After some effort, Qi Ping quickly obtained several formation manuals from Meng Yan.
These included Basic First-Rank Formations, Formation Master's Cultivation Experience Notes, Compendium of First-Rank Formations, Spirit-Gathering Art, and Spirit-Gathering Array: From Primary to Advanced.
Beyond these, there were numerous books on formation theory, case studies, and biographies of famous formation masters, all provided as references for Qi Ping's journey into the craft.
The completeness and comprehensiveness of this knowledge far exceeded Qi Ping's expectations.
'Brother Meng truly put his heart into this!'
In return, Qi Ping gave him five thousand spirit stones.
Initially, Meng Yan said it wasn't necessary. Qi Ping had helped him slay the geniuses of the three rival sects, and that contribution alone was enough to earn these items.
However, Qi Ping insisted on the payment. Regardless of Meng Yan's personal circumstances, that was his own affair. He enjoyed the benefits of his status, but he also bore the many dangers and pressures that came with it.
Qi Ping only knew that obtaining such things required a price, especially now that he had the strength to pay in spirit stones.
This was far better than anything he could buy outside. These were the distilled essence of what Meng Yan could procure, particularly the experience notes left by high-level formation masters—knowledge that many could not buy even if they had the wealth.
After bringing the manuals back, Qi Ping began to study them with great curiosity.
Among the Four Arts of cultivation—Alchemy, Refining, Talismans, and Formations—the one he liked and found most intriguing was the Way of Formations.
Alchemy was the most profitable of the four, but Qi Ping had little interest in it. Especially now that the bees could act as low-tier alchemists, brewing honey on his behalf, he had no desire to study it further.
The small amount of alchemical knowledge he had acquired was merely to help the bees produce higher-quality honey; it was a far cry from mastering the actual Path of Alchemy.
As for Refining, Qi Ping was even less interested. Striking iron was far too tedious for him. Unless he had no other choice, he doubted he could ever stick with it.
Talismans were decent. They could earn money and provide a surplus for combat. In a fight, one could simply throw out handfuls of them. Compared to Alchemy and Refining, Qi Ping liked Talismans a bit more.
But if compared to Formations, Talismans ranked much lower in his heart.
To Qi Ping, Formations were the ultimate craft.
After all, while he didn't mind killing, he had no interest in living a life of constant bloodshed. It was better to farm and raise bees in his own territory. Thus, the utility of Talismans was limited for him.
But Formations were different!
Protecting a territory? Use an array!
Hiding a territory? Use an array!
Gathering spiritual energy? Use an array!
Fighting enemies? Use an array!
Escaping? Use an array! Like teleportation or concealment arrays!
In short, Formations were incredibly useful to Qi Ping, and more importantly, they could provide him with a complete sense of security.
For a farmer, was there any path more fitting than the Way of Formations? No!
Once he succeeded in this path, he could confidently find a remote location to establish his spirit farm territory.
Within that sanctuary, no matter what spirit herbs he planted or what animal companions he raised, he would no longer need to be as cautious or fearful as he was now.
Furthermore, the Way of Formations was the most suitable path for a Druid.
The essence of the Way of Formations was to borrow the power of heaven and earth.
A Druid's path was also one of affinity with nature and the world, giving them a natural advantage in learning arrays.
Added to that was the Blessing of Heaven and Earth talent he had obtained after slaying the Demon Insect King.
(TN: Blessing of Heaven and Earth: Because you defended the balance of the world and eradicated heterodox entities, you have received a blessing. Your probability of sudden insight increases, and your affinity with the laws of heaven and earth is enhanced.)
Under these circumstances, choosing the Way of Formations was not only the most practical choice but also the one where he possessed the greatest talent.
Moreover, setting up arrays required high Spirit-Soul strength, as it consumed a significant amount of mental energy—this perfectly matched his current Spirit-Soul talent, the Fairy-Trance Divine Seal.
With all these conditions aligned, the Way of Formations was Qi Ping's optimal choice—it could even be said to be a mandatory one!
On Peak 29 of the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range.
A black crow was basking in the sun atop an ancient cedar tree, surrounded by dense solar energy.
Beneath that tree, a handsome youth with a serene expression sat holding a slumbering white fox.
In his hands, he held a book that looked like parchment, reading it with total concentration.
On the title page were four large characters: The Way of the Formation Cultivator.
'The Way of Formations: Borrow the power of heaven and earth to command the world, containing all things within the palm of your hand.'
'Utilize the timing of heaven, occupy the advantage of the earth, and control or disrupt the power of laws...'
'The study of Formations is based on an understanding of universal laws; the Five Elements, the Eight Trigrams, and all heavenly laws can form an array!'
'The placement of an array requires the activation of array foundations. Spiritual energy, spirit stones, spirit tools, corpses... all things in heaven and earth can serve as foundations. Through these, one manipulates the laws and energies of the world.'
'Occupying the advantage of the terrain, a formation cultivator is invincible among those of the same realm!'
'The Way of Formations requires extremely high Spirit-Soul strength. Setting them up consumes vast amounts of mental power. Those with insufficient Spirit-Soul or comprehension should not attempt it!'
"So this is the Way of Formations..."
After several hours of study, Qi Ping slowly put down the book. While the contents of the manual still lingered in his mind, the light in his eyes grew increasingly bright.
Arrays! Formation Cultivators!
So this was the essence of the craft!
The more Qi Ping studied, the more the joy in his heart intensified.
First, he found that the more he understood the Way of Formations, the more he liked it. In the pursuit of a craft, interest could play just as large a role as talent.
Only by being truly devoted could one understand the essence and reach the peak!
Second, he was shocked by the sheer power of arrays.
With the advantage of time and place, eight words could describe a formation master: Invincible in the same realm!
As long as one understood arrays to the absolute limit of their own cultivation stage, they could essentially guarantee they would never be defeated by someone of the same level.
However, for formation cultivators to be this powerful, the difficulty of their training was also exceptionally high. It demanded a lot from both Spirit-Soul and comprehension. Anyone with that level of insight was basically a cultivation genius to begin with.
Therefore, truly powerful formation masters were much rarer than mere cultivation geniuses.
"Furthermore, the distinction between formation masters is very clear."
"The prerequisite for borrowing the power of heaven and earth is a level of comprehension of those forces. Thus, aside from general-purpose arrays, a master usually specializes in only a few types..."
"In that case, if I want to build a secret territory of my own, I must prioritize studying illusion arrays and breath-concealing arrays."