Formation

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Formations are among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, but are regarded as the most demanding of the major crafting paths. Unlike pill refining or artifact forging, which can be improved through sufficient investment and practice, formation mastery depends heavily on talent. Formation Masters consequently hold especially high status. 21

The discipline is also prohibitively expensive. Even ordinary First-Tier formations cost around ten Middle-Grade Spirit Stones, while First-Tier talismans are far cheaper; this disparity leads to the saying that poor cultivators use talismans while wealthy cultivators use formations. 123

Ji Yuan’s earliest major formation was the Yin Ghost Formation. Once repaired and completed, it allowed him to command two Fifth-Layer Qi Refining Yin Ghosts and potentially kill an ordinary Sixth-Layer Qi Refining cultivator without fighting personally. 49

He later created a dedicated Formation Room, then advanced through the formation path by upgrading the Yin Ghost Formation, mastering deployment and breaking techniques, and combining system-generated formations with portable cave-abode artifacts. 123 156 158

Principles and Mechanics

• Formation eyes and nodes — A formation’s core can be disabled if its formation eye or critical nodes are found and destroyed. Some formations conceal their true core behind decoy layers. 314 553
• Elemental placement — Formation banners must be placed according to local Five-Element positions. A water formation gains strength in a water position but is weakened if its formation eye is placed in a fire position. 181
• Terrain integration — Formations can use islands, mountains, water, weather, baleful qi, and existing structures as part of their layout. 181 513
• Preparation time — Ordinary Formation Masters generally must set formations in advance and lure opponents inside. Formations generated through Ji Yuan’s buildings can activate immediately once their associated building is deployed. 157
• Layered defenses — Advanced formations may contain multiple realms or layers. Breaking an apparent first layer can lead an intruder into a more dangerous secondary formation. 314
• Formation breaking — Breaking formations requires identifying their elemental positions, energy circulation, formation eyes, and linked nodes; brute force is often the only option once trapped in a deeper layer. 175 181 314

Formation Room and Heavenly Craft Development

• Formation Room Lv0 — Established by carving its name into a stone chamber. It grants +20% First-Tier and +5% Second-Tier formation comprehension. 123
• Formation Room Lv2 — Grants the Second-Tier Stardust Illusion-Killing Formation and raises comprehension bonuses through the Third Tier. 123 156
• Formation Room Lv3 — Grants the Inverted Big Dipper Formation and improves formation comprehension up to the Fourth Tier. 157
• Heavenly Craft Workshop — The Formation Room is later combined with the Alchemy Room, Talisman Room, and Artifact Refining Room. The resulting workshop grants crafting bonuses and the Strange Gate Eight Trigrams Formation. 354
• Portable deployment — Ji Yuan uses High-Grade Magical Artifact iron houses as portable anchors for the Cave Abode and Formation Room, allowing the Star-Spiral Cloud Barrier Formation and Stardust Illusion-Killing Formation to spread across a chosen area immediately. 158

Notable Formations

Notable Practitioners

• Ji Yuan — Develops from early Yin Ghost Formation use into a Fourth-Tier Formation Master, employing formations for ambushes, defense, concealment, terrain control, and portable battlefield deployment. 49 175 513
• Yun Qianzai — Displays exceptional composure before the Fifth-Tier Black-and-White Twin-Killing Formation and identifies the paired nature of its core structure. 553
• Hu Li — Uses the Thirty-Six Dense-Smoke Formation to ambush Ji Yuan, but is overwhelmed when Ji Yuan deploys the Star-Spiral Cloud Barrier and Stardust Illusion-Killing Formations. 171
• High Person Qianzhen — A Nascent Soul Formation Master whose defensive field is composed of countless nested formation nodes; he can deploy formations even in the confined Nine Nether Rift. 507
• Formation Old Freak — Cloudcliff Abbey’s strongest expert and a powerful Formation Master, though he admits Yun Qianzai’s assessment of the Black-and-White Twin-Killing Formation exceeds his own. 383 553

Trivia

• A formation capable of covering the entirety of the Abyssal Continent exists, though its true tier is unknown. 596
• Formation-generated buildings allow Ji Yuan to bypass the usual weakness of Formation Masters: the need to prepare a battlefield in advance. 157
• The True-Piercing Divine Eye greatly strengthens formation analysis, allowing Ji Yuan to identify hidden flaws, damaged nodes, and concealed formations. 447 513