"Formations tested one's comprehension. That was true, but there were also those whose perseverance never wavered, who ultimately became formation masters. At the beginning of formation cultivation, one needed to calm one's heart..."
The Purple-Crowned Elder's voice spread across the cloud beds here, ensuring that every disciple could hear him.
"So that was how it worked. Because one's control was insufficient in the early stages, Spirit Stones were needed to assist in operating formations. But as long as one could perfectly control one's own Spiritual Power, draw upon a thread of spiritual energy between Heaven and Earth, and blend naturally with the world, then formations would also come into being as naturally as if they had always existed."
"The Spirit-Gathering Formation was where one began, though one could also start with the Mind-Gathering Formation, which condensed the mind and spirit..."
"Unfortunately, the beginning required formation disks and matching materials. They were necessities for beginners making the transition—unless one possessed truly outstanding talent, in which case it was another matter entirely."
Lu Qing gave it some thought.
He realized that he could not abandon his great undertaking of growing Spirit Plants during this initial stage.
The Spirit Fields on the back mountain ought to be put to use.
He had to admit that when the Purple-Crowned Elder spoke of formations, his explanations were profound yet easy to understand.
He did not engage in empty grandstanding. Instead, he demonstrated on the spot how formations were arranged. One formation after another appeared in his hands, as though he were simply moving his own arms.
Lu Qing was still an outsider to the field and could not make out the finer details, but he could still feel the effects of the Spirit-Gathering Formation.
Within a large Spirit-Gathering Formation, he had originally intended to spend more time tempering the foundation of his Qi Nourishment Sixth Layer.
Unexpectedly, as spiritual energy poured into him now, he broke through with complete calm and advanced into the Qi Nourishment Seventh Layer.
This realm was already the Late Qi Nourishment Realm.
Lu Qing felt neither surprise nor joy. He only felt that everything was as it should be. With his aptitude, he had never worried about the speed of his cultivation.
He attended lessons for three days straight.
Among the many disciples of the Outer Academy, he was hardly noticeable.
After leaving, Lu Qing also heard that many people from the same batch as him had begun receiving titles such as rising stars of the Outer Sect.
Among them were Heaven's Pride such as Gu Xuantian, Cheng Du, Su Xinyue, and Wan Feiyu.
But none of that had anything to do with him.
At present, he was in his own courtyard, eager to try his hand at refining his first formation.
Formation knowledge had sunk deep into his mind, and Lu Qing's hands itched to try. A simple formation disk did not cost much.
He quickly obtained a formation disk.
He tried to arrange the beginner-level Spirit-Gathering Formation. Clearly, the Spiritual Power set off from the Formation Eye, but before it could begin circulating, it seemed to lose its spiritual power midway. The activation faltered, and naturally, the formation could not be started.
Failing the first time was perfectly normal.
After hearing the lesson, Lu Qing had wanted to put it into practice.
A full day and night passed in succession, yet Lu Qing remained full of vigor. At the eight positions around him, specks of Spirit Light lit up one after another with astonishing speed, like a Spirit Vein.
They were also like Heaven Lamps being ignited. In Lu Qing's eyes, those points of Spirit Light had originally been pearls, but now that Spiritual Power linked them together—
The pearls were strung together, becoming a genuine pearl necklace. The finished product was successfully completed.
"It worked! Hahaha, it seems I am rather talented when it comes to formations."
Lu Qing was somewhat delighted. They said Immortal Cultivation consumed resources, yet after comparing and pondering over the Spirit-Gathering Formation, he had actually figured it out. Moreover, he did not even need to consume his own Spirit Stones.
What Spirit Stones? Using the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth directly as the foundation for operation was the proper way.
"Good, good, good. This formation will be perfect for setting up in my courtyard and Spirit Fields. Once I become more proficient, I can even upgrade it from the simplest Spirit-Gathering Formation."
Lu Qing was preparing to farm, so naturally he had made proper preparations rather than merely talking about it.
"Spirit Plants are generally supplied to the dining hall. The Dao Academy will not keep everything in its own hands. Every month, it comes to purchase ordinary and special Spirit Plants."
When trading with others, one knew their face but not their heart.
But when dealing with this colossal entity itself, there was no need for too many concerns.
Lu Qing now knew what he was capable of. "Mm, then I should choose the seeds first."
As a major power that could almost provide for its own daily cultivation needs, Lu Qing understood that this place had every kind of seed imaginable.
He did not challenge anything too difficult.
The Spirit Fields had previously been left uncultivated. Now that Lu Qing came to the rear courtyard, more than a dozen Spirit Fields lay beneath the sky in neat grids shaped like the character for field. The soil was fertile, and beside them was a small pond where several ordinary fish swam back and forth.
When Lu Qing entered, he merely cast a glance in that direction.
Now that he had seen it, he first spent some effort setting up the Spirit-Gathering Formation. Since there was a pond here, it was just right to choose this spot for the Formation Eye.
Once Lu Qing had made his preparations and felt the spiritual energy gathering, he quickly took out the seeds from the Jade Token Space.
It was far too convenient. With this Jade Token, it was practically instant delivery. Other than excessively precious items that required one to personally verify and collect them offline, these mere Spirit Plant seeds naturally did not require such trouble.
The more Lu Qing used it, the more he felt that the mysteries contained within this Jade Token were inexhaustible.
Not to mention anything else, a Jade Token Space alone was enough to let many people glimpse the formidable power of the Dao Academy.
That was also why Lu Qing had always felt that this place was not a purely Immortal Cultivation sect.
"Moonblade Spirit Rice perfectly meets the requirements."
With a sweep of Lu Qing's hand, countless Moonblade Spirit Rice seeds sank into the soil.
Afterward, Lu Qing formed hand seals and silently recited an incantation. A great mass of dark clouds immediately gathered above the Spirit Fields, and rain fell from the sky. The low water level in the pond slowly began to rise as well.
Very soon, the soil became moist. Lu Qing did not leave, instead watching this patch of earth.
In less than the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, the seeds Lu Qing had planted began breaking through the soil, sprouting tender green shoots.
"One day to grow, three days to produce rice. But it will take more than half a month before it fully matures and can be harvested."
"After it matures, the leaves of the Moonblade Spirit Rice can also be harvested and made into talisman paper. Cultivating it is not particularly difficult, but if one wants it to mature well, it needs to be fed certain special things."
Thinking of this, Lu Qing's expression became rather strange. Looking at the tender shoots before him, if he had merely skimmed through the information, he probably would not have discovered a Spirit Plant so perfectly suited to his current situation.
That was right. Those special things required the cultivator who planted it to feed it offensive spells.
Sword arts were best.
That was why Lu Qing had chosen it. Moreover, one could not use an actual sword to inflict damage with the sword art. Was that not practically the same as using Spiritual Power to trace out sword techniques?
Lu Qing finally understood completely. The Library Tower and Dao Academy Treasury truly had everything one could possibly need.
Perhaps there were also many seniors cultivating the Profound Heaven Origin Scripture. Someone might have discovered this use long ago; otherwise, that obvious Spirit Sword Art was precisely this Spirit Plant's "growth fertilizer."
"The Great Thousand World truly contains every strange thing imaginable."
Lu Qing shook his head and went back to continue cultivating.
He was incomparably settled now. Calamity Avoidance had not acted up, so the situation should have been different from when he had first entered the sect.
Yet sometimes, the more one did not want something to happen, the more it struck without warning and caught one completely off guard.
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