The next morning, Jiang Ping'an went to his formations class.
To his surprise, the instructor was a beautiful, intelligent young woman.
In her early twenties, she had a palm-sized oval face, misty brows that seemed to knit but did not, dew-laden eyes that seemed to smile but did not, a delicate nose, and cherry lips. Her skin outshone frost and snow; her figure was like a willow branch swaying in the breeze. She possessed a frail air, a mind sharper than Bi Gan's by one opening, and a sickliness that surpassed Xi Shi's by three parts. She wore a flowing green dress that emitted faint threads of Spiritual Light.
Before the instructor had even finished speaking, she involuntarily coughed two or three times.
"My name is Liu Xixu. From now on, I will teach everyone formations." The instructor sat upon a five-foot-high platform and spoke slowly, her voice soft and weak.
The students rose and bowed neatly to Liu Xixu. "Greetings, Teacher."
Yet Liu Xixu hurriedly stood up and waved her two fair hands. "I dare not accept that, I dare not. Formations are vast and profound. I am merely a fledgling apprentice learning to walk, unworthy of being your teacher. From now on, let us encourage one another and advance together."
Upon hearing Liu Xixu's words, Jiang Ping'an immediately felt that without the panel, he likely would not have been able to learn formations at all.
The others likewise inferred from Liu Xixu's words that formations were truly, extraordinarily difficult. Some had already begun to lose heart.
After sitting down again, Liu Xixu said, "Learning formations requires a certain amount of talent. Without enough talent, every step will be arduous. I have prepared a maze diagram for you. If you can solve the maze before class ends, you will