Sect Master Jun had deployed the Basic-Grade Spirit Gathering Formation with flowing movements like floating clouds and running water, but ended up with a tiny bit of deviation when sketching the formation lines. The formation exploded the moment it activated!

The explosion was quite severe!

It blasted out a circular crater dozens of meters across.

Even though Jun Changxiao had realized what was happening, he hadn’t had time to escape. As a result, he was blown completely charred black and had to be carried by disciples to the Medicine Hall for emergency treatment!

For a beginner, making mistakes and blowing up formations was a normal phenomenon. Therefore, those who survived and became qualified Formation Masters had undoubtedly fought their way through mountains of blades and seas of fire.

The next day, Sect Master Jun sat in the small pavilion in his courtyard, his entire body wrapped in bandages, a cane placed beside him, his face showing utter life-weariness as he wondered where exactly he had gone wrong.

The System said, “The host should research the formation lines more thoroughly, achieving complete proficiency before attempting to deploy formations again.”

“Alright.”

Jun Changxiao laboriously took out the Thirty-Two Formations of Qimen and examined the Spirit Gathering Formation’s formation lines very carefully.

After looking for most of the day, he finally realized that when he had deployed it, he had been too hasty, and many subtle areas had contained errors.

Though not obvious, they were deadly!

After this failure, Jun Changxiao became extremely cautious when deploying formations next time.

“Buzz!”

Three days later, flowing light appeared again in that bombed area of the back mountain. A Spirit Gathering Formation roughly one hundred square meters in size activated.

Jun Changxiao hid in the distance and waited for a while. After confirming it wouldn’t explode, he smiled and said, “Success!”

This time it truly succeeded.

When he cautiously entered it and felt the spiritual energy ten times stronger than the outside world, the smile overflowing from the corners of his mouth grew even richer.

With the Spirit Gathering Formation, it was equivalent to having ten times the spiritual energy supply. If he took high-multiplier Qi Gathering Pills on top of that, his speed would only be even faster!

The downside was that it was too small and couldn’t accommodate too many people.

Jun Changxiao stroked his chin, saying, “I can deploy several more.”

Thinking of it, he did it.

With two days of effort, four more Spirit Gathering Formations were deployed.

Li Qingyang, Xiao Zui, and the others entered them, feeling the spiritual energy far stronger than the spirit energy formations. Their faces all showed excitement.

Ye Xingchen thought secretly, “This type of spirit energy formation can only be deployed by a Formation Grandmaster. The Sect Master is indeed not simple!”

Formation Masters on the Xingyun Continent also had level divisions.

Similar to the martial path, they were divided into Formation Apprentice, Formation Master, Formation Grandmaster, Formation King, Formation Emperor, Formation Saint, and even Formation Sovereign.

This type of formation that boosted spiritual energy tenfold—in Ye Xingchen’s understanding, only those at the Formation Grandmaster level could deploy it.

Of course, Formation Grandmasters were already very powerful on the Xingyun Continent.

Because Formation Masters were extremely rare and cultivation was extremely difficult, throughout history, those who reached the Formation Emperor and Formation Saint levels were few and far between.

As for Formation Sovereigns, they only existed in ancient times. In the current age, no one had reached the level of proving the Dao through formations.

Formations also had level divisions—still Apprentice, Master, Grandmaster, King, Emperor, Saint, and Sovereign.

Formation Apprentices deployed Apprentice Formations, Formation Grandmasters deployed Grandmaster Formations, and Formation Sovereigns deployed Sovereign Formations.

The formation path was indispensable on the Xingyun Continent because it could play crucial roles in many places and many matters.

Therefore, Formation Masters, like Pill Refiners and Spirit Masters, enjoyed extremely high status.

Moreover, in terms of combat power, if a Formation Grandmaster could deploy killing formations, they wouldn’t necessarily fear a Wuwang.

“Better to provoke martial cultivators than formation cultivators.”

This was a widely circulated saying on the Xingyun Continent.

Why?

Because who knew if they would deploy a killing formation at your doorstep?

Wuwang have spiritual sense and can’t detect formations?

Concealment formations plus isolation formations plus various killing formations—understand how multiple combinations work.

