NOVEL NEXT Ch. 7
Chapter 7: Introduction to Formations
Xu Zhengyang's curiosity was immediately piqued upon hearing this.
He hurriedly asked Pei Zhen, “Master, may I ask what is so wondrous about the Seven‑Orifice Exquisite Body?”
Pei Zhen shook his head and said, “There are no detailed records about spiritual bodies in the classics; they have always been vague and passed down orally among cultivators. Even I, your master, only know a few scattered bits of information. But there is one thing I can confirm. That is, the Seven‑Orifice Exquisite Body has the ability to multitask, just like what you’re doing now.”
At this point.
Pei Zhen’s joy overflowed, and he inwardly exclaimed with excitement, 【Heaven bless Divine Mechanism Peak! Our Divine Mechanism lineage finally has hope for revival!】
“I see...”
Xu Zhengyang had no idea what Pei Zhen was thinking.
After nodding thoughtfully, he pondered in his heart:
【In that case, I can attribute my programming physique to the Seven‑Orifice Exquisite Body.】
While his thoughts wandered.
Xu Zhengyang had already brought Pei Zhen to the Meditation Room of the Twilight Shadow Pavilion.
Xu Zhengyang took out a short table and two floor cushions, brewed a cup of clear tea for Pei Zhen, and offered it respectfully, saying, “Master, please have some tea.”
“Mm.”
Pei Zhen sat on the floor cushion behind the low table, picked up the teacup and took a light sip, then said self-deprecatingly, “I originally came here to personally test your lessons and see if you’ve been slacking. But now it seems. That was completely unnecessary.”
“All thanks to your excellent teaching, Master,” Xu Zhengyang responded in kind.
Pei Zhen was clearly pleased upon hearing this.
With a wave of his hand, he took out three jade gourds from his storage pouch and said, “The Yellow Dragon Pills I gave you earlier must be almost gone, right? Here, take these and consume them first. There’s still a little less than half a month before the discipleship ceremony. I’ll take this time to personally refine a gift for our first meeting!”
“Disciple is overwhelmed!”
Xu Zhengyang quickly said, “Master did not shun this disciple for his poor aptitude and even took me under his wing for protection. This is already a great blessing beyond measure. How could I not know my place and overreach?”
“Hmph.”
Pei Zhen’s eyes were full of smiles, but he feigned anger as he said, “What did I tell you a few days ago? I am the head of Divine Mechanism Peak. Every move I make represents the face of our sect. If I were so stingy with even my personal disciples, wouldn’t that be a laughingstock to outsiders?”
Hearing this, Xu Zhengyang no longer insisted and smoothly replied, “Your disciple will strictly follow your teachings.”
“Good boy, you are teachable.”
Pei Zhen stroked his beard with a smile, then flipped his hand and took out a beautifully handcrafted handwritten book from his storage pouch and said, “Since you’ve already grasped the Divine Mechanism Talisman Guide. Then you can go ahead and take a look at this 'Introduction to Formations'.”
Xu Zhengyang’s eyes lit up when he heard this. He respectfully stretched out his hands to receive the book from Pei Zhen and said, “Your disciple obeys!”
Pei Zhen looked at Xu Zhengyang with eyes full of hope and said, “The subtlety of formations lies in techniques, and the pinnacle of techniques manifests in formations. This 'Introduction to Formations' is abstruse and hard to comprehend, but I believe in your talent! Once you fully grasp and master it. I will then pass down to you the core cultivation method of our Divine Mechanism lineage—the Divine Mechanism Art!”
Although Xu Zhengyang didn’t know what kind of mystical power the Divine Mechanism Art held, since it was the core method of Divine Mechanism Peak’s lineage.
It must be extraordinary!
So Xu Zhengyang immediately expressed his resolve, “Your disciple will never fail Master’s expectations!”
“Hahaha, good!”
Pei Zhen laughed heartily and stroked his beard, then said, “Since that’s the case, stay here and cultivate in peace. At the discipleship ceremony in half a month. The gift I’ve prepared for our first meeting will surely not disappoint you!”
