something must have happened.

Time slips away bit by bit.

Before we knew it, another night had passed, and the sky began to brighten.

After Bai Xuan finished his meal, he continued on his way. This time, halfway there, he finally encountered Qiu Linyuan and Li Daoyan, who had turned back. Qiu Linyuan was carrying a middle-aged man wearing a black and red robe.

However, neither of them showed any joy. Xu Yuhua frowned slightly, thinking to herself that Bai Xuan was right after all.