Inside the wooden cabin.
Fang Hong flipped through the pages one by one.
Time flowed past like running water, soundless and unseen.
Myriad Star Peak Heavenly Star Array Formation Fundamentals: Beginner (26/100) Myriad Star Peak Heavenly Star Array Formation Fundamentals: Beginner (84/100) Myriad Star Peak Heavenly Star Array Formation Fundamentals: Minor Accomplishment (56/100) Myriad Star Peak Heavenly Star Array Formation Fundamentals: Major Accomplishment (94/100)
The golden crow sank in the west; the moon rabbit rose high, then fell once more.
A whole night passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the room, Fang Hong gently closed the thick book in his hands, rubbed the space between his brows, and let out a breath.
The immense amount of formation knowledge that had suddenly flooded into his mind was quickly sorted into clear order.
After reading through the entire night, Fang Hong had successfully raised the contents of the book to the realm of perfection.
Myriad Star Peak Heavenly Star Array Formation Fundamentals: Perfection!
The formation fundamentals at the level of perfection gave Fang Hong an incomparably clear and comprehensive understanding of formations.
With every breakthrough in realm, he would enter that invisible, pitch-black space in a daze.
There, he would read and study the foundational knowledge related to formations again and again.
Along the way, he had encountered plenty of things he did not understand.
But the dark space did not care about that.
If he did not understand, then he had to keep reading and keep learning.
No matter what, he had to guess, fabricate, and let his imagination run wild like a celestial horse soaring through the sky until he figured out that point of knowledge.
In short, if he understood it, he could continue learning!
If he did not understand it, then he could only continue after he understood it!
Even Fang Hong himself did not know how much time he had spent in that dark space in order to thoroughly understand the knowledge within this book.
But now, he could say with absolute certainty—
When it came solely to understanding this Detailed Explanation of Formation Basics—
If he claimed second place, absolutely no one would dare claim first!
Even Chang Chunbo, the Formation Hall Master and formation grandmaster whose reputation had spread far and wide for years, was no exception.
He would dare say those words right to Chang Chunbo's face.
After gaining a profoundly thorough understanding of this Detailed Explanation of Formation Basics—
Fang Hong also understood why Chang Chunbo had felt completely different from the other Heavenly Realm big shots.
Formations were the utilization of Heaven and Earth's Momentum.
At Chang Chunbo's level, he had long since become capable of completely blending himself with the Heaven and Earth's Momentum around him.
He was part of that small world.
No matter how sharp Fang Hong's senses were, how could he possibly sense danger from an ordinary stretch of heaven and earth?
Besides.
After last night's cultivation—
Fang Hong had also discovered something.
For cultivating this sort of purely knowledge-based content—
He needed to consume very little energy.
Throughout the entire night, he had only eaten a few Qi Replenishing Pills and had not replenished his energy afterward.
Compared to the countless pieces of foundational knowledge about the Heavenly Star Array Formation he had obtained in his mind—
Those few Qi Replenishing Pills were simply not worth mentioning.
Looking at it that way, if he had not been in this fantasy world where great power belonged to the individual—
He would most likely have become one of those scientist protagonists from academic overachiever novels.
But who told him he had transmigrated into a fantasy martial world where the strong could casually decide the fates of the weak?
Here, strength was what mattered most.
Even so, last night's cultivation had still given him plenty of inspiration.
When he had free time in the future, aside from martial arts, he still needed to learn more crafts.
Weapon refining, pill refining, and the like—all of it had to be put on the agenda.
Because he had discovered that through last night's study of formations—
He had gained a great deal of inspiration for creating his own cultivation techniques in the future.
There were still half a month left before the Sect Grand Competition.
Perhaps he could use the time in between to create a few more cultivation techniques.
He could raise his strength another step before the Sect Grand Competition.
Only then could he seize first place in the Sect Grand Competition with absolute certainty.
With countless thoughts swirling through his mind, Fang Hong slowly rose to his feet, left the room, and entered the courtyard outside.
It was early morning.
The dawn light was faint.
Within the sea of clouds on the horizon, a dense golden radiance was spreading.
Fang Hong quietly sensed the sea of clouds and golden light on the horizon.
At that moment, Zhao Tianchen also appeared at the entrance of the wooden cabin.
He had not slept all night.
Yesterday, he had already fallen into despair and completely given up on that tiny hope in his heart.
He had even been prepared to have Fang Hong cultivate another technique.
Yet when faced with Fang Hong's earnest and resolute expression, he hesitated again, and the expectation in his heart was reignited.
Chang Chunbo was a formation grandmaster, but was everything he said truly absolutely correct?