As he spoke.
Pei Zhen drank the remaining tea in one gulp, then left the Meditation Room, cast a Technique, and soared into the sky, flying away from the Twilight Shadow Pavilion.
Xu Zhengyang respectfully bowed in the courtyard as he watched and said, “Your disciple respectfully sees Master off!”
…
*
A moment passed.
Once Pei Zhen flew far away, Xu Zhengyang returned to the Meditation Room and eagerly opened the book Pei Zhen had just handed him.
Immediately after.
Xu Zhengyang opened the database as usual and created a new entry titled 【Formations】 under the 【Cultivation】 category.
Only then did he begin recording the information from 'Introduction to Formations' into his database.
…
'Introduction to Formations' was twice as thick as the Divine Mechanism Talisman Guide.
Once Xu Zhengyang had fully entered all the information into his database.
He finally understood what Pei Zhen meant by “The subtlety of formations lies in techniques, and the pinnacle of techniques manifests in formations.”
“Formations, formations… To put it simply. As long as various Techniques are nested and combined according to needs, these Techniques converge together, and techniques form a formation!”
At this point.
Looking at the many brand-new runes in 'Introduction to Formations' that he had never seen before, Xu Zhengyang exclaimed excitedly, “Formations are composed of Techniques, and Techniques are composed of runes. That being the case. Then runes are the basic unit of cultivation technology!”
As he spoke.
Xu Zhengyang enthusiastically dove into his work.
He began deciphering the new runes recorded in 'Introduction to Formations' based on the rules he had previously summarized.
Once Xu Zhengyang verified the effects of a rune.
He would annotate it in detail and finally add it to his database!
…
Although this was a tedious and long task, Xu Zhengyang found great joy in it.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day.
Xu Zhengyang had just woken up and was about to continue recording the runes from 'Introduction to Formations' when he suddenly heard Xing Yong’s voice from his Restriction Jade Token:
“Little junior brother! Tomorrow is your discipleship ceremony. Master sent me to check on you and bring you something!”
Upon hearing Xing Yong’s words.
Xu Zhengyang finally realized that he had been working day and night for more than half a month without rest!
“Time really flies…”
Xu Zhengyang muttered.
He pulled out a self-drawn Cleansing Talisman and tidied himself up before dashing toward the main gate of Twilight Shadow Pavilion.
…
When he opened the door.
Xu Zhengyang bowed to Xing Yong and said, “Greetings, Senior Brother.”
“Why so polite with your own senior brother?”
Xing Yong chuckled.
He flipped his hand and took out an ice-blue Dao robe from his storage pouch, then eagerly pulled Xu Zhengyang into the inner residence.
As they walked, Xing Yong stuffed the Dao robe into Xu Zhengyang’s arms.
At the same time, he said, “Tomorrow is your discipleship day, and you barely have anything decent to wear—how is that acceptable? This is the Wind Riding Robe refined by Master using silk from the Ice Spirit Silkworm. This robe is not only exceptionally tough, resistant to ordinary blades and swords, but also engraved with two practical formations: Dust Repelling and Wind Riding. It’s considered a top-tier item among Tier 1 magical tools! Hurry and put it on, see if it fits!”
“Thank you, Senior Brother!”
Xu Zhengyang agreed and immediately went into the main residence of the Twilight Shadow Pavilion to change into the robe.
…
Clothes make the man, just as gold makes the Buddha.
Xu Zhengyang was already naturally handsome and heroic.
Now that he had donned the Wind Riding Robe prepared by Pei Zhen, he looked even more distinguished, like a celestial being.
“Tut tut tut…”
Xing Yong’s eyes lit up upon seeing Xu Zhengyang’s appearance and couldn’t help but praise, “No wonder you’re my little junior brother—you look way better than me! Say no more. Your looks alone are enough to overshadow that brat from Mysterious Mechanism Peak!”