Of course, whether a Formation Master had combat power depended on whether they could deploy formations in time. If they couldn’t deploy them, then they could only be abused by martial cultivators until they couldn’t take care of themselves.

“From today onward,” Jun Changxiao announced before the great hall, “the Spirit Gathering Formations are open around the clock. All of you may enter at any time.”

Hearing this, the gazes of thousands of disciples immediately became burning hot!

With such powerful spiritual energy enhancement, if they went in to cultivate, their martial dao advancement would definitely be incredibly fast!

Thus, the Tiegu Sect disciples ignored the spirit energy formations. Whenever they absorbed spiritual energy for cultivation, they would go to the Spirit Gathering Formations in the back mountain.

Jun Changxiao then dismantled the spirit energy formations.

These formations that cost one Contribution Point per day could now honorably retire.

Li Qingyang, Xiao Zui, and the others, feeling that their physical bodies had been tempered to the extreme, also began focusing their attention on cultivation. Therefore, they would spend more time within the Spirit Gathering Formations.

“Sect Master!”

Positioned within the formation, Jiang Xie said, “Since you can deploy such powerful Spirit Gathering Formations, deploying isolation formations should be child’s play for you. Please quickly seal off that area to prevent the five-colored light from appearing again.”

“Don’t rush, don’t rush.” Jun Changxiao said calmly.

He was actually very anxious. After returning to his study, he began flipping through the Thirty-Two Formations of Qimen and indeed found an isolation formation in the Basic-Grade section!

The description stated that this isolation formation also integrated a concealment formation. Not only could it isolate everything, but it would also adapt to the environment and transform accordingly. Unless one physically touched it, it would be extremely difficult to detect.

“Excellent.”

Jun Changxiao rubbed his hands together and began comprehending it.

Several days later, he had the formation nodes and formation lines firmly memorized.

Jun Changxiao didn’t immediately go deploy it. Instead, he very carefully studied the formation node positions and formation line sketching again, making it perfect before coming to the open area where the five-colored light had risen.

After finding quite a few small stones, he first took a long breath, then began seriously laying them out. Each formation node position was done without the slightest deviation.

This was delicate work that couldn’t be rushed.

It wasn’t until half a day had passed that Jun Changxiao finally had the small stones scattered around the open grassland.

After completing the formation nodes, he began sketching the formation lines.

By the time dusk arrived, Jun Changxiao finally connected the last line with the formation nodes, linking the beginning and end.

“Buzz!”

In an instant, flowing light shot up into the sky.

Sect Master Jun had already used Cloud-Traversing Steps to leave early.

He had been traumatized by the explosion. Even knowing he had deployed it flawlessly, he still worried something unexpected might happen.

After the isolation formation took shape, it first appeared blurred, then gradually materialized, finally resembling a smooth mirror.

Shortly after, the concealment function activated. The barrier evolved scenery that perfectly matched the surrounding environment—that feeling was just like wearing an oversized ghillie suit.

Jun Changxiao cautiously approached and stopped at the formation’s edge.

He gently raised his hand. Ripples appeared in mid-air, and then his body also merged inside.

Sect Master Jun entered the formation, but from the outside view, it was still just an open grassland with no changes whatsoever.

This was the isolation formation from the Thirty-Two Formations of Qimen. Because of the shielding formation, it could blend perfectly with the environment.

“How is it?” Jun Changxiao asked. “Can you see any clues?”

Jiang Xie, who had been called over, stood before the formation. Even releasing his spiritual sense, he still had difficulty capturing the formation’s aura, so he asked in confusion, “There’s a formation here?”

“Try taking two steps,” Jun Changxiao said.

Jiang Xie did as told. As a result, just as he took the second step, he bumped his forehead right into the formation.

“This…”

Covering his forehead, he exclaimed in shock, “There really is a formation!”

Jun Changxiao said, “With this formation, we don’t need to worry about being exposed when the spiritual energy revives.”

Jiang Xie raised his hand to touch the formation barrier that had merged with the environment, thinking secretly in shock, “To be able to deploy a formation hidden in darkness that’s difficult to detect—the Sect Master must be a Formation Path Master!”