Hong'er's comprehension was so terrifying, and he was so confident.
Even though reason told Zhao Tianchen not to hold any hope, that Chang Chunbo, a formation grandmaster, would not speak carelessly and was not that sort of person—
When he thought of Fang Hong's terrifying comprehension, he still held onto a sliver of luck.
What if?
What if Hong'er really was the exception?!
So he had not slept all night, keeping watch over Fang Hong's movements the entire time.
The moment he noticed Fang Hong coming outside, he immediately left his room as well.
However, seeing Fang Hong quietly immersed in comprehension, Zhao Tianchen carefully did not dare make the slightest sound.
The two of them simply stood there in silence.
Fang Hong calmly gazed at the endless sea of clouds and the rolling golden radiance on the horizon.
Zhao Tianchen looked at Fang Hong with nervousness, fear, and expectation.
More than ten minutes later.
The sea of clouds on the horizon churned, and the golden radiance surged like waves.
A crimson sun burst through the sea of clouds and rose into the sky.
It cast out tens of thousands of rays, illuminating and piercing through all clouds and mist.
At the same time, Fang Hong, who had been quietly watching the scene, gave a slight shudder.
A trace of astonishment appeared in his eyes.
He had sensed it.
So this was Heaven and Earth's Momentum!
In Fang Hong's perception, the space between heaven and earth seemed to be blanketed by a flowing Qi Flow.
Mountains and rivers, cloud waves, flowers, grasses, trees, insects, fish, birds, beasts—every single thing.
All things possessed their own qi.
Or rather, their own momentum!
The momentum of all things linked and converged, forming an even more immense, colossal, and utterly unshakable terrifying Qi Flow between heaven and earth.
Fang Hong did not know whether other formation masters sensed Heaven and Earth's Momentum in the same way.
But at this moment, he was completely shaken by this endless, boundless, terrifying Qi Flow of heaven and earth.
Vast, broad, perfect!
The terrifying Qi Flow formed by the whole world seemed, in his perception, like a massive and boundless formation that was perfect beyond compare.
Amid that inexplicable shock, Fang Hong slowly raised a hand.
He pressed down through the air.
Not far in front of Fang Hong, a patch of invisible ripples suddenly appeared.
A mysterious power abruptly rose from within those invisible ripples.
Yet after only a brief moment, the invisible ripples directly dissipated.
That mysterious power fell silent along with them.
It was as though a slightly wrinkled sheet of paper had been smoothed flat.
Just now, Fang Hong had stirred the Heaven and Earth's Momentum in that spot.
The Qi Flow of heaven and earth was originally one whole, constantly circulating without pause.
Thus, after the Heaven and Earth's Momentum in that spot had been triggered, if there was no continued support to sustain it—
It would soon be assimilated once more by the Qi Flow of heaven and earth and return to its original state.
But Zhao Tianchen, standing at the entrance of the wooden cabin, saw Fang Hong press down through the air and witnessed this sudden scene.
He was jolted with shock and nearly cried out on the spot.
He hurriedly covered his mouth with both hands, afraid that he would let out a startled shout.
He had triggered Heaven and Earth's Momentum!
That was right, this was it!
Hong'er had succeeded!
He had really succeeded!
In just one night, he had actually sensed the existence of Heaven and Earth's Momentum and had even been able to trigger it initially!
Wonderful, wonderful!!
Zhao Tianchen's heart was completely filled with the sudden, wild joy.
His hope had not been extinguished!
There was still a chance!
The more Zhao Tianchen thought about it, the more excited he became, and two streams of hot tears spilled uncontrollably from his eyes.
At that moment, Fang Hong turned to look at Zhao Tianchen.
He grinned, revealing two rows of gleaming white teeth.
Above the sea of clouds on the horizon, the golden sun had risen high, and countless rays of morning light shot toward all things beneath heaven like golden swords.
Bathed in that golden light, in Zhao Tianchen's eyes—
Fang Hong was like a deity radiating endless hope!
"Master, it seems this disciple's talent is still passable. I did not disappoint you."
Within the endless golden dawn, Fang Hong spoke softly with a brilliant smile.
Zhao Tianchen lowered the hands covering his mouth. Tears streamed down his face, yet his smile bloomed like a chrysanthemum in sunlight.
Hong'er, being able to become your master truly is my good fortune!
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
At a certain place within the outer sect of the Star River Sect.
Pang Zhenghao stepped out of his residence and looked at the dawn on the horizon, his face full of melancholy.
Boss Fang, when are you coming out again?
I still have a gift I want to give you.
Could it be that my luck really was this bad?
After finally finding someone to cling to, I could not even give him a gift.
How miserable...
Before you continue