Immortality Through Array Formations

Chapter 1038: Chapter 661: Formation Media (Thank you to the patron, Grandmaster Xuan Chou~)_2 Chapter 1038: Chapter 661: Formation Media (Thank you to the patron, Grandmaster Xuan Chou~)_2 Senior Sister Murong and the others must have been taught in the same way.

Even Taixu Gate must have done the same earlier.

Through missions, they would gradually help disciples control the “difficulty” and toughen up bit by bit until they could stand on their own.

However, this has nothing to do with Mo Hua.

Such missions are too simple, and they won’t earn many merit points, so he couldn’t be bothered to do them.

Mo Hua thought of something else.

Cheng Mo’s words had reminded him.

“Formation Master’s techniques must be arranged in advance, otherwise, if forced to fight in haste and unprepared, it would be very passive.”

“If caught off guard, it’s likely that one might lose one’s life…”

Formation Master’s techniques need to be prepared in advance…

This made Mo Hua realize a problem:

“How exactly do general Formation Masters make use of formations in battle?”

During his time in Tongxian City, he used formations as traps.

When killing the Big Demon Feng Xi and building the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Formation, it was akin to setting up a trap that combined confinement and slaughter—first trapping Feng Xi, then slaughtering like a pig.

After reaching Foundation Establishment and learning Divine Sense Control Ink, things became much simpler.

He could draw and use formations on the spot…

But how do other Foundation Establishment Formation Masters specifically utilize formations in real combat?

This was something Mo Hua hadn’t really given much thought to.

Mo Hua contemplated and felt somewhat lost, inevitably sighing.

Perhaps this was the trouble of learning too much about Formations.

Some of the most basic things could be overlooked without one realizing it…

“Practical application of formations…”

He decided to thoroughly research this during the time he had.

He had intended to ask Elder Master Xun.

But upon further thought, he realized that such a question might not be seen as a high-end Formation issue, therefore asking Elder Master Xun seemed like making poor use of valuable resources.

Moreover, it might even arouse Elder Master Xun’s suspicions.

Especially the term “practical application,” which didn’t sound like something a little cultivator, freshly joined to a sect and confined indoors, engrossed daily in Formation research, would ask.

Mo Hua went to look for Zheng Fang instead.

The Zheng Family is known as a Formation Method Aristocrat with a rare and highly secretive Thunder System Formation, not even necessarily passed down to their direct descendants.

But aside from that, their inheritance of some basic formations and their applications should be rather complete.

Zheng Fang often discussed Formation issues with Mo Hua.

With a stern face and serious personality, he did everything by the book like a “little scholar.”

He studied every Formation issue seriously.

Apart from some Formation inheritances that were forbidden from being passed on, Zheng Fang had always been forthcoming and exhaustive in what he shared with Mo Hua.

“The practical use of formations is based on formations, but the key actually lies in the ‘Formation media.ʼ”

“Formation media?”

“Yes,” Zheng Fang nodded, “My great-uncle once said that the Dao of Heaven and Earth manifests as ‘Formations,’ and everything in the world can serve as a ‘Formation media.ʼ”

“However, among these potential ‘Formation media,’ there’s also a great deal of variance…”

“Some things are natural ‘Formation media,’ due to their affinity for absorbing Spiritual Ink and melding with Formation Patterns…”

“Whereas other things may either be too loose and formless, too fluid and inconsistent, or too complex and disordered to be suitable…”

Zheng Fang paused here, choosing a more precise phrasing:

“Very difficult to use as ‘Formation media’…”

“There are exceptions, but they are rare…”

“Only a few Great Formation Masters, with an uncommon understanding of the laws of the world, capable of ‘turning stone into gold’ and transforming what’s decayed into something wondrous, can inscribe Formation Patterns on ‘Formation media’ that are commonly considered unsuitable…”

Mo Hua couldn’t help nodding involuntarily.

Zheng Fang continued, “Therefore, Formation media, in the study of formations, are just ‘mediators,’ but in the application of formations, they are ‘foundational.ʼ”

“Even the most advanced formations require suitable ‘Formation media’ to serve as the base for their structure.”

“And the history of Formation media is also lengthy…”

Zheng Fang looked as though he had a long story to tell.

“In the beginning, Formation Masters had to find and use their own Formation media…”

“But as the Tao Cultivation industry developed and became more specialized, Formation Masters had their hands full just learning Formations, let alone spending a lot of time crafting Formation media themselves…”

“So the crafting of ‘Formation media’…”

Mo Hua’s eyes brightened, “Was left to Artifact Refiners?”

“Yes,” Zheng Fang nodded.

He then pulled out a catalog from his Storage Bag.

On the catalog, several simple Spiritual Artifact models were illustrated.

“There’s no need to mention Formation Paper, as it’s the most basic and cheapest Formation media…”

“All other types of Spiritual Artifact Formation media, including Formation Flags, Array Plates, and Formation bases…”

“These are all separately refined by Artifact Refiners.”

Mo Hua looked puzzled, “But this crafting of Formation media doesn’t seem to be taught in the sect.”

Zheng Fang nodded again, “Those things… the sect doesn’t teach…”

“Just like formations, which are divided into various categories, such as Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, Eryi and Three Talents, Four Symbols and Seven Stars, and so on…”

“And among the subcategories are formations like the Yuan Magnetic Formation…”

“Each category of formations has significant differences…”

“Similarly, Artifact Refining is also divided into various subfields, like the crafting of Formation media, Taoist Robes, armors, weapons, accessories, and other Spiritual Artifacts required in a cultivator’s life and production, such as lamps, incense burners, screens, and Pill Furnaces…”

“Most Artifact Refiners will choose one or two specialties to pursue excellence in.”

“The sect won’t teach everything, only picking the most important, with the largest volume, and with the widest application to teach…”