Refining Essence into Qi Great Formation, Activated

Three days later, in Changyun City, the night was as dark as ink. In the center of the inner city.

Inside a magnificent mansion.

An old man in black attire stood on a stone platform. The collar and cuffs of his attire were embroidered with black dragon patterns, the signature motif of the Dragon Transformation Sect.

Behind the stone platform stood a giant three-headed Buddha statue.

The old man's beard and hair were all white, his face ruddy, and his eyes were like deep pools, revealing a sharp glint.

He slowly raised his right hand, palm pressed against the center of the black stone platform. The essence within his body flowed like a stream, slowly pouring into the stone platform.

As the vital energy was infused, a faint silver glow gradually emanated from the cracks on the surface of the black stone platform. The glow grew brighter and brighter, eventually forming an invisible pillar of light that shot straight into the night sky.

The next second, in various parts of Changyun City, faint glows suddenly rose simultaneously. These glows emerged from the locations where the Wang Clan disciples had buried the stone slabs, converging in the air like fireflies, and finally flying towards the black stone platform in the inner city.

In the old man's eyes, these glows were bright and dazzling. Each one represented a wisp of the city's essence. They intertwined in the night sky to form a massive net of light, enveloping the entire Changyun City. As the light net operated, more essence was drawn from every corner of the city, merging into the light net.

But in the eyes of the citizens of Changyun City, the night sky remained pitch black.

They could see nothing. They had long since fallen asleep, completely unaware of this anomaly occurring in the night.

"Weiwu." The old man withdrew his hand, his voice deep, like the clashing of metal and stone, echoing in the silent courtyard.

A dark figure emerged from the shadows of the mansion. It was Xu Weiwu.

He lowered his head, walked behind the old man, and bowed respectfully, "Martial Uncle."

The old man did not turn around, his gaze still fixed on the net of light in the night sky. He said calmly, "The formation has been activated."

Xu Weiwu was silent for a moment, but he could no longer suppress the doubts in his heart. He looked up and asked hesitantly, "Martial Uncle, this 'Refining Essence into Qi Great Formation,' will it truly not extract the essence of living people as rumored? I heard Wang Hezheng mention past events in the Zhao Kingdom when I was with the Wang Clan, and I have always felt uneasy."

Upon hearing this, the old man turned around, his sharp gaze like a sword piercing Xu Weiwu, with a hint of displeasure. "How many times have I told you? This formation has been modified by the elders of the sect, and it is already different from the evil formation of the Zhao Kingdom back then. It only collects the scattered essence in the city and will not harm the foundation of living people."

He paused, his tone softening slightly. "You are still too young and too soft-hearted. What our Dragon Transformation Sect is doing is out of necessity."

Xu Weiwu lowered his head and said no more, but the doubts in his heart were not completely dispelled. Although he trusted his Martial Uncle, he could not completely ignore the cautionary tale of the Zhao Kingdom.

Seeing him like this, the old man sighed helplessly. "The matter here is finished. You should return to the sect in a few days. Don't waste your time here."

"Return to the sect?" Xu Weiwu was taken aback for a moment, then reacted and bowed in response, "Yes, your disciple obeys."

The old man waved his hand, signaling him to withdraw.

Xu Weiwu bowed again, turned, and left the mansion, melting into the night.

The old man turned his gaze back to the net of light in the night sky, a complex expression flashing in his eyes. The formation would indeed not actively extract the essence of living people, but it couldn't withstand someone causing trouble. This was a double-edged sword. If used well, the Dragon Transformation Sect would prosper greatly. If there was even a slight misstep, the name of a demonic sect would be instantly affixed to the Dragon Transformation Sect.

"Those sects that turn a blind eye to external enemies employ thunderous methods internally."

"Chaos is coming, and a little risk is unavoidable," the old man muttered to himself, slowly closing his eyes, and began to guide the essence in the light net to converge towards the black stone platform.

After converging, it was as if invisible threads were pulling it, flying towards the Spirit Seeking Prefecture.

Additionally, about one-tenth flowed towards a location in the inner city.

In the Wang Clan's backyard training grounds, the night was deep.

Wang Yue, shirtless, repeatedly practiced the Harmonious Flow Fist in the center of the field. The sound of his fist wind breaking through the air was particularly clear in the silent night.

He was practicing his punches, but as he practiced, a strange feeling suddenly surged into his heart, as if countless subtle streams of energy were circulating around him.

The text "If you can't find the book by its title, you can try searching by the author, maybe they just changed their name!" appeared in his mind.

Following his breath, they entered his body and quickly dissipated, causing his Qi and Blood to stir faintly.

"Something's not right." Wang Yue stopped his movements, frowning. This feeling was by no means ordinary, nor was it like the cool night breeze. Instead, it carried a characteristic similar to "essence," but it was thinner and more mixed than his own Qi and Blood.

He subconsciously pushed open the door and walked outside the courtyard. The moment he looked up at the night sky, his pupils contracted sharply. He saw countless fine silver threads floating in the pitch-black night sky. These threads intertwined like a spiderweb, faintly forming a huge oval light net.

It enveloped the entire Changyun City. Silver light flowed slowly along the threads, exuding a mysterious and majestic aura.

