"I shall regard the Dao of Formations as the single word 'change.' Heaven gives birth to all things, earth nurtures all living beings—nothing remains forever unchanged. If you truly learned to be exactly like me, this old man would be leading his students astray."
A drifting cloud descended from the sky, condensing into the face and body of an old man.
Liu Changquan smiled as he explained.
The place where Lu Qing stood was precisely where the formation diagram in this man's hand was located.
Lu Qing was not surprised by the man's arrival.
Still, he understood what had been said.
"Change?" Lu Qing repeated the word, feeling for some reason that it seemed to encompass the essential truths of countless formations.
Seeing him deep in thought, Elder Liu threw back his head and laughed. His laughter was free and unrestrained. "That is merely my own view. Upon the Great Dao, who can claim to have explained all things? Remember this: if you ever encounter people who want to teach you the Great Dao, stay far, far away from them."
"Lest they drag you onto a crooked path."
By the end of his laughter, the old man's face held a faintly smiling, faintly mocking expression.
"This disciple will remember." Lu Qing committed it to heart. Though he did not think anyone would want to teach him the Great Dao, it was always best to guard against what might come. That had always been one of his principles.
At times, Elder Liu commented on the other disciples; at others, he personally demonstrated how to lay formations.
Lu Qing had already grasped those essentials, but he still listened carefully.
"The Heaven-and-Earth Severing Formation. It seems the formation I laid truly accords deeply with what I have in mind."
Lu Qing could not