Junior sister, I really need to control you.

After mastering the Yin-Yang Cave Mystery Formation, a "Chess Soul" will be formed.

Or, to put it another way, "the spirit of the formation".

As long as the cultivator has read and memorized the knowledge about formations or chess, the chess spirit will automatically understand and deduce after activating the "chess spirit".

The facilitator doesn't need to understand this knowledge; they only need to memorize it by rote and swallow it whole. The parts they understand are taught to their own Go spirit.

Of course, despite its name "Chess Spirit," its most important function is to comprehend and deduce formations, thereby enhancing one's mastery of formations.

In Li Yinsheng's understanding, the spirit of chess is more like a secondary brain that is specifically responsible for thinking and understanding the knowledge of formations and chess, allowing people to multitask and study formations while doing normal work.

However, the spirit of the Hikaru no Go is not the essence of this spell. In fact, in the eyes of the person who created this spell, the spirit of the Hikaru no Go is just an unexpected bonus with little use.

While Hikaru no Go certainly allows one to multitask and learn formations, ...

Activating the spirit of the game requires mental effort.

Moreover, it is extremely mentally taxing, even more so than normal cultivation.

While studying and mastering complex formations inevitably takes a toll on one's mental energy, the toll on the spirit of chess is much greater.

This means that the Go Soul is essentially useless in terms of learning formations, and can only play a role in a few special circumstances.

For example, if a formation master is fighting another formation master and cannot be distracted while fighting, he can activate the chess spirit to multitask and let the chess spirit deduce the weaknesses of the opponent's formation.

Or, while engaging a cultivator with a weakness, one could simultaneously urge the chess spirit to modify one of their formations, slightly altering its effectiveness to make it more effective against the opponent.

Even if you use it this way, the risk is still very high. After all, if you consume too much mental energy, you will reveal a weakness when fighting.

If the opponent's formation has not yet found its weaknesses, or if a formation that counters the opponent has not yet been modified, it is quite possible that you will be defeated due to a flaw.

Therefore, in this cultivation method, the Chess Spirit is more like a temporary means and cannot replace the daily study of formations.

Otherwise, if you focus all your energy on activating the chess spirit, then there's no point in thinking about cultivation.

But for Li Yinsheng, this was not a problem at all.

Within the cave, he could freely activate the chess spirit, multitasking by cultivating while simultaneously deducing formations.

He only needs to make sure he memorizes more books on formations in his spare time to ensure that the Go spirit doesn't fall into the predicament of "thinking without learning is dangerous" when he enters the cave to cultivate. After all, the Go spirit can only replace thinking, not learning.

In this way, the Chess Soul can ensure that he can continuously improve his array formation skills every time he cultivates in the cave.

As for the cost, it's nothing more than a slight increase in mental and physical exertion.

In fact, after obtaining the cave and roughly understanding its rules, Li Yinsheng had been looking for similar bug-exploiting methods, and using the Blood Refining Pivot to assist in body refining was just such a thing.

However, he had already searched the entire library of Xuanzhen Temple, but had not found a method with a similar effect.

Until today, Fellow Daoist Meng sent him this Yin-Yang Cave Profound Array Technique, which can condense chess spirits and consume mental energy to improve array formation skills.

He would never let this spell go, no matter what.

He didn't really care about the magic-based chess pieces arrays and the dozen or so additional arrays described inside.

However, the effect of condensing the chess spirit is no less important to him than refining the blood core.

However, on the other hand, although this spell can improve chess skills, it is only a side effect. The key is still the mastery of formations, and chess skills have little impact on the power of the spell.

Ultimately, this is still a spell used to fight enemies; it merely uses magical power to conjure the Yin and Yang elements as "materials" for setting up an array.

It's like swinging a chessboard at someone. Does the same chessboard cause more damage in the hands of a chess master than in the hands of someone else?

It doesn't make sense.

Just as Li Yinsheng was pondering what kind of magic or technique he should use to exchange for the "Yin Yang Cave Mystery Array" with the Jade Altar Temple...

Just then, Meng Yu suddenly spoke up: "This technique was not taught privately. I asked my master about it last night using a communication artifact and have already received his approval."

"Huh?" Li Yinsheng almost thought he had misheard. "Your master? The abbot of Yutan Temple? He agreed?"

Meng Yu nodded: "Master said that as long as you promise not to pass it on to anyone, then he can teach you."

Hearing that there were requirements, Li Yinsheng felt a bit more at ease.

But is that all the requirements?