Just then, the panel in his mind suddenly displayed lines of golden text, clearly imprinted in his consciousness:

[Detected: Fifth-tier formation: Refining Essence into Qi Great Formation]

[Formation Effect: Absorbs human essence wandering between heaven and earth, and can be converted into pure energy after convergence. This formation is ingeniously designed, with no fixed attributes. Used righteously, it can nourish martial artists and solidify their foundation. Used wickedly, it can forcibly extract the essence of living people, becoming an evil formation.]

[Additional Hint: Refining the essence converged by the formation can significantly accelerate a martial artist's cultivation speed, but the essence contains human杂念 (miscellaneous thoughts). Refining it can easily shake one's will, so use with caution.]

Wang Yue stood frozen, his face filled with shock. The stone slabs buried underground by the Wang Clan disciples were actually part of this Refining Essence into Qi Great Formation!

The Patriarch had the entire clan's disciples bury the stone slabs, not as a simple "clan mission," but to cooperate with the Dragon Transformation Sect in setting up this formation covering the entire Changyun City!

He steadied himself, his gaze returning to the night sky. Following the flow of the silver light net, he looked closely and saw that the center of the light net converged into two pillars of essence. One was thick and condensed, intermittently flying towards the outskirts of the city, its direction being the Spirit Seeking Prefecture's main city.

The other was small and weak, like a faint thread, and was actually descending towards the Wang Clan's backyard!

"What? The pillar of essence is falling towards the Wang Clan?" Wang Yue was greatly surprised. He moved his feet, circulating his Qi and Blood stealthily, his body leaping onto the roof as lightly as a cat. His footsteps were silent. He moved rapidly across the continuous rooftops, his gaze locked onto the small pillar of essence. Soon, he traced the landing point of the pillar of essence, which turned out to be Patriarch Wang Hezheng's private residence!

"The Patriarch knew about this long ago? And the Wang Clan can even get a share of the essence from the great formation?" Wang Yue stood on a rooftop in the distance, his mind in chaos, countless questions flooding his mind.

He dared not look any further, fearing discovery. He turned and silently retreated to the Martial Academy, then quickly walked to the water vat in the courtyard, lifted a bucket, and poured the icy well water all over himself.

The bone-chilling cold instantly sobered him up. Wang Yue took a deep breath, forcing himself to think calmly: "The Refining Essence into Qi Great Formation can absorb wandering essence and also extract the essence of living people. The panel currently shows that only the mode of absorbing wandering essence is activated, meaning it will not harm the common people for the time being."

To confirm, he walked to a spot in the Martial Academy where a stone slab had been buried. He stood on it, concentrating on his spirit and Qi and Blood. After a moment, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. The essence within his body did not flow out at all, and his Qi and Blood remained stable. It seemed the formation was indeed only absorbing wandering essence for now and had not affected living people.

Even so, Wang Yue had no intention of resting. He returned to the training ground, assumed the starting stance of the Harmonious Flow Fist, and his fist wind was even sharper than before. Each punch carried his current complex and solemn state of mind, as if he wanted to vent all the doubts and unease in his heart through his fist techniques.

A faint sound of footsteps came from the side. Wang Yue stopped his movements, turned, and saw Wang Shuo standing at the edge of the training ground, wearing a gray traditional jacket. Wang Shuo looked at him with a complex expression.

"How much do you know?" Wang Shuo asked softly, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable authority.

Wang Yue was slightly startled. He hadn't noticed Wang Shuo behind him at all. He figured he was too focused on the great formation, letting his concern cloud his judgment and making him ignore the movements around him.

He stopped his fist stance and walked over to Wang Shuo. Just as he was about to explain, Wang Shuo's gaze suddenly fell upon his eyes. Wang Shuo's pupils contracted sharply, and he asked in shock, "In your eyes... what is in the sky?"

Wang Yue was also taken aback. He subconsciously asked, "Master, can't you see the silver lines and pillars of essence in the sky?"

Wang Shuo followed his gaze and looked up at the dark night sky, his brows furrowed. He shook his head, "Other than the night sky with twinkling stars, there's nothing."

Wang Yue's heart skipped a beat, and a cold sweat broke out. It seemed only he could see these unusual phenomena, most likely thanks to his panel! He wondered how much trouble he would attract if people knew he had such an ability.

Seeing the change in his expression, Wang Shuo didn't press further on "why can you see it." Instead, he said solemnly, "You must not speak of this carelessly in front of outsiders, especially about you being able to see these phenomena. If it gets out, it will bring you a deadly disaster."

He paused, and seeing Wang Yue nod, he continued, "Since you can see it, I won't hide it from you. Those stone slabs are the foundation of the Refining Essence into Qi Great Formation. The Dragon Transformation Sect set up this great formation to gather the essence of Changyun City. As collaborators, our Wang Clan can also obtain a portion of the essence from the great formation to cultivate our clan disciples."

"Then... will this great formation harm the common people?" Wang Yue couldn't help but ask.

"Not currently," Wang Shuo shook his head, his tone somewhat certain. "The great formation only absorbs the free-floating essence. This essence is naturally dispersed from human activities and will not harm the fundamentals."

He patted Wang Yue's shoulder, his eyes showing some reassurance. "Go back and rest. If the sky falls, our elders in the Wang Clan's Fifth Branch will hold it up. Moreover, in Changyun City, our Wang Clan is the sky. There's no need to worry about things that haven't happened yet."

Wang Yue looked at Wang Shuo's determined eyes, and his anxiety lessened slightly. He nodded and asked no further questions, turning to walk towards his room.