Seeing the puzzled look on Li Yinsheng's face, Meng Yu became even more confused.

Does he dislike this spell?

After returning to her room last night, she didn't want to teach Li Yinsheng chess anymore, but she also wanted to see him. So she quickly thought of this spell.

Because she enjoys playing chess, she naturally learned this spell.

She has already condensed the spirit of chess, but the spirit of chess is not very useful to her. Whether it is chess strength or array formation skills, she can learn them on her own, which is much faster than activating the spirit of chess.

The most important aspect of this spell is actually the ability to conjure chess pieces into formations using magic, as well as the more than ten formations recorded within it, which are extremely practical.

If teaching Li Yinsheng this magic technique could replace teaching him chess, it would undoubtedly be the best of both worlds.

So she used a communication artifact to ask her master overnight, reporting what had happened in the past few days and also asking if he could teach Li Yinsheng the Yin-Yang Cave Profound Array.

As dawn broke, she received a reply from her master.

He can teach it, but Li Yinsheng is only allowed to learn it himself; he must not pass it on to others.

This time, her good intentions backfired, exposing Li Yinsheng to the eyes of Shouyi Temple. Although, according to her description, Li Yinsheng didn't seem to care much, she still had to give him some compensation.

After all, given Li Yinsheng's talent, becoming a True Person in the future is almost a certainty, so naturally, he can't let go of the opportunity to befriend him in advance.

So Meng Yu took this magic spell and went straight to find Li Yinsheng.

Seeing Li Yinsheng hesitating about whether to accept it, she took out a palm-sized mirror from her Qiankun bag.

This is her communication artifact, extremely precious. If she hadn't been entrusted with this important task by the temple, it wouldn't have been given to her.

"Fellow Daoist Li, look."

She handed the mirror to Li Yinsheng, displaying the conversation she had with her master the day before.

Looking at the blatant words from the abbot of Yutan Temple on the mirror, "This boy has the potential to be a true master; we can befriend him," Li Yinsheng didn't know what expression to make.

He returned the mirror to Meng Yu, took the "Yin Yang Cave Mystery Formation" she handed him, bowed respectfully, and spoke solemnly.

"Fellow Daoist Meng, I have remembered your favor, as well as the favor from Yutan Temple."

Meng Yu blinked, disregarding the promise of favor, and instead asked, "This spell is a bit difficult, do you need me to teach you?"

"I really don't know much about formations, so it would be great if Fellow Daoist Meng could teach me."

Li Yinsheng hesitated for a moment and said, "But at this time, with the demons coming up the mountain and the formation being activated, as the person in charge of the formation, will Fellow Daoist Meng be able to free himself?"

"It's alright," Meng Yu shook her head, "someone is taking my place."

"For you? Is that reliable?" Li Yinsheng asked with some curiosity.

"They are my junior brothers and sisters who assisted me when I was setting up the Tongming Refining Spirit Array for Xuanzhen Temple," Meng Yu said.

"Oh!" Li Yinsheng exclaimed in realization.

"I only had some free time in the first few days. After five days, the number of demons will increase, and I won't be able to leave the central hub of the formation easily," Meng Yu said.

"Then, since Fellow Daoist Meng has some time today, please give me some more guidance," Li Yinsheng said.

As for visiting my junior sister... it won't make a difference if I take a little while. I'll learn the spells first.

"Yes!" Meng Yu nodded immediately.

……

About two hours later.

Before the dazed Meng Yu, Li Yinsheng flicked his fingers in the air, and black and white light flew and swirled, transforming into a simple array that enveloped him.

As the last black chess piece landed on the corresponding array node, the array, along with Li Yinsheng within it, spread out rapidly, becoming transparent, like a drop of ink in a water vat.

Yin Yang Cave Mystery Formation - Shadow Concealment Formation.

This is a formation used to conceal one's aura and physical form; it is quite simple to execute.

However, since it was Li Yinsheng's first time encountering formations, he could feel that he was still very rough in using them.

This formation now only has the effect of concealing physical form; the ability to suppress one's aura depends entirely on him.

If it were a cultivator with similar cultivation level or a higher level of array mastery, they would be able to see through this level of concealment array at a glance.

However, it is extremely difficult for those with low cultivation levels to detect.

Looking at Li Yinsheng, who had vanished into thin air before her eyes without a trace, and whose location could only be found through the traces of the array, Meng Yu's originally expressionless face was now completely blank.

That doesn't make sense.

That shouldn't be